Participants needed for Fourth of July boat parade

The Fourth of July boat parade on Whitefish Lake is returning for the second year set to take place prior to the annual fireworks display off City Beach.

Boat owners are invited to participate in the parade which will occur at 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 4 and is being sponsored by Whitefish Marine. Entries will be judged with the “most patriotic” wining a $500 gift certificate to Whitefish Marine.

Boat owners are encouraged to decorate their vessels and passengers in All-American style and then cruise the lake’s eastern shoreline prior to the fireworks show.

“We want to help everyone get into the spirit,” said Garth Wells, with Whitefish Marine. “And we also want to get them out onto the water. Even if we only get a fraction of the hundreds of boats that’ll be on Whitefish Lake that evening, it’s gonna be one heck of a parade.”

Parade participants will gather in the cove off Whitefish Lake State Park beginning at 8:30 p.m. on the evening of July 4 to line-up, then begin the first of two loops along the eastern shoreline of Whitefish Lake passing by the Whitefish River outlet, City Beach, the Bay Point area, the Lodge at Whitefish Lake and Monk’s Bay before heading back to do it all again.

There’s no fee to participate. For more information or to register, call Cole at Whitefish Marine and Powersports at 862-8594 or email cole@whitefishmarine.com, or stop by the shop at 5960 U.S. Highway 93 South in Whitefish.