Bruce Doing It Downtown, Again - 1-19-2010

This week I went back downtown to check in on our website, get a haircut, see some friends and find something new.

When I went to TayloeGray (our web guys) to ask about some stuff I ran into Ian Oeschger of The Grove Project and Ranald Totten Publisher of WhatsOnWilmington.


After meeting those guys and talking with Nathan Tayloe about some fascinating html issues, I scooted off to my appointment at Nsalo Salon at 212 N Front Street. Receptionist Kathy and owner Roby Powers greeted me.


And stylist Melissa Kinnamon was ready to help me figure out what to do next. You'd think at my age I'd settle on a hair style, but I'm a farmer at heart, and you know what farmers say . . . "Half the fun is watching it grow." (ta-dum)

Okay, so after leaving Nsalo I wandered down North Front Street and stopped in front of the Post Office to check out this nifty piece of sculpture. Some don't know that the Wilmington area is the only area in the whole world (so I've read anyway) with several species of carnivorous plants (means they eat meat . . . well, actually bugs, but it's still meat, just in very small portions). This art work is a Venus Fly Trap. Cool, huh? As long as it doesn't eat mail.

The sculpture's title is Southern Hospitality, which shows that artist Paul Hill must be a pretty interesting guy as well as an impressive artist.


I almost walked past the Hot Pink Cake Stand. But I didn't make it, so I went in and while I was there took this photo of owner Jody Carmichael.

On my way for my usual Moxie fix, I almost passed Shoe Diva. In this case I didn't go in, but did grab this shot of shoes in the window. Can't you just see your Valentine wearing those? Yeah, baby!

I made it safely into Moxie Floral Design and was taken by this gorgeous arrangement in a window. Notice the peacock feathers! I don't think Cynthia and Djenana (pronounce it "janana", like "banana", totally forget the "D"), anyway, I don't think the "Moxie Girls" name their arrangements, but I'd call this one "Conflagration!"

Djenana with the flowers I took home to Marge.

And here they are at home.


Another day "Doing It Downtown". By the way, don't forget, you can, too . . .

Wilmington Downtowners Meet & Mingle

Another good time and fine gathering at Front Street Brewery yesterday at the monthly Wilmington Downtowners' Meet & Mingle.

Below Becca Jones (Special Ed Coordinator of Penderlea School), Jennifer Caslin (Wilmington Food Bank), Shannan Bowen (Wilmington Star-News), and Sarah Barbee (Fussbudget Promotions) early at the event.

Steve West of N2 Publishing and Sarah Barbee.

Susan Kadar of Friendly Computers.

Andrew Gray of TayloeGray and Kevin O'Grady, candidate for City Council.

Did I mentin that in addition to free appetizers there's also free beer tasting from the cellars of Front Street Brewery? The servers were Marci Perry and Kristina Goertz.


Front Street Brewery Marketing Director Ellie Craig and Diane O'Grady, City Council hopeful Kevin O'Grady's spouse.

The featured organization this month was the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer even to be held in Downtown Wilmington on Saturday, October 17th. Check it out at www.strideswilmingtonnc.org.

At the table below are cancer survivors Claudia Eastmond, Darla Ogle, and Jocelyn George. Seated with them is American Cancer Society Community Income Manager Sarah Caudle.

Here's trouble! Sarah Barbee, Glynne Soap's Jennifer Beddoe and Gayle Tabor, and Ellie Craig.

Come join us for good times and focused networking every first Wednesday of the month from 5-6:30 PM at 9 N Front Street in Downtown Wilmington.

Flowers for Marge from Moxie Floral Design Studio

After getting a haircut today I stopped by Moxie Floral Design Studio and bought a flower for Marge from the ever-helpful, gifted Cynthia White Lee. When I brought the flower home Marge was delighted. Thanks again, Cynthia!

Wilmington Professional Group - on the River! July 8, 2009

The Wilmington Professional Group meets on the second Wednesday of each month. July's meeting was both on and by the Cape Fear River in Downtown Wilmington. Sponsored by Ayres and Thurman Burgess of Jubilee Snooze and Cruise Bed and Breakfast on the Riverwalk and Ray Baca of Baca Photography at Evolve Image Studios located at 18 S. Water Street, the monthly meeting was well attended at both venues.

Below, the foredeck of Jubilee's 45-foot Sea Star provided at good spot to see and be seen.


Inside the airy and hip Evolve Image Studios Ray Baca, the guy with the black shirt below, kept moving to be sure people had plenty to eat and drink.

Sarah Barbee of Fuss Budget Promotions and Ray Baca. Sarah helped promote this event via social media. Sarah works hard and does a fine job wearing many hats in promoting Wilmington area events, especially downtown-focused happenings.

Ayres Burgess of the Jubiless, with a bright smile, good food, and happy people.


Michael Bird of Word Wright Web website design firm.

Shannan Bowen, social media beat reporter for the Wilmington Star News and Sarah. Shannan is a great friend who covers the use of social media in all aspects in the greater Wilmington area. In her spare time she also covers crime and breaking news.

Jennifer Warren of Warren Consulting and Shannan. Jennifer was an early business owner in Internet commerce and who now runs a powerful business consulting and service operation.

Designer Brooke Foreman of Right Left Studios. Brooke's a west coast transplant who does simply wonderful design work.

Award-winning videographer Matt Davis of Your Best Sales Person (he and his wife Melissa also do killer wedding throughout the southeast). I met Melissa a couple of years ago, but had only communicated with Matt before online, it was great to see him in person.

The ever-grinning Dr. Arian Kelley of Choice Healthcare.

Jon Hicks, Director of Design at Ethos Studios. I met Jon for the first time at this event. His firm focuses on multi-layered product advertising, marketing, and design.

Meanwhile, on the boat, Pierre Smith made sure everything was cooking nicely!

Jennifer Warren stopped by the boat's banner for hopping aboard.

Shannan Bowen and Heike McDoniel of Ocean Thoughts Yoga. Shannan and Heike have traded messages on Twitter for months and months but had never met in person. I was happy to finally meet Heike, too!


Jenn Beddoe and Gayle Taybor of Glynne's Soaps. Their soaps were just featured on Chris Brogan's fantastic social media marketing blog .
As I left the Wilmington Professional Group meeting, I said good-bye to the boat last.

This networking event had all the right ingredients. Some interesting new folks to meet, some good friends and previous acquaintances to see again, a couple of real live folks I'd only previously known online, great food and drink, and a scenic, cool locale. Add it all up and it works for me.

St. Baldrick's at the Pub! Friday March 13th at Port City Pub

Ever heard of St. Baldrick? Well here's what Sarah Barbee of Fussbudget Promotions says,

"St. Baldrick’s is the world’s largest volunteer-driven fundraising event for childhood cancer research. Thousands of volunteers shave their heads insolidarity with children fighting cancer, requesting donations of support from friends and family.St. Baldrick’s affects people in an amazing way.

Those who normally shy away from the very thought of childhood cancer find themselves compelled to support this cause. One look into the face of a brave child in treatment for cancer – and one laugh at the newly shorn head of a St. Baldrick’s shavee – is all it takes!Volunteers and donors have fun supporting a serious cause. Young cancer patients and survivors see how many people care, and researchers get funds from St. Baldrick’s to help find cures!"

So that's what St. Baldrick's is all about. St. Baldrick's at the Pub is a fund-raising event being held at Port City Pub at 121 Grace Street in downtowm Wilmington from 8-11PM this Friday, March 13th. Come on down to have some fun and support a great cause.

Git yer Irish on This Saturday in Downtown Wilmington!

[Added Friday - this event has been cancelled due to prediction of 70% rain. ]

Wilmington, North Carolina's St.Patrick's Day Festival!

OK, Saturday, downtown Wilmington (corner of Water and Princess Streets) 12-6PM.

Bring the kids. Food, music, crafts, Irish step dancing, bagpipes, kids area, and, oh yeah, probably they'll have beer, too! You can also check out the tall ship on the Riverwalk.

Hey, are they going to do Riverdance on the Riverwalk? Better come check it out!

Art Show and Auction - Wilmington Waterfront, November 8th

Here's another great event sponsored by the Wilmington, NC Downtown Business Alliance. This Saturday, November 8th, from 4-7PM, DBA Wilmington presents an art show and auction held at the Wilmington Event and Art Gallery at 18 S. Water Street. Featuring the Azalea Festival-inspired works of George Pocheptsov and other local artists, the event benefits the Downtown Business Alliance in its support for the Wilmington arts community and Downtown businesses in general.


Admission is free. There will be live music on hand and a cash bar. From 4-6:45PM there'll be a silentt auction for a number of items including works or art, gift certificates for various Downtown business, a stay at the Riverview Suites, a private wine tasting, and several other cool items (my fav is a Fender guitar with one free lesson). From 6:45 - it's over there will be a live auction of major art pieces, several of which are available for online bidding at www.dbawilmington.com.

For more info go to www.dbawilmington.com or email katie@dbawilmington.com.

Wilmington Sunday Riverwalk

What a great day today was. After spending all day yesterday at the Waterford Fall Festival, it was neat today to hang around the house and do some chores. Accomplished some serious garage cleaning. By mid afternooon, though, Marge, Pepper, and I were ready for a break. We hopped in the car (well, Marge and I entered the vehicle a bit more sedately) and drove downtown to see if we could find our new friend Justine Ferreri's shop at Chandler's Walk. Turned out we got there too late (Chandler's Walk closes at 4 on Sundays), but that didn't stop us from having a nice stroll on the riverwalk.

We're always amazed when we find the gorgeous Riverwalk uncrowded, which it often is on Sunday mornings and late afternoons. Pepper loves it, and immediately struck a pose, so below you'll find the obligatory "dog on Riverwalk photo".


Walking north we soon came to a fleet of good-sized boats docked in front of the condos that directly face the Cape Fear River (note the Cape Fear River Bridge in the background). There was some serious floatage tied up today, includind a newer 56 footer, a spiffy catamaran sailing vessel, and one that if I knew anything about boats (which I don't) I'd guess was a Chris Craft Connie, a long one. Still few other people in sight.


After walking for a while we decided to head home but on the way to the car (don't you love it you can park downtown for free all day Sunday) Pepper and Marge wanted to pose under the sign for the Cape Fear Serpentarium. I happily obliged, with the result below.

This was yet another nice day in lovely downtown Wilmington.

Art for the Masses - Nov. 22nd - Mark Your Calendar!

I was checking out my new friend and fellow Wilmington Bloggers colleague Ian's blog The Grove Project and saw an announcement for an event I know I don't want to miss - Art for the Masses .

If you want to buy art, support art, see a whole lot of original art, or if you even just know a guy named Art, you won't want to miss Art for the Masses on Saturday, November 22nd from 10AM to 5PM at 3501 Oleander Drive. [Bruce note - I'll betcha the artists would love it most if you bought something, but I know they'll appreciate you coming out in support of the arts community.]

Presented by Creative Wilmington, Art for the Masses will show the works of 200 regional artists, all priced at $250 or less. Artwork available in pottery, painting, fiber, mixed media, jewelry, photography, watercolor, wood, metalsmith, digital, collage, illustration, mosaic, screen printing, sculpture, printing, glass, drawing, and more.

Art for the Masses is sponsored by Hanover Center, WHQR 91.3 FM, Wilmington Star News, and Encore. There is a $3 donation requested at the door.

More information, contact:

Matthew Dols

mattdols@creativewilmington.com

910.619.9296

For a complete list of artists see my Ian's The Grove Project

Seared Scallops on Polenta - Can Food Get Any Better?

Last evening Marge and I had dinner with our friends Naomi and Ophard Willis at Caffe Phoenix on 9 S. Front Street in Downtown Wilmington, NC. Three of us had the only announced special for the night, Seared Scallops on Polenta (the description was actually a lot longer than that but who can remember all the add-ons and sauces and herbs waitstaff recite in most any restaurant where you aren't urged to super-size or add more sticky sauce on top?).

When the entrees were served our table quieted right down for a while as we got to work. I'm not a foodie nor a food critic, but fer shure, Mr. Flay, you could serve this dish as prepared and presented at Bolo in Manhattan and feel right proud.

I had my camera but didn't think to photograph the dish before eating but wish I did (the photo above is a non-attributed royalty-free stock photo). From now on I'll try to remember to shoot before I eat. The scallops were prepared just as most of us like them, not rubbery or hard, but nice and chewy with just the right searing. What had us all talking, however, was the polenta. Wow. The polenta had a tad-thicker-than-thin crust and a great texture. Excellent excellent excellent.

We had a great time talking and laughing and waving to the people riding the horse-drawn trolley down the street (another photo missed), but the scallops, and especially the polenta were fabulous.

Sunday PM - A Walk Around Downtown Wilmington

This afternoon was gorgeous! After our morning on the beach with surfers (and a few bikers), we were ready for some laid back strolling. Marge, Pepper, and I ambled along the Riverwalk for a bit but decided that, as beautiful as the Cape Fear River was today, we wanted to explore the downtown shops a bit. So we turned up from the river at Market Street and went to Kilwins for chocolate-covered pretzels to fuel our exploration. While Pepper and I were waiting outside the totally awesome chocolate and ice cream store for Marge to buy the pretzels, she and I decided to check out the horse trolley parked in the center island. I tried to take a photo of the horses alone but, as you can see, Pepper moved into the center of the shot - just can't take the ham out of the dog.

Anyway, with chocolate pretzels in hand (only very temporarily, they were gone by the time we reached Front Street - all of maybe 80 feet away), we headed east. We took a right on S. Front Street and almost immediately found a cool little shop we'd not noticed before. The Italian Gourmet Market as 22 S. Front Street has been open for nine years, and we've been here for five years, but we just didn't notice it before. I'll tell ya we will for sure be back often. Proprietor Frank Delia and Sunday helper extraordinaire Anita were friendly, knowledgeable, gracious, and, this is the best part for me, totally passionate about their store and their wares. We bought some roasted fava beans and a nifty Italian spice to try tonight when we cook some fresh shrimp - can't wait. This store stocks Italian appetizers and snacks, desserts, pastas (they have a pasta club we will check out), wines, and ceramics. Frank just got back from a trip to Italy and has a selection of great-smelling handmade soap bars if you're into bath items that look, feel, and smell good.

It was a full, beautiful day today in Wilmington. We're truly blessed with a splendid variety of quality places, activities, and people. The weather helps, too.

Countdown to the HoeDown - 7 Days to Go!

OK, folks, get yer costume ready, slap on some monster makeup, and party on the river on Halloween Eve. October 31st, Riverfront Wilmington, North Carolina. It's called the Halloween HoeDown and part of the Downtown Sundown Concert Series. Featured groups include The BarnRaisers with Woodwork Roadshow. Special guest appearances by the Cape Fear River, lots of cool folks, and you! So you've got to be there, we're counting on you.

Produced and sponsored by the Downtown Business Alliance with a lot of help from a bunch of other folks. Here's the official list:

Sponsors of the 2008 Downtown Sundown Concert Series: Part 2 include Coors Beer, Waterford of the Carolinas, Dish Network, MADD, 106.7 The Penguin, encore, 103.7 The Bone, The Star News, Slice of Life, Loose Lucy's, Wilmington Downtown, Inc., and Blu Zeus Interactive Marketing. Support services provided by the City of Wilmington.

Costume prizes, door prizes (which since there's no door might be hard to win), and the chance to be silly and have fun in public.

The usual rules apply: no outside booze or beverages, no coolers, no pets, no pets in coolers, like that. You can bet everything but coolers and pets will be available for purchase, so don't let that stop you.

Questions? Call Katie Lucas of DBA Wilmington at 910-343-4114 or e-mail
katie@dbawilmington.com .