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
