VILLA PARK

The Inland Lighted Yacht Parade would seem to be a winner. Final numbers show that Sunday’s event, which rivaled traditional holiday boat parades held in Orange County’s seaside cities, attracted 50 entries, and thousands of people attended a holiday celebration following the parade.

This landlocked city first put on the festive event in the early 1980s. Councilman Rich Freschi decided to revive it as a way to bring the small community together and spark the holiday spirit. Freschi and a citizens committee worked in recent weeks to organize the event.