Attendants had trouble getting the little light to come on in the tiara that was presented Saturday to Miss Isle of Wight 2012 during her coronation.
That did not, however, dim the ceremony’s glitz. Rhonda Brant looked stunning, dressed in casual wear and sporting winged, green-glitter novelty glasses that she got from a Dollar General.
“This is real honor, y’all,” she gushed. “I haven’t been Miss Isle of Wight since the 1960s.”
The coronation was part of the Isle of Wight community’s annual St. Patrick’s Day warm-up. The highlights were a reason to party with neighbors and a golf-cart parade, led by grand marshal Buster Davis and cart master Bob Widener. Danny Brant drove the shag wagon in case any of the carts lost power.
As the 25 or so entries wound through streets of the hammock community in east Liberty County, what could have been throngs of residents and visitors were drawn out of their houses. Crowd estimates are always difficult, especially when an event stretches over four or five miles, but there must have been 40, maybe 50 people lining several driveways along the route.
Oh, and there was that guy on the dirt road that runs parallel to the interstate. He didn’t step away from the project that looks like it’s going to be a garage next to his house. But he did wave.
Among the expectant crowds were a few Isle insiders who knew the parade was coming. Most, however, looked as though they’d found themselves subjects of surprise birthday parties, smiling and waving, spirits lifted by a few neighbors looking for a way to brighten an already beautiful day on the coast.
Homes used as meet-up and/or refueling sites were those of the Brants, Hugh McNair and Jack and Janet Welch.