Deborah Norville Will Be Winterfest's Grand Marshall

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – "Inside Edition" anchor Debbie Norville will preside over this year's Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade as the Grand Marshall.

The parade, which features dozens of boats decked out in ornaments, Christmas trees and thousands of lights, has become one of the traditional highlights of the season which bring cheer to the crowds of people who line the New River on the Intracoastal Waterway to watch it float by.

Norville will be presented to the public and travel on the Grand Marshal Showboat "Floridian Princess," according to the Sun-Sentinel.

The Winterfest celebrations kick off on Dec. 8 with a black tie ball and the events continue all throughout the week, leading up to the parade on December 15th.

The parade starts at 6:00 p.m. in Downtown Fort Lauderdale and will continue through 7th Avenue, Andrews Avenue, 3rd Avenue, Las Olas Boulevard, Sunrise Boulevard, Oakland Park Boulevard and Commercial Boulevard.

Norville, who has served as host of the syndicated celebrity news show for 17 years, made headlines in 2000, as well as won two national reporting awards, for her coverage from a North Carolina prison known as the "toughest jail in America" where she spent five days living behind bars as an inmate to give viewers a look at prison life.

The Sun-Sentinel contributed to this report.