Parade: Piratical and Patriotic
New this year, the "Better Some" award ups the ante for parade prizes, and is only given to floats with real entertainment value. "Better some" is O'cocker for something that's even better than "good some," which is pretty good. Bones the Pirate's entry combined perennial favorite Towmater with the bucaneer-laden Barnacle, for a win-win.
Bones had some competition from Jason "The Blade" Burdo, whose 1st Place Float was also flying the skull and crossbones; the black flag was second only to Old Glory in parade popularity.
(There was nary a Confederate flag a-flyin', much to my surprise and relief.)
The 2015 Parade Grand Marshal was Chester Lynn, who was also crowned the King of Figs. (Thanks, Debbie Leonard, for creating his crown and sash!) Chester is the island's expert on fig trees, and he was advertising the upcoming Fig Cake Bake-Off and Fig Festival that will take place on Friday, August 14th.
In the Walk and Roll category (pedestrians, skateboards, bikes, horses), 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places prizes went to, respectively, Jean Jones Peller's family for their giant papier-mache fish (They are Hooked on Ocracoke!), Charlie Horse Stables, and King Neptune (brought to us by the Alcorn family).
A golf cart full of clowns took first place in the Wheels category (which is mostly golf carts). When Julie Decheser's kids came up to accept their prize at the Awards Ceremony, they delighted the crowds all over again with their excitement. Then they won again! Mary Haggerty presented the annual Nat Jackson Memorial Award (for silliness) to the clown family, and the kids jumped up and down all over again.
Willow, granddaughter of Tom and Carol Pahl, won 2nd place in the Wheels category for giving away FREE lemonade. And last, but not least, Jude Wheeler and the LegaSea ladies got a 3rd place prize for their good cause – No Drill, No Spill!
Prince Felipe and Princess Louannia of the Principality of Lawtonia, hounded by the paparazzi, royally waved their way to a 3rd place prizes in Floats.
The superhero Caffeinators took 2nd place in Floats for Ocracoke Coffee Company. Caffeine to the rescue!
The parade organizers offer a Community Prize to a local non-profit that participates in the parade. That prize was easy to award to the youth baseball teams, representing the Ocracoke Youth Center. Armed not with baseball bats, but super-soakers, the kids cooled off parade onlookers with nice, cold water.
Best in Show went to Ride the Wind for their Join the Wave – or Die float! Congratulation, surfers!
Ride the Wind and Ocracoke Coffee Company are two island businesses that always step up to produce great floats – thanks, y'all, for making the 4th more fun for all of us!
The Ocracoke Current had a parade entry for the first time ever! Mariah Temple, age 9, and her baby, Baby, rode for Freedom of the Press and advertised Ocracoke's online news source. It combined patriotism with crass commercialism – the classic 4th of July combination! If you are reading the Current today because Mariah gave you a lollipop with our business card on it – welcome! She didn't win a prize, but takes first place in our hearts.
Thanks to parade organizer Robert Raborn for helping Ocracoke celebrate another Independence Day in style.
