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Seagulls lined up, on the Styrontown Beach Pier. The photographer was walking slowwwwly up the pier to get the photo. (click the pic for the larger view, and to see what happened after the next step)

9:49a A note from former Tree Board Chairman Bob Miller:

Re the Tree Board, Arbor Day is coming up. Saturday April 26 is Arbor Day in Oriental.

The Oriental Tree Board will have an Arbor Day tree planting celebration and pruning demonstration at the corner of Broad & Silverbrook, at 10:00a.

The NC Forest Service and the National Arbor Day Foundation have granted Oriental the designation of TreeCityUSA for the 30th year, and will present a flag and certificate to the Oriental Tree Board at the tree planting. The NC Forest Service is bringing tree saplings to the event, free to folks like you to take home and plant.

8:22a Today hints of summer ahead: high in the mid 80s.

We recently learned that former resident David Cox passed away in 2023. Frank Roe writes in, with fond memories of David.

12:45p Two community events are key parts of the Easter weekend: Saturday is an Easter Egg Hunt, 10a at Oriental United Methodist Church. Sunday morning at 6a is the Easter sunrise service at Lou Mac park. This service is a combined effort of many area churches.

Tonight at the Red Rooster/ Silos, Brant Island Strings at 7p. At the brewery beer garden tonight: the Big Jim Kohler Band, 6-8:30p, then Saturday Noah Jackson Cobb.

Warmer weather has more & more farmers/artisans at Oriental’s Farmer’s Market on Hodges St Saturday morning.

It’s all in What’s Happening.

On your calendar for next weekend, live theater returns to the Old Theater stage: Love, Loss and What I Wore plays April 25-27.

9:22a Dave and Liz Cox lived in Oriental for two decades. They arrived by sailboat, and departed to the Washington DC area a few years ago.

Their son Bowman Cox tells TownDock that Dave passed in 2023, and will have services at Arlington National Cemetery on April 24. The family submitted Dave’s story, here.

10:45a The community garden is looking for a few more gardeners. Pete Flood writes in:

The community garden is on property across from Oriental Methodist Church, here:

9:14a The 2025 Town Wide Yard Sale is just a couple weeks off – set for Saturday May 3.

You might not think of a yard sale as an epic event, but some village residents drag out some odd & fascinating stuff. At the yard sale a couple years ago, formal wear with its final look:

You can register to sell by calling Tourism Board Chair Marsha Paplham at 252-675-5142‬. Last day to sign up is Tuesday, April 29.

Signing up gets you on the Yard Sale map – that map will be available on TownDock.

The Oriental In-Water Boat Show is a three day event. Saturday this year was cloudy and cold. It didn’t help.

The sun came out and warmed up downtown Sunday, letting the show finish on a high note. TownDock was there.

5:06p Cowboy puppets sitting on dogs, a canine in a tutu, and a man wearing a banana.

The 2025 PAWS Pet Parade was just another normal day in Oriental.

3:18p For your upcoming calendar: a play is soon coming to the Old Theater stage.

Love, Loss, and What I Wore is set for April 25-27.

2:50p The 2025 Hope Regala is set fro May 9 & 10. Yolanda Cristiani writes in:

Proceeds from the Regala support the mission of Hope Clinic, to bring healthcare to the medically underserved in Pamlico County.

If you go for one of the 10k Golden Raffle tix, your odds are better than in most drawings. You have a 1 in 200 chance of winning $10,000 when you get a $10k Golden Raffle ticket for the Hope Regala.

This may not be the best moment to go boating. A Small Craft Advisory in effect now through Wednesday morning.

On the Neuse, west winds 15 To 20 knots, gusts to 25 this afternoon. Tonight winds shift to northwest 10 To 15, but gusts still up To 25 knots after midnight.

• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Oriental NC Forecast

8:28a More warm is coming today.

The boat show weekend was a weather mixed bag. Saturday was cloudy & cool. The high was 57, but it was one of those days where it seemed even cooler. Sunday served up a reprieve: sunny & a high reaching 66. After Saturday, that sunshine delivered a lot more smiling faces at the boat show.

Today hints of summer: sunny and low 80s ahead.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Oriental Weather Station
• Neuse River Marine Forecast

9:08a Starting at 10a today, Captain Ross Pease will be demonstrating rope splicing. Ross does this on behalf of the Coast Guard Auxilary… he’ll be splicing in fron of the Provision Company.

Pete Newman has been growing spinach. A LOT of spinach.

There will be bags of fresh organic spinach for sale by the Casa Que Pasa taco truck on Hodges Street: $5 for a 2 lb bag.

Today is the big day for the boat show, come on downtown to see the boats (and boat stuff). Pet Parade at 11a.

Nautical Wheelers is workin’ hard too. Bill Wheeler writes in:

2:17p One small town has one busy weekend ahead. The forecast is mixed: Friday cloudy and some rain likely, but then Saturday comes through with a partly sunny day, Sunday mostly sunny. Highs both days low 60s.

Today 5-8p at the brewery, La Cocina del Coqui food truck.

The Oriental Boat Show is Fri-Sat-Sun. Fri noon to 6p, Sat 10a to 6p, Sun 10a to 3p. Boats in the water and on land, and tents and tents of marine related vendors. It takes over “downtown” for the weekend.

There’s food at the boat show, plus a few steps away M&M’s Cafe hosts a Boat Show Buffet all weekend.

Friday a beer tasting noon-2p at the Provision Company, Shortway Brewing brings their craft beers in to sample. Mariposa Wine Bar will be open an extra day for the boat show weekend, Friday 3-9p (normal hours 3-9p Sat-Sun-Mon).

Friday night Ken Belangia plays the Red Rooster. At New Village Brewery, Uncle Mann’s Food Emporium truck, with Mac McWilliams playing the beer garden.

PAWS Pet Parade will have hundreds of legs, Saturday 11a, centered at Lou Mac Park. Saturday at the brewery Reno’s Food Truck, with (he’s everywhere) Ken Belangia in the beer garden.

It’s all in What’s Happening.

8:23a This week’s cold front delivered some cool.

Overnight, down to 46. High today just near 60, then up to 70 Thursday. Highs near 70 for the weekend.

The Oriental Weather Station shows the recent temperature extremes:

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Oriental Weather Station
• Neuse River Marine Forecast

It’s Wednesday, and Oriental’s Piggly Wiggly has new weekly specials.

Here are the Piglet deals for April 9 – 15.

3:35p The Oriental Boat Show is this weekend. It runs Fri noon to 6p, Sat 10a to 6p and Sun 10a to 3p. The show is run by Oriental Rotary volunteers (it’s a fundraiser for Rotary’s charitable missions).

Rotary folk write in that they could do with a few more hands:

Volunteers will assemble in front of The Bean at 9a Wednesday. If you can help for a bit, it’s a good cause, and an important part of our town.

9:52a You can be a community gardener. It’s easier than plowing up and planting your own. Here’s how:

Community Gardeners meet at 4:30p today at OUMC . Contribute $20 (it goes towards the garden) and fill out a form. Volunteers are asked to contribute 5-10 hours a month, mostly watering and picking vegetables.

All of the vegetables in the raised gardens are shared with the volunteers. The harvest from the in-ground garden is contributed to PCFLO.

If you can’t make the meeting, just call Frieda at 252-249-0213.

9:01a A couple months ago, the Whittaker Creek dredging fund needed about $28,000 more. That number is getting close. Since February, over $22,500 has been raised.

Here are the numbers from the nonprofit Friends Of Whittaker Creek:

The $ thermometer:

The total cost for dredging will be $344,800. The state is proving a $258,600 grant. The remaining 25% is the part being raised by Friends Of Whittaker Creek.

The updated list of donors is here.

Just $5,529,13 to go. You can help make this happen through donating via the GoFundMe.

9:45a. A new high wind for the day, 33mph recorded at the Oriental Weather Station just a few minutes ago.

9:34a There’s a lot going on this weekend. The Oriental Boat Show is Fri-Sat-Sun. The PAWS Pet Parade is Saturday.

Into that mix add the Oriental History Museum, hosting folks speaking about their careers on Saturday. Fear not, they are limited to 5 minutes each.

Museum President Lou Ostendorff writes in to explain.

7:00a Oriental gets a new restaurant this week: Gretchen’s Bistro at 807 Broad St (across from the post office).

Grand opening Wed April 9. Gretchen’s will be open Wed-Sat, 5-9p. Reservations required, 252-249-6098.

5:55a No ferry this morning. High southwest winds have created low low water levels:

Water levels at Oriental down a foot, and trending lower.

On the Neuse: Southwest winds 15 To 20 knots, frequent gusts up to 25 knots, increasing To 20 To 25 knots, gusts to 30 this afternoon. Waves rough.

• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Pamlico Sound Marine Forecast

From the Oriental Weather Station, a diving barometer and rising winds:

click image for larger view

High wind so far today, 29 mph at 2:57a.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Oriental Weather Station
• Weather Radar

9:23a Dredging Whittaker Creek channel. The state has provided a grant of $258,600 (thanks to the efforts of Friends Of Whittaker Creek).

But to get that grant, Friends Of Whittaker Creek has to raise $86,200 in donations. It’s almost been raised… just 8 grand more and all is set. Here is the update.

Folks have traveled thousands of miles to attend Grateful Dead concerts. Today, a close facsimile performs: the Grateful Bonafides.

You just have to travel to the Old Theater.

7:32a It’s a bit breezy out there. The official word:

On the Neuse today & tonight, southwest winds 15 To 20 knots, gusts to 25. Waves choppy.

The high wind so far today in Oriental, 28 mph at 2:25a.

The southwest winds do bring in warm air, high today low 80s.

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

Brisk southwest winds also push water levels down.

10:50a Warmer temps mean the Red Rooster is back. The Friday night season kicks off tonight with Brant Island Strings. Songs & Sweets 7p tonight at OUMC. Described as “an evening of music and fun”. If you’re well behaved, you get pie and ice cream. Tanja’s German Street Food truck at the brewery 5-8p today, and the Mad Fiddler tunes it up in the beer garden starting at 5p.

The Farmers are out in force at the Saturday morning market on Hodges St. The Oriental Dinghy Club (ODC) has their first race weekend of 2025. PHRF races start at 1, Dinghy races at 1:30p.

The Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop and other specialists from Sound Rivers are at Oriental Town Hall Saturday at 3p, sharing with residents how to become part of the Water Watch Team.

It’s Trivia Night Saturday 6p at Oriental Womans Club. Capone’s A Taste of Philly truck at New Village Brewery Saturday 3-8p. In the beer garden, Hoff n Finch start up at 5p.

The Grateful Bonafides channel the Grateful Dead sound with two shows this weekend at the Old Theater: Saturday 7p and again Sunday 3p.

It’s all in What’s Happening.

6:34p For the first time, the Sailpack Regatta drew in a team from the west coast. There were teams from the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Gulf, even Lake Michigan.

Add a few from inland, and twenty teams competed in the 2025 Sailpack Regatta off Oriental.

8:33a Fifteen years ago today a new store opened in Oriental. It was in the Old Hotel building at the corner of Hodges & Broad streets. It had a an odd name… Nautical Wheelers. Carrying outdoor clothing and gifts, the store found an audience and grew.

A year later they moved across the street to what would become their permanent location: 411 Broad St.

Owners Bill & Camilla Wheeler have since been through two major hurricanes (Irene and Florence) and a pandemic. They’ve added wines and outdoor furniture to the mix, and a second location in New Bern. Through it all, the store has bloomed.

Today is Nautical Wheelers’ 15th anniversary. You’re invited to stop by the store and be part of the celebration.

Bill & Camilla Wheeler, by their Broad Street store:

After a cloudy start, partly sunny today and near 70. Sunnier & 70 Wednesday, Thursday 80, and Friday hints of summer with a high near 90.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast

6:54a Saturday night’s rain dance is delivering quick results: rain already this morning, then cloudy and a 70% chance of rain tonight. On Tuesday, back to sunny & dry, and then it looks like sunny/dry will be with us through the week.

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