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8:50a For a Sunday in our town, there’s lots goin’ on. The history museum has its formal opening of an exhibit on Ol’ Front Porch today, 1 – 4p. Sunday Soup today starting at noon at Mariposa. And get your pet some grace, Blessing Of The Pets 2p today at the labyrinth.

8:42a Water levels down a bit, now at 2 ft above “normal.”

No ferry… water levels are just too high.

On the Neuse, these high breezes are with us through Tuesday.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON

Northeast winds are the most brutal at pushing up water levels. The north wind forecast is not as bad as NE, but still can raise water levels. On the Neuse:

Meanwhile, the Pamlico Sound does have northeast winds forecast today. That can push water our way:

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

12:38p Nautical Wheelers wine tastings today are drop in style. Rather than at a specific time, just stop by and time from 2 – 4p. Today French wines are featured.

New Village Brewery will open late again today, 4p. Some equipment isn’t cooperating.

High winds are incoming:

GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE MONDAY NIGHT

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Oriental Water Level Gauge
• Oriental Weather Station

3:14p. Tonight at the brewery, the big sound of the Big Jim Kohler Band, with A Taste of Philly food truck serving.

Mariposa is back this week, with a small change: fall/winter hours 8a-11a bakery, 3p-8p wine bar. Open Sat-Sun-Mon.

Saturday The Bean celebrates 20 years of Eric Kindle owning and operating the iconic coffee shop. Stop in and say hi, plus raffles for Bean merchandise, and 20 Year Anniversary shirts and mugs. Wine tastings Saturday at Nautical Wheelers, 2 til 4p, just drop in. Daniel Macrae showcases French wines.

Saturday Noah Jackson Cobb plays New Village Brewery, Jasmine Tasty Thai serves up dinner.

Sunday at the Oriental History Museum is a special reception honoring the Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival, 1-4p. It’s “Soup Sunday” at Mariposa, noon til 2:30p. Three soups to choose from along with homemade bread.

Rover needs support from above too. The Blessing of the Animals is Sunday 2p at the Labyrinth on South Ave, across from Lou Mac Park.

‘Tis all in What’s Happening.

1:27p Maybe you should. Buttt, some friends say uh uh.

Wisdom from the stars could solve this dilemma. Just let your eyes gaze upon Salty Celeste horoscopes.

11:37a Lili with New Village Brewery writes in:

After 4 all will be well and good things are on tap.

10:45a The women of the Oriental Woman’s Club want your blood.

Donate today between noon and 4:15p. Click here to find your time to give.

We’re in for another wet weekend. Rain is predicted for Saturday & Sunday, with wind gusts up to 35 mph Saturday, 40 mph Sunday. Daytime temperatures will fall to the mid 60s.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Oriental Water Level Gauge
• Oriental Weather Station

The weekend weather is bringing scheduling changes:

If you were planning on golfing at the PCC Foundation’s annual Golf Tournament this Saturday, there’s a rain date change: it’s now Saturday, Oct 31.

3:30p Early voting begins today, and runs through Oct 31. Here’s how it all works.

2:03p Tuesday was the Oriental monthly town board meeting.

Highlights included:

• Manager Miller vowed improved communication on water shut-offs and boil water advisories
• New Flood Policy will close and monitor Factory, Hodges, Main and South Water Streets when the roads are submerged or when flood warnings are issued
• Bid for Street Paving project to be presented in November to repave sections of Ragan, Mildred, South Water, Vandemere and Main Streets.
• Resolution opposing the proposed NC Ferry tolls approved
• Resolution opposing the Cherry Point Expansion of the Target Range between Brant Island Shoal and Piney Island approved
• Commissioner Moffat announced intent to resign as he is moving out of Oriental; no replacement selected due to upcoming election (happening before the next meeting)
• Approval granted for 12 Airstream trailers to park on South Avenue at Lou Mac Park during the March Chowder Cook Off weekend
• Auditor said Oriental should be proud of the audit results, sharing that Greensboro, Cary, and Rocky Mount have been placed on the UAL (Unit Assistance List)

A complete meeting report is coming to TownDock.

12:22p This Saturday is forecast to rain. As a result, the OUMC Chicken BBQ Dinner has been rescheduled to Saturday Nov 7.

Last Saturday the Oriental Car Show was scheduled. It got cancelled by rain. The car show is now expected to return in 2027, date not yet determined.

3:01p Boating. It’s supposed to be fun.

Sometimes, however, unplanned things happen. Tempers flare. Stuff breaks.

It doesn’t have to be that way. John Rahm writes about how you can calibrate your enjoyment ratio.

While we got a bit of weekend rain from the remains of a Gulf storm, right now it’s all quiet on the Atlantic.

We are well past peak storm season (September). The happy words on the Atlantic Outlook:
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 7 days.

• Hurricane Center

12:34p Weekend storms brought over an inch of rain. Today is mostly sunny, high near 80, and northwest winds at 10-15 mph, with gusts up to 25.

The rest of the week’s forecast features sunny days with highs in the low to mid 80s through Friday.

There are more water valve replacements happening today, likely meaning more water outages.

Crews will be in the following areas this week:
• Monday: Broad St & Silverbrook Rd
• Tuesday: Whitefarm Rd & Falcon Rd and Whitefarm Rd & Dolphin Rd
• Wednesday: Dolphin Rd & Sandpiper Dr, Whitefarm Rd & Harbor Way, and Deerfield Dr & Oak Ln

Take a sail in the creeks this afternoon with Bow To Stern Boating or visit the One-Off Book Club at 4p (no need to have read the book). Find the details in What’s Happening.

8:14a Two of today’s events are rescheduled as of this morning:

• The Oriental Cup Regatta is rescheduled to Sat, Oct 24. However, tonight’s dinner will go on as scheduled at 6p.
• The Oriental Classic Car Show has been postponed, with a new date yet to be determined.

From the Oriental Weather Station: Rain showers likely this morning, then showers likely with a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon. Breezy with highs in the mid 70s. East winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Oriental Water Level Gauge
• Oriental Weather Station

3:11p There is rain the forecast Saturday evening & Sunday. That said, most of Saturday’s events are rain or shine.

All About Churros is at the Brewery tonight, with Noah Jackson Cobb singing in the garden. Dave Holt & Mac McWilliams play at the Red Rooster at 7p. Oriental Cup Regatta sailors check-in tonight at the Tiki Bar, 5-7p.

Saturday, Get fresh flowers at the Oriental Farmer’s Market (8-11a), check out the Rotary Club Car Show starting at 8:30a, Pet owners can stop by the Pamlico Pet Food Pantry to pick up or donate, 10a-2p.

Watch the Oriental Cup Regatta start at 12:30p from Lou Mac Park, or join a game of Dungeons & Dragons at 3p. Taqueria San Luis is at the Brewery from 4-8p.

The Sunday morning riverside service will likely be inside Oriental UMC at 8:30a. Stay dry and join The Old Theater for their showing of The Corpse Bride at 3p. Dress up for the ‘wedding’ and celebrate with cake & punch ahead of the movie – doors open at 2p.

Sunday is the Blessing of the Animals. Any animal. Just as long as they’re properly leashed. Rain Date is Oct 18.

Mariposa is closed for the weekend. The Oriental History Museum invites you to their new exhibit honoring the Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival, open Friday & Saturday. Discover new artists at Broad Strokes Gallery’s Artist Open Exhibit & Sale, Fri, Sat & Sun.

It’s all in What’s Happening.

12:43p Some Medicare beneficiaries are receiving a $90 rebate this month. Hope Clinic invites those who may not need the funds to donate it to those who do.

Hope Clinic helps those who cannot afford healthcare get the help they need. Hope Clinic director Yolanda Cristiani writes in. Read her letter here.

Or you can donate directly at this link.

As water valve replacements continue, Town has issued another Boil Water Advisory.

The following areas are affected: From 1300 Broad Street east to Straight Road, down to the White Farm Road intersection, including Hudson Town Road, George Street, Perkins Street, and Silverbrook Road.

The full notice is here.

While some parts of Oriental are under a boil water notice, other parts are getting a reprieve.

As of today, the following areas are cleared to stop boiling their water: From intersections of Vandemere and Neuse Drive, Midyette and North Street, Broad and Church Street, west to the Bridge, including all adjacent streets.

That notice is available here.

3:32p The Oriental Cup Regatta is happening this weekend.

Sponsored by the Nautical Cooperative of Oriental (all three sailing clubs), the Oriental Cup Regatta raises money to help youth sailing.

Bring your boat or be part of a crew. Participate in the just the race, or the full weekend of dinner, live music, and sailing.

It’s happening this weekend. Find out more, including how to register, here.

10:29a Town Hall has rescinded the boil water notice for the following areas:

The full notice is here.

9:38a This month, The Bean owner Eric Kindle & staff celebrate 20 years of coffee overlooking the Oriental’s harbor.

You’re invited to join Eric & staff as they celebrate throughout the day on Saturday, October 17.

Prime Time hosts their annual Health & Safety Expo later this month, Oct 21. There’s free health screenings, health seminars, and flu vaccinations available. If you’re a vendor in a related field, or interested in finding out more about the Health & Safety resources available, find out more here.

Every year, students from Duke University’s Global Health Institute visit Pamlico County to do research, and to help.

They’re part of the Duke-Pamlico Partnership for Health and they work closely with non-profits like Hope Clinic, HeartWorks, and the Pamlico County Disaster Recovery Coalition.

This year, students are interviewing Pamlico County residents. They want to understand the social and emotional impacts of storms and hurricanes on residents, in order to provide better support for future events.

You can take the survey and sign up here.

2:45p Town Hall has issued a Boil Water Advisory, in effect until water testing can be completed:

“From the intersections of North & Midyette, Mildred & Broad, and Vandemere & First Avenue, all the way west to the bridge, including all adjacent roads.”

The Boil Water notice is here.

9:47a Every year, organizers of the Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival work to put on a great free music festival. And it takes a village to do it.

They write in with Thanks for the community and a request for your perspective on this year’s festival.

The Raffle Ticket drawing happened a little earlier than expected. From Marjorie Dufek:

Scenes from the weekend festival are coming.

There are more water valve replacements happening today, meaning more water outages.

Contractors will be in town between 10a and 11a. From Town Hall:

A notice from Town Hall says there are 47 valves being replaced, and “only about 20 remain to be done.”

Mariposa will be closed October 5 through the 16 and reopen on October 17.

4:49p Ol Front Porch organizers spotted some lightening – the 5p Tan & Sober Gentlemen performance has been canceled.

7:00a Good morning dear reader. Another day (it’s the big day) of Ol’ Front Porch is ahead. Today’s performances are mostly outdoors.

There is a chance of afternoon rain. All performances are Rain or Shine – so come prepared.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast

3:50p The online Ol’ Front Porch Music schedule is here.

If y’all are old school and want to print out the schedule, click here.

2:42p Gas pumps are back operating at The Pig.

This weekend the story is Ol’ Front Porch Music, happening now til dark today, then Saturday 11a til 10p. Just walk the village and take it all in.

La Cocina del Coqui Food Truck at the brewery today, with music in the beer garden (part of Ol’ Front Porch). Moores Creek Bluegrass play at Mariposa tonight, 5-7p.

The Farmers’ Market provides Saturday morning from 8a-11a on Hodges St. Stop in at Broad Strokes Gallery for the October Artist Open Exhibit & Sale. The Provision Company hosts a beer tasting Saturday 3 – 4:30p, check out Shortway brews. At the brewery Cousins Maine Lobster food truck, with again music in the beer garden (part of Ol’ Front Porch).

Sunday morning service @ Lou Mac Park, 8:30a. Mariposa is open for Sat-Sun-Mon, bakery in the mornings, wine bar in the evenings.

It’s all in What’s Happening.

1:25p Ol’ Front Porch 2026 is underway. The schedule is here.

From the Riverfront Stage minutes ago, Farayi kicked off the festival:

At a nearby porch, Mark Tesh sang about the harbor cats:

8:44a From Town Hall:

8:29a The Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival starts today, 1p with performers at the Riverfront stage, on Freemason and on 3rd Avenue.

It’s not just Riverfront stage headliners that make the festival what it is, it’s the familiar local bands and groups that jam on the porches and bring flavor to the festival.

One of those local favorites is the Gospel Ensemble. They draw such a large crowd they’ve been move from the porch to the pulpit, performing now inside the Oriental United Methodist Church.

They’ll play twice on Saturday, at 11a & 3p.

Other favorites playing this weekend: The Dust Parade, Mac McWilliams, Noah Cobb, Ken Belangia, Hoff ‘n’ Finch, Jill & Shane Harris, Moores Creek Bluegrass, Harbor Sounds, Mike Bramble, and more.

The Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival has food from local non-profits, craft vendors, and thirty performers playing this weekend. Find the maps, schedules, and performer information online at olfrontporch.org.

12:23p From Town Hall: water valves replacements are finished for this week. Most of Oriental remains under a boil water advisory until test results are received on Friday.

Replacements resume next week with replacements on Church St (Monday), and on Factory & Water Streets (Tuesday and Wednesday).

8:49a Robbie Fulks’ music career spans more than 3 decades. He began by playing bluegrass in the band Special Consensus before emerging as a solo artist in Chicago during the mid-1990s. His song-writing is noted as often bitingly funny, his sound playing in a space shared by country, folk, pop, and bluegrass.

Fulks is known to perform with comic improvisers; he is a regular at Second City’s holiday fundraisers and has shared the stage with talents like Michael McKean, Tina Fey, Bob Odenkirk, and Fred Armisen.

His Album Upland Stories was nominated for a Grammy for Best Folk Album and the song “Alabama at Night” was nominated for a Grammy for Best American Roots Song.

Have a listen as Robbie sings ‘I Just Live a Country Song’:

Robbie takes the Riverfront Stage 5p Friday night.

See the full performance schedule here.

For those needing handicapped parking and seating, or hearing assistance at this weekend’s Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival, organizer Marjorie Dufek has a PSA to help out:

12:06p Gas should be back at The Pig Thursday by 2p. Billy Flockhart writes in with this update:

8:31a Another Water Valve replacement is happening today, affecting the same areas as yesterday evening: from Mildred and Broad Streets, from North and Midyette Streets, and Neuse Dr and Vandemere St to the bridge and surrounding areas.

PW Director Daniel Early says the outage will be 1-2 hours, but does not have a time frame for when the outage will occur. “The contractor isn’t on site yet and it depends on how long it takes them to expose everything.”

6:32a Caleb Caudle plays his first Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival this weekend.

He draws inspiration from legendary country musicians like Johnny Cash.

With song titles like “Fox Got The Chicken,” “Sequoia Polaroids,” and “The Brim,” Caudle is known for his rich storytelling, road-worn sound, and “high-proof bourbon” style of songwriting.

Have a listen:

The full weekend lineup is here.

Parts of the Festival are pedestrian only. What does that mean in practice? Organizer Marjorie Dufek explains:

Tonight is the first meeting of the Divorce Recovery Group. It’s open to anyone dealing with the loss of a relationship (from breakup, death, divorce, etc.). They meet tonight at the Perry-Griffin House, 7p.

3:23p From Public Works Director Daniel Early, crews will be working on one more valve this afternoon.

Early estimates water will be out for 1 to 2 hours around 5-6p this evening in the following areas: from Mildred and Broad Streets, from North and Midyette Streets, and Neuse Dr and Vandemere St to the bridge and surrounding areas.

10:01a Town Hall just rescinded the boil water notice for the following areas:

The rest of Oriental is still under a boil water notice. The rescission notice is here.

8:53a The first weekend in October means music in Oriental. It’s the Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival, this Friday & Saturday, Oct 2 & 3.

Grammy-nominated vocalist, composer, and educator Farayi opens the festival Friday at 1p on the Riverfront stage.

She’s highly regarded for her ability to seamlessly blend the American folk music, hymns, and gospel of her rural Idaho childhood with the richness of blues, R&B, and jazz.

Have a listen:

Learn more about this weekend’s line up here.

Public Works Director Daniel Early tells TownDock that today’s water valve replacements will be at Neuse Drive and Vandermere and then at the corner of Ragan Rd and Link Ln.

A short water outage is expected from Mildred and Broad Streets, Ragan Rd and Link Ln, and North and Midyette Streets all the way to the Oriental Bridge for the first valve replacement.

The second outage will affect Ragan Rd and Link Ln to corner of Neuse Dr and Vandemere St including all of Link Ln, Neuse Drive, Gull Circle, and a small piece of Ragan Rd.

Outages are expected to be 1-2 hours.