Boat parade lights up channel and town

"There are a lot of unique things in La Conner that you can't get anywhere else," noted Mark Hulst, director of the La Conner Chamber of Commerce last Thursday. The Swinomish Yacht Club's annual lighted boat parade may be at the top of Hulst's list.

Once again, the town found every parking lot occupied, every restaurant full and, perhaps, every hotel room booked as evening descended and people from across the region crowded the boardwalk on the Swinomish Channel ahead of the 6 p.m. parade start.

The Chamber's first time investment in TV advertising in King and Pierce counties may have played a role in increasing day visitors. For overnight stays, Hulst said visitors will book rooms one year in advance so that they are assured a space in their favorite hotel.

By 5:30 p.m., as Hulst predicted, spectators started filling space on the boardwalk. Ten minutes before six the last parade boat made its way to the northern end of the channel and ten minutes after six a police boat turned on its lights and flashed its siren to let everyone know the 2022 parade was underway. The Swinomish patrol boat led the parade with its own version of Christmas lights: red and blues.

The boats that followed were decorated with string lights, inflatable Christmas icons and more (Santa, Snoopy, trees, a fishing pole and its fish) and perhaps the most precious ornament of all: people. From all along the boardwalk everyone could see that beyond the decorations, just one pane of glass further, the boats were full of families and friends. It was a night of spectacle for La Conner and its guests, but it was for the parade's participants, also.

This mutual perspective elevated the evening from a show to a total-participation event. "Merry Christmas" was thrown freely between the water and the land. Cheers went both ways. Boaters stood on their decks and waved as they passed.

One of the boats clearly hosted a full party. It passed, sending out many wordless shouts and hollers. "Come over and pick us up!" one woman on the boardwalk called out. Two separate boats' occupants started a back-and-forth chant of "Ho-ho-ho" with the audience. Elizabeth LaRance, a Shelter Bay resident, ran to one of the floating docks to compliment a boat before it got away. She took pictures and shouted her praises to it before it got too far. "I love it, it's beautiful. This is such a great community," she commented

Towards the end of the line, in a tone that indicated some simple, genuine curiosity, a boater called from his observation deck: "Do you guys all live in La Conner?" At least half of the crowd shouted "Yes!" And in the ensuing break of silence, one woman said "No, I don't."

Once the last boat passed and floated down towards Shelter Bay, the crowd broke and people quietly found their ways back to their cars or dinner tables. The La Conner Pub & Eatery had turned out the indoor lights closest to the waterside for the benefit of the patrons' view. But despite the boats' eventual encore as they returned north, the Pub's lights came back on. "They're coming back! They're coming back!" a voice outside said just moments after the crowd had dissipated.

This was "the quintessential night for family and friends," reflected Daniel Castillo, a father and a teacher at La Conner School District.

The line of traffic leaving town was long and lit red and packed from the roundabout to Nasty Jack's for some time. In a backwards way, perhaps it's a good omen for next year's turnout.