Updated at 6 p.m. Tuesday
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Next summer without the Charleston Regatta could mean a change of plans for a lot of folks during the 2009 Labor Day weekend.

Without sponsors there will not be a regatta next summer, according to Charleston Mayor Danny Jones.

It was in the early 70s when Charleston got its first taste of the regatta. Nearly four decades later, the city might have lost its appetite for the Labor Day tradition.

The crowds, the entertainment and even the name have changed over the years. Meanwhile, the centerpiece of the regatta -- the line up of sternwheelers -- have disappeared. Most of them rode a wave out of town years ago -- not to be seen again at this event.

Now, the event itself appears to be headed in the same direction. Jones made it clear at Monday night's City Council meeting that the money has run dry.

"It's a call that can be changed if someone would step forward with the money," Jones said. "I don't think that's very likely. We need $400,000. We can raise about 10 percent of that, but the city of Charleston can't keep funding that particular event."

That news has come to the dismay of many local residents who said they attend the regatta regularly.

Next year could mark the first summer in a long time when you won't hear the phrase, "You Gotta Regatta."

Jones said Charleston will have other events to keep everyone busy next summer including Festivall, Live on the Levee and the Doo Wop and Run car show.

Original story
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Charleston Mayor Danny Jones suggested Monday night that the 2009 Regatta be canceled, unless sponsors step forward to help pay for the event.

Jones says that there has been a lack of sponsors for next year's event.

Private sponsors would have to come up with at least $350,000 in order to save the 2009 Charleston Regatta, according to the mayor. In 2008, the event lost $100,000.

Charleston's Sternwheel Regatta has been an annual riverfront tradition in the city since 1971. Thousands of people have come every year to enjoy live entertainment and other activities.

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