Day 1of Desert Storm 2019 started off with the famous street party on McColluch Boulevard. Despite the 102 degree heat, thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of people packed the street to see the annual display of horsepower, lights and sounds. As in many of the years past, RDP was in full swing in its usual place outside the corner of McCulloch and Scott Drive.
RDP and Boom Bandits stepped up the party this year with the new Tower of Power slinging the entertainment. For those that don’t know, the tower was a relic of the old Hotboat Magazine days where someone had the brilliant idea of constructing a telescoping tower and mounting it inside a large Nordic cat for photo shoots on the lake. Needless to say, that idea didn’t last long and was scrapped to a storage yard until the Boom Bandits discovered it and put it to good use. By all accounts, it seems to be a hit.
The Kicker Audio “Eye of the Storm” pavilion, located in the park at Querio Drive, also saw some big crowds with an additional entertainment stage and beer garden for cooling off in the desert heat. Lots of great vendors enjoyed huge foot traffic, including Octane Marine, Gatorwraps, Pound Foolish Watches, Bad Habit Swimwear, and many others.
Of course, the street party is nothing without the ridiculous hardware on display up and down the boulevard. There were many of the familiar builds such as the Nordic 43SS and the pair of spooled up boats – the 52 ft MTI and the matching DCB M44. But this year also saw the debut of the famed Lamborghini boat on the West Coast. Originally built by/for Gino Gargiulo in South Florida, the MTI superboat traveled the poker run circuit mostly on the East Coast, so it was nice to get to see it in person, along with its matching lime green Lamborghini Aventador. The only other thing more visible on the strip were the hoards of cell phones hoisted overhead for photo opps.
RDP has more highlights throughout the week so check back often for more 2019 Desert Storm photos and updates here on RiverDavesPlace.com
