A local family has taken its deep-rooted love for Independence Day to new heights in the past few years.
Matt Massey and his wife, Lanier, have enjoyed hopping on their pontoon boat with friends and family to participate in the Lake Oconee boat parade for the past few years. They recently made it an official tradition.
“Honestly, for us as a family, it’s celebrating our wonderful country. It’s just about being patriotic,” Matt said. “We grew up on Lake Oconee, and when they first started the boat parade, we thought it would be a great time to get everybody together to celebrate the Fourth of July. It’s about being patriotic and loving our country.”
During each boat parade, participants decorate their vessels with American flags, red-white-and-blue bunting, and more. Some boats take a number from organizer and grand marshal Joe Williamson to be judged on how patriotic their vessel appears. Each year, the winner gets a prize from Crowe Marine.
Matt and Lanier love to go all out. They’ve brought home the most-decorated boat trophy for the past three years.
The Masseys are very creative. Last week, the family outdid themselves with their boat featuring a massive donut-shaped blow-up that read, “Since 1776 Independence Day.” They also had an inflatable Uncle Sam riding an airplane strapped on top of the boat, but that’s not the kicker.
Matt wore a Benjamin Franklin costume, while family friend Kristen McHugh wore a bald eagle outfit. The rest of the crew was dressed in red, white, and blue and cheered loudly during the parade.
Matt credited their success to his wife, who starts shopping for the following year’s decorations every July 5th.
“My wife has been the mastermind behind all the inflatables, decorations, and things like that,” Matt said. “She goes to the dollar store and starts collecting next year’s stuff every July 5th when everything is on sale.”
Lanier has already started planning what will go on the pontoon next year. She wouldn’t share any secrets, though.
“It’s always got to be bigger and better the next year. We’ve always got to step up our game,” she joked. “We’re expecting more competitors each year. I haven’t ordered much yet, but I already stocked up on some cowboy hats that light up. They were on sale the other day. Next year, we’ll try to have even more fun.”
The Masseys enjoy the Lake Oconee boat parade, where they spend time with family and friends and celebrate the nation’s birthday. They hope to make it a long-standing tradition and create memories every year.
Matt said they would never take an Independence Day off and always plan to go on vacation another week in July.
“We will always participate and never be out of town on the Fourth of July. We’ll be on Lake Oconee,” Matt said. “We will continue to participate, and [the boat parade] is something we look forward to all year long.”