The M.S. Dixie II defeated California's Tahoe Queen by a half-boat length to win the sternwheeler race that was part of the South Shore's weekend-long kickoff to the summer season.

The Dixie now enjoys an 8-5 series lead in the competition over a six-mile course that's billed as the only sternwheeler race west of the Mississippi River.

As captain of the losing vessel, Tahoe Queen Capt. Guy Mitchell walked the plank and jumped into Lake Tahoe after the Sunday morning race.

"The water was colder than I expected," Mitchell said afterward.

The race capped the fourth annual Opening Days Lake Tahoe celebration over the weekend.

An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people attended a party Saturday on a closed half-mile section of Highway 50 in the Stateline casino area. And in a change from previous years, festivities also extended onto the California side of the state line.

The street party included parachuting Elvis impersonators, flying motocross stunt bikes, rock bands, art shows and a Hawaiian Tropic pageant featuring bikini-clad contestants.

At the west end of the street fair, a U2 tribute band performed while children with seemingly endless energy jumped in a bounce house or scaled a climbing wall.

Occasional sprinkles of rain did not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd.

But traffic snarls likely cast a cloud over the event for some. Despite a revised traffic plan from last year - traffic was rerouted onto a two-lane, counterclockwise loop around the highway closure - substantial delays were reported.

On the Nevada side, the backup reportedly at times extended from Stateline nearly to Zephyr Cove.

South Lake Tahoe police also received complaints about the traffic, which stretched to Al Tahoe Boulevard at times. Police Lt. David Stevenson is expected to prepare a report detailing the delays.

Local tourism officials said the turnout was an encouraging sign amid rising gasoline prices and a tight economy.

"We've all been hearing about 'stay-cations' and predictions of doom and gloom," said Carol Chaplin, executive director of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority.

"We know from our research that the majority traveled by car from within a 200-mile radius, and while the one-tank trip is a reality, this weekend bodes well for our summer," she added.

The visitors authority is spending nearly $900,000 on a campaign to remind San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento residents that Tahoe is only a tank of gas away.