Date: Usually around July 4th, 2025
Time: Usually 3:00pm, Judging starts at 2:45pm, late arrivals may not be judged.
Location: Usually 3-Mile Point, Otsego Lake.
Notes: Plan to float your boat – weather permitting – in the
Otsego Lake Association’s Annual “We Love Our Lake” Decorated Boat Parade .
The parade will form off
Three Mile Point, then proceed slowly along the westerly side of the lake, and end at Lakefront Park in Cooperstown. The lead boat, the SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station barge, will be marked with OLA banners and decorated. There will be judging of the boats and awarding of 1st place, 2nd place, and 3rd place awards plus bags of candy will be given out to all boaters. Boaters are requested to assemble no later than 2:45 PM so the judges can record the name of the boat owner, note the decoration or theme, and photograph the boat.
All boats, large and small, are welcome – including antique or classic, human powered, wind powered, electric powered, jet powered, outboard powered, inboard/outboard powered and, of course, “flying boats” like the one we had in 2023. We encourage you to decorate your boat using the theme “Let’s Celebrate Scottie Baker” but you may decorate your boat anyway you wish. It can be unusually decorated, humorously decorated, patriotic theme decorated, joyful/party theme decorated, sports theme decorated, military theme decorated, etc. If you prefer, you do not even need to decorate your boat - just join in the parade and view the other boats. You can even join the parade at anytime or anywhere along the route, especially for non-motorized boaters who might not want to travel the full route. If you are unable to float your boat, you can watch from shore at various points along the parade route including Three Mile Point, Brookwood Point, Fenimore Art Museum, Country Club (for members only), Otesaga Hotel, and Lakefront Park.
There are no fees, registration forms, rules, or regulations except travel slowly, stay in line, and be courteous to other boaters. In 2023, we had one of our largest boat parades as between 35 and 45 boats participated in the parade plus many more just observing. The
parade is meant to be a fun-filled, family event for all boaters to celebrate our love for Otsego Lake. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Wayne Bunn, Boat Parade Chairman, at
bunnwayne@gmail.com or (518) 542-6630. You can also view photographs of past years’ boat parades at
Annual Boat Parade Pictures. We look forward to seeing you in 2025.
Please stay around for a few minutes at the end of the parade while the judges announce and give out the prizes. All boats, large and small, are welcome - including antique or classic, human powered, wind powered, electric powered, jet powered, outboard powered, inboard/outboard powered and, of course, flying boats. It can be unusually decorated, humorously decorated, patriotic theme decorated, joyful/party theme decorated, sports theme decorated, military theme decorated, etc. If you prefer, you do not even need to decorate your boat - just join in the parade and view the other boats up close. You can even join the parade at any time or anywhere along the route, especially for non-motorized boaters who might not want to travel the full route. If you are unable to enter your boat in the parade, you can watch from shore at various points along the parade route including Three Mile Point, Brookwood Point, the Country Club (members only), the Otesaga Hotel, and Lakefront Park. There are no fees, registration forms, rules, or regulations except travel slowly, stay in line, and be courteous to other boaters. In the past, we have had over 50 boats participate in the parade. The parade is meant to be a fun-filled, family event for all boaters to celebrate our love for Otsego Lake.
Photo credit: Michael Santulli.
