If you’ve never before heard of The Tennessee River 600, you my friend are missing out. Beginning in 1997 as a fun ride PWC enthusiasts, the Tennessee River 600 has grown into an annual event with participants representing as many as 19 different states, and is the longest running organized event in the United States for personal watercraft.
Those choosing to tackle the might river stretching through the Middle South state raise funds for two children’s hospitals and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). The money raised is divided among The Children’s Hospital, Birmingham, AL; and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Thus far, the event has raised a total of $204,323!
According to the official Tennessee River 600, “The Children’s Hospital, Birmingham, AL is a member of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, an alliance of premier hospitals for children and one of the world’s leading children’s charities working to save and improve the lives of millions of children.”
Although the ride is meant to be a great scenic ride through lush Tennessee, the event is also aimed at promoting Tennessee tourism and water safety, in addition to helping elevate the public appeal and reputation of personal watercraft.
Recently, Dennis Beckley and staff had this to say:
It sure has been a long, cold winter and it seems like it just won’t let go! But the good news is that Spring will be here soon, and it can’t get here fast enough! We can only think of one or two people that we know of that enjoys all of the snow that’s fallen this year but they don’t live here in Tennessee! Here, we’re ready for the flowers to begin blooming and the grass to turn green signifying the beginning of another great personal watercraft riding season is on it’s way!
Another indicator that Spring is approaching is that we have updated the hotel information for this year’s event! We’ll be staying at the same locations that we stayed at last year as we heard a lot of positive feedback from last years participants. One bit of information that want to let you know is that the hotel in Guntersville, AL, is now known as the Wyndham Garden Lake Guntersville, so hopefully there won’t be any confusion if you call to make your reservations and don’t recognize the name. It’s still the same great hotel with the same great staff that has made us feel at home for the past several years!
We have also added some pictures from the 2013 event to our Photo Gallery! We didn’t receive as many photos as we have have in years past so if you have some photos you would like to share with us please contact us and we’ll get them posted. We love browsing through the pictures as it always brings back great memories, even if they are memories of the rain we rode in last year! Plus it’s always fun to see the event through different “eyes”. It reminds us of just how much there is to see on this ride!
We still have a lot of work to do before July but we’re hoping to thaw out soon and get back on the water for some riding! Stay tuned as we will have more updates in the next few weeks!
Dennis Beckley & the Staff of the Tennessee River 600
