Bright Ideas at the Bay Parade of Lights
San Diego Daily Transcript, Night & Day
Dec. 8, 2011
Nina Garin
When you see the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights in an upcoming episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” take a closer look.
It’s a decoy.
The ABC crew isn’t going to be at Sunday’s 40th annual kickoff event, one that features nearly 100 boats twinkling along the bay. The cameras were actually here in August, filming a scaled-down version of the Parade of Lights for its Dec. 16 episode.
“It really did look like the original parade,” said decoy (and actual) participant David Plourd. “All the boats went by, waving and yelling Merry Christmas to the family whose house was being redone, but it was the middle of August. I’m sure it will look great on TV, and it’s nice that it’s going to air the week between the two boat parades.”
Though they’re watching a made-for-TV version, viewers across the country will get a feel for an event that symbolizes San Diego’s holiday season. We may not get snow, but we can have a flotilla of boats traveling a seven-mile route from Shelter Island to Coronado without worrying about frostbite.
On Sunday, and again on Dec. 18, ?you’ll be able to see everything from yachts and sailboats to power boats and kayaks lit up for the holidays. Some displays are elaborate, with lights forming tall Christmas trees, others are a subtle string of candy cane lights. But the festive procession illuminates the bayfront to create a holiday feeling like no other.
nd because this year marks the 40th anniversary, there will be a lot of reminiscing and stories to share, from the happy times when Dick Van Dyke was the grand marshal in the 1970s to the tragic loss of Anthony DeWeese, the 8-year-old Rancho Peñasquitos boy who was killed during the event in 2009.
It also marks the return of Ron Pearson, Billie Lunde and Peggy Laird, three of the original committee members, to serve as judges.
“This is a great way for boaters to give something to the people of San Diego,” Plourd said. “It’s so fulfilling to see people gathered on the shorelines and along the embarcadero seeing their enthusiasm and the joy it brings them.”
To read the full article, visit SignOn San Diego.
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