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Many TownDock readers should attend the boat show accompanied by an adult.

11:57a The boats have left. But the sailors are coming.

Last weekend was the 2024 In-Water Oriental Boat Show. Next weekend is the SailPack Regatta.

Eighteen Universities send their sailing teams to compete. The Regatta, part of the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association conference.

Sailors arrive in town Friday night, and you can watch the races from Lou Mac Park on Saturday and Sunday.

Tonight, Pamlico County Commissioners gather for their second monthly meeting, at the Bayboro courthouse annex at 7p.

April is National Volunteer Month. Neuse Neighbors Network says thanks to those that make it happen.

2:46p Congrats to Sharon Gilbert of Oriental, winner of the Oriental Rotary Raffle at the boat show. The prize is a Mercury 6hp outboard, donated by Sailcraft Service boat yard. Also part of the raffle, the 5050 drawing. Burton Kennedy won $650.

There was an airplane propeller on the cover of TownDock yesterday… for sale at the boat show. What Happened?

Spotted on Hodges Street a few minutes ago, a new prop owner: Boat Show Organizer John Barlow says it is destined for his wall.

10:10a One more day of the Oriental Boat Show… it’s open 10a – 3p today on Hodges St by the harbor. The winds have finally calmed down, the harbor is nearly still this morning.

Sunny & upper 70s forecast today, then warming up even more Monday: high near 85. On the Neuse SW winds 5-10 knots today, 10-15 Monday.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Oriental Water Level Gauge

11:53a Pints for Parkinson’s. What’s that mean?

Today at New Village Brewery you can drink beer and support the Bike Box Project.

Bike Box in New Bern provides support for those with Parkinsons through exercise programs, including Rock-Steady Boxing.

Many in Pamlico County enjoy the benefits of this program. Pints for Parkinson’s is today 3p til 7p at the brewery.

11:47a. While the boat show is showin’, there’s some art in town too.

The artists of the former Village Art Gallery are displaying today in the greenspace next to Barcos. They are there til 4:30p today.

11:32a The 2024 Oriental In-Water Boat Show continues today & Sunday.

The corner of Hodges and S. Water Street is home to the Nautical Flea Market. Vendors and power boats line Hodges Street. The docks have sail & power vessels to tour.

Your brain can learn stuff too. Catch a seminar at the Oriental Marina and Inn. The Saturday Seminar schedule:

• 12-1: Diesel engine maintenance and troubleshooting (Darrell Foster, Foster Mobile Marine)
• 1:30-2:30: Docking: the ten commandments (John Rahm, Captain, Third Wave Sailing)
• 3-4: How Professionals would Sell your Boat (Julie Rahm, CPYB,Triton Yachts)

2:20p Here’s the weekend boat show schedule:

• Friday, noon – 6p
• Saturday, 10a – 6p
• Sunday, 10a – 3p

While calmer than yesterday, it is breezy today. On the Neuse 15-25 knots. Winds are from the west, which protects the downtown boat show from getting too much wind.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Oriental Water Level Gauge
• Weather Radar

8:43a Hodges Street along the harbor is closed to vehicle traffic & boat show preparations are underway.

Gates open at noon. $10 gets you in for the whole weekend.

Cherry Branch – Minnesott Beach Ferry is on an amended schedule this morning; only one boat is in operation.

From Cherry Branch: 9a, 10a, 11a, Noon
From Minnesott Beach: 9:30a, 10:30a, 11:30a, 12:30p.

9:53a Windy, with rain on the way today. But the weekend weather is near perfect for the Oriental In-Water Boat Show.

An 80% chance of thunderstorms this afternoon, with south winds 15-25 mph, gusts up to 40. High near 70.

This weekend, it’s a different story. Sunny and mostly sunny with highs near 70 Friday and Saturday, near 80 Sunday.

The winds will stick around Friday and Saturday: out of the southwest and west at 15-20 mph, and gusting up to 30.

4:23p They didn’t do it. The Tree Board is innocent.

Drive down First Avenue in the Village, and between Mildred and High Streets, you’ll notice this:

Oriental Tree Board member Missy Tehnet says it was not part of their routine trimming. It was Duke Energy. The power company has the right to trim trees that may interfere with their lines.

They were supposed to take the branches with them. Otherwise, Town has to pay to absorb the cost of getting rid of them.

The Town Wide Yard Sale, scheduled for May 4, is less than a month away.

If you want to be on the official Town Yard Sale Map, you have until Friday, April, 26 to contact Marsha Paplham.

It’s easy enough – give her the address of the yard sale. She’ll put it on the map.

Contact her at 252-675-5142. Want to see what you’re in for? Check out the treasures for sale at the 2023 Town Wide Yard Sale.

9:29a The NC State’s sailing team & 17 other university teams are coming to Oriental. About 130 collegiate sailors are expected in town for the 2024 Sailpack Regatta, April 20-21.

Sailpack Coach Dana Magliola still needs help. He writes in to ask for help to house collegiate sailors. Some are from North Carolina… others from as far away as Texas and Florida:

We’ve had a good response for housing hosts, but we need a few more. We have 72 people assigned, but still need to find housing for 58 collegiate sailors.

You don’t need a ton of bedrooms or even beds to help. Couches work well and open space for air mattresses is good as most sailors have air mattresses from normal college sailing regatta travel life.

If people have whole houses they’d offer, we can ensure whichever team stays there has an adult coach with them. (House donations will also qualify for a tax-deductible contribution receipt.)

Sailors will be in town on Friday, April 19 and leave Sunday, April 21 in the late afternoon.

To help with housing, please email, text, or call Coach Dana Magliola (dana@sailpack.org, 919-946-5445).

Here’s the list of teams registered to compete in Oriental:
• Clemson
• Christopher Newpoart University
• Embry-Riddle
• Florida Tech
• University of Indiana
• Jacksonville University
• NC State
• SUNY-Stony Brook
• The Citadel
• University of Florida
• University of Maryland
• University of Maryland-Baltimore County
• UNC-Wilmington
• University of North Carolina
• University of Texas
• University of South Florida
• University of Virginia
• William & Mary

3:45p Vendors, seminars, and boats. Lots of boats.

They’ll be here this Friday through Sunday for the annual Oriental In-Water Boat Show.

Take a walk along the waterfront at the harbor. Find a nautical treasure or two, or that perfect dream boat.

Check out the scene from the 2023 Oriental In-Water Boat Show here.

9:18a Birding. It’s a thing in and around Oriental.

Pamlico Community College holds quarterly classes teaching students to identify birds, venturing out on early-morning birding field trips.

But if you’re just looking to take a walk around the village and get to know the birds in town, PCC can help with that too.

The Birding Apps Exploration class at PCC takes students through the apps available to help identify, photograph, and record birds in your area. The two-session class starts this Wednesday, April 10. has changed dates: Mondays, April 29 & May 6. It’s free. All you need to do is register.

Partly sunny and high today in the mid 70s. Southwest winds at 10 – 15 mph.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Oriental Water Level Gauge
• Weather Radar

11:57a Sunday morning, John Bee’s Hunter 42 SV Pathfinder II caught fire at the SailCraft Marina Docks (adjacent to but separate from SailCraft Services boatyard).

John and his black lab Jack are liveaboards who have been visiting Oriental for years.

Pathfinder was towed away from the dock to Zimmerman Marine and held in the travel lift overnight.

There’s a solar eclipse today. While Oriental is far from the direct path, the town will be treated to a partial solar eclipse.

At about 2p, the moon will pass between us and the sun, casting a shadow on the sun. We’ll see about 70% of the sun covered – the maximum we can view from Oriental, NC – around 3:15p.

It will start slipping away again, and the sun will fully reemerge about 4:30p.

We’ve been treated to the full eclipse show before, back in 2017. Check out the coverage from Lou Mac Park and the 2017 eclipse viewing here.

2:36p ODC – the Oriental Dinghy Club – holds races about once a month. This weekend, there’s two races: a keel-boat race Saturday, and a dinghy race Sunday, both beginning at 1p.

ODC Commodore Bob Slook tells more:

Tonight there’s live music at The Red Rooster and New Village Brewery.

The Mad Fiddler plays on the Bantam Stage at the Red Rooster at 7p (behind The Silos). Down the road, Patrick Bliss plays at the Brewery Beer Garden starting at 5p. Tanja’s Hell Fat Food Truck is also on site, serving from 5-8p.

Saturday morning, the Oriental Farmer’s Market opens at 8a and runs until 11p. Over at The Wildlife Ramp, the Oriental Treed Board celebrates Arbor Day and honors Bob Parker with a tree planting at 9a.

At 11a Saturday in Lou Mac Park is the memorial for TownDock.net co-founder Melinda Penkava-Smith. If you’re local and can bring a folding chair, bring it along. There will be chairs on hand for those traveling from out of town (and simply if you need one).

At 7:30p at The Old Theater, the Pamlico Community Band performs their Spring Concert. It’s free to attend.

It’s all in What’s Happening.

9:15a Saturday morning at 9a, Oriental’s Tree Board holds an Arbor Day Celebration and Memorial Tree Planting at the WildLife Ramp.

There has been a white truck parked on top of the site where we will be planting the Arbor Day memorial tree at the NC Wildlife ramp tomorrow morning. We need the truck to be moved but can’t identify the owner.

It’s been there all week. Anyone who knows the owner, please have them call John Deaton, chair, at 252-670-6178; or just move the truck. Thanks.

Have some library books you need to return? Want to check some out? Need to borrow wi-fi hotspot?

The Pamlico County Library’s Book / Tech mobile is in town for their monthly visit. Find them at the Piggly Wiggly today from 10a-noon.

9:24a 94 years. It’s an impressive age. And Rolf Anselm achieved it today.

Rolf is a stone skipping champion and owned an original Amphicar. He has been a sailor, captain, pilot and engineer.

Read more about Rolf – from his 90th birthday – here.

Stop by The Bean on Hodges Street around 11a and wish Rolf a Happy Birthday.

11:11a Found at Nautical Wheeler’s: one stuffed bear.

Staff found it Monday night at closing time. If it’s yours, swing by the store on Broad Street or call 252-249-0359.

Winds have picked up. Southwest at 15-20 mph and gusting to 35 mph. Some rain today, but sunny or mostly sunny for the rest of the week. Temps will be cooler tomorrow – mid 60s in the day, low 40s at night.

9:48a A Community Garden is coming to Oriental this spring. You’re invited to get involved and learn to grow your own vegetables.

The Oriental United Methodist Church provides the land and water: raised beds in the grass parking lot at the corner of Church St and 3rd Ave.

You provide the help: five hours a month and $20 a year to help keep the garden growing.

Learn form experienced gardeners and take home produce you helped grow. You don’t need to attend OUMC to join the Community Garden.

Call, text, or email Jim Kellenberger with any questions: 919-621-0362 or Jimkellenberger05@gmail.com

8:18a Commissioners met Tuesday night at 6p for their monthly Board meeting, the first since the time was changed from 8a.

On the agenda: two rezoning requests. One for a change from residential to mixed-use commercial zone off Shorey Drive and the other moved a mixed-use zoning line further into a residentially zoned part of the parcel.

Residents from both areas showed up at the meeting to voice their concerns – the meeting was once again standing room only.

Commissioners did not pass either zoning request.

9:52a Seen on South Avenue: Free Gus.

Gus lives on South Avenue along the waterfront. But for years he roamed all over town, on his own.

In February, he was photographed at First and Factory Streets in the Village, with an unauthorized chicken dinner.

Gus has been put on house arrest. TownDock.net spoke with Animal Control Officer Berkley Hill to find out why.

Hill says Gus has been declared a potentially dangerous dog – in line with Pamlico County’s ordinances. His free-roaming privileges were revoked: he must be leashed at all times when outside.

The chicken was not the inciting incident, said Hill, because fowl are not considered pets.

It was a pet bunny.

Hill says adults witnessed Gus attack and kill a child’s pet bunny in front of the child. This happened February 29.

There were other reports on Gus, Hill said, of him behaving aggressively with other dogs or dogs and their owners. But they were all verbal, “and that’s called hearsay. I can’t act on hearsay.”

Gus is a leashed dog for the next two years. After that, pending good behavior, the ruling can be appealed and Gus can be off leash again.

Says Hill, “animals that are loose get into trouble.”

5:42a The Town Board’s monthly meeting is today – at a new time: 6p this evening. It’s a 6 month trial run to see if more people are able to attend.

The first week in April also marks the return of two weekly summer events: live music at The Red Rooster Friday nights at 7p and the Wednesday Night Sail.

Sailors meet on the water at marker 1SC. Warning horn is at 5:25p. Sailing begins at 5:30p. Don’t have a boat or looking for crew? Contact Joe Valinoti and he’ll help out.

Sad news to share: long-time Oriental resident Doug Gaither has passed away. His story is here.

6:03p There were 57 quadrupeds at Saturday’s Pet Parade. All were dogs.

Some costumes had career ambitions. It’s all right here for your two eyes.

9:05a Partly sunny and 80 today, mid 80s Tuesday.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast

The aircraft carrier will not be able to visit Oriental this year.

11:07a At sunrise earlier today:

Marker 2 at the entrance of the Whittaker Creek channel:

On the Neuse:

The sunrise service at Lou Mac Park:

(Frank Roe photo)

2:52p Oriental’s International Airport is back. Town dock #1 has been out of commission for weeks for needed repairs. It all was completed today, and the free dock is back and waiting for customers.

The new, beefier pilings are a bit higher than the few old ones that remain. No cleats installed yet, but you know how to tie a clove hitch. Or at least a triple granny.

Salute to Cahoon Construction, who did the job quickly once hired (the town had to go through a bidding process).

7:05a Sunny & mid 70s today, near 80 Sunday.

You lucky dog.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Pamlico Sound Marine Forecast
• Neuse River at Oriental Water Level Gauge