CLEVELAND — Editor's Note: The above video is from a previously published story
Fresh off of last week's news that the I-X Center will be reopening, another longtime event has announced its return to Cleveland.
The 65th annual Progressive Cleveland Boat Show & Fishing Expo will kick off the reopening of the I-X Center and its 2022 public shows schedule when it docks in January of next year.
“The boat show was the first public show held in the I-X when it opened in 1986,” says Michelle Burke, president of the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association (LEMTA) in a statement. “And we’re excited to bring the show back after a year’s absence."
The last boat show in the I-X Center was in January, 2020, just weeks before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. An increase in the number of seminars and attractions for 2022 is now in the works.
“Boating and fishing are all about the experiences they provide to families,” explains Burke, “so we want our returning show to be even more experiential. Live entertainment for all ages will also be expanded, including the return of the popular “Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel” show; an expanded lineup of live musical entertainers; boating seminars and hands-on simulators; a bigger schedule of presentations in the “College of Nautical Knowledge”; and many more.
Visitors will once again be able to climb aboard the hundreds of power and sailboats that will be on display. The fleet will range from the smallest inflatable paddleboards that are carried in a bag, up to 40-foot-plus motor yachts that can carry the crew anywhere on the Great Lakes. Attendees will also be able to shop at the more than 200 exhibits of accessories, marinas, nautical clothing, educational and service exhibits surrounding all the show activities.
More Coverage of the I-X Center's return: