- April 26, 2024
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"It's a different crowd over here," Buzzy Porter said as he looked out over the Tomoka River from the Palm Avenue boat launch in Tomoka Estates. Porter and his family have been decorating their boat for the annual Tomoka River Boat Parade since it began three years ago.
"It's great for the people who live on the river," he said. "If you go down the Tomoka River on your boat, everyone is out on their docks. If you go down the Halifax River, that's not the case. It's a whole different story."
This year, he and fellow realtor Bill Navarra worked as a team to create their own "house boat and sleigh," complete with presents and three reindeer — one of which was almost decapitated. The decorating took them five nights of four-hour shifts to complete.
"There's going to be 10 people with us on the boat," he said. "It's going to be a lot of fun."
And it was, according to event founder and organizer Paula Heiret. A total of 25 boats participated in the parade, which was the least amount they've had since they started. However, Heiret maintains that it was still the best parade thanks to the boats' incredible decorations.
"One of my favorites was this little pontoon boat that was pulling a blow-up Snoopy," she said.
Heriet, who also lives in Tomoka Estates, used to throw a neighborhood Christmas party, but then she decided to turn it into a boat parade. But she can't take all the credit.
"There is one person that has helped out tremendously for the last two years," she said, "and his name is Rick Schwarz. He helped arrange the Toys for Tots and the prizes. He does a great job."
A long-time resident of the area, Heriet said the feedback from the community has been incredible.
"We drove by and there were 20 people sitting on a dock waiting for the parade," she said. "We do it for this community."
