Traveler’s Blog
Traveler’s Blog
Lighted Boat Parade
Posted by: Regional Tourism Coordinator --(Dec 2, 2009 )
The Lighted Boat Parade debuted on the Snake River in Lewiston this past weekend. After being in hibernation for 10 years it was everyone's guess if folks would come back out to watch. The answer to that became quite apparent when we ventured down to the levee and cars were parked everywhere and people were lined up along the trail. This was one of those events we all needed to see. No money to be made or spent, just pure entertainment to cap off a holiday weekend. The weather was great, about 45, and the kids were making the most of being out at night along the levee trail. Twenty-four boats took to the water with all their lights and music. These boats had inflatable snowmen, Santa Clauses, angels, reindeer; you name it if it could be attached to a boat and a generator it was there. Our all time favorite, naturally, was an inflatable Santa holding a lighted fishing pole with a lighted fish - no doubt he would've won the Steelhead Derby! After the parade I had commented on how many of these folks were going to be taking off the lights only to put them in their yards the next day. The answer to that came in the paper the next day when one of the participants was asked this same question by a Tribune reporter and he said "Hell no! I'm parking the boat in the front yard and turning the lights on!” Next year this needs to be on your list of "simple but fun" entertainment. Thanks to the folks at the Hells Canyon Boat Club for getting this off the ground, but especially to those folks that took the effort to get their boats out, spend hours attaching strings of lights to cold aluminum and maintaining their sense of humor.
