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he 32nd Annual Croakerfest Parade may be remembered for several things. The heat. A giant pizza. A rickshaw. More of the heat. And a four-year old boy who walked the parade route, barefoot, with a fishing pole over his small shoulder in a tribute to the late Andy Griffith.

Oliver Haluska, in the role of Opie Taylor from the Andy Griffith Show, walked the entire parade route toward an ever-moving Fishing Hole. The float carried his sister, brother, parents and grandparents and won the grand prize in Saturday’s parade.

Griffith, who brought Mayberry and small town North Carolina to TV, passed away just a few days before Oriental’s own big small-town event, the 2012 Croakerfest. Oriental residents Ed and Deborah Bryant — along with their daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren from Tennessee — put together a float to honor the Andy Griffith Show and its whistled theme song, The Fishin’ Hole.

It was the youngest grandson, Oliver Haluska, who played the role of Opie walking to the fishing hole. The Bryant and Haluska families’ efforts won them the parade’s grand prize.

Oliver Haluska of Tennessee, who with his sister and brother was part of a float paying tribute to the late Andy Griffith who died a few days before the Croakerest. Oliver walked the route, fishing pole in hand a la Opie Taylor in the Andy Griffith show..

There were other touches in the parade that accentuated the Mayberry in Oriental.

Tim Rodgers pulls the rickshaw he built for his wife Janet Alexander. Their son, Spencer enjoys the ride down Broad Street. The sign on the rickshaw is a reference to the parade theme, “Where’s Croaker?”

Meteorologist Skip Waters of Channel 12 did encounter a number of comments from spectators about the almost unbearably hot weather, which he could do nothing about. He did note, however, that he could crank the AC in the TV station’s truck, and he did.

“ … like a big pizza pie. That’s amore.” The Little Italy Pizzeria float with biggest pizza in the parade, if not in Pamlico County. Visible in upper right, pizza dough which was being tossed along the route. As for the parade theme, “Where’s Croaker?” the Pamlico Sound fish may have been disguised as an anchovy in this float..

The winners of Oriental’s 2012 Croakerfest Parade, as posted outside the Croaker booth at South and Freemason.

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Carolyn Denton and her daughter Leslie of Denton Pharmacy before the start of the parade.

What’s a Croakerfest Parade without the caravan of Croaker Queen and Miss Minnow contestants, and the candy picker-uppers along the route? This was the scene near Village Food Emporium.

On one truck, support staff for a Croaker Queen contestant.

A wave from one Miss Minnow contestant’s float, if not from the contestant herself.

One of the many Croaker hats that were made and sold by the Ladies of the Neuse. This one came with the optional dreadlocks.

The team from First Citizen’s Bank in their bikini t-shirts….

Millie Lero, one of the First Citizens Bank employees sporting the bikini T-shirt.

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Fish Tales and mermaids from the Pamlico Library.

Part of the Croaker Band, a subset of the Pamlico Community Band.

The Shriners this year sent a few teams, among them the Cooligans.

A bubbly Shriner Gator.

And there were tractors, a whole convoy of them.

Cal Bridgers and passenger show off the synchronized candy toss on Broad Street.

An elevated view of the parade from the Town Dock. Helen Sturdgess on board the sialboat Alexina of Shoreham, watched the parade from a bosun’s chair.

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Croaker may have traveled back in time to 1930, the year of this Model T pickup driven by Levi Reiswig. It was one of the Oriental History Museum’s entries in the parade.

Also representing the Oriental History Museum, Fay Bond wearing the dress her mother Irma Midyette wore in parades… and driving the golf cart her late husband John rode on the parade route.

Lou Ostendorf, president of the Friends of Oriental History and the museum, hitched a ride on the back of the Model T pickup. He usually walks the parade route but in Saturday’s temps was glad for the (vintage) ride.

Another red pickup.. later model. The Pamlico News addressed the Parade’s questioning theme: “Where’s Croaker?”.

Ben Casey of Pamlico Community College.

Michelle Noeverre of Pamlico Community College holds a sign by which the college was answering the question that was the parade’s theme: Where’s Croaker?.

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Eric Kindle, a paramedic with Pamlico Rescue and volunteer with the Southeastern Pamlico Volunteer Fire Department.

A giant US flag made of painted plastic jugs.

Oriental Free Will Baptist Church.

The local food bank, Pamlico County Fishes and Loaves Outreach – PCFLO.

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Terry Halpren and her 1966 Jaguar. A customer of the Oriental Farmers’ Market, she volunteered to drive the Farmers’ Market float (while the vendors were holding the market on Hodges Street).

Janet Alexander with the sign she made — of repurposed fabric — for the Oriental Farmers’ Market entry in the parade.

A dragon makes an appearance — and a very functional one given the temps — as Wendy Osserman flashes a fan from the Oriental Farmers’ Market float.

On board the Reelsboro Volunteer Fire Department truck.

The Darling family, as the Darling Dragons.

Among the youngest entrants in the parade, riding mini-kayaks and representing the Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation.

At the other end of the vehicular spectrum, a stretch limo passes in front of The Bean.

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The Democratic Women’s float, blowing bubbles along the parade route.

The Pamlico Democratic Party meanwhile, used a tractor to pull its trailer of signs and candidates.

The Republican Party’s float in the Croakerfest parade.

Norman Sanderson, GOP candidate for State Senate.

The Croaker Band. In white shirt is French Horn player Chris Mele, whose shirt also notes that she’s running for (re-election as) Commissioner.

Roger Bullis, the Democratic candidate for the Oriental-area seat on the County Commission.

County commissioner Kenny Heath who is seeking re-election this fall.

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Dave and Eloise Brown in the Florence-Whortonsville Volunteer Fire Department’s Foam truck.

A presence in many a Croakerfest parade, the Thelma and Louise entry, about to toss candy over the hood of the vehicle.

A case where the cat is bigger than the dog. Two canines don lion manes while accompanying the Wrightsville Beach Lions Club mascot in the parade.

Tim Rodgers and his Chinese hat (with extension) in preparation for rickshawing the parade route.

The second to last entry in the parade, the Pamlico Rescue ambulance.

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Top winner in the parade was the Bryant and Haluska family entry, a tribute to the late Andy Griffith and his TV show. Here, Emery Haluska, granddaughter of Ed and Deborah Bryant reels in a fish. Also on the float was her brother Owen. Her youngest brother, Ollie, trailed the boat, walking the entire route a la Opie Taylor.

Opie/Ollie near the end of the parade. His father says that Ollie doesn’t like shoes or his shirt so was made for the role he played in the parade. He declined to jump on the back of the float and walked the entire route. .

Posted Tuesday July 10, 2012 by Melinda Penkava