We’re a week away from Watermelon Festival in Fair Bluff. Everything kicks off Friday night with a kind of bittersweet evening.
You can visit downtown Fair Bluff next Friday and say goodbye to some of the landmark buildings that will start coming down in the next few months. The town is completely revamping the flood damaged business district, and that means some of the oldest buildings will be demolished. Visitors on Friday can reminisce about Fair Bluff and check out the soon-to-be-demolished buildings from the ton’s heyday.
You can sign a guest book and share a memory or two of the river town while enjoying the Pizazz band on Riverside Drive starting at 6:30. The concert is free, and there will be food and drink vendors available.
Saturday is the big day, with all the watermelon festival events you expect. We’ll be carrying the parade live on the CCN Facebook page with host Darrell Jackson. There will also be arts and crafts for sale, seed spitting contests, music, and much more.
Whiteville parks and rec youth football camp is July 22-23 from 8:30 until 11 a.m. The Whiteville Wolfpack coaching team will drill campers on the basics. There will be punt, pass and kick competitions, a slip and slide, and more.
You can register the day of the camp, but preregistration is recommended. Contact Whiteville parks and recreation at 910.642.8046 for more.
The original Columbus County courthouse will be dedicated Aug. 2 at 10 a.m. Tours will be held throughout the day. An open house will also be held Sunday Aug. 4 from 3 until 6 p.m.
The clerk’s office will officially open for business at the old courthouse Aug. 7. The next session of Superior Court is expected to be held there.
Our Good Samaritan this week is Joshua Glover. The Eagle Scout, is installing reflective distance marker signs on the no wake poles around Lake Waccamaw. Each has the exact GPS coordinates, making it easier for first responders to find boaters and swimmers in distress. Joshua is a member of Troop 513 Whiteville.
Mike Creen of the local chapter of the Vietnam Veterans is urging anyone who served in Vietnam to apply to receive an Orange Heart medal. The Orange Heart program recognizes veterans affected by Agent Orange. For more information, call Creen at 843.214.0315. Creen is our guest this week on the Columbus Connection.
If you like golfing for a good cause, you have a couple opportunities coming up. The Veterans Memorial Park will hold its annual golf tourney Aug. 17. Tee It Up For Vets will be held at Diamondback Golf Club in Loris. Call Angela Norris at 910.840.3848 or see the story on our website for more information.
The fourth annual Columbus County Partnership for children golf tourney is Sept. 27 at Vineland Golf Course. It’s the first time the group will host the event at Vineland. Call 910.642.8226 for registration and sponsorship information.
A landmark that has been home to hundreds of children reopened this week at the Boys and Girls Home at Lake Waccamaw. The rotary cottage is one of the oldest buildings on campus, and recently underwent a major renovation. The Rotary cottage is supported by Rotary clubs across the state. It can house eight children at once.
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.
Local vendors are still needed for a big event in Chadbourn later this month. The Chadbourn HEARTS will hold their annual back to school drive July 27 from 3-6 p.m. at the park on Miller Street. There will be a foam blaster pit, bouncy houses, tours of fire trucks, a rock wall, and even a mechanical bull. Call 910.625.1745 or 910.733.3375 for more information.
The Columbus County Partnership for Children is looking for parents of children ages birth through five, volunteers and sponsors.
The partnership offers a number of programs geared at children and families ages birth to five years old. They’re part of the Dolly Parton Reading Program, which puts thousands of books in the mailboxes of children at no cost. Every Wednesday at 10 a.m. is story time. The partnership has a lot of good going on in our community. Call 910.642.8226 to find out how you can help.
We always have room for your church announcements, civic club news, special events, birthdays, pageant winners, celebrations, Good Samaritans, little kids with big fish and anything else that makes you smile. There is never a charge for sharing your news at Columbus County News Dot com. Email to jefferson@columbuscountynews.com, call 910.914.6056, or just drop by our office at 1015 South Madison street, Whiteville. We love visitors.
