As the holidays approach, look around you. Every family, every neighborhood celebrates the season with their own traditions. The community of the San Bernard River is no exception. For 19 years now, the San Bernard River community has kicked off the Christmas season with a lighted boat parade and house decorating contest. This year, Friends Of the River San Bernard (FOR San Bernard), is proud to present the 20^th Annual San Bernard River Christmas Boat Parade and Home Decorating Contest.

The Boat Parade will be on Saturday, December 9, 2006 beginning at dusk. The parade route begins at the F.M. 521 Bridge and ends at the boat ramp in Las Playas. Judges will be stationed at Nelson and Vanessa Taylor’s home, Dido’s Restaurant and the Las Playas Boat Ramp.

Any kind or size of boat or Jet Ski can be decorated and entered into the parade. Use your imagination and decorate your boat accordingly. The final Captain’s meeting discussing parade information will be held at Dido’s Restaurant on Thursday, December 7 at 7 p.m. Boats entered in the parade should be in the water and ready for parade line-up by 5:00 p.m. If you are entered, please be ready to go once the parade starts and stay in parade formation once the parade has started so the judges will have the best opportunity to make decisions and the community viewing the parade will have the best show.

If you do not have a house on the river along the parade route, the best places for public viewing will be the public boat ramps at F.M. 521 and F.M. 2611, High Five, or Dido’s Restaurant.

The Home Decorating Contest will consist of entered, decorated houses on the river along the parade route and will be judged on Saturday, December 9, 2006 during the parade. But pictures of the entered houses will be taken Friday night, December 8. If your house is entered in the contest, please display your number and have your house fully lit both nights.

The Awards Banquet for both events will be held Sunday, December 10 at noon at Vanessa and Nelson Taylor’s home at 2909 C.R. 604. Be ready for anything at the banquet – who knows? Maybe Santa will make an unscheduled early stop.

Think of a theme, decorate your boat, participate in the parade and make a river holiday memory for yourself and the community. A limited supply of F.O.R.’s 20^th annual Christmas Boat Parade T-shirts commemorating the event will be available in the near future for a donation of $10.00 – they are spruce green!! You can order them from F.O.R.’s website at: http://www.sanbernardriver.com/merchandise/index.htm . Remember to order early – these will go fast!

For boat entry numbers and more information, contact Vanessa or Nelson Taylor at 979-964-4402 or monitor www.sanbernardriver.com for parade information and entry forms. This is the 20^th year for a lighted boat parade on the San Bernard River – come help Friends Of the River (F.O.R.) San Bernard make it the biggest and best boat parade ever!!!!

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