GILL — While a white Christmas might not be possible in July, the Franklin County Boat Club refused to let it be gray — even when threatened by storm clouds.

The setting sun shone through just in time for the club’s annual Christmas in July celebration on Saturday. The holiday-themed lighted boat parade, which was relocated from near Unity Park to Barton Cove due to uncertain river conditions, dazzled onlookers at the park in Turners Falls and across the river in Gill beginning at around dusk. The parade was then followed by a fireworks show with a grand finale fit for the tradition’s 20th anniversary.

“If there’s one thing the boat club knows how to do, it’s have fun,” said Sharon Constantine, the event’s organizer.

Following a downpour of rain, Constantine and her husband, Allen Constantine, led five other decorated boats into the cove at around 8:30 p.m.

“The color of the river right now is chocolate milk, so they’re trying to find a safe route,” Sharon Constantine said prior to launch. “It’s corny, but when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

In addition to losing Santa Claus due to his suit being soaking wet, boaters had to travel an “abbreviated” circular route around the cove, cautious as to avoid debris strewn about by the preceding weather. Fortunately, the river was flowing at a manageable 21,000 cubic feet per second, according to the Constantines. The fleet, featuring boats with presentations ranging from Christmas-themed displays to elaborate likenesses of a car and a dragon, paraded for about half an hour.

The fireworks display began at around 9:15 p.m. and lasted roughly 15 minutes. Allen Constantine remarked that this year’s finale was particularly grand in celebration of both the 20th annual Christmas in July and the lasting legacy of its founder, Chuck Reum, who died unexpectedly in 2018. Reum was also commemorated with the event’s first-place trophy, which was named after him and awarded to the boater whose display impressed judges most.

Taking home first place this year was Dennis Millett, who beat out Dottie May Abbey (third place) and his brother, Albert Millett (second place), for the top spot. Dennis, who also won last year’s competition with a train-themed boat, wowed the judges and crowd this year with his dragon construct, complete with outstretched wings and a blowtorch to produce fire breath.

“It took a lot to actually figure it out,” he said of the construction process, which involved making a frame out of PVC piping. “My brother actually did a lot of the work on it … and then I just let it flow.”

Millett, who has decorated his boat for the parade three years in a row, made it clear that the effort is worth it.

“I love it,” he said of Christmas in July. “I think this is an absolute blast. It’s good for not just the club … but it benefits Turners, Gill, the fireworks show. They get to enjoy all of it.”

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.

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