Enchanted Airlie - Spectacular Holiday Event at Wilmington NC Gardens

Don't miss this holiday family spectacular event - Enchanted Airlie opening this week at the beautiful Airlie Gardens. The lighting displays including the bottle house and the lighted bottle trees are too tempting to miss. The sensational displays will include 5 trains. The whole garden comes to life at night. There will be hot chocolate and cookies to keep you warm. Tickets must be purchased separately at the gardens' website - http://www.airliegardens.org/. The event is on Thursday, Fridays and Saturday nights til Christmas. Don't miss this special event!!

ART SHOW IN WILMINGTON, NC - Novermber 22, 2008

Art for the Masses - art show will take place on Saturday November 22, 2008. This show will be attended by over 250 artists who will be selling their creations directly to the public. Most work will be under $ 250. Show will take place in a 30000 sqft warehouse, rain or shine behind the Steinmart store in the Hanover Plaza on Oleander Drive. All kinds of media will be represented - acrylics, photography, metal, oil paintings, pottery and many more works of art.

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH FLOTILLA - 25th ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR

The Wrightsville Beach Flotilla will take place on November 29, 2008. This is the 25 th anniversary of this very special event on Harbour Island and in and out the Wrightsville beach boat basins. Boats of all kinds decorated to the max participate with lights, trees, santas and all kinds of holiday regalia. There are singers, dancers, and all kinds of people acting on these floating holiday specters. It is an all day event on Harbour Island with a craft fair with all kinds of vendors. People line up all along the banks of the water to see the holiday parade. Prizes are awarded for the best boats in a number of categories based on size of boats. If you plan on attending -please come early as parking can be tough as there are so many spectators at this very popular holiday event.
For more detailed information on this event and to see the actual parade route please check out the website www.NCholidayflotilla.org

NEW DOWNTOWN HOTEL PLANNED FOR WILMINGTON NC

Another hotel is planning on breaking ground in downtown Wilmington. A Courtyard Marriott based out of Greensboro, NC the hotel will use the county lot across the street for parking. This hotel will have 125 rooms. Construction is scheduled to start on this hotel in 3rd quarter of 2009 and be completed in 2010. This hotel will have a bar and a pool. It will be located at the corner of 2nd and Grace This is only 1 block away from another hotel scheduled to be built on Grace Street. This hotel will have over 150 rooms. Interest in Wilmington is due to the new convention center scheduled to be built on the river. This also will have a new hotel - an Indigo, a swanky upscale hotel that will cater to the convention attendees. This is an exciting development for the city which is totally undergoing a renaissance as a destination convention center.

Jacksonville NC Set to Explode in Population

Did you know that Jacksonville NC is set to explode in population? Camp Lejeune is expected to grow by 10000 people within the next 4 years. If you include family members the town could grow by as much as 40000 people in the next 4-6 years. Many of this increase in population is due to the US Marines moving troops from closed bases all over the country. This does not even take into account the numbers of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan according to media reports. Pender county is already experiencing this growth. It is finding increased traffic and the schools are quickly filling up. The middle schools are really affected according to county officials. There are bills being proposed in the state legislature to support and bolster the infrastructure in the area to accommodate this growth but it not a sure thing these bills will pass due to the current economic climate.
Word has it that real estate is being snapped in these areas also. At least one area is booming in this otherwise tough economy.

Latino Fest on Saturday - Wilmington, NC

Experience the annual Latino Festival this weekend in Wilmington, NC. Held in Hugh McRae Park on South College Road, you can enjoy Spanish food and drink. This is where you can savor the real heritage foods not normally found in restaurants. This festival will take place in the park setting where the colors are just changing and you can dance your heart out to Hispanic beat from 12pm to 8 pm.

WILMINGTON NC TO CONTRIBUTE FUNDS TOWARD NORTHERN RIVERFRONT PROJECT

The city of Wilmington, NC has agreed to contribute $ 7 million towards a huge north end Riverfront project. The city council passed this resolution November 5, Wednesday night to assist in extending the Riverwalk to this project and with installation of some of the infrastuture and help with the riverfront bulkhead of this project. This is a $750 million project of over 200 buildings scheduled to be constructed within the next 20 years. It will consist of a marina, commercial, retail and condos all just north of the new Wilmington convention center. Funding is also scheduled to assist in extending our famous RIVERWALK to the north of the city just along this new project. Visitors and city dwellers alike enjoy this attractive city feature.
This is another exciting new project to be undertaken on the riverfront in Wilmington. Recently in October another project was approved by the Wilmington City Council of another riverfront condo complex on the southern end of the city of over 100 condos included in this mixed use project. These 2 projects will define the skyline and riverfront elevations of our fine city.

Film Festival - 14th Cucalorus film festival in Wilmington,NC in Nov. 12 - 15

The 14th Annual Cuculorus Film Festival will take place November 11- 15 in Wilmington, NC. This is a chance for all film buffs to take in all kinds of films. Wilmington welcomes this festival to "Hollywood East" as Wilmington is becoming known - the home of EUE Screen Gems Studio. Screen Gems is responsible for producing many huge screen hits along with many pilots and weekly shows such as Dawson's Creek and One Tree Hill. People are expected to come from all over the country and the world to participate in this festival to celebrate the emerging artists of the screen world. You will be able to take in short films, documentaries and all sorts of film experiences. It is also a chance to view our beautiful city and visit its gorgeous beaches. You can find out more details at www.Cucalorus.org.