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VIRGINIA BEACH — When attorney Bill Lascara heads out the door to the courthouse this week for a trial, his morning routine will take a little less time.
Lascara ditched his razor and started growing a beard to look the part of King Neptune of the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival.
He was crowned king in a surprise announcement at a festival kickoff event at the Oceanfront Saturday.
Each year, the Neptune Festival committee chooses a king from nominations solicited from the general public. Criteria include involvement and contribution to the quality of life in Virginia Beach. Lascara has served in numerous festival volunteer roles through the years.
The Neptune Festival, in its 49th year, is a celebration of the city. It was originally the idea of a small group of locals that wanted to “take back the beach” after a long summer of tourists.
Neptune Festival events are held throughout the year, culminating in the fall with Boardwalk Weekend, which includes a parade and the International Sandsculpting Championship.
The festival generates more than $23 million in economic impact, according to the city, which is providing $375,000 in support of this year’s event.
Weekend Scoop
The Neptune Festival Boardwalk Weekend will be held Sept. 29-Oct. 1.
Lascara, 65, will be joined at festival events with his “royal court,” which includes “tritons” and their partners, who are community leaders selected by nomination as well as rising high school senior princesses and princes — boys were included in 2021 — selected on the basis of their participation in school and the community.
In 2020, for the first time in the festival’s history, it was canceled due to the pandemic. It returned in 2021 but travel was limited for some of the international participants in the sand sculpting event. Last year, the festival’s outdoor activities were canceled as a hurricane approached Virginia Beach.
“We’re looking forward to getting back to what I say ‘normal’ after the pandemic,” Lascara said.
Lascara is a graduate of Norfolk Academy, the University of Virginia and the former Marshall Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary. He’s a shareholder at Pender & Coward, P.C., in Virginia Beach specializing in government contracts, construction law, general commercial litigation and real estate.
He and his wife, Laura, live in Birdneck Point. They have four adult children and four grandchildren.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com