More ‘Old Glory’ to love

Jimmy Stroup

The American Legion Yacht Club in Newport Beach is sponsoring the Old

Glory Boat Parade on Sunday to celebrate the Fourth of July in style,

complete with a pancake breakfast, patriotic boat decorations and a 2

1/2-mile boat procession around Newport Harbor.

Jon Reynolds, this year’s chairman of the parade, has made every

necessary change to address some failings from previous years and is

confident that participating boaters -- likely to be upwards of 100

-- will be pleased with the new route.

“We extended it this year from last,” Reynolds said. “We had a few

people that were a little regretful that we didn’t go far enough to

some of the yacht clubs that were major participants in the parade,

so we tried to add some distance.”

Pete Barrett and Art Gronsky, both long-time Legion members and

Newport-Mesa residents, remember the parade in its beginnings, when

it was called the Character Boat Parade.

“Originally, the Character Boat Parade was held in August, as

opposed to our Old Glory Parade, which is now on the Fourth of July,”

Gronsky said.

“Part of the thought of it was just like the Tournament of Lights

... to [keep] the summer people staying here,” said Barrett, who

chaired the parade for 20 years.

Gay Wassall-Kelly has entered her boat, S.S. Michigan, in the Old

Glory Boat parade every year since she got it in 1997. However, that

wasn’t the first time the boat was seen roaming the harbor decorated

for the parade. Its former owners had the little craft involved since

the very beginning of the event in the 1950s.

Reynolds said he has no doubts the number of boats entered will

make it as successful this year as any other.

“Last year, even though only about 60 were entered, there were

probably 150 people that just showed up saying, ‘Let’s join the

parade,’” he said.

The American Legion judges every boat entered in the parade and

takes photos. If a boat wins one of the dozen categories the Legion

has created for decorations, the owner is presented with a plaque at

an awards dinner two weeks after the parade on July 17.

“The theme is ‘Sharing the American Spirit,’” Reynolds said. “We

try to choose a theme that’s kind of broad in its context, so that

people can decorate their boats with a lot of flexibility.”

The Newport Beach American Legion will start the day off by

holding a pancake breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. The cost is $8, and the

breakfast is open to everyone. In addition, boat rides are available

from the 15th Street public dock in Newport Beach.

The Old Glory Boat Parade begins running its course at 1 p.m. and

can be seen from most any shore in Newport Harbor.

Boats can still be entered by calling (949) 673-5070 or by

visiting American Legion Post 291 at 215 15th St., Newport Beach.