BOAT PARADE REVIVAL

"Reflections on the Confluence" it was called – the annual pre-Christmas lighted boat parade on the Snake River. It was first organized in 1986 and was held annually until 2000 on the last Saturday before Christmas. At its peak there were 56 boats entered. Most years until the last there were at least 26 entrants, but in 2000 there were only seven. Cold December temperatures, the proximity of the date to Christmas, lackluster promotion, unwillingness of boat owners to get out on the river in the cold – who knows what all contributed to the demise of the event. It didn't help that in 1996 one of the boat owners drowned after the parade. Although the effect of lighted boats on the river was beautiful, a certain sameness seemed to pervade the event. I found myself thinking, "been there, done that." Finally organizers abandoned the effort.

Until this year, that is. Members of the local boat club decided that sponsoring the Christmas boat parade fell under their purview to promote boating and revived the parade. The local paper carried several articles. The parade was now scheduled for the Saturday after Thanksgiving in the hope of warmer weather and in order to entice those in town for Black Friday and pre-Christmas shopping to stay around a little longer. Boats were to line up at 3:00 at Swallows Nest Park and the parade was scheduled to start at 4:30.

So, at 4:30 Saturday evening, I suddenly remembered the boat parade and we decided to go. We quickly reviewed the camera manual for instructions on taking pictures in the dark and then set out from the town house and drove to the river. We could see the boats at Swallows Nest Park and drove on north to Beachview Park in Clarkston proper, where we parked the car and took the steps to the river. Other spectators were there – both on the beach and above in the park. We found a good spot at the river's edge where we sat in dry leaves to wait. And we waited – and waited – and waited, watching upriver for signs of lighted boats, which didn't seem to appear. Well, Mike doesn't wait all that well, and I could think of better things to do than to sit on the riverbank in the cold, so we left. Someone at the top of the steps at Beachview Park asked us for information. "We know there's a parade," we told her, "but so far it's not in sight." She mentioned conflicting information in the Tribune.

As we drove home along the river at 5:30 we could see the boats lined up – still at Swallows Nest – and it looked like they were moving south toward Asotin instead of north as the Tribune article stated. "Hundreds turn out to watch lighted boats make their way along the Snake River," read the headline in today's paper. Details of the parade route were vague in the article but I found the phrase, "began moving south." I'm thinking many spectators were also disappointed.

Mike took the photo of the moon as he waited for the boat parade, which, somehow we missed. KW