North Beach, MD – The Ninth annual Christmas parade in the Town of North Beach was blessed with beautiful weather. The yuletide trek down Bay Avenue took place Saturday afternoon, Dec. 5.
The parade, part of the town’s Christmas on the Beach celebration, is named in honor of Pat Carpenter, a Chesapeake Beach resident who passed away in early 2012. At the time of her death, Carpenter was serving as the special events coordinator for Chesapeake Beach and was active in the Twin Beaches area business group that sponsors the parade.
Traditionally, the parade includes participation from elected officials from North Beach and Chesapeake Beach, along with county and state elected officials. The 2015 edition was no exception.
Also among the participants were several Girl Scout troops, The Twin Beach Players, Calvert Library, the North Beach Volunteer Fire Department, the Knights of Columbus, several area businesses, churches and daycare centers, the Calverton School, Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum, a motorcycle club—escorting the Red Hat Ladies and numerous historic cars.
Enthusiasts for two familiar American cars—the Ford Mustang and the Chrysler PT Cruiser—had fleets of their favorite ride in the parade line.
As always, Santa Claus rode down Bay Avenue at the end of the parade, arriving on the Company 1 tower truck. He and Mrs. Claus greeted the crowd and visited with the children at the boardwalk pavilion following the parade.
Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary George W. Owings III served as master of ceremonies for the parade.
Pat Carpenter’s husband, Chesapeake Beach Councilman Bob Carpenter, rode in the parade and announced that plans are already underway for the 10th annual parade.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com
