North Beach, MD – As high noon approached, a stubborn line of light rain hovered over the Town of North Beach. Saturday, Dec. 1 was a much-anticipated day for the bayside town, which hosts the annual Pat Carpenter Holiday Parade. The parade is held rain or shine, and, indeed, the march up Atlantic Avenue proceeded as scheduled. The rain and clouds did keep the crowd numbers down but the number of participants seemed to be the regular size.
Former North Beach Mayor Mark Frazer served as the parade’s grand marshal. Many other local elected officials also rode or marched in the event. Parade units included Scouts, ballerinas, businesses, schools, churches, the cast of the Twin Beach Players’ production of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” entertainer John Luskey, classic cars, karate students, kazoo bands, librarians and 2018 National Twirling Champion Bailey Ciprich. One of the vehicles was a fire engine from Rehoboth Beach, DE.
Maryland Veterans Affairs Secretary George W. Owings III and Chesapeake Beach Water Park General Manager Marilyn VanWagner served as emcees.
The parade lasted over an hour and Santa Claus arrived at the reviewing stand by way of the North Beach Volunteer Fire Department tower truck. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be returning to the Twin Beaches area Friday evening, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. when they visit the North Beach Volunteer Fire Department. That event is sponsored by the Company 1 Auxiliary.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com
