Community & Clubs: How the Commodores float Christmas
In just 14 days, 1 million people will pack into boats, homes, restaurants, streets and beaches to be part of one of the nation’s largest Christmas events.
For five glorious nights, the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade and Ring of Lights will transform an already beautiful city into a dazzling canvas of lights reflecting the abounding joy of the holiday season.
Each night, thousands of parade participants, spectators in boats and officials in guide boats will jam all corners of the harbor from Baby Beach in Corona del Mar to the Arches turnabout. On many evenings, it will seem as if one could walk across the bay from lighted boat to lighted boat because of the size of this massive flotilla.
A spectacular backdrop to the parade is the Ring of Lights, the view after homeowners strap, wrap and build Christmas scenes on their bayfront homes. Ablaze with color, snowmen and Santas, the boats and homes are a sight unlike any other.
The Christmas Boat Parade and Ring of Lights warms the hearts of children and adults, and laughter and celebration set the tone for the evening. The event has been named the No. 2 Christmas event in the nation by Google Travel.
Who are the hardy souls behind the scenes who make this gargantuan happening a success each year? How does something as complex as a Rose Parade on water function so well?
That responsibility falls on the Commodores Club, a group of movers and shakers working silently and out of the limelight. An important part of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, the Commodores Club consists of 35 active members plus an equal number of senior members. They roll up their sleeves each January and work diligently until December. Monthly meetings and dedicated leadership create the parade and Ring of Lights every year.
The Commodores Club has been providing fun, entertainment and leadership to Newport Beach since 1960. It began as a meet-and-greet arm of the chamber to encourage membership, entertain new members and help promote the city. Remember, Newport Beach in the 1960s was quiet and sleepy with only about 25,000 year-round residents. The Commodores came up with ideas to promote the best aspects of the city to attract people to its harbor and help its business community.
Other events — including the Sandcastle Contest at Big Corona, Flight of the Snowbirds (oops! I mean Flight of the Lazers), scholarship and athletic awards recognizing Newport Beach’s young people, police and firefighters of the year and the welcome party for the new mayor and City Council — are part of the Commodores’ yearly responsibilities. But the Christmas Boat Parade and Ring of Lights is the granddaddy of them all.
This effort takes an unimaginable amount of hard work and thousands of hours of preparation and planning. Coordinating police and fire agencies, Coast Guard and Sheriffs Department is only the starting point. The Commodores Club, along with the staff of the chamber and a new partner, Newport Beach and Company, join to create a powerful team that handles all aspects of the event, from minutiae to major problems. The parade has gone on despite economic slow downs, high gasoline prices, tides, winds and bad weather.
Historically, members of the Commodores have been people of great importance to the growth and development of Newport Beach. Businessmen like Theodore Robins, John McNab, Tom Evans, Mike Stevens, Art Gronsky, Bill Ring and Robert Harris set the bar high for following generations of Commodores. Titans like Bob Robins, Bill Hamilton, Paul Salata, Seymour Beek, Bill Pierpoint, Ralph Rodheim, Norm Witt, Chris Wyncoop, Dick Dickson and Norm Loats carried on the traditions for many more years.
Fifty-five years after the club’s inception, today’s roster of members includes men and women who work tirelessly to better Newport Beach. The current Commodores membership ranges from CEOs and entrepreneurs to managers of our finest resort hotels, auto, real estate and financial sales people, CPAs, attorneys, council members past and present and police and fire chiefs.
As a group, the Commodores are not well known to the general public, but because of their clout and visibility within the community, they are definitely a force to be heard. Commodores work hard to better the city in all ways possible, and if you want something done, ask them, because they simply can’t say no!
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December fundraisers
The Fairmont Hotel in Newport Beach will host its Festival of Trees from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday. Bid on beautiful trees that are embellished in different themes. They are on display for the Gold and Silver Reception, organized for the benefit of South County Outreach and its programs to prevent hunger and homelessness.
For information, call Terry Moore of South County Outreach at (949) 380-8144 or go to https://www.sco-oc.org.
UC Irvine will host Run for a Claus at 8 a.m. Saturday. This inaugural event, with a 5K and kids 1-mile run/walk, is sponsored by the OC Marathon to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, Toys for Tots, the Salvation Army and the OC Marathon. For information, call (949) 222-3327 or go to https://www.runforaclaus.com.
Friends of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) will hold its holiday luncheon from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 10. CASA’S signature fundraising event will take place at the St. Regis Monarch Bay Resort. It includes a glamorous fashion show from MAXMARA, a delicious gourmet lunch and an incredible silent auction. For ticket information, go to https://www.casaholidayluncheon.com or call Christina Vasquez at (714) 619-5140.
The Rob Machado Foundation will host We Are Newport from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 17 to increase awareness of the dangers of plastics in our environment. The event is a fundraiser for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District to help educate local kids on how to use fewer plastic products and contribute to a healthier Earth.
Proceeds go toward providing water filling stations, reusable water bottles and recycling programs in the local schools. This will be an evening of music, food and drink along with a live auction and raffle at the offices of Arbor Real Estate, 425 W. 30th St., Newport Beach. For tickets and information, go to https://www.robmachadofoundation.org or call Arbor Real Estate at (949) 673-7600.
The Daily Pilot wants to hear about your club’s or organization’s events so we can inform our readers. Contact DIANE DARUTY at dianedaruty@sbcglobal.net or (949) 322-7949 or DUNCAN FORGEY at Forgey5000@yahoo.com or (949) 548-4800.