Some might say it doesn’t bring the fun or brilliance the Griswold family did when National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation film was released in 1989.
A vast many more locals would strongly disagree.
Just ask the hundreds – maybe thousands – of spectators and participants in this year’s Virginia Beach Rescue Squad Foundation Christmas Boat Parade that will pass through the northern-most portions of Lynnhaven Inlet.
Folks will watch from their own boats, along the shore and from backyards – some even at a VIP party – as vessels adorned with lights, more lights and enough more to lend the shelves of local department stores barren as they putter along Long Bay Creek on the evening of Dec. 6.
Since that weekend is barreling our way, it might be a good time to start wedging the event into what typically is a chaotic holiday season calendar.
The parade since its start in 2019 and restart in 2022 has helped raise money for the city’s “very-expensive-to-run” rescue network.
And it has become a hugely popular event in the boating community’s list of “must-dos.”
Vessels of all sizes see their owners show off the long hours some spend decorating them in preparation. Many show up from elsewhere in the the lower Chesapeake Bay.
So don’t hesitate, because there are only a few choice places to enjoy the show.
“It’s all about supporting the rescue system,” said Catie Jefferson, of the Foundation. “
The parade quickly has become a Holiday mainstay and an important part of fund raising for the rescue foundation’s efforts.
The Virginia Beach Rescue Squad gets approximately 46,000 calls a year and enjoys a 97 percent customer satisfaction rating, according to the website. There are 10 volunteer rescue squads throughout the city that bring to the community 37 ambulances, three trucks, six boats, 50 career paramedics and supervisors, and more than 900 volunteers.
The entire system operates, thanks, in part, to more than $2.1 million raised through private contributions.
Yes, we are a sponsor.
The department’s annual budget is somewhere around $22 million, according to the foundation’s site.
Boat entry is $100 and there are VIP tickets available for a viewing party at Chick’s Oyster Bar from 5 to 8 p.m.
Awards are given each year for: most humorous, best beach theme, most holiday cheer, best of out box, and best of show.
Now if you happen to have something else on the schedule that evening, another offering is available the following weekend – one that was founded by Ben and Lauren Rollman-Shepherd at the start of the battle with Covid.
“We started it to give people something to do and get out,” said Ben, a charter captain and lawn care business owner. “Ours isn’t a fundraiser.
“It’s all about having some fun.”
Registration is free.
The Shepherd event – to be held the evening of Dec. 13 – will be staged out of Long Bay Point Bait and Tackle after a start at Carter’s Point on the northernmost edge of Broad Bay.
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