Tarheel BBQ Chamionship in Shelby, NC!

 Friday November 6th
$10 Taster’s Choice 6:30 until

Saturday November 7th|
$1.00 Gate Admission
 - Car & Cycle Show
 - Crafts, Stage Entertainment
 - New Larger Kidz Zone
 - Dine-in & Carry-out BBQ Meals
 - Kids menu at Dine-in
 - New! Express BBQ Drive-thru

Friday: Tell the World band (7-8:30 pm); Karaoke (9:00 pm with registration at 8:30) Saturday on Main Stage: Joyful Hands sign language (10:15 am); KT & Aaron band (11:30-1:00 pm);
Tell the World band (1:15-2:45 pm) Saturday on Performing Arts Stage: Log Cabin String Band (11:00 am); Comedian Keith Nanney (12 noon); Saddle Pals (1:00 pm); Academy of Performing Arts (1:30 pm); Country music with Meghan Morehead (2:00 pm) For a full schedule, visit: http://www.hoghappnin.com/2009schedule.htm

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Scotland Neck, NC – Small Town Character

In 1722 a colony of Scotch Highlanders led by Lord Nairn settled in the “neck” of the Roanoke River. The name Scotland Neck first described the small communities that clustered around this original settlement. Nearly 150 years later, a progressive citizen named John Hyman adopted the name for the town he was to establish in this thriving area of commerce. Scotland Neck was officially incorporated in 1867 and work began creating the spacious avenues and tree-lined median of the north and southbound lanes of Main Street.

Today this historic median is festooned with glorious crepe myrtles that bloom each summer, a sight that welcomes thousands of visitors to Scotland Neck’s annual Crepe Myrtle Festival in August. Live music, craftspeople with their wares, food and drink entertain the visitors, guests and home folks who fill our streets. However, this festival is just one highlight in a town that values civic involvement.

Kiwanis, Lions, Junior Order, Masons and other civic groups take pride in annual projects that add value to the community. These clubs are joined by Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian and Catholic churches working together to broaden Scotland Neck’s base of support, attracting people of all backgrounds and denominations to the community.

For more information, visit: http://www.townofscotlandneck.com

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29th Annual NC Oyster Festival – “A Success!”

Source: http://capefearbusiness.com

Ocean Isle Beach, NC  –  The 29th Annual North Carolina Oyster Festival was held October 17 & 18, 2009 on Ocean Isle Beach.  The event boosted a total of 35,000 festival attendees over the 2 day event.  The NC Oyster Festival, a 2 day festival which included over 120 authentic arts and crafts vendors, food vendors, roasted oysters, local nonprofits, a children’s area, live entertainment, Oyster Stew Cook-Off, NC Oyster Shucking Championships, Road Race, and new to 2009 – a Shag Dancing Contest!  “There was something for everyone at this year’s event!” said Megan Masser, Events Director. 

The event is kicked off with a 5K, 10K, and 1 Mile Fun Run starting at the OIB Community Center.  1st Place overall winner of the 5K race was Connor Flater of High Point, NC and 1st Place in the 10K was Wylie Penegar of Lancaster, SC.  Top winners received prizes from Try Sports of Wilmington.  Saturday evening the exciting North Carolina Oyster Shucking Championships was held!  The winner of the Professional Division will attend the 2010 National Oyster Shucking Championship held in Maryland.  This year’s professional division included seven of the area’s best oyster shuckers, the overall champion was Lisa Bellamy.  In the amateur division, five people competed and the winner was Barry Ervin.

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Oriental, NC – “The Friendliest Town”

Source: Sailblogs.com

Satya Robinson
10/23/2009, Oriental City North Carolina

We arrived in the most magical place called Oriental City, North Carolina, anchored in quiet bay in front of the busiest gathering of local elders with hearts so big, we just bathed in its wonder for 2 days.
After a great sleep, an early morning fishing expedition with Bryn and Dylan that fetched a 14 and 17 inch speckled trout, which Phil later filleted and we had for dinner, we returned to find that Phil had moved the boat to a 48 hour free dock and we were front and centre of the heart of Oriental City and all the love it offered.

We were greeted and served up abundant offerings including rides(to grocery stores) by people( Dick, Terry and Pappi) either at the Tiki Bar, just stopping in their cars or walking by. Four fishing pros(Fred, Bill, John and a friendly man that worked at the fishery next to us that saw the children on a floating dock attempting to master “The Pancake Throw”)offered lessons on how to throw (wow it is really an art)a newly acquired bait net and dinner for all at the Tiki Bar.

By late afternoon , I surrendered to any attempts of leaving the dock and exploring with Chantelle as originally planned. We sat on the dock and listened to fellow sailors life stories from musicians , teachers, retired oil employees, lifelong livers on the water to entrepreneurs and more.

Dylan was in his element at the bar diving into the spirits of all the diverse and adventurous souls, capturing their hearts with is genuine curiousity about life. Cheryl, a high school English teacher, gave him her facebook address , commenting that she does not even allow her students on her FB, and wanted to be friends with him.

Chantelle enjoyed a girly manicure at a local spa, practiced bait net throwing and mastered a ring toss (at the Tiki Bar) wrapping a ring around a hook on a tree with the help of the secret tip from a local veteran .
Phil visited marinas, consignment shops and hardware stores for various goodies and I took a quiet bike ride along the waterfront and breathed in spirit of the land, creatures, trees and community.

PLEASE READ MORE

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Plymouth, NC – Mayberry on the Roanoke River

Stroll Plymouth, NC’s Water Street along the riverfront  and in just four short blocks you’ll discover the top-rated Port ‘O Plymouth history/Civil War museum, The Roanoke River Lighthouse and Maritime Museum, a wildlife museum that offers a hands-on experience about local and exotic animals, a riverfront boardwalk and the Rail Switch Nature Trail. Browse waterfront antique shops and unique eateries along the way.

Outdoor adventures include fishing and fishing tournaments, fantastic bear, deer and small game hunting, unique paddling and river platform camping experiences and great birding opportunities. With its rich history, Plymouth is a great place for research, too. 

Established in 1787, Plymouth is older than Washington County. For 70 years prior to Plymouth’s founding, generations of the Rhodes family had been planters in the area. Arthur Rhodes founded what was to become Plymouth from land he acquired through inheritance, gift deeds and purchases. This collection of property became his plantation and was called Brick House. From that property he sectioned off one hundred acres, subdividing them into 172 lots, which he would sell. These lots were the beginnings of Plymouth. He sold 16 lots.

Rhodes ended his enterprise in 1790 and he and his wife sold the remaining lots, except for two or three kept for themselves, to nine trustees for 860 pounds. The trustees installed posts to mark streets and planted trees. In 1807, Plymouth became the first incorporated town in the newly–formed Washington County.

READ MORE ABOUT PLYMOUTH, NC

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Edenton aims to draw tourists with new businesses

Source: HamptonRoads.com

The Virginian-Pilot
© October 18, 2009

By Connie Sage,  Correspondent

EDENTON, N.C.

With a 12 percent jobless rate, this tourism-dependent community of 5,000 has been hit hard by the recession.

But entrepreneurs are hoping that more than a half-dozen new or planned restaurants, inns and a yacht club will lure guests to historic Edenton.

A new bed and breakfast had its coming-out party last week. Another inn is to open by December. Two oyster bars and grills are to be in business by November. Another eatery had its grand opening earlier this month. There’s a new bistro at the local country club. And a local chef expects to start serving dinner before Christmas.

Paul Waff has leased space for an oyster bar and grill in a new three-story building at his Wharf Landing condominium community. Wharf Landing overlooks the juncture of the Chowan River and the Albemarle Sound at the Chowan River Bridge.

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VISIT THE TOWN OF EDENTON, NC

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Top 5 Reasons To Live In Clayton, NC

Finding a good home in the best of the North Carolina’s small towns might seem a daunting task, if only because there are so many good, small communities out there with beautiful landscapes and top notch living arrangements. Towns like Clayton, North Carolina are just such perfect towns and offer what every good family raising destination should, good quality living with a small town atmosphere and wonderful neighbors. The reasons to consider Clayton when deciding where to move in the Raleigh area are growing, but I’m going to give you just five.

Only a few short miles from Raleigh and the industrial and educational centers of the state, Clayton is a town that has recently begun to look mighty good to the hundreds of thousands living in the area. With so many high paying jobs in the Research Triangle, it’s only natural that the average household income in the area is a fairly decent wage and that the quality of life is so high.

Home to an ever growing Chamber of Commerce and the recently built Research Training Zone, a joint venture with the county and NC State University, Clayton is quickly turning from small town to developing landscape. Because of the beauty and untouched nature of the surrounding area though, developers are taking special care to maintain the charm of the small town.

Sitting in the heart of North Carolina’s biggest Educational sector, Clayton is in perfect striking distance of any number of major Universities; schools like Duke, NC State, and UNC at Chapel Hill. The location also makes its developing public school system a top notch program, quickly growing and developing.

As with any small town area rapidly growing, the housing costs are sure to rise, but at the moment it’s as good a time as any to hit the housing market and pick up one of any number of homes at a cost well below the national averages in a soon to be much larger market.

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Visit The Town of Clayton, NC

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Franklin, NC Endorses Economic Development Plan

Source: The Franklin Press

By Melanie Lebert

Aldermen have formally endorsed the Town of Franklin Economic Development Plan.

Paul Combs, the STEP coach from the North Carolina Rural Center, presented the plan to the town board at their meeting Monday night.

“The intent of the Rural Center is to help small towns,” Combs said. “It’s been a good process here in Franklin.”

A team including members of the Franklin Main Street Program board and other community representatives have been working on the project for more than a year. The program is seeking a $100,000 grant to implement an Economic Development Plan from the NC STEP Program, which helps revitalize small towns in the state. Franklin became an NCSTEP community through the efforts of the Main Street Program.

Alderman Sissy Pattillo, who is the liaison board member for the Main Street Program, commented on how well the diverse committee has been able to collaborate. Combs agreed. “I think they’ve done a tremendous job,” he said.

READ MORE AND CHECK OUT THE PLAN

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Columbia, NC – Pride of Tyrrell County

“Columbia, Tyrrell County is home to tens of thousands of acres of protected lands, 85% of the entire county,  just waiting for you to explore! The ancient maritime forests remind us of time before human encroachment. You may be rewarded with an awe inspiring glimpse of soaring bald eagles or hear the cries of the parent ospreys protecting their huge nest perch precariously high in the overhead boughs. Wetlands provide critical habitat for more than 20 endangered, rare and threatened species including free roaming Red Wolves. So leave your car and put your feet on the earth. Turn off your phone and listen to the chatter of the birds. Dock your motor boat, Jet Ski and wave runner, put in a canoe and paddle the water to a slower pace and listen to the rhythms of your heart and breath.

Columbia on the Scuppernong features one of North Carolina’s most picturesque waterfronts and offers protected, deep-water anchorages along the town docks and marinas. In addition to the beautiful Scuppernong River, Tyrrell County is bordered on the north by the Albemarle Sound, the East Coast’s largest estuary and to the east by the Alligator River and sunsets to die for. Tyrrell County was formed in 1729 from Chowan, Bertie, Currituck and Pasquotank counties. Named for Sir John Tyrrell, one of the Lords Proprietors of the Carolina colony. Tyrrell County’s boundaries originally stretched westward from Roanoke Island to near present-day Tarboro.
In 1870 the territory was divided and resulted in what is now known as Tyrrell, Martin, Washington, and Dare counties. Elizabethtown, later renamed Columbia, was established on the banks of the Scuppernong River in 1793 and became the Tyrrell County seat in 1799.

To find out more about this “Mayberry”, please visit The Town of Columbia’s website: http://www.columbianc.com/

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Autumn Leaves Festival in Mount Airy: October 9-11, 2009

The Autumn Leaves Festival is an event sponsored by the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce to celebrate our cultural music and craft heritage. This is the 43rd Annual year of the Autumn Leaves Festival and it will be held on October 9-11, 2009. This event is one of the longest running in-and most successful-events in the state. The Autumn Leaves Festival is always the second full weekend in October. We will host well over 170 craft booths and 25 food booths. WPAQ, the local AM radio station and recognized as the “grandaddy” of Old Tyme music will coordinate and host the bandstand on Independance Blvd. Nearly 200,000 people will frequent the streets of Mount Airy over the three day period. There are a number of parking lots in the downtown area that are well marked for the festival.

The festival showcases our rich musical heritage, such as Old-Time, Blue Grass and Gospel performed by local musicians on the downtown stage. The unique arts & crafts of more than 170 juried craftsmen line the streets with many demonstrating their talents and skills passed down through the generations; then there is “Food for the Soul”, ham biscuits, collards & cornbread, barbeque, hamburgers, ground steak and more served with hospitality by our local civic and service organizations. It’s a walker’s paradise with visual delights and mouthwatering treats at every stop. It’s a toe-tapping, foot stomping, hand clapping kind of weekend where old friendships are renewed and new friendships are made. The Autumn Leaves Festival is a homecoming where guests become neighbors.

For more information, please visit: http://www.autumnleavesfestival.com!

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