Live Like a Native – Annual boat parade lights up the lake

Lake Norman isLit!

Local Lighted Boat Parade Raises Money and Spirits

by Bek Mitchell-Kidd photography provided by Karen and Kevin Shea

Mooresville residents Karen and Kevin Shea started the Northern Lights of Lake Norman Lighted Boat Parade as a seasonal celebration for those sailing north of the Highway 150 bridge.

“We started this after wanting to participate in one of the parades in the south part of Lake Norman,” said Kevin.

Now in its fourth year, the parade had 30 boats participate last year, with the hope for more than 40 this year. In lieu of a registration fee, the Sheas instead request a donation be made directly to the event’s charities. There are different beneficiaries every year.

“One hundred percent of the donations go directly to the charity of the participant’s choice via custom donation links they can select when registering their boat for the parade,” says Karen. “We pick one local and one national charity each year. Last year we raised more than $3,500. This year our goal is $2,500 per charity,” she says.

This year’s charities are Hope of Mooresville, which provides temporary, safe shelter and support services to Mooresville’s homeless women and children; and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a nonprofit close to the Sheas’ hearts given that their daughter has served in the National Guard. The organization provides mortgage-free homes for first-responders, veterans and their families.

While there are no design rules, participants are encouraged to decorate their boats as merry and bright as can be. The Sheas, who sail their own boat in the parade, may be tough to outshine.

“Our boat is a 2007 Premier Skydeck double decker pontoon, with two generators powering approximately 10,000 lights and inflatables. It usually takes a couple of days and the help of neighbors to get the boat parade-ready,” Kevin says.

People can watch the boats launch from the docks at Apps & Taps and Toucan’s Lakefront Restaurant in Mooresville. The parade progresses past Mooresville’s Stumpy Creek Park at 160 Stumpy Creek Road.

“We love the response from the community and how the parade recognition has grown year after year,” says Kevin. “We would love to see this grow to more than 50 boats in 2023, and partner with the Iredell Parks and Recreation to create a community event for families to enjoy at Stumpy Creek Park,” he says.

The 4th Annual Northern Lights of Lake Norman Boat Parade will be held Saturday, Dec. 10, from 5 to 7 p.m. For more information or to register a boat, visit www.facebook.com/northernlightsoflakenorman.

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