Scrapbooking

What a phenomenal gathering I went to today. It was called "Scraptacular," a weekend retreat for people who scrapbook as a hobby. This bi-annual "crop" was in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and was hosted by Rayann Culp, owner of Scrapbooks by the Sea in Pawleys Island, and Linn Phillips, owner of Scrapbook Concepts in Florence, S.C. Eunice Alexander of MeMe's Scraps & Invitations in Hartsville. S.C. and Laurie Capps of Charleston Scrapbook Company in Summerville, S.C. were also there.

My daughter-in-law, Meghan, has scrapbooking as a hobby. She's given us several books, and we love them. It's a perfect way to be creative and to preserve heart-felt memories. I was covering the event for my story on scrapbooking. It's a huge topic. There's traditional, digital and hybrid scrapbooking. Then there's card making and other paper items to make, such as "pillow boxes," which are used for gift cards, cash or jewelry.

I label all my pictures and put them in photo albums, but what I do is primitive compared to scrapbookers. They use patterned, themed and colored paper. They add yarn, letters in all sizes and fonts and any other appropriate item. Most of the scrapbookers give the books as gifts. It's worth looking into as a hobby.

To read my story go to http://www.thesunnews.com/ and type in my name: Jo Ann Mathews. That's the fastest way to get the story--but you have to wait. It won't appear until Nov. 4.

Brunswick County, N.C. in October

Although the vacationers have gone home, lots of activity continues in Brunswick County, N.C. On Oct. 1 the new Sunset Beach Bridge, named Mannon C. Gore Bridge after the founder of Sunset Beach, was dedicated. The town held its Sunset at Sunset festival Oct. 2, and on Oct. 4 the town council voted to preserve the bridge tender's house that sat atop the old bridge.

Oct. 15 is the grand opening of Ocean Isle Beach Park off Old Georgetown Road adjacent to Ocean Ridge Plantation. Then on Oct. 16 and 17 the 30th annual North Carolina Oyster Festival is held at Ocean Isle Beach. It begins Oct. 16 with a walk/race at 7 a.m. The festivities continue all day with arts and crafts vendors, entertainment and activities for children. It culminates with the Oyster Shucking contest from 4-6 p.m. The highlight Oct. 17 is the Oyster Stew Cook-off at noon.

The 9th annual Communities in Schools gala takes place Oct. 21. This black tie optional event was the first ever annual ultra-formal celebration in Brunswick County. It raises more than $125,000 each year. All proceeds go to programs for children in Brunswick County Schools.

The 3rd annual Wag Shag gets going Oct. 24 in the tent at Sea Trail. What a treat it is to see the dogs dressed in costumes and performing for the audience. This year features Halloween costumes. No dogs are unruly, and owners make sure thier pets are friendly to all those at the big party.

Brunswick County is an exciting place to live.

My new Facebook page

I am in the process of developing a new Facebook page for business contacts. My page is Writer Jo Ann Mathews in Brunswick County, N.C. It's rather long, but it says what I do. It covers a lot of bases. I write for three area publications: The Sun News daily newspaper and Coastal Business Life magazine, both out of Myrtle Beach, S.C., and South Brunswick Magazine out of Leland, N.C.

I know the area, and I know Brunswick County, so anyone with questions about the politics, beaches, restaurants, events, attractions, stores, and any other facet of the County can contact me. If I can't readily provide the information, I can find someone who can.

I've interviewed politicians, the movers and shakers, the average residents, transplanted residents and those in-between. I love writing about Brunswick and Horry counties, and I love what I'm doing. Come and visit me at Facebook.

Sunset River Marketplace, Calabash, N.C.

When rains come to Brunswick County, North Carolina, people don’t go to the beach or swim in the ocean. They seek other diversions. One alternative is Sunset River Marketplace, a 10,000 square-foot art gallery filled with art works in every medium. Jewelry, pottery, oils, watercolors. Name the medium and the gallery has it. Not only does it display works by local and regional artists, it offers workshops, presentations on a multitude of topics and discussions by local authors. It’s a place that locals frequent. I seldom walk out of there without buying something. I love the place!!

►Coffee with the Local Authors
Unless a holiday interferes with the schedule or some other circumstance prevents it, the first Thursday of the month from September through April, three or four writers form a panel and discuss their books and answer audience questions. Sometimes it’s a single author who explains writing style, talks about getting started in writing or discusses a pertinent topic on writing. The event is free to all who attend.

►Creative Exchange
The second Wednesday of each month throughout the year when schedules permit, the gallery hosts a presentation on a fascinating topic such as efficient packing for travel, scrapbooking and fashion jewelry. December always has a holiday theme. Cost of the event is $5, which includes lunch.

► Workshops
Artist Sterling Edwards presents “Acrylic Abstracts” from September 20-24. Edwards is a watercolorist with a unique style that art lovers respect.

►Exhibitions
The gallery highlights artists and their works inside the front door. Past displays include “Watercolors with a Transparent Touch” by Richard Staat and “Barns of the American Landscape,” a group exhibit.

►Classes
Want to learn to paint in watercolor? Oils? What about learning pottery? A variety of classes are offered, including those for children.

►Custom Framing
No matter the size or style, the gallery has thousands of choices for framing and matting. I’ve had several paintings framed there. The results are great.

Owner Ginny Lassiter is friendly and knowledgeable. Check out the gallery at 10283 Beach Drive, Calabash, N.C. 28467, at http://www.sunsetrivermarketplace.com/ or call 910-575-5999.

Inlet View Bar & Grill, Shallotte Point, Shallotte, N.C. in Brunswick County

One of the first questions newcomers to Brunswick County, N.C. ask is where the best restaurants are, specifically seafood restaurants. In 2009 Inlet View Bar & Grill at the end of Village Point Road in Shallotte, N.C. reopened after a five-year hiatus. The results are astounding!
The décor is simple with lots of wood and huge windows that overlook the Intracoastal Waterway with all the splendor a seascape offers. Patrons can visit the upstairs bar and go out on the massive deck to enjoy the outdoors and the view. They can eat on the bar level if they wish, but the main dining room is one floor down. An elevator assists those who don’t want to tackle the steps.
The owners buy local seafood as often and as much as possible. Shrimp, soft shell crab, clams, oysters and flounder are the popular catches. The light breading on the generous portions of fried seafood is sweet and tender. The hush puppies have a special taste that makes them irresistible. One basket is never enough.
Start with bacon-wrapped scallops for $8.95. Other than the market priced items, the most expensive selection on the menu is crab legs at $18.95. A house salad is only $4.25 while a Caesar salad is $4.50, but top them with shrimp, tuna or mahi mahi and it jumps to $11.99.
Grilled chicken ($13.95), hamburger steak ($9.95) and ribeye steak ($15.95) are the only non-seafood dinners, but BLT, cheeseburger, ham & cheese, hamburger and grilled chicken breast are on the menu. The “kiddie” menu has the always popular grilled cheese, chicken fingers and hot dog. For the young seafood eaters there is fried shrimp.
I choose flounder, and it was yummy. My dinner companions chose shellfish in all its forms and said it was the best they had ever eaten. It could have been the view, the conversation or just the ambiance. We enjoyed every second of our time there.
Look for information at http://www.inletview.com/ or give the restaurant a call at 910-754-6233.

Ingram Planetarium, Sunset Beach, N.C.

Another unique attraction often overlooked when visiting Brunswick County, N.C. is Ingram Planetarium, a few miles south of Museum of Coastal Carolina just off Sunset Boulevard, aka Route 179, in Sunset Beach. Both facilities lie under the umbrella of Ocean Isle Museum Foundation, Inc., which supports them.

Ingram Planetarium enjoys the luxury of being one of the few planetariums around the world to have SciDome HD, a system that projects around three million pixels on the sky dome. With ImmersaVision from Spitz, Inc. visitors see 360 degrees of viewing. No matter where they sit, nothing is blocking their view. In addition, it contains 500 million objects and is updated on a regular basis. Technicians can show 88 constellations in various ways.

Mark Jankowski, senior technician at Ingram, said he can outline the stars six different ways, show the Big Dipper, connect the dots and display the overlay of a bear. He takes viewers into space and makes them feel as if they are really there. Want to go to Jupiter, Saturn or Mars? Just make the request.

Shows at the planetarium begin on the hour starting at 1 with “Astronaut.” At 2 the program is “Oasis in Space,” 3 is “Zula Patrol: Under the Weather” and 4 is “Seven Wonders.” Free family programs are also available through Aug. 19 in the Paul Dennis Science Hall. Tuesdays feature “Navigating the Seas.” Wednesdays have “Turtle Talk” and Thursdays offer “Sun Fun” in which families look through a solar telescope and discover sun and participate in sun-related activities.

The planetarium also offers musical laser shows at 5 and 6 p.m. through Aug. 19. On Tuesdays at 5, catch “Laser Beatles.” At 7 watch “Laser Arena Rock.” On Wednesdays at 5 see “Laser Metallica” and at 6 is “Pink Floyd: The Wall.” It is recommended that young children not see this one. On Thursdays at 5 “Laser Beatles” returns, and at 6 is “Laser Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon.”

The planetarium is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12:30- 7; on Fridays and Saturdays from 12:30 to 4. Cost per show is $8 for those 17-59 and $6 for those from 3-16 and those 60+. People can find more information at www.ingramplanetarium.org, e-mail personnel at infor@ingramplanetarium.org or call 910-575-0033.

sightseeing in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C.

I’m familiar with a vacation spot that thousands of people visit each year: Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. Visitors to this seaside paradise come primarily to lay on the beach for the perfect suntan, but this town offers much more. Right on the island is the Museum of Coastal Carolina. The museum has special programs throughout the week during the summer.

Each summer it varies, so now in 2010 on Mondays children and their families learn how to tie five different knots. They receive a knot-tying guide and rope to take home. On Tuesdays visitors learn to identify fish in the museum’s Ocean Reef Gallery. On Wednesdays children learn oceanfront safety. In addition, an Ocean Isle Beach fireman drives a fire truck to the museum, talks of fire safety, tells what firemen wear and what they do and gives visitors a tour of the truck. Wednesday evenings people walk to two haunted locations and learn about ghosts in the area. Thursdays children learn about sharks and dig for sharks’ teeth. On Thursday nights Matthew Bookout brings his reptiles and snakes and tells all about them. Fridays are Touch Tank feeding days. Visitors learn which fish swim in the tank and watch a docent feed the fish. They learn to identify shells and can bring their own shells to be identified.

These afternoon programs start at 3:30 while the evening programs are at 7. The museum opens at 10. The programs are free but require admission to the museum. Costs range from $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and students and $4 for those 3-5. The phone of the museum is 910-579-1016; e-mail is info@museumofcc.org and its Web site is www.museumofcc.org.

Friday nights are concert nights in the Museum parking lot beginning at 6:30. A different band plays each week. A full schedule is at www.brunswickcountync.gov. Under departments, choose Parks and Recreation. At that page choose Community Events. The entire Brunswick County schedule of concerts and movies is listed there. I will be highlighting a different attraction in the Ocean Isle Beach area throughout the summer.