News

Landfall NC property owners and the entire Wilmington NC community have a chance to enjoy a fascinating theater experience this week only.  Thalian Association, due to the on going renovations at the historic building that houses their theater, is presenting PHANTOM:The American Musical Sensation  on September 24th through the 27th at The Kenan Memorial  Auditorium.   Shows are  at 8:00PM with a 3:00 PM matinee on Sunday.  Based on the Gaston Leroux novel Phantom is a completely different musical than Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera,” with its own music and a storyline that has the Phantom as the hunted rather than the hunter.  This production first appeared in Houston in 1996 with lyrics and music by Maury Yeston, and book by Arthur Kopit.   

Kenan Memorial Auditorium

 Our local production is directed and choreographed by Debra Gillingham with music direction by Jonathan Barber.  Kenan Memorial Auditorum is a state of the art, 1,016 seat facility  and the perfect  venue for this  production.  Tickets are $25 for VIP seating and $20 for general admission.  There are also discounts available for student and senior groups.   Call 962.3500 or log onto www.uncw.edu/kenan for more information and tickets.  This a theater experience  that Wilmington, NC will be talking about for a long time and one that you definitely do not want to miss!!

Gates will open at 10AM on both Saturday and Sunday, September 19th and 20th  for the  7th  Annual Southern Coastal Bluegrass Festival at the Fort Fisher Military Recreation Area at Kure Beach, NC.  This hugely poplular festival is sponsored by The Thalian Association and features great bluegrass and bluegrass gospel along with good food, arts & crafts, storytelling, clogging and square dancing.  Bring your own blankets and chairs but, please, leave the pets and coolers at home.  For more information log onto www.coastalbluegrassfestival.org.

And making its debut on Saturday, September 19^th at 11AM is the 1st Annual Carolina Original Music (COM) Festival.  Held at Hugh MacRae Park, this is an outdoor music festival for local Wilmington bands, including my own personal favorite Daniel Parish, along with Redwood, Ten Toes Up, Silver Judas, Parmalee and Jonas Sees in Color. To add to the fun, local pizzerias enter their pizza for a chance to be crowned Best Pizza in Wilmington. Tickets are $15 in advance or $25 at the gate and are available at Gravity Records, CD Alley, ibxtickets.com or by calling 888.512.SHOW. Beer, wine and coolers are allowed, however, no liquor and no glass.

 Once again, there’s plenty to keep you busy and keep your feet tappin’ in Wilmington, NC this weekend.

8th Annual Downtown Wilmington ArtWalk showcases various New Hanover, Pender, and Brunswick artists of all categories.  Participants are invited to make their costumes in advance.  The Grand Procession of Peculiar Pets starts at 1 PM.  Downtown city parking decks will be free all day.  Call 216.374.8884 or email artandantiquewalk@hotmail.com for more information.

Cape Fear Maternity and Baby Expo starts at 9 AM and brings the most comprehensive display of community resources under one roof for expecting parents or families with young children.      A $5 admission gets you into this one stop solution for all parenting needs.  Call 910.617.8666 for more information.

“Salute to World War II Veterans” Jamboree assembles veterans and home front workers to exhibit memorabilia, uniforms, and photographs.  In 2005 nearly 1,000 visitors and over 80 veterans participated and this one should be an even bigger success.  Donations will be accepted and there will be refreshments. Sponsored by the World War II Wilmington Home Front Heritage Coalition and the Community Arts Center.  Call 910.796.3292 or email JonesWD@aol.com for more information.

“Hammer In” at Poplar Grove, where members of the Artists Blacksmiths Association of North America (ABANA) demonstrate styles and techniques used in forging iron, including folding and veining.  An old fashioned forge and a modern gas forge will be in use.  Information on ABANA will be available.  The public is welcome to come and see the Iron Artists at this free event.  Call 910.686.9518 for more information.

If all these happenings in our Landfall, NC region aren’t enough for you, you can still catch some great shows in downtown Wilmington, NC this weekend as well!

The evening features shag music by Buddy Skipper and the Jetty Jumpers and you can step back in time with the big band sounds of the Wilmington Big Band.  The Harmony Belles and Chordsmen will be making a return appearance as well.

A DVD of Wrightsville Beach history through Bill Creasy’s photograph and postcard collections will be shown during the course of the evening and there will be a screen presentation of  Bathing Beauties .

Fun and games for all ages is planned (think limbo contest and bean bag toss, as well as face painting and a cakewalk).  Writer Virginia Kuhn will be autographing copies of Wrightsville Beach Museum’s new book Tide and Time, a history of the beach that features photgraphs from local collections. 

There will be food and beverages enough to keep everyone happily satisfied and you can count on having an extraordinarily good time at this very entertaining and worthwhile event just a short ride over the bridge from Wilmington NC.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets please call 910.256.2569 or log onto the museum website at www.wbmuseum.com.

Landfall property owners and their neighbors from all around the region will be enjoying The Cape Fear Blues Festival that runs from July 24th through the 26th in Wilmington, NC.  This three day event kicks off at 6:00PM on Friday with a FREE Downtown Sundown Concert Series performance at Riverfront Park (or you can reserve your seat on the Heniretta III for a 7:30PM Cape Fear Blues Cruise).  Performers will include Elliott & The Untouchables, El-Jaye Johnson, Tommy B. & The Stingers, and Spider Mike Bochey. The Cruise sells out every year, so buy your tickets in advance!  The day’s festivities end with the Post Cruise Party at the Rusty Nail.

Elliott New (Center) and the Untouchables

Saturday jump right into a FREE workshop at Finkelstein Music with featured area blues performer Elliott New at 11AM.  At noon there’s a  Festival Concert at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater (tickets available now)and there are also Live Blues at both 16 Taps and the Rusty Nail at 9:00PM, which one will you choose?

Sunday’s program begins at noon with yet another FREE event, the All-Day Blues Jam at The Rusty Nail hosted by Cape Fear Blues Society and ends after the Guitar Giveaway  at 6PM (also at The Rusty Nail) sponsored by Finkelstein Music and The Cape Fear Blues Society.

For more info, call 910.251.8822 or visit  www.capefearblues.org.  The hardest decisions this upcoming weekend will not be what to do, but rather, what you might have to miss, so get out and enjoy one of Wilmngton, NC’s most fabulous musical  festivals.

Cape Fear Museum

One of the many advantages to owning real estate and living  in Landfall and Wilmington NC is the variety of museums and the myriad of exhibits they display every year.  Proof positive is the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science, the oldest continuously operating museum in North Carolina, located on Market Street just a short drive from Landfall in the heart of  hostoric downtown.  Currently is featured exhibits that include Cape Fear Volunteers,  highlighting a century of service of the the Cape Fear Chapter of the American Red Cross; the Sports Hall of Fame, showcasing artifacts and memorabilia from well known area sports personalities; the ToyTime Exhibit,  a mingling of craft, culture, history, science, and play that includes old fashioned toys;  and the Ancient Carolinians, which uses archeology as a way to understand our past and learn how people from the past lived.

Giant Ground Sloth Replica

The museum also offers many ongoing exhibits , such as Wilmington’s  Giant Ground Sloth,  to instruct, amuse, and provide hours of enjoyment and education.  In addition to the exhibits, Cape Fear Museum offers summer camp programs and year round public and school programs.  Landfall property owners can also take advantage of the Resident Free Day the first Sunday of every month for all New Hanover County residents!

The Featured Exhibits won’t be there forever, so consider visiting one or all of these remarkable displays.  Log onto their website at www.capefearmuseum.com or call 910.798.4350 for more information.