Community Calendar

Join Emerge Gallery & Art Center for Emerald Lights, Greenville Nights as Five Points Plaza is serenaded by the No Quarter Brass Band starting at 5:30pm. At 7:00pm, the Brightspeed Tower will be officially lit for the first time as part of the Emerald Loop Project. A short ceremony will take place at 7:00pm at Five Points Plaza before the NQBB resumes their concert. Free and Open to the Public.

Student Veterans of America at Craven Community has partnered with the Animal Hospital of New Bern and Paws of Ward of Eastern NC to do a hurricane relief drive to college supplies for animals and humans affected in Western NC and East TN. For more information please contact studentveterans@cravencc.edu or the Animal Hospital of NB at 252-649-1520.

The City of New Bern is collecting relief supplies for victims of Tropical Storm Helene in the western part of our state. Beginning tomorrow, October 1st, non-perishable goods and cleaning supplies will be collected at five sites listed below. All facilities are open Monday through Friday from 8am-5pm unless otherwise noted.

• City Hall, 300 Pollock Street
• West New Bern Recreation Center, 1225 Pine Tree Drive
• Pleasant Hill Community Center, 424 NC 55 Hwy – donations accepted Monday through Friday from 4pm-6pm
• New Bern Farmer’s Market, 421 S. Front Street - donations accepted Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8am-5pm
• National Night Out, Union Point Park, 210 E. Front Street – supplies will be collected from 5pm-8pm during the National Night Out event

The following relief supplies will be accepted:
• Non-perishable and canned goods & snacks
• Bottled water & sports drinks
• Heavy duty trash bags & tarps
• Heavy duty work gloves
• Toilet paper & paper towels
• Hand sanitizer & sanitizing wipes
• Cleaning supplies
• Toiletries such as toothpaste & toothbrushes
• Baby food & diapers (adult diapers also accepted)
• Feminine hygiene products
• Bug spray & sunscreen

The following items WILL NOT be accepted:
• Clothing & bedding items
• Expired food
• Medication of any kind
• Flammable items
• Furniture

This supply drive will remain open until further notice.

Those wanting to make monetary donations to relief efforts should contact the American Red Cross at www.redcross.org. You can also call 1-800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767) or text the word HELENE to 90999 to make a donation.

You can also donate to the NC Disaster Relief Fund at www.nc.gov/donate.

Mount Olive Farmers Market Reopens & Celebrates NC Award

MOUNT OLIVE, NC March 29, 2023 – Today the Mount Olive Presbyterian Church (MOPC) Outreach Committee announced the reopening of the Mount Olive Farmers Market for its 4th market season. The Saturday market will reopen on June 3, 2023, and run through October 28, 2023. The market will be open from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon every Saturday. Local vendors will be set up in the parking area at 105 North Breazeale Avenue, Mount Olive, NC.

“We look forward to another year of a family-friendly market to enhance our local community's quality of life and fresh food initiatives,” said Wendy Ford, MOPC Outreach Representative. “This event unites our local farmers, craftsmen, artists, bakers, jewelers and the University of Mount Olive (UMO) School of Agriculture to create a diverse farmers market for our local community.”

Special awards this year include vendor, J&J Martins Farm Produce, who is the recent recipient of the “2023 NC Small Farmer of the Year,” by NC A&T State University Cooperative Extension. J&J Farms is a Century Farm and long-standing member of the Wayne County NC Cooperative Extension. Another highlight this year welcomes new food vendor, RJ’s BBQ.

“This season is much more than a Farmers Market; it’s a place to bring your family for good local food, education and fun,” Ford said. “Photos and videos of our vendors and their products are featured on our Facebook page. Come out to meet and talk with us.”

Many educational opportunities will be available with UMO Agriculture students, local beekeepers, craftsmen and artists. Vendors returning this year are: J&J Martins Farm Produce, Acorn Acres Farmstead, Cleo’s Honey, For Goodness Bakes, Seams So Sweet, Cheesecake Chicas, Pinky’s Retro Plants, Paper Gems, and TempestMaille Jewelry. Featured items include framed art, jams, pickles, Elderberry syrup, cakes, cookies, cheesecakes, honey sticks, fresh fruits and vegetables. Farm eggs and frozen foods include beef, pork, sausage, chicken, duck and tasty sauces. On-site, visitors can also watch artists create one-of-a-kind Chainmail jewelry, bracelets, earrings, rings, key chains and more.

For information about the Mt. Olive Farmers Market, visit us on Facebook at MtOliveFarmersMarket or use your phone to scan our QR code.

New vendors from nearby counties like Calypso, LaGrange, Dudley, and Faison are welcome to join us. New vendors can message the FB page with their name and contact information to request a space this year.

The Coastal Carolina Chapter Military Officers Association of America is running its Fall Membership Drive from September through December 2024.
The Coastal Carolina Chapter is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization and is seeking enthusiastic, dedicated individuals who want to “continue to serve” and give back to their community. Membership is open to those who hold or have ever held a warrant or commission in any component of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Public Health Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or Space Force and their surviving spouses.
Our focus is college scholarships for military dependents, Toy for Tots, Kinston’s, local JROTC and ROTC units, Wreathes Across America (WWA), and other community veteran support. Our members are the key to our chapter’s success! To learn more about our chapter please visit www.CCMOAA.org or email CCMOAA@outlook.com.

The Coastal Carolina Chapter Military Officers Association of America is tax-exempt organization under IRS Section 501 (c) (3).

We look forward to hearing from you and joining the Coastal Carolina Chapter!

A guided day of fishing on the Pamlico, another on the upper Neuse, a weeklong stay at the beach, whitewater kayaking on the Green River Gorge, tickets to the Carolina Hurricanes hockey game — adventure awaits bidders at Sound Rivers’ annual online auction.

In keeping with the organization’s work, many of the items donated for the auction are waterways-related: handtied fishing flies, an inflatable stand-up paddleboard, tote bags handcrafted from recycled sails, Megalodon shark teeth found in coastal waters by Sound Rivers’ members and also scuba divers, and fine art reflecting life on the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico rivers.

Auction items will be on display at the Oyster Roast, but all bidding will be online. Anyone interested can bid on auction items at auctria.events/SoundRivers2024.

Sound Rivers is an environmental nonprofit, based in Washington, New Bern and Raleigh, that monitors and protects the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico watersheds which cover nearly 25% of North Carolina’s land mass.

Oriental's new exhibit explores the long history of lighthouse lore in our area and of the seven lighthouses from Corolla down to Oak Island along the North Carolina Coast. The Steamer Oriental went aground on the Outer Banks near the site of the original Bodie Island Lighthouse.

What will you learn? What lights a lighthouse...what do the various patterns and colorings of the lighthouses mean...which lighthouse and keeper's home was moved... which lighthouses are still in operation...what it's like being a keeper...were there female keepers?

Gone, But not Forgotten:
The Changing Landscape of Oriental, NC over the Past 125 Years
February 10– June 1 2024

With photo and narrative this special exhibit tells the story of the evolution of the town of Oriental since its founding over 125 years ago. Homes, businesses, and scenery are gone from the landscape but still fondly remembered. Many did not survive because of weather, fire, neglect, or advances in technology. Take a look at the past and see what Oriental once was “back in the day.”

Student Veterans of America at Craven Community has partnered with the Animal Hospital of New Bern and Paws of Ward of Eastern NC to do a hurricane relief drive to college supplies for animals and humans affected in Western NC and East TN. For more information please contact studentveterans@cravencc.edu or the Animal Hospital of NB at 252-649-1520.

The City of New Bern is collecting relief supplies for victims of Tropical Storm Helene in the western part of our state. Beginning tomorrow, October 1st, non-perishable goods and cleaning supplies will be collected at five sites listed below. All facilities are open Monday through Friday from 8am-5pm unless otherwise noted.

• City Hall, 300 Pollock Street
• West New Bern Recreation Center, 1225 Pine Tree Drive
• Pleasant Hill Community Center, 424 NC 55 Hwy – donations accepted Monday through Friday from 4pm-6pm
• New Bern Farmer’s Market, 421 S. Front Street - donations accepted Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8am-5pm
• National Night Out, Union Point Park, 210 E. Front Street – supplies will be collected from 5pm-8pm during the National Night Out event

The following relief supplies will be accepted:
• Non-perishable and canned goods & snacks
• Bottled water & sports drinks
• Heavy duty trash bags & tarps
• Heavy duty work gloves
• Toilet paper & paper towels
• Hand sanitizer & sanitizing wipes
• Cleaning supplies
• Toiletries such as toothpaste & toothbrushes
• Baby food & diapers (adult diapers also accepted)
• Feminine hygiene products
• Bug spray & sunscreen

The following items WILL NOT be accepted:
• Clothing & bedding items
• Expired food
• Medication of any kind
• Flammable items
• Furniture

This supply drive will remain open until further notice.

Those wanting to make monetary donations to relief efforts should contact the American Red Cross at www.redcross.org. You can also call 1-800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767) or text the word HELENE to 90999 to make a donation.

You can also donate to the NC Disaster Relief Fund at www.nc.gov/donate.