What’s Going On At Sunset Beach?

This weekend come to Sunset Beach. It’s always nice to come just decompress, relax walk the beautiful uncrowded beach, go shelling, breath deeply and watch the gulls glide but here’s a list of a few fun events going on this weekend and in the future on and around Sunset Beach, NC:

Check out the Planetarium Sky Theater Shows on Fridays and Saturdays at the Ingram Planetarium in Sunset Beach, NC! Admission is just $8 adults, $6 seniors and students, $4 children ages 3 to 4, and free for ages 2 and under. Admission is per show. Attend one show and receive $1 off your ticket for a second show. Due to safety concerns, late arrivals will not be seated once the show starts.

Learn more here: http://museumplanetarium.org

1:00 — Seven Wonders

Go back in time and witness the seven ancient wonders of the world as they have not been seen for thousands of years. Then journey through space and see the seven cosmic wonders as they have never been seen before. Appropriate for all ages.

Click here to view the trailer on our YouTube Channel

2:00 PM — Two Pieces of Glass

Learn about telescopes: Two pieces of glass placed in a metal tube reveal the wonders of space if one learns how and where to focus. Appropriate for all ages.

3:00 PM – Oasis in Space

Voyage through the solar system and deep into the universe in search of water, the key ingredient to life on earth. Appropriate for all ages.

Click here to view the trailer on our YouTube Channel

 

Check Out Bird Island!

Bird Island is an undeveloped barrier island located at the southwestern edge of the North Carolina coast, situated between the Town of Sunset Beach and the Little River Inlet in South Carolina. The Reserve site encompasses 1,481 acres consisting of approximately 135 upland acres and over 1,300 acres of marsh, intertidal flats, and subtidal area.

Download The Bird Island Site Brochure Here

The Reserve site represents excellent examples of barrier communities with several occurrences of rare species.

The following barrier island biotic communities are present: upper beach, dune grass, maritime dry grassland, maritime wet grassland, maritime shrub thicket, maritime shrub swamp, brackish marsh, salt shrub, salt flat, and salt marsh.

The most notable species of the island are nesting loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) and seabeach amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus), a plant of the foredune area.

Both species are listed as threatened by the federal and state governments.

 

Getting to Bird Island

Public access is primarily via the ocean beach on the Sunset Beach side, while boats may land on the beach associated with Little River Inlet on the South Carolina side. With the closure of Mad Inlet in 1999 following Hurricane Bonnie, the public may walk the length of the island at all times. The upland property begins at the boundary with Sunset Beach and continues about 0.9 miles until it meets the Corps of Engineers property approximately 0.4 miles from the state line. The sound and marsh areas of the Reserve may be reached by boat, depending on vessel draft and tide levels. Several tidal creeks (e.g. Bonaparte Creek, Clayton Creek, East River) are found within the site.

Visiting the site

To reach Bird Island by foot, drive to the intersection of 40th and Main Streets in Sunset Beach. Limited parking is available at the end of Main Street past the intersection. Overflow parking is along the street, provided the area is not marked as a non-parking zone and residential access is not blocked. Take the 40th street boardwalk beach access to the beach and turn right. Follow the beach until you reach signs indicating the boundary of the Reserve.

Bird Island is also home to the Kindred Spirit Mailbox

Be sure to pay a visit while you are there!

 

 

Spring Fitness Programs

Starting January 1, 2012 the Brunswick County Parks & Recreation Dept., in conjunction with The Winds Resort Beach Club on nearby Ocean Isle Beach (10 minutes from Sunset Beach), is once again offer three great fitness classes. The classes are open to the public but guests of The Winds Beach Resort can participate in two of the three classes at either greatly reduced fees or for free!

For more information please call the Brunswick County Parks & Recreation Department at: 910.253.2538

Here are the programs, schedules and fees:

TENNIS LESSONS
Ocean Isle Beach Park

(Five minutes from The Winds)

$30/hour private rate
Semi-Private Group Rate:
$40 for 3 people
$5 /each additional person per group

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AQUAZUMBA
Mondays & Wednesdays
January 2 – April. 30, 2012
Time: 8am-9am
Outdoor pool
Free of charge to Winds Guests

This is a “pool party” workout for all ages. You’ll learn safe, effective and challenging water-based workouts that integrate the Zumba formula and philosophy into traditional aqua fitness disciplines. Outdoor Pool weather permitting.

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WATER AEROBICS
January 2 through April 30, 2012
Monday thru Thursday
9:30-10:30am
Outdoor Pool weather permitting
Free of Charge to Winds Guests.

Click here to go to Discount Coupons that you can print out and use for a 15% to 20% discount at The Winds Resort Beach Club.

Kindred Spirit Mailbox Repaired

After Hurricane Irene passed through our area Sunset Beach resident and author Jacqueline DeGroot was asked by the Guardian of the Kindred Spirit Mailbox to check mailbox as soon as she could.

She found that the dune in front had eroded somewhat leaving it in a precarious position and tilted.

The bench had fallen backward and had become uprooted.

So she began looking for volunteers to help relocate the Kindred Spirit mailbox to a more stable location.

“Jack” (as her friends call her) is not one to sit around waiting for someone else to take action so on a Thursday morning in early September, DeGroot, and a group of friends headed out to Bird Island armed with shovels.

They relocated the mailbox just a few feet from its old location (with the blessing of the Kindred Spirit’s anonymous guardian).

Pictured are volunteer Mailbox Restoration Team members Laura Lewis, Sandy and Kathy Lonsinger, Sharon Maple, Frank Nesmith, Sandy Raymond, Carol and Pete Scott, and Patrick Szymansk.

The volunteers then proceeded to re-situate the wooden bench that normally sits beside it and generally cleaned things up.

The notebooks of the Kindred Spirit are once again ready for new handwritten messages from beachcombers, thinkers and day dreamers of all kinds.

By the way, if you’re not familiar with DeGroot’s books, check out this website: http://islands-art.com

So What Is The Kindred Spirit Mailbox?

Know one knows who placed the mailbox on Bird Island (an uninhabited island at the west end of Sunset Beach, NC). The person who put it there wrote “Twenty seven years ago I walked the tide line of Bird Island. In the distance – right on the low tide line – I saw the silhouette of a rural mailbox. However, I never could reach it – for it was a mirage. The very next weekend, I “planted” the original Kindred Spirit mailbox”.

The mailbox is filled with notebooks, pens and pencils along with the stories and tales of all the travelers who’ve journeyed to this place. Each entry begins with the phrase “Dear Kindred Spirit.”

These journals are filled with prayers, wishes, thanksgivings, personal stories and more – each writer adding his or her own bits of wisdom to the collection.

An empty wooden park bench sits just in front of the Kindred Spirit mailbox, offering its oceanfront seat to visitors who’ve journeyed to this spot so they’re able to read the stories and share their own.

Then, once the notebooks and journals are complete, they’re mailed to their mysterious owner – the Kindred Spirit – who lovingly reads, collects and saves each spiralbound book of stories.

So Where Is The Kindred Spirit Mailbox?

If you’d like to visit the Kindred Spirit mailbox yourself, come over the Sunset Beach bridge, take a right at the oceanfront. From the last public Sunset Beach access make a right and head southwest. It’s about an hour walk there and back. Like most things in life, it’s about the journey, especially in a world where every thing else seems instantaneous. After a mile and a quarter, you’ll see a second flag pole, and you’ll find the mailbox there at the foot of it.

So if you’re feeling like you just need to escape from the daily grind, go and get away. Watch a sunset, hold hands with someone you love and maybe even write a letter to someone you’ve never met.

A new “Virtual” Kindred Spirit Mailbox is now up at: http://thekindredspirit.net/the-mailbox-is-here - Now you can access The Kindred Spirit from anywhere in the world!

Checking-in to SunsetNC.com

Want to show some love for SunsetNC.com? Then start by checking in. Whenever you’re in Sunset Beach, use your smart phone (iPhone, Blackberry, Droid, etc.) and facebook to check in. Our address is set for the Sunset Beach Pier (101 W Main St.) so whenever you’re nearby, let your friends know!

To check in simply log on to your mobile facebook and click places, scan for SunsetNC.com and hit check in. Tag your friends that are with you too!

 

The Plant From Outer Space!

News crews have gathered and locals and vacationers are all amazed at the site of this incredible century plant that is currently in full bloom at Bricklanding close to nearby Ocean Isle Beach, NC.

Here is a link to a video from WRAL TV in Raleigh NC:

http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/travel/video/9793967/#/vid9810263

Wikipedia says:

Agave americana, commonly known as the century plant, maguey, or American aloe (although it is in a different family from the Aloe), is an agave originally from Mexico but cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant. It has since naturalized in many regions and grows wild in Europe, South Africa, India, and Australia.

The misnamed century plant typically lives only 10 to 30 years. It has a spreading rosette (about 4 m/13 ft wide) of gray-green leaves up to 2 m (6.6 ft) long, each with a spiny margin and a heavy spike at the tip that can pierce to the bone. When it flowers, the spike with a cyme of big yellow flowers may reach up to 8 m (26 ft) in height. Its common name likely derives from its semelparous nature of flowering only once at the end of its long life. The plant dies after flowering, but produces suckers or adventitious shoots from the base, which continue its growth.
Cultivated varieties include the “marginata” with yellow stripes along the margins of each leaf, “medio-picta alba” with a central white band, “medio-picta aurea” with a central yellow band, “striata” with multiple yellow to white stripes along the leaves, and “variegata” with white edges on the leaves.

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Sunset Beach Facebook Launch!

Your favorite site SunsetNC.com has joined the facebook craze! On our facebook page you can find links to our articles, other sites and comments from some of our readers. ‘Like’ us on facebook and discover a whole new way to connect to the coastal way of life!

Check out our facebook page!

Sunset Flyover Video

OK so this guy gets a kite and attaches a small video camera and … well lets let him tell us:

This is my 2nd attempt at KAV (Kite Aerial Video). The video was shot in the evening on July 21st, 2009 at Sunset Beach, NC. I would estimate that the camcorder was probably 75ft – 100ft in the air, and winds were probably 10mph – 15mph.

The first and last couple minutes of the video are considerably more shaky because I’m letting out and/or bringing in line at the time. Otherwise, I’m pretty happy with the minimal shakiness of the video, especially considering the whole camera/video rig consists of a couple nuts and bolts, sheet metal, a servo, and string, all dangling from a kite line. The video is a bit lengthy, but whatever, I thought it was cool to see the entire flight from start to finish. I also thought it was pretty cool to see birds flying BELOW the shot, as well as hearing the howl of the kite line at times. It also never gets old seeing Myrtle Beach in the distance when the camcorder is facing south-west.

TECHNICAL STUFF

••• Kite •••
10ft. Alpine DC by Into The Wind

••• Line •••
100# braided Dacron, 500ft

••• Accessories •••
2 x 20*ft. Gomberg inflatable tube tail
2 x 15ft. Gomberg ribbon tail

••• KAP/KAV Rig •••
Brooxes HoBEAK kit

••• Camera •••
JVC Everio GZ-MS120 Digital Camcorder

••• Location •••
Sunset Beach, NC @ 37th Street

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Blackbeard’s Pirateship Anchor

A 3,000 pound anchor has been recovered off the North Carolina coast on Friday, by Archaeologists from what they believe to be the wreck of the pirate Blackbeard’s flagship – the Queen Anne’s Revenge! It is hoped that this might change plans regarding how to save the rest of the almost 300 year old artifacts from the central part of the pirate ship. Read more

Miller Pope’s Book Of Pirates

From Captain Kidd to Blackbeard to the pirates of the orient . . . From bloody battles to walking the plank- from blunderbusses to cutlasses, With nearly 150 original illustrations, this volume is sure to please and inform pirate fans of all ages.

Buy this book at:

http://Islands-Art.com

• Race for Riches: a history of the origins of piracy
• Greed and Gold: a pirate’s life aboard ship and in battle
• Tools of the Trade: weapons, vessels, and pirate culture
• Rogues and Raiders: profiles of pirates through history
• Other Pirates, Other Times: the past and future of piracy
• A Roster of Infamy: a list of pirates and their vessels

“The illustrations are incredible, from the actual pirates to their ships, battles, maps, tools of the trade and treasures. For every generations’ fascination with pirates and the exotic and exciting life they supposedly led, this book will satisfy that hunger for the actual and imagined part of pirate lore.

Miller Pope is as exceptional a writer as he is an illustrator, writing with the visual in mind, always crafting his words from an illustrators’ perspective and then backing that image up with the very picture the words so masterfully created.”

- Island Living Magazine

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