Getting to know our new community has been one of the best parts of our move to the lake. We joined a local Facebook group and have been able to interact with our neighbors on social media. This membership led to a discussion about a Christmas parade. My hubby immediately jumped on the idea and took it upon himself to get a Christmas parade tradition started.

Hubby contacted Fish Springs Marina and Thomas, the owner, generously donated a first place prize for the best decorated boat. He also put in a permit with the TWRA for the parade. We used Facebook to get the word out and got busy decorating our own boat.

Winter in East Tennessee is quite chilly and most boat owners winterize their watercrafts in October. While we enjoy boating in 30 degree weather, we are not the norm. For some reason, most boaters prefer to wait until spring brings warmer temps to get back out on the water. Armed with this knowledge, we were prepared to be a parade of one.

It was thrilling to show up at the starting point and see a TWRA agent waiting to oversee the parade. We ended up with three boats participating + the TWRA boat that graciously led the way. It wasn’t a large parade, but it was an excellent first go for a cold rainy day in December. Several people came to watch from the public access areas and cheered us on. We plan to schedule the event considerably earlier next year to increase involvement. We had a great time and loved starting a new tradition for our family! Enjoy the lit boat photos!