4th Annual Island Day - Sunday, September 29th

Please mark your calendars for the 4th Annual Island Day celebration. The event will be held Sunday, September 29th from 1pm to 5pm at Kure Beach Ocean Front Park. Island Day is a cooperative effort between the Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce, Carolina Beach Downtown Initiative, Carolina Beach Arts & Activities Committee, and the Town Staff, Elected Officials, and Volunteers of both Carolina Beach, NC and Kure Beach, NC.

Island Day is a celebration that brings together residents of Pleasure Island for a day of "old fashioned" fun with picnicking, family friendly activities and games, music, hands-on educational opportunities, and time to visit with friends and neighbors. Bring a cooler with sandwiches, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages, or make a donation for a hot dog from the Carolina and Kure Beach Fire Departments. Sit on your blankets, relax and enjoy!

This event could not function without the support and participation of our local non-profits, businesses, and individuals! We are currently accepting applications at Kure Beach Town Hall from anyone interested in participating in this year's event. If you are interested in volunteering or participating, please contact Nikki Keely at Kure Beach Town Hall by calling (910) 458-8216 or emailing parks@townofkurebeach.org. Applications can also be found at www.townofkurebeach.org. Thank you in advance for helping make the 4th Annual Island Day a huge success!

Spotlight On Business — Footprints - Local Artisans Boutique

Footprints – Local Artisans Boutique is a new shopping experience for Carolina Beach. Opened by Trisha Rogers in May, the shop is comprised of booths that can be rented by local artists and crafters to showcase and sell their work.

Originally offering the work of three artisans, Footprints now features the talent of twelve individuals, and still has room for a few more (although spaces are filling quickly). Merchandise includes an array of original items, including:

•  paintings
• home décor
• pottery
• crocheted items
• shabby chic furnishings
• natural bath and body products

Visitors to Carolina Beach who are looking for a tangible memory of their trip can find many perfect items that are locally made – a great alternative to mass produced souvenirs that can be found at any tourist spot.

The concept for Footprints is one much like an artist cooperative. By pooling resources, many individuals are able to have their own “mini boutique” within a larger retail space that would not have been feasible to lease and run individually. In addition to working together to cover the overhead of the space, everyone works together to promote the boutique, and subsequently, each others businesses and artwork.

Stop in to browse the unique offerings of Footprints – Local Artisans Boutique. You can also become a follower at www.facebook.com/FootprintsCB for regular updates. Re-member…Shop Local – Shop Original!

Footprints – Local Artisans Boutique
1140 N. Lake Park Blvd., Unit H
(Across from CB Town Hall)
Carolina Beach, NC
910-216-0333

Carolina Beach Boardwalk a "Classic Beach Boardwalk"

FoxNews.com has selected the Carolina Beach Boardwalk as one of its 7 Classic Beach Boardwalks.

Beach boardwalks are a tradition dating back to the early 20th century.  They are generally located right along the shoreline and are known for various amusements including carousels, rides, arcades, fair-style food and treats like ice cream and taffy.

The FoxNews.com feature highlights boardwalks across the U.S. that make particular efforts to be safe, fun, clean, and family-friendly. We are not surprised that our Carolina Beach Boardwalk fits the bill so well!

At this point in mid-September, the rides are closed for the season and many of the businesses have transitioned to off-season mode.  However, the Boardwalk is set to undergo major improvements laid out in a New Hanover County $500,000 grant approval for the redevelopment, reconstruction, and expansion of the Carolina Beach Boardwalk.

We are excited to have been included in the FoxNews.com profile of the Top 7 Beach Boardwalks and we look forward the expansion project, set to break ground this month.

Winner of Seafood Blues and Jazz Festival 2013 Poster Announced

This year's Artist for the 20th Annual Pleasure Island Seafood Blues & Jazz Festival is local artist Robert Scott Knowles from Carolina Beach, North Carolina.

Robert's historic fantasy-inspired Buddy Guy playing the blues on the bayou was inspired by a paragraph in Buddy Guy's Bio:

Though Buddy Guy will forever be associated with Chicago, his story actually begins in Louisiana. One of five children, he was born in 1936 to a sharecropper’s family and raised on a plantation near the small town of Lettsworth, located some 140 miles northwest of New Orleans. Buddy was just seven years old when he fashioned his first makeshift "guitar"—a twostring contraption attached to a piece of wood and secured with his mother’s hairpins. He recounts his early efforts with the instrument, and his ability to keep his faith when his family chased him out of the house for making a racket. "I would go out in the yard, on the levee, to practice," he says. "We didn’t have electric lights or running water—you could hear that guitar a mile away in the country, so I’d have to go a long way away so they didn’t say 'Get out of here with that noise!'"

When we talked to Robert about his inspiration, he said: "After I read that Bio, I had no doubt from the beginning what this artwork was to become. I researched a sharecropper’s life during the 30’s, the dress they wore and the life they led. I took Buddy at 76 and translated his facial features to that of a 7 year old. I was moved by Buddy’s memories so long ago and decided to translate this memory into a piece of art." As you can see, Robert has created a unique expression of a Buddy Guy memory to share with all of the Festival-goers this year.

This year we had a total of eleven entries which made for a difficult decision for the judges. All of the entries were very colorful, fanciful and energetic. The uniqueness and the implied dream-like memory set this year’s selection apart from the others. Robert previously won top honors for the 2008 Seafood Blues & Jazz poster which we commonly call "The Edgar and Johnny Winter Poster."

We are proud to have Robert (once again) represent the 20th year of this great Festival. Robert will be attending the Festival where he will be signing posters, discussing his inspiration for this piece and offering additional selections of his unique artwork in the Arts and Wine Garden. Posters. T-shirts will be on sale soon at the Chamber offices and will be available at the Festival as long as supplies last.

Congratulations Robert!!

Spotlight on Business - Drifter's Reef Hotel

Drifter's Reef Motel in Carolina Beach is a fun-filled family vacation spot. Drifter's Reef is owned and operated by local resident LeAnn Pierce. In addition to our outstanding on-site restaurant, The Lazy Pirate, we offer our guests the following amenities:

1. An outdoor pool
2. Picnic areas
3. Volleyball courts
4. 24 hour/7 days a week front desk services
5. On-site laundry facilities. 

We are equipped to handle all your family, wedding, reunion, and vacation needs. You can book online at driftersreef.com or call the hotel at 910-458-5414.

Drifter’s Reef Hotel & Lazy Pirate Sports Bar & Grill
701 N. Lake Park Blvd.
Carolina Beach, NC 28428

Carolina Beach Boardwalk Amusement Park Open September 6-8, 2013

Due to popular demand, the Carolina Beach Boardwalk Amusement Park is going to have one more big weekend in 2013!

The rides will be going Friday, Saturday & Sunday, September 6, 7 & 8.

The kids may be back at school but summer is not over at Pleasure Island!  The temps are still warm, the ocean water is a balmy 82 degrees, the beaches are beautiful, and the Boardwalk rides are still up and running.

While our summer outdoor movies, fireworks, and free concerts are over for the season, we've got the amazing Seafood Blues and Jazz Festival coming up fast.  This year, six time Grammy award winner Buddy Guy is headlining the festival.  We have 2 straight days of music - October 12+13 - from rhythm, blues, and jazz bands against the amazing backdrop of the Cape Fear River.  You definitely don't want to miss this festival!

Enjoy this extension of summer fun!