Winner Winner Jolly Dinner!
Why not? The holiday is all about celebrating!
Farris O'Neal, Hill Dickerson, and their families and friends won the Better Some Best in Show award at the Ocracoke 4th of July Parade. The Native Parasail boat was transformed into a Pacific Island sailboat. Their float was inspired by the hit Disney movie, "Moana", and featured Farris as Maui the demi-god, Valerie Gokturk as the crazy village lady, and a host of tattooed, grass-skirted young'uns dancing to the soundtrack. "See the line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me, and no one knows, how far it goes...."
The Best in Show prize went to Ocracoke Garden Center for their float, "Beautifying Ocracoke One Yard at a Time." Congrats, Jennifer and Teresa!
Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department was awarded the Community Prize, which goes to a community or non-profit organization that participates in the parade. You know they'll spend that money wisely on fire department needs.
The Ocracoke 4th of July Parade is sponsored by Ocracoke Civic and Business Association, and the cash prizes are provided by OCBA through a grant from the Occupancy Tax Board. (That 3% you pay for staying overnight on Ocracoke provides the funding for 4th of July and events and much, much more!) Cold, hard cash prize money quickly makes its way back into the local economy as the winners celebrate!
Robert Raborn volunteers to organize the parade each year, including finding the volunteer judges. The fire trucks, ambulance, and deputies lead the way followed by a procession of walkers, wagons, bikers, golf carts, cars, trucks, and floats. Della Gaskill was the 2017 Grand Marshal, and will also have a starring role in the Fig Festival in 2017. (Come out for a taste of her famous fig cake!) Chris Imlay traveled to Ocracoke again this year just to march in our parade with his bagpipes! Longtime visitors, new visitors, new residents, local businesses, and longtime residents all contributed to the fun and festivities by joining in. Thanks to all who participate – Ocracoke couldn't do it without you!
List of Winners
Walk and Roll: 1st place: Blackbeard, who found his head (Donald Davis); 2nd place: The Lone Soldier (Ed Barbour); and 3rd place: When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade (Barb Oelshlegel, raising money for childhood cancer research)
Wheels: 1st place: Stars and Stripes & the Flying Eagle (Morgan Arnold), 2nd place: American Pride (Keith Hardt); and 3rd place: Kathy Edmondson
Floats: 1st place: Surfin' USA (Ride the Wind Surf Shop); 2nd place: American Pie (John Mackenzie); 3rd place: Lost in the Sauce/We're a Big Dill (The Pickled Pirate)
