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he 32nd Croaker Festival in Oriental came on some of the hottest days of the year. That may have been a factor in the somewhat reduced numbers of people along South Avenue Saturday midday and afternoon. Even as Molasses Creek played, those who couldn’t get under the shade of the tent didn’t linger for long. The sun sent a lot of folks for cooler places.

A boy takes a moment for fishing off of the Lou-Mac pier while the band Molasses Creek performs at Croakerfest on Saturday afternoon. High temps dampened the crowd turnout during the day.

There is an inexact method of measuring crowd size but one that could be indicative. Croakerfest organizer Candy Bohmert reports that the festival’s Garbologist, (her husband) Greg Bohmert found the dumpster only 2/3rd full by Sunday morning. Usually, it is overflowing by that point. Still, Candy estimates several thousand attended. And she notes that as the sun set, more folks came out for the cool air and the music that was playing both nights. Not to mention, the fireworks.

We have photos from several of Croakerfest 2012’s activities….

Croaker Festival Regatta

It was hot. Beyond hot, really. But there was some breeze and a lot of ready and willing participants for the 2012 Oriental Croaker Festival Regatta.

52 boats took part in five classes. Optimists, Sloops, and three Sunfish — Adults, 18-and-under, and a race of Sunfish on Green’s Creek. There was large participation from Bow to Stern Sailing School students, Camps Seagull and Seafarer and a good share of adult sailors as well..

Overall winner for the regatta was George Sechrist, on a Sunfish, while Kara Wheeler came in second overall in the event sponsored and organized by the Oriental Dinghy club, with major support from Nautical Wheelers and Inner Banks Sails and Canvas.

George Sechrist, who was the overall winner of the Croakerfest Regattta. (Photo: Lois Moye).

Winners of the 2012 Oriental Croaker Festival Regatta:

Optimist Class:
Gold: Chris Brown
Silver Joshua LeRay
Bronze: Craig Martin

Sunfish: Green’s Creek
Gold: Andrew & Elizabeth Pierce
Silver: Sarah Popkin
Bronze: Taylor & Lizzie McIntosh

Sunfish: Adult Division
Gold: George Sechrist (1st overall in regatta)
Silver: Jackson Morton
Bronze: Larry Mass

Sunfish: Under 18 Division
Gold: Kara Wheeler (2nd overall in regatta)
Silver: Bennett Buck
Bronze: Robert Bonds

Sloop Division
Gold: Nicole Edwards & Elizabeth Sligh
Tied for Silver: Gered Ross & Carter Key John Sipp & Hajo Smulders
Tied for Bronze: Rylie Frayman & Sarah Parker Ben Eder & William Ball Sophie Lovett & Charlotte Bristow

… and the Sunfish are off for the start of the race.

The race came together thanks to the help of many volunteers: John Bloom who ran the Green’s Creek race, Bob Dales ran the Neuse River side of the bridge, Gerry and Cheryl Crowley, Doug Sligh and Brian Brown manned the chase boats, and Wilma Kennedy and Marge Dales helped with the starts and finishes. And Grace Evans hosted the land-based part of the events — the registration before and the party and awards ceremony afterwards.

It was hot, but there was some wind to be found.

Lois Moye who helped organize the race also extended thanks go to the following individual donors who helped make it happen: Deaton Yacht Service, Oriental Marina and Inn, M&M’s Restaurant,Triton Yachts’
Paul & Nancy Welles, Roy & Sheila Harvey, Kathryn Garcia,
Marguerite Garrett, Jennie Hollowell, Katy Pugh, Ginny Vogt
Jo Tingle, Marilyn Sechrist, Mark Weinheimer and LuAnn Parins,
Camilla and Bill Wheeler, and a wonderful anonymous donor.

Pre-race maneuvers near Lou-Mac Park’s pier.

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Fireworks were set off from Teach’s Cove Saturday night. These photos were taken from a dock a few hundred yards away, where Will Flannery’s catboat was tied up.

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Molasses Creek On The Oriental Waterfront

The Ocracoke-based band, Molasses Creek, performed at Croakerfest, in a mid-day concert on South Avenue. Th Pamlico Musical Society presented the show, PaMuSo’s first venture in to offering a concert at Croakerfest.

Molasses Creek — the band’s named for a local body of water — brought some breeze to the otherwise very hot afternoon and played to a throng of fans, gathered under the shade of the tent.

Some views from the show:

Four of the five members of Molasses Creek.

Bass player Gerald Hampton.

Lou Castro and Gary Mitchell.

Fiddler Dave Tweedie.

Backstage.

A young fisherman focuses his attention on the Neuse River rather than Molasses Creek.

Marcy Brenner and a flourish on playing the washboard.

Lou Castro, Gary Mitchell and Marcy Brenner.

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Croakerfest Cool….

At his booth selling fish he’d made, Papa Doc was also making his own shade and breeze, as the fan in the mirror shows.

Don Saddlemire of Sneads Ferry, wasn’t counting on only river breezes to activate the weathervanes he was selling. He was one of many along the waterfront who brought in auxiliary wind.

Croaker hats made and sold by the Oriental Woman’s Club.

OWC was also selling Croaker wraparound glasses this year. Some wore them on their face, others on their (non-croaker) hats.

Wearing a croaker hat, an artist sketched the scene of Croakerfest vendors’ tents in Lou Mac Park. (He too had a fan going.).

Posted Wednesday July 11, 2012 by Melinda Penkava