Great Lakes Fest Celebrates History with Return of the Toledo Antique & Classic Boat Show

Thursday, June 15, 2023 (Toledo, Ohio) – The National Museum of the Great Lakes and Ramsey Brothers Restoration are proud to announce they are teaming up to host Great Lakes Fest featuring the return of the Toledo Antique and Classic Boat Show this summer on Saturday, July 22.

“From 2007 to 2018 the Toledo Antique & Classic Boat Show grew from a small gathering of enthusiasts to a multi-day extravaganza,” shares Scott Ramsey, of Toledo-based Ramsey Brothers Restorations. “After a couple years hiatus, we look forward to bringing back the show in partnership with the National Museum of the Great Lakes, and we have been excited to see the growing interest in boater registration since it officially opened a few weeks ago.”

In 2019 the Antique and Classic Boat Show took a hiatus from a Toledo-based event and then, in 2020, the pandemic struck, lengthening its pause. In 2022, Ramsey Brothers Restoration supported a smaller showing of boats during an inaugural Great Lakes Fest event hosted by the museum that brought over 400 visitors to its grounds and sparked the return to this summer’s larger show. This year’s event is supported by a new volunteer team co-chaired by Tim Goligoski and Sean Harold.

“Last year’s Great Lakes Fest event was a day-long celebration that provided us with a wonderful opportunity to champion Great Lakes history,” says Kate Fineske, the museum’s Senior Director of Institutional Advancement. “With the grand opening of phase 2 of the Glass City Metropark and more and more individuals recognizing our extraordinary riverfront, there is no better moment than now to bring back the full tradition of the Toledo Antique and Classic Boat Show.”

Great Lakes Fest featuring the Toledo Antique & Classic Boat Show will take place from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on July 22. Tickets to join the day-long Great Lakes Fest celebration are FREE for National Museum of the Great Lakes members and children under 6, and $10 (pre-sale) or $15 (day-of) for all others. Admission includes full access to The National Museum of the Great Lakes and museum vessels, all land and water boat show displays, live demonstrations, maritime vendors, food trucks, family activities and more.

The boat show is open to classic boats of all types, but particularly focused on those built prior to 1975 or modern re-creations. Boater registration is $50 per boat / $25 each additional boat by July 15 or $65 after that deadline and includes two tickets to the boat show and Friday night reception on the Col James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship, as well as a gift bag and official show T-shirt.

For additional event details, to pre-purchase tickets, or to apply to be a Great Lakes Fest Marine Mart vendor, Food Truck or Community Partner visit www.nmgl.org/GreatLakesFest2023 or call 419-214-5000. For more information on registering a boat visit www.toledoboatshow.com.