Lured by the Beach

So I’m getting ready to go to my 4th beach wedding of the year…the previous 3 have all been in churches down here on at the beach but this one’s officially on the sand.  This definitely going to be a welcome change from putting on the old dark suit and getting out in the hot sun–a main reason I dread a lot of weddings.  This means wedding go-ers can tone it down a bit and dress a lot more casually.  I actually get to put on those white linen pants I’m too embarrassed to wear at any other time of the year and have them look appropriate and not like I’m trying too hard.  You gotta love being comfy and cool when going through the buffet line overlooking the Atlantic!

You know, if it were up to me linen pants, madras shirts and flops would be completely appropriate anywhere and everywhere all year round.

Thank goodness for Wilmington’s Downtown Business Alliance (DBA)!  These guys are on the ball!  Not only have they extended the wildly popular Downtown Sundown concert series held on the banks of the Cape Fear river downtown, but they’re also bringing other music events downtown as well!  Tomorrow in Riverfront Park (the same location as the Downtown Sundown concerts), there will be a Roots and Reggae all day festival.  The event runs from 3-11pm so, if you can’t make it early or can’t make it late, you’ll still have a chance to make it at some point.  Eventhough this one isn’t free (I believe it’s $12 pre-event and $15 at the gate), it’s sure to bring out lots of music-lovers.

I, for one, can’t wait.  Anything that gives me an opportunity to get outside in the great weather and listen to some cool reggae is tops in my book.  I know downtown’s businesses agree with me!

The past few years, Wilmington’s Downtown Business Alliance has organized a Friday evening concert series on the bank of the Cape Fear River on Water Street.  The series has grown from a few loosely organized events that drew passersby in the hundreds to full outdoor concerts which now draw in the thousands.  (I’ve been going to these since they started and they sure are a lot of fun and I look forward to them the entire year.  If you’ve not been, the concert stage is set up in front of the courthouse on Water Street between Market and Princess.)

The one problem I ever had with these events is that they didn’t last into the cooler fall months and ended during the searing heat of balmy August.  Well, mine (and I’m sure others’) wishes have been granted.  The DBA has announced that the concert series will now run through the end of October!  You can check out the remaining band lineups below. Past lineups have included a U2 cover band, a Rolling Stones cover band, Zoso (Led Zeppelin cover), Who’s Bad (Michael Jackson tribute) and The Breakfast Club,

I’m sad to say this past Friday’s concert which was to feature Appetite for Destruction, the world’s greatest Guns ‘N Roses cover band, had to be cancelled due to a certain uninvited guest (tropical storm Hanna).  It remains uncertain if this show will be made up or not.

Don’t forget!  Admission is FREE!

September 12th
The Big Payback
James Brown Tribute
www.myspace.com/thebigpaybackband

September 19th
Lil’ Brian & The Zydeco Travelers
Zydeco, Funk, Roots
www.myspace.com/lilbriandthezydecotravelers
Opening act: Rob Beauchene

September 26th
The Groove Train
70’s, Motown, Oldies
www.thegroovetrain.com
Opening act: The Fustics

October 10th
Hope Massive
www.myspace.com/hopemassive
Opening act: Jesse Stockton

October 17th
Key West
Jimmy Buffett tribute
www.keywestband.com

October 24th
Loose Lucy’s Presents: L Shaped Lot & The Barnraisers
Bluegrass, Americana
www.myspace.com/lshapedlot
www.myspace.com/barnraisers
Opening act: Madonna Nash

October 31st
Slice of Life and Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity70’s Halloween Party with Groove Spot
70’s disco
www.groovespot.com

Living on the coast, one undoubtedly will have to deal with tropical weather sooner or later.  Sometimes I think a stigma is attached to this area due to that fact which perhaps is a bit unfair.  People forget that no matter where you are, you’re going to deal with your own forms of natural disaster, be them floods in the Midwest, tornados in Kansas, ice storms in New England, wildfires in California or blizzards in Colorado.  North Carolina’s Russian Roulette just happens to be played with tropical storms and hurricanes.

Now, obviously these things are no laughing matter and should never ever be taken lightly but having been through countless numbers of these monsters, locals come to take them in stride, even to the point or reveling in their immediate approach.  Case in point, the offshore swells that are accompanying tropical storm (soon to be cat 1) Hanna have tons of people out in the water.  Right now, East Coast surfing is the best it’s been all year (head high as I type this) and only projects to get better over the next couple days.  I’ve even checked a couple surf reports that suggest it might get to double even triple-overhead sets.  Holy where’s my surfboard?!  Imagine 15 to 20-foot waves!  Obviously, once the sets are in this range, no one in their right mind would be out in the water as the storm would be imminent but up to that point the surfing would be spectacular for surfers accustomed to being happy with chest-high waves.

So I say, once all preliminary safety precautions are made and the hatches are battened down, grab your board and have a little fun!  Waves like this don’t happen that often! (Just be sure you’re smart about it, aka don’t be stupid/know your limits,  and obey all local authorities, including lifeguards, regarding the changing weather conditions!)

As Hanna approaches, Wrightsville Beach, NC surfers couldn't be happier

Still haven’t been to the new Hard Rock theme park in Myrtle Beach?  Don’t worry, it appears you still have time.  Looking at the posted schedule at www.hardrockpark.com, the park will be open on set days through the first weekend of November and then perhaps on a to-be-determined basis from then through December.  I’m definitely a little disappointed in myself for not having been yet–I guess I’m still a little depressed that I didn’t get word the park’s amphitheater was being christened by an Eagles concert upon opening several months ago.   Even so, I’m such a rollercoaster junkie that I should’ve been down there to check out the Led Zeppelin or Eagles-themed coasters by now, especially since it’s a hop, skip and jump down to the new park as opposed to the 3.5-hour drive to make it to Carowinds outside of Charlotte for decent rides.

C’mon!  Let’s all go eat as many hotdogs and funnel cakes as we can and then see what a ride called “Life in the Fast Lane” is all about!