This was the inaugural Fourth of July Boat Parade. The Hernando Beach Heroes Parade started at noon and had fourteen boats honoring Independence Day and Veterans. In addition to the boat parade there was a dinner and silent auction to raise money for the Florida Veterans Foundation. Before the parade, one veteran was honored with a quilt of valor made with love by Hernando Beach Yacht Club chaplain Stella DeJesus Kelly. A Quilt of Valor is a handmade quilt that is given to a service member or veteran who has been touched by war. “At Christmas time we host Christmas parades on behalf of Toys for Tots, which are successful,” said Commodore Ralph Kennedy of the Hernando Beach Yacht Club. “For a Fourth of July boat parade, what better way to celebrate than to benefit a charity that benefits those who fight for our freedoms.”
http://hernandobeachboatparade.com/