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Croakerfest 2014 Parade
Pirates, Pageant Queens, Politicians
July 8, 2014

I
t’s a safe bet that the words “arrrgh” and “wench” appeared more often on Saturday than in other Croakerfest parade. The theme of the 34th Annual Croakerfest parade was pirates and many of the more than 100 entries rose to that challenge.

croakefest parade 2014
One of the more spirited pirate floats, was the First Citizens Bank. Manager Sally Belangia let off the confetti gun at the Town Dock.

The weather cooperated and the sun shined, (though not too hot) on all, whether they were wanna-be pirates, pageant contestants or contestants from another realm, the political candidates seeking office this fall. They got some face time with voters during this parade.

croakefest parade 2014
Grand Marshal for the parade was Candy Bohmert who spent the last decade organizing Croakerfest.

More of the parade ahead ….

croakefest parade 2014
Irma Maxbauer’s float took the Grand Poobah award from the Ladies of the Neuse judges.
croakefest parade 2014
Croaker Queen 2014. Lauren Holton, sponsored by Hwy 55 Pawn and Gun.
croakefest parade 2014
Truitt and Cindy Ray get the unofficial TownDock.net vote for most inventive play on “argggh” in the pirate-themed parade.
croakefest parade 2014
Oriental’s new Town Manager, Diane Miller, played along with the pirate theme. As for the sign, Miller has not been heard referring to herself as such; she says her staff designed it.

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croakefest parade 2014
The lineup of pagaent participants.
croakefest parade 2014
Croaker queen runner-up, 15-year old Adriana Martinez-Garcia, sponsored by Bobby Cahoon Construction.
croakefest parade 2014
Haley Voliva was the 2nd runner up and was sponsored by Fulcher’s Red Fox Stables.
croakefest parade 2014
A smile from Miss Congeniality, Kelsey Guimball..
croakefest parade 2014
Mikayla Minally Miss Photogenic.
croakefest parade 2014
The Pamlico Community Band’s Croaker Band, on Broad Street.

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croakefest parade 2014
After winning the younger girls’ pagaent the evening before, Miss Minnow Taylor McHenry tosses candy.
croakefest parade 2014
From the Miss Minnow contest, Kyla Belangia.
croakefest parade 2014
First Runner up in the Miss Minnow contest, 6 year old Allie Daniels on the Saturday morning parade ride down Hodges Street.
croakefest parade 2014
Haley Rice, judged Most Photogenic in the Miss Minnow competition.
croaker parade 2014 winner list
More winners. The winning parade entries, as decided by Ladies of the Neuse judges, were posted outside the Croaker Booth at South Avenue and Freemason Street. The results of some other contests won’t be known til November. Five of the contestants showed up for the parade… just ahead..

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croakefest parade 2014
Norm Sanderson, state Senator in District 2 on Hodges Street.
croakefest parade 2014
Carr Ipock of New Bern, the Democratic state Senate candidate who is challenging the freshman senator, Norm Sanderson for his seat in November.
croakefest parade 2014
Michael Speciale, the 3rd District State Representative.
croakefest parade 2014
Whit Whitley works the sidelines along the parade route. He’s the Democratic candidate for the state House seat in NC’s 3rd district. The seat is currently held by first term Representative, Republican Michael Speciale.
croakefest parade 2014
Chris Davis, Republican candidate for Pamlico County Sheriff.
croakefest parade 2014
Pamlico’s GOP float put an eyepatch on their elephant.
croakefest parade 2014
The donkey on the Pamlico Democratic Women float opted not to wear a patch.

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croakefest parade 2014
The Cape Dory Owners Association trailered one of its own along the parade route.
croaker fest parade Big Cart
The official parade lineup sheet read, “big cart” for this NC Department of Agriculture entry. It may be the tallest entry in a Croaker parade since the Deaton Yachts dragon.
croakefest parade 2014
At the other end of the spectrum ….mini cars at the Mini Mart. The Shriners Mini Car brigade awaits the start of the parade.
croakefest parade 2014
Perhaps the best use of recycled material in the parade, the team from Hoof and Boots, a hoof care business.
croakefest parade 2014
What’s a parade without a tractor? Jim Kellenberger used his John Deere to haul the …
croakefest parade 2014
.. two yellow kayaks on the Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation float. Oriental area Creekeeper Bill Hines bikes alongside.
croakefest parade 2014
Offsetting the pirate theme, the sailor suit collars of the young women from Camp Seafarer. (No tar detected in those pigtails.) The Camp, a perennial participant in the parade, joined this year with Arapahoe-based Operation Veggie Box, which is growing produce for food banks. The crew was prepping the float moments before the parade started
croakefest parade 2014
A jeep, armed, was part of the parade.

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croakefest parade 2014
Have cooler, will travel. One of the Shriners’ Cooligans.
croakefest parade 2014
Sponge Bob Square Pants makes his yearly Croakerfest appearance, this time on a motorcycle.
croakefest parade 2014
Paul Fairbank, capo de parade just before it started. Behind him is Grand Marshal, and former Croakerfest organizer, Candy Bohmert who was enjoying her first worry-free Croakerfest in a decade.
croakefest parade 2014
Lena Rice with Pamlico Rescue.
croakefest parade 2014
Not your father’s Oldsmobile. Levi Reiswig in his father’s Ford.
croakefest parade 2014
Kip Nicholas and Rolayne Schwendy on the truck carrying some of the Oriental Farmers’ Market vendors.
croakefest parade 2014
The Cape Dory Miss Linda on the last leg of her regatta thru the parade, near the harbor in Oriental.

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croakefest parade 2014
Part of the crew on the Windmill Point float.
croakefest parade 2014
Musician Simon Spaulding came by boat in the River Dunes float.
croakefest parade 2014
Vivace.
croakefest parade 2014
One float that came down Hodges provided a sample of what Oriental’s harbor might look like with the Statue of Liberty.
croakefest parade 2014
Friendly waves from one golf cart and a pirate’s grimace of warning.
croakefest parade 2014
Even the Chinese dragon wore an eyepatch — and pirate’s hat. Eric Dammeyer was part of the dragon team’s float.
Descriptor language here
Oriental Free Will Baptist Church combined the “Aaarrgh” pirate theme with spiritual treasure.

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croakefest parade 2014
A parasol instead of a sword for the pirate Town Manager, Diane Miller.
croaker parade 2014 studebaker
Truitt and Cindy Ray in their Studebakarrrgh in the pirate themed parade.
croakefest parade 2014
Marsha Ostendorf had run out of candy by the time the Oriental’s History Museum truck reached the Bean, late in the route.
croakefest parade 2014
Irma Maxbauer on the Groaker float which took the top honors in the parade.
croakefest parade 2014
Dragons go together with pirates
croaker parade 2014
Sidelined. Oliver and Emery Haluska run to the street for candy tossed from a float near The Bean. They and their brother have taken the top prize in the Croaker parades last year, and the year before that. (an appearance that gained Oliver the nickname, “Opie”.) Their dad says they wanted a chance to see the parade. But may be back with an entry next year.

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croakefest parade 2014
Pirate Kaitlin the First Citizens Bank float.
croakefest parade 2014
The Hoof-and-Boots team heads to the final part of the trail…
croakefest parade 2014
The Pamlico Heritage Center with its tractor.
croakefest parade 2014
Oriental Free Will Baptist Church float.
croakefest parade 2014
The Windmill Point float.
croakefest parade 2014
A pirate-no-more follows the Statue of Liberty in the parade.
croakefest parade 2014
Some dream of being pirates, others of becoming firemen. Oriental’s volunteer fire department used the parade and the side of a truck to make the pitch for more volunteers.

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croakefest parade 2014
Some of the Camp Seafarer crew opted for sunglasses rather than eye patches.
croakefest parade 2014
A partial crew of the Oriental Dragon Boat Club on the 22 seat dragon boat. More dragon boats are expected in Oriental in a month for the annual Dragon Boat Festival
croaker parade 2014 Larry rickshaw
Larry Summers was right behind the dragon boat with his vintage bicycle rickshaw. He was thankful for the diminutive size of his passengers.
croakefest parade 2014
Local Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts were part of the parade.
Descriptor language here
Fay Bond, who turned 90 last year, with her dog, Goldiie who used to ride in the parade with John Bond, Fay’s late husband.
croakefest parade 2014
Christine Saxton and some of the vendors from the Oriental Farmers’ Market. (More vendors could be found at tne market, along the parade route, Saturday morning.).
croakefest parade 2014
Cleve Cox, president of Pamlico Community College.

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The Croaker Band, row by row.

croakefest parade 2014
Row 1.
croakefest parade 2014
Row 2.
croakefest parade 2014
Row 3.
croakefest parade 2014
Row 4.
croakefest parade 2014
Row 5.

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croakefest parade 2014
By 7:30 Saturday morning, some early staking out of seats for the parade.
croaker parade 2014 spongebob
Rusty Huffines on the motorcycle that Sponge Bob Squarepants would ride on the route. He reported that Sponge Bob’s days of walking the parade were over. As for the fire extinguisher, Huffines said it would be deployed if anyone sprayed water on Sponge Bob.
croakefest parade 2014
Lou Ostendorf with Oriental’s History Museum preps the float which featured a wooden chest the museum is raffling off. (Winning ticket to be pulled at the Museum’s October 11 Street Dance.)
croakefest parade 2014
The team from a hoof care business waiting for the parade start.
croakefest parade 2014
The dog has since been sent inland for psychological trauma counseling. The animal may have confused parade master, Paul Fairbank with a judge to whom if would have to kiss up. The canine was in the car Buddy Floyd drove for honorary parade marshal Candy Bohmert.

Posted Tuesday July 8, 2014 by Melinda Penkava


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