Lake Havasu Is Ready For Its Close-up
A Magician and Man-Eating Piranhas Come to Region
Made Famous by London Bridge

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. (Aug. 12, 2010) - Lake Havasu City, the desert resort town made famous when the historic London Bridge was relocated there in 1971, will enjoy a new burst of fame this month thanks to a magician and man-eating piranhas.

Performance artist and magician Criss Angel, known as the "Mindfreak," recreates Harry Houdini's bridge jump escape trick by dangling off the famed bridge in a primetime show on the A & E Network on Aug. 18 (10 p.m. ET/PT).

Supervising producer Pete Hurtgen tells the local newspaper, Today's News-Herald, "You guys have a beautiful, fun and friendly city and we are happy to show it off."

Now about those piranhas ... One of the worst kept secrets in the southwest is that the 45-mile long Lake Havasu is a stand-in for fictitious Lake Victoria, scene of assorted mayhem in the new horror flick, Piranha 3D which premieres nationwide on August 20. The film stars Elisabeth Shue, Christopher Lloyd, Ving Rhames, and former Jaws star Richard Dreyfuss.

"While being known for man-eating Hollywood piranhas isn't exactly a dream-come-true for the image of a tourist lake, the production brought $18 million to the community during filming last summer, and is creating huge excitement among locals, many of whom were hired to portray victims of the computer-generated razor-toothed fish," said Douglas Traub, president and CEO of the Lake Havasu City Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Anyone smart enough to locate Lake Havasu City out here in the desert will know it's all make-believe."

Traub continues, "We hope moviegoers will see our magnificent desert scenery in the background and decide to make Lake Havasu City and the London Bridge a must-see stop during their next southwest vacation."

Watch the film's trailer here: http://piranha-3d.com/

Lake Havasu City, three hours driving time from Phoenix, 2-1/4 hours south of Las Vegas and four to five from the Los Angeles region, attracts 2.5 million visitors a year thanks to its dry, desert weather, more than 300 sunny days a year, a range of restaurants and lodging, and a boatload of special events.

For more information on Lake Havasu City, Arizona's only waterfront resort destination, including a fall 2010 calendar of events, log onto www.golakehavasu.com or call 928 453 3444. Also find Lake Havasu on-line at http://www.facebook.com/lakehavasucityarizona and www.twitter.com/golakehavasu.

Arizona’s Lake Havasu And Famed London Bridge Host A Boatload Of Events This Fall

Contact
Tyler Jacobson, tyler@golakehavasu.com, 928 453 3444 Lake Havasu CVB

Jeff Blumenfeld, jeff@blumenfeldpr.com, 203 655 1600 Blumenfeld and Assoc. PR

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. (July 29, 2010) – When the famed London Bridge was relocated stone-by-stone to Arizona’s Lake Havasu in 1971, it was such an audacious feat of engineering, it made news around the world.

The bridge, including bullet holes from a WWII strafing by German aircraft, is still making news. Around the stone structure has grown a lively city of 50,000, lured by 45-mile-long Lake Havasu, one of the southwest’s most famous centers for recreational boating.

Lake Havasu City, three hours driving time from Phoenix, 2-1/4 hours south of Las Vegas and four to five from the Los Angeles region, attracts 2.5 million visitors a year thanks to its dry, desert weather, more than 300 sunny days a year, a range of restaurants and lodging, and a boatload of special events such as:

• Patriot Days – Fly-in at the Lake 2010, Sept. 25 and 26 – One would be hard-pressed to find a city more patriotic than Lake Havasu. For two days, locals and visitors alike will enjoy a static air display of military aircraft (including the historic B-25), USO style shows, and an appearance by the Traveling Vietnam Wall which is 80 percent the size of the original in Washington, D.C. www.havasuaircenter.com.

• Personal Watercraft Races: 2010 World Finals, Oct. 3 - 10 – Lake Havasu is considered the Personal Watercraft Capital of the World, and it’s easy to see why. The World Finals is the most venerable and prestigious personal watercraft event in the world. An invitation-only policy attracts over 750 of the world’s best personal watercraft racers from 36 countries, offering the sport’s top prize. www.ijsba.com.

• 2nd Annual Paddle to the Channel Stand Up Paddleboard Championships, Oct. 9 – Ever see a water enthusiast paddle serenely while standing on what looks like a surfboard? It’s called stand up paddling (SUP) and is considered one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. Whether it is or not, 200 of the best in the world will descend on Lake Havasu for a series of competitions. www.wsupa.us.

• 39th Annual London Bridge Days Parade, Oct. 16 – In a city with a calendar loaded with special events, this is Havasu’s largest parade of the year with over 100 different entries, from drill teams, equestrians, and marching bands, to a group called the Havasu Stitchers (www.havasustitchers.com) who, well, spend their free time stitching quilts and parading a Quilted Truck. Over 5,000 spectators line the route. The theme this year, “Honoring Our Havasu Heroes,” will recognize locals who served in the Armed Forces. www.golakehavasu.com.

• 33rd Annual Relics and Rods Run to the Sun, Oct. 20-24 – Pre-1972 cars and trucks will be on display along with a huge Uptown Cruise Night, Sock Hop, Car Corral and Swap Meet, and Route 66-themed fashion show. Hundreds of cars and thousands of spectators are expected. www.relicsandrods.com.

• 24th Annual London Bridge Seaplane Classic, Nov. 5-7 – These are classic vintage seaplanes, except you’d have to be a desert mouse to ride in one since they’re all small scale radio controlled models. Organizers call it the “Southwest’s premier radio controlled float fly event.” www.deserthawksrc.com.

• 28th Annual Boat Parade of Lights, Dec. 3-4 – Sure other cities have boat parades, but none that surround one of London’s most famous bridges. This year’s theme is “Toys on Parade.” The parade is considered one of the Top 100 events in the U.S. by the American Bus Association www.buses.org. www.lhcboatparadeoflights.com.

For more information on Lake Havasu City, Arizona’s only waterfront resort destination, including a fall 2010 calendar of events, log onto www.golakehavasu.com or call
928 453 3444.

Also find Lake Havasu on-line at http://www.facebook.com/lakehavasucityarizona and www.twitter.com/golakehavasu.

Permit Needed For Buoys On Lake Havasu

The Bureau of Land Management is making its presence known on the Lake again — this time possibly causing delays with 18 U.S. Coast Guard-approved safety buoys.

The Lake Havasu Marine Association applied, and received, Coast Guard approval for the safety buoys to be placed over hazards near the California side of the Lake, but BLM representatives say the organization must approve the buoys as well. The announcement came after a meeting with Coast Guard, Marine Association, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and BLM representatives earlier this week.

“We were upset about that and we wonder why, if it’s in the interest of public safety, that this can’t be moved along quicker in some way,” said Marine Association Executive Director Jim Salscheider. “(The BLM’s) agenda, whatever that may be, seems more important than public safety.”

BLM Lake Havasu Assistant Field Manager Mike Henderson said because the buoys would be placed in the organization’s jurisdiction, placement would require a BLM permit and an environmental review.

“It’s going to be a land-use permit and it has to go through the same process of a right-of-way or lease (the marine association) will have to apply for,” Henderson said, adding that the environmental review process could move faster because of other environmental assessments performed on the Lake previously. “It’s still going to be several months from the time we get it, and we haven’t received anything yet.”

Henderson said the BLM could possibly approve the application sooner if safety concerns are evident, but added the marine association would be required to make a case in the application.

“BLM is concerned with the hazards on the other side of the Lake too,” Henderson said. “We’re going to do whatever is necessary to make sure hazard areas are identified in the future.”

Salscheider said approval from the Coast Guard took roughly six weeks and the process was sped up because of public safety concerns.

“With the Coast Guard, when we applied, they told us a commanding officer could simply note the safety concern and approve the application on the spot,” Salscheider said. “Why wouldn’t the BLM have the same provision? We hope and expect they’ll expedite this for public safety.”

The marine association held a fund-raising event in November 2009, and after raising enough money for the buoys, received support from San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Rod Hoops, Mohave County Sheriff Tom Sheahan and Chemehuevi Indian Tribe Chairman Charles Wood.

“Despite that fact and despite the fact that the marine association is paying for them, installing them and maintaining them, the BLM is insisting that we file for a permit for their anchors,” Salscheider wrote in an email. “There is also a fee attached for the permit and possibly an ongoing annual fee as well.”

BLM representatives announced in June that the organization is currently administering an environmental assessment on the Lake to determine Special Recreation Permit Regulations and possible fees for “nearly every boating activity on the Lake.” The organization also performed an environmental assessment for shoreline and on-the-water vendors on the Lake earlier this year.

Lands and waters at the 450-foot Lake elevation and below are Bureau of Reclamation withdrawn lands, Henderson said previously. “These lands (and waters) are managed by the BLM under Secretarial Order No. 2915 that states, ‘the purpose of this Order is to assign to the BLM full responsibility for the implementation of the Plan (Lower Colorado River Land Use Plan, 1964), including; negotiation, execution, and administration of leases; the administration of Reclamation lands used or to be used for recreation or wildlife activities; administration of the special permit program on the lands; and for coordination with plans, programs, or activities of bureaus and offices that relate to or affect the Plan.’”

BLM representatives previously indicated that enforcement began in July 2009 when city officials asked for assistance in the removal of all shoreline and floating vendors from Rotary Community Park and London Bridge beaches. But Field Manager Ramone McCoy said those events only “sped up the process.”

Salscheider said he didn’t anticipate any of the actions taken by the BLM following the removal of the vendors.

Salscheider added that one of his major concerns is safety, closely followed by the impact on tourism.

“There is nothing on record that formally says how many incidences there are near those dangerous areas, but any boater that’s been on this Lake for a considerable amount of time has seen it or done it,” he said. “If you’re a first time boater and there’s nothing warning you that this could happen and you damage your boat like that, what if you don’t come back because of it?”

San Diego Coast Guard Officer in Charge of Aides to Navigation Mike Tapp, who assisted in the Coast Guard permitting process for the buoys, said it’s not uncommon for more than one agency to be involved in granting permits.

“In our opinion the marine association is very well suited to maintain the program they’ve initiated and it’s a worthwhile program because it addresses those safety issues,” Tapp said. “It’s not necessarily typical for other organizations to require approval on a Lake but it’s not atypical either that another organization would have other requirements. … But from the Coast Guard’s perspective, there is a maritime safety aspect and we think it would increase safety on the Lake.”

You can contact the reporter at
Nathan Bruttell
Impruvit Consulting
PO Box 118
Lake Havasu City, AZ 86405
(928) 453-3232
Fax: (928) 505-8012
www.impruvit.com

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