Photo provided by Ron Wilbur.The Canyon Lake Yacht Club recently held a boat decorating clinic for those interested in learning how to decorate their boat for the upcoming Parade of Lights holiday boat parade on Saturday, December 9.
The clinic provided an opportunity for first-time participants to learn tips and tricks from parade veterans.
The clinic was held at the home of Rob Mora and Lainie Cooney, veteran parade participants and owners of the award-winning Gingerbread House float.
Mora and Cooney share their tips and tricks for some of the most popular and award-winning boats in the parade. They were joined by Greg Cassidy, builder of the popular Blue Shark float. Cassidy and his wife, Karin, are regular winners of the top prizes in the parade.
Both builders shared some key learnings and some of the things they tried that didn’t work. Attendee Chris Papavero said this was extremely valuable because it will help everyone avoid some common mistakes that wouldn’t necessarily be obvious.
Photo provided by Ron Wilbur.One key to the event was to help people recognize that with a little planning and forethought, they could easily migrate their golf cart parade decorations into boat parade decorations. Mora also talked about several innovations that allowed him to move his Gingerbread House display from his street cart to his boat. The Golf Cart Parade and Parade of Lights are just six days apart.
Mora shared this advice for all participants in this year’s parade: “If you’re going to be in the parade, make sure you follow the lead boat and don’t break away during the parade. If you want to split off to visit your friends, wait until after the end of the parade, and that means after the parade has completed the main lake circuit. We do this so everyone can enjoy the parade.”
