By LINDA CHION KENNEY
Lights shone brightly in Riverview for the annual lighted boat parade, presented Saturday by the Rotary Club of FishHawk-Riverview.
The parade on the Alafia River marked the event’s 40th anniversary, which is not by chance, as Rotarians stepped up to stage the event after the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce, which last year changed the group’s name to the Central Hillsborough County Chamber of Commerce, stepped aside years prior. As for the deeply rooted lighted boat parade, once held at the Gibton Showman’s Club, at 6915 Riverview Drive, “It was a good community event that we didn’t want to see go down the drain,” said Rotarian Jackie Fields, at last year’s lighted boat parade. “A lot of our members are passionate about it. As a club we just adopted it, and we love it.”
In a tie for third place, Best Decorated Boat went to “Capt’n Jon Miller, with Rudolph leading the way,” and to “Capt’n Randy Comer, with Surfin’ Santa.”
Such was the case again this year, despite a lesser participation rate among boat owners, reportedly due in part to the effects of a particularly harsh hurricane season. The chamber in a social media post said “It’s a labor of love to maintain a boat and decorate it” and that a number of boats this year “did not make it due to unforeseen difficulties.”
That the tradition lives on is testament to the spirit to endure and to the passion to deepen and strengthen community connections.
Michael Broussard both organized and led the lighted boat parade, in which he manned his own boat, with family members and guests on board. The Broussard family recipe earned second place in the Chili Cook-off Contest.
“There were so many beautiful things about last night,” reads an aftermath post on the chamber’s Facebook page, thanking the event’s title sponsor, Christopher Ligori & Associates, attorneys at law. “The children laughing, playing and crafting; the joy of having Santa and all his elves; the community connecting; and the beauty of the lights on land and water.”
Special thank you were given to the boat owners who did participate, “for giving us and our community a truly magical night.” The list, as posted, noted the involvement of “Mike Broussard, Denny, Gabby Aten, Randy Comer, Rick Connolly, Dough Higgs, Craig Lukavec, Jon Miller, John Snay, Freedom Boat Club, Martin, Drew Callahan and Eric Otradovec.”
First place for Best Decorated Boat went to “Marty Martinez with Santa and his whole team of reindeer” and second place to “Capt’n Gabby Aten, with two gators guiding Santa’s Sleigh.” In a tie for third place, honors went to “Capt’n Jon Miller, with Rudolph leading the way,” and to “Capt’n Randy Comer, with Surfin’ Santa.”
Second place for Best Decorated Boat went to “Capt’n Gabby Aten, with two gators guiding Santa’s Sleigh.”
Broussard both organized and led the lighted boat parade, in which he manned his own boat, with family members on board. The Broussard family recipe earned second place in the Chili Cook-off Contest, held inside at the Riverview Civic Center. First-place honors went to Dee’s Family BBQ.
Among the annual event features were photos with Santa, crafts for kids, decorated trees, gingerbread houses and food available for donations, with proceeds benefiting Friends of County Parks and Recreation Inc. and local charities supported through the FishHawk-Riverview Rotary Club’s foundation.
FishHawk-Riverview Chamber of Commerce Photos
First place for Best Decorated Boat went to Marty Martinez with “Santa and his whole team of reindeer.”
According to Rotarians, the club recently awarded more than $45,000 to local and global initiatives, with a focus on requests from members that align with the club’s mission to alleviate poverty, illiteracy, hunger and disease. According to chamber members, the majority of locally raised funds are awarded locally.
Visit the club at www.fishhawkriverviewrotary.org/. The club is set to present the 15th annual Crawfish and Craft Beer Festival at Founders Square Park at Winthrop Town Centre in Riverview, off Bloomingdale Avenue, between Watson and Providence roads. The much-anticipated event, featuring fresh crawfish from Louisiana, is set to run 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, April 26. The club meets weekly on Mondays, noon to 1 p.m., at JF Kicks Restaurant, 3345 Lithia Pinecrest Road, Valrico.