BY DAVID ECK
Enquirer Contributor
HAMILTON -- The city's riverfront will capture the national spotlight this weekend as water skiers from all corners of the country vie for top honors at DamFest on the Great Miami River.
The Fort Hamilton-Hughes Hospital is hosting the national show ski championships, said Katie Langevin, director of public relations and marketing for the hospital, which uses the festival as a fund-raiser. "ESPN is coming up for this."
Sanctioned by the American Water Ski Association (AWSA) and the National Show Ski Association (NSSA), the championships have never been held in Ohio, Ms. Langevin said. Show skiers will compete in ski team competition, swivel skiing, doubles and team jumping. ESPN2 will tape Saturday's competitions and air them Aug. 29 and Sept. 10.
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IF YOU GO
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 DamFest will be today through Sunday along Neilan Boulevard on the banks of the Great Miami River. Show skiing begins at 10 a.m. today, and at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Country singer Gary Allen will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Cost: Admission is free.
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"Show skiing is more like a production," with costumes and themes, Ms. Langevin said. "It's continual show skiing on the water for both days."
Hundreds of skiers on 14 teams will compete Saturday and Sunday, seven teams each day. Teams get an hour to show their best moves to the judges.
Representatives from The Colleagues of Fort Hamilton-Hughes Hospital, the hospital's volunteer group, opted to bid on the championships two years ago after skiers showed support for the river site and the community. So they put together a proposal and presented it at AWSA's headquarters in Florida.
"It's a wonderful opportunity for us," Ms. Langevin said. "We're very excited that ski teams . . . have enjoyed themselves so much. They love our river. It's a wonderful site for them to ski on."
Now in its 10th year, DamFest has grown to become one of the largest festivals in the area, Ms. Langevin said. More than 80,000 people are expected for the event.
In addition to action on the water, festivalgoers can sample food and services from scores of non-profit health care groups that set up booths along the river.
Proceeds from DamFest benefit the Fort Hamilton-Hughes Foundation, but money made in the booths goes to support the individual groups. DamFest traces its roots to the late 1980s, when work on Hamilton's low-level dam was completed and the hospital decided to celebrate on the river. The dam keeps the river levels low, usually between and 7 and 10 feet, allowing for more recreation on the water.
