SOUTHWICK – Get ready to show your patriotic pride, boat enthusiasts!
A tradition since the mid-70s, the Congamond Lakes Fourth of July Boat Parade is set for Saturday beginning at 4 p.m.
Boaters should gather at Babbs Beach at 4 p.m. and will launch around 5 p.m. after a short ceremony that will include the singing of the National Anthem.
Citizens Restoring Congamond (CRC) President Deb Herath said the event is meant to be a fun celebration of the lakes.
“There are no prizes, just grins!” she said.
Boats will be decorated in their red, white and blue best, and everyone is welcome to participate.
‘You don’t have to live on the lake to join the parade,’ said Herath.
The boaters will parade counterclockwise – as is the proper way to navigate the lakes – around Middle Pond. The best viewing for spectators is at Babbs Beach on Babbs road, Suffield, Conn., at the Southwick Town Pier on Point Grove Road, and at the neighboring Louie’s Restaurant and Bar’s outdoor deck, also on Point Grove Road.
Herath said in the past, they have had from 30-60 boats in the parade, each decorated for the holiday. There are no prizes for decorations, however, lake dwellers show their appreciation by waving and cheering from their decks and shoreline.
Herath said she does not know how the tradition first started but in recent years it has been a celebration of lake health.
“A while ago the lakes were taken over by milfoil and the CRC helped clear them,” said Herath. “So the parade shows people the lakes are healthy.”
