Springtime Fun on Pleasure Island

Thanks to warmer days and longer daylight hours, the fun factor at Pleasure Island is steadily increasing!  There are so many activities planned for the coming months that making a decision about what to do are going to be tough. The great news is that whether you are a frequent visitor or a Pleasure Island resident, boredom will simply not be an option! Along with the regularly scheduled activities, such as the monthly fish fry and pancake breakfast, the calendar is full of lots of family-friendly events. Here's a look at a few scheduled for the near future that are particularly noteworthy:

Saturday, April 6th - Island of Lights Fashion Show & Luncheon - Get those tickets fast ladies, because only 100 will be available. The deadline to purchase a ticket is March 31st, and be aware this could be a sellout! Along with the fashion show, there will be a delicious lunch provided by Middle of the Island, a silent auction and raffle. All proceeds benefit everyone's favorite holiday happening-The Island of Lights.
The runway action takes place at the American Legion Post at 1500 Bridge Barrier Rd. from 11am until 2pm. Tickets are $22 and available at touché, Unique Boutique, and Carolina Beach Surf Shop. For more information, please call Linda Cheshire at 910-617-5945.

Saturday, April 13th - The 17th Annual Pleasure Island Chowder Cook-Off - As you can imagine, this is a biggie. For the 17th consecutive year some of the most talented local restaurant chefs will vie for the top spot in this fierce competition. As things heat up throughout the day, chowder lovers can enjoy some great live music. Face painting and a colossal bouncy house are set to be part of the Kidz Zone. If there's a non-chowder head in your crowd, no worries, hot dogs and funnel cake will be available.
Please be aware that you'll need to leave Fido and your cooler at home. However, beer and wine will be offered for purchase. The action starts at 11:30 at the Carolina Beach Lake Park on the corner of Atlanta and Lake Park Blvd. Voting wraps up at 4pm and the event is over at 6pm.
Tickets are $5 at the door and kids under 12 may get in free.  Learn more here: Pleasure Island Chowder CookOff

Saturday, April 27th - Surfrider's Expression Surfing and Music Event -This is one you'll definitely want to put on your calendar! In addition to supporting Surfrider and all of the valuable work the agency does to protect our coastlines, this fun for all ages event promises hours of entertainment, and all for just a $10 donation. The festivities will be held on the Boardwalk behind Hurricane Alley, from noon until 7pm. An amazing lineup of area bands, including Selah Dubb will be on hand all day. Surfers should bring their favorite stick and compete in the Expression Session heat that will start at 3pm. All ages and all board sizes are welcome and yes! there will be a few prizes for divisions such as:
Best Costume - Gnarliest Wipeout - Rippenest Grom - Smoothest Legend and Most Soulful.

Saturday, April 27th- 6th Annual Kure Beach Street Fair -Plans are underway to make this event one of the most fun ways you can spend a Saturday! Of course there will be activities for the kids, food, and entertainment. Please call 910-458-8216 for more details on this event.

As you can see Spring is starting off with a bang on Pleasure Island. For our complete calendar of events, please call the Chamber at 910-458-8434 or visit this link: www.pleasureislandnc.org/events-list.php.

Spring Break Sports Sampler Camp

Brought to you by the Carolina Beach Rec Center and Basketball by the Sea:

More information and registration forms here: http://www.carolinabeach.org/site_new/pages/documents/SpringBreakCamp2013.pdf

Spring Break on Pleasure Island

Spring break is upon us and now is the perfect time to plan your spring break vacation on Pleasure Island! You can even build your perfect itinerary including local hotels, restaurants, and things to do at our website, www.PleasureIslandNC.org/MyVisit.

There's plenty of fun to be had on the island year round, including special events and monthly activities for all ages. By taking some time out for a spring visit to the Pleasure Island area, you may discover that some things are even a little more fun without the heat and crowds of summer. And - ou could get really lucky and experience unseasonably warm weather during your island getaway. For example, one early February day this year, the midday temperature rose to 65 degrees. Imagine how wonderful the typically warmer months of March, April, and May could be!

From the end of May through Labor Day, locals and visitors enjoy the beaches, fun along the boardwalk, plus movie nights at Carolina Beach Lake Park, the summer concert series, and weekly fireworks. Are you aware that the cooler months have just as much going on? Even better-the slower pace enjoyed during the off-season allows Pleasure Island's small town feel to come through loud and clear!

There are several events that have become Pleasure Island institutions. For example, regulars know that on the first Friday and first Saturday of each month, cooking is optional. The American Legion 1st Friday Fish Fry serves both lunch and dinner, from 11 am until 7 pm. Plates are $8 and diners can count on large servings, hot hushpuppies and homemade dessert! During the winter only, Captain Ray's seafood chowder and award-winning conch chowder is also for sale. Be sure to save some room on Saturday morning for the Katie B. Hines Pancake Breakfast, which benefits the senior center.

Of course the N.C. Aquarium at Ft. Fisher, the Ft. Fisher Historic Site and the Ft. Fisher ferry operate year round. Happenings that you can only enjoy in March and April are the Special Olympics Polar Plunge and 5K Run, and two events celebrating their 17th year: the Budweiser Wing Fling, and Pleasure Island's Chowder Cook-Off. Spring also means it's time for the St. Patrick's Lo-Tide Run, the Back to the Beach Car Show and Cruise-In, the Kure Beach Street Fair and two biggies: Britt's Donuts reopens, this year on March 22nd and the Farmers Market resumes on May 11th.

For a month by month look at all of the activities and special events planned for the Spring of 2013, please visit the Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce Events Calendar.