Rumson flaunts charms, hoping regatta will stay

RUMSON, N.J. - When they convene here six months from now for the first Dad Vail Regatta outside Philadelphia in more than half a century, thousands of collegiate rowers on the Navesink River will race past the Salt Creek Grille and take in a view of the splendid Oceanic Bridge and riverfront homes.

Steve Bidgood, Salt Creek Grille's regional operating partner, already is planning for the boost in business when the Dad Vail Regatta moves to this charming five-square-mile borough on the Jersey Shore next year.

He eagerly walked a visitor through the restaurant's banquet halls one recent evening and pointed out the expansive view of the water through the windows.

"Once they find out and see how beautiful it is here," he said, "they'll come back again."

Rumson, a residential community of 7,000, hosted the Dad Vail in 1939, but no one believes it has anywhere near the experience Philadelphia has had since 1953 in hosting the nation's largest collegiate rowing event.

Still, Dad Vail's organizers, and those along the riverfront, express a certainty that the regatta will be a success.

"This is the best thing that's happened to the Dad Vail in the past 55 years, not the worst thing," said Ken Shaw, vice president of the Dad Vail Regatta organizing committee. "So many things make sense, but because it's different, because it's a change, 'It's no good. It's not going to work right away.' . . . And people are being negative without looking at it."

At this point, what is certain is that the 2010 Dad Vail Regatta will be held in Rumson on May 7-8.

Whether the competition, which attracts 3,000 rowers, will come off without a hitch and whether it will stay in Rumson afterward remain to be seen.

Officials in Rumson were mum on whether their city would host the event beyond 2010.

Shaw, on the other hand, was clear: "Believe me, the people in Rumson aren't putting up money like that to have us there for a year."

Philadelphia officials, who expressed bitter disappointment at the Dad Vail's departure, have said they will try to set up meetings with the regatta's organizers in an effort to woo them back to the Schuylkill.

The regatta, which is run and organized by volunteers and depends on corporate sponsorship for its funding, ran into serious money problems during last year's economic downturn. Those problems increased this year, and were exacerbated when the City of Philadelphia charged the Dad Vail close to $70,000 for this year's event.

After Rumson stepped in with an offer of $250,000 in guaranteed donations, the move to North Jersey was locked in.

For those in Rumson and the surrounding towns in northern Monmouth County, the surprise move offers an opportunity to boost the economy. And for the regatta organizers, Rumson offers distinct financial and logistical advantages.

There is talk of closing off the Oceanic Bridge so it can host onlookers.

Athletes would use Victory Park nearby as a staging area, and visitors could walk with ease to restaurants instead of having to eat on the fly in Fairmount Park.

Rumson Dad Vail committee chairman Dan Edwards said Dad Vail organizers had asked Rumson's leaders over the summer whether they would consider hosting the regatta.

"We asked them to bring experts up" and examine transportation and accommodations, he said. Their requirement was that the area have at least 1,500 hotel rooms, he said.

The community is coordinating with towns along the river - including Fair Haven, Middletown, and Red Bank - on accommodations and entertainment.

It's "a great opportunity for economic development in Monmouth County," said Edwards, a rowing coach in Rumson with experience in Philadelphia.

Much of the impact could be on Red Bank, a regional hub for theater, shopping, and dining that locals compare to Princeton and SoHo.

"We're known as the entertainment and cultural center of Central Jersey," Red Bank Mayor Pasquale Menna said.

He said Dad Vail Regatta visitors could enjoy everything Philadelphia offers on a smaller scale - while also having the chance to visit horse country, the beaches of Sandy Hook, and exclusive golf courses nearby.

Red Bank already hosts some major events.

A fireworks show on the river draws up to 200,000 people each July. The George Sheehan Classic attracts 3,000 runners a year. And the borough's annual Jazz and Blues Festival brings in 150,000 souls.

"I think [visitors] will be pleasantly surprised by what we have here to offer them when they come to visit. . . . I think it'll be a nice change of pace," said Nancy Adams, a Philadelphia native who is executive director of Red Bank RiverCenter.

Shaw, the vice president of the Dad Vail Regatta organizing committee, said participants would have more freedom in Rumson than they would in Philadelphia.

He described nightmarish parking and traffic in the city that restricted participants to Fairmount Park and overwhelmed people from out of town. He called Philadelphia's grandstands "decrepit."

Rumson, on the other hand, is more convenient and participant-friendly, Shaw said. And with Rumson High School down the street, the regatta even has an opportunity to have opening and closing ceremonies there, he said.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, has all the rowing infrastructure a regatta could need, including a large riverside grandstand, expansive open spaces, and the private facilities along Boathouse Row. But some local crew aficionados say Philadelphia's public rowing facilities are in serious need of investment.

The city concurs; the problem is finding the money to make the repairs.

"Everyone wants the best course and has the best intentions, but it's a matter of finite resources," said Mark Focht, director of the city's parks.

Eight years ago the city set aside $400,000 to renovate the aging regatta grandstand, but the full cost of the project will likely top $1 million. Focht said the city had hoped to close the gap with state grants or private contributions, but the money has not been forthcoming.

Dad Vail's move to Rumson is already paying off: Wall Street executive Michael Gooch - who lives in Rumson and owns the local paper, the Two Rivers Times - has stepped forward with $100,000 for the regatta.