Super Cat Fest West Or The Desert Storm Poker Run?

The founder of River Daves Place, the go-to website for high-performance boating fans who call Lake Havasu home-water, Dave Johnson is a well-known figure in the Lake Havasu City, Ariz., community. Equally well-known in Missouri performance-boating circles, Alvin Heathman, his partner in producing Super Cat Fest West, lives at the Lake of the Ozarks and founded the original Super Cat Fest event at the waterway.
Both are strong-willed, passionate dudes who like to run their own shows and raise money for children’s charities while they’re at it. And yet for the past two years, they have successfully teamed up to produce Super Cat Fest West on Lake Havasu. The event, which is hosted out of Havasu Riviera Marina and set for April 10-13, has grown every year since Johnson and Heathman joined forces.

What’s more, it has grown steadily in the shadow of the famed Desert Storm Poker Run, scheduled for April 23-26. Desert Storm celebrates its 26th anniversary this year. And though its original and current owners didn’t invent the idea of a street party exhibit before their main event, the Desert Storm version set the standard by which all other such celebrations and product showcases are measured.
The mile-long display of exotic boats and cars in downtown Lake Havasu City is impressive, the crowd that fills the street once the sun starts setting even more. For performance-boat fans, it surpasses any formal boat show.
With its charitable fundraising efforts, Super Cat Fest West has set quite a bar of its own. In 2024, the event raised $300,000 for local children’s charities. This year, thanks to a generous benefactor who will match up to $200,000 raised by the organizers, the event has the potential to bring in $400,000—and maybe more.

A full week separates the two events. So unless you can carve out three weeks away from your business—meaning you’re probably not needed—you’ll have to choose between them this year.
Either way, you’re in for an experience. Registration for both events is open.—Matt Trulio
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Source: https://www.powerboatnation.com/super-cat-fest-west-or-the-desert-storm-poker-run/