Written by Ben Cox -A patriotic tradition returns to Lake Brownwood next week with the 3rd annual Wild Duck Marina Parade of Boats.
The parade will line up around 7 p.m. on Saturday the 7th “by the dam and then they’ll go between McCartney Island and the land by deepwater, then they’ll turn around and go down closer to McCartney Island and then closer to the houses by the private addition near Kirkland Docks and then end at the Marina” according to Wild Duck owner Angie Tyson.
Tyson says she has seen “A lot of very patriotic boats” in past parades, including the statue of Liberty and a boat “decorated like a tropical island with hula girls and everything.” Tyson says that while she loves the parade, “I never get to see the boats because I’m always in the parade!”
Those who wish to be part of the parade need to go by the marina to fill out a form and get a number for their boat. Boats may be safely decorated to celebrate the holiday. All rules and regulations for safe boating should be strictly adhered to, as the Lake Brownwood Lake Patrol will be on the water all weekend ensuring the safety of everyone on the water.
Thieves of Sunrise (left) and Tredwater (right) will play at Wild Duck on the 7th
The parade will be immediately followed by a live concert by two bands, Thieves of Sunrise and Treadwater. Thieves of Sunrise is from Dallas, and they play a mixture of southern rock and blues originals as well as cover songs while Treadwater is a classic rock and blues band out of Abilene. The cover that night will be $20 per person, and no outside alcoholic beverages will be allowed.
There will be a small fireworks show on the 4th of July, with Jim Bush playing live music afterwards. The concert that evening will be no cover, but the marina will be having a fund raiser for Freddy Moffatt, a Wild Duck employee who was involved in a bad head on collision while heading to begin treatment for recurring cancer. The %15 boat parade fee will also go towards Moffatt’s medical bills.
