Star-News: A postcard history of CB

From the Star-News (article and photo):

The rides are back on the Boardwalk at Carolina Beach, and Elaine B. Henson thinks they're picture-perfect. Well, she'd actually be happier if the rock music coming from them weren't so loud. But as a longtime devotee of Carolina Beach, she likes the idea of carnival rides returning to the beach.

She said the carnival rides and stores opening in the Boardwalk area are bringing new life to the heart of the beach town.

Henson is author of "Carolina Beach: A Postcard History," part of Arcadia Publishing's Postcard History Series.

The book, available at stores and shops in Carolina Beach and at Barnes & Noble, traces the beach town's history through postcards. ...

Something close by to do: Catch the Hammerheads in action

Full disclosure: I've never been to a Wilmington Hammerheads match, but the fact that the soccer team has been around since 1996 (longer than many Major League Soccer teams) is a testament to the enjoyment of the games.

The Hammerheads play in the United Soccer League (USL)'s second division, and are Wilmington's first professional sports team. They play at Legion Stadium on Carolina Beach Road, just miles from Pleasure Island.

Here's some info on "Sledge," the Hammerheads' mascot:

While traveling the depths of the Atlantic, Sledge became separated from his family and ended up drifting off the shore at Fort Fisher. He was spotted by staff at the North Carolina Aquarium, looking tired and lost, and was brought to a tank there until he recovered his strength.

During his stay at Fort Fisher, Sledge got along well with the other sharks but was happiest when children would come up to his tank to watch him swim around. Many of these children would wear their Hammerheads strip when visiting Sledge. Over time, the staff at the aquarium started to notice how happy Sledge would get when he saw these children. They decided to contact the Hammerheads about making him part of the team.

Now that Sledge is with the Hammerheads, he is even happier than he was when he lived in the ocean. He loves soccer and never imagined that cheering on the team would be so exciting. Sledge is looking forward to his second season with the Hammerheads and spending time with all of his soccer friends!

To purchase Hammerheads tickets, go here.

Pleasure Island: A NY Times 'Summer Destination' spot

The New York Times recently featured Pleasure Island in its "One Summer, 14 Weekends" piece.

"The Cape Fear River rambles past the historic and picturesque city of Wilmington, N.C., widening and creating slivery barrier islands with the river on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other," says the paper. "Pleasure Island, about 12 miles south of Wilmington, has the towns of Carolina Beach and Kure Beach as well as pleasurable beaches for catching a tan.

"But you can tackle the area by hiking in Carolina Beach State Park (910-458-8206), home to the carnivorous Venus’ flytraps. Or you can rent a surfboard or body board at SandBarz Surf and Skate Shop on the Boardwalk in Carolina Beach. ..."

The renovation is (99 percent) complete!

Well, it wasn't easy, but we spent all day on Saturday putting the finishing touches on the Carolina Beach condo. Aside from a minor communication flub on the paint color for the living room, everything looks fantastic. (We'll be getting a brighter shade of yellow painted next week.)

Around 2 p.m. on Saturday the place looked like this:



































Finally, around 11 p.m., it looked like this:



















If you are interested in staying at our place, please email us. June is pretty much booked, but we have some weeks and weekends available in July, August, September, October and so on. Contact us with your interested dates and we'll "sea" what we can work out.

The place is literally 100 feet from the ocean with 3 public accesses within a short walk. (One of which is Freeman Park.) We have cable in the living room, a queen bed in the bedroom and a pull-out sofa. Also (not pictured) is a 9 feet-by-10 feet porch with ocean views.

Oh, and if the above shots aren't promising enough, here is a reminder about the pool and view.

A 'before' shot

Here is what OBP (Our Beach Place) looked like "before" we attempted to take it out of the 1980s. Stay tuned for the "after" shots.




And here's a shot of the view. Not too bad, eh?

Here come the rides!

The new Boardwalk amusement park ribbon cutting will take place on Friday at 4 p.m. The rides are slated to by open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Here's more from the Star-News.

Robert Megerle and his partner Harlan J. Bast II from Megerle’s Magic and Hildebrand Rides of Gibsonton, Fla., have been working on the project for a couple of months.

“Everyone in the city worked at helping get it together,” Megerle said.

Bast said it’s an opportunity to bring family fun to the Boardwalk, in addition to the eateries and bars already there.

“I really feel like it’s going to draw a lot of people to the Boardwalk that haven’t been drawn in the past,” he said.

The eleven rides will include two fun houses -- one for adults and one for children – and a Ferris wheel.

Architect Greg Reynolds, who was hired to help with the process of fitting the rides into spaces along the Boardwalk, said Megerle brought in about $3 million worth of rides that he already owned for the amusement park..

“We started working about three years ago in the big picture, but we started working with this vendor two months ago,” Reynolds said. ...

Bast said the plan is to open the amusement park Friday, but the rides still need to go through state inspections to make sure everything is ready, which he stressed is very important. ...

Tickets will cost $1.50 each, and rides will be worth about two or three tickets.

All-day passes will also be available for $25.

The park will be open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.

(Image from the Star-News)

CB gets bike grant

Carolina Beach was one of 12 municipalities across the state to get a bicycle and pedestrian planning grant from the DOT, according to a recent Star-News article (read down). The N.C. Board of Transportation awarded $315,850 to 12 municipalities for bicycle and pedestrian planning. Carolina Beach gets $20,000.

"The DOT anticipates that the municipalities selected will begin the planning process this fall. The department also will be available to provide technical assistance to the municipalities. Since 2004, 92 N.C. municipalities have been awarded grants for comprehensive bicycle or pedestrian plans."