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Beach season greetings from your friends at the Wrightsville Beach Museum,
Warming weather is here and the traffic is starting to increase as people make their way to our beloved beach. While the fun in the sun is taking place, we wanted to recap some of the items and events that are the latest happenings at the Museum.
We are currently busy planning our Wright Holman Shrimperoo! This tasty event will be held on June 22nd. from 6:30-9pm. Hardee, Hunt and Williams will be on our title sponsor this year and Motts Channel Seafood is hosting the event. The Shrimperoo sells out every year and we are expecting an even larger crowd in 2019 so get your tickets as soon as possible to secure your spot. Tickets are on sale now!
Members Open House: – Revamped Gift Shop = lots if new items! Live music with the South Hammock String Band
NEW!! Wheelz Pizza Food Truck!
Sneak Peak of the Bordeaux Cottage
Jay DeChesere Art Exhibit Opens!
15% discount for the event in gift shop for members!
Sunday June 2nd, 5:00- 7:00 pm
Come get an updated look at the Bordeaux cottage. We are so close to being done with the restoration and our new building will soon be open to the public! We are already campaigning for funding to furnish the new building. If you are interested in assisting, or know of anyone who is, we would love to chat with you! This Open House will help us with spreading the word and showing off all the progress made over the last year. We are delighted to host Jay DeChesere’s paintings and prints for the month of June! Robert Holst will be th featured artist in July and Hank Carter in August!!
On May 27 we will begin the task of expanding our gift shop to include more locally made items! We are so thrilled to be able to carry new items such as tea towels, artwork, ornaments, candles, wine bags, new t-shirts and so much more. Stay tuned for progress updates and new item alerts. Come to the Open House and see the transformation!!
An Update! The First Annual Oyster Roast, presented by Intracoastal Realty, was a HUGE success! We hosted over 270 people, ate 24 bushels of oysters and raised over $20,000 for the preservation of the Ewing- Bordeaux cottage. Thank you to everyone who helped, we could not have done it without your assistance and dedication! A special thanks to Jim Wallace and Intracoastal Realty!!! Shout out to John and Erin Musser for the best food ever!!
Hurricane Waters: Storm Talk with Jay Barnes
June 13th 7:30 PM
Jay Barnes is a Hurricane Historian.He lectures widely on U.S. hurricanes, and will be hosting a talk about Wrightsville Beach and the incredible storm history the Luminous Island has experienced. He is the author of several books and articles on hurricanes, including North Carolina’s Hurricane History, now in its third edition, Florida’s Hurricane History, now in its second edition, and Faces From the Flood: Hurricane Floyd Remembered. Barnes has appeared in various productions for The Weather Channel, The Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, The History Channel, MSNBC, The NBC Nightly News, National Public Radio, and others. Barnes lives in Pine Knoll Shores, N.C.
New Gift Shop Item: Re-Eco Design Glass Straws
Re-Eco Design, located off Oleander Drive, is living up to their eco-friendly philosophy with our latest gift shop addition. We are now offering glass straws with cleaner brush and carrying case are now selling for $10 each.
Re-Eco Design products are made in Wilmington by a family of four artists. Their goal is to provide a variety of products for the eco-conscience consumer and to recreate, reuse, recycle and respect our natural resources.
Limited quantities available so stop by soon to get your beach friendly, reusable straw!
Lumina Daze: Mark your Calendars
Lumina Daze coming on Sunday, August 25!
Would you like to help? Have something for the silent auction?
Want to be a sponsor? Know someone who would?
New Membership Pricing:
Just a reminder, effective April 1st, new membership pricing is officially in effect.
$40 Sand Daisy- Individual
$70 Jetty Jumper (1 year)
$130 Jetty Jumper (2 year)
$100 Beach Comber (1 year)
$185 Beach Comber (2 year)
$250 Benefactor
$500 Lifeguard (with engraved plank in boardwalk)
New Level for 2019: Sand Dollar- $35- Senior Individual (1 year)
New Book Alert: Shagging in the Carolinas
Shagging in the Carolinas is a history of dance, romance and the New South. The Shag defied social conventions as carefree white teenagers were inspired by the possibilities inherent in improvisational black dance and music. Touted here as first danced by Lewis Phillip Hall and “Julia” at Lumina at the 1927 Feast of Pirates, The Shag has been a part of Wrightsville Beach for nearly a century.
Author ‘Fessa John Hook is a well-known broadcaster who became Billboard magazine’s Program Director of the Year in 1983 andis also credited with having developed the very first full-time Beach Music radio station. Today he heads the Endless Summer Network.
This book goes into detail on how the Shag came to be, giving credit to Wrightsville Beach and other nearby beaches for solidifying the dance into American culture. Currently available in the museum’s gift shop!
Upcoming Events: Yes, we are BUSY!!
May 27 – 1st week of Lemonade on the Porch – 13 weeks to follow!
May 27 – Museum open 24 years!
June 2 – 5-7pm Membership Open House – Live music, Food Truck, Games, and an expanded Gift Shop
June 5 – 10:30am First of weekly Kid’s Club free programs for youngsters. 10 more weeks to follow!
June 13– 7:30pm NC Hurricanes with Jay Barnes, author of NC Hurricanes, Weather Channel consultant and Southport native. PowerPoint presentation and talk. Show-and-Tell time to share your hurricane photos and stories after the talk. 7:30pm
June 17-21 and 24-28 and July 8-12 and 15-19 – Camp Chris Stone. Fun and learning in the marsh
June 22 – 6:30-9pm Wright Holman Shrimperoo– perennial favorite hosted by Hardee, Hunt and Williams! at Motts Channel Seafood
June 27 – 7:30pm Illustrated Talk by Elaine Henson on Wrightsville Beach “Between the Wars” with remarkable photographs from the Barry family 7:30pm
July 13 – Lumina Event- Games, music, swing dancers and book signing with Mary Flinn, author of the new novel Lumina set in 1920s Wrightsville Beach.
August 25 – Lumina Daze fundraiser
October 24-26 – Plein Air Art Days and Wet Paint Sale
October– Pirate Day- Activities for all ages!
October – Waterman Hall of Fame Celebration
November 9th– Friends of WB Reunion
December- 11th Annual Jingle Bell Run
Be in touch any time! We love hearing from you!!
Come by:
Wrightsville Beach Museum of History
PO Box 584/303 West Salisbury Street
Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480
Phone: 910-256-2569
Website: www.wbmuseumofhistory.com
The 1924 Bordeaux Cottage transformation is almost done. Come by and take a look at the progress we are making!
The 1924 Bordeaux Cottage has been moved, the pilings set and the building lowered to its proper height!!!!
Saving an historic building – The 1924 Ewing- Bordeaux Cottage, originally located at 405 N. Lumina Avenue, along with its neighbor, the Williams-Bordeaux, were the oldest fully-intact structures north of Stone Street. They are the last two of six cottages that survived the Great Fire of 1934. Currently the greatest threat to historic cottages is the steady rise in property values and demand for development. Moving the Ewing- Bordeaux Cottage saved a rare example of local Wrightsville Beach architecture of which only a handful remain and transition it into a public building to be enjoyed on a much wider scale.
Growing the museum Not only has moving the Ewing-Bordeaux cottage allowed the Wrightsville Beach Museum to preserve this special building, but it also made it possible for the Museum to expand its programs, exhibits and other services to the community. The cottage is allowing our growing project, the Waterman Hall of Fame, to have a permanent home to celebrate water sports and professions that are so important to our community and celebrate those who make positive contributions to our way of life. This is an exciting time in the life of the museum as this cottage allows us to grow our outdoor teaching spaces and indoor experiential learning resources.
See the video of the move!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=algN6nq9hWk
