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The Oriental Farmers’ Market happens on Saturdays from 8-11a on Hodges Street between South Water and the harbor. The next market is on Saturday, February 4.

Saturday mornings at the market is the place to be for the freshest locally grown produce, baked goods and hand-made crafts. If you have something locally made or locally grown, you’re welcome to sell it at the Oriental Farmers’ Market. (No manufactured items, please; things made by the vendors themselves are what folks have been coming to the market for for years.) To join the market, see our simple guidelines and call Melinda at 675-0180.

Coming up at the Oriental Farmers’ Market on March 24 is the Annual Garden Yard Sale (a place to sell gardening-related things you don’t need anymore. April 7 is Raindrop Ridge Herb Farm’s annual plant sale at the OFM, and on April 22, the market will be celebrating Earth Day with some demonstrations.

Village Gallery features Susan Cheatham as its guest artist for the month of February. She is active in a group of plein air painters in the Oriental area and her landscapes will be on display through the end of February. The public is invited to a reception on Saturday, February 4 from 2-5p. The Village Gallery is open Wednesday – Sunday from 10-5 and is located across from Oriental’s harbor.

These winter months may keep some sailors from getting out on the water, but you can still freshen up your skills at The Sailing Club Of Oriental’s Educational Seminar Series. The SCOO Seminars continue on Tuesday February 7. Over the course of four weeks, the public’s invited to join SCOO members from 10a-noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Fire Station 19 on Straight Rd.

Here’s the rundown: Jan 31 – Simplifying Running Rigging. Feb 2 – Sail Care and Maintenance. Feb 7 – Fiberglass Repair and Maintenance. Feb 9 – Cruising the ICW. Feb 14 Emergency Vessel Towing. Feb 16 – Diesel Maintenance, Fuels and Lubrication. Feb 21 – Menu Swap: easy on-board dishes. Feb 23 – Medical know-how. For more info, contact Eric Lind at 252-249-1907.

Oriental’s Town Board meets on Tuesday, February 2 at 7p for its regularly scheduled monthly session. The meetings are open to the public. The agenda may be viewed, here. A Town Hall press release about a proposed land swap on the harbor says that “The Town Board will take up the matter at its February 7 Board meeting at which public input will be welcomed.” (The story of the proposed land swap is here.) The meetings are open to the public and take place at the First Baptist Church, across from Oriental Town Hall.

The work of Pamlico County native and photographer Ben Casey is on display at Bank of the Arts in New Bern through the end of February.

Fifty seven of Ben’s photos are featured in this one-man show. (Most of them are in frames made from the old floors at The Bean.) The Bank of the Arts Gallery, at 317 Middle Street, is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10a – 5p. For more info, call 638-2577.

Celebrate Mardi Gras with a short trip across the Neuse. In the small Carteret County town of Gloucester, the Cajun band Unknown Tongues hosts the 20th annual Gloucester Mardi Gras on Saturday afternoon, February 11. Live music starts at 11a, while the gumbo stews and the other foods are prepped — deep fried turkey, crawfish, among them. We’re told the schedule is a little loose but that the food is ready sometime between 1-2p and that that is preceded by the Fool’s Procession. (Gloucester for “parade”) Costumes encouraged. Mask and hat makings available. Unknown Tongues kicks off the dancing at 3p with the children’s King and QUenn Coronations. The event is free and open to the public. There is a box where you can put a donation. For more info, call Barbara or Bryan at 252-729-8021.

When Broadway star Franc D’Ambrosio performed at Oriental’s Old Theater last year, he invited Patrick Bliss to take the stage. Patrick then proceeded to bring down the house with his rendition of “The Streets of Dublin.” This winter, the Pamlico Musical Society and the Old Theater are bringing the native son back. Patrick Bliss will be performing at Oriental’s Old Theater on Saturday, February 11 at 7:30p. It’s a benefit concert to support the music programs at Pamlico County’s Middle and High Schools, which is where Patrick got his start in music. (Now a graduate of High Point University, he spent the past year singing at Busch Gardens.)

He’ll be performing works by Jason Robert Brown as well as Stephen Flaherty along with show tunes, and a repriese of Streets of Dublin. Tickets are $10 and on sale now at Nautical Wheelers and Village Hardware. For more information call 252-249-3670.

Last year, the NC Legislature mandated the ferry system raise $5 million and one way to raise part of that will be to charge passengers on the Minnesott-Cherry Branch Ferry and the Aurora-Bayview Ferry a fare as of April 1. NC’s Department of Transportation will be holding a meeting and hearing on Wednesday, February 15 at 7p at Pamlico Community College to go over those plans, as well as proposed additional fares on some ferries that already charge. The Legislature however, stopped short of having all NC ferries share that fiscal burden; it voted to allow the Ocracoke-Hatteras Ferry and another on the Outer Banks to remain free.

Though the plan to charge fares on the Neuse River and Pamlico River ferries represents a big change and will have a significant impact on Pamlico County residents, DOT did not initially schedule any hearings to take place in Pamlico County. The February 15 hearing was added after residents spoke out. Those interested may attend any of the hearings; aside from the one at PCC, the 2 closest meetings/hearings (at least an hour’s drive/ferry ride away) are in Washington on Thursday, January 19, at 7p and in Morehead City at the Elks Lodge on Monday January 30 at 7p. For more details on meeting sites, the proposed fares and how to send in comments, click here.

The Oriental History Museum’s latest exhibit honors “Fallen Heroes” – 12 men from Oriental who died in WWI, WWII and Vietnam.

Louis Mann died in WWI, Thomas Elwood Aldridge, died on the USS Helena at Pearl Harbor. Also lost in WWII were Randolph Watts Allen, Bonnie G. Caroon, James Lawrence Cooper, Ira Marshall Fisher, Jr, Murray Clyde Mason, Lewis Bracy Midyette (pictured) , Edward Dill Paris and Henry Hood Stephens – who died a day after his son was born. Ernest Maehue Hodges and Loyd Howard Sanders lost their lives in the Vietnam War.

The exhibit offers details and memorabilia of their lives – as well as their deaths. (Additional memorabilia is welcomed as well. ) The ‘Fallen Heroes’ exhibit will be up through February. Oriental’s History Museum is on Broad Street near the Post Office and is open Friday 11a-3p, Saturdays Noon–4 pm, and Sundays 1-4 pm.

Oriental’s Old Theater presents ‘The King’s Speech,’ as its next Friday Flick. It’ll be showing on Friday, February 24 at 7p. What’s more, you’ll see an episode in the Green Hornet serial just before the main attraction. Tickets for all that? Just $5 and the popcorn’s free. Box office opens at 6pm. All proceeds go to The Old Theater, a non-profit organization.

Pamlico Community College Foundation holds its 2nd Annual Oyster Revival on Saturday February 25 from 3-5p. It will happen on the campus on Hiway 306 in Grantsboro.

Pamlico Musical Society presents jazz diva Stephanie Nakasian in concert at the Old Theater on Saturday, February 25 at 7:30p.
It’s a return engagement for Nakasian, who was a popular performer at the Old Theater a few years ago and this time around she’ll be offering a lot of her Billie Holiday repertoire.

Tickets are $20 and available at Nautical Wheelers in Oriental or by calling 252-249-3670, or, you may purchase tickets at the Musical Society’s website. (This show was originally scheduled for February 11, before Stephanie’s daughter got a chance to perform with the Grammy Jazz Ensemble in LA at the same time. Tix for the February 11 show will be honored on the 25th. If there are questions, contact Patty Rosencrantz at 249-3670 or pamlicomusic@gmail.com

In addition to her 7:30p performance, Stephanie Nakasian will also offer a free 3p workshop on February 25 titled “Women in Jazz” at The Old Theater on February 25. It’s a great chance for students of all ages to gain a better understanding of what makes jazz such a uniquely American art form.

Oriental’s Tourism Board holds a special meeting at 5:30p on Tuesday, February 28 to meet with merchants in the Town limits of Oriental. The Tourism Board is looking for ways to promote Oriental as a tourist destination and wants to get “feedback and input and maybe generate some new ideas,” says Jackie Wall, chair of the Tourism Board. “We’d like to know what each business sees as beneficial to their bottom line.” The meeting takes place at the First Baptist Church across from Town Hall.

The HOPE Clinic holds its annual ball — and big fundraiser — on March 3, 2012. The theme for this gala will be “HOPE Springs Eternal”. There’ll be a dinner, dancing and silent auction. More details coming. Meanwhile, if you’d like to contribute to the clinic, which provides health care to the uninsured in Pamlico County, you may do so via their website, hopeclinicnc.org. (They could really use contributions this year, given the rising costs of medical care.)

Calling all chefs… The Oriental Woman’s Club will be holding its 5th Annual Chowder Cook-Off on Saturday, March 10. Right now, they’re looking for chowder cooks to sign up. Contact Linda Parker at 249-0888 for information and to reserve your space.

The Pamlico Musical Society brings opera soprano Marie Josee Lord to the Old Theater for two performances — Saturday March 10 at 7:30p and Sunday March 11 at 2p. She’ll be presenting her “Jambalaya” — a mix of music from Verdi to Gershwin to Joni Mitchell. Tickets are $20 and will be for sale at Nautical Wheelers or on line at the Pamlico Musical Society website.

The Oriental Rotary Club holds its 4th Annual Oriental In-Water Boat Show on the weekend of April 13, 14 and 15, 2012. The 2011 show attracted seventy-five vendors from as far away as Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Knoxville, Tennessee, and despite some tornado warnings, attracted motivated buyers, with reports of almost $500,000 in boat sales connected to the show. There were also significant sales of complimentary maritime products and services. And it all netted over $9,000 for Oriental Rotary’s civic and charitable works. Right now, the Rotary is lining up vendors for the 2012 show. If you are interested in displaying at the show, contact Rotary’s boat show coordinator, Sam Myers, at 252-249-0228. In meantime, click here for the story on the 2011 show.

Village Gallery holds its 4th annual Black Velvet event on Saturday, Apr 28 from 4-7p. This is the gallery’s big fundraiser of the year and will take place at the gallery on Hodges Street, across from the Oriental harbor. More details coming….

It’s become a rite of mid-spring in Oriental: clean out the attic and the garage and those closets and sell it at the Town Wide Yard Sale. (Another rite of Spring: come to town and visit dozens and dozens and dozens of different sales.) It’ll be happening on Saturday, May 5. More details on how to sign up and be on the official map… coming up. For now, mark the date.

Art on the Neuse, Oriental’s springtime arts festival, is happening on Saturday May 12 from 9a – 4p on the harbor in Oriental. Pamlico County Arts Council is organizing the festival and will have information out soon on how artists may register in order to show — and sell — their works.

Pamlico Community College Foundation holds its annual golf tournament on Saturday May 20 at the Minnesott Golf and Country Club. The tourney raises funds for the PCCF and its work to improve opportunities for students at the college. More details and registration information coming…

The Leukemia Cup Regatta returns to River Dunes — and the Neuse River — on Friday and Saturday June 9-10, 2012. For a look at the 2011 LCR, click here.

The first Saturday of July falls late this year and so, Croakerfest will be celebrated on Friday-Saturday July 6-7. Mark the calendar now….

The Third Annual Dragon Boat Races happen in Oriental on the weekend of August 10-11. More details coming soon about how to register. Here’s a look at the 2011 race.

The Pamlico Chorale meets every Monday evening at 7p at The Oriental United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. The Chorale performs in concert at least four times a year, including Spirit of Christmas weekend and opening the Croaker Festival. If you love to sing, the Chorale is the place to spend a few hours every Monday. Everyone is welcome. For more info, contact Carla Byrnes at 745-4793 or 670-4960.

Oriental’s Drummin’ Dragons get together every Wednesday night from 7-8:30p. All are invited – come on by and learn to drum. (They have some spare drums for you to try.) During the cool of fall and winter, they usually play inside Town Hall, but with that out of commission for several months, the Drummin’ Dragons are using other venues and will be playing in the Perry Griffin Recreation Room at 300 High Street. Listen for the beat and you’ll find them….

Share ideas with fellow anglers. The Lower Neuse Anglers Club meets on the second Tuesday of every month, at 7p. Typically the group has met at Town Hall but while hurricane renovations are underway there, LNA will be meeting at Carl Baxley’s at 7101 Brigantine Blvd in the Sail Loft subdivision.

Find a bargain in your clothes shopping and help Hospice of Pamlico County at the same time. The Hospice Thrift Shop on Highway 55 in Bayboro is open from 10a to 4p Monday-Thursday and 10a-1p on Friday and Saturday. The shop now has Fall and Winter clothing for sale. You’ll also find household items, jewelry, art work and books. (You really can score some fine threads there…..) All of the proceeds go to support Hospice of Pamlico County. Donations of clothing, jewelry and housewares can be dropped off at the shop during business hours. For more info, contact the store manager, Bette Baldwin at 745-5033.

The Oriental Express Bicycle Club invites anyone with a bike to join them for their Recreational Ride on Saturday mornings. It winds its way through th Old Village and on to the Dolphin Point area. It’s about 8 miles and the pace is very undemanding. Conversational you might say. Just show up with bike and helmet and you’re off!

In addition to their Saturday morning recreational ride in Oriental, the Oriental Express Bicycle Club also goes on longer and faster rides on Sundays and Wednesdays. These are ‘no-drop’ rides focused on fitness and fun. For more info, including the days, locations and times, check out the Bicycle Club’s web site. or call Doug Sligh 249-3362 and Cynthia Cochran 249-0761.

Alcoholics Anonymous meets in several locations in the area throughout the week.
At Oriental Free Will Baptist Church on Ragan Road, Tuesdays at 8pm and Thursday at noon. At St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Freemason Street, Sundays at 8pm.
And at Rock of Zion Church on Hwy 306 in Grantsboro, on Fridays at 8pm.

There is also an Al-Anon group meeting Tuesdays from 8-9pm at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Oriental.

Pamlico County Fishes And Loaves is collecting canned goods and they have a drop-off point inside First Citizens Bank in Oriental. Fishes and Loaves is a cooperative effort of a number of churches and organizations in Pamlico County working to provide food to the hungry.

The Oriental Woman’s Club holds its meetings on the first Tuesday of the month at 1pm at the clubhouse at 1007 Gilgo Road. Guests are welcome. For further information contact Connie Wilkinson, 249-3658

Its first thrift store was such a success that Habitat for Humanity of Pamlico County has moved its ReStore down Hwy 55. The new address, as of mid-January 2011, is 14172 Hwy 55 in Bayboro. Hours are 10-3, Monday thru Saturday. As before, the store specializes in furnishings and fixtures for the home and the materials to help build it. Proceeds go to the Habitat efforts to build affordable housing in Pamlico County. If you have items to give to the store and you’d like the donations picked up, give the store a call at 745-1106. That’s also the number to call if you’re interested in becoming a volunteer with Habitat’s latest home construction project.

Handy with a hammer and nails? Pamlico County Senior Services needs more volunteers to help build handicap access ramps at the homes of some of Pamlico’s older residents. Senior Services provides the materials while volunteers led by Tim Balfour construct one ramp every month. Contact Tim at 745-3247 to offer a hand for the next project.

In just a few years, the prayer shawl ministry at Oriental United Methodist Church has knitted or crocheted more than 225 shawls for those in need. The group meets Thursday mornings from 10-11:30am at the church to crochet or knit shawls and pray for the recipients of them. The weekly gatherings have brought together people from all walks of life and religious faiths. (And even non-knitters; if you don’t know how to knit, stop on by and get a lesson and join in.) Contact Leigh Price at 249-1361.

In Haiti the need is still great, and here in Oriental you can still help. Oriental’s United Methodist Church continues to collect bags of dried beans and bags of rice for Haitian earthquake victims. Thanks to generous donations in January, a truckload was sent to MERCI, the Methodist disaster relief center in Goldsboro, which is sending regular shipments to Haiti. Contributions of rice and beans greatly appreciated at the Methodist Church at Freemason and Church Streets. Cash may also be dropped off at the church office. For more info, contact Nancy Huff at 249-0732.

The Pamlico Amateur Radio Society meets at Brantley’s Village Restaurant at 9am on the last Saturday of every month (except June). They invite all HAMS and those interested in amateur radio to attend. For additional information, please call Gail (Wally) Wallace, KK4ASP, at 410-804-1750 or Bill Cresswell (K20NN) at 745-1246.

Avoid the longer lines and drive to New Bern’s DMV office and take care of your driver’s license renewals at the DMV mobile unit that visits Pamlico County once every month. The big DMV RV is set up outside the County Health Department (behind the courthouse in Bayboro) on the second Thursday after the first Monday of the month. Hours are 9a-3p.

Habitat for Humanity of Pamlico County wants to help you with your spring cleaning. If you have items to donate, volunteers from the Habitat Resale Store will pick them up — and save you the trip to the Habitat thrift store in Bayboro. (You can also drop off an array of donations; small and large appliances (in working order), furniture, TV’s, building materials, and other household goods. (They don’t take mattresses or clothing.) The Habitat Resale shop is at 13584 Highway 55 in Bayboro (next to Eastern Propane). Its hours are: Mon & Tues. 9a-1p; Thurs & Fri & Sat. 9a-2p. Call 252-745-1106 .

The Pamlico County Library hosts two book clubs. The Bookworm Club meets on the third Monday of the month at 2pm. The Beach Books Club – which takes on lighter fare – gets together on the second Tuesday, also at 2pm. New members welcome. Call the library at 745-315 for more info.

US Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 20-03 meets the first Wednesday each month at Fire Station # 19 on Straight Road, Oriental, at 7:30 PM. The meetings — which focus on boating safety, navigation and GPS, for instance — are open to the public. New members welcomed. For more info, contact the Auxiliary’s Peg Witt at 252-249-3619

Go take a walk! The Oriental Walking Group sets out on a series of organized walks through the village on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Meet up with walk leaders Gary and Pat Leonard at Lou Mac Park for a 9am departure. Oriental’s a great town to walk around and the walking group may help you stay disciplined about getting fit. Pedometers and water bottles provided by the Flexfit program of Heartworks. Call the Leonards for details at 249-0138 or just show up.

Friends of the Pamlico County Library meets the first Thursday of the month at 11am at the library on Highway 55 in Bayboro. This is the group of folks who help sustain the library. For info, call 745-3515.

Oriental Rotary Club meets every Monday at the Oriental Steamer starting at 6:45pm. The club does good things throughout the community….from scholarships to road clean-up. For info about the club and meetings contact Ed Braun at 745-3462.