Independence Day is next Thursday, but the fun for the Fourth is getting an early start in Columbus County.
Sunday is the patriotic concert at Leamon Chapel on the Boys and Girls Home campus at Lake Waccamaw. The concert features the Southeastern Oratorio Society and the Columbus Community Band. The concert starts at 6 p.m. and is free.
The big county fireworks show is Tuesday at 7 p.m. at South Columbus High School. The free program is presented by the Greater Tabor Chamber of Commerce. Bring a chair. Coolers are not allowed, but vendors will have food and drinks for sale. Remember to get there early, since this is always a big event.
A public forum Saturday is designed to build relationships between the sheriff’s office and the community. The Unity in Our Communities event starts at 10 a.m. at Whiteville High School auditorium. It’s billed as an open dialogue between law enforcement and the public. People can ask questions about matters of concern in their neighborhoods. Contact Chief deputy Jeorme McMillan at 910.317.6170 for more information.
The deadline for the latest round of veterans photos for the Wall of Honor at the Veterans Memorial Park is July 4. The park is also working with the Vietnam Veterans Foundation to assemble a list of U.S. Servicemen who returned from the war, but later died as a result of their injuries. Contact Angela Norris at 910.840.3848 for an application.
Columbus County is offering a new and improved alert system. Hyperreach uses text, telephone and email to contact residents about emergencies. Sign up for free at columbusco.org.
There’s a new Little Library at the Boys and Girls Home. The library kiosk is on Flemington Drive outside building 208 thanks to the generosity of the Newport, N.C. Rotary Club. That one is open to the public. The club also installed one outside the Rotary Cottage for home residents.
The Columbus Arts Council is celebrating 40 years of Mark Bannerman Art Students’ Creativity. The free exhibit is at the Arts Council, 822 South Madison Street, Whiteville. Call 910.640.2787 for times.
If you’re interested in being a part of McMullen House for Heroes, please contact Chaplain Marcia DeRoush. We want to add volunteer positions. You must live in or near traveling distance to Columbus County or Whiteville. If you have skills in non profit work, website, financial management, etc., would be helpful. For more information, contact mcmullenhouseforheroes@gmail.com .
The Jimmy Stanley Memorial Hot Dog sale and boot drive at the Lake Waccamaw Fire Department is July 4 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Flemington Drive. All proceeds go to the fire department.
Nakina Volunteer Fire Department will hold a boot drop July 6 at the intersection of N.C. 904 and 905 from 10-2. The department will hold a car wash July 27.
We have two Good Samaritans to tell you about this week. Crystal Faircloth and her family set up a cooler of free drinks for UPS and FedEx drivers in Wooded Acres at the lake during those miserable hundred degree days last week. Those drinks were well appreciated.
Our friends at Cerro Gordo Body Shop were replacing a windshield in a customer’s vehicle the other day when they heard a strange noise. Workers pored over the car, trying to figure out what the cheeping sound was, and where it was coming from. One of the shop dogs came to the rescue and discovered a baby bird had somehow ended up in the bumper of the vehicle.
The staff contacted a local wildlife rehabber, and delivered the hungry baby finch to safety. We sure hope the good dog got a treat for helping out. Jolene and the crew up there are well known for their work in years past helping rehome unwanted dogs, but this was their first baby bird.
Columbus Animal Protective Services will be closed Thursday for the holiday. The office will be closed again July 10-15 while APS officers attend training. offering limited services July 10-15. Officers will continue to be on regular duty and adoptions will be available through the beginning of the training period.
Call 910.641.3945 for more information. You can also view adoptable pets via the Columbus County Sheriff’s Animal Protective Services page on Facebook.
The Fair Bluff Senior Center is collecting “Purses With a Purpose” to help survivors of domestic violence. Gently used or new purses will be filled with personal hygiene products like hairbrushes, hand lotion, deodorant and other supplies for donation to Families first. Contact Summer Britt at 910.817.0001 to help.
The Columbus County Farmers Market is Saturday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Fresh produce season is in full swing, despite the drought. You can also find local eggs, seafood, arts and crafts, jewelry and more from local farms, artisans and producers. The market is on Government complex Drive in Whiteville.
The Fair Bluff Reunion with Pizazz will be on July 26. It’s an opportunity to reminisce about the vintage buildings that will soon be demolished with the makeover for the town. The Pizazz Band will be playing a free concert on Riverside Drive. Bring your own chair. The concert is the kickoff for the Watermelon Festival on July 27.
Thanks for joining us today for the GOOD NEWS. We always have room for your church announcements, civic club news, pageant winners, awards, donations, Good Samaritans, little kids with big fish – any kind of a story that makes you smile has a spot on the good news. Email jeffersonweaver@columbuscounty.news.com, call 910.914.6056, send a PM to the Columbus County News Facebook page, or just drop by our office at 1015 South Madison in Whiteville.
