Does anyone remember the yearly (and now discontinued) Chattahoochee River Raft Race that Quixie use to sponsor? I remember that it was one big party that WQXI put on. Gary McKee always promoted it. Does anyone have memories from those events? Why did it stop? Was it related to the water being bad? What was the official name? Would a promotion like that work today?
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Atlanta Raft Race
- Thread starter tlyle
- Start date
Discontinued due to excessive urination in rich people's yards.
As memory serves me, the WQXI raft races started in the late 60's - long before Gary Mckee worked at WQXI. The original raft races were co-sponsored with Georgia Tech. Actually I believe some of the frats came up with the idea and partnered with WQXI. Eventually WQXI owned it in the 70's.
Some of the reasons include environmental issues, insurance issues, and safety issues as to why the station ceased doing the promotions. It just got so crowded and too many irresponsible people made it less and less enjoyable. At one time I thought it had become a drunk fest.
I specifically remember Raft Race 1974 with the Charlie Daniels Band at the finish line. There were so many people that there had to be shuttle busses to Riverbend. The river is just way too built up now to do it like the old days.
Original name - WQXI Rambling Raft Race...or something to that effect. I'l see if I can find an old T-Shirt.
Some of the reasons include environmental issues, insurance issues, and safety issues as to why the station ceased doing the promotions. It just got so crowded and too many irresponsible people made it less and less enjoyable. At one time I thought it had become a drunk fest.
I specifically remember Raft Race 1974 with the Charlie Daniels Band at the finish line. There were so many people that there had to be shuttle busses to Riverbend. The river is just way too built up now to do it like the old days.
Original name - WQXI Rambling Raft Race...or something to that effect. I'l see if I can find an old T-Shirt.
GMHO is right.
I broadcast live the afternoon of the last Raft Race (the name was changed to "River Festival" for legal reasons, if memory serves)...May, 1980. We were staked out on the back deck at Rays on The River, watching the wildness float down in front.
I remember arrangements for the promotion overtook daily activities at 94Q to the point where it seemed it was all we talked about on air. This was partly due to safety announcement guarantees the station had made to authorities in order to get permits -- at least, that's what the jocks were told. We were pretty much all glad it was over and were able to get back to "normal" on the air.
For whatever reason, the raft race went the way of the buffalo after that. We shifted our big outdoor promotion to "Light Up Atlanta" (anyone remember THAT?) which is another story for another thread.
I still have an original airstaff event shirt...I imagine I could make a couple bucks on e-Bay with it!
Fun days.
I broadcast live the afternoon of the last Raft Race (the name was changed to "River Festival" for legal reasons, if memory serves)...May, 1980. We were staked out on the back deck at Rays on The River, watching the wildness float down in front.
I remember arrangements for the promotion overtook daily activities at 94Q to the point where it seemed it was all we talked about on air. This was partly due to safety announcement guarantees the station had made to authorities in order to get permits -- at least, that's what the jocks were told. We were pretty much all glad it was over and were able to get back to "normal" on the air.
For whatever reason, the raft race went the way of the buffalo after that. We shifted our big outdoor promotion to "Light Up Atlanta" (anyone remember THAT?) which is another story for another thread.
I still have an original airstaff event shirt...I imagine I could make a couple bucks on e-Bay with it!
Fun days.
It was the best floating party ever, then things just got way out of hand. I witnessed debauchery on a grand scale with individual acts of depravity so profane that decorum prohibits listing them here.
Ah, good times…
Ah, good times…
K
kyscott
Guest
DashRiprock said:
The issue here is not whether we broke a few rules, or took a few liberties with our female party guests - we did.
But you can't hold a whole radio station responsible for the behavior of a few, sick twisted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn't we blame the whole radio station system? And if the whole radio station system is guilty, then isn't this an indictment of our broadcasting institutions in general? I put it to you, Greg - isn't this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we're not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America.
Re: Atlanta Raft Race and other promotions
Great comments and great memories. I saw Craig brought up light up Atlanta. What other promotions have gone awry over the years that you have been a part of. What were they, and what went wrong?
I remember a promo that Z93 did years ago where they were trying to get Atlanta women to get a suntan leaving the Rich's department store logo on their stomach's. Did not see the results, but I heard that some of the contestants did go that far for whatever they were giving away.
Great comments and great memories. I saw Craig brought up light up Atlanta. What other promotions have gone awry over the years that you have been a part of. What were they, and what went wrong?
I remember a promo that Z93 did years ago where they were trying to get Atlanta women to get a suntan leaving the Rich's department store logo on their stomach's. Did not see the results, but I heard that some of the contestants did go that far for whatever they were giving away.
and who could forget Z-93's "tacky light tour" nothing like a double decker bus full of drunk white guys riding around uppity neighborhoods being simple...
N
nativeatlanta
Guest
You guys stop it. Your making me feel old at the ripe old age of 40 ;D.
The NO FUN ALLOWED rule is the reason events like The Atlanta Raft Race, Light Up Atlanta, The Arts Festival( Actually,I think lack of money caused that event to cease ) & Music Midtown are gone.
Atlanta is not the partytown it use to be.
The NO FUN ALLOWED rule is the reason events like The Atlanta Raft Race, Light Up Atlanta, The Arts Festival( Actually,I think lack of money caused that event to cease ) & Music Midtown are gone.
Atlanta is not the partytown it use to be.
K
kyscott
Guest
nativeatlanta said:You guys stop it. Your making me feel old at the ripe old age of 40 ;D.
The NO FUN ALLOWED rule is the reason events like The Atlanta Raft Race, Light Up Atlanta, The Arts Festival( Actually,I think lack of money caused that event to cease ) & Music Midtown are gone.
Atlanta is not the partytown it use to be.
People are too sue happy, and the courts and juries are more than happy to oblige with rediculous settlements.
Brian Donegan said:
Everybody went downtown and got lit.
Brian Donegan said:
Light Up Atlanta -- the first one -- was a radio station (94Q) promotion designed to get people downtown. 1982. This was pre-lofts/Atlantic Station, etc.; basically the city became a complete ghost town at 5pm nightly. So our station's management got together with the city to make this happen. A Friday night promotion where Peachtree street was blocked off from the Woodruff Park at 5 Points all the way down past the old Macy's/Davidsons to just below Baker Street. That's a decent stretch of about 10 blocks or so. We set up three stages for music, with the biggest being at Woodruff Park.
We expected 50,000 people and instead over 300,000 showed up, according to the police stats. It was pretty scary, actually, trying to cross Peachtree. It was jammed tight tight tight, sort of like what you see for New Year's in Times Square. On the main stage was Mayor Andy Young, Jermaine Jackson (The Jacksons were on tour and he was there to announce the Atlanta appearance), Gary McKee and others from the station plus other dignitaries/celebs.
Someone shot a video from the roof of Macys/Davidsons looking back down Peachtree...in the dark, with floodlights shining, the crowd was so huge that it looked like a worm wriggling! Absolutely bizarre and wild.
The second Light Up Atlanta, 1983, was just as crowded but for me a lot less fun. Because the first one was such an incredible success, all the politicos/business interests etc. came out of the woodwork wanting a piece of it. So it ended up being more of a mish mash event the second time. At least from my perspective.
tlyle said:
Hah!! ;D Yes, I did, from '83--'85. And it wasn't a bad thing (at least, for me--dunno about how the viewers felt!). It was actually a lot of fun. It was called the Atlanta Rock Review. It ran Friday and Saturday nights, and the calling card with the show was that it was simulcast on 94Q, so you could "listen to the videos in stereo!" -- that sounds kinda quaint now, doesn't it?
My 11 year old son ran across some old video tapes of me on the show recently and freaked when he saw what I used to look like. I mean...I had hair back then!
K
kyscott
Guest
craig_ashwood said:
Yea, didn't you go by the name Rip Tide on the show? ;D
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