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Chatham Rabbits Sarah & Austin McCombie through the lens of artist Laura Turgeon. They performed Friday and Saturday during the Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival, including a surprise set with Cane Mill Road at The Old Theater on Friday night. Click for the full size picture.

10:32a TownDock Senior Management often winces at adjectives, but there’s no other way to say it. Ol’ Front Porch was an amazing weekend. Story and photos and video and music coming (probably Tuesday.)

October is a month that delivers events most every weekend. This coming weekend is the Oriental Classic Car Show – Saturday Oct 12. Now you might think you need a fancy car to enter. Past show winners have included a pristine Rolls Royce, a Jaguar – even an immaculate Ford truck. But a few of the entrants show more experience.

For example, a few years back Billy Creech entered his 1952 Ford Truck. The gas tank had begun to leak before the show, but Billy was not deterred. He installed a plastic outboard tank, with a bungie cord on the fender. It worked. Seeking a photo op, a tawdry local media outlet may have suggested that Sheriff’s Deputies inspect the installation.

click pics for larger view

If Billy can enter that truck, you can enter most anything that rolls. Here are the car show links:
• Oriental Classic Car Show web site
• Past Award Winners
• Register for the show at this link

8:43a There’s some stuff goin’ on out in the Atlantic. A low pressure system is between us and Bermuda. It isn’t likely to become much of a storm, but if it does… it’s heading north and away.

From the national Hurricane Center:

6:46a After a weekend of high water, Operations Manager Sue Kinner of the Cherry Branch – Minnesott Beach Ferry writes in:

The Cherry Branch Ferry this morning. (Photo Sue Kinner)

9:35a Is the music over? Nope. The 2019 Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival completed today with the Community Church Service. But there’s still some music happening.

Canadian singer/songwriter Melissa Plett wowed audiences at last year’s Ol’ Porch. Melissa has a stage presence all her own. One might note that Ms. Plett is not shy. Today she returns to play at New Village Brewery, from noon til 2p.

But… there’s more. Mojo Collins plays at the brewery from 2:30 – 4:30p this afternoon.

8:06a The Way Down Wanderers wowed – and so did many of the porch performances. An Ol’ Front Porch fave every year is the Gospel Ensemble. The Gospel Ensemble had a huge crowd into their gospel rhythm. TownDock will have a a recording from that Freemason St performance coming up.

But it is Sunday morning. You look like you need some gospel. Here’s the Gospel Ensemble recorded at a past Ol’ Front Porch:

7:28a Wow. Ol’ Front Porch had an amazing Saturday, with a headliner act (The Way Down Wanderers) getting a standing O – followed by the band jumping off the stage to play a magic acoustic/no amplification version of Cecelia for the crowd.

Ol’ Front Porch has one more thing. Today’s Community Church Service, starting at 8:30a at Riverfront Stage. You’re invited.

7:24a Water levels are lower in Oriental – Hodges St is now clear. But at Cherry Point, still no ferry running. From Sue Kinner:

3:44p Water levels aren’t still high from brisk northeast winds. The ferry hasn’t operated all day as a result, and still will not run tonight.

9:31a Today is the big day for Ol’ Front Porch. Performances begin at 10a – the schedule is at this link. Click Saturday once you land on the schedule page.

9:22a There were over 100 folks running in the Oriental Bridge Run this morning. Among them, Pamlico Commissioner Paul Delamar, here among the race leaders on the return leg:

7:00a The cooler air is ideal for both key events today. Ol’ Front Porch Music begins at 10a and through the day. But before that, it’s the Oriental Bridge Run – Pacing For Parkinsons.

The 5k run begins at 8a – and a 1 mile Fun Run at 8:10a. The 5k basically goes from Village Health & Fitness, over the bridge, and runners turn at Horton Rd, then return.

You can still register for either race, either online at this link or just show up at Village Health Club.

6:25a Northeast winds overnight brought in cooler air. Not as cool as forecast however, the overnight low was 68. It was forecast to be 61. We’ll take it.

Today is forecast to be mixed clouds & sun, and a high near 75.

Those northeast winds also pushed up water levels. So much so that it’s stopped the ferry – the boats can’t line up safely with the ramps. From Sue Kinner at Cherry Branch:

Cherry Branch Ferries are not operating this morning. This northeast wind has pushed Pamlico Sound up the Neuse River. We have too much water here to get under our ramps.

11:31a You could have freshly fried whiting or speckled trout, baked beans, coleslaw, and hush puppies. It’s a Fish Fry for Hope Clinic, happening in the Town Hall parking lot on Broad St.

Darrell Gibbs and John Hill are serving right now until 5p. Get a plate to go for $8.

Hope Clinic provides free medical care to low-income underinsured adults in Pamlico County. They also run the New Beginnings addiction treatment program.

10:13a It’s time. Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival bands start playing at 2p today. Friday’s lineup is right here.

Saturday morning, the music starts at 10a with the Down East Dulcimers at the Inn at Oriental on High Street and Harbor Sounds playing at the Stallings House on South Ave. Saturday’s acts play the village and the Main Stage at the water front until 8:30p in the evening.

Sunday, everything happens at the Main Stage. It’s the community worship service from 8:30 – 10:30a, with music from Ken Belangia, Laurel Creek, Harbor Sounds.

For Saturday and Sunday’s acts, visit the performance schedule and click the tabs on the left.

11:35a People often drive too fast on Hodges Street. It’s a place where dogs and humans walk, which is why it has a 15 mph speed limit. TownDock staff often see jerks less informed motorists zooming through at 30 or even 40 mph. Not cool.

With that concern in mind, the town this week painted new speed limit signs on the pavement. TownDock applauds this effort. There were, however, perhaps small lapses in paint deployment quality control. Observe:

click images for larger law enforcement view

At left is the pavement painted on Hodges near Village gallery. It indeed says 15 mph. However, on the pavement approaching the harbor, the painted sign has a much harsher regulation. It says 15 WPH.

15 watts per hour will be a significant slowdown. TownDock’s physics dept informs us that there are 746 watts in a horsepower. 15 watts is 2% of a horsepower.

Proceed accordingly.

10:41a Before the Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival begins Saturday, there’s the Oriental Bridge Run: Pacing for Parkinson’s. It’s two races – a mile fun run and a 5k race – over the Oriental Bridge.

Both races begin at the Village Health Club at 8a. Click here to register and get more info about the races.

Proceeds from the races go to local Parkinson’s groups and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

7:17a Solar energy. It’s the topic of today’s Planning Board workshop. The board meets at 1p at Town Hall.

HeartWorks’ annual fundraiser was last weekend. The final amounts from the event haven’t come in yet, but you can take a look at all that went down: the Children, the dinners, and the dancing. Read about it here.

6:15a 95 today. That’s summer weather. But the weekend will cool down to the 70s for the Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival.

Oriental’s annual music fest kicks off at 2p tomorrow afternoon.

Ukulele band UHOOs playing the porch at 204 High Street. Around the corner, down on South Ave, River Ratz play the Main Stage by the waterfront.

5:14p Once again, it’s time for TownDock.net’s Wild Kingdom.

This is where we send intrepid reporters out into the county to capture real life experiences, and bring them back you, our brave reader. If you’ve been approved to view this material, you may click on the PG-13 warning banner:

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

5:02p Tomorrow, Oriental will once again be the site of a Marine training exercise. They may look a little like our last Marine invasion visitors from 2016:

Planes and/or helicopters will be flying overhead. The guys on the ground will be communicating with them. Town Manager Diane Miller said it should not interfere with the Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival that begins Friday.

12:36p The Wednesday Night Sail is a bit earlier tonight, as the days get shorter. Join the informal semi-race at Oriental Marker #1SC. The race starts at 1700 GPS time. That’s 5p for us civilians. VHF Channel 78a for communications.

The Neuse forecast tonight is light 5-10 knot winds. Sunset is at 6:50p.

10:07a This weekend the Ol’ Front Porch Music festival will bring lots of folks to town – perhaps a couple thousand. That makes for some extra traffic and creative parking. Town Hall is making a couple streets one-way for the weekend to help. From Diane Miller:

8:22a If you’re an autumn weather lover – the weekend forecast keeps on getting better. Saturday now predicted to be even a bit cooler – sunny, dry, and a low 70s high. It will be summer~esque in the meantime, high near 90 today through Friday.

Hurricane Lorenzo is no bother to us – but that dude Lorenzo has a fascinating track. This storm’s forecast track targets Ireland, will pass through Liverpool England … over the channel… and land again in Belgium Saturday, still with tropical storm force winds.
Check it out:

Meanwhile, here in River City – nothing on the Atlantic even hinting at a threat.