One last light for Parade

Christine Carrillo

As darkness settled over Newport Harbor on Sunday night, the 94th

annual Christmas Boat Parade shined brightly on the faces of people

preparing for one last jolt of holiday spirit.

Smiles on faces grew in anticipation; eyes widened in an

unconscious attempt to capture the luminous sight before them; and

families huddled up for warmth as the winter weather kept nipping at

their noses.

Lined up along the harbor’s shores and boarding the numerous

yachts filling its waters, spectators reveled in the spirit and

tradition of the parade that carried the theme “Celebrating America

With Lights.”

“I just felt like I had to be here for this, this year ... I

procrastinated, which I do, but I wasn’t going to miss it,” said

Janet Baldwin, a former Newport Beach resident who remembers

attending the event as a child. “I can’t put my finger on it, but I’m

just so into Christmas this year and I felt like this was the place

to be.”

Seeking a sense of seasonal merriment, Kelli Sym of Costa Mesa

also felt drawn to the parade, which began on Wednesday and is put on

by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.

“My kids loved it so we had to come back and we brought some

friends,” said Sym, who was attending the parade for the second time

this year. “I just always remembered how Christmasy it always felt

and I can’t seem to get enough this year.”

With the parade running for five days instead of the traditional

seven, local businesses couldn’t seem to get enough either. While

they benefited from the number of patrons the parade usually brings

to the area, local business people admitted that they experienced a

definite change this year with the parade’s new duo routes.

“I thought it was not going to be as good as it was but it’s kind

of good in a way because people converge more and it’s not as

sporadic,” Dan Williams, manager at Joe’s Crab Shack, said of the

changes that had the parade run shorter on Wednesday, Thursday and

Sunday night. “It helps business, no doubt about that.”

While officials at some of the restaurants along the parade route

admitted they missed the longer run of the parade and the increased

business it supplied, they found it hard to complain about the

changes.

That wasn’t the case for yacht charter companies.

Since less restaurants fell along the parade’s path this year, the

amount of competition among them decreased, while yacht charter

companies found that a combination of heightened competition and

shorter number of days hit them hard.

“It’s been more difficult for us financially,” said Jason Ware,

manager and captain for Luxury Yacht Cruises. “The month of December

is definitely a significant part of our business and the boat parade

is very important. [The changes] make the five nights of the parade

more valuable to the business.”

The value of the parade, however, was not entirely financial. For

many of the spectators who viewed the parade from the restaurants,

yachts or along the shores, this year’s parade proved to be an

invaluable success.

“Boat-wise more people participated ... and people tell me it’s

more fun this year,” Williams said. “People are just having a lot a

more fun this year than last year ... they’re more in the spirit.”

While the parade successfully brought out the holiday spirit among

its spectators, those working during the parade also enjoyed its new

look.

“I think to me, visually watching the parade, it definitely looks

a lot better this year,” Ware said. “Newport Harbor definitely has

the finest boat parade.”

* CHRISTINE CARRILLO is the news assistant. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4298 or by e-mail at christine.carrillo@latimes.com.