The weather looks beautiful for this weekend, so get out there and enjoy some of the activities taking place in our area.
Be sure to check out the new events section at columbuscountynews.com, where you can submit your own events at absolutely no charge.
- April 5-6
The N. C. High School and Junior High School Rodeo Finals are going on at the Boys and Girls Home Event Center this weekend. High school competition starts today, and gates open at 6 p.m., then an hour before show time for Saturday’s events. Admission is $10 per person, cash only, at the gate of the event. Children 5 and under are free. Saturday will be the Young Guns (elementary students) will compete first, followed by two rounds of competition for the Junior High students. The high school riders will be back in the ring tonight at 7 p.m
Saturday is the veterans stand down and job fair in Elizabethtown. Employers, service agencies and veterans organizations will be at the Elizabethtown Fist Baptist church from 10 until 2 p.m. There will be food, door prizes, a blood drive, and educational displays as well as activities for the kids. The event is free.
Crossroads Church will have a chicken bog plate sale Saturday beside Clayton Homes in Whiteville, on J.K. Powell Boulevard. Plates are $10 All proceeds go to the Trinidad mission trip.
Thunder at the Park, the annual car show benefitting the Veterans Memorial Park, is Saturday. Cars, trucks and motorcycles are welcome. Registration is from 9 to 11 a.m., and judging will be completed by 1:30. Cost is $20. The park is located on U.S. 701 South of Whiteville.
Fair Bluff’s First Saturday market is Saturday on the riverfront. Yard salers, arts and crafts, produce, handmade jewelry and more are available. From 8 until 1 p.m.
- Reasons to smile
One of our personal favorite stories this week: Sadie Louise Smith of Delco doesn’t have any patience for litter. Miss Sadie is the daughter of Jennifer Reese Smith of Delco and granddaughter of Janet Hedrick (the retired principal of Acme Delco Primary). She picks up trash along the roadside near her home with Miss Janet. Sadie had a few minutes of Facebook fame last week after she made a sign with the words “Don’t trash our future.” The world and Columbus County need more Sadie Louise Smiths.
The Backpack Buddies food ministry got a big shot in the arm last week fom local food lion grocery stores. Food Lion donated multiple cases of chewy and crunch granola bars, which are among the most requested snacks for kids in the program. Backpack Buddies is coordinated by the Columbus Baptist Association. The program provides free backpacks of easily prepared food for kids who might not have regular meals outside of school.
School Resource Officers from the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office were trained in the use of their new Halligan tools this week. The training took place at the Southeastern Community College fire training center.
The deputies learned how to properly make entry using the tools, as well as safe practices.
The Halligan entry tools were donated to each school by Council Tool of Lake Waccamaw. The tools can be used to break open doors in an emergency.
- April 12-13
The first ever Spring Fling is coming up April 13 at Gurganus Farm Store in Whiteville. There will be a flock swap, goats for sale, food trucks, kids games and much more. Columbus Animal Protective Services will be on hand with rabies shots at $5 per pet. Gurganus is located in Hill Plaza on Madison Street in Whiteville.
Animal Protective Services will also be at Brown’s Outdoors in Delco on April 12 with $5 rabies shots. Please have your pets on a leash or in a carrier.
April 13 is going to be a big day at the Boys and Girls Home – it’s the tenth annual Light the Lake, the 25th anniversary of the home’s foster care program, and the 20th anniversary of their adoption services. From 1-5 p.m. there will be food trucks, Kona ice, bouncy houses, Mike’s Garage Band, Bikers Against child Abuse, Touch a Truck, cornhole, and more games at the events center. The candlelight procession to bring awareness to child abuse at 5 p.m. The event is free to the public.
Crochet classes are being offered every Tuesday by Ruth King, local crochet artist and owner of Nut House Farms, Ruth King. The four week class is held at the will be teaching a four week crochet class at the Columbus County Community Farmers Market from 6-8 p.m. The cost is $25. You will need to bring a size H crochet hook, along with a skein of four-ply yarn. The Farmers Market is located on Government Complex Drive in Whiteville.
Speaking of the farmers market, it’s open every Saturday from 8 until 1 p.m. Local produce is starting to come in, along with eggs and dairy products, grass raised meat, unique arts and crafts, handmade pottery and more.
The fourth annual Yah-Shoo-Nay Fish Camp is set for April 12-13. Kids can learn about fishing, the role fish play in the ecosystem, the historical role of fishing with the Waccamaw Siouan people, and more. The event is free. Snacks and equipment are provided for young anglers at no charge. Register at stemstudio.waccamaw-siouan.org.
- Looking ahead
Lower Cape Fear Life Care is hosting Bloom Fest at the Columbus County Arts Festival on Friday, April 26. Penny McPherson of McPherson Greenhouse and Chadbourn Florist will provide a presentation on flower arrangements.
Participants wil get to keep their arrangements, and can learn more about volunteering with Lower Cape Fear Lifecare and Hospice. Bloomfest is from 12 -2 p.m. at the Columbus County Arts Council, 822 South Madison St., Whiteville. Purchase tickets at Angel House on Warrior Trail, Whiteville, or call 910.796.7943.
As always, our local arts council has a lot to offer. Bess Hinson Taylor’s exhibit of her songbird art can be seen at Columbus County Arts Council through May 30. There will be children’s activities and informational programs from the Southeastern Swamp Stewards and the Museum of Natural Science throughout the exhibit. The gallery is free.
Lake Waccamaw’s Gator Festival is coming up April 26-27, with music, vendors, all kinds of free activities for the kids and much more. There is still room for vendors, and sponsors are needed for children’s activities. Go to lakewaccamawnc.gov for more information, and listen to Saturday’s Columbus Connection for more on Gator Fest.
Coming up May 11 is the Boys and Girls Homes Classy Cars and country cooking car show and food truck rodeo from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Proceeds go to special programs at the home. To be a food truck vendor, call Johnna Harrelson at 910-646-3083. For car entries, call Lee Luzader at 910-499-2258. Admission to the event is free to the public.
We always have room for your events, church news, festivals, club news, birthday parties, pageant winners, little kids with big fish, small town folks doing big things – they’re always welcome in the Good News, at absolutely no cost. Email [email protected], send us a message on Facebook, call 910.914.6056, or drop by and visit at 1015 South Madison St., Whiteville.
