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6:55p Winds reached 37mph earlier this afternoon in Oriental.. It’s likely that was the peak from this weather event’s visit.

4:18p High wind so far today 34mph at 2:46p. A Gale Warning is in effect until 10p tonight.

Water levels are up… with waters almost reaching the seafood shack on Hodges St. Tonight more 25 To 30 knot northeast winds forecast (water levels could rise a bit more), becoming east 15-20 late. Sunday water levels should head down, with southeast winds 10-15.

7:32a High waters have The Bean closed today. With a wind shift (and waters expected lower), The Bean should be back Sunday.

High waters & winds have the Cherry Branch ferry suspended this morning.

6:50a It’s breezy, but so far not quite as windy as forecast. From the Oriental Weather Station:

We’ve received 0.3 inches of rain since midnight. The rain forecast has lowered – now expected just to see 2-3 inches.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Oriental Weather Station
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Pamlico Sound Marine Forecast
• Weather Radar
• HarborCam

The system almost looks tropical – Southeast Weather Radar shows we are the place to get wet:

click the radar image for the big animated view

1:02p How high will water levels get this weekend? NOAA predicts 3-4 feet above normal (potentially another 1-2 feet higher than the high water levels now):

The rainfall prediction has trended down – we are now in a 3-4 inch zone:

The Neuse River forecast is for 25-30 knots tonight & Saturday (with gusts to 40) – all from the northeast. Northeast and east winds cause the most “wind tide” in and near Oriental.

Sunday promises southeast winds, then Monday west. Water levels should be back near normal sometime Sunday.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Pamlico Sound Marine Forecast
• Weather Radar
• HarborCam

11:25a Tom Lathrop writes in about his friend, Graham Byrnes.

9:16a Hodges Street is providing free salt baths for willing automobiles today:

7:07a Despite high waters on Hodges Street, The Bean is open… from Eric Kindle:

Pamlico Nikes are the appropriate fashion.

7:03a The ferry is on a one boat schedule today (as announced yesterday). That means the schedule is reduced 50%.

9:09a Mom Nature is bringing wind and rain this weekend. So much so that planned events are getting re-scheduled.

The guitar playing Red Rooster is disappointed: SilosPalooza has been rescheduled for August 12.

We are forecast to see up to 4-6 inches of rain:

And winds up to near 30mph:

The winds will be from the northeast. On the Neuse 20-25 knots Friday, 25-30 knots Friday night and Saturday. This will bring in high water levels in and near Oriental.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Pamlico Sound Marine Forecast
• Weather Radar
• HarborCam

The Oriental water level gauge is not operating, awaiting repairs.

8:40a If you take the Cherry Branch / Minnesott Beach Ferry, no worries – they’re on a regular schedule today. But Friday, you’ll need to plan accordingly: they will be on a one boat schedule.

11:33a Local naval architect Graham Byrnes was in Oriental Monday (his 80th birthday was Sunday). He sailed in on SV Carlita on the first leg of his circumnavigation of the Pamlico Sound.

That cruise around the sound is about more than turning 80; Graham has Parkinson’s Disease, and is making the 500 nautical mile sail to benefit Rock Steady Boxing – a program designed to slow the progression of Parkinson’s.

Read about Graham’s cruise and fundraiser here.

Oriental’s town board has been reviewing the town budget. Commissioner Frank Roe writes in.

10:22a Johnson outboards. They used to be a common sight, but they are becoming rarer to spot on the water. Johnson started building motors in 1903… it all ended in 2007.

In the 1980’s Johnson was still a major force in boating. They ran a TV commercial, which one might say has not aged well:

11:07a Breezy and partly sunny today, high in the mid 70s. But there’s rain forecast for the week ahead. Take a look:

Don’t scrap your weekend plans just yet.

That 50% chance you’re seeing – it means there’s a 50% chance a drop of rain will fall at some point in the day. It does not mean it will rain 50% of the day.

That said, Saturday’s Silospalooza will go on, rain or shine.

The day long music event features four bands on the Red Rooster stage, a pizza eating contest, a cash bar, and lots of dancing. The music starts at 2p.

9:35a Oriental resident Lou Ostendorf is the village’s walking knowledge base on the steamer Oriental (for which our town was named).

Lou is giving a talk tonight at the Pamlico Heritage Center in Grantsboro.

Today at 11a you can learn about the dark web (that’s the part of the internet where TownDock isn’t). More info here.

8:46a It dipped down to 55 overnight, just so you could sleep comfy. A sunny and near 80 day is ahead.

8:32a Hurricane season doesn’t officially start til June 1, but there’s an early reminder out on the Atlantic:

This won’t become a storm system, but the season is upon us. From the National Hurricane Center:

• Hurricane Center

The GOES East satellite view:

7:45a Nice morning for lobster fishing.

After the fog lifts, a partly sunny mostly cloudy day ahead, high near 80.

2:42 Fess up. Who made the sky mad?

Over 3 inches of rain have fallen today.

12:52p It’s wet. It’s windy. Another day in Oriental.

Almost 2.5 inches of rain since midnight. More coming this afternoon. Saturday promises a drier & sunny day, highs near 80.

A Small Craft Advisory on the Neuse til 3p: Northeast winds 20-25 knots, becoming east 15-25 later this afternoon. The high northeast winds have water levels high. How high? Unfortunately, the Oriental water level gauge isn’t working. It has been offline since late April.

Tonight, calmer: 5-10 knots.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Pamlico Sound Marine Forecast
• Weather Radar
• HarborCam

1:53p A lot of cruisers drop anchor in Oriental. Some stick around for a while. And some, like the Litzenbergers, go all in.

Meet Breena and Spencer, owners of Inner Banks Canvas.

7:41a Been keeping up with the NC Legislature Bills for Pamlico County School Boards possibly becoming partisan? The newest legislation – House Bill 66 – where the motion to make county school board elections partisan was added as an amendment at the last minute – has been scheduled to be heard in Committee this morning at 9:30a.

If you’re concerned about the outcome, you can contact your senator and representative this morning.
Senator Sanderson’s office can be reached at 919-733-5706. Representative Kidwell’s office can be reached at 919-733-5881.

Need more context? Partisan Voting Bill Was Tabled; Now it’s Back.

2:00p Roads are getting repaired in Oriental this week. Add to that, paving action at The Piggly Wiggly today. Piglet shoppers will have to pick their parking spot carefully for a day:

10:21a Walk by the harbor and you’ll see Plein Air painters along the rail with easels set up, paint palettes out. They’ve also been spotted at Oriental Harbor Marina, along the boardwalk at Oriental Marina & Inn, and in Lou Mac Park.

It’s all part of the week-long New Bern Plein Air Arts Festival. And they’re in Oriental just for today.

The Village Gallery, across from Oriental’s harbor, is hosting the artists and their work. At 4p, you can see their work at a pop-up exhibition and wet canvas sale.

On this day in Oriental history: the steamship Oriental ran aground off Bodie Island on the Outer Banks. A few decades later, a town across the Sound was in need of a name. The name of the wrecked steamer would do.

Some take issue with the town’s name, not knowing the story. It could have gone differently – there were a few other wrecks off the coast in 1862.

We could have been the Town of Fanny.

• CSS Appomattox, scuttled, Feb 1862
• CSS Curlew, sunk in battle, Feb 1862
• CSS Ellis, grounded, Nov 1862
• CSS Fanny, grounded, Feb 1862
• CSS Forrest, burned, Feb 1862
• SS Modern Greece, sunk, 1862
• USS Monitor, lost while under tow, Dec 1862
• SS Oriental, grounded, May 1862
• CSS Sea Bird, rammed & sunk, Feb 1862

7:50a Repaving begins on several roads in town this morning. From Town Hall:

Also happening this morning: the third budget meeting. It’s at Town hall at 9a. At the last meeting, Commissioners carved out over $130k for road repairs. Today, they’ll look at the reworked expenses and revenues. Check out the documents here.

And out in the county, the potato fields are in full bloom. The scene on Straight Road just past Orchard Creek, Sunday:

2:33p Spotted on the Hodges Street sidewalk, by the Spirit Shack steps:

The Spirit Shack is open Wed – Sun, 10a til 5p.

Seeking a cool Mom’s Day card? They’re at the Provision Company and Nautical Wheelers.

The grilled chickens for tonight’s Ol’ Front Porch fundraiser are lookin’ fine (photo from minutes ago):

The serving starts at 5p. There’s some fiddle music too… all at New Village Brewery.

Tonight, turn your eyes to the heavens. The International Space Station will be in view:

2:12p Ken Belangia plays at the New Village Brewery beer garden tonight. At The Silos / Red Rooster this evening it’s George Bailey.

Last weekend’s Yard Sale helped clear a few shelves and attics, and now Oriental residents have a chance to really unload the big stuff.

Saturday White & Brown Goods get hauled away. Appliances, furniture, big plastic stuff. Just leave it by your curb by 7a Saturday morning. White Goods are old stoves and appliances (even Olive Green ones), Brown Goods are crusty old sofas, tables, chairs.

Saturday dinner, get grilled BBQ chicken and support the Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival. The fundraiser is at New Village Brewery, with live music by The Mad Fiddler and Jim Kellenberger’s famous chicken. Ol’ Front Porch merch available.

Sunday modern dance comes to the Old Theater stage. Why Act Your Age is performed by Wendy Osserman and friends at 3p.

It’s all in What’s Happening.

12:03p Last Friday and Saturday was the Hope Regala, the biggest annual fundraiser for Hope Clinic.

Folks ate, danced, bid on trips to far-away places, and raised big money.

Here’s the story.

9:39a Sunny and near 80 today and Saturday. Sunday brings in clouds and a 40% chance of rain.

Water level watchers may have noticed that the Oriental Water Level gauge hasn’t worked in a few weeks – it is stuck on 0.29 ft. TownDock Engineering has let NC Emergency Management know (they are who operates the gauge). No sign of repairs yet.

It would be nice to have the gauge back for hurricane season, which begins June 1. Storm season aside, the water level info is used a lot 12 months a year in this town.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Pamlico Sound Marine Forecast
• Weather Radar
• HarborCam

2:43p On Friday, May 5, some Pamlico residents were celebrating. They’d heard the bill to make Pamlico County School Board elections partisan had been tabled. And it had.

But it came back – quickly, quietly, and without public input. How? As an amendment added at the last minute to a similar bill for a county on the other side of the state.

Read the story here.

8:15a Does Mom need more love? The sign at The Provision Company says they’ve got it. We think they mean cards and sweet stuff, but the casual reader may be unsure. You may have to walk inside and negotiate:

6:12a Sea Vista Dr at the intersection of Gilgo Road (behind the old Town and Country Store) is closed to traffic today. A culvert beneath the road needs to be removed and replaced. Town Manager Diane Miller says:

Those pavers will arrive Monday. They’ll patch up Sea Vista Drive while repairing several other roads in town: Gilgo Rd, Winward Drive, Ragan Rd, Neuse Drive, and sections of the road at Dolphin Point.

You can still make it to the Whittaker Creek neighborhoods: From Broad Street, take the scenic route down Ragan Road, left on Lupton Road, then left again onto Gilgo.

Today it’s sunny with a high near 80. Southeast winds at 5-10mph.

12:19p Oriental’s Commissioners met this morning to discuss the 2023-24 Town Budget. Highest on their priority list: funding road and drainage repairs.

One proposition was to temporarily raise property taxes. To avoid the increase, Commissioners found other ways to distribute funds in the budget, cutting out smaller projects, and making do with smaller funds for some auxiliary boards.

With the proposed cuts, Commissioners may be able to allocate around $130,000 toward road repairs in the coming fiscal year.

However, the budget is not yet finalized. Commissioners meet again on Monday, May 15 at 9a at Town Hall to discuss the changes.