This Sunday, June 23rd, come enjoy a free concert with Brickhouse.

BrickHouse, a Raleigh based band, performs an incredible variety of hits from the 60′s, 70′s, 80′s, 90′s, and today, combining tight harmonies, a solid rhythm section and blazing instrumentalists to create a powerful, exciting and entertaining show. Their selection of song is sure to keep the party going and the dance floor packed!

This installment of the Holden Beach Concert Series starts at 6:30PM on the Pavillion stage under the Holden Beach bridge.

Get ready for a fun time at Holden Beach! Dance a little and smile a lot! Music ranges from beach music to variety

Refreshments are on sale to help fund the events, so be sure to bring a little of cash.

For the full Summer Concert Series Schedule Click Here!

All concerts are FREE and are held at the Holden Beach Pavilion

The Museum of Coastal Carolina and Ingram Planetarium have some great programs lined up for this summer. The summer schedule runs from May 24th through September 2nd, 2013. During this time, the Museum will open at 10:00 AM Monday through Saturday, and the Planetarium will open at 11:00 AM. All-day admission means that you can come and go all day as long as you present your receipt for re-admittance. Here are the programs:

Museum of the Coastal Carolinas:

Monday – Surfing 101 (11:00 AM – classroom instruction only), Surf Fishing (3:30 PM), Odyssey of the Sea Turtle (7:00 PM)

Tuesday – Whale Tales (3:30 PM), Sand Bar Café (7:00 PM). The Sand Bar Café is new this year and is co-sponsored by OIB Surf & Java. Learn something new in a casual, relaxed setting. OIB Surf & Java will provide the coffee and we’ll provide guest speakers on a variety of interesting topics. Call 910-579-1016 for more information or visit our web site for a list of future topics.

Wednesday – Megabites: All About Sharks (3:30 PM), Discovery After Dark (7:00 PM)

Thursday – Who Are You Swimming With? (3:30 PM), Snakes Alive! (7:00 PM)

Friday – Beachy Bingo (11:00 AM), Touch Tank Feeding (3:30 PM)

The Museum of Coastal Carolina is located at 21 East Second Street in Ocean Isle Beach, NC. Admission is free for Museum and Dual (Planetarium) members. Non-member all-day admission is $8 for adults (13-61), $7 for seniors (62+), $6 for children (3-12), and free for children age 2 and under. For more information about summer programs at the Museum, call 910-579-1016 or visit www.museumplanetarium.org.

Ingram Planetarium:

At noon, the Planetarium offers FREE programs on a variety of interesting topics:
Monday – Exploration of Paul Dennis Science Hall
Tuesday – Moons & Tides
Wednesday – Sea Turtle Talk
Thursday – Meteorites: Hits & Misses
Friday – Science in Small Bytes – Different guest presenters will discuss a variety of interesting topics. Call 910-575-0033 for more information or visit our web site for a list of future topics.

Enjoy a show in the Planetarium’s state-of-the-art high-definition Sky Theater. At 11:15 AM, enjoy Legends of the Night Sky for half-price admission. Full-price Sky Theater shows are: Undiscovered Worlds (1:00 — new this summer!), Dynamic Earth (2:00), Oasis in Space (3:00), and Seven Wonders (4:00). All full-price Sky Theater shows are followed by a live star show.

The Planetarium also features Laser Music Shows on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings:
Thursday – Beatles (5:00), Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon (6:00), Metallica (7:00)
Friday – Laser Spirit (5:00), Arena Rock (6:00), Pink Floyd’s The Wall (7:00)
Saturday – Beatles (5:00), Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon (6:00), Pink Floyd’s The Wall (7:00)
Note: Metallica and The Wall are not recommended for young children.

Ingram Planetarium is located at 7625 High Market Street in Sunset Beach, NC. Admission is free for Planetarium members and half-price for Dual members. Non-member per-show admission is $8 for adults (13-61), $7 for seniors (62+), $6 for children (3-12), and free for children age 2 and under. For more information about summer programs at the Planetarium, call 910-575-0033 or visit www.museumplanetarium.org.

Get ready for a fun time at Holden Beach! Dance a little and smile a lot! Every Sunday night at 6:30pm Holden Beach come out for a Free Concert starting May 26th through September 1st, 2013.  The music ranges from beach music to jazz to oldies and some good old rock n’roll.

Refreshments are on sale to help fund the events, so be sure to bring a little cash.

2013 Concert Schedule:

May 26th- The Imitations

June 2nd- The Breeze Band

June 9th- Jaded Mayberry

June 16th- CC Martin

June 23rd- Brickhouse

June 30- The Carolina Breakers

July 7th- Steve Owens & The Summertime Band

July 14th- Sea Cruz

July 21st- The Entertainers

July 28th- The Rick Strickland Band

August 4th- The Fabulous Daddy O’s

August 11th- The Craig Woolard Band

August 18th- The Tim Clark Band

August 25- Parrot Party

September 1st- The Imitations

All concerts are FREE and are held at the Holden Beach Pavilion
The Concerts by the Sea events are sponsored by the Holden Beach Merchants Association.  Support our community and find more information here: Holden Beach Merchants Association

Who would have thought Shallotte, North Carolina would make it to the big screen? Over the weekend Tammy took over The Grille on Main Street in Shallotte to film a scene in a restaurant called Topper Jacks. The Grille was transformed into a real movie set, they gave the place a new paint job a new roof, new furniture, a new sign and moved in trucks, cameras and lights! It was a quite a thrill for locals and vacationers to see some big stars like Melissa McCarthy and Susan Sarandon in the area. Some lucky locals even got a chance to be extras in the film.

In the comedy, McCarthy plays a woman recently fired from her fast-food job and finds outher husband is cheating on her. The discovery has her hittingthe road with her sassy, alcoholic, diabetic grandmother. Tammy is expected to continue filming in Wilmington and surrounding areas until June 25th and then will move to Niagra Falls for the final days of filming. The film is expected to be released in July of 2014.

Bright lights and the big screen have come to town again, this time with the comedy film “Tammy” featuring Melissa McCarthy (of “Bridesmaids” fame), Dan Aykroyd, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Toni Collette, Mark Duplass and Allison Janney.

Filming started May 3^rd  in Wilmington on 16^th and Dawson Street in a burger joint location and on Nun Street in a residential neighborhood. The filming in the Wilmington area is expected to run through June 25th with the final 2 days of filming on June 26th-27th in Niagra Falls. The film is set for release on July 2, 2014.

Melissa McCarthy is not only starring in the film but also making her directorial debut with “Tammy.” This film she co-wrote with her writing partner and husband, Ben Falcone, who is also co-directing.

In the plotline of the comedy, McCarthy plays a woman recently fired from her fast-food job and finds out her husband is cheating on her. The discovery has her hitting the road with her sassy, alcoholic, diabetic grandmother.

Filming for “Tammy” will take place not only in Wilmington but also in Castle Hayne, Burgaw, Boiling Spring Lakes, and Whiteville.

A Holden Beach resident got more than he was looking for when he stumbled across a live military shell on the hidden underneath the sand on Holden Beach. The shell, which was later discovered to be a naval round most likely fired by a Union ship at a Blockade runner, is called a Parrot shell. The name comes from the type of cannon that it was used in during battles in the Civil War.

The shell found on Holden Beach is a live shell capable of exploding. It is approximately a foot long and about 6 inches in circumference. Until it can be safely dismantled by NC Highway Patrol it is being kept at the police department.

This isn’t the first discovery of Civil War memorabilia on Holden Beach, about seven years ago a couple of visitors located cannon balls on the beach and attempted to take them. Several beach goers took notice as they struggled to get them off the beach, bouncing them and rolling them up the sand. It was reported it to the police.  The cannon balls were both blown up for safety reasons. It was later determined that one was explosive and one was not.

Silver Coast Winery opened in 2002 with the hopes of bringing local wines to the masses of the coastal Carolinas. Maryann and her husband Dr. “Bud” Azzato opened Silver Coast, the first winery in Brunswick County and the twenty-second winery in North Carolina, and quickly became a local favorite. All wines are produced in-house with regionally grown grapes.

The winery itself offers tours and Wine Tastings starting at just $6, not to mention you get a keepsake signature glass! The tours will showcase the art of winemaking from the grape to the bottle and includes sampling award-winning wines.

The winery features incredible sights including the Barrel Room— with its enchanting waterfall, the outdoor patio, an art gallery featuring local artists, and vineyards themselves.

Several packages at The Winds Resort on Ocean Isle Beach include tours of the winery, like the Take a Beach Break Package or the Couples Getaway Package.

To book either of theses packages or to get more information on Silver Coast Winery you can visit thewinds.com or silvercoastwinery.com

We can barely believe it’s been a year since Robert Downey Jr. and the rest of the crew were in our area filming Iron Man 3, due out in theaters May 3rd. But we can’t wait to see the action packed scenes filmed right here on our beaches! It seems like just yesterday when stuntmen were parachuting on Oak Island following an explosion sequence.

The plot of Iron Man 3 follows Tony Stark and Pepper Potts against a new terrorist The Mandarin. Tony Stark will face difficult challenges after aligning himself with the Avengers, as Mandarin aims to destroy Tony’s world, he must face this new villain alone.

Check out the trailer for the film, and don’t forget to see it in theaters on May 3rd!

And here’s the footage of Iron Man 3 being filmed on Oak Island!

Looking for a romantic meal for two? We’ve got a perfect dish for you! Just pair this with a nice bottle of white wine and you’ve got a perfect date night!

Shrimp Scampi over Pasta:

1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
3/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup light olive oil
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons  margarine
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon parsley flakes
grated parmesan cheese, to top
pasta of choice

Directions:

1 Boil water, cook pasta of your choice till soft.
2 Heat wine, olive oil, butter, margarine, and garlic in a large skillet on medium heat until it just starts to boil.
3 Then add paprika and parsley flakes, stir in and immediately add shrimp.
4 Cook for about 4 or 5 minutes or until shrimp turns pink.
5 Don’t overcook. Spoon shrimp onto plate with some of the cooking sauce and top liberally with parmesan cheese.
6 Enjoy!

Plans are under way for Shallotte Point to get a boating access area that should relieve some of the congestion at the county’s southwestern boat ramps. The commission has plans to turn land at the intersection of Brick Landing and Devane Roads into a dual-lane boat ramp on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Plans call for the site to have 24 parking spaces and handicap parking. It will be able to accommodate boats up to 25 feet long and possibly larger.

There is no date set for completion, but the town hopes for a date sooner than later, especially with the access point in nearby Ocean Isle Beach frequently packed. The only holdup is the approval of a Coastal Area Management Act permit for the project, which the commission recently applied for.

Bringing a boat access point to that area of the county has been in the work for years. At one time, Brunswick County tried to purchase the land but then began working with Wildlife Resources to get something started. The county’s focus eventually shifted, so the state agency took full ownership of the project.

The county’s funds dried up, and after a few years, we took another look at the project and were able to purchase the land. The agency paid $846,000 for the property, and the construction of the access area is being funded by a $350,000 state grant.