Independence Day Lewes Boat Parade seeks entries

The Independence Day Lewes Boat Parade lineup will start at 1 p.m., Tuesday, July 4. Decorated boats will wind their way down the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal from the Roosevelt Inlet to Fisherman's Wharf. Registration is open now for this rain-or-shine event. 

Parade entrants will leave at 1:30 p.m. from Roosevelt Inlet across from the Coast Guard Station, and at approximately 2 p.m., they will pass in front of the judges' reviewing stand at Fisherman's Wharf. Boats turn before reaching the Savannah Road drawbridge.

Lewes Mayor Andrew Williams will announce the parade via a public address system in the area of Fisherman's Wharf and the City Dock. Judges are Lewes City Council members and Chuck Ward from the Lewes-Rehoboth Beach Rotary Club.

This is the 19th year that the Overfalls Foundation has co-hosted the Independence Day Boat Parade and the fifth year of its collaboration with the Lewes-Rehoboth Beach Rotary Club. The Freedom Boat Club sponsors the parade.

All preregistered boat entrants will be eligible for prizes that include a grand-prize trophy. First-, second- and third-place trophies will also be awarded. Boats will be judged on the best use of patriotic decorations.

At the parade’s conclusion, all boat entrants are invited to attend the awards ceremony at 3:30 p.m. on the deck of the Lightship Overfalls.

To be eligible for a prize, vessels must be registered no later than 3 p.m., Monday, July 3.

Registration forms are available at the Lewes Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center in the Fisher-Martin House in Zwaanendael Park and the Lewes Harbour Marina Bait and Tackle at the end of Anglers Road.

For more information, call the Lewes Chamber of Commerce at 302-645-8073.

Late, unregistered entries are invited to join the parade by arriving at Roosevelt Inlet at 1:30 p.m. There is no charge to participate as a boat parade entrant or a spectator. Good viewing spots line the canal on both sides.

For more information, go to ci.lewes.de.us.