Southport NC - Hello Spring! We Have Been Waiting for You!

Like everyone else, I have been patiently waiting for the sweet arrival of Spring! Not that we here in Southport can complain about our winters here... I know it's all relative but STILL!!!! For folks that moved here seeking respite from all those COLD places, I'm sure they were starting to think, "What the heck… we've been duped!"

So here it is April, and we are starting anew. If you haven't noticed, our magnificent Live Oak canopy is shedding profusely right now. It's an evergreen oak that keeps its leaves all winter, only to lose them all when the new buds push them off in the Spring. You would think it was Fall right now if it weren't for all the blooming azaleas, camellias, jasmine and wisteria blooming everywhere.

If you're going to be around Easter weekend, the official kick-off of Spring in Southport is the Spring Festival/Chili Cook-Off held every year at Franklin Square Park, a 25 year tradition. Running from 10am until 5pm on Friday and 10am until 4pm on Saturday, this festival features a wide variety of activities such as musical entertainment, handmade arts and crafts, children’s activities, azaleas and other plants for sale, and food vendors. Included is a Chili Cook-Off, so get your taste buds ready to vote for the People’s Choice Award. Hope to see you there!



        

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Southport NC - Spring Activities Abound

I am behind in my reporting of local events here in Southport NC. Easter Weekend is upon us and with it, the beginning of "tourist season" and the abundance of activities that comes with it. We've had our share of winter this year, and even a couple rare dustings of snow, but nothing compared to the wrath of "Old Man Winter" that was felt in many parts of the country. We are ready...and with the smell of jonquils in the air, it's time to sit back and have a look at all the opportunities for fun and frolic in and around Southport.

Getting on with it, Southport Parks and Rec will hold its annual Easter egg hunt "extraordinare" on Saturday March 28-10AM at the Garrison lawn on the Waterfront. So as not to get a "sneak peek" beforehand, all kids 7-12 will meet at Franklin Square Park. For anyone visiting the area who has not experienced this much-anticipated Southport event, do not be dismayed when you arrive with your kids and see several hundred children. There will be literally thousands of candy eggs (malted chocolate) plus numerous prize eggs. I remember one year my oldest daughter found an egg with a $20 bill in it. It was "a very BIG deal." In addition, on Saturday before Easter, I believe, is the only "adult easter egg hunt." Stewart Hardware has been having one every year as long as I can remember. You can call them at 457-5544 for details. I also hear that their Spring shipment of baby chicks and ducks has arrived!

For the grown-ups, on March 29th at the Southport Community Building is a "Red, White, and Brew" wine tasting, sponsored by the Friends of the NC Maritime Museum at Southport. Time: 2-4. Call 457-0003.
Whenever you're in Southport, you owe it to yourself to check out the the latest collection of local art at Franklin Square Gallery. I am always amazed at the talent in our midst. If you're not familiar with any of our artists, here are a few favorites. (I have a weakness for watercolors.) I love the whimsical works of Susan Dade, the haunting Empty Porch series by Susan Mauney, the unique jug art/pottery of Betsy Sellers, and the nostalgic coastal scenery of Suzanne Ellett. From now until May 1, you can see the budding art work of Brunswick County High School students.


To officially kick off the upcoming season, and welcome the arrival of warmer weather, Southport will host its annual Spring Festival hosted by Downtown Southport, Inc and the Southport-Oak Island Kiwanis Club. It will be held on Easter Weekend, April 10 and 11 at Franklin Square Park. There will be over 100 craft booths, lots of food vendors, live music, kid's games, plant sales, and much more. This festival gets bigger every year and honestly the attendance is staring to remind me of the 4th of July. It seems like everyone vacationing on our area beaches makes a point to get to Southport for at least one of the days. And Saturday only, is the not-to-be-missed Robert Ruark Chili Cook-off. Ruark spent much of his beloved childhood under the salty eye of his colorful Grandfather whose home has recently been converted to fabulous bed and breakfast. I was a little skeptical when I saw the white clapboard seaman's home turn to gold, but I have to admit, it is absolutely striking. The new Robert Ruark Inn is on the corner of Lord and Nash St. I wrote about Ruark's Old Man and the Boy in another blog. It's a wonderful book.



Where We Live is a local grassroots organization in Boiling Spring Lakes which gives testimony to the "can do" attitude of its founders of Jen Iapalucci and Eleanor Erickson. They saw a need to build communities and provide outlets for children and families, and boy have they taken the bull by the horns. When there wasn't a good playground for their children to play, they raised the money for one through many a creative endeavor. Now the Grand Opening of Muse Park Playground is April the 18th! When local kids were having to drive to Wilmington for music and art lessons, they started of offering Kord Music and Pint-Sized Picassos. Check out the calendar and other offerings. You'll be amazed. So the BIG thing they have coming up is their 1st Annual Live Green Music and Arts Festival, "a celebration of music, art, and Mother Earth," in Bolivia on April 11th. Click here to view the flyer or print one to put up in your neighborhood.



For the theatre go-ers among you, you know that Spring means the "Spring musical" for local theatre companies. For Stage II Productions, it means Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, which will be performed at the Amuzu April 24-25, and April 30-May 3. Shows at 8:00, Thurs. - Sat and also matinees Sat. and Sun. at 3:00. Founder of Stage II, Briton Campbell was a pirate in Brunswick Little Theatre's 2000 run of Pirates. Now she has a chance to direct and I'm looking forward to seeing it inside the historic walls of the Amuzu. Tickets on sale at their office on 807 Howe St. and Ricky Evans Gallery...or call Briton at 540.2801. You'd better hurry....opening night has already sold out!
In what has become a popular outdoor event every year, Brunswick Little Theatre will present Beehive, the 60's Musical at Franklin Square Park. It is a retrospective of the great female acts of the 60s and 70s including the Shirelles, the Supremes, Petula Clark, Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, and more. The show has just been cast and word on the street is that the voices in this show are unbelievable! I'm excited just hearing about it. This is a free show folks...donations appreciated of course. It will run two weekends, May 22-24 and May 29-31. Bring your chairs or blanket and a bottle of wine and enjoy an evening under the stars. Co-sponsored by the Southport Department of Tourism.



Now here's something new and different .... on May 12-16, the City of Southport and the Cape Fear Audubon Society are sponsoring Ibis Fest, celebrating the unique ecology of the Lower Cape Fear. Besides classes and presentations on topics such as birding, nature writing, photography, and native plants, you will be transported to various study sights by van, bus, or boat. For those who aren't familiar with Southport, right across the river lies Battery Island, North Carolina’s largest breeding rookery for ibises, egrets, and herons. It is a welcome sight around here each spring when the ibis fleet arrives. Every morning at sunrise you can view thousands of white ibises overhead as they leave the island for a day of inland feeding. Then the last couple hours of sunlight brings them back to roost. I can sit on my porch in the evening and watch them heading home, flock after flock, in well-rehearsed migration.
And finally, something that has really caught my eye.... on April 26th is the Sweet Tea Jamboree from 3-6PM at Orton Plantation Gardens. Everyone knows how much I love Orton...and sweet tea...it's pretty much a done deal. Oh and I forgot, there will be bluegrass music....check.... And speaking of bluegrass, we will miss our annual Spring trek to Wilkesboro and Merlefest this year. This is mostly due to belt-tightening but I can promise you it is the most phenomenal gathering of musical talent you're ever apt to experience in one place spread out over a four-day weekend. Just ask the 80,000 who come back year after year. You may have never heard of it but it is a very big deal. Music is such a blessing.


Well that's about all the damage I can do in one blog. There's plenty more on the calendar. I've just hit the high spots. If you want to know more, I'll be happy and try to steer you in the right direction, just email me or give me a call at 910.540.0551.

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Southport, NC - A Spring Welcome

Down here in Southport, it's just starting to feel a little different. Even though we've had our share of warm spells and 70 degree days this Winter, last weekend conjured up that unmistakable feeling of anticipation that has less to do with temperature and more to do with the primordial wake-up call that's being played all around us. You wouldn't know it by looking at my yard....all is still asleep including the bud-swelling, free wheeling wisteria that has a conceded stranglehold around my front porch. We have attempted to guide and foster this determined plant which has muscled its way around pickets and rail. It's a lot like the kids we've reared up right along side it....you admire it, you think you've got control over it, you nip it regularly, you give it a much needed cutting back every once in awhile, until the day finally comes when you just have to throw up your hands and say...."Have at it...it's all yours."

With Easter coming early this year, its about time to give the tourists the 'mon back signal, not like we have any control over the matter. It's just a part of life, something that all locals have to learn to deal with, along with the sand gnats that arrive at about the same time. We all understand that tourism is the heart and soul of our service industry-centered economy around here. Besides, our tourists are cool. They wear Provision Co tees instead of Hawaiian shirts!

The Southport Spring Festival is on tap for Easter Weekend under the oaks in Franklin Square Park. Lots of local crafts,food, and music give this gathering a much "cooler," laid-back feel than the Southport 4th of July Festival. It is anchored by the Robert Ruark Chili Cook-Off honoring the author of the part-autographical "Old Man and the Boy," inspired by summers and holidays spent at his grandparents house near the Southport Waterfront. If you've never read it you should...told from the boy's perspective with a keen eye for observation and a pure knack for local vernacular. Set back during the Depression and days of Prohibition, Ruark speaks right to the Southern heart of life spent outdoors; fishin', clammin', oysterin', duck huntin', all embellished with a crusty cast of characters, and warmed with Southern coastal cooking traditions and forbidden corn "licker."

I feel the need to speak out about a recent issue that has to do with our three newly elected Aldermen and one of their first and certainly most highly publicized vote. If you're a local or you've read my earlier blogs, you know that in November, three long-time incumbents were ousted by three candidates running on the platform of change, tighter restrictions on development, and heightened measures to preserve the unique small-town character that we all love about Southport. At issue was the unanimous recommendation from the Planning Board to rezone the undeveloped 106 acre parcel called Southport Crossing from multi-family/ office/ industrial to Residential single-family. Reducing maximum density from 11 to 4 units per acre seems like common sense to me, in this environmentally sensitive area with growing traffic concerns already. So with a "standing room only" crowd there to speak out in support of the Planning Board's decision, the motion was still defeated 4-2. All three of the surviving incumbents voted with the developers as everyone expected. The surprise came when Jwantana Frink, among the newly elected, stuck a fork in the motion with nary a comment. A 3-3 vote would have required a vote from the new Mayor Spencer and I'm reasonably sure the outcome would have been different. I'm disappointed in ALL of our Aldermen who completely ignored the entire Planning Board AND the citizens of Southport. Frink, after winning in November had this to say, "I kept my campaign short and sweet - to the point - (as) the people's voice." Wilmington Star 12-12-07

Politics as usual...........

There are a ton of local events on the calendar for this month. Anyone visiting Southport over Spring Break will find plenty to do. Brunswick Little Theatre’s production of A. R. Gurney’s “SYLVIA,” a poignant comedy about a couple facing mid-life changes and a stray dog named Sylvia, will be performed at Odell Williamson Auditorium on the campus of Brunswick Community College in Supply at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, March 7 and 8, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 9. Ten percent of the proceeds from these performances will be donated to Paws-Ability, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to animal welfare. Performances will also be held at Brown Coat Pub and Theatre (Guerilla Theatre’s new location), located at 111 Grace Street in downtown Wilmington at 8 PM. Thursday through Sunday, March 13th-16th.

Looking ahead to Memorial Day Weekend in Southport, Brunswick Little Theatre will be bringing a FREE outdoor show to Franklin Square Park. Bring a chair....enjoy a 25 year retrospective of BLT's musical history under the stars. Friday, Saturday, Sunday at 8PM.

Stage II Productions will present “Guys and Dolls,” a broadway classic for sure; a fast-paced, romantic musical comedy set during Prohibition in New York City. If you haven't seen a show in the old Amuzu Theatre in Downtown Southport yet, you'd be hard pressed to find a more authentic theatre experience. The show opens Friday, March 14. Performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 p.m. on Sundays through March 30. Tickets are available at Ricky Evans Gallery, located at 222 North Howe Street. For ticket information, call 457-1109.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Silver Coast Winery will celebrate everything Irish during the third annual Irish Festival on Saturday, March 15, from 11 am to 5 pm Irish Soda Bread Baking and Irish Jig contests and do some shopping with arts and crafts vendors. Prizes will also be given for best Irish costumes. Arts and crafts vendors are also scheduled. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children age 12 and younger.

Finally for a little something different, boaters unite for the annual Blessing of the Fleet on March 20th at 2 PM at the Waterfront. The event is organized every year by the Cape Fear Yacht Club. If you have a kayak, shrimp boat, cruiser, or sailboat, come on along. It is a day to look forward to a safe and pleasant boating season and to remember those we have lost to the sea. All boaters are invited to bring their craft out to the Southport waterfront where the Fleet Chaplain, will be ready to provide you and your vessel with a blessing for a safe and pleasant boating season. If you do not have a boat, come down to the Southport Waterfront anyway and watch. It's a beautiful sight to behold. I'll save you a seat.

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