Promises made have been promises kept by Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa/Konocti Presents … President/General Manager Greg Bennett when it comes to the annual BoardStock celebration. With Bennett at the helm, “Bigger, better and badder” seems to be a goal easily realized when BoardStock is held at Lake County”s premier vacation destination.
While hardcore party animals, beer-bonging maniacs and die-hard daredevils passed out one by one from sheer exhaustion, Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa staff and other support units worked tirelessly to keep this year”s BoardStock party rolling, Thursday, Aug. 17, through Sunday, Aug. 20. Hard work, strategic planning and collaborative efforts have all accounted for the extreme success garnered in holding the event on Clear Lake.
BoardStock attendance has grown tremendously since the event found its new home at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa. With BoardStock party people flocking in record numbers, Konocti Harbor has proven that it, and Lake County, can handle an event of such magnitude.
Four days of insane extreme sports madness accompanied by a monstrous musical showcase, concluded with minimal adversities. An estimated 50,000 guests attended this year”s event with 123 incidents reported and initiated by law enforcement, 42 of which were investigated and/or documented.
The Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO) reported 28 arrests during the event, primarily for public intoxication. There were also arrests made for narcotics violations, domestic violence batteries, three juvenile arrests and one case of a reported sexual assault arrest. According to the report released by the LCSO on Aug. 23, officers deployed TASER tactics a total of three times, each of which had resulted in an arrest. Furthermore, the department reported that a deputy sheriff received a broken toe during a physical confrontation.
In addition to criminal incidents, Kelseyville Fire Department, which provided an ambulance unit on site during the event, reported transporting one patient for medical attention from venue throughout the four days.
Along with contributing substantially to the county”s Transient Occupancy Tax revenues and generating national and international media exposure for Konocti Harbor and Lake County, BoardStock events on Clear Lake also provide local law enforcement and emergency agencies with an opportunity to gain experience in control operations of high volume crowds.
“This is probably the single biggest event in Lake County, population wise,” said LCSO Sgt. Don McPherson. “It”s a great training and learning experience for our deputies. With Lake County being rural we don”t have the population where we interact with this many people at any given event.”
BoardStock also provided agencies the opportunity to utilize the northern state”s mutual aid advantages. A total of 13 marine patrol units including two teams from Sonoma County and one team each from Sutter, Sacramento, Amador and El Dorado counties assisted Konocti Harbor”s own marine units in patrolling the waters around the resort. California Fish and Game and the local Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla No. 88 were also on the water.
LCSO had five marine units on the water including two boats and three Personal Water Craft (PWC) patrol units. PWCs have been made available to the LCSO as part of the PWC Law Lease Program sponsored by the Honda Corporation. Local distributor, Hillside Honda, provides the LCSO with its donated PWCs, which are then returned to the dealer at the end of the summer season.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com.
