A Sensation of Flavors

Summertime is the perfect season to fire up the grill and take your backyard feast to the next level. It’s an opportunity for the chefs, tastemakers and “best cooks in the family” to fill the air with irresistible mouthwatering aromas of their favorite meats. It’s nearly impossible to mention cooking meats without first thinking of…

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Honor Flight of the Cape Fear Area

On a clear, warm April morning, a chartered 737 aircraft lifted into the skies above Wilmington International Airport. On board were not the usual businesspeople, commuters or vacationers, but a very special group of passengers.   Seventy-four veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam were on their way to see memorials built to honor their…

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A New Chapter

The Randall Library at the University of North Carolina Wilmington is under transformation.  The year-long project includes an approximately 80,000-square-foot, three-story expansion at the west side along with a partial renovation of the existing exterior. A highlight will be a new tech hub that will offer students expanded computing, a large digital makerspace, and an…

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Woodworking and Beyond

Kids Making It is a Wilmington nonprofit that does much more than provide space to do woodwork. The organization teaches valuable vocational, entrepreneurial and life skills to at-risk, low-income and disadvantaged youth. Started by Jimmy Pierce in 1996, it has evolved and now has five woodworking programs and yearly serves 1,100 youths, ages 7-25. Kids…

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The Greatest School Under the Sun

On July 1, 2023, New Hanover County Schools, the City of Wilmington, and New Hanover County Government partnered to host a legacy graduation for Williston Senior High School alumni. The event, held at the Williston Middle School Gymnasium, offered a chance for the Classes of 1969 and 1970 to participate in a ceremony denied them…

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Up Front

Such is the case with this issue. We featured a collection of companion stories in our July 2015 issue “Greatest School Under the Sun” on the closure of Williston High School amid the upheaval of court-ordered desegregation in the 1960s. The story of the beloved school first built in 1866 for freed slaves stayed with…

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Livable Luxury

In 1912, the Fidelity Trust & Development Company of Wilmington purchased a 600-acre tract of land for $35,000 and developed a planned neighborhood overlooking the Cape Fear River and Greenfield Lake. Its name was decided by a contest in which Wilmington Star circulation editor, Montrose Bain won $10 for coming up with Sunset Park. Upon America’s…

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Getting Hooked 

A shimmering, purplish bait ball of menhaden appears just ahead of guide Jeff Wolfe’s 23-foot Kencraft Bayrider as he cruises for monster red drum off Oak Island. Under Wolfe’s watchful eye, angler Coleman Williams casts a live-rigged menhaden in the crystal water and watches as the current swims his bait into the purple mass. It…

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Landscapes with a Twist

Similar to the dynamic landscapes he paints, Jimmy Womble is in a state of constant motion. A resident of Atlantic Beach since 2005, Womble is known for his large oil paintings of waves, tidal creeks and other coastal scenes that are iconic to Southeast North Carolina. Womble favors abstract presentations, reminiscent of Claude Monet and,…

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Got Your Ears On?

When it comes to seeing live music, there is no substitute for the intimacy and connection provided by a small venue. Catching a band in an intimate space before they get famous and appeal to the masses is a badge of honor — the ultimate bragging rights for live music aficionados. Named for original owners…

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