Historic Codorus Creek Boat Parade : August 23, 2008

The Codorus Creek Improvement Partnership adds a new facet to YorkFest, with their revival of the Codorus Creek Boat Parade. This 90-year-old tradition down the Codorus features decorated, non-motorized boats or homemade floats that are designed to represent your community group, business, campaign, or you can just have a boat for fun. Over the last few years we have averaged about 15 boats in the parade. CCIP hopes that the parade will encourage boaters to use the creek for recreational purposes on a regular basis.

A century ago, the Codorus was alive with boaters and in the summer months they had a festive boat parade. Here is a description from Raymond J. Sechrist's boyhood memories as recorded in his book Skinny Dipping in The Codorus (thanks for permission to the York Heritage Trust):

"In summer months, they would have boat parades. They'd start where Penn Street crosses the creek. They'd decorate these boats, mostly canoes, with pennants and roman candles and jack-o-lanterns and the girls, one at each end, would have parasols. They'd paddle down the creek from the Boat Club, which was part of the old York Athletic Club grounds at Richland Avenue. At King's Dam, they had to get out and lift the canoe around the dam to get to the lower water so they could come down through town. When they got down to George Street and Laucks Dam, they'd turn around and come back up. There would be prizes for the best decorated boat, you know.  When they'd come down the creek, the bridges would be lined with people."

This year, on Saturday, August 23rd at 2 PM we will be reviving this tradition. We will follow our ancestors' route from what is now Bantz Park to the dam below Philadelphia Street. Decorated boats will be awarded prizes for the most creative, most historic, and CCIP favorite.

There is NO FEE. You can join in the parade by meeting before 1 p.m. at Bantz Park, at the south end of Belvidere Avenue. We will put in there, and you can either paddle back up, or remove your boat near the Philadelphia Street Bridge.

If you have any questions, would like to register, or would like to be a prize sponsor, call the Codorus Creek Improvement Partnership at 717.718.5431 or e-mail info@codoruscreek.com.