Boat Parade brings patriotism, creativity

The 2026 Lakefest Boat Parade took place in front of Clear Lake Park on our nation’s 250th birthday, this past July 4, 2026. The beach was full of cheering Fourth of July celebrants who came to watch the show and take a dip in the lake. Prizes were given in numerous categories:  Taking first in the “Creative” competition was “Wake and Bake.”  For “Crazy Party Barge,” it was “Color the Lake.”  In “Patriotic,” first place was “Land of the Free.” Taking second and third, respectively, were “Happy Birthday America” and “Red, White and Cousin Crew.” Winners were invited to collect their prizes at the Boathouse after the parade.

 

In spite of rain both before and after, the weather did allow the day to take place on schedule; the sun was out but occasionally disappeared behind a cloud or two. The parade route included two passes by the park, giving each spectator a chance in case they missed the first time around. Emcee for the day was Cory Harguth. There were three judges, the wife of the late Blair Nelson, Deanne. The President of the Waseca Lakes Association Trevor Kanewischer, and the organizer of the lake parade, Tom Glaser.

 

The judges and the emcee were gathered out on the Clear Lake Park Pier. Leading the parade was the Blair Nelson Paddle Boat, with a wide variety of entries following behind. These included “Red, White and Blue,” a speed boat with a bald eagle at the helm and mom at the wheel. “Color the Lake” was a pontoon decorated to look like a Crayola box full of crayons, with plenty of assorted color children. “Harty’s Party” was an America themed pontoon with Toby Keith playing while pretty women danced. “Land of the Free” featured George Washington, Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam.

 

Mixed in with the decorated units was an undecorated and unregistered boat occupied by a family. As they putt-putted through, they called out, “We’re not in the parade, but snuck through anyway.” Harguth congratulated his ingenuity.

 

“Wake and Bake” brought an entire family dressed up as donuts, with a white board listing each family member as a pastry, and their prices. “Ship Show” had the tallest display for the American flag. “Happy Birthday America” had patriotism in a box, wrapped up like gifts. Discover Waseca Tourism brought Waseca city council member Stacy Schroeder as Lady Liberty, accompanied by Discover Waseca president Mikhail Rostislavovich.

 

Glaser, parade organizer said, “I was surprised there weren’t more patriotic entries, with the holiday and all. Overall, the whole group raised the bar this year, I was really impressed. A lot of work was done to those floats, you can tell.” He also spoke of how he himself was in the Patriotic category four years ago, “And I was the only boat out there” and how much the parade has grown. He mentioned planning for next year may include some changes to the award structure, including giving out some “honorable mention” titles.