Wing Fling a success, next comes a celebration of chowder

The 16th annual Wing Fling took over CB on Saturday. According to reports, thousands attended. WECT's Jon Evans won the wing eating contest by devouring 12 wings in one minute and three seconds. Well done, sir.

The next big event for CB will be the 16th annual (what was it about 16 years ago?) Chowder Cook-Off, which will be Saturday, April 14.

The 2012 Pleasure Island Chowder Cook-off is a family-oriented event that is all about delicious food, good music, and fun for all ages. Chefs from Carolina Beach, Wilmington, and beyond will prepare their best seafood chowder recipes between the hours of 12:00pm and 4:00pm. Children will enjoy the park's playground and a Kidz Zone with face-painting, a giant inflatable house, and more.

During the cook-off, enjoy live music and chowder-tasting (and voting) between 12:00pm and 4:00pm, but make sure to arrive early while the chowder is abundant. Area restaurants that are participating this year include: Havana's Fresh Island Restaurant, The Lazy Pirate, Seaside Grille at Courtyard by Marriott, SeaWitch Café & Tiki Bar, and the Veggie Wagon in Carolina Beach. Wilmington restaurants include Cape Fear Seafood Company and O'Charley's. The Grille in Shallotte is a first-year contender. The day-long chowder showcase features live entertainment by the Mark Roberts Band (variety dance band) at Carolina Beach Lake Park's Stingray Amphitheater. At approximately 5:00pm, be sure to join in the celebration of People’s and Judges' Choice awards.

Want to go? Gates open Saturday, April 14 at 11:30am. A modest admission charge of $5 for adults will provide a taste of some of the best chowder this area has to offer during a friendly culinary competition. Admission is free for children ages 12 and under. No coolers permitted, as beverages and food will be available for sale. Chairs, blankets and children are welcome, but please leave pets at home.

That Coastal swing

It's hard to grow up in North or South Carolina and not be exposed to beach music. It's pretty much in our blood.

Well, an article from Wrightsville Beach Magazine is an insightful one about the genre.

Its a hot summers day. Its the rushing wind through a topless car. Its a midnight stroll on the beach. Its a hotdog on the boardwalk. Its a trip to the fishing hole. Its boy meets girl. What is it, you may ask? It is the smooth, coastal sounds of southeastern Carolina beach music.

For nearly 50 years, beach music has engaged multiple generations in a musical tradition that was born in the Cape Fear region. It is the convergence of soul, rhythm and blues, country and a little bit of rock and roll. All of these influences are wound up to produce a sound that is distinctively regional and characteristic of the fun-loving lifestyle that is portrayed in the lyrics.

On a Thursday night in Wilmington, N.C., Jim Quick and Coastline take the stage at a local music venue. The dance floor is empty, but all of that changes once the band plugs in. Vibrations bounce from the instruments and speakers off the wall and into the listeners ears, uniting everyone in the room. For some, fond memories well up from within. For others, the music evokes the anticipation of good times yet to be had and memories yet to be made. Like a magnet, the music pulls both young and old to their feet and onto the dance floor.

"It is hard for anybody to listen to beach music and say, I dont like it. It is just happy, feel good music," says Jim Quick, the lead singer and frontman of the band. Quick grew up in Scotland County, North Carolina, in a place known as Gum Swamp. He had his first taste of music listening to the soulful sounds of The Dominoes and Sticks McGhee, which were favorites of his caretaker, Miss Ruby.

Quick and his band began working with beach music legend, the late General Johnson of the Chairman of the Board in the 1990s. It was a chance for the young band to learn from a man that had recorded beach music classics such as "Carolina Girls" and "Give Me Just a Little More Time."

"He was the number one lure," Quick says. "We have to go in and grab those college kids and the General was the best at that. He was a pro." General Johnson mentored Quick, teaching him how to hook listeners and create disarming set lists that had crowds, in a sense, dangling on a string.

At any given Chairman of the Board show in Wilmington, it was not uncommon for the room to be shoulder to shoulder. Lifelong fans would shag dance casually in an open area while college kids crowded the stage, shouting the words of Motown classics that were written decades before they were born.

But this scene is not unique to the Chairman of the Board. Other beach music bands like Band of Oz, which also worked with General Johnson, include songs in their set list that are targeted to attract new generations of beach music fans.

"You will be shocked to see how many high school and young college age kids are out there shagging and just like the beach music," says David Hicks, the drummer for Band of Oz, "but we also want to give them a little bit of dynamite and throw that mix in."

Click here for the rest of the article.

CB's 'road diet' reversal set

Seems CB's "road diet" problem is not quite over. Not quite. But almost.

"The reversal of a hotly contested road project in Carolina Beach looks like it will finally be coming to an end," says WWAY.

Fattening Lake Park Blvd on Pleasure Island is on track to be completed by one of the busiest weekends of the season.

Since it was implemented a few years ago the “road diet” has caused public outcry about traffic and parking problems. In 2010 the "diet" reduced the four lane road to two lanes with a center turn lane and bike paths along with diagonal parking.

Town manager Tim Owens says the reversal should be completed by Memorial Day weekend. ...

The road diet was originally part of a plan to give downtown Carolina Beach more of a "main street" feel.

Wing Fling to return

I can't say I'm familiar with this event, but it's typically good to see events return.

The 16th annual Wing Fling will be back in Carolina Beach this spring. The event moved to Pleasure Island last year after problems getting a liquor license in Wilmington [says WWAY].

This year's Wing Fling is March 24 at the Carolina Beach Boardwalk. General admission tickets are $15. VIP tickets are $20. Admission includes wing tasting from area restaurants and live music.

Proceeds benefit Wilmington's Residential Adolescent Achievement Place (WRAAP) and the National Education Foundation Scholarship Fund.

A new couch ... and some new sand!

We are excited to report that Our Beach Place should have a nice, sparkling new sofa come this weekend. Those of you who have stayed at the OBP know that it's long overdue. We're very excited.

We're also excited about this:

Congressman Mike McIntyre's office announced [last week] Carolina Beach is one step closer getting much-needed dredging.

The memorandum of agreement or MOA between the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the state of North Carolina to pay for the project has been approved. The agreement will allow the state and local communities to pay the Army Corps to dredge the Carolina Beach inlet as well as the Lockwoods Folly and New Topsail inlets.

State leaders say the waterways are critical to commercial and recreation fishermen and the tourism industry.

Huzzahs all around!

Filmmakers look to promote Pleasure Island

There will soon be a new "welcome to" video to promote Carolina Beach and Pleasure Island, according to the Star-News.

Albert Hedgepeth III, founder of Rendered Communications and a producer, is hiring seven or eight people who have experience in the local film industry to help him with the video. They'll be shooting at various events and venues in Carolina and Kure beaches for the next several weeks, including inside one of the tanks at the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher.

"Our objective is to give a modern, hip overview of the island to show the activities that are going on here," Hedgepeth said.

While he already has some of the footage on file from summer months, one of the biggest challenges will be shooting warm-weather activities now, such as surfing, paddleboarding and kiteboarding, he said.

The video should be a part of the site by mid-February, Hedgepeth added.

Blu Zeus Interactive Marketing of Wilmington is designing the new website. The last time it was updated was in 2007, said Gail McCloskey, president of the chamber. ...

"Our goal is to get people across the bridge, and once they do that they'll see all the things we have to do," [Chamber Assistant Director Greg] Reynolds said. "They'll say, ‘Wow, I didn't know that about that place. I didn't know there were so many things to do.'"

Get creative and original this winter in Carolina Beach

From a press release:

This winter, the adventurous are skipping the trip westward and trading their snowmen for sand castles. Why hit the slopes when you can hit the sand with an original winter getaway at Carolina Beach?

For some travelers, Carolina Beach (http://www.carolinabeachgetaway.com) puts a decidedly original spin on the winter getaway they seek. Lively local festivities, including the 147th Anniversary of the Battle of Fort Fisher, complement a fantastic variety of area amenities, including locally owned shops and restaurants, as well as rentals and accommodations at discounted rates.

Budget-Friendly Beach
Looking for a wallet-friendly winter getaway after the hustle and bustle of the holidays? Carolina Beach makes it easy to plan for a long weekend or extended family getaway with rental options for any budget. Motels, hotels and many beach condos offer low off-season rates that make Carolina Beach an attractive destination during the winter and throughout the year(http://www.carolinabeachgetaway.com/lodging/). Others might check out the special offers at area hotels and motels (http://www.carolinabeachgetaway.com/lodging/hotels_motel ...).

A Different Kind Of Winter Chill
With high temperatures often reaching into the 60s in January, Carolina Beach offers milder winter getaway weather than other traditional destinations. Outdoor adventurers seeking an active getaway will be pleasantly surprised at nature’s bounty this time of year. Speckled trout and striped bass are especially plentiful in area waters, much to the delight of both seasoned and amateur anglers (http://bit.ly/

pLY3Uv). And an array of unique birds make their winter homes at Carolina Beach State Park, from the belted kingfisher and Boat-tailed Grackle, to Bonaparte’s Gull, the Bufflehead, Forster’s Tern and more (http://bit.ly/oY5L9N). Bundle up and hike along one of the park’s six nature trails. Sugarloaf Trail, named for the 50-foot sand dune near the bank of the Cape Fear River, offers a three-mile journey that is an excellent place for watching water birds, exploring the tidal marsh, and observing fiddler crabs as they travel over the mudflats.

...