It's Monday November 4, 2024
Croaker Festival 2023
43 years of Croaker CelebrationJuly 10, 2023
Pies, parades, and fireworks. All part of the Croaker Festival celebrating the July 4 holiday. It was a hot July weekend, but folks still turned out to celebrate.
The Cooligans perform their routine on parade route.Baking Contest WinnersCheesecake:
1. Laura Panatowski
2. Kee Fodrey
3. Susan Adams
Pies:
1. Toni Leavitt
2. Nelda Coats
3. Kee FodreyA prize winning cheesecake.Quick Breads:
1. Susan Stephens
2. Melanie Dixon
3. Nicole AveryDietary Restricted:
1. Steve & Darlene Marquart
2. McKenna Williams
3. Tiffany DunbarBubbles left in the wake of the Pamlico County Library float.4th of July Cake:
1. Kee Fodrey
2. Svetlana Hudson
3. Mary & Ruby JohnsonKids:
1. Mary Machott
2. Kate Geiger
3. Carter JonesPuppies, pirates, and mermaids float through the parade.Croaker Festival Parade Winners• Grand Pooh Bah: St. Thomas Episcopal Church: Grow With Us
• Spirit of America: Pamlico Community College
• Most Refreshing: PC Arts Council
• Biggest Bubbles: Pamlico Public Library
• Largest Croakers: Pickett’s Charge
• Fascinating Fascinators: Girl Scouts
• Easter in July: Inner Banks
• Most Inclusive & Fun: Pups, Pirates & Mermaids
• Century Award: Ms. Fay Bond
• Sound of America: Marine Band
Helping keep the streets clean. Kids pick up candy littering the streets.Some of the Miss Minnow contestants on stage.Miss Minnow winners• Miss Photogenic: Miss Celina Monk
• 3rd Runner Up: Alexandria Wilkinson
• 2nd Runner Up: Kadie Walker
• 1st Runner Up: Willow Sadler
• Miss Minnow 2023: Ava Foughty
The Croaker Queen crowning, and the court: Catherine Lackey, Layla Ireland, Mariah Stowe, Brooklyn Altman, and Adyson Foreman.Croaker Queen Winners• Miss Photogenic: Catherine Lackey
• Academic Award: Stephanie Harris
• 3rd Runner Up: Layla Ireland
• 2nd Runner Up: Mariah Stowe
• 1st Runner Up: Brooklyn Altman
• Miss Croaker 2023: Adyson Foreman
Better than a marching band – a traveling one. The Croaker Band plays through the parade.Member’s of the Oriental Woman’s Club sell Croaker Hats during the parade.Elizabeth Wichrowski holds up her son William while riding in the Oriental Police vehicle.A few of the Miss Minnow contestants: Piper Mayo, Chloe Spain, and Kadie Walker.Many houses were decorated for the holiday. But only one had patriotic skeletons.The Marine Corps Band played and marched in the parade.Before the fireworks on Saturday night, Christian Michaels fired off a small canon on the free dock.Not every participant was on a float. Some were in trucks, some in old cars, and others were pulled along the route.Drinking mimosas and watching the parade.After playing in the parade, the Marine Corps Band played again at the riverfront stage.Sylvia Norman, better known as Ms. Sil of Brantley’s Restaurant, was this year’s Grand Marshal.The Southern Hellcats play for a dancing – and sitting – audience.Brooklyn Altman, 1st Runner Up in the Croaker Queen contest, waves from her car.Fay Bond, Oriental resident for over half a century, will turn 100 in September.Baking Contest winners for the Dietary Restriction category, Darlene Marquart and McKenna Williams.Drawing attention and keeping cool.A fitting band motto.Kids enjoy parade candy while waving to the crowd.Miss Minnow and Croaker Queen winners Ava Foughty and Adyson Foreman.Marines, scouts, and dragons walk and cruise down Broad Street.Picking up as much candy as he can.A rapt crowd listens to the Marine Corps Band.Volunteer Fire Department Station 19 and other emergency vehicles close out the parade.Watching fireworks shoot off from Oriental Bridge Saturday night.Watching fireworks explode over the river.