Hundreds turn out for annual holiday boat parade

By Kyle B. Hansen

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

Although Santa Claus was popular, as always, it was the Elvis and a showgirl wrapped in lights that got the loudest cheers Saturday at The Lakes Festival of Lights.

The Viva Vegas-themed boat was one of many decorated for a parade on Lake Sahara just after sunset.

Hundreds of people showed up for the 10th annual festival.

“She’s excited. She wants to see Santa,” Josephine Reyes said of her 2-year-old daughter, Maya, just before the parade began.

Santa arrived as expected, magically appearing on more than one boat in the same parade.

“We wanted to take the kids and see some lights and all that stuff,” said Cindy Deranleau, who stood on the shore of the lake with her 2-year-old son, Jordan.

In addition to the boat parade, the free festival included other entertainment, a car show and craft and food vendors.

“We liked the crafts, too,” Deranleau said. “They have some good stuff. A lot of the other ones I’ve been to are lame.”

The festival is put on by residents of The Lakes, a community of homes that surrounds the man-made Lake Sahara, near Sahara Avenue and Durango Drive in the western valley.

The only complaint most attendees had was the lack of available shoreline to watch the boats.

“I wish we would have gotten here earlier,” said Angela Manzanares, who attended with her husband, Tony, their 4-year-old son, Jackson, and 1-year-old daughter, Zoe.

The large section of bleachers brought in for the parade was full nearly an hour before the event started.

But the children were still able to get a glimpse of the boats and the lights, Manzanares said.

“He’s very excited about the Christmas lights,” she said of her son. “They were pretty much in awe, just staring at the lights.”