cindy lark hartmanA Little More Sweet Nostalgia —
Posted on July 1, 2017
The first Saturday of July, small town Oriental, North Carolina begins its annual Croaker Festival with a parade down main street. This year, the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Band from Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, NC both marched in the parade and then, played for the town. (By the bye MCAS, Cherry Point – just happens to be my birth place many years ago).
This is just a small snippet from the parade of some of my favorite entries. This year I was totally enamored with the little trucks. I want one, they were fabulous. And … I also liked how the dragon, Oriental’s mascot, looked lovingly on to the America Flag — it is almost July 4th after all!
Songs from each military branch: “Anchors Away” for the U.S. Navy, “The Caissons Go Rolling Along” for the U.S. Army, “The Wild Blue Yonder” for the U.S. Air Force, and “Semper-Paratus” for the U.S. Coast Guard. The Marine Corps Hymm, below. (Wouldn’t you know my phone rang right in the middle, so missed a bit and split in two).
The Marine’s Hymm (Halls of Montezuma)
The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Band from MCAS – Cherry Point, NC
More Sweet Nostalgia — Everyone Loves A Parade!
Posted on July 5, 2016
“Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: you find the present tense, but the past perfect!” — Owen Lee Pomeroy
The start of the Croaker Parade ~~ all standing as the colors pass by.
The first Saturday in July is the Oriental, North Carolina Croaker Parade. A fun hometown parade that features Miss Minnow, the Croaker Queen, the Pamlico County Community Band, and other clever entries that support the year’s theme. This year’s theme, “Embrace Your Volunteer Spirit”, was exciting to watch. Broad, the main drag in Oriental, and Hodges Streets are lined with families, of all different configurations, waving flags, cheering participants, and catching penny candy tossed their way by those riding or walking in the parade. This fun hometown parade could have been an episode scripted right out of the Andy Griffith Show — now that and some of the wonderful entries are some sweet nostalgia!
My favorite entry!
A nod to the new Piggly Wiggly Store opening 20 July — (after the Walmart Express closed)
Two beautiful little girls, but the one with pony tail intrigued me. I have a series of pictures as they road on the back of the convertible, but the little girl with the ponytail just looked so sad. I sure would have liked to have known if she was.
Flags throughout history.
Family friends! — Embracing their volunteer spirit through the America Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)!
My favorite car!
Sudan Shriners
Another Fun Car!
Sudan Shriners on Motorized Beverage Coolers!
Sweet Nostalgia in Oriental, North Carolina (ONC)
Posted on January 20, 2014
Croaker Festival Parade
Croaker Festival Parade
In Oriental, it’s all about the water. And during the first weekend in July, Oriental celebrates its favorite saltwater fish, the croaker. The annual Croaker Festival is a weekend-long old-fashioned Independence Day celebration: regattas, pageants, bake-offs, street dancing, fireworks, and vendors selling lemonade, deep fried twinkles, funnel cakes and a variety of local foods. The whole weekend is sweet nostalgia; a lovely memory of days gone by. The highlight— the Saturday morning Croaker Festival parade. Highway 55, the only road into the town, is closed through the small village while crowds line the street waving American flags, riders on the floats toss out candy along the route, and you can still find Opie on his way to his favorite fishing hole.
Croaker Festival Parade
!["In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on". ~ Robert Frost [even with broken wings]](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47937391672_8a2b898e54_s.jpg "\"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on\". ~ Robert Frost [even with broken wings]")
