There’s plenty of family time to be had in Columbus this weekend. Hangout with APS or catch a movie at the museum. Be sure log onto www.columbuscountynews.com for absolutely free to catch up on any news you’ve missed this week. Get your news delivered every morning to your inbox before your coffee ever hits your cup by signing up for our daily newsletter. 
An ordinary LEGO construction worker, thought to be prophesied as “special”, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil tyrant from gluing the LEGO universe into eternal stasis. ‘The Lego Movie’ will be the feature film for the next Movies on Madison on Friday, Aug. 18, at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville. The museum lawn will open at 7:30 p.m. for activities, and the movie will begin at dusk. Snacks and refreshments will be available for purchase. This is a family event, so no coolers, pets, alcoholic beverages, or smoking is allowed on the facility grounds. Admission is free.
The food pantry at Abundant Life Assembly of God will be open on Saturday, Aug. 19, from 10-11:30 a.m. The church is located at 5384 James B. White Highway South in Whiteville. The ministry is also accepting donations of dried and canned goods and personal hygiene products.
The Columbus County Sheriff’s Animal Protective Services will be back once again this summer for their annual Family Fur Day. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 19, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Columbus County Fairgrounds. This is the facility’s second year hosting the celebration. APS will not be hosting a rabies vaccination clinic at Family Fur Day this time, but instead, they will be focusing on getting the animals currently housed at the shelter adopted. Adoption fees will be half price at the event. Dog adoptions will be $67.50, and the fees for a cat will be $37.50. The price includes vaccines, dewormer, and a spay/neuter voucher.
Families and their pets are invited to come out and enjoy other activities during the outing. Bouncy houses, food trucks, and games will be set up and animals will be available for meet and greets while searching for their furever homes. For more information about Family Fur Day, call APS at 910.641.3945 or stop by the facility Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The Columbus County Fairgrounds can be found at 866 Prison Camp Road in Whiteville.
There are only four Sundays left for the Lakeside Ministry for the summer of 2023. Services will run every Sunday through Labor Day at 9 a.m. at the Lake Waccamaw campground pavilion. This Sunday, Aug. 20, the speaker will be Ronnie Wilson, and the singer will be Rhonda Grice.
The Columbus Baptist Association had a huge turnout for their Backpack Buddies ministry this week. Thirty volunteers showed up to help pack food bags for students to take home each Friday when school begins for this coming academic year. The event was started to feed children through the weekend who may not otherwise have a meal again until they return to school on Monday.
There will be a ribbon cutting for the new Tabor City School on Thursday, Aug. 24. The $3 million facility will consolidate 550 students from both elementary and middle grades on Aug. 28 when Columbus County begins their 2023-2024 academic year.
Head over to the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences on Thursday, Aug. 24, at 10:30 a.m. and hang out at the Nature PlaySpace to learn about sand, what it is, and why it’s important for the environment. This program is best suited for ages 4–8 years old and is weather-dependent. No registration is required.
Shizzy’s Wildcat Rescue in Fair Bluff will have another workday this month on Aug. 26 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. You must be 18 years old or older to use tools and climb ladders. If you would like to volunteer at Shizzy’s Wildcat Rescue, find out more information, make a donation, or become a sponsor, you can contact Rhonda Billeaud, co-chairman for Shizzy’s, by phone at 910.840.1886. You can also send her an email at rhondabilleaud@shizzyswildcatrescue.org. The full summer schedule for Shizzy’s can be found here.
Five new members were introduced to the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office last week. Joseph Butler, Marshal Beard, Katelynn Edwards, Eric Davis Jr, and Sarah Meares have joined the BCSO family.
Fair Bluff has announced they will have their first ever Saturday Community Market. The market will be every Saturday, weather permitting, at Riverside Drive starting at 8 a.m. Farmers, crafters, yard sellers, flea marketers, and vendors are invited to peddle wares like baked goods, canned goods, produce, flowers, crafts, and new and used items on market days. Set-up will begin at 7:30 a.m. and spots are $10 each. Participants must provide their own table, chairs, tents, and booth equipment. For more information, call Lou Horne at 910.833.4772.
A favorite weekend pastime is coming to Lake Waccamaw in a very big way. Ginger Littrell, wife of town commissioner Terry Littrell, has helped to organize a town wide community yard sale on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 4. The treasure hunt will begin at 8 a.m., and over 100 homes in Lake Waccamaw including the Wooded Acres community will be participating. If you are a Lake Waccamaw resident who would like to join in on the event and you need more information, please contact Ginger Dortmund Littrell via Facebook Messenger.
Engraved bricks are still being ordered through the Veterans Memorial Park of America through Sept. 5 for the Freedom Circle. The organization needs at least 50 more of the memorial bricks to place a bulk order. Visit the website at https://veteransparkofamerica.com/index.php/legacy-bricks/ to find out more.
Some little princesses earned some big cash on a summer’s day for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. The girls pulled in $600 by selling lemonade next to Pierce and Company in Hallsboro last weekend. To find out how you can help and donate directly to the hospital, visit their Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/stjude/.
Brown Street Station in Chadbourn will also be open every second Saturday of the month for the Main Street Market. Live entertainment and vendors will be there from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. for the public to enjoy. The next selling day will be this Saturday, Sept. 9. The venue is located at 202 North Brown Street. For more information about vendors opportunities, call 910.477.8080.
Several organizations will be coming together in September to host an event in the area. The second annual Columbus County Public Safety Day Expo will take place on Saturday, Sept. 9, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Columbus County Fairgrounds. The expo gives residents the opportunity to meet first responders in the county and to get valuable information about resources available to them. The opening ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. on the main stage with the Columbus County Fire and Rescue and Columbus County Sheriff’s Office honor guards. The firefighter competition will begin at 10 a.m. with the captain’s meeting being held prior to the race at 9:30 a.m. A chicken bog cookoff will also take place at 11:30 a.m.
There will be several demonstrations throughout the day. Apparatuses and emergency vehicles from many departments and agencies will be on display, and booths, including Columbus County Animal Protective Services, will be set up for the public to stop by and visit. Animal adoptions will also be available at the expo. The Columbus County Fairgrounds can be found at 886 Prison Camp Road in Whiteville. For more information about the Columbus County Public Safety Day Expo, contact Angel McPherson, Rocky McPherson, or Donnie Coleman via Facebook.
Mishop Springs Community Church is having a one-day fall fling at their tent revival on Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. There will be music, speakers, and lunch provided at the event. The church can be found at 2756 Pine Log Road in Whiteville. 
The ‘See You at the Pole’ youth rally will be on Sept. 24 at 5 p.m. in the Whiteville Fun Factory parking lot. There will be blowups, games, food, live music and more with guest speaker Jon Goforth. The event is sponsored by the CBA and several other churches in the area. Fun Factory is located at 42 Hill Plaza in Whiteville. Be sure to meet your peers at your school’s flagpole on Sept. 27 thirty minutes before the school day starts to pray for a successful year.
The Milk B4 Meat outreach ministry will be presenting ‘Night of Praise’ on Saturday, Sept. 30, from 6-10 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Park of America. Several local churches will bring their praise teams and leaders for a night of unity and worship. To find out more, message the Milk B4 Meat organization via Facebook. The park is located at 6354 James B. White Highway South in Whiteville.
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