57 °F Ocean City, US
November 4, 2024

Night in Venice

Decorated homes, big boat parade huge draw for resort

OCEAN CITY – Newly retired Villanova University basketball coach Jay Wright was a hit Saturday night as the grand marshal of the Night in Venice boat parade that wound its way along the back bay and through the lagoons of Ocean City.

Wright and his wife Patty were on a lead boat. The coach was celebrated by the spectators who packed almost every foot of the bayside waterfront and partied at decorated homes, some of them dedicated to the coach and Villanova basketball.

It was a hot but breezy night as the decorated boats wound their way past the beaches just south of the Ocean City-Longport Bridge and then through the lagoons all the way to Tennessee Avenue. The evening culminated in fireworks over the bay, but the parties at the houses along the bay and lagoons continued well into the night.

The boats were decorated in a wide variety of themes. One of the winners, in the 25-foot-and-over comic class, featured a couple dressed as Fred and Wilma Flintstone in their car perched on the bow of the Whiteside boat. Playing with the brutally high gas prices, the title of the winner was “World’s Most Fuel Efficient Cars.” (For those too young to remember “The Flintstones” cartoon, it was about a “Stone Age” family whose vehicle was foot-powered. And they had a dinosaur for a pet … not exactly mirroring the archaeological record.)

Some boats bore more tributes to Wright, Elvis, rock and roll and the Angry Birds, others featured singing and dancing, promoting the Eagles and a tribute to Ukraine. There was even a replica full-size truck plowing through the water, looking ready to tow a trailer through the bay.

The numerous decorated homes included no less than two full-size castles – Wonderland By Knight by the Dorney/Hicke entrants and another a tribute to former Mayor Henry “Bud” Knight. Winners included the Night In Venice Mummering Dead, This Ain’t My First Rodeo, Mummers in Venice, Broad Street on the Bay and Top Gun. (A full list of winners of the boats and homes categories follows.)

Many of the partiers were dressed up to go with the theme of the houses, but there were others who just dressed up for the fun of it. Women were wearing American flag costumes, there was the killer from “Silence of the Lambs,” a few butterflies, aliens and cowboys clad for the rodeo and Boot Scootin’ Boogie entrants.

Night In Venice is one of the busiest nights all summer in Ocean City with thousands of people making sure they are in the resort for the boat parade and parties. Traffic in and out of the city and then along Bay Avenue after the parade was heavy. 

The fun kept untold numbers of families watching the action from their homes, the docks, bulkheads at street ends and even in their boats anchored out on the bay and even more in their slips by their homes. To keep cool on the hot July night, youngsters watching with their families spent most of their time in or near the water.

AWARDS

BOAT RESULTS

Boat Number, Name of the Boat, Family’s Name and Theme

Best in show 25’ and over: 258, Lusea Rose, Badagliacco, Elvis in Venice

Best in show 24’ and under: No. 265, Heading West, Gillespie, Hungry Dogs Gotta Eat

Best Lead Boat: No. 202, On A Roll, Eni, Jay & Patty Wright

Best Commercial: No. 215, Beachy Tiki, OCNJ Watersports, Tiki Party

Best Non-profit: No. 217, Reel Fun, Reel Fun Fishing, OCTC

Best Decorated 25’ and over

1st Place: No. 268, Rafetto, Standing Up For Ukraine

2nd Place: No. 298, Shanti, Toner, A Roaring 20’s New Years Eve

3rd Place: No. 294, Shore Bet, Mancill, Pirates of the Caribbean

Best Decorated 24’ and under

1st Place: No. 256, That’s What Sea Said, Young, A Tribute to Coach Jay Wright

2nd Place: No. 309, Water Wheels, Wheeler, Fly Eagles Fly

3rd Place: No. 273, The Crazy Q2, Quigley, Mummers

Comic 25’ and over

1st Place: No. 251, Whiteside, World’s Most Fuel Efficient Cars

Comic 24’ and under

1st Place: No. 237, At Last, Marshall, Angry Birds

2nd Place: No. 249, Lady Grady, Foge, Thanksgiving Turkey

Musical 25’ and over

1st Place: No. 231, Barracuda, Del Monte, Duffy String Band

2nd Place: No. 209, Wrecking Crew Fishing, Duffy String Band

3rd Place: No. 200, Only Fins, LaBove, Uptown String Band

Musical 24’ and under

1st Place: No. 250, Foxy Lady, McManus, Patriotic

2nd Place: No. 225, Little Whaler, Bergen, The Summer Mummers

3rd Place: No. 206, Jersey Boy Charters, Avena, South Philly String Band

Original 25’ and over

1st Place: No. 307, Eliza-Gail, Higgins, Chips Ahoy

2nd Place: No. 214, Mamma Mia, Angstadt, Top Gun Movie

3rd Place: No. 293, Marabella, Marques, Disco Nights

Original 24’ and under

1st Place: No. 299, Scott Built, MacMillian, Truck on Water Supply Boat

2nd Place: No. 292, The Everglades, Rizxo, PACman in Venice

3rd Place: No. 312, Brown Eyed Girls, Terry, Livin’ On A Prayer

HOUSE RESULTS

No. , Last Name, Theme

Zone 1:

1st Place: No. 65, Hornyak, Boot Scootin’ Boogie

2nd Place: No. 82, Desrosiers, Irish Mummer Summer

3rd Place: No. 78, Delibertis, Depp’s Mad Hatter

Zone 2:

1st Place: No. 132, Gabriel, This Ain’t My First Rodeo

2nd Place: No. 120, Eni, Coach Wright Struttin’ Through The Bay

3rd Place: No. 81, Haydinger, Dancing in The Street!

Zone 3:

1st Place: No. 143, Tamburri/Wolfe, Mummers in Venice

2nd Place: No. 157, Colsher, Mama Mia

3rd Place: No. 109, Kelly, Kelly’s Summer Mummers

Zone 4:

1st Place: No. 28, Hernandez, Pleasure Struttin’

2nd Place: No. 42, Bellwoar, Par-Tee on the Bay Fore Night In Venice

3rd Place:  No. 52, Thornton, Mummers & Nova

Zone 5:

1st Place: No. 99, Thornton, Broad Street on The Bay!

2nd Place: No. 88, Weber, Ballin’ in Ocean City

3rd Place: No. 159, Forte, Summer Mummers-City Hall to OC

Zone 6:

1st Place: No. 39, Chiumento, NIV of the Mummering Dead

2nd Place: No. 131, Myers, Flying High in Ocean City

3rd Place: No. 117, Gifford, West Chester University

Zone 7:

1st Place: No. 69, Miller, Top Gun

2nd Place: No. 64, Juliana, Struttin’ Into “30”

3rd Place: No. 156, Scanlons/Brandenberges, Jay Wrights Retirement

Zone 8:

1st Place: No. 118, Dorney/Hicke, Wonderland By Knight

2nd Place: No. 151, Kolea, Aloha Jay Wright

3rd Place: No. 84, Michaelis, Ukranian Mummers on The Bay

Zone 9:

1st Place: No. 92, Maxwell, OC is out of this World

2nd Place: No. 91, Hoffman, OC Hits it out of the Park!

3rd Place: No. 71, LaValla, Flags on the Venetian Bayou

Zone 10:

1st Place: No. 131, Vaules, Kelce is Out Favorite Mummer

2nd Place: No. 32, Church, Struttin’ On The Bay

3rd Place: No. 13, Gregory, Mardi Gras!

Zone 11:

1st Place: No. 20, Huber, St. Patty’s In July

2nd Place: No. 101, Ruh, Pirates of Sunny Harbor!

3rd Place: No. 31, O’Flynn, Pirates Parading The Mummers

Zone 12:

1st Place: No. 72, Seeburger, Life in OC is Flamazing

2nd Place: No. 154, Votta, Dino Dock

3rd Place: No. 19, Cassidy, Mummer Summer

 Zone 13:

1st Place: No. 80, VanStone, Celebrating Philly

2nd Place: No. 60, Rafetto, Great Gatsby

3rd Place: No. 140, Barnett, Oktoberfest on Bay

Zone 14 (Best Condo/Commercial):

1st Place: No. 79, Harbor House, Peace, Love and Harbor Happiness!

2nd Place: No. 77, Bay Club Condos, Mardi Gras at the Bay(ou) Club

3rd Place: No. 17, Marina Mews, Struttin’ With Marina Mews

By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff

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