Islands-Art.com

Islands-Art.com is a new e-commerce website featuring books, photography and other works by artists and writers of the islands of Coastal Carolina.

The coastal islands of the area have long been a magnet to artists and writers who discover the beauty and romance of the area and decide to put down roots.

Islands Art features Giclée Prints by nationally renowned local nature photographer and artist, Ken Buckner, the books of Miller Pope (founder of The Winds Resort and Sea Trail Golf Resort), mystery novelist Tom Rieber and renowned local Romance Novelists Jacqueline DeGroot and Peggy Grich.

Also The History of Ocean Isle Beach book and Audio Driving Tour 2 CD Set by local authors Fred R David and Vern J. Bender

Visitors to the site can learn about these artists and writers and purchase their works along with T-shirts and other apparel featuring their works of art.

The site has just been launched and offers dozens of books and prints. New works will be added going forward as the site expands!

Click here to take a look: http://www.islands-art.com

Safe Boating Courses

As summer approaches safe boating is of great importance. From beginners to experienced boaters who want a refresher course being up to date on safe boating procedures is a must.

The USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 10-05 will conduct one-day boating safety courses from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Saturdays at the Progress Energy Visitors Center, 8520 River Road SE (N.C. 87) in nearby Southport, NC.
Classes are scheduled for March 19; April 9, 23; May 14, 28; June 18; July 16; and Aug. 6.

Those who successfully complete the USCG Auxiliary ABS course and exam will be awarded U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary certificates and cards.
For course registration and information, call Fred Robertie at 754-3629 or e-mail frobertie@yahoo.com.

Calabash Park Coming Soon!

The Calabash long-range planning committee has been working on a basic layout for the town’s future community park. The park is planned to be located next to the Calabash town hall at the corner of Persimmon Road and Traders Lane. Town officials hope to have the site at least partially accessible by this coming summer.

That town has been seeking contractors to bid on costs for a building and various types of playground equipment. The plans call for a pavilion with a stage and a picnic area with grills and picnic tables, lawn sports, restrooms, parking and a walking trail.

In Spring 2010, the town was awarded a $56,700 Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) Grant to build its first park.
The committee has been looking at different styles of buildings.

Town commissioners Forrest King and Mary Knight, who serve on the long-range committee, have been attempting to fast-track the future Calabash Community Park on the vacant, one-acre town-owned site at the corner of Persimmon Road and Traders Lane.

A few trees have been flagged on the park site where a building is going to go and a ground breaking ceremony was held on March 4th.
Calabash town clerk and interim administrator Kelley Southward said at a Jan. 20 committee meeting she would be attempting to find a contractor who is willing to volunteer his services or to loan the town equipment to remove stumps.

After the trees and stumps are removed and the grading is finished, a parking lot can then be installed.

Local developer Scott Stewart continues to serve as a consultant drawing on his landscaping expertise. He also is helping with future sidewalks.

The committee is researching grant money sources and where such money could be used. Heritage bricks are still being sold as a fundraiser for the future park.

Photos are representative only as park has not yet been built!

The Ingram Planetarium

The stars shine brighter at Ingram Planetarium (5 minutes from Calabash, NC) with the recent installation of the world’s third SciDome HD Digital projection system.

Relax in the Sky Theater’s seats as you zoom through space to Jupiter and look back toward Earth.

After the Planetarium staff point out the constellations and planets on the Sky Theater dome, locate them on your evening beachwalk. Ingram Planetarium has great star shows, laser music shows, and programs about astronomy, science, and space exploration.

Programs and schedules change seasonally. The SciDome HD Digital Sky Theater simulates a perfectly dark, starry night and it is unsafe to move around during the shows. Late arrivals are not admitted to the theater. Groups should call for reservations and instructions.

During the busy summer season The Planetarium offers fun family activities on various topics.

What visitors have enjoyed in the past included:
Assembling space shuttle replicas
Building & launching rockets
Lessons on Solar Energy
Putting together a Rainbow Maker
Making a real Comet
Lesson with Solar Furnace
Using our Solar Telescope
Shadow Drawings

In the Paul Dennis Science Hall they offer projects to challenge children of all ages as well:

Building solar cars was a favorite last summer

Located at:
The Village at Sunset Beach
7625 High Market Street
Sunset Beach, NC 28468

http://www.ingramplanetarium.org

Vereen Memorial Park & Gardens!

Located in Little River, SC, and only minutes away from Calabash, NC!

One of the best kept secrets in the area, this park features pathways and wooden boardwalks that extend across several beautiful salt marshes and small islands, with a nice gazebo that overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway and the distant waterfront of Little River.

With convenient access directly off Rt. 17 and Rt. 179, you can park and take a 5 minute stroll out across some incredibly scenic pathways to find yourself at a wide observation deck extending into the waterway.

The view is excellent, the cost is free, and the experience is unique!

A 114 acre tract of woodlands and salt marsh one mile south of the South Carolina State line from Calabash, North Carolina, the beautiful Vereen Memorial Historical Gardens extends more than 1,000 feet in width, from U.S. 17 to the Little River and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

The Vereen Gardens is a small portion of a 400 acre plantation that has been in the Vereen family since colonial days. The land donor was Jackson Hiram “Jack” Vereen of Madarin, Florida, who was born in Little River in 1882, the son of Hartford Jennings Vereen and the former Florence C. Frink of Brunswick County, N.C.

In 1972, Jack Vereen deeded the property to the Horry County Historical Commission. The Gardens include the historic Vereen Family Cemetery, which features Revolutionary war graves. The Vereens were instrumental in having the old family cemetery restored in the late 1950′s.

The Vereen Gardens also includes the Kings Highway which was a part of the Atlantic Coastal Transportation system, in place, at least from the time of the earliest white settlement in the American colonies. It is said to have been traveled by Lafayette in 1777 and Washing in 1791. It is one of the few stretches of the Kings Highway to retain its unpaved original appearance.

Vereen Memorial Gardens – On Jan. 1, 1797, this land was a portion of 400 acres that was conveyed to Jeremiah Vereen, Jr. Vereen was of French Huguenot descent. The French spelling of the family name was “Varin”. The Vereens came to this continent in 1680 and were in the Winyah area by 1736. This land was part of Big Landing Plantation. In April, 1972 115 acres was deeded to the Horry County Historical Commission by Jackson Hiram Vereen to be used as a botanical garden and nature trail.

The Tract contains the Vereen Family Cemetery

Distance: 3.00 mi
Type: Road/Trail, Loop
Difficulty: 2 / 10
Altitude: 25 ft
Elev. Gain/Loss: 20 ft / 20 ft
Dog Friendly: Yes
Jog-Stroller Friendly: Yes
Filed Under: Hiking, Running