Last Minute Gift Ideas

With all the commotion of work, travel plans and schedule changes its easy to forget a gift for your brother's new girlfriend or even your holiday hostess.

Below are some shops that can get you through the holidays while supporting your communities local businesses.

Guy Gifts:
Bame Ace Hardware - Shopping for the handyman
Carolina Beach Surf Shop - For the beach bum in your life
Island Tackle & Hardware - Hook' up your fisherman
The Veggie Wagon - Fill a growler with NC brew

Girl Gifts:
Island Chic Consignment Boutique - Brand name apparel on a budget
Shoppes at Squigley's - For the ice cream lover
The Unique Boutique of Carolina Beach - Shop funky dresses island jewelry
Touche - Women's apparel and accessories

Hostess Gifts:
The Checkered Church Gift Shop - Select nautical memorabilia
Island Roast Coffee - Make a coffee gift pack

For the Person Who Has Everything: Make a charitable donation in their name

Pleasure Island Fire Relief - Support the CB fire victims
Pleasure Island Sea Turtle Project - Preserve and protect endangered sea turtles
Nourish NC - Feed underprivileged  children
Step Up For Soldiers - Support our veterans
Vacation Getaway

2015 Carolina Beach Improvement Project

Make a Memory

You can own a piece of the new Carolina Beach Boardwalk with these commemorative options. Personalize your fish with memories of loved ones, as a personal message to your children or to advertise your business. 

Additional tiles can be purchased for bench and swing. Benches hold up to 10 tiles, swings hold up to 6 tiles and each tile can fit up to 3 lines of text. This fundraising effort goes toward funding and maintenance of the 2015 Boardwalk Improvement Project. 

Click the Fish below to purchase your personalized Carolina Beach Boardwalk Fish Tile. 

For more information please contact Hannah Dotson:

(910)458-2999 ext. 246     

hannah.dotson@carolinabeach.org

Facebook: Carolina Beach Boardwalk Improvement Project

Community Blood Drive

 Blood Drive at the North Carolina Aquarium

This holiday season, the American Red Cross encourages individuals to give something that means something, a blood or platelet donation. This simple, potentially lifesaving act can give patients in need another holiday season with family and friends..

Knowing every donation counts the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher will host an American Red Cross Community Blood Drive.

WHEN: Wednesday, Dec. 17 from 11 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Schedule your appointment to save a life by visiting www.redcrossblood.org and search by sponsor code AQUARIUM .

The N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher is located a short drive from Wilmington on US 421, south of Kure Beach. The site is less than a mile from the Fort Fisher ferry terminal.

900 Loggerhead Road
Kure Beach, NC  28449
910.458.8257
866.301.3476 

General information: http://www.ncaquariums.com/fort-fisher.

Fire Victims Benefit

Caroling and Candle Light Vigil at the Lake

You Are Invited!

To benefit the Fire Victims and celebrate the lives of those we have lost as a community.  Join us as we light the lake with love and show our support for the families facing great loss this holiday season. There will be free music and caroling as we unite our voices in memory.

WHEN: Friday, Dec. 19th from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Hot Chocolate, coffee and baked goods will be available for donations to benefit fire victims. 

The NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher - Ocean Art

A new art installation at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher’s Spadefish Gallery showcases the Coastal America Learning Center Network’s 2014 North America Ocean Art Contest winners.

The exhibit is intended to provide a visual expression of the link between humanity’s impact on the ocean and the ocean’s critical importance to humanity. The combination of art and science provides a powerful tool for making emotional connections with the ocean.

The winning art was selected by a panel of judges from entries submitted to members of the Coastal America Learning Center Network. Finalists were selected and judges chose the most expressive pieces to comprise the traveling exhibit. The network is a collaboration of 25 aquariums, museums and science facilities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. These centers work to educate and involve the public in protecting coastal and marine eco-systems.

The installation will remain at the Aquarium at Fort Fisher through February 2015. The Spadefish Gallery showcases North Carolina artists throughout the year. Artwork that coincides with the Aquarium’s mission of inspiring appreciation and conservation of North Carolina’s aquatic environments is located on the second floor of the Marine Building.

Spotlight on Business - Masonboro Boat Rental

Business at the State Park: Masonboro Boat Rental … … Boating is our Passion

A new partnership between Carolina Beach State Park and the Masonboro Boat Rental Company will provide a tremendous new asset for our tourism industry and local economy. Masonboro Boat Rental was awarded the powerboat rental concession at the state park marina in September of 2014 and intends to work with area businesses to offer visiting families and fish-ing enthusiasts a convenient, safe and wonderful boating experience that will create memories for a life time.

The Mission
The mission is to maintain a high quality rental fleet providing each customer with exceptional service and a great boating experience. The goal of this partnership with Carolina Beach State Park is to help increase the number of visitors to the park leading to a growth in revenues for the park and surrounding businesses in the Carolina Beach area.

The Plan
With initial plans for up to four fishing and family cruising boats from 19 to 21 feet, Masonboro Boat Rental’s location at the state park marina on Snow’s Cut Pass is strategically placed to provide easy access for customers from Carolina and Kure Beaches as well as promoting boat rentals for folks from all parts of the greater Wilmington area.

The Business View
The business view for Masonboro Boat Rental is to provide Carolina Beach visitors with an additional fun, satisfying experience featuring the Carolina Beach State Park Marina’s excellent facilities including convenient boat slips, boat ramps, fueling dock, restrooms, showers and marina store. Through joint promotions with the park and active collaboration with local businesses we see a strong model for a successful business venture.

Half day and full day rentals are available by appointment (910-599-1910).

Walk up reservations will begin in May in the park marina offices. Online reservations and complete website are expected to be operational in January, 2015.

Fort Fisher Holiday Open House

Fort Fisher State Historic Site will celebrate the upcoming holiday season by hosting its annual Holiday Open House.

When and Where

Tuesday, December 9, 2014, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. in the visitor's center. 

Fort Fisher State Historic Site is located at 1610 Fort Fisher Blvd S, Kure Beach, N.C. 28449. 

Entertainment
Open House visitors will enjoy seasonal refreshments, decorations, and entertainment throughout the day, including an array of holiday musical selections by the Murray Middle School Jazz Band, under the direction of David Tyson. The event will also feature storyteller and musician John Golden, as well as Masonboro Parlor, a group of local musicians who offer a unique combination of dance and period music. Current members of the group include John Bennett, Carole Green, Susan Wilzer, and Mary Ruth Marshall.

For this one day only, a special 25% discount will be offered on all museum shop merchandise, so visitors can stock up on gifts for the history enthusiast on their list.

Raffle
Before the conclusion of the program, the Friends of Fort Fisher will announce the winner of the 2014 rifle raffle, at which a lucky ticket holder will win a reproduction Civil War Springfield Musket. Raffle tickets are available right up until announcement time, but you need not be present to win.

Sponsored by the Friends of Fort Fisher and Fort Fisher Chapter 2325 of the UDC, the Holiday Open House is FREE and open to the public.

For more information, contact Paul Laird at 910-612-7067 or plaird@friendsoffortfisher.com

Annual Kure Beach Fantasy Christmas Show

Its that time of year again, Frosty, Harriet Hippo, Grinch, Cookie Monster,

Rudolph, the Gingerbread Man, polar bears, penguins, and a whole lot more will be at the 2014 Kure Beach Fantasy Christmas Show.

Get there early to enjoy a bluegrass performance by "South of K" at 6:30 p.m.

WHEN: December 7th - 9th from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
WHERE: K Ave. at Fort Fisher Blvd., Kure Beach, NC (near the Kure Beach Fishing Pier)

Enjoy entertainment by Santa and his sugar-crazed elves while the beautiful Winter Princess serenades you with Christmas classics.

Bring a chair and bundle up for a holiday fantasy like no other!

Spotlight on Business - Battlefield Live Wilmington

Lock and Load Wilmington! Battlefield Live Wilmington blasts into town as the only mobile laser tag operation in Southeast North Carolina. This is “Not your Daddy’s laser tag!”

Company Overview
Battlefield Live Wilmington is a local, Wilmington organization that serves private events like birthday parties, church and other group fundraisers, corporate team building, company get-togethers, wedding rehearsal dinners and/or bachelor parties, etc.

Inspired by popular video games such as the Call of Duty and Battlefield series, Battlefield Live is a live combat simulation. Barricades draw players into a 3D combat adventure.

The equipment is the latest technology. It uses a harmless infrared beam, like your TV remote, that tags sensors worn by players. Players love the missions because all the “phasers” have red-dot scopes for fast target acquisition. Children must be at least 7 years old to play, but adults of any age can and do participate. The oldest recorded player was 88.

The new company was featured at both the Island Day Celebration and the Seafood, Blues & Jazz Battlefield Live Wilmington provided exciting laser tag at the Town of Kure Beach’s Annual Employee Appreciation Luncheon.
Festival. Most recently,

The firm has expanded its offerings by establishing a physical location in Wilmington to supplement its mobile capability at 310 Market Street. So now Battlefield Live Wilmington can come to you for your event or enable you to hold a function at the physical location.

Let us provide the boost your event needs to be really memorable. Remember, You provide the guts…We provide the Glory! tm.

Check us out on Facebook! 910.352.7519

Chamber Makes A Donation

The Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce Donates to The Help Center of Federal Point

In a small effort to make the lives of the less-fortunate better, The Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce made a donation to The Help Center of Federal Point on Monday, November 24th.

Pictured (from left) Gail McCloskey, President PICC, Jan Trulove, Evelyn Bowman, Ann Hope-Marvin, Laurie Taylor (28 years) and Greg Reynolds, Executive Director PICC.

To the Help Center of Federal Point:

THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO TO HELP OUT THE ISLAND COMMUNITY