Parade of Sails

Decorate your sailboat or any boat and sail around Crystal Lake! Have a picnic near the shore or on the docks and wave to the people on the boats in the afternoon!

Traditional patriotic celebrations begin with the 4th of July street parade around the lake at 10:00 am. Decorate your sailboat and sail with us around the lake later in the afternoon. Stars and Stripes Forever! Enjoy a spectacular fireworks display over the lake at dusk.

Learn more about the fireworks in Crystal, Michigan by visiting the Crystal Area Chamber of Commerce web page about this wonderful event!

July 4, 2022 – The calendar for 2022 is posted now, such as it is. We hope to get more information about events after August 14, and improved graphics soon! In the meantime, below are some current photos, from TODAY!

The parade of sails started many years ago, it was first managed by the local Lion’s Club and included anyone on the lake who wanted to decorate their raft or boat in a patriotic way. People still do that, but there were more people doing that back in the day, and there were PRIZES too! The President of the Lion’s Club and the others on the Executive Committee would stand on the end of the dock at Crystal Sailing Club and admire all the boats in their glory. They would choose a few for various prizes. These days, we have fewer boats but lots of fun still.

One of the favorites from all time is the sail custom painted by CSC member Keith Hudson.
Here is Keith with Donna Mallonee, and Keith’s wife Jean Hudson, showing the sail as it looks when it is not sailing.