home

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teamers and sailboats, lumber and trains, and yes… dragons.

Friday, March 1 through Sunday, March 3, Oriental celebrates 125 years of life along the river.

Listen to the history of the town and find out how Oriental came to be and the people who helped make it that way. Watch the parade on Saturday.

Breakfast at Brantley’s has been postponed until a later date due to some members testing positive for COVID.

Check out the food and craft vendors in Lou Mac Park and enjoy the music – and street dance – by the river. Or grab your crew and boat and head out on the water for the boat parade.

Find what you need to know in the Oriental 125th Birthday Celebration Guide below:

Friday, March 1

9:00a Mayor Sally Belangia Opens the Celebration, reading the Proclamation at Town Hall. 507 Church Street.

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9:30a Historian Talks at Town Hall: 1930a & 1940s
• Jackie Mason
• LD Spruill
• Hugh Midyette

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10:30a Historian Talks at Town Hall: 1940s & 1950s
• Jimmy Ragan
• Sherrill Styron

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11:30a Historian Talks at Town Hall: 1960s & 1970s
• Georgie Lee
• Sally Belangia
• Christine Beeman
• Beth Milman

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12:30p Historian Talks at Town Hall
• Sylvia Norman
• Edna Whorton

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1:30p Historian Talks at Town Hall
• Allen Propst

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2 – 4p Nautical Wheelers: Music on the porch with Oriental Midnight. Nautical Wheeler’s private label wines available by the glass.

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3:00p Historian Talks at Town Hall:
• Clint Belangia
• Holly Jo Dunn Russell

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3:30p Historian Talks at Town Hall:
• Red Bryant
• Gregory Green
• Carnell Forbes
• Gwen Parmley

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4 – 5p Open House at First Citizens Bank. Serving light appetizers. 409 Broad St.

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4:30p Historian Talks at New Village Brewery: 702 Broad St.
• Sally Belangia
• Fay Bond
• Jack Bond
• Marilyn Stern

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5:30p Historian Talks at New Village Brewery:
• Bill Wheeler – Nautical Wheelers

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6:00p Historian Talks at New Village Brewery:
• Jonathan Weis – Jonathan’s Auto

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7:30p Breakfast at Brantley’s postponed due to cast members illness. at The Old Theater, performed by the Dragons’ Den Theatrical Troupe. Tickets are $20, available at Nautical Wheelers and at the door. 609 Broad St.

Saturday, March 2

7:00a Streets close for vendors: South Avenue between Mildred Street and Neuse Drive, Freemason Street from 1st to South Avenue.

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9:00a Craft Vendors set up at Lou Mac Park

9:00a Nautical Wheelers opens early for your last minute ONC gear.

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10:00a Food Vendors set up at Lou Mac Park
• Rotary Club – Hamburgers
• PAWS (Pamlico Animal Welfare Society) – Hot Dogs & Chips
• Roadside Dogs – Italian Sausage

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10:00a Parade participants line up on Ragan Road.

10a-5p Pamlico Artists’ Alliance popup Art Exhibition and Sale in the White Brick Building. 800 Broad St.

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10:30a Stop in at The Bean and grab your pirate parade gear: an eyepatch, hat, or sword. 304 Hodges St.

10:30a Get a bag of kettle corn courtesy of Beth Frazer Realty. 401 Hodges St.

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11:00a 125th Birthday Celebration Parade. Line up along Broad Street, Hodges Street, or along South Avenue to see the parade. participants will travel from Broad Street, left onto Hodges Street, down along the waterfront to South Avenue, ending at Lou Mac Park.

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11:55a Mayor Sally Belangia reads the Birthday Celebration proclamation at the Riverfront Stage, at South Ave and Freemason St.

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Noon 2p Oriental Dinghy Club March Madness Sailboat Parade begins off Lou Mac Park.

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1:00p Historian Talks on South Avenue, under the tent:
• Dale Montgomery at 1p
• Flora Moormon at 2p

Music at the Riverfront Stage, at South Ave and Freemason St

• 12:05p Mark Tesh, Songs of Oriental
• 1:00p Gospel Ensemble
• 1:30p Oriental Midnight
• 2:15p Brant Island Strings
• 3:15p KB2: Ken Belangia & Kim Brookshire
• 4:00p Summer in the City

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4:45p The South Avenue Street Dance Begins

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• 4:45p Hoff & Finch
• 6:30p TerryLynn Melody & Highway 55
• 7:30p Sticks & Strings open Jam with Captain Bob & Friends.

Sunday, March 3

1:00p Gospel & More Concert by the Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival. With music by Harbor Sounds, the Drummin’ Dragons, Rev, Ben Sims and Ken Belangia. At Oriental United Methodist Church, 404 Freemason St.

1:00p History Talk at the History Museum. 802 Broad St.
• Lou Ostendorff – How Oriental Got Its Name

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3:00p Breakfast at Brantley’s postponed due to cast members illness. at The Old Theater, performed by the Dragons’ Den Theatrical Troupe. Tickets are $20, available at Nautical Wheelers and at the door. 609 Broad St.

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6:00p Community Hymn at First Baptist Church, 605 Broad St.

Posted Wednesday February 28, 2024 by Allison DeWeese