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or a few days leading up to the 2013 Spirit of Christmas Parade, the weather forecast suggested Wet Christmas might be a more fitting theme than White Christmas. After all, many predictions called for rain to be falling at 4p. It drizzled earlier in the day. More than a few people questioned — right up to mid-afternoon —whether the parade would be cancelled.

Paul Fairbank, the Parade Meister, just before the Parade’s start. He had three words: “It’s not raining.” There had been doubters, taking their cue from some forecasts, but Fairbanks didn’t waver in saying the parade would go on. The rains held off. Not a drop fell on the parade route. The Parade Meister was vindicated.

But Parade Master Paul Fairbank was resolute: the game was on. No rain would fall on his parade, he said.

Paul Fairbank was right. As 4p approached, the skies – cloudy and spitting off and on through the day — held back. (A torrent fell that night, but the parade went on.) “Weather control, “ Fairbank would say later, “is possible through Positive Mental Attitude.” Which may have been the underlying theme of the 2013 Spirit of Christmas, and its parade.

A jump from a Girl Scout waiting on Ragan Road for the parade to start. The Girl Scouts – as they do in every parade – walked the parade route.

The parade featured a leaping Girl Scout, a fisherman and his bird, one pink dog, a marching band that grooved some Christmas carols, four Rotary tentbearers, two snowwomen, trucks — and a tractor — tricked out for the holidays and of course, as always happens in an Oriental SOC parade, Santa on a Coast Guard boat.

More faces in and alongside the parade. On page 2, a listing of the winners as picked by judges on higher lower Broad Street.

Drum major Mark Hill guided the Pamlico High School Band along the route. He was one of several in the band who turned to nature for their headgear.

Keith Bruno, and his bird, at the wheel of the Endurance Seafood truck in the parade.(Ben Casey photo.)

At the parade’s end, Santa on the Coast Guard boat passes the porch of The Bean. The rain held off until a few hours later.

Players in the manger scene on board the Oriental Free Will Baptist float just before the parade’s start.

Gregory Green of Pamlico Community College with some of the candy to be given away along the parade route.

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Oriental’s Chinese Dragon came out of its lair for the first of several appearances over the next month and a half. The dancing dragon will come out for the 11:30p run of the dragon on New Year’s Eve and then again a month later, on January 31, to usher in the Asian Lunar New Year.

A quartet from the Rotary Club carried a model of their rental tents.

Shelley Simeon, the 2013 Croaker Queen from the summer’s festival braved the cooler temps of the winter parade. The college student and Bean barrista began laughing near the coffee house..

… the reason: from the porch of The Bean, Jackie Welles held up a sign for her co-worker in the parade.

Best Theme – White Christmas by Pigeon Holes
Best Music – PCHS Band
Best Holiday Decoration – Boy Scouts
Most Unique Vehicle – Lomer Family ’34 Ford
Rudolph’s Animal Award – Oriental Pet Parlor
Best Green Truck – Holde Family
Best (most) Yellow Truck – The Roe Family
Most Helpful – Emergency Response Vehicle
Commissioner Winfrey Award – Tom Dixon and his Gator
Parade Master’s Rotten Tomato Award – Whoever spread the rumor that the Parade was canceled.

Ellyn Speciale and Maggie Monk of Pigeon Holes won the judges’ Best Theme. The parade’s theme was White Christmas.

Rider in an antique car..

A presence at many Christmas and Croakerfest parades. the Holde family’s old Chevy truck was the judges’ pick for Best Green Truck. Whether it returns in July is unknown; the truck was sporting a For Sale sign.

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Watching the parade in front of The Steamer, where Santa kept watch, too, with a pool cue.

Some joyous renditions on Broad Street. The Pamlico High Band – with some reinforcements from Pamlico Middle School players – freshened up some carols and the parade its rhythm.

A sax player. The band was made up of students from Pamlico High and Pamlico Middle School.

The PCHS band took a breather between carols, but filled it with a drum-led choreogrpahy, arms and steps in cadence.

Flautist with twig antlers.

Part of the horn section.

Caroline James looks back to check on the rest of her contingent:

… the dogs in her wagon for her business, Caroline’s Canines.

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Pilgrim Chapel Church parishioners

Frank Roe and his truck. It won the judges’ nod for Best Yellow Truck.

Leslie and Jim Kellenberger and their John Deere, pulling the Neuse Riverkeeper entry – a kayak – in the parade. .

The Pamlico High ROTC unit marched.

Howard Hill, with the DAV was part of the color guard at the parade’s start.

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Larry Summers near the head of Oriental’s Chinese dragon.

Oriental’s Chinese Dragon, before it rode the parade route with its keepers, including Ken Laser and Wendy Osserman. The Dragon will be ringing in the Chinese New Year on January 31.

Larry Langson, part of the drumming team on the Chinese Dragon float..

Nol Engel was drumming on the dragon float.

Mariannne Bruno on the Endurance Seafood truck.

Candy for the parade route..

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Judy LeGrand watched the parade from in front of The Steamer on Broad Street, as the fire trucks with sirens screaming approached.

Watching the parade, Lena and Frances.

Cal Bridgers, thru his motorcycle’s windshield.

There was some candy left at the end of the parade as a float passed Oriental’s harborfront.

Young campaigners on the David Spruill for Sheriff float.

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Ben Chapin on the West Marine float.

On the First Citizens float.

Grosvenor Barber on his minibike.

Grinch and team on the Brantley’s golf cart.

Near the end of the parade, the Coast Guard’s Santamphibious vessel, brings Santa past the spectators on Hodges Street.

Ahead, scenes from Live Nativity and Bell Ringing.

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Hand Bells and Live Nativity

For a few hours before the parade, there were other events taking place as part of the Spirit of Christmas. Businesses provided refreshments at open houses, musicians played. Among the events, were the Childrens Theater Workshop presentation of a Live Nativity and a return to Spirit of Christmas by the Jericho Ringers from Arapahoe:

Hand bells rang out carols inside the Provision Company Saturday afternoon. The performers were the Jericho Ringers from Bethany Christian Church in Arapahoe.

Hand bells and Christmas carols among the marine gear at the Provision Company Saturday afternoon. The 11 players covered three octaves.

At the start of a new song, getting the sheet music in order. Ringers handled two bells, each representing a note on the scale.

Here’s an excerpt of “‘Twas In The Moon of Wintertime, which the choir director, Sara Spalding, says was originally written in the Huron language by a missionary.

11 year old Parker Watson, the youngest bell ringer, waits for his next note to play. The Jericho Ringers started more than three decades ago at Bethany Christian Church in Arapahoe.

The sound filled the store. Here was the scene, looking down of of the aisles.

On the steps of Oriental’s United Methodist Church, a host of angels who were part of the mid-afternoon Live Nativity on Saturday.

Alex Coulter, the innkeeper.

Behind him, angels.

Lambs finding their way home after the play…

Posted Thursday December 19, 2013 by Melinda Penkava