Nitty Gritty of Life in Columbus County, NC
Monday, September 6, 2010
Posted by Bettina on October 21, 2009
Don’t forget to join us in Tabor City for a celebration of the delicious orange tuber we call “yam”. Events are happening all week with the main festival day being Saturday October 24th. Parade begins at 10:00am in downtown Tabor City. Be sure to check out the NC Yam Festival schedule of events. For more information, please call 910-377-3012.
Posted by Justin on October 5, 2009
Of all
the great events coming up this season, I am especially looking forward to the demolition derby at the Columbus County Agricultural Fair.
A demo derby is the kind of event that everyone should attend at least once in his or her lifetime. Watch in delight as drivers in junk cars try to disable their four-wheeled opponents through nearly any means necessary.
Get there early for a good seat, and go hungry. The sausage dogs and soft drinks are the best deal on the fairgrounds.
The derby takes place Friday (Oct. 17) and Saturday (Oct. 18) starting at 7pm. For more information, visit their website. Buckle your seat belt! You’re in for a good time.
Posted by Bettina on September 30, 2009
Fall weather is finally here in Columbus County! There are chrysanthemums and pretty fall-colored bows everywhere you look. The season changes are one of the things I love most about southeastern NC.
Fall also means lots of fun community events such as the Columbus County Fair, Oct. 13-18, 39th Annual Waccamaw Siouan Pow Wow in the Buckhead community, Oct. 16-17, the NC Yam Festival at Tabor City, Oct. 22-23, and the NC Pecan Festival in Whiteville, November 7. Be sure to check out all these fun events!
Posted by Bettina on August 26, 2009
Centuries ago the swampy land along the southeastern North Carolina coast became home to West African slaves brought here to turn marshy fields into thriving rice plantations. Along with knowledge of how to grow the crop, they brought language, food traditions and craftsmanship that strongly connected them in this foreign land. These people called themselves Gullahs or Geechees.
Today, however, few residents in our area have any knowledge of this culture. But the National Park Service is trying to change that. Designated by Congress in 2006, the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor extends 40 miles inland from Wilmington, NC to Jacksonville, Fl. In North Carolina, the corridor includes New Hanover County, Brunswick County, and the majority of Columbus County and was created in hopes of bringing recognition to the area’s Gullah roots and preserving the endangered African history.
Along the corridor, sites will be designated as historically significant based on their representation of the Gullah culture. The difficulty lies in identifying the sites. If you have information on Columbus County sites that represent the Gullah culture, please contact Jennifer Long, Columbus County Tourism Director at 910-653-2818.
Posted by Bettina on August 11, 2009
I grew up in the Guideway community of Columbus County, which used to be big tobacco-growing country. Luckily for me, I came along a little late in the game, and didn’t have to work on the family tobacco farm like my siblings did. So most of my summer work revolved around the big family garden. Because my mother was a schoolteacher, she had summers off and devoted a large portion of her time to our garden. She grew all the things a good southern woman grows in the garden; cucumbers, tomatoes, peas, butter beans, squash, zucchini, okra, watermelons, and of course, corn.
Apparently, my mother didn’t trust my “picking” skills, because I wasn’t required to perform that task very often. However, she seemed to be very sure of my “shelling” skills and I spent many summer afternoons shelling butter beans and peas. And that wasn’t so bad. It was definitely cooler in the house shelling butter beans than it was outside. But there was one garden job I dreaded EVERY summer and that was shucking corn.
When Daddy felt the corn was properly filled-out, he and Mama would wake up early and load the back of the pick-up truck with the ears. Then, they would make me get out of bed *gasp* and go outside to help them shuck the corn. It was terrible!! The wet, dew-laden grass stuck to my feet and the sticky corn silks clung to my hands, not to mention the constant mosquito and gnat-slapping that was required throughout the morning. But the absolute worst part of the whole process was peeling down a cornhusk and discovering a fat, juicy, worm, lethargic from his carbohydrate-induced coma …it still makes me shutter!
As I get older, it’s amazing how that dreaded summer chore has turned into a fond family memory. I realize, now, how fortunate I was to have my parents available and willing to work together as a family to prepare home grown vegetables; how fortunate I was to grow up in rural Columbus County where the worst part of my summer was having to wake up early a couple of mornings to shuck corn.
Posted by Justin on August 3, 2009
As I visit local manufacturers on behalf of the economic development commission, I am constantly amazed at the wide variety of products made in Columbus County. Area businesses produce everything from sythetic yarn to sledge hammers to horse trailers.
Our industries range from family-owned businesses that employee less than a dozen workers to nationally known industry giants that employ more than 700 people.
Visit the directory on our website to see the list of manufacturers and what they produce. You might be surprised at what you see!
Posted by Justin on July 20, 2009
Almost every Columbus County town throws an annual celebration for a fruit or vegetable, and this weekend is Fair Bluff’s turn to honor the watermelon.
Beautiful downtown Fair Bluff, along the banks of the Lumber River, will host a food court, variety show, legs contest and even a watermelon seed spitting contest Saturday. And don’t forget the parade, which starts at 11am. A full schedule of events can be found on the festival’s website.
Posted by Bettina on July 15, 2009
I’m a reader. I love bookstores and could honestly spend hundreds of dollars in one visit. But in an effort to be more frugal, I have begun visiting the Tabor City and other Columbus County Library branches. And I have to say, I’m very impressed with the selection of books available. My current obsession is London, England so I’m always looking for authors whose characters live in that part of the globe. Authors like Jane Green and Sophia Kinsella, with their modern day plots or Philippa Gregory who leans toward historical fiction, are easy to find in our local libraries.
I’ve also begun to check out the books-on-CD that are available at the Carolyn T. High Memorial Library branch. I’m not the most patient traveler and I’ve found that books-on-CD make any drive less tedious.
For a complete listing of books available in the Columbus County Library system visit their online catalog.
Posted by Bettina on July 8, 2009
I was a child during the 1980’s and loved the music of that era, so when I heard that Pat Benatar was playing at the Myrtle Beach House of Blues last week, I knew I had to be there! The concert was on a Tuesday and I normally don’t go out on a “school night” because my busy weeks require me to be well rested. But I needn’t have worried about being tired the next day, because I didn’t miss a minute of sleep. My friends and I left Tabor City at 5:30pm, had dinner in a restaurant near the concert venue, had a great time listening to Pat Benatar ROCK OUT, and were back in Tabor City by 11:00pm. The perfect evening trip!
An instance like this reminds me why Columbus County is a perfect place to live and work. On a daily basis, I can enjoy all the great aspects of living in a small town, but can also enjoy the amenities of larger areas within a matter of minutes. I feel fortunate to have the best of both worlds!
Posted by Justin on July 6, 2009
In my mind, downtown Whiteville has three public crown jewels - the NC Museum of Forestry, the Columbus County Arts Council and - in betwen - is Vineland Station, a historic train station that was masterfully renovated a few years ago.
Below if more information from the station’s website.
The Vineland Station Historic Train Station is Whiteville, N.C.’s civic center. Built originally in 1903, it is one of North Carolina’s original brick depots. It got its name Vineland from the expansive grape vineyards that once covered the area. Vast quantities of these grapes were shipped from the station.
It sat in disrepair for a number of years until a joint effort by Columbus County, the City of Whiteville, the N.C. Department of Transportation, Carolina Southern Railroad and a non-profit committee came together to extensively renovate the building to its original luster.
The main room, or warehouse, has the original exposed brick walls, slate roof and restored heart pine flooring and ceiling timbers. The offices and history gallery have much of the original bead board wall and features of the original train station.
Vineland Station hosts a number of public events such as art shows, music performances and fund-raisers, as well private events such as weddings, receptions and seminars.
