Hundreds of boats hit Kentucky Lake on Saturday for pro-Trump parade

Lucas Aulbach
Louisville Courier Journal

Skydivers, a Lamborghini and a plane flying a “Trump 2020” banner were among the sights seen Saturday at a boat parade in west Kentucky to show support for the president less than two months before election day.

Keith Travis, events coordinator for the Marshall County Republican Party, said organizers estimate more than 500 boats took to Kentucky Lake over the weekend for the event, with a motorcade that included around 500 cars beforehand.

The Kentucky rally was one of several pro-President Donald Trump boat parades to have taken place across the country in recent weeks and wasn’t the only one scheduled for Labor Day weekend in the Bluegrass State – more than 60 boaters participated in a separate pro-Trump parade on the Ohio River in Owensboro on Saturday as well, according to WFIE. And while one such event in Texas made waves this weekend, as several vessels participating in a Trump boat parade sank in Lake Travis, Travis said there were “no problems” on Kentucky Lake, even as the event brought out a larger crowd than expected.

Hundreds of boats floated on Kentucky Lake on Saturday in a parade to show support for President Donald Trump. Sept. 5, 2020

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell got in on the action as well – he didn’t attend the event, but he called at one point to thank attendees and encourage them to vote in a live voice message that played to the crowd over a large set of speakers just before 10:30 a.m. Like Trump, he's on the ballot in November, running against challenger Amy McGrath to retain his seat in the Senate.

"What a great opportunity to show your support for this important election," McConnell told the crowd, as he encouraged attendees to vote Republican in the upcoming election. "What you're doing today is incredibly important, and the president and I are lucky to have your support in this year's election."

The motorcade started at 9:15 a.m. and had almost any car you could imagine, Travis said, from buggies to a Lamborghini. The boats took part in a 42-mile flotilla route, he said, and the event brought out people from all over Kentucky and surrounding states. A group of skydivers jumped out of a helicopter and into the lake at one point, as the boats came to a stop at Smith Bay. With cars, boats and planes, organizers called Saturday's festivities a "land, sea and air" event.

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The Marshall County GOP hosts large gatherings with high-profile speakers every summer in advance of the Fancy Farm political picnic, Travis said. With that annual event scaled back in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic, he called Saturday's boat parade a satisfying alternative for organizers and others who participated.

The 2020 election will take place on Nov. 3.

Lucas Aulbach can be reached at laulbach@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4649 or on Twitter @LucasAulbach. Support strong local journalism and subscribe: www.courier-journal.com/lucasa.