PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - The 2019 Three Rivers Regatta, scheduled for this weekend, has officially been cancelled.
The announcement was made official Tuesday Morning during a news conference with the Regatta’s board of directors, Mayor Bill Peduto and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.
The board says the event management and production company, LionHeart Event Group, failed “to deliver on promises.”
Charles Scholz a member of the Regatta Board of Directors said in a release, “We learned late last week that the event management company charged with overseeing all aspects of the regatta failed to provide the necessary assurances for a safe, sanctioned and fully coordinated event. They did not secure the mandatory insurance for it, which forced us to withdraw our application for an event permit.”
Regatta officials said they learned last week that LionHeart has “misrepresented the status of payment and insurance related to the event and had not met critical benchmarks to ensure it could go forward.”
The summer river festival has been held since 1978 with water sports, concerts, boat races, anything that floats event, fireworks and more.
“The Three Rivers Regatta is one of the events that lends itself to the energy and vitality of this region each year. In addition to providing free, family-friendly entertainment, the regatta celebrates our connection to our rivers, and people look forward to it all year round,” Fitzgerald said. “This is one of dozens of events in our region put on by organizations that the county and city partner with, and while we’re saddened by this announcement, we also know that our community will still have plenty of opportunities this year to celebrate our rivers.”
"While this is surely disappointing to the regatta's many fans and the city businesses that have catered to them for decades, the board had no choice and made the right decision for all of us. I thank the regatta board for its responsible stewardship in this difficult time," Peduto said.
Scholz says they have launched a probe into finding out what happened and are exploring possible legal action.
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