There are days left before Desert Storm week arrives in Lake Havasu! If you're thinking of joining, please get signed up; we have plenty of room for more Poker Runners and Shootout entries. The Nautical Resort is, of course, sold out, but many places still have rooms available.

At press time, 115 boats have signed up; I’m sure many of our regular participants are so busy they haven’t sent in their registrations. Come on guys, let’s blow the doors off and show the East Coast how we roll!

It really will be a great event and I know you’ll be bummed if you miss it. My special thanks to each of the sponsors who have made this event possible, especially Teague Custom Marine! Please check out the event poster to see all of the sponsors!

Get involved — not just on a participant level; do you have friends or family in Havasu or elsewhere who would like to help? Word of mouth is a great resource for us!

Some Ways To Get Involved

• Krusin’ For Kids, April 24: If anybody would like to volunteer their boat for rides, volunteer their time on the docks, or donate an item for the auction money for the event please contact Christina christina@lakeracerllc.com or 623-238-1330.

• Poker Run Day, April 26: If you would like to take a military hero for the day of the Poker Run please contact Christina christina@lakeracerllc.com or 623-238-1330 so you can be added to the list. Lake Racer will provide all wrist bands for the hero you will be providing the experience!

• Safety boats (Poker Run day and Shootout): If you or someone you know is interested in being a safety boat or safety boat crew, please contact Jim Jr at jtn@lakeracerllc.com. We still need safety boats!

While the Desert Storm staff won’t make it to the Lake Havasu boat show this year, we will be putting the finishing touches on the best event in the West. We always look at each event and learn what might be improved and try to incorporate changes that seem warranted.

Changes For 2013

So, what have we changed this year? A few key things such as New Horizons has been selected for the Krusin 4 Kids Charity and some really special auction items have been found for the Wednesday night open house at OCM of Lake Havasu.

The Street Party will have a more compact footprint with quite a few boats never seen here before. Plus, we’ve added a charity auction during the Street party, (located at Scott drive) with tons of special boating-related items to bid on.

A more compact and intimate Poker Run Village for all our on shore activities with a new stage and 60 LCN screen video wall to see the new Pegged 2 video as well as video shot though out the weekend.

A better-organized Desert Storm shootout on last year’s new location: It proved to be a hit with the racers, the Coast Guard and public, so this year we’ll add a better PA system and bring in a World War II Biplane Aerobatics Team to provide event more entertainment!

Bringing It All Together

With the help of many great people, we have worked hard to bring it all together again. Starting off with a day of charity with our “Krusin for Kids” Charities, giving very special people rides in the boats we love so much! Sharing our boating passion with special guests from New Horizons in Lake Havasu. Seeing them flash a smile as big as all outdoors just can’t be beat!

Along with the boat rides, we’re hosing a pool party for the kids at the Nautical Resort infinity edged pool. That evening we host an Open House at OCM of Lake Havasu, which includes a charity auction for this great organization.

It seems everyone is looking forward to the Desert Storm Street Party, we’re showing off a fantastic array of street and water-borne equipment our participants and sponsors have brought to show and run. The show opens at noon and you can get up close and personal to the most unbelievable works of art ever produced out of fiberglass and steel.

Check out the marine auction, (at Scott Blvd) with some discounts on cool stuff. It’s all for Krusin for Kids Charities so come in and bid on the great items we have gathered to raise money for this great charity.

Spoiling Our Troops

The charity poker run that started all of this action is what has brought many of the boats to Havasu and Friday looks to be a super day on the water with some great prizes awaiting the winners. Once again our great military liaison, Karen Gill, has out done herself in getting the Marines to release 20 of our troops back from Afghanistan and Iraq to come to Havasu and be spoiled rotten by our participants.

Please volunteer to adopt a solider for the day and show them how much their service really means to us! Let me or Christina know if you have space available. I must really thank the Days Inn and Travel lodge for helping us house them while they’re here!

Shore Activities

All shore activities will be in our Poker Run Village on the Nautical Golf Course. The Nautical Resort is again hosting lunch during the noon time break of the Poker Run.

Then we’ll have the Friday night card turn in party food; Romer Beverage/Bud Light hosted Beer, videos and a a series of DJ’s guaranteed to rock the night, stick around and enjoy a great night!

My thanks to Burning Retina Lighting and Transport (Anarchy Boats) for providing such a cool stage, light and sound system with a 60 LCD screen video wall for your entertainment! Check out the huge screen of the new Pegged 2 video!

But Wait; There’s More

The shootout is always a great time; anyone can try their boat for a “First In Class” Trophy!

Even with speeds approaching the elusive 200 HPM mark, everyone has a chance to compete in their own class.

Come out to Site Six Marina where we’ll have boats and rigs on display, food vendors and a PA system announcing the boats and speeds. Don’t miss the noon to 1:30 pm World War Two Biplane aerobatics show. These Boeing a75n1 Stearman Trainers with their radial engines are one of my favorite planes.

Awards Party And Dinner

Saturday night, it will back to the Nautical Resort for our Awards party and dinner in the Poker Run Village; where well honor our winners and give away thousands in cash and prizes. New for this year is a “Desert Storm Underground” after-hours party. After we present the winners and awards, limos will show up at the Nautical Resort to haul willing souls to the special hot-spot location being hosted by River Dave’s Place, catered by Shugrues and sponsored by many of his forum advertisers. Including a hosted open bar, it should be a party for the record books!

Always Open To Suggestions

All of us at Lake Racer are open to suggestions, comments and concerns; please feel free to e-mail any of us in regards to anything Desert Storm! We take pride in the event being safe, fun, and large, and the only way to maintain this is to keep the participants and spectators happy. All of this means constant change and evolving on our part!

Please drop us an e-mail and let us know your thoughts: Jim Sr. —jimn@lakeracerllc.com, Jim Jr. — jtn@lakeracerllc.com, and/or Christina — christina@lakeracerllc.com.