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A wee bit of fog over the harbor.

4:49p Tonight at Broad Strokes Gallery, it’s the All That Glitters Gala, 6-9p. . At The Silos, it’s Karaoke night, starting 7p.

Saturday morning, pick up fresh eggs and greens at the Farmer’s market on Hodges St. Purring Angels Cattery holds a craft and bake sale in Bridgeton and are accepting donations for their 80+ rescue cats. Saturday all day at the Provision Co is a Bertie Peanuts tasting, come by and sample the flavors.

At 4p, Jim Kellenberger cooks up BBQ chicken for the OUMC Wing & a Prayer BBQ Chicken Dinner & Bake Sale. Head inside the Fellowship hall to play (or watch) a game of Dungeons & Dragons.

It’s “Soup Sunday” at Mariposa, noon til 2:30p. Three soups (shrimp gumbo, sweet potato, taco) along with homemade bread. Sunday afternoon, head to the Old Theater for the movie The Great Debaters, 3p.

Get your fresh baked goods from Mariposa Saturday, Sunday, & Monday 7-11a, and charcuterie & wine flights in the evenings, 3-9p (the Wine Bar is closed Saturday night for a private event). Casa Que Pasa food truck on Hodges Street serves tacos & burritos, Saturday & Sunday from 8a-2p.

Visit Broad Strokes Gallery Fri-Sat 10a-5p, Sun 11a-4p to see the November artists of the month. Stop in at the Oriental History Museum, open Friday 11-3 & Saturday 1-4.

It’s all in What’s Happening.

8:08a Halloween weekend, the ‘witches’ of the community held a ‘Run Your Boo-ty Off’ 3k fun run, a Water Witches’ kayak & paddle, and the Witches’ Crawl. Those events choose to fund a different charity each year. This year, it was HeartWorks.

Head Witch, Yolanda Cristiani reports the witches collectively raised $13,500. A check was presented to the non-profit Thursday night.

If you missed the witches at work, check out the Halloween scene here. Yolanda says PAWS, the Pamlico Animal Welfare Society, will be the beneficiary of the 2027 Witches events.

10:22a PCFLO provides food to those who need assistance in Pamlico County. They are now getting ready for Thanksgiving – the PCFLO Turkey Roundup:

7:31a Sometimes a magic view merits a mention. Yesterday afternoon Jean White was driving through Merritt. This was the view:

Friday evening, dress in your best evening wear and stroll down to Broad Strokes Gallery.

You are invited to celebrate the art and artists of Oriental and Pamlico County at the gallery’s ‘All That Glitters’ Gala, from 6-9p.

Take part in the fine art auction and raffle while enjoying live music and refreshments.

Your patronage helps the gallery fund its kids summer art camp, make art classes affordable for everyone, new displays and artists, and helps ensure a future for art and artists in the community.

Tickets are available online and at the gallery.

Halloween weekend brought out the trick-or-treaters… and the witches. They ran, paddled, and danced for a good cause. Check out the 2026 Witches Crawl here.

9:14p Final results, Oriental board, total vote.

• Paul Jordan 516
• Lou Ostendorff 473
• Charlie Overcash 460
• Iris Cooper 456
• Don McGuire 454

• Mayor Sally Belangia 645

Complete results here.

7:55p TownDock is at the Oriental polling station. We have the results from today’s vote, but the early vote results have not yet been made available. The end vote will be the combination of today’s vote and the early vote.

From today’s vote:
Iris Cooper 117
Paul Jordan 133
Don McGuire 122
Lou Ostendorff 125
Charlie Overcash 130
Write-In (Miscellaneous) 15

Sally Truitt Belangia 193
Write-In (Miscellaneous) 3

7:45a It’s Election Day 2026. Finally. Polling places are open from 6:30a to 7:30p in North Carolina. Any voter in line to vote by 7:30p will be allowed to submit their ballot.

Voting in Oriental is at Fire Station 19 on Straight Rd.

While eyes (and endless polls) are on House and Senate races, Oriental has a local election too. On the ballot, candidates for the 5 town commissioner positions, plus Mayor. The last election had more anxiety & anticipation: there were 11 candidates for the 5 town board slots. This time, there are 5 candidates, for the 5 positions. And one candidate for mayor.

• For Mayor: Sally Belangia
• For Commissioner: Don McGuire, Iris Cooper, Lou Ostendorff, Paul Jordan and Charlie Overcash.

TownDock’s AccuDock polling indicates the above candidates will be elected.

Still, TownDock will report the final vote numbers tonight. Who got the most votes gets noticed too.

11:52a Did you vote by absentee ballot through the mail? Absentee ballots can be rejected for a number of reasons including incomplete information, a lack of signature, or an improperly sealed envelope.

You can make sure your ballot is okay. Find out the status of your mail-in ballot before Election Day on Tuesday.

The Piggly Wiggly switches to winter hours: they’re now open from 7a-8p, 7 days a week.

This evening, the Pamlico County Board of Commissioners meets for their first of two monthly meetings. The details, and the agenda, are here.

Photos from the weekend Witches’ Crawl are coming.

Sometimes we humans need a mystical wander. A moment to reflect.

Today is the All Saints Day Labyrinth Walk, 4:30p.

5:40a Water levels are again rising. The culprit: On the Neuse 15-20 knot northeast winds this morning, on the Pamlico Sound the same with gusts to 25.

• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Pamlico Sound Marine Forecast
• Oriental Water Level Gauge
• Oriental NC Forecast

1:55p There is a whole lot goin’ on in our town. Tonight, the Witches of Silverbrooke wander about town terrorizing restaurants and breweries (the actual Witch’s Crawl is Saturday night). Tonight is the final performance of haunted nights at the History Museum.

At the Red Rooster tonight, Halloween Karoke, 7-9p. Ken Belangia and The OTown Band, 5-7:30p at New Village Brewery beer garden.

Saturday: The 3k Run Your Boo-ty Off Family Fun Run / Walk at Village Health & Fitness Club, 10a. Pamlico County Library’s Trunk or Treat, 11a. The PCC Foundation Golf Tournament, at Minnesott Golf & Country Club.

Saturday night: The Witches Crawl, 6:30p, the corner of First & King Streets. At the brewery, Hoff’n‘Finch, 7-9:30p plus the Howl-o-ween Party & Costume Contest. Set your clocks back an hour, it’s back to standard time.

Sunday: Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra plays the Old Theater, 2 & 7p. All Saints Day Labyrinth Walk at 4:30p.

Get fresh baked goods & coffee from Mariposa Saturday, Sunday, & Monday 8-11a, and charcuterie & wine flights in the evenings, 3-8p. Casa Que Pasa food truck on Hodges Street is serving tacos & burritos, Saturday & Sunday from 8a-2p.

It’s all in What’s Happening.

10:01a Tonight, 7p, Dale Montgomery talks all things haunted in Pamlico County. This is a free interactive event, and they say not suitable for children. You might be OK. It’s at the Oriental History Museum.

Uncle Mann’s Food Emporium serves dinner at the brewery from 4-8p.

Run. Row. Dance? It’s a Witch’s Crawl weekend, and you have witchy options:

• Join the 3k ‘Run Your Boo-ty Off’ Fun Run Saturday morning

• Join the Witches’ Row & Paddle Saturday night

• Visit the Witches as they dance through Oriental Friday night or when the perform Saturday

This year donations benefit HeartWorks and their mission to help the children of Pamlico County.

Today, Friday and Saturday are your last chances to cast your vote early. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.

3:18p Oriental has an event tonight, that most of us have never witnessed.

The Blessing of The Bell at 6p. Read on…

8:58a Oriental’s Piggly Wiggly rolls out new weekly specials every Wednesday.

Here are the Piglet deals for Oct 28 – Nov 3.

7:57a Winds are calmer. Water levels are easing down. Life mostly back to normal~esque.

The Bean is open, the ferry is running on its regular schedule.

The milder Neuse forecast:

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Oriental Water Level Gauge
• Oriental Weather Station

Saturday the forecast was meaner, northeast winds at 25, gusts higher. The winds changed some things: the Oriental Cup Regatta (which had already been rescheduled due to weather), was simply cancelled.

8:21a Water levels are high-ish, but not crazy high. Down a bit overnight. Now 2.1 ft.

The Bean is open.

Winds forecast to be calmer Monday.

• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Oriental NC Forecast
• Oriental Water Level Gauge

8:07a The Bean is closed. Eric Kindle writes in:

He’s not wrong. Northeast winds 15-25 knots on the Neuse, today through Sunday night. Water levels are rising…

Mariposa is open, new fall/winter hours, 8a-11a, 3p-8p. Tacos are on tap: Casa Que Pasa food truck on Hodges Street is serving tacos & burritos, today & Sunday from 8a-2p.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Oriental Water Level Gauge
• Oriental Weather Station

5:52p Another nor’easter? Yeah. Here’s the headline:
COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 5 AM SATURDAY TO 11 AM EDT MONDAY

Coastal Flood Advisories in effect for the Neuse and Bay Rivers (and coastal waters too). There is a combination effect: King tides and persistent strong winds out of the northeast this weekend will bring minor to moderate flooding. Likely about what we’ve seen a couple times in recent weeks.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Oriental Water Level Gauge
• Oriental Weather Station

4:36p Taqueria San Luis serves and Packhouse plays; it’s food and music tonight at the Brewery, starting at 5p. At 7p, Dave Holt plays the Red Rooster, behind the Silos.

Saturday, pick up fresh flowers and greens from the Oriental Farmer’s Market, 8-11a. Get legal help at the Expungement and License Restoration Clinic at YNTO in Babyboro, 10a-1p. At 12:30p, boats competing in the Oriental Cup Regatta set sail on the Neuse.

PCC host their first annual ‘Fall into Pamlico’ Festival, 10a-4p. It’s free, and on the Pamlico Community College campus.

Jasmine Tasty Thai serves at the brewery at 4p.

Friday & Saturday night, join the Oriental History Museum for Haunted Nights – an interactive presentation of the area’s spooky stories. Starts promptly at 7p – no latecomers admitted. It’s also the last two nights for the New Bern GhostWalk, 6-9:30p (your walking pace determines the length of the event).

Sunday at 8:30a, join OUMC at Lou Mac Park for the last riverside service of the year.

At 4:30p, grab tickets to hear pianist Solomon Eichner perform in honor of the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue,’ at The Old Theater.

Visit Broad Strokes Gallery Fri-Sat 10a-5p, Sun 11a-4p to see their updated gallery and October artists of the month.

Get your fresh baked goods from Mariposa Saturday, Sunday, & Monday 8-11a, and charcuterie & wine flights in the evenings, 3-8p.

It’s all in What’s Happening.

8:55a Almost-a-storm Josephine fizzled out last night, not even lasting 24 hours.

Once again, all quiet on the Atlantic.

Sunny and highs upper 60s / near 70 for the weekend.

11:41a There’s two spooky adjacent events happening this week: The annual New Bern GhostWalk (Oct 22-24) and Oriental History Museum’s Haunted Nights (Oct 22-30).

One is an evening walking tour of historical sites and events as told by the ‘spirits’ of New Bern’s past.

The other is an interactive storytelling event where you are a captive (sitting) audience.

Both begin tonight.

If you’re staying local, The Angry Lobster is at the brewery this evening, and Packhouse plays in the beer garden.

8:14p Subtropical Storm Josephine has formed (from Invest 93). Josephine is northeast of us on the open Atlantic, and is forecast to head away and stay at sea, bound for cold waters.

Josephine has serious winds, 65mph, but is not expected to further develop as a tropical system.

• Subtropical Storm Josephine Tracking Chart
• Hurricane Center

3:09p It’s haunted. It’s at the history museum, and begins tomorrow. Click here, brave one.

The winds are finally calming down, water levels slowly receding.

The Oriental Cup Regatta will run this Saturday Oct 24 (rescheduled from earlier this month due to weather). Skippers meeting Saturday 8:30a at the Tiki Bar deck. After the race the awards ceremony and social moves to Whittaker Pointe Marina, at 5p.

11:11a The Prime Time Health & Safety Expo is today, at Oriental United Methodist Church, now til 2p.

Offers blood pressure & blood sugar screenings, vaccinations, flu shots, goodie bags with discount cards & health & safety supplies, and seminars on health topics. It’s free to attend.