Of the many parades that march through Chicago each year, only one floats on water-a parade of boats known as Venetian Night.
This year, the 35th Annual Venetian Night parade begins at 8:15 p.m. Saturday. The flotilla begins at Monroe Street and continues south to the Adler Planetarium (1200 S. Lake Shore Drive).
The boat parade will end with a bang. Fireworks, sponsored by Festa Italiana, will start at about 9:30 p.m.
Some 35 vessels will participate in this year`s ceremony. Many will attempt to salute Columbus, as a part of Festa Italiana`s quincentennial tribute to the Italian explorer.
Using materials found around the house or wood purchased at a lumber or hardware store to make the decorations, participants convert their boats into aptly named ”floats” that honor the annual parade theme as whimsically as any land-loving festivity. For instance, a trio of boats in the parade will be made up to replicate Columbus` sailing ships: the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. Boat owners can work for weeks designing their decorations. While boat owners gain no financial reward for their creative toil, there are 13 trophies at stake. A best overall winner is chosen by judges and so are 12 other winners in assorted categories.
”All the judges` decisions are based on creativity,” says John Cutler, longtime Venetian Night organizer and Chicago Yachting Association chairman.
”The idea itself and the effort involved count more than execution.”
The usually unassuming Rotary Club yachting fellowship`s entrant into this year`s parade will offer the theme of peace around the world. The Chicago Bulls` Luvabulls cheerleaders will even dance on deck, just as they do on court at the Chicago Stadium.
On a 38-foot sailboat, Joanne Moran will impersonate legendary fan dancer Sally Rand, and she will be accompanied by other exotic dancers. Moran is the Chicago Yacht Club`s resident thespian. Last year, she played a snake charmer and, the year before, she was Cleopatra at sea.
John Aylward`s 22-foot sailboat will use mosquito netting as sails to replicate the Nina. ”I happened to find a model of what the real Nina looked like,” Aylward says, ”and I figured, let`s go for it.”
Aylward and his crew will dress up as Columbus, Queen Isabella and general crew members with garb found at a costume shop.
Why go through all this bother? It`s not the trophies that motivate Aylward and his crew. ”We`re all single,” he says; ”who knows who we can meet.”
Members of the Near North Chapter of the Lyric Opera of Chicago will be on board a 65-foot motor yacht with its deck staged to look like the opening act of Othello, which takes place in Venice. Members will dress up in character and recorded music from the opera will play.
For a closer view of the classic opera, fan dancer or any of the floats on the lake, binoculars are a good idea. In addition to the boat parade, a Coast Guard helicopter will offer a rescue demonstration at 6:30 p.m., followed by a fleet of Chicago Park District sailboats.
Some of the Park District vessels will be operated by graduates of the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program, which teaches disabled people to sail. A special viewing area for the disabled is being set aside just north of the John G. Shedd Aquarium for viewing Venetian Night activities. Accessible parking is available at the old Monroe Street Garage, which you can enter on Monroe between Columbus and Lake Shore Drives. For further information on disabled accessibility, call 312-744-6673.
Although all underground parking facilities and the Soldier Field parking lot will be open, city officials expect those spaces to fill fast, particularly because Festa Italiana will be in progress nearby. Public transportation is advised. The CTA has prepared for the crowd by providing extra buses.
What: 35th Annual Venetian Night
Where: Along the lakefront from Monroe Street to the Adler Planetarium
When: Saturday, starting at 8:15 p.m. Fireworks at 9:30 p.m.
How much: Free
