Rather than try to add something new, which has always been a priority for the organizers of the Lake Cumberland Thunder Run in Kentucky, this year’s seventh annual event (June 19-20) is returning to a previous course and lunch stop as well as bringing back a Thunder Run favorite on the entertainment front.

Mike Thornton will be running Frisky Business, his 388 Skater, at the seventh annual Lake Cumberland Thunder Run in June.

According to Justin Lucas, who owns Go Fast Threads and is one of the event organizers, the Ohio band Cover Model is schedule to perform both Friday and Saturday night at Grider Hill Marina and Resort, the host location for the Lake Cumberland Powerboat Club event.

“As far as evening entertainment, Cover Model is the best party band we’ve had,” Lucas said. “Due to schedule conflicts they’ve been unable to play here the last two years, but we’re happy to have them back. We decided to go back to Wolf Creek Marina for lunch—that’s where we went a couple of years ago when we had our highest-attended poker run (106 boats)—so we had to change the order of a couple of the stops.”

Participants will still stop at Conley Bottom and State Dock, and of course raft-ups will take place both days at 76 Falls followed by the evening festivities at Grider Hill.

While he’s expecting some pretty exotic boats from the likes of longtime event supporter Mike Thornton’s 388 Skater Powerboats catamaran Frisky Business and David Southern’s recently repowered 388 Skater Pure Platinum, Lucas said the run is open to all kinds of boats.

“As always, the run is an ‘all boats welcome’ type of event where we try to take care of everyone equally no matter what type of boat you are running,” said Lucas, who owns a Sunsation Boats 288 V-bottom. “From the sound of things, we’re going to have several newcomers. We’re losing a few of our regular guys to the Texas Outlaw Challenge, which is the same weekend, but we understand why they want to go. Heck I want to go to Texas. But I think we’ll have plenty of first-time participants to make up for it.”

Lucas pointed out that the Thunder Run also includes a cruiser class for those who want to fill their cruiser with good friends and leisurely run a shorter version of the poker run yet still take part in all the activities.

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