'Let's go Brandon' boat wins Virginia parade contest, then stripped of award

YORKTOWN, Va. – A boat that was awarded first place in the annual Yorktown Lighted Boat Parade has now been disqualified after many expressed concerns over its messaging.

The parade took place on the York River downtown on Saturday, December 4, 2021.

The boat reportedly had a lighted sign stating, “FJB”– a phrase that stands for “F – Joe Biden” and “Let’s Go Brandon,” which references those who do not support the President.

Over the weekend, Dr. Walt Akers, a member of the Board of Directors for The Yorktown Foundation, issued a statement apologizing.

The statement reads:

“The Yorktown Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation whose mission is to promote community activities in and around Yorktown, Virginia. To achieve that mission, we serve as an administrative umbrella organization for smaller groups and committees that focus on specific events. These include the annual Virginia Symphony performance in Yorktown, the Celebrate Yorktown Committee, the Tall Ships Committee, Art on the Riverwalk, the Yorktown Lighted Boat Parade and many other small projects.

"As a 501(c)(3) organization, the Yorktown Foundation and its sub-ordinate groups are apolitical.

"On December 4th, 2021, several members of the Foundation’s Board of Directors were made aware that a boat with an overt political message had participated in the Yorktown Lighted Boat Parade, and that the judges had awarded it first place. In discussions with the event organizers, they explained that they were equally perplexed that the boat had won and they took immediate corrective actions.

"The event organizers immediately notified the judges that the boat would be disqualified because its political statements were at odds with the mission of the Foundation, and the second-place boat would be advanced to the winning position. Further, the event organizers agreed to take steps in the coming year to review all entries in advance and ensure that they do not detract from the community spirit that this event is designed to foster.

"The members of the Yorktown Foundation wish to reiterate that our mission continues to be to unify our community through events and activities that showcase everything that is wonderful about Yorktown, York County and our citizens. While we recognize that political divisiveness is a factor in our daily discourse, we DO NOT want it to negatively impact anyone’s enjoyment of our community events.

"We regret that this incident occurred, and we will work to avoid such events in the future.”...(Read more)

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