This season is the summer of fun in Columbus County this weekend. Take a trip to the museum, the farmer’s market, or the horse sale to check out everything the place has to offer.
• Join the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Whiteville for a family movie night plus science activities. Bring your chairs or blankets and get ready to have some fun. “Finding Nemo” will be the feature on July 15.
The museum’s lawn will be open at 8 p.m. for nature activities, and the feature presentation will begin at 8:30 p.m. Movies on Madison are free, and no registration is required. Refreshments will be available for sale onsite.
• The Columbus County Farmers Market will celebrate all things watermelon this Saturday. Watermelon Day at the Farmers Market will feature free samples of watermelon and ice cream, a seed spitting contest for contestants ages six to 106, and more. The longest-distance seed spitters will receive prizes and bragging rights.
Royalty from the N.C. Watermelon Festival in Fair Bluff will also be in attendance. The market will also feature a number of kids activities and a raffle. Lunch will be available onsite.
The market will be focusing on melons, but all kinds of local produce, artisan crafts, and other local products will be available.
The Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Admission is free. It’s located at 132 Government Complex Rd., Whiteville. For more information, go to www.columbuscountyfarmersmarket.org.
• The Bureau of Land Management will have wild horses and donkeys available for adoption by qualified horseowners Friday and Saturday at Lake Waccamaw. Admission to the event is free for spectators.
There is a minimum fee of $125 for adoptable equines, and a $25 fee for sale-eligible equines. All potential adopters must have printed photographs of their facility and fill out an application.
Horses and donkeys may be viewed from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Friday, and 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday. The full corral of available animals can also be viewed on the BLM website at blm.gov/WHB.
• Willis the Goat has been reunited with his owner near Chadbourn. Apparently, he discovered the grass was not necessarily greener on the other side. The sheriff’s office said Willis is back home, safe and secure. He disappeared July 10.
• Build your own sweep net to take home, catch insects outside, and learn to identify them on Saturday, July 16, at 11 a.m. with the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Whiteville. Registration is limited to 20 participants so registration is require. The free program is an ecoEXPLORE skills session, so kids will earn 5 extra points and work on their entomology badges. Visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/134rKMeJ_4Vy47kepkq9uoEWqeFCOmYPgz-PGVPB86KA/viewform?fbclid=IwAR3tEnSmseUerWDzUQTIPnYLfMlcQJEcKXo8fDR2_vSsa9VDUaoHCJg5Fik&edit_requested=trueto sign-up.
• Services for the Lakeside Ministry at the Lake Waccamaw Campground Pavilion are still ongoing and will continue to run every Sunday through Sept. 4 at 9 a.m. The speaker this weekend will be Rev. Mark Player, and the singer will be Bobbie Jean Nance. The campground is located at 250 Waccamaw Shores Road in Lake Waccamaw.
• Folks are going to be seeing a new driver behind the wheel in Columbus County. American Idol contestant Ryleigh Madison earned her driver’s license this week. Congratulations Ryleigh.
• Whiteville Parks and Recreation is now holding registration for fall youth football until Aug. 12. The program is for child ages 7-12 years old, and fees are $38.50 for city residents and $48.50 for non-city residents. You can register your child at City Hall located at 317 South Madison Street or online at http://www.parksrec.egove.basgov.gov. For more information call 910.642.9052.
• The Waccamaw Siouan STEM Studio will be having a launch and public comment for their Soul Science Project: Soils Impact on Your Health, on Monday, July 18, at 6:30 p.m. The purpose of the event is to empower Waccamaw Siouan tribal youth to understand the importance of the environment and its impact on community health, through building a tribal youth cohort, testing soil for harmful elements, and sharing the results with the community. The launch will take place at the Waccamaw Siouan educational building.
• Southeastern Community College will be hosting a free one-day summer camp called Cuts, Curls, and Colors on Friday, July 22 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. for 7-9th grades. Instructors will be demonstrating haircuts, hair coloring, and hair styling, and students will be getting some hands-on experience with their own mannequin. Spots are very limited, so pre-register now by calling Valerie Register at 910.788.6350, or send an email to valerie.register@sccnc.edu.
• Members of the Columbus Baptist Association are in Nicaragua for a mission’s trip with On Eagles Wings and Oscar Corea and his team. This trip is made annually each summer by the group, and they will be returning Tuesday night.
• The H.E.A.R.T.S Foundation of Chadbourn will be having their annual back-to-school supply drive on July 30 at 3 p.m. The organization will be collecting items until July 20 for the cause. Supplies needed include pencils, composition books, markers, erasers, index cards, folders, binders, crayons, highlighters, and backpacks.
For more information about the event, call Lashoney Frink at 910.625.1745 or Larry Everette at 910.733.3375. For monetary donations, checks should be made out to the H.E.A.R.T.S. Foundation, and mailed to 247 Dessie Road, Chadbourn, N.C. 28431.
• The Greater Tabor City Chamber of Commerce is hosting a back to school promotion for shoppers in Tabor City. Take a selfie while shopping in the town and upload it on Facebook using the hashtag #shoptaborcitybacktoschool.
All those who post pictures inside the store and list the name of the business will be entered into a drawing to receive a backpack with school supplies inside. One picture gets you one entry. Two winners will be announced on Aug. 11 at 12 p.m.
• The GOOD NEWS is featured every Saturday morning on WTXY, and throughout the week under the GOOD NEWS tab at z2j.c7e.myftpupload.com. Email crystalfaircloth@columbuscounty.newswith your church announcements, fundraisers, yard sales, club news, community celebrations, or just plain happy stories. There is no charge for publicizing your events.
