RegattaCentral

In the early to mid 1800's, the construction of a dam across the Susquehanna River, just south of the city of Sunbury, produced a lake known as Lake Augusta. In 1874 a group of rowers (log raftmen and shad fishermen) from Shamokin Dam and Sunbury competed in a regatta on Lake Augusta,  rowing in both singles and doubles. The rowers from Shamokin Dam were victorious that day, winning a barrel of flour, gold sleeve buttons and a silver cup, while the rowers from Sunbury vowed to win in the next year. The most popular event of the day was a "tub"race in which the same rowers sat in wash tubs and paddled over a shorter course.

To our best knowledge, the sport of rowing became a popular sport in central Pennsylvania, and in 1888 a National Association of Amateur Oarsmen Championship was held on the Lake Augusta in Sunbury. Rowers traveled from as far away as Canada and the midwest to compete, and reportedly, thousands of spectators lined the banks of the river. The number of spectators was so great, the railroad companies rerouted trains to accomodate the throngs of people.

Rowing in Central Pennsylvania was popular until an ice surge in 1904 demolished the dam that made conditions ideal for the sport. In 1968, a new inflatable dam was installed that allowed rowing to slowly return. By the early 1980's Bucknell University had established a crew team, and by the early 1990's Susquehanna University had it's own team. Near the end of the last century, a masters rowing club, the Central Pennsylvania Rowing Association, was founded. The college teams and masters club now share a boat house on Lake Augusta near the juntion of routes 11 and 15 just north of Shamokin Dam.

The Masters of the Susquehanna Regatta is an attemp to celebrate the racing spirit and challenge rowers of all ages to compete on Lake Augusta. This is the first time this regatta will be held and it is hoped that it will be an annual event in which athletes can determine who is "Master of the Susquehanna". In addition to sculling and sweep rowing, we will host a corporate tub race for charilty and a "whatever" floats race for the public in conjunction with the Sunbury River Festival.