A victim of its own success thanks in large part to organizer Chad Collier, the Tennessee Powerboat Club’s Old Hickory Fun Run (July 28-30) is sold out with approximately 120 registered boats. Collier said he expects more boats to show up and participate in the official fun run on Saturday.

“I am going to try to let everybody come, but we are truly at capacity right now,” he said.

As it did in 2015, the Old Hickory Fun Run will attract some of the hottest go-fast boat hardware in the country (click image to enlarge). Photos courtesy/copyright Devin Williams/Devin Williams Photography.

For the 2016 event, Collier, who has run the event for the past four years, has added a Nashville-by-water trip for the “early birds” who are there in time on Thursday. The fleet will be limited to 30 boats as the journey involves passing through a dam lock on Old Hickory Lake, which will lower the boats 50 to 60 feet to the Cumberland River so they can run to Nashville.

“We can only handle 30 boats, but anybody else is welcome to come on down to Nashville,” said Collier. “I have rented a venue on Broadway where we’ll have lunch and then walk around and check out the ‘day life’ in Nashville.”

For a look at some of the action from last year’s Old Hickory Fun Run, check out the slideshow above.

Friday’s casual fun run, lunch and not-to-be-missed raft-off is on again this year, as is the Friday night boat display in downtown Nashville. While it won’t be quite as extensive as it was last year—this time around only Mystic Powerboats and Sonic Powerboats will have models on display in the street in front of the Rock Bottom Brewery—the traditional party at the rooftop venue will be in full swing.

Saturday’s main event running up and down Old Hickory Lake will be followed by dinner and a live and silent auction back at Sam’s Sports Grill, the host venue, at the Blue Turtle Bay Marina. Items from signed guitars owned by Brad Paisley and Sheryl Crow to signed sports memorabilia from the NFL Tennessee Titans, the Atlanta Falcons and the NHL Predators will be auctioned off to benefit Operation Stand Down—Tennessee, “the only Veteran Service Center in Tennessee recognized by the US Department of Veterans Affairs” according to the organization’s website.

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