A sea of shimmering lights

Virginia E. Lopez

When Newport-Mesans hear sleigh bells ringing, they’re usually

attached to a boat, not a carriage.

Since 1908, Newport Harbor has decorated the water with lights as

the annual Newport Harbor Christmas Boat Parade navigates through the

channel.

It began 95 years ago when two men, John Scarpa and Joseph Beek,

arrived in Newport Harbor.

Scarpa, an Italian gondolier, is credited with getting the

festival flowing in 1907 when he added a few Japanese lanterns to his

gondola to take a few Pasadena tourists across the bay.

Then on July 4, 1908, the “parade” marched across the harbor when

eight canoes steered by locals followed Scarpa’s gondola. The boats

were lighted with Japanese lanterns, and the lighted boat parade was

born.

The parade returned in 1913 as the Illuminated Water Parade, and

in 1915 the Fourth of July boat festival had nearly 40 participants.

The parade included the “rescue” of passengers from a boat hull

set on fire and a “Battle of Fireworks” between two launches that

included the explosion of two underwater mines.

A much tamer version restarted in 1919 when Beek, who was working

the ferryboats in the harbor, had area children decorate floats in

his garage and then he towed them around the bay.

The tournament was held, except during World War II, from 1919

until 1949, when city leaders decided to cancel the festival because

it was creating too much traffic and crowding.

A barge with a Christmas tree on it, created by Newport city

employees, continued floating around the bay and after a few years

the Beek family again came to the rescue.

They provided a ferry for the floating tree and as each year has

passed, more illuminated boats joined the flotilla.

The Tournament of Lights returned as an annual Christmas event and

today is considered “one of the top 10 holiday happenings in the

nation,” according to the New York Times.

Now called the Newport Harbor Christmas Boat Parade, it consists

of more than 150 boats and its path is lighted by several decorated

homes along Newport Harbor.

This year’s theme is “A Holiday Beach Celebration.” The parade

will run at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Dec. 21, and at 9 p.m.

Friday and Saturday. The starting point will be at Collins Island.

* LOOKING BACK runs Sundays. Do you know of a person, place or

event that deserves a historical look back? Let us know. Contact us

by fax at (949) 646-4170; e-mail at dailypilot@latimes.com; or mail

at c/o Daily Pilot, 330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627.