Tikki torches, Hawaiian music, leis and grass skirts will transform the Kentucky Exposition Center into a tropical paradise this weekend as the National Houseboat Expo sails into town.

“We’re having a luau in Louisville,” says Todd Wallin, director of the show presented by National Houseboat Magazine.

Guests who come decked out in their Hawaiian finery can win door prizes, and “everybody’s getting “lei’d” when they come through the door,” Wallin says of the colorful floral wreaths patrons will receive upon entering the show. During the three-day celebration, which kicks off today, there will also be a hula contest and Hawaiian music.

But besides all the fun, guests can set their sights on the “world’s best boats,” Wallin said. “This is an opportunity for houseboat enthusiasts who’ve been doing it a long time, or for those just getting into it, to see everything under one roof.”

There will be boats priced at more than $600,000 and decked out with such amenities as plasma-screen televisions and granite countertops.

“We call them floating mansions,” Wallin said. “These houseboats are mimicking what people are doing to their existing homes.”

The latest and greatest in houseboat products and accessories will also be for sale, and there will be seminars on everything from interior decorating to Cajun cooking.

Another new twist to this year’s show is a cornhole tournament with the winner receiving a $2,000 inflatable Zodiac boat.

Reporter Christa Ritchie can be reached at (502) 582-4144.

source : www.courier-journal.com