Since 1990, the Seafair Torchlight Parade has named a Grand Marshal. In 1997 it was Bill Nye (b. 1955), who was several seasons into his groundbreaking “Bill Nye the Science Guy” TV show which was filmed and produced in Seattle. Nye made this wood hydroplane to drag behind the car in the Torchlight Parade. This was a nod to the fact that he did the same as a kid, just with a bicycle instead of a car. Nye grew up in Washington D.C. where, like Seattle, hydroplane racing was a popular sport. In the 1950s and 60s, children in Seattle who were hydroplane fans also made models to pull behind their bikes. The metal spikes underneath the model made it spark as it was dragged.