March 2024

While an annual photo contest always draws out the best in any American city, it’s hard to imagine a more fruitful backdrop for such a tradition as in our coastal towns and rivers in Southeastern North Carolina. With lots of bird, beach and beachgoer pictures showing up each year in our contest, we might fear…

There is a wealth of highly talented amateur and professional photographers in our community. We hope you enjoy this photography-rich issue as much as we have in producing this competition and subsequent reveal. A hearty thank-you to all who submitted entries. As a companion we share the story of a father-and-son photography team, Todd and…

Overlooking the pond of Arboretum Drive in Landfall, a mid-century modern home celebrates a beloved era of older style architecture with a distinguished new build. It is one of Michael Kersting’s final designs in collaboration with Kersting Architecture principal partner Mark Wilson, Peridot Interiors principal designer Leslie Stachowicz, and the homeowners themselves, who brought to…

The importance of family has long been a pillar of the ideal human existence. Having someone to love and grow with while creating meaningful experiences is part of what makes life a bountiful and beautiful reality. It is families like the McLeods that bring these ideas into fruition. The father and son duo of Todd…

In January of 2024 the Gardening for Wildlife Committee, a committee of the Cape Fear Garden Club, met to officially kick off the process of obtaining certification for Wilmington as a Community Wildlife Habitat. “We are in the process of city certification,” committee co-chair Becky Hardy says. Community Wildlife Habitat is a registered trademark of…

People evolve and grow throughout their lives. We experience new things and take unknown paths that lead to bigger and better things. The same can be said for artists who experiment with different types of media. Fine artist Victoria Primicias started her career working at advertising agencies, creating logos and designs by hand. Her journey…

Increasingly, urban dwellers are making use of containers, raised beds, or small patches of their yards to grow food.  But what to start with? “It kind of depends on what you would buy at the grocery store,” says Daniel Fisher, founder of Rise Up Community Farm off South College Road.  “But maybe beets and kale?…

The guide puts out about 100 decoys — a mix of ducks, swans and geese. We never shoot swans, but they are “confidence” decoys. The blind is a boat called a scissors rig. It carries a heavy wooden railing that is released into the water to free float. The boat is free to move about…

Fitbits and smart watches are just the beginning when it comes to wearable devices for a healthier you. By the end of the decade, advanced sensor-equipped garments, patches, and wearable microneedle technology could improve quality of life for individuals with chronic conditions such as Parkinson’s and heart conditions while providing early indicators for infectious diseases…

Wilmington native son Lendward “Lenny” Simpson was a celebrated tennis champion. Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe were his contemporaries, friends and teammates in the tumultuous years of breaking the color barriers in the world of professional tennis. While famous in his career, he began to create his lasting impact after returning home to Wilmington with…