One of the two boats that participated in last Saturday's boat parade. The Christmas boat parade has been a tradition in Wrangell for many years, one that the chamber of commerce has recently been trying to revive
The Doc Davenport Christmas Boat Parade has been a Wrangell tradition since the 1970s, when it was started by Wayne "Doc" Davenport. Fishermen and boat owners of Wrangell, traditionally, deck out their vessels with lights and holiday decorations. As the sun goes down the boats parade across the shoreline, starting at city dock. The parade fell in
popularity in 2012 after Davenport's retirement, according to a 2017 article by Wrangell Sentinel. The chamber of commerce revived the tradition last year, however. Last year's parade brought together nine boats.
This year, however, there was rather low turnout. Only two boats sailed up to city dock to show off their decorations. The lack of participation did not mean that the boats failed to put on a good show, however. The small boat piloted up close to city dock to let people get a better look at the decorations, while the larger boat shot fireworks into the sky.
Back on shore, many Wrangell homes and businesses were in the spirit of the season. The chamber of commerce hosted a holiday decorating contest. Chamber representatives drove through town, taking pictures of homes and storefronts with Christmas decorations. They announced the winners on Facebook last Saturday evening. City hall, 56 Degrees North, and Pink & White Salmon took the top three places on the business side of the contest. For homes, the winners were the houses of Olinda and Gene White, Brenda and David Mork, and Aleisha Mollen.
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