After being canceled in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the 8th annual Hatteras Village Golf Cart Parade returned with a bang in 2021, with more than 50 participants that cruised through the village in a blaze of red, white, and blue.
The yearly event began in 2013 as a fundraiser for the Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation, and attracted roughly a dozen carts that were decked out in patriotic and appropriately coastal themes. Once it became clear that the parade was something that garnered interest among locals and visitors alike, the parade became an annual celebration, with more and more folks participating with golf carts of all varieties.
This year, the parade’s 53 entries were a mix of local residents, repeat visitors, and first-timers, and it was clear that everyone brought their A-game – and a boatload of spirit – to the festivities.
Awards were given out to the Most Patriotic, Most Humorous, and Most Creative golf carts, and parade judges certainly had a challenge at this year’s event.
The winners of the 2021 parade were:
- Most Patriotic: The Cannon Family; “the Cannon crew were decorated in their patriotic finest, including an Uncle Sam hat on top of the cart,” said parade organizer, Karla Jarvis.
- Most Humorous: The Paetow Family; “this crew continued to be humorous after the parade, riding through town with their ‘tailgating’ rider bedazzled in a flag cape and patriotic briefs!”
- Most Creative: Garris Family; “this group dressed their cart up like a cooler. There was a lot of creativity this year, and I mean a lot! Maybe the most in all the eight years [we’ve held the parade.]”
Jarvis also noted that there were plenty of stand-outs in the procession, including a two-cart mermaid group that even included a “Mermaid Security” cart.
The parade was followed by the village Community Cookout, another Independence Day tradition in Hatteras, which was well attended by both villagers and visitors. “We fed about 450 folks,” said Jarvis.
All in all, the patriotic spirit and warm sunny weather combined to create a wonderful event that will surely continue to grow for years to come.
“The weather was perfect, everyone was very thankful, and it was just so nice to see some [folks] that we haven’t seen in a long, long time,” said Jarvis. “[we are] so thankful for this community and also for those who help serve it!”
