September 2024

Checking the waves every morning. Living by one of the best breaks in North Carolina with the old-school surfers. Enjoying the weather and waves. Surfing three or four times a day with friends and family. Being in the water all the time. Being close to a super nice beach. Going to Masonboro. Fishing every day.…

From late 2000 to early 2003, I spent a great deal of time in the North Carolina room conducting research for stories and looking at photographs. I spent many quarters back then on copying documents. This was before the digital age blossomed. You’ll notice from the photo credits that many of our archival photos that…

Reflecting history from four centuries and providing an echo of the cypress forests and wetlands that flourished for thousands of years in North Carolina, Greenfield Lake is a unique part of Wilmington’s landscape. Naturalist Paul Bartsch, an assistant curator at the U.S. National Museum (part of the Smithsonian Institution), wrote a description of Greenfield when…

As the grandkids swing from the live oak tree at their grandparents’ new home overlooking Masonboro Sound, the aroma of homemade chicken cacciatore fills the kitchen. The family has gathered for one of their grandmother Nonna’s signature authentic Italian meals to celebrate the youngest grandchild being born, making eight grandchildren in all. “La famiglia e…

The annual Wrightsville Beach Spearfishing Tournament, headquartered at SeaPath Marina & Yacht Club, is back in September after a one-year hiatus. The tournament began in 1998, organized by Aquatic Safaris. Mark Labocetta came to the first spearfishing tournament from the College of Charleston, and he says he brought free diving to the event. Now the…

Waking up in the morning isn’t easy for everyone. However, a good breakfast can be an excellent motivator. The process begins by stretching out the soreness of sleep and grabbing the toaster, then reaching toward the top shelf for that delicious homemade bread. Popping it in the toaster for exactly two and a half minutes…

From the exacting world of a left-brained numbers guy comes a softened, romantic look at boats, harbors, and landscapes, the favorite subjects of self-taught impressionist Pappy Khouri. Khouri never studied art but may have inherited some gifts from his great grandfather, Curtis Winters, who was an artist and a sea captain. “I have some of…

Our friend Sammy Corbett, long-time Pender County waterman and commercial crabber, told us, “Go to Lea Island across from Dead Man’s Bay. There’s a creek there that flows out to the ocean on falling tide. I’ve seen a big school of redfish lying off the surf in front of the island. They’re probably feeding on…

There are a number of national military service holidays in the month of September, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Gold Star Mother’s Day, National POW/MIA Day, Victory over Japan (V-J) Day, National Service Day, the birthdays of the Air Force and the Air National Guard, as well as Patriot Day on September 11. With…

The Salvation Army of Cape Fear’s annual fundraising golf tournament supports construction of the organization’s Center of Hope, a 20,500 square-foot facility located on 22 acres off Martin Luther King Drive in the Creekwood neighborhood of Wilmington, opposite the airport. “The first year of the golf tournament raised $43,000. Over its 13 years it has…