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Reviews: Long Island Yacht Club-PRIVATE

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Long Island Yacht Club-PRIVATE

307 Little E. Neck Road Babylon, NY 11702 Carlis River

• Lat / Lon : N 40° 40.940' / W 073° 19.830'
• Contact : Richard Knudsen
• VHF Monitored : 72
• Phone : (631) 669-3270
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• Email : [email protected]
• Website : http://www.liyc.com/

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Most Exclusive Clubs on L.I. North Shore

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A friend of mine is writing about the struggles of many Yacht Clubs today. What would be considered the most "exclusive" clubs on Long Island today? Similar to Larchmont YC or American YC? I would guess Seawanhaka, but I am only speculating. Any insight?????? Thanks!  

I agree, and from what I gather, that is the theme of what she is writing about. Actually across the board, club membership is declining. But the appeal of exclusive clubs has been declining for decades. I would guess Seawanhaka is the most exclusive. Maybe Shelter Island (not north shore) also.  

BobMcGov, You had me going for a moment until your link was for the same article I already read about Knickerbocker closing. Very funny! I bet I would flunk the DNA test and I don't even know 1 senator. It is believable that they might have re-opened while trying to get the Palm Beach and Miami crowd but Manhasset just ain't in Florida... Didn't Bernie Made-off belong to an exclusive club in West Palm that had to issue an 'assessment' to it's members after his empire crumbled? Soundbounder, I am not familiar with the club on Shelter Island but it sounds like it could be fairly snooty, although not technically the 'north shore'. I am familiar with Seawanhaka on Center Island though. A buddy of mine who went to SUNY Maritime by the Throggs Neck Bridge was briefly a launch operator there back in the late 80's. One of his favorite stories was when he went out to pick up a passenger from a boat who turned out to be Whoopie Goldberg. It was a blowy and bouncy night and there was some formal 'affair' going on at the club which she was headed too. Apparently her fancy hat blew off and my friend retrieved it for her and let her off at the dock. Her star had not risen quite fully by then. Interestingly, Whoopie Goldberger does not like flying and has her own full sized bus for traveling across country - no airports for Whoopie! I am not sure if it was a power or sail boat but my guess would be that it was a stink pot that she came in on. If not Seawanhaka what about NYYC (again, not the north shore of LI)?  

Knickerbocker wasn't very upscale, nor snooty. I stopped there once in a twenty foot wooden sloop and they treated me like a friend. I was at Shelter I. once on a bigger boat, they didn't seem very friendly. I'd rather see a list of the least exclusive clubs. I've no interest in snobs.  

Just musing on the topic.... The Yacht Club/Country Club may be a fading model because of evolutionary changes in US society, socialization patterns, and preferences for manifesting wealth. Americans have never been comfortable with the idea of aristocracy, even as elevate our own royalty from the ranks of merchant princes. We are an aspirational and materialist people but at the same time dislike talking about our incomes or having other people wave their riches under our noses -- even if their riches are our own dearest desire. So Blue-Blood social institutions like Yacht Clubs have always held a strange & ambivalent status in America. Nowadays, you can't smoke at the bar; your doctor says you shouldn't sit around drinking cocktails for six hours; a greater percentage of our money is spent on housing (bigger, fancier houses), utilities, automobiles, and health care. Time has been compressed for most people -- how many here really work a forty hour week? How many take entire weekends off? I don't. I can't. A fifty or sixty hour work week is the new normal, even for salaried or self-employed people. Less discretionary income, less social time. Lots of fraternal social organizations are hurting for membership: the Elks, Rotary Clubs, Masonic lodges, and yacht clubs. There are, I suspect, deeper reasons than just money and time: a general turning-away from group interaction and The Commons, and a loss of social mechanisms that attend group activity. Americans have never been especially great at collective enterprise; we're a go-our-own-way sort of people, have been since our founding. Yacht Clubs are collectivist or co-operative entities, and they suffer when people are no longer interested in working or playing together. Two new models have emerged, and I foresee most YCs being replaced by one or the other: The upscale retail waterfront with condos and rented slips (ala Marina Del Rey); and the sole proprietor, the extremely wealthy individual who buys the frontage, bulldozes the YC, builds a mansion, and parks his Wally out front. Spends two months a year there. It's his fifth such house. YCs belong to the middling wealthy and the aspirational bourgeoise. We tend today toward the hyper-rich and the not-rich, and the remaining somewhat-rich have turned away from group social pursuits. That leaves YCs in a bad place. As for the hyper-rich.... They build egregious mega yachts like Tatoosh and the Maltese Falcon and take their private yacht club with them, as it were. Then they can absolutely control who gets admitted and what events are scheduled, without resort to committees and YC politics.  

Lots of fraternal social organizations are hurting for membership: the Elks, Rotary Clubs, Masonic lodges, and yacht clubs. There are, I suspect, deeper reasons than just money and time: a general turning-away from group interaction and The Commons, and a loss of social mechanisms that attend group activity. Americans have never been especially great at collective enterprise; we're a go-our-own-way sort of people, have been since our founding. Yacht Clubs are collectivist or co-operative entities, and they suffer when people are no longer interested in working or playing together. Click to expand...

SOUNDBOUNDER said: Very good post! I think you really touch on something in this particular paragraph. The one part I would disagree with is that during the first 2/3 of the 20th Century, civic and social clubs were widespread. Most Americans belonged to a PTA, Lions Club, Elks, or Country Club. Somewhere in the late 1960's through the early 1980's, the membership numbers started declining. There is a book that discusses the trend called BOWLING ALONE Click to expand...

I belong to one of the oldest yacht clubs on the north shore of Long Island. Founded in 1891. However our operating model is different from the ones mentioned - no bar, no restaurant, no pool, no tennis courts, workdays where everyone pitches in get things done, etc. What do have is a well equipped kitchen and commercial BBQ grills so members can prepare their own dinners, a wraparound porch over the water for dining, an active junior sailing program, and launch service and winter storage for boat owners. Ours dues are low - a bit higher than the municipal facilities, but well below the nearby clubs or commercial marinas. Because of all this our membership is increasing and we may soon need a waiting list. So there is a demand for yacht clubs, just not perhaps for the full-service expensive ones.  

There's always the New Youk Yacht Club which has extensions in places on the water.  

From west to east, there's the Manhasset Bay Club, then Sea Cliff YC in Hempstead Harbor, Sewanhaka in Oyster Bay, then Huntington YC, Centerport YC, Northport YC. There are others, but these are the nicest.  

I think online forums are replacing in-person clubs to a degree. For several years I flew airplanes as a member of a flying club. It was priceless being able to sit around the big table and talk about things flying. For instance, I asked every quesiton I could about icing, prior to a flight from MD to VT in a Piper 180. turns out we had a lot of icing on the return trip. Had I not had the opportunities that a club offers, I wouldn't even have known the first thing about icing. Online forums fulfill that to an extent. Still, it's difficult to split a cold one over the Internet. I could see myself joining one of the local clubs, given the $ to do so. Anyone know what the costs are? Regards, Brad  

I found the Triangle Yacht Club in Greenport to be the friendliest and most down to earth, definately not pretentious but good ,cheap, cold beer and only about $60./year membership. They are also right at the end of my slip so very convenient. Presently gearing up for Thanksgiving Get together! The Shelter Island Yacht Club is very nice but just the opposite in that it is vey "proper" and hoighty-toighty, but a nice place tobring a date out for dinner. ANd convienient too..right down the creek and across toDerring Harbor, Rick  

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Welcome to Sea Cliff Yacht Club

Sail & motor boating  ~ racing & cruising ~ beach & pool ~ restaurant & cafe ~ camaraderie.

Founded in 1892, Sea Cliff Yacht Club is one of the oldest private member-only Yacht Clubs on Long Island Sound. Our Members enjoy social activities, yachting and aquatic sports. Our family-friendly atmosphere, and prime location on Long Island Sound, provides opportunities to enjoy our exceptional dining facilities, sunny pool, sandy beach, and year-round social activities. Our programs engage Members of all ages and skill levels. The Club has a strong culture of volunteerism, led by the elected Flag and Board under the terms of the Club’s constitution. 

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Music and Concerts | The new Minnesota Yacht Club Festival enjoys…

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Music and concerts, subscriber only, music and concerts | the new minnesota yacht club festival enjoys breezy opening on harriet island, it’s the first major rock/pop festival on the site in a dozen years.

Fans listen to country singer Morgan Wade during the inaugural Minnesota Yacht Club festival at Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul on Friday, July 19, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Country singer Morgan Wade performs during the inaugural Minnesota Yacht Club festival at Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul on Friday, July 19, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Melissa Nelson from St. Cloud dances with a hula-hoop as she listens to Minnesota-based band Harbor & Home during the inaugural Minnesota Yacht Club festival at Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul on Friday, July 19, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Fans of Gwen Stefani wearing "HollaBack" shirts dance and sing as they listen to country singer Morgan Wade during the inaugural Minnesota Yacht Club festival at Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul on Friday, July 19, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

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Yacht Club, which continues Saturday, is the first major rock and pop festival on Harriet Island since Live Nation’s River’s Edge Music Festival in 2012. Despite promising St. Paul a five-year commitment, the concert promoting giant lost enough money to convince them to pull out after a single year.

Live Nation owns 51% of Yacht Club organizers C3 Presents, an Austin, Texas, company that’s also behind Austin City Limits Music Festival, Voodoo Music + Arts Experience and the modern-day Lollapalooza. But Live Nation apparently allows C3 to follow its own path.

Some concertgoers complained about food and drink prices, and long lines, but in terms of getting in and around the site, the infrastructure and general vibe, C3’s experience in mounting festivals became quite clear by late Friday afternoon, when Joan Jett and the Blackhearts played an hourlong set to a large, grinning and dancing crowd. (Organizers did not release an attendance number, but have said they expect more than 30,000 people each of the two days.)

On Thursday, Yacht Club’s social media announced reunited Southern rockers the Black Crowes had pulled out of their planned set at 8 p.m. Friday due to “illness in the band.” (The Crowes, however, did not address their absence online.) Rather than drafting an 11th hour replacement, the festival reworked the schedule and gave several acts more time on stage. Local band Durry got pushed nearly two hours later into the schedule for a set that started at 5:40, while Seattle indie folk act the Head and the Heart graduated to the Black Crowes’ planned 8 p.m. slot.

Local favorites Gully Boys opened the festival at 1 p.m. on the main stage followed by fellow homegrown act Harbor and Home on the smaller stage. From that point on, performances alternated between the two stages, with just minutes between bands.

Sets from buzzy country artist Morgan Wade and indie rockers Michigander paved the way for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, who earned cheers for their famous covers “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah),” “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” “Crimson and Clover” and “Everyday People” as well as band originals “I Hate Myself for Loving You” and “Bad Reputation.” They also covered the Replacements’ “Androgynous,” with Jett giving a shout out to the late Minneapolis band and their leader Paul Westerberg.

RELATED: What to know if you’re headed to the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter took the stage prior to Gwen Stefani’s performance and asked the crowd to applaud the police and other city workers who helped make the festival happen. He also suggested it would return for a second year in 2025.

Stefani — who was promoted as a headliner along with Friday’s final act Alanis Morissette and Saturday’s main attraction the Red Hot Chili Peppers — performed with dancers and video at what sounded like a louder volume than the previous bands. She told the audience her brother-in-law is from Minnesota, so that sort of makes her a local. She then pulled out her husband, former “The Voice” coach Blake Shelton, to sing their current single “Purple Irises.”

It’s been some 18 years since her last substantial solo hit, but Stefani has remained in the spotlight thanks to her high-profile husband and the semi-regular duet singles they’ve released over the last eight years. Stefani and her band No Doubt reunited in April to headline Coachella to much acclaim, but have yet to announce any future plans together. Whatever happens, Friday’s crowd — which was heavy on geriatric millennials and Gen Xers with a smattering of boomers — gave Stefani a warm reception that matched the ideal summertime weather that graced the festival on Friday.

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Review: Minnesota Yacht Club festival ends in rowdy, dopey style with Chili Peppers

A fter a rather meaningful and mellower start on Friday , the Minnesota Yacht Club festival turned more dopey, sweaty, goofy, brawny and wild on Saturday.

For better or worse, Twin Cities music lovers finally got a taste of what major rock festivals are all about.

The highly anticipated, nationally touted inaugural festival continued Saturday on St. Paul's Harriet Island Park with a lineup led by the maybe ultimate '90s party band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who played the same site in 1992 on the second Lollapalooza tour with their famous bassist dressed solely in a diaper.

Flea and his bandmates have cleaned up since then but haven't grown up much. Their rowdy, back-slappy, semi-tawdry spirit seemed to waft through Saturday's festival like the semi-legalized marijuana smoke that was prominent throughout the 10-hour day.

There was way more weed, bouncing beach balls, backward ball caps and mosh pits on Saturday for performers, including the Offspring, Gary Clark Jr., the Hold Steady and Soul Asylum — quite a contrast to Friday's more sophisticated (and less virile) lineup with Alanis Morissette, Gwen Stefani and Joan Jett. There were about a thousand more people, too, as attendance topped out at 35,000.

It really was a tale of two festivals over the two days. The Yacht Club vibe was so festive and kooky on Saturday, even the Offspring came off like a halfway decent band. Yes, two long days in the sun can really mess with people's heads.

Here's a rundown of Saturday's defining moments:

The Minnesotans sure were smart-alecky. "I arrived to the gig in my yacht," Soul Asylum frontman Dave Pirner said near the start of his band's midafternoon set on the main stage. Lots more yachting quips followed. And then there was Hippo Campus singer Jake Luppen's hello to the crowd: "Thank you for coming. We're the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Both bands got down to serious business when they weren't talking between songs, though, each blending in new songs from albums out this fall alongside older radio hits. Soul Asylum also dropped in a few deeper-cut oldies for the hometown fans alongside "Runaway Train," including "Little Too Clean" and "Bittersweetheart." Hippo Campus had many fans twice the age of its typical crowd singing and clapping along to its most buoyant tunes, including "Way It Goes" and "South."

St. Paul finally got its due from two of the bands. Hippo Campus guitarist Nathan Stocker got on the mic to express their gratitude for the city and specifically the St. Paul Conservatory for the Performing Arts, which he and his bandmates attended and could see from the stage.

The Hold Steady's Edina-reared bandleader Craig Finn could also see the source of many of his songs from the second stage: the Mississippi River. He sang about it in "Stevie Nix" and then paid homage to the smaller Twin City in his still-thrilling band's mellower jam, "We Can Get Together," which he introduced by saying, "Minneapolis is hard to rhyme with, so thank you St. Paul. You have it all."

Finn also had fun with the festival's nautical theme, which tied into his wardrobe choice for the day: a dapper, gentlemanly light-blue suit he bought for the Kentucky Derby: "I'd like to thank them for calling this the Minnesota Yacht Club so I could wear this suit again," he said.

The Chili Peppers' set wasn't the funkiest of the fest. New Orleans' funk and soul band Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue — something of an odd entry in the rock-heavy lineup — went over like a beignet goes with a hangover on the second stage in the afternoon heat. Their hyper-grooving set included fun originals blended with snippets of New Orleans classics like Ernie K-Doe's "Here Come the Girls" and even Green Day's "Brain Stew," all of which they seamlessly and tirelessly mixed together nonstop like a good DJ mixes on two turntables. The real show-stopping moment came when they jubilantly covered Prince's "Let's Go Crazy." Even with all the Minnesota acts on Saturday's bill, there was no better act to honor Minnesota's big chief.

Gary Clark Jr. went against the vibe. While he's put on many shows in town that would've delighted Saturday's crowd, the Texas blues-rocker instead filled the day's penultimate set with a lot of the hazier and more soulful, Curtis Mayfield-tinged tunes from his new record, "JPEG Raw." It was an impressive divergence but was somewhat lost on the crowd. At least until he launched into the older and heavier jam "Bright Lights," and things indeed brightened.

The Chili Peppers were mildly hot. Any fan who caught the Los Angeles rock vets' concert last year at U.S. Bank Stadium was probably overjoyed seeing them outside with excellent acoustics. However, they probably did not appreciate that this set list leaned more heavily on recent tunes, even while 2022′s slow-builder "Eddie" reiterated how great it is having John Frusciante back on guitar.

Appreciation for the improved setting and sound seemed to carry over on the band's end, too. Flea, the band's sometimes-aloof singer Anthony Kiedis and its St. Paul-born drummer Chad Smith good-naturedly and excitedly bounced their way through the 90-minute set and didn't waver as they began to check off some of their many hits later in the last half-hour, starting with "Californication" and then picking up steam with "By the Way" and "Give It Away."

"We're really happy that you're here, and we love to play music for you," Flea said as sweetly as could be at one point.

OK, maybe the dude has grown up. It certainly felt like the Twin Cities grew up as a concert market by the end of the Yacht Club on Saturday, when the festival appeared to run even more smoothly and impressively than Friday, despite a bigger and more ruffian crowd. Here's to next year's voyage.

©2024 StarTribune. Visit startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Minnesota Yacht Club returns the musical festival experience to Harriet Island

Last weekend, the Minnesota Yacht Club brought in roughly 60,000 people for the first music festival at Harriet Island in St. Paul since 2012.

The festival had a stacked lineup featuring big-name headliners Gwen Stefani, Alanis Morissette and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The inaugural festival also booked big local acts Soul Asylum and Hippo Campus, along with up-and-coming Minnesota bands Durry, Gully Boys and Bugsy.

With festivals like Rock the Garden and Soundset ceasing operations in recent years, there has been a drought of large music festivals in the Twin Cities. But it appears the demand is finally being met by the Minnesota Yacht Club, with plans already in place to hold the festival again next year.

With a wonderful view of the Mississippi River and the Wabasha Street Bridge, Harriet Island feels like a no-brainer location choice for a music festival of this size. The scenic view provided a relaxed summer atmosphere as the performances went on into the night.

On the festival’s opening day, Harriet Island was packed to the brim with thousands of concertgoers before sundown. Gwen Stefani put on a remarkably high-energy, hour-plus-long performance featuring her solo hits, iconic songs by No Doubt and even an on-stage duet with her husband Blake Shelton. The night ended with headliner Alanis Morissette, who performed nearly the entirety of her classic 1995 album “Jagged Little Pill.”

Anna Adamson, 19, attended the festival with her mom specifically to see Alanis Morrissette’s appearance, as they were able to get tickets the day of the festival.

“She’s a big Alanis Morissette fan, and so that’s her favorite,” Adamson said. “I grew up listening to that with her and we were there for her for sure.” 

Adamson said while the festival line-up felt like it was catered towards Generation X, the festival brought out a multi-generational crowd.

“It was definitely like a family event,” Adamson said. “You could just see a lot of different generations there, which is really cool to see.” 

Sam Lee and Olivia Kanzler, both 23, attended the first day of the festival together to catch performances from The Head and The Heart, Gwen Stefani and Alanis Morisette.

“The setup was well thought-out, the music was great and the atmosphere was amazing,” Lee said. “The only thing we thought could use improvement was the food and refreshment lines. They were very long for a good portion of the day.”

The festival had a plethora of local vendors including Bennett’s Chop and Railhouse, Roon’s Savory Cones, Surly Brewing Company and more. 

Unfortunately, by the time the headliners took to the stage, the food and drink lines were very long, moving at a snail’s pace. With a large festival like this, it is to be expected that lines for concessions will be long, but it appears Minnesota Yacht Club underestimated how many vendors they needed for the weekend.

Adamson said the wait for food and drinks was a drawback of the festival experience.

“I did have a really good night because the music was great, but the food situation was definitely frustrating,” Adamson said. “They needed almost double the amount of food vendors they had.”

Aside from the food and drink lines, Minnesota Yacht Club went smoothly over its two-day run. With the festival’s debut weekend behind them, the organizers will hopefully figure out how to make the festival even better next year.

While the festival was not quite perfect, it was still fun. Any Twin Cities residents who enjoy huge, outdoor music festivals should keep an eye out for details for next year’s Minnesota Yacht Club festival.

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kathy McBride Jul 24, 2024 at 6:51 pm

Not enough shade and no seating. I attended the festival and it was great except there were no chairs or benches and we were not allowed to bring in chairs.

StarTribune

Festival, ahoy a dozen things to know about st. paul's minnesota yacht club.

It's the biggest music festival launched in the Twin Cities in 12 years. It's expecting more than 30,000 musicheads per day. And it's being produced by the same company that puts on Lollapalooza and the Austin City Limits fests.

There's a lot to learn about the Minnesota Yacht Club — especially for deprived Twin Cities music lovers who haven't been to a big, nationally promoted festival like this since Live Nation's ill-fated River's Edge Music Festival on the same site in 2012.

With its inaugural voyage scheduled Friday and Saturday at Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul, the river-themed event features a Gen-X-nostalgic all-rock lineup led by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alanis Morissette, Gwen Stefani, Black Crowes, the Offspring, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, the Hold Steady and a dozen more acts. New Orleans' soul-funk troupe Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue are the only non-rock act on the bill, and they actually rock harder than most of them.

Here are some pointers, talking points and pointed opinions going into this weekend's mega-bash.

1. Saturday's single-day tickets are sold out. Even though they just played in town last year , the Chili Peppers' day as headliners quickly proved more popular than Morissette's. However, two-day general admission festival passes (now $255) and one-day Friday tickets ($135) were still available at press time via minnesotayachtclubfestival.com .

2. No, it's not a "yacht rock" festival. There actually has been a lot of confusion about this. The event's name is simply a fun spin on its riverside location and the relative irony of someone having a yacht in Minnesota. It has nothing to do with the genre of music associated with breezy and cheesy '70s-'80s hitmakers like Toto, Seals & Crofts and Christopher Cross. How fun would it have been to see one of those acts sandwiched between the Hold Steady and Offspring, though?

3. Boats actually are part of the experience. "Riverboat VIP" ticket holders ($825) can lounge in air-conditioning on the Jonathan Padelford and even take a 60-minute cruise on the paddleboat during the fest. Why anyone would want to go to a music fest to set sail for South St. Paul, we're not sure, but it's a unique idea for a festival.

4. The company behind it is in the festival business. C3 got its start with the hugely successful Austin City Limits Music Festival in the early 2000s before turning Lollapalooza into a one-weekend Chicago event. Live Nation bought a 51% stake in the company in 2014 but mostly leaves C3 to do its own thing when it comes to festivals. Other fests in its portfolio include Boston Calling, Atlanta's Shaky Knees and New York's Governors Ball — all steeped in unique branding and preparations for each city.

"We've been talking to the city well over a year now and working with them on the logistical plans," C3 promoter Tim Sweetwood said of MYC.

5. There will be only two stages (and no overlapping performances). While many festivals require fans to make tough decisions and Iditarod-like treks between competing stages — OK, maybe that's being a little dramatic — the setup at MYC in its first year features just two stages with alternating music that never runs concurrently. Dubbed the Skipper Stage and Crow's Nest Stage, they are only about a quarter-mile apart, too.

6. Gwen Stefani's appearance is the rarest among the top names. Last seen in town making a surprise appearance with husband Blake Shelton at the TC Summer Jam in 2022 , the former No Doubt singer and ex-coach on NBC's "The Voice" has not been performing a lot of late; just a handful of fly-in gigs this summer.

In the solo gigs she has done in 2024, Stefani has been revisiting many songs from No Doubt (with whom she reunited at Coachella fest in April ), including "Don't Speak," "Just a Girl" and "Hella Good."

7. The lineup isn't entirely a nostalgia trip. All these aforementioned acts make it look exclusively like a '90s and early '00s throwback fest, but there are actually modern stars and buzzmakers on the lineup.

Texas slinger Gary Clark Jr. has been the most thrilling blues-rock guitarist on tour over the past decade . Harmonious Seattle rockers the Head and the Heart have racked up a swath of radio hits and TV/film placement with songs like "Lost in My Mind." Twangy singer Morgan Wade has made a couple of well-reviewed records with Jason Isbell's guitarist Sadler Vaden as her producer. Indie-rocker Michigander is a critical favorite.

The Twin Cities' own pop-rock darlings Hippo Campus have become a big draw , too, recently playing New York's Governors Ball festival and selling out the Armory in Minneapolis.

8. There's good local representation. In addition to Hippo Campus, we'll see hard-charging local faves Gully Boys help kick off the fest Friday ahead of viral sensations Durry . On Saturday, fuzz-rocky kids Bugsy play before a fun afternoon twofer with Soul Asylum and the semi-local Hold Steady. As rock-only lineups go — musical diversity is not Yacht Club's strong suit — these are some of the state's most relevant acts present or past playing live in 2024.

9. The list of items you're allowed to bring in is short. Leave the chairs, coolers and umbrellas at home. Only small fanny packs, clutch purses, emptied hydration packs or small clear bags are allowed in. Other permissible items include: phones, baby strollers, blankets/towels, binoculars, reusable water bottles, non-aerosol sunscreen (3.4 ounce max) and Frisbees. For our sake, though, please don't bring any Frisbees.

10. There's a longer list of alternative transportation options. Coming from Austin, Texas, a city with notorious traffic problems, C3 makes a point of encouraging biking, ride-sharing and public transit options at all its festivals.

There's a designated rideshare dropoff site (Uber, Lyft, taxi) near the Wabasha Street entrance at 49 E. Fillmore Av. Bike lots are located at both that entrance and the second set of gates along W. Water Street (bring your own lock). For light rail, the Green Line's Central Station is a half-mile walk away. Ample public bus route stops also can be mapped out via metrotransit.org .

11. Harriet Island isn't really an island, and it isn't all that hard to get to. You wouldn't know it from the maps on the festival's website — or if you're one of those uppity Minneapolitans who never visit the other Twin City — but you can approach the park from the southwest side of the river as well as the downtown side. There are assorted parking options over there, too.

12. This is just a start. "It's sort of a slow burn to start," C3′s Sweetwood said, promising expansion in the years to come. "We'll try to give it a little more color and better branding, the kind of things we have a good feel for at C3, being primarily a festival producer."

Minnesota Yacht Club

Friday lineup (in order, 12:45-10:30 p.m.): Harbor and Home, Gully Boys, Michigander, Morgan Wade, Durry, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, the Head and the Heart, Gwen Stefani, Black Crowes, Alanis Morissette.

Saturday (1-10:30 p.m.): Nico Vega, Bugsy, Wilderado, Soul Asylum, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Hippo Campus, the Hold Steady, the Offspring, Gary Clark Jr., Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Tickets: $135-$925 Fri. only, $255-$1,395 two-day.

Website: minnesotayachtclubfestival.com .

Chris Riemenschneider has been covering the Twin Cities music scene since 2001, long enough for Prince to shout him out during "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)." The St. Paul native authored the book "First Avenue: Minnesota's Mainroom" and previously worked as a music critic at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.

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Now You Know: Yacht Club announces renovation progress; Spammy Jammy this weekend

The project includes new build above the port cochere and a “total gut rehab” of the interior to provide upgraded social and dining spaces.

Construction at the Marco Island Yacht Club is moving forward on schedule aiming to complete this major renovation in time for the holiday season.

“We are really pleased with the progress as well as the working relationship with our partners, MKH Architecture and D Garret Construction,” said Dave Everitt, MIYC chairman of the board. “We’ve managed to overcome obstacles and surprises, holding to the schedule so members can enjoy a beautifully transformed clubhouse before the end of the year.”

Highlights of the project include the clubhouse, which will feature a fresh, modern décor; state-of-the-art kitchens and an additional bar upstairs bar.

Also, a brand-new members lounge will be established, offering a comfortable and inviting space for socializing and relaxation.

General Manager Missy Duffy emphasized that the club remains active even without its clubhouse.

“We continue to hold activities at outside locations, and of course we have a variety of boating events on the water and socializing on the docks, ensuring that the club's vibrant community remains active and engaged,” she said. “We are also busy planning and preparing for a spectacular grand opening of the new clubhouse toward the end of the year."

Spammy Jammy is this weekend

Spammy Jammy, held each June at the Little Bar in Goodland, is an annual and legendary event all about Spam, pajamas and warding off storms during hurricane season. It’s also an excuse to party, not that one is needed – especially in Goodland.

Put on your PJ’s and head to Goodland this Saturday to mark 45 years of Little Bar and bring your best Spam sculpture.

Music will be from Stumpy Joe + Farney and the Railford Starke Band.The event is from 5 until 8:30 p.m., Saturday, June 29 at 205 Harbor Place N., Goodland.

More: Now You Know: Audubon Florida releases ‘State of the Everglades’

And ‘Watts for Dinner’: Deep Lagoon – Fire and spice and seafood that’s nice