Snow's Cut Boat Ramp Will Stay Open Until Late Winter

You spoke and they listened! Thanks to a recent article in the Star-News and reporting by Snow's Cut Monthly, Pleasure Islanders spoke up about having all three local boat ramps closed simultaneously throughout the winter.

According to an article in today's Star-News:

"Erik Christofferson, engineering division chief with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, said he had not realized the renovations to the Snow's Cut ramps would overlap with those at the state park until he received phone calls following a previous StarNews story on the issue."

They are going to try to delay the work to the Snow's Cut ramp until late winter after the Carolina Beach State Park ramp re-opens. Christofferson also said that they "definitely don't want the projects to overlap and have both sites closed, not even for a day."

In the case that the Carolina Beach State Park boat ramps are not finished in time, the Snow's Cut ramp project will be delayed until next winter.

Please visit the following link to read the full story:

www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090819/ARTICLES/908194006

Fireworks and Music at the Gazebo - Bibis Ellison and Spare Change

The Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce Fireworks by the Sea and Free Music at the Gazebo Series features Bibis Ellison and the Spare Change Band (Rock) on Thursday, August 20th at the Gazebo on Cape Fear Boulevard starting at 6:30 p.m.

Plus,the FIREWORKS will be that night at 9:00 p.m. Grab your beach chairs and head on down to the Boardwalk for a great time. (Weather permitting)

Poster Contest for Pleasure Island Seafood Blues and Jazz

The 2009 Seafood Blues and Jazz Festival Poster Contest will come to a close on August 22, 2009.

If you are interested in entering a work of art for this contest please be advised that all entries:

• Must be a flat work of art no smaller than 11” x 14” and no larger than 18” x 24”.
• Please do not submit work on stretched, framed canvas or canvas board.
• All lettering is prohibited yet poster must be representative of the Seafood Blues and Jazz Festival.
• Contest winner will receive $200, VIP treatment at the festival, recognition for the poster graphic and will have the opportunity to sign posters at the Festival in the Fine Arts Plaza.

Applications are available on our website at www.pleasureislandnc.org/seafoodbluesandjazzfestival.asp.

Pleasure Island Chamber Membership Badge

The Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce wants their members to be able to proudly show off their membership status with a badge for their website!

To add this button, simply copy and paste the following HTML code into your website:

<a href="http://www.pleasureislandnc.org" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z398/wilmingtonseo/pi-mem-1_zps6470e576.gif" border="0" alt="Pleasure Island Membership Badge"/></a>


A recent survey by the Atlanta based Shapiro group shows that membership in a local chamber of commerce can significantly boost a business' image among both consumers and other businesses.

According to the study, positive perceptions of chamber members were found in a number of areas, including overall favorability, consumer awareness and reputation, and likelihood of future patronage.

The study shows that when respondents were told that a particular small business was a member of its local chamber, they were 44% more likely to rate it favorably than study respondents who were not told of the chamber affiliation. It also shows that consumers are 63% (and businesses 59%) more likely to buy goods and services in the future from a company that they believe is a member of the local chamber of commerce.

“We discovered that informing someone about a company’s chamber membership opens the door to substantial increases in positive perceptions of that business,” said Alex Trouteaud, Ph. D., senior strategist for The Shapiro Group. “There clearly is a feeling by our respondents that chamber membership is synonymous with quality and desirability.”

Take advantage of this positive perception today and add your membership badge to your website!

For more information, please visit:

www.PleasureIslandNC.org/about-pleasure-island-chamber-of-commerce.asp

Free Summer Concert Series - Mako (Classic Rock, Blues)

Join us tonight in Kure Beach for the Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce Free Summer Concert Series featuring Mako. Enjoy the sounds of this favorite classic rock/bluesy band outdoors at the Fort Fisher Military Recreation Area in Kure Beach, NC. - for free!

This 4th show in the Series is tonight, Friday, August 14th from 6 pm - 8 pm. Bring your own beach chairs, blankets, and food. Beverages are available for sale on the premises (please do not bring beverages or pets).

For more information and to see more dates in the Series, please visit: www.PleasureIslandNC.org/freesummerconcertseries.asp.

Bike Lanes on the Snow's Cut Bridge?

The Star-News today reported on the desire by some to restructure the lanes of the Snow's Cut bridge connecting Wilmington with Carolina Beach and Pleasure Island to accommodate bikers and pedestrians with greater safety.

Currently, the bridge has a 3-foot sidewalk for pedestrians and a 2-foot paved shoulder. Groups including the New Hanover County Commissioners and officials from Carolina Beach and Kure Beach asked the N.C. Department of Transportation to investigate what could be done to make crossing the bridge by foot or bike a safer experience.

It turns out that any changes made to widen the pedestrian and bike lanes would make the lanes for car traffic less safe. It would push the oncoming lanes too close together which wouldn't meet bridge standards requiring 4-foot paved shoulders. It would also be an expensive modification project, costing as much as $2 million.

Two alternatives to modifying the current bridge would be to build a separate pedestrian and bike bridge or to replace the existing deck on the Snow's Cut Bridge - both which are currently too expensive to consider further.

It is possible for the Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization to set this bridge modification project as a priority, in which case the N.C. DOT would investigate the matter further.

To read the full article, please visit:

www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090813/ARTICLES/908134007/1004

Have you tried to cross the Snow's Cut Bridge on bike or foot? What was your experience like? We invite you to comment and let us know what you think about the current bridge and its capacity for handling bikers and pedestrians.

Sunday Night Movie at Carolina Beach Lake - Journey to the Center of the Earth

The Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce Free Movies at the Lake Series continues this weekend with a showing of Journey to the Center of the Earth on Sunday night, August 9th.

The movie is shown outdoors at Carolina Beach Lake Park so bring your own chairs and blankets to get cozy. This is a great event for the whole family.

The movie starts at 8:45 pm. Concessions are available.

Journey to the Center of the Earth stars Brendan Fraser as Prof. Trevor Anderson who journeys on a quest to find out what happened to his missing brother. Along with his nephew (Josh Hutcherson) and a mountain guide (Anita Briem), they discover discover a fantastic and dangerous lost world in the center of the earth.

For more information and to see the complete film schedule for the summer, please visit:

www.PleasureIslandNC.org/freemoviesatthelake.asp.