Now, how's that saying go about the third time? Oh, yeah. It's the charm.

Story By Roger Kamholz | Photos by Steve Schulte & Dean Groover

Not that the first and second AquaPaloozas slouched in their duties. On the contrary. Years one and two of Sea Ray's annual come-one-come-all bash practically busted at the seams as giant crowds and phenomenal stage talent swelled the banks of lakes and rivers all over the world. The magnitude of floating fanfare earned AquaPalooza the merit badge of World's Largest On-Water Party. But, with a perfectionist like Sea Ray as host and choreographer, even the most stellar performances get chalked up as rehearsals for next time. (See the latest lineup of boats for more evidence.)

Which brings us to AquaPalooza 2008-the most impressive yet in Sea Ray's trilogy of buoyant ballyhoo. Tallying the numbers, one could have anticipated the growth spurt that was coming: Sea Ray and its dealer partners had organized
150 events in 45 U.S. states and 12 countries. Registration data later showed 11,785 boats and more than 55,000 guests participated, greater numbers than ever before by the thousands.

And with hardly a cloud in the sky, the AquaPalooza 2008 Signature Event took the Lake of the Ozarks by storm. Three days of partying, multiple venues on the lake, a laundry list of top performers-this much palooza called for I'll-sleep-when-I'm-dead ambition. Let's first peruse the menu: a Friday night party and concert appetizer; a main course Saturday of jam-packed, morning 'til night festing on the lake; and a sweet Sunday wrap party that featured more terrific music and fun activities.

Indeed, the true feast was for the eyes and ears. Friday's kick-off party and concert at lakeside favorite the Horny Toad set the playful, colorful tone. Liverpool, the Beatles tribute band, took to the stage in full Sgt. Pepper regalia and belted out spot-on Fab Four classics amid a vibrant light show.

Come Saturday, the party moved to Coconuts, the lake's very own Caribbean-themed beachside tiki lounge. Coconuts sits on a wide bend of lake, ideal for a massive raft-up. Sea Ray had set up a giant floating stage and commandeered an army-or should I say navy-of deck boats and dinghies to shuttle attendees from ship to shore. Plus, Sea Ray stocked a bunch of Bow Riders with Frisbees, coozies, T-shirt cannons and other ammo to handle roving prize patrol.

From early morning, boats upon boats pulled up to the spot and found their place in the long and growing strands of fiberglass spaghetti. (Local officials later estimated that attendance peaked at more than 2,500 boats.) Treated to the warm July sun and cool Ozarks water, many AquaPaloozians found the happy medium of partial submersion-with the help of a variety of PFDs, noodles, floating carpets and signature blue AquaPalooza tubes-to be the perfect means of taking in the scene and sounds.

"We've still got it," said Rick Stone, president of Sea Ray, while watching contentedly as the bands rocked the capacity crowd gathered before the swim-up stage. "The venue, the people, the music, the weather-it all couldn't be better. Sea Ray is so lucky to have such a great community of owners and friends. They're the reason we love putting on this kind of big event." Sea Ray teamed with MarineMax's Lake Ozark, Osage Beach and Laurie stores to organize the weekend, and also got tons of support from the Sea Ray Owners Club and event sponsors including Sony, Sebago and NBOA Marine Insurance.

"We like to open our arms to everyone who has a boat and show them what Sea Ray is all about," said Jen Lamb, program director of the SROC, who helped coordinate AquaPalooza. She and her team had plenty of merch to hand out to the folks who registered, including the coveted AquaPalooza T-shirt. And though the SROC spread the love to boat owners of every make and model, some had to be reserved specially for Owners Club members: They got exclusive access to Sea Ray and co-sponsor NBOA Marine Insurance's VIP house boat, where band members kicked back with guests and signed autographs.

Lake of the Ozarks locals Katie and Susan Ebling were clearly having a blast. Chilling out aboard their friend Roger Hoover's Sea Ray 30 Weekender, the sisters had just swam back from the stage for, what was for them, the featured act of the day. "My favorite part of this whole thing was swimming up front to see Dr. Zhivegas...because they kicked butt," Katie said. "I went ballistic when the band was playing!" Clad in his signature crisp whites, front man Frankie Muriel led his crew in a furious midday set that kept the energy coursing throughout the crowd. The Eblings, who own a local club and grew up on the lake, also were impressed with the care Sea Ray had taken managing the party on their home turf. "They have some good people in charge of this," Susan said. "They did a great job promoting it. And the shuttles, they're everywhere."

Three-time Sea Ray owners Jay and Cathy Taylor were among the many first-time AquaPalooza attendees. "It's a great thing," said Jay from the swim platform of his family's 510 Sundancer. "We'll do this every year." The Taylors said they gather up the clan and trek to the lake every summer weekend from Lee Summit, Missouri. "Our kids love it, our grandkids love it," said Cathy. The Taylors' raft-up neighbors Chris and Jennifer Arnold also couldn't help but relish the sight. "This is pretty cool," Chris said. "I'm really impressed with the turnout."

Matt Gary, Cracker, Soul Asylum and Everclear rounded out the day's musical entertainment, each set attracting droves of fans to the stage. With such a deep lineup of musicians, judging the crowd favorite depended on whom you asked. Taylor Wills, a 13-year-old Everclear superfan, came to AquaPalooza with her family all the way from Kenosha, Wisconsin. She said she has seen the L.A. rockers more than 20 times in concert. After Everclear's set, they stuck around to sign autographs-and Taylor came prepared. She brought along her electric guitar, which singer Art Alexakis and the rest of the band had signed when Taylor was six. Back then the guitar was brand new, with its plastic wrap still on. Taylor recently began taking lessons on it, removing the wrap, and wanted the autographs back where they belonged.

Once the sun went down, it was Sea Ray's turn to light up the sky. Following Everclear's explosive performance, the wicks were lit on a dazzling fireworks display that added one last exclamation point to a day already punctuated by so many others.

On Sunday, the party moved back to the Horny Toad with an Eddie Money concert to complete the weekend. AquaPalooza may have been winding down, but Sea Ray was just getting started. "That was all just practice for next year," said the SROC's Jen Lamb with a sly grin.