Community Corner
Photos: 60th Annual Nautical Parade Sails Down Soquel Creek
They're back! The 60th annual Nautical Parade gently rolled down Soquel Creek on Sunday afternoon and this year's winner came in with a steaming attitude.
The fun continued in the Capitola Village on Sunday when hundreds of people showed up to the 60th annual Nautical Parade and to watch eight beautifully decorated Begonia covered floats gently sail down Soquel Creek and into the lagoon under the Stockton Avenue bridge.
This year first place went to Casa Finkle in their “1952 Capitola Water Follies” float. The winners glided in with a giant steamboat and dazzled the crowd with replicated smokestacks and paddlewheels along with the 9,712 begonias it took to blanket the art piece.
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In second place was Friends of the Windmill House with their “1959 Pink Cadillac” float and in third was Gayle’s Bakery & Rosticceria floating along in their “1986 Mad Hatter's Tea Party” mini vessel.
However, all the other groups weren’t left in the dust and their floats won a special prize as well.
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Begonias on the Bay (BOB) won the Mayor’s Choice award in the “1991's Flight's of Fancy” float and the Riverview Rascals took home the Most Clever Under the Bridge Display award with their “2009's Capitola Takes Flight: Hot Air Balloon” piece.
Other awards handed out were Best Historical for St. John's Episcopal ”Noah’s Ark”, Capitola Spirit for Night Train’s ”2010’s Beach Party”, and Best First Time Float GMO Free Santa Cruz’s ”1978's Days Gone By Traditional Farming: The Way it Was.”
Without a doubt, this is the Begonia Festival’s most decorative event and anyone that’s ever heard about the Nautical Parade knows what’s in store every year. The party continues on Monday with a Fishing Derby from 6 a.m. to Noon and the Rowboat Races beginning at 1 p.m.
