Lake Wellington, behind the Wellington Community Center, will be illuminated with twinkling holiday lights on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 6:30 p.m. as nearly 50 decorated boats cruise along in the popular Wellington Holiday Boat Parade.
This will be the sixth year that the Holiday Boat Parade, sponsored by South Florida Marine, will “Light up the Lake” through the efforts of event organizer Jack Brownson.
Brownson is part of the parade committee, a group of boaters who have worked on the parade in recent years. Last year, they had more than 40 boats participating, and the event continues to grow.
“It’s a great community event,” Brownson said. “It’s a super event, that’s really very popular. People who don’t have a boat are in their backyards. They’re having parties, and they’re cheering us on. There’s a lot of people involved, and at the Wellington Community Center, there’s hundreds of people, watching the parade from the promenade.”
Boats will make their way around the lake, and will be visible from the Town Center Promenade, which has plenty of parking available. Boaters will begin lining up at 5:45 p.m. on the north end of the lake prior to making their way to the Wellington Community Center area. Residents along the path can go outside and see the parade from their backyards. Everyone else is invited to join in the party atmosphere at the promenade behind the community center.
This year, there will be a competition and trophy for the top three best-decorated boats, with judges from the community. Wellington Village Council members will be joined by local celebrities Jim Sackett and Roxanne Stein, as they make the difficult decision of choosing their favorite crafts.
“One of my goals is to have people looking forward to this parade every year like they do on the Intracoastal,” Brownson said. “We’re not that by any means, but it’s a very nice parade, with very well-decorated boats. People really go out to decorate their boats.”
Free parking is available, and attendance is free. The Wellington Community Center is located at 12150 W. Forest Hill Blvd. Because of construction, attendees are advised to add a few extra minutes to plan for parking. Guests are also welcome to bring their own seating.
To get involved in the Holiday Boat Parade, and for more information, contact Jack Brownson at jbrownson@comcast.net.
