home

Richard and Andrea Black — and the boat they live on — will sail from Oriental toward Spain this summer. Before they go they will perform one more flamenco show in Oriental’s Old Theater on Friday May 16 at 7:30pm. Richard – El Quijote – will be playing guitar, and Andrea, La Canela, will dance. Tickets are $12 (a bit less for Old Theater members) and you can get them at the box office or in advance, at Croakertown in Oriental or Bank of the Arts in New Bern. For more info email saeta@sailingflamenco.com

The Circle Ten Gallery this month features local artists John Hanley and Marion Adams.

Marion Adams focuses on portraits of people she meets in the area. John Hanley’s new work, meanwhile, captures local roads and some familiar boat yard scenes. C’mon down and see the TravLift on canvas and the portraits of some folks you may know. The Gallery is open Wednesday thru Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 1pm to 4pm. For more info, call 249-0298.

If you’re looking for locally grown, locally made foods, the Oriental Farmers’ Market is the place and the next one is happening Saturday May 17 outside the Wit’s End on Hodges Street, next to the Duck Pond.

The market is opening earlier. It’s now starting at 8am and running until 11am (so the farmers don’t melt in the heat…) You’ll find locally laid eggs, produce from local gardens and farm, plants, biodegradeable bags sold for a pittance, birdhouses and suet feeders, and more items which will be updated here as the market grows closer. And if you have something locally grown or locally made, you can join the market! There’s no charge to sell. But just let us know — at 675-0180 — that you want to take part.

Learn about the “philosophy of Enneagram in a workshop on Saturday May 17 from 11a-1pm at Body Balance Studio. Elizabeth Carrington-House who will lead the workshop, describes the Enneagram as a tool for tapping in to our gifts and determining our blind spots. Cost is $22 and payable when you register. Call 249-3664 for more info or visit the Body Balance Website.

Oriental’s History Museum has started laying out displays for its new exhibit,“Weddings of Oriental Throughout History.” Featured will be more than a dozen different weddings from several eras — that’s Norma Spruill Smith’s pink wedding dresss from 1944. We’ll let you take a guess about the identity of the
the newlyweds in this other photo. Also on display, a hastily drawn sign from 1989 about a business that would be closed because of a wedding at the Oriental Marina. The Oriental History Museum is open Fridays 11am-3pm, Saturdays noon to 4pm and Sundays 1-4pm. They’re in the Village Square, on Broad Street. Call 670-9318 for more info on arranging a weekday visit or to give a donation to the museum. (Y’know, sorta like a little wedding gift…)

The documentary, With God on Our Side: George W, Bush and the Rise of the Religious Right, will be shown at 7pm on Wednesday night May 21st at Oriental’s Old Theater. The Chicago Tribune review describes it as ‘compelling .. and even-handed’ as it explores the past 40 years of the evangelical movement as it applies to the country and to the president. Admission is free and there will be a discussion about the film and the issues it raises.

Oriental’s Planning Board holds its monthly meeting on Tuesday May 27 at 7pm at Town Hall. Click here for the agenda.

Oriental Town Board meets Tuesday June 3 at 7pm at Town Hall. for its regularly scheduled monthly meeting.

Come have lunch and learn about the Life Line Screening. Pamlico Community college offers a lunch hour mini-workshop on Wednesday June 4 from noon to 1pm. It’s a preview to the upcoming Life Line Screening session on June 18 The luncheon workshop at the Delamar Center is free, but pre-registration is required. Call Joan Burns at 249-1851, ext. 3034 to register. Oh, and they suggest you bring a heart-healthy lunch…

Jenny Boudreault is moving back to Oriental, and with her husband Jason, is opening a new Jenny Art Gallery at the corner of Hodges and Broad Street in the Old Hotel. You may remember Jenny’s Oriental portraits and GPS scenes of Pamlico that were on display briefly last summer at a temporary gallery before she moved to Brooklyn — and one last year of school.

Oriental and Pamlico County artists show off their work in the annual Art on the Neuse, happening on Saturday June 14 on the grounds of the Oriental Marina. More details coming. If you’re an artist living in Pamlico County and would like to take part, or if you would like to be a patron of the arts and a sponsor, contact Toni Leavitt at 249-0849.

The downward facing dog paddle? Karen Prince of Paddle Pamlico and Susan Koepp of Body Balance are offering another Yoga Paddle on Saturday June 14 starting at 1pm There’ll be a pre-paddle stretch, a 30-40 minute kayak trip, a creekside stop to do a 40 minute yoga session and then a paddle back to the launch site and another post-paddle integration. It’s open to all levels of kayak and yoga skill. Those who’ve gone on earlier Yoga Paddles came back enthused and refreshed. The 2-3 hour session is $65 ($45 if you bring your own kayak, paddle and PFD). Reservations recommended. 252-249-1850. (BTW, there will be Yoga Paddles on the second Saturday from now thru the end of the summer.)

You can get some free health screenings on Wednesday June 18 from 10am-3pm at Pamlico Community College’s Delamar Auditorium. In this Life Line Screening they’ll run tests for stroke, AAA, PAD and Osteoporosis which you can then take to your doctor. It’s free but registering in advance is requested. To RSVP or to just get more info, contact Joan Burns at 249-1851 ext. 3034, or joan_burns @ pamlico.mailcruiser.com

The calendar may tell you that Summer starts on June 20, but it doesn’t really get going til the horn blows for the Whortonsville Yacht and Tractor Club Summer Solstice Regatta Saturday June 21st. It happens on the Neuse near the entrance to Broad Creek — with the skippers’ pre-race meeting and post-regatta feast at Nick and Jeannette Santoro’s Ensign Harbor Marina in metro Whortonsville.

• Skipper’s Meeting 9am
• First start scheduled for High Noon out on the Neuse River
• Awards, pig roast, and covered dish picnic after the race (usually about 5:30p). Bring a covered dish (1 per 4 or less people) and folding chair (if desired).

Another T-shirt to add to the collection. What will this year’s design be? Registration is just $15 – click here to download the registration form.

So, what is it about sugar that makes us crave it? You can find out at the “Sugar Blues” workshop at Body Balance Studios on Saturday June 21. From 11am-1pm health counselor Jean Wright will talk about sugar cravings and how to deal with them. If you want to kick the sugar habit, and take part in the workshop, call 249-3664 for further information or visit the Body Balance website (There you can also learn how to set up a special, personalized appointment, if you would like one.)

The Children’s Theater Workshop is preparing for another summer season, this time with Craven County drama teacher, Aaron Williams heading up the course. Grades 1 & 2 will attend June 30-July 11 in the mornings, while Grades 5 & 6 will attend in the afternoon. The next two week session runs from July 14-25 and will have Grades 3 & 4 attending in the mornings, and Grades 8-12 in the afternoons. Registration forms will be handed out in Pamlico County schools. For those children living outside the county, forms can be obtained thru Barb Ritchie at 249-2420

The first Saturday in July means Croakerfest. Mark your calendars now. The event kicks off on Friday July 4, 2008 and kicks in to higher gear on Saturday the 5th. Start thinking of your parade entry now.

Get those words written. On Wednesday July 16, Hilda Corey presents a workshop on Writing Your Life Stories at Pamlico Community College’s Delamar Center. The 3-5pm session will include what makes a good story, publishing and marketing. It’s free but pre-registration is required. Call Joan Burns at 249-1851, ext. 3034.

After Croakerfest, it’s the biggest event in the Oriental summer: The Rotary Club’s 16th Annual Tarpon Tournament is scheduled for July 25-27. Try your hand at catching (then releasing) the tarpon. There’s $22,000 in prizes. Tournament headquarters will be at Whittaker Pointe Marina. On Saturday night, July 26 that’s where there will be a barbeque dinner and free concert that’s open to the public. You can get your tickets from any Oriental Rotary Club member. The Rotary is also looking for folks to volunteer as observers. Proceeds from the event go toward a scholarship fund for Pamlico County students. For more contact Paul Miller at 252-249-1443 or email to orctarpon@hotmail.com.

The Pamlico Musical Society holds its 2nd or 3rd annual (it’s hard to keep track) Oriental Folk Festival on October 17-18 at Oriental’s Old Theater. On Friday, October 17 Little Windows will be opening for Tracy Grammer and on the next night, Saturday October 18, the line-up will be Noah Paley and Susan Werner. Details on tickets coming.

Mark the calendars, paddlers! The 2008 Pamlico Paddle has been set for Saturday October 18 at Spring Creek, a tributary of the Bay River. The launch is a place called Alice on the Bay River. Karen Prince of Paddle Pamlico says she was scouting up there recently and reports it’s the most pristine place she’s seen in Pamlico County. Check here at What’s Happening for the entry form and other info which we’ll post when it’s available.

For two decades, PEACE Preschool has been preparing students for kindergarten and life beyond. PEACE is now enrolling kids for the Big Fun Summer Session — and needs a few more students to keep the school going. The school offers special instruction, walks around the village, visits to places in town, as well as Spanish instruction. PEACE says that there is financial assistance is available thru DSS and an additional scholarship program.) For more details, call 252 249-2168 or 252-670-9318 or click here.

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.

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.

The cold weather may be here but the Paradise Cove Marina is continuing to host their Saturday night pot-lucks. Bring a dish to share —maybe a hot one would be in order — and buy your drinks at the ammo-barge bar. The dinners start at 6pm. There’s karaoke, too but owner Paul Del Rio says it’s not your usual karaoke and all that implies. At Paradise Cove, he says, it evolves in to singalongs. Find out for yourself. Paradise Cove Marina is off the road between Whortonsville and Florence. Call Paul or Rose del Rio at 249-2025 for directions and more info.

Those drummers you heard during the Running of the Dragon don’t limit themselves to New Years Eve. The Oriental Drum Circle meets most Wednesdays for a session of West African style hand drumming. This is at Town Hall from 7-8:30pm every Wednesday except the last Wednesday of the month. Anyone who wants to play or learn about this style is welcome. Bring your own drum or percussion instrument. If you don’t have one, come anyway, cos they have a few extra drums on hand to try out. For more info, contact Doug Carmichael at 249-2363.

The Oriental Express Bicycle Club invites anyone with a bike to join them for their Recreational Ride on Saturday mornings. This begins at 8:30am at Lou Mac Park and winds it 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 rides. There’s a 20-30 mile ride on Wednesday that leaves from the Silos Restaurant in Oriental at 5:30 pm. And on Sundays, OEBC leaves Lou Mac Park at 2pm fo ra 20-30 mile ride. A helmet is required. These are ‘no-drop’ rides. For more info, call Kathryn Garcia 249-0119 or Charles Fetzer 249-2886 or check out the Bicycle Club’s web site.

The Pamlico Amateur Radio Society meets at Brantley’s Village Restaurant on the last Saturday of every month at 9am. The group includes cruising and liveaboard hams, those interested in the Amateur Radio Emergency Service , weather watchers active in SkyWarn and those who are just generally interested in amateur radio. All hams and those interested in amateur radio are welcome. Call call Tom Corwin at 249-1590 (KI4NSP) for more info.

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.

Oriental Rotary Club meets every Monday at the Oriental Steamer 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 Ed Braun at 745-3462.

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. For further information contact Nancy Miller 249-1443.

Find a bargain, help Hospice of Pamlico County. The Hospice Thrift Shop on Highway 55 in Bayboro is open from 10am-1pm on Saturday, Monday, Thursday and Friday, and 10am- 4pm on Tuesday and Wednesday. The shops proceeds help support Hospice which supports those who need help and support with terminal illnesses. Donations of clothing, costume jewelry and housewares can be dropped off at the shop during open hours.

Cool stuff, good deals, great cause. The Habitat for Humanity “HomeStore” on Hiway 55 in Alliance is a thrift store that focuses on the home — furniture, lamps, paint, doors, building supplies — and uses the profits for Habitat’s effort to build affordable homes in Pamlico County. For more info on how to donate items to be sold at the Home Store, call the store at 745-1106.