By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — The community is getting all revved up about a town-sponsored boat parade that’s taking place this Saturday.

There has been a wave of excitement from Naples residents and business owners about the upcoming parade, according to Naples Marine Patrol’s First Assistant Mark Maroon.

“Basically, what we are hearing from people is: There’s more excitement than I have seen in all the years I have been here; and I’ve been here for 20 years,” Maroon said.

He’s been hearing positive comments from the restaurant owners, store owners, marina owners and people who own boats.

“They are all looking for something to brighten their summer. The summer of 2020 has been hard for everybody,” Maroon said. “We would love to see every single boat off their mooring and in the parade. If all the boats were out in the parade line, what great fun that would be!”

The event is being billed as the Christmas In July Parade of Boats and the parade starts at 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Given that the theme is Christmas in July, boaters might want to lug out of storage those boxes of holiday decorations. Stringing up lights might suffice but organizers encourage people to get creative — awards will be given out.

It is suggested that participants start assembling in Brandy Pond around 7:30 p.m., because the parade will start moving shortly after 8 p.m., Maroon said.

The parade loop is approximately four miles long. The boats will be traveling between 5 and 10 mph.

The lead boat — a boat named It’s Five o’clock Somewhere and owned by Jimmy Allen, will come down toward the Songo River on the west side of Brandy Pond.

“We will have people slowly merge in, like you would with traffic, yield, and slide into place like a conga line. By the time we get to the Jackson Cove area all the boats should be in line,” Maroon said.

Then, the boats will proceed from Brandy Pond to Long Lake, going under the Bob Neault Memorial Bridge. There will be some fanfare at the bridge.

The Long Lake route will go up the east side of the lake, the route that Songo River Queen takes, according to Maroon. Three-quarters of the way before Long Point the boats will cross over to the island where the lighthouse is. The route goes around the island, and down the west side of the lake. The parade ends at the public dock at Kent’s Landing.

“We are going on a nice route, where people who have cottages can see it,” Maroon said.

“The goal is to be where there is the most people. People can easily see the parade and take photos of the decorated boats from the Causeway and from the bridge,” he said.

At the bridge, there will be a public announcement (PA) system playing Christmas music. Also, a DJ will be announcing the boats as they come travel under the bridge.

The Naples Marine Patrol has organized the event and will be on hand on parade day.

“We will our boats anchored. If they have questions about being safe, we hope they ask. If they don’t have life jackets, we’ll give them some. It’s good will. It’s a good time,” Maroon said.

The desire is that this marine vessel parade will become an annual event in town, he said.

“We hope that the Christmas In July Parade of Boats becomes part of the personality of Naples like the Maine Blues Festival and the Antique wooden boat show has. The identity of the community is in its rituals. This will be planned for the closest weekend to July 25 every year,” he said.

In equal measure to having a fun time is insuring a safe time for everyone involved, Maroon said.

While the organizers were marketing the boat parade, they were contacting the Naples Fire and Rescue Department, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) and the State of Maine’s warden

“Once we realized the energy behind this — there could be between 50 and 200 boats — we knew that we would need the EMTs, the rescue department available,” Maroon said.

“It is really important that when people come out, they can feel safe.

Naples Marine Patrol will have three safety boats going up and down the parade. We care about safety. Safety is our Number One concern,” he said.

“This could be a great yearly event if its done safely and properly,” he said, reminding people to have marine vessel registration decals on their boats, and to be completely legal.