LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Labor Day weekend: The unofficial end of summer and a time for grilling out and getting onto the water before fall hits. Locally, hundreds of people spend the weekend soaking up the sun while relaxing on the Ohio River – especially at Party Cove.
“I’ve got a fun group coming out," said Matt McCormick. He owns just one of the boats that will flock to Party Cove for the weekend.
"It’s usually United Nations on my boat, you know, people from around the world.” He’s also no stranger to taking his boat out on the water.
“We’re known to go out on a New Year’s ride the coldest day of the year. It doesn’t bother us,” he said.
Virginia Berkenkotter is also planning on cruising the Ohio River, renting a boat for the weekend with her family. She's excited to have fun and relax, but she is conscious of the potential dangers of being on the water.
“There’s probably going to be a lot of people on the river,” she said. “We have to be careful and obey the rules, make sure the kids are wearing their life vests. We’re glad that we require those.”
James Moody, the owner at Louisville Boat Rental, agrees that safety is key in making sure that Labor Day celebrations stay celebratory.
“You are on water; you can’t just get off the boat and take off walking,” he said. Other than the obvious safety tips of buckling your life jacket and keeping an eye on the wake, he also stressed the importance of paying attention to the other people on the water.
“The other boaters can be reckless. Some of them may be under the influence, so you want to keep an eye out for that,” he said.
“As long as people use common sense, everyone should be safe out there,” McCormick agreed.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has a full list of boating rules, regulations, and safety tips on their website to make sure that everyone can safely enjoy the water this weekend.
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