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The newly formed Harbor Waterfront Committee will meet Wednesday, June 19 at 5:30p in the Oriental Town Hall. As with all town meetings, it is open to the public. No agenda has yet been publicly posted.

Pamlico Musical Society is offering up an evening of Americana music with the Gravy Boys in Lou Mac Park on Saturday June 22 at 7p. Bring a chair and enjoy the acoustic mix of folk, country, honky-tonk, and bluegrass. The Gravy Boys hail from the Triangle. PaMuSo is presenting the show for free. You’re invited!

SCOO and the Oriental Dinghy Club are once again presenting the Summer Solstice Regatta, this year, on Saturday June 22. They’ll race at noon, as always, out on the Neuse near Broad Creek. After that, there’s a pig pickin’/bring-a-dish picnic and awards ceremony at the Snyders at the end of Fork Point Road (1313) starting at 5:30p. (That’s also the site of the 9a Skippers’ Meeting.)

More details and the registration form are here. Questions? Contact Gerry Crowley at 252-249-9802 or gccrowley@pinelink.org. The 2013 Summer Solstice T-shirt is on sale for $18. (Plus, you can expand your wardrobe even more: 2011 T-shirts are $3 each or 2 for @5.)

Pamlico Amateur Radio Society hosts its Annual Field Day on Saturday-Sunday June 22-23. It’s part of a national Field Day — over the course of 24 hours, ham radio operators across the country will be testing their network and contacting other amateur radio folks hither and yon.

Locally, PARS invites the public to come to where they’ll be set up — on the Neuse River across from 1121 Neuse Drive. From 2-5p on Saturday the 22nd and 10a-2p on Sunday the 23rd, they’ll be testing and showing their capability to communicate in an emergency when other lines of communication are down. Come on by and check out their set-ups. They’re happy to show how it all works. You can also get info on how to become an amateur radio operator and how to get your FCC license. Pamlico County has about 150 “Hams”, almost half of whom are members of the PARS. For more info, contact Bill Cresswell at K2ONN at 410-598-6457 or cressbill@gmail.

The traditional Paradise Cove Marina Saturday night potluck has started up again. Bring a dish to share and join in. It starts at 6p on Saturday night. Paradise Cove Marina is at 1242 Paradise Shores Road. (From Oriental, take Straight Road til it ends, turn right and follow that for a while, then pass Whortonsville. Paradise Shores Road is on your right.)

In addition to the Pot Lucks every Saturday night, here’s what else is coming up at Paradise Cove Marina: June 29th – live music with Bob Laverty. Thursday July 4 – The July 4th Celebration and Barbeque. Saturday July 6 – Potluck and live music with The Rhythm Doctors. July 13 = Karaoke with Alexis.

The Oriental Farmers’ Market’s happens on Saturday mornings year round on Hodges Street. Spring and summer hours are 8-11a. The market’s emphasis is “local” — all of the items for sale are locally grown or locally made. You can get an idea of what will be for sale by visiting OrientalFarmersMarket.com

Daniel Simpson of the Pamlico County Agricultural Extension Office will has been offering workshops at the garden this summer. Mark your calendar for: the Fall/Winter/Spring Garden – August 17 and Native and Wildlife Plantings – September 21.

Sculptor Hanna Jubran is the Village Gallery’s guest artist for May and June. A professor of art at ECU, Jubran draws from his childhood in the upper Galilee region of Israel. The shapes and colors and textures of that landscape — from rocks to olive groves — formed an impression. At an early age, he began to carve in stone and cast in concrete, two media he works in to this day. His sculptures range from very large outdoor installations to small ceramics with bronze casts and works in iron and steel included in the mix.(Due to space limitations, the smaller-dimensioned works will be on display.)

The Village Gallery, on the harbor next to The Bean is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10-5 and in addition to the Jubran sculptures, visitors may view a wide range of work by the Gallery’s resident artists.

At the Oriental History Museum this summer, Duck, Duck, Goose — no, not the children’s game, but a special waterfowl exhibit. Come by and see the flock — fourteen mounted ducks and geese — and a raft of duck decoys. Also at the museum, a replica of the steamer that gave Oriental its name, photos and artifacts from Oriental’s hey-day as a lumber town. There’s a dragon exhibit, too. The Duck, Duck Goose exhibit is open now through September. The Museum is located at 802 Broad Street in Oriental. Hours are: Friday 11 am – 3 pm, Saturday 1 – 4 pm and Sunday 1 – 4 pm. Admission to the Museum is always free. For more information contact museum@dockline.net.

In 5 short years, Oriental’s Bow to Stern Youth Sailing Camp has trained more than 550 children how to sail a boat. Bow To Stern is kicking off its 6th season on the week of June 17-21. The week-long classes will run thru August. Kids from age 7-16 are welcome to take classes at Bow to Stern’s Boating Center on the shore of Smith Creek (290 Blackwell Point Loop Road). Visit the Bow To Stern website by clicking here for more info or to sign up your child for a week (or two) this summer. (You can also find boats to rent if you want to take a sail..) For the 2008 story about the community-based start-up of the youth sailing camp, click here.

Off-Broadway comes to Oriental’s Old Theater on Saturday June 29 with a showing of “Sistas”. The musical production about three African-American sisters, a niece and sister-in-law – and some big slices of American history in the last century 00 has been running for two years in NY and is now out on DVD. The actress playing the niece is Lexi Rhoades, who was a student at Oriental’s Children’s Theater Workshop 8 years ago. Admission is free, but donations for the ongoing work of CTW (which starts up again in July) are welcome. Showtime is 7p.

It is registration time for this July’s Children’s Theater Workshop. There are two sessions – July 1-12 for grades 1 & 2 and grades 5, 6 & 7, and July 15-26 for grades 3 & 4 and 8 to 12. Todd Ford will be the instructor this year. For more info and the registration forms, click here. The classes are open to children inside and outside the county. For questions about registration or to ensure early placement, contact Julia Mobley at 249-6513. Right now, the Workshop’s Board of Directors are also requesting donations from county residents to help match the grants to keep this program affordable to all who may wish to attend. For more info on donations, contact Patti Higginbottom at 249-2968.

July 5 and July 6. Croakerfest always happens on the first Saturday in July and this year, that’s July 6. Oriental’s big summertime festival to honor the humble fish kicks off on Friday July 5. That afternoon, there’ll be performances by the Pamlico Community Band, the Pamlico Chorale just before the Miss Croaker Pagaent down by the South Avenue/Freemason Street waterfront. Also, baking contests get decided at that time. That’s on Friday the 5th.

On Saturday the 6th, look for the Croakerfest Parade at 10a on Broad Street-Hodges Street. Vendors sell in Lou Mac Park thru the day and there’s usually music for street dancing in the evening. Also, small boat sailors race in the Croaker Regatta on Saturday afternoon. Fireworks usually bring the final touch to Croakerfest, circa 9:30-9:45p on Saturday night. They’re set off from at Teaches Point, between Green and Smith Creeks.

Want to run for municipal elections in November? There’s a two week window when you can toss your hat in to the ring. The Candidate Filing Period starts on Friday, July 5 at noon and closes on Friday July 19, also at noon. You do this at the County Board of Elections office in Bayboro where Lisa Bennett and her staff are standing by. They can answer any questions you have about the process. The Board’s number is 252-745-4821. All filing fees are $5.

Nautical Wheelers continues its third Saturday of the month wine tastings on Saturday, July 20. Stop on by the porch at 411 Broad Street for this latest wine sampling.The wine tasting will be happening in shifts — at 3 and 4p. (The next wine tasting is August 17.)

Oriental’s Rotary Club holds its 21st Annual Tarpon Tournament on July 27-28 and its 2nd Annual Inshore Slam on July 26. Proceeds go to the Rotary’s Scholarship Fund.

The Friday Inshore Slam tournament runs from 7a to 4:30p and the winner is determined in a weigh-in of the heaviest flounder, slot drum and speckled trout caught on each boat. In the Tarpon Tourney, it’s the number of tarpon hooked — and then released — that determines the winner. In order to ensure enough observers, each boat registering to compete must also supply one observer (who will observe on another competing boat.) Even if you’re not fishing you can take part. There’ll be a BBQ dinner on Saturday night, July 27 at the Oriental Marina.

The Pamlico Music Society is bringing singer Kathy Mattea to Oriental’s Old Theater, Friday September 20. This concert is a bonus, that is, separate from the rest of the PaMuSo season lineup. Tickets will be $30. That may be a bit more than most Pamlico Musical Society shows but that will likely be seen as a bargain to see Mattea — who usually plays much larger venues — perform in the 160 seat theater here in Oriental NC. No word yet on when tickets will be available.

Oriental’s a town that celebrates New Year’s twice. First at December 31 and then again when the Chinese Lunar New Year happens, a date that depends on the moon’s phases. Since 2011, Oriental has marked this other new year with a dragon run down Hodges Street. The Asian Lunar New Year for 2014 is January 31 and with it, we’ll be going from the Year of the Snake to the Year of the Horse.

Oriental’s Drummin’ Dragons get together every Thursday night from 7-8:30p. Now that warmer weather and more daylight hours are here, you’ll find the drum circle at Lou Mac Park on Thursday evenings. (In the winter months, they gather at the Perry Griffin House – 300 High Street.) All are invited – come on by and learn to drum. (They have some spare drums for you to try.)

Wednesday Night Racing’s back. You’ll find sailors from Oriental out on the Neuse for the Wednesday Night Sail Race. Boats rendezvous at Oriental Marker #1 on each Wednesday for a relatively carefree race around the government marks. Just show up. The race starts at 1730 GPS time . There is a warning horn at 1725 (usually) and again at the start. Which ever is more upwind, Garbacon or Adam’s Creek, is the weather mark, round the other as the leeward mark and finish at Oriental 1. VHF Channel 72 for communications. Questions? Contact Joe Valinoti – joesail1@gmail.com.

Share ideas with fellow anglers. The Lower Neuse Anglers Club meets on the second Tuesday of every month, at 7p. They meet at Oriental Town Hall and welcome members and non-members alike. For more info, contact Ron Zielinski at 249-2128.

US Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 20-03 meets the first Wednesday each month at Fire Station # 19 on Straight Road, Oriental, at 7:30 PM. The meetings — which focus on boating safety, navigation and GPS, for instance — are open to the public. New members welcomed. For more info, contact the Auxiliary’s Bob Webster 252-249-2426

Find a bargain in your clothes shopping and help Hospice of Pamlico County at the same time. The Hospice Thrift Shop on Highway 55 in Bayboro is now open from 10a to 4p Monday-Friday and 10a-1p on Saturday. The shop is now ready to show off its Spring and Summer Collection, including a large group of shoes and purses. (You really can score some fine threads there…..) All of the proceeds go to support Hospice of Pamlico County. Donations of gently used clothes, housewares, small appliances, knickknacks, bedding, books, office supplies and more are always appreciated and may be dropped off during shop hours. For more info, contact the store manager at 745-5033.

The Oriental Express Bicycle Club invites anyone with a bike to join them for their Recreational Ride on Saturday mornings. It winds its way through th Old Village and on to the Dolphin Point area. It’s about 8 miles and the pace is very undemanding. Conversational you might say. Just show up with bike and helmet and you’re off!

In addition to their Saturday morning recreational ride in Oriental, the Oriental Express Bicycle Club also goes on longer and faster rides on Sundays and Wednesdays. These are ‘no-drop’ rides focused on fitness and fun. For more info, including the days, locations and times, check out the Bicycle Club’s web site. or call Doug Sligh 249-3362 and Cynthia Cochran 249-0761.

Alcoholics Anonymous meets in several locations in the area throughout the week.
At Oriental Free Will Baptist Church on Ragan Road, Tuesdays at 8pm and Thursday at noon. At St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Freemason Street, Sundays at 8pm.
And at Rock of Zion Church on Hwy 306 in Grantsboro, on Fridays at 8pm.

There is also an Al-Anon group meeting Tuesday nights – from 8-9pm – at 403 Mildred Street.

Handy with a hammer and nails? Pamlico County Senior Services needs more volunteers to help build handicap access ramps at the homes of some of Pamlico’s older residents. Senior Services provides the materials while volunteers led by Tim Balfour construct one ramp every month. Contact Tim at 745-3247 to offer a hand for the next project.

The Pamlico Chorale meets every Monday evening at 7p at The Oriental United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. The Chorale performs in concert at least four times a year, including Spirit of Christmas weekend and opening the Croaker Festival. If you love to sing, the Chorale is the place to spend a few hours every Monday. Everyone is welcome. For more info, contact Carla Byrnes at 745-4793 or 670-4960.

Oriental Rotary Club meets every Monday at Brantley’s Village Restaurant starting at 6:45pm. The club does good things throughout the community….from scholarships to road clean-up. For info about the club and meetings contact Jim Berry @ 249-3960.

Pamlico County Fishes And Loaves is collecting canned goods and they have a drop-off point inside First Citizens Bank in Oriental. Fishes and Loaves is a cooperative effort of a number of churches and organizations in Pamlico County working to provide food to the hungry.

The Oriental Woman’s Club holds its meetings on the first Tuesday of the month at 1pm at the clubhouse at 1007 Gilgo Road. Guests are welcome. Meetings include refreshments, a special speaker and short business session. OWC is a service club focused on community service, as well as state, national and international concerns of women and children. The OWC awards several scholarships annually to Pamlico County High School graduating seniors who continue their education at the college level. For more information about club activities and membership, contact Linda Parker at 249-0888.

Its first thrift store was such a success that Habitat for Humanity of Pamlico County moved in to bigger quarters. It’s now at 14172 Hwy 55 in Bayboro. Hours are 10-3, Monday thru Saturday. As before, the store specializes in furnishings and fixtures for the home and the materials to help build it. Proceeds go to the Habitat efforts to build affordable housing in Pamlico County. If you have items to give to the store and you’d like the donations picked up, give the store a call at 745-1106. That’s also the number to call if you’re interested in becoming a volunteer with Habitat’s latest home construction project.

In just a few years, the prayer shawl ministry at Oriental United Methodist Church has knitted or crocheted more than 225 shawls for those in need. The group meets Thursday mornings from 10-11:30am at the church to crochet or knit shawls and pray for the recipients of them. The weekly gatherings have brought together people from all walks of life and religious faiths. (And even non-knitters; if you don’t know how to knit, stop on by and get a lesson and join in.) Contact Leigh Price at 249-1361.

In Haiti the need is still great, and here in Oriental you can still help. Oriental’s United Methodist Church continues to collect bags of dried beans and bags of rice for Haitian earthquake victims. Thanks to generous donations in January, a truckload was sent to MERCI, the Methodist disaster relief center in Goldsboro, which is sending regular shipments to Haiti. Contributions of rice and beans greatly appreciated at the Methodist Church at Freemason and Church Streets. Cash may also be dropped off at the church office. For more info, contact Nancy Huff at 249-0732.

The Pamlico Amateur Radio Society meets at Brantley’s Village Restaurant at 9am on the last Saturday of every month (except June). They invite all HAMS and those interested in amateur radio to attend. For additional information, please call Gail (Wally) Wallace, KK4ASP, at 410-804-1750 or Bill Olah, KR4LO, at 252-249-0287.

Avoid the longer lines and drive to New Bern’s DMV office and take care of your driver’s license renewals at the DMV mobile unit that visits Pamlico County once every month. The big DMV RV is set up outside the County Health Department (behind the courthouse in Bayboro) on the second Thursday after the first Monday of the month. Hours are 9a-3p.

The Pamlico County Library hosts two book clubs. The Bookworm Club meets on the third Monday of the month at 2pm. The Beach Books Club – which takes on lighter fare – gets together on the second Tuesday, also at 2pm. New members welcome. Call the library at 745-315 for more info.

Go take a walk! The Oriental Walking Group sets out on a series of organized walks through the village on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Meet up with walk leaders Gary and Pat Leonard at Lou Mac Park for a 9am departure. Oriental’s a great town to walk around and the walking group may help you stay disciplined about getting fit. Pedometers and water bottles provided by the Flexfit program of Heartworks. Call the Leonards for details at 249-0138 or just show up.

Friends of the Pamlico County Library meets the first Thursday of the month at 11am at the library on Highway 55 in Bayboro. This is the group of folks who help sustain the library. For info, call 745-3515.