Comments & Curiosities
Peter Buffa
Can’t we all just get along? Apparently not. I sense some hostility
about this year’s Newport Harbor Christmas Boat Parade. So does Brett
Hemphill, former volunteer chairman of the parade’s board.
After the board suggested some changes in the schedule and route for
next year’s parade, a number of people had a “shmoo,” which is to be
expected with any long-standing tradition. One person stepped way, way
over the line however, and threatened to do bad things to Brett’s
business, Hemphill’s Rugs & Carpets in Costa Mesa, at which point Brett
tendered his resignation.
Hmm. Perhaps a little perspective would be helpful. Around four
thousand innocent people died on Sept. 11. We are in the middle of a war
against a terrorist group that is committed to our destruction. Some
nudnik is mailing deadly anthrax spores around the country. In spite of
all that, someone in our little corner of the universe is driven to
threaten someone else over where next year’s boat parade will go and for
how many nights it will go there. I have no further comment at this time.
But for those of us from this planet, let’s be thankful we have
another holiday season and another Christmas Boat Parade to celebrate.
The parade is a great local tradition. Can we at least all agree on that?
Thank you so much.
This year’s iteration will be the 93rd, although therein lies a
mystery. It is generally believed that the first Christmas Boat Parade --
which has had more names than Larry King has had wives -- was held in
1908, thus the “93rd” appellation.
But according to TalesofBalboa.com, a great Web site for local Newport
and Balboa lore, a man named Walter Gustin started the ball rolling and
the boats bobbing in 1913 with what was called the “Illuminated Water
Parade.” Unless my math fails me, which it almost always does, that would
make this the 88th Christmas Boat Parade. If you’re out there and you can
solve this, let’s hear it. I’ve got to know.
But 1908, 1913, whatever. It might interest you to know that parades
of lighted boats are a holiday tradition that is much older than the
country itself. Parades of lights on water and land have been going on in
places like Williamsburg and Jamestown in the Virginia Colony since the
1600s. If you ever have a chance to see the “Grand Illumination” in
Williamsburg, by the way, do not miss it.
Being a settler in Virginia in the 1600s was hard. Food was scarce,
the weather was nasty and stores were miles and miles apart. All sorts of
things were hiding in the woods just waiting to jump out and eat you.
Telephones, televisions, telecommunications -- anything that started with
“tele” -- were still, I don’t know, a hundred years off.
These were not frivolous people. Actually, they were dull people. No
sense of humor. None. Yet, isn’t it interesting that one of the few
frivolous moments they allowed themselves was much the same celebration
we’ll enjoy this year for the 93rd or 88th time? Three hundred years ago,
the lights were candles and lanterns, and there were fewer Sea Rays and
Ferrettis, but the concept was the same -- holidays, lights, rum,
fun.Today, there are more holiday boat parades around the country than
you can count, But if we wanted to puff ourselves up and say ours is one
of the biggest and oldest and best, we would have more than little
legitimacy for that puffiness.
According to the Tales of Balboa Web site, California Gov. C.C. Young
said in 1929 that parade was “one of the most beautiful things I have
ever seen. I think its most charming feature is its freedom from
commercialism.” How about that? We’re not talking about some nobody here,
people, we’re talking about “C.C. Young.” Is there anyone who hasn’t
heard of C.C. Young, for heaven’s sake?
Oh, good. I was afraid I was the only one. I did check, though. C.C.
Young was governor from 1927 to 1931. He also served as lieutenant
governor and speaker of the assembly, rode a motorcycle and was the
inspiration for “C.C. Rider” by Eric Burton & The Animals. That last part
isn’t true. I made it up.
If C.C.’s endorsement isn’t enough for you, I’ll have you know that
The New York Times has called the Newport Harbor Boat Parade one of the
country’s “great holiday traditions.” Until the 1930s, the boat parade
was mostly rowboats, canoes and other wimpy little boats. The whole deal
was more along the line of the Doo Dah Parade than the Tournament of
Roses.
By the mid-’30s, things were getting serious. The boats were bigger
and stronger and more luxurious, and the lighting and decorations grew
more and more elaborate. Today, the “Wow” factor never fails to wow. Some
owners spend many, many lire decorating and lighting their nautical toys
and aqueous pride and joys. Could be just me, but my impression over the
last few years is that the quest for conspicuous illumination has
subsided a bit, and people are striving more for innovative twists and
clever concepts.
The jaw-dropping, mega-boats with the galaxies of lights are always
amazing, but I must say, I get a comparable kick from the guppies in
between. There’s something about two people in an aluminum boat from
Sears with one string of lights and two flashlights that causes a large
smile, year after year.
So there you have it. Go see it. Enjoy it. Don’t stress about it. And
if you happen to know how long this has been going on, let me know. I
gotta go.
* PETER BUFFA is a former Costa Mesa mayor. His column runs Sundays.
He may be reached via e-mail at PtrB4@aol.com.
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