Santa, Belushi and more top lineup for 37th annual event in Lauderdale
One of the boats containing many santa elves heads out of Port Everglades and under the 17th Street bridge as the people on board wave at the people on the bridge. (ROBERT DUYOS, Sun Sentinel / December 16, 2000)
The Winterfest Boat Parade returns Saturday, departing at 6:30 p.m. along the New River from just east of the Stranahan House, 335 SE Sixth Ave. off Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.
From there, the parade will pass through downtown and travel east to the Intracoastal Waterway, then north to Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach.
"We're looking forward to even bigger and better ideas," said Jane Miskovich, of Pittsburg, Pa., who lives in Fort Lauderdale six months of the year. "They always come up with something different."
This is the fourth year she and her husband plan on watching the 12-mile parade.
Grand Marshal Jim Belushi, star of ABC's sitcom According to Jim, is to kick off the 37th annual event. Trailing behind will be 100 boats, each with its own story.
Dressed in a dark suit, hat and sunglasses, Kerry Gruson, 61, will ride out the parade on a Blues Brothers-themed boat entered by Shake a Leg, a watersports center for the disabled in Miami.
Gruson, of Miami, is a paraplegic. She said she's excited to showcase Shake a Leg and "the healing power of water" in front of the hundreds of thousands of spectators parade organizers expect.
Hank Thorschmidt, 50, of Lake Worth, is also looking forward to participating — again. This is his 24th year entering the parade.
"It's still a great parade," Thorschmidt said. "It brings out the kid in you."
He and his family will ride atop the "Fountain Boat," which sprays 20,000 gallons of water per hour through a device Thorschmidt built.
Boat number 100 features Carl Andrioff, 58, of Boca Raton, who will attempt to set a world record for the most lights connected to a Santa suit, with 1,000 LED lights. It took Andrioff four months to build the suit, complete with an air conditioning system.
Observers can watch Santa and others light up the night from along the sea walls east of the Stranahan House. Parts of the parade can still be seen to the west, but boats won't go by in order or be fully prepared for the show.
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, 3109 E. Sunrise Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale, is also a viewing area. Park entry costs $2, and seating is free at the public level or $20 for reserved spots. Blankets or chairs are recommended for public-area seating.
The park will be closed to motor vehicles, but shuttles will run from The Galleria mall, 2414 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale.
For more information, visit winterfestparade.com.
The New River will be closed to non-parade boat traffic starting at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Organizers said long-term dock renters and traveling boaters who rent city docks along the river will have to move their boats for the parade.
Boaters who want to watch the parade should set anchor by 4 p.m. to avoid bridge closures. For anchor sites, visit earthnc.com/winterfest.
source: sun sentinal
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