Last call on last year’s parade

B.W. COOK

It is February, but there’s still time for Christmas.

The Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce

gathered last week to celebrate the 96th annual Newport Harbor

Christmas Boat Parade.

More than 400 guests converged at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort in

Newport Beach to toast the “best of the best” in the recent holiday

parade on the water of the Newport Channel, and to bestow the “Ring

of Lights” awards on residential and commercial decorators.

The festive awards dinner was chaired by Kirk Dawson, one of the

nation’s most successful Mercedes Benz reps working with Newport’s

own Fletcher Jones. Dawson partnered with hotelier Henry Schielein,

president of the Balboa Bay Club & Resort, and Marion and Lula

Halfacre, the owners of the posh Traditional Jewelers, to throw a

party worthy of celebrating what many have called the most festive,

well-lighted Christmas Boat Parade in memory.

The party began with a champagne reception, bringing together the

winners of the Christmas Boat Parade and the “Ring of Lights” home

and business decorating competition.

Ed Arnold, TV anchor and all-around Orange County good guy, emceed

the affair as the handsome crowd -- in their best cocktail attire --

dined on a four-course dinner that began with lobster bisque,

followed by a “designer” salad and then an entree of beef and shrimp,

capped off by one of the Balboa Bay Club’s famous dessert samplers of

dark and light chocolate and assorted sweets to complement the taste

of the evening.

Guests enjoyed a video presentation on the “big screen,”

highlighting the spectacular, lighted parade of boats on the harbor,

and other residential and commercial winners.

Organizers also made sure the audience saw news clips gathered

from around the nation covering the harbor parade that has achieved

national and even international recognition.

Sponsors of the parade and the awards evening include Traditional

Jewelers, Simple Green, Janes Capital Partners, Prudential California

Realty, the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, the Newport Beach Marriott

Hotel & Spa, the Balboa Bay Club & Resort and the Daily Pilot, to

name only a few.

Local artist Michael Bryan was one of the auction donors, joining

a field of some 150 merchants in generously providing items up for

bid to assist the local chamber in ongoing efforts to sustain the

parade as a first-class local, seasonal event.

In the crowd were honorees Paul and Shirley Gerst, Jerry and Judi

Jordan, Danielle and Donna Dibari, Robert and Christyne Olson and the

winners of the “Best First Time Entry” award in the “Ring of Lights”

competition, Karen and Barry Meguiar.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.