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3:44p Potlucks and BBQs, regattas and rice hulls. All ready for the weekend.

No food truck at the brewery tonight. Bring your own or take part in the potluck social. Mac the Swamp Donkey plays Tex-Mex tunes in the beer garden from 5-7p.

Down the road, Ken Belangia serenades Red Rooster patrons starting at 7p.

Saturday morning, pick up some eggs and honey, or check out the stained glass and wood carving at the Oriental Farmer’s Market at 8a. The SailPack Regatta at 9a for sailors, 10a for spectators. Viewing is best done from Lou Mac Park.

Nautical Wheelers serves five South African wines under the covered porch at 2 & 3p.

Tidewater Grain has rice hulls for your garden (or bean bag or horse stalls). Yours between 10a – 2p, for a donation to the FFA kids on site to help out.

At 5:30p, join the college teams of the SailPack Regatta for a BBQ dinner at Bow to Stern. Tickets are $15 and help the sailing teams defray the costs of competition.

Walk-In Bathtub Improv Comedy Group performs – with a little mad-lib help from the audience – at 7:30p at The Old Theater.

Sunday, the college kids are on the water at 10a again, sailing through the last of the regatta races before heading home midday.

It’s all in What’s Happening.

1:43p The average age in Oriental will drop significantly this weekend; collegiate sailors are coming to town.

They’re here for the SailPack Oriental Intercollegiate Regatta – happening this Saturday and Sunday.

Eighteen colleges, 36 boats, and around 130 students and coaches are arriving tonight and Saturday morning.

NC State SailPack coach Dana Magliola writes in with the weekend schedule and an invitation to dinner.

12:349 Dinner, dancing, and a week long trip (or two) up for auction. It’s happening at the Hope Regala on May 10 & 11.

Get tickets to the Friday night BBQ with live music or the Saturday night Gala. Bid on trips to Anguilla or Tuscany, entry to the 2025 Augusta Practice Round, gourmet dinners and more in the live auction.

Purchase a ticket for the $10k Golden Raffle (about 40 are left). Book a Boater’s Dream Package at River Dunes.

Whichever option you choose, it all helps Hope Clinic in their mission to help the uninsured in Pamlico County. (RSVP requested by Monday, April 22.)

See all the experiences available in Saturday night’s live auction.

10:38a Improv Comedy. It’s happening Saturday evening at The Old Theater.

Walk-in Bathtub Comedy Improv Team returns to Oriental. This time they’re performing & teaching.

Join the free improv workshop at 3p at The Old Theater. Learn about timing, teamwork, spontaneity, and observation.

At 7:30p, be part of the audience and the show – performers take audience suggestions and build them into a performance.

Get tickets for the show online or at Nautical Wheelers. To join the Improv workshop, email president@oldtheater.org and get your name on the list.

9:57a Earth Day is Monday April 22, but many Earth Day events happen this weekend. One area business is celebrating by giving away an earth friendly additive for your garden.

TownDock stopped by Tidewater Grain, and talked with Al Spruill:

To get your free rice hulls, visit the Tidewater Grain Mill Saturday from 10a – 2p. It’s at 570 Callison Road just outside Oriental, off Highway 55 near Paul’s Produce Stand.

FYI, while you visit (and get your free rice hulls), you can purchase some Tidewater Rice if you wish. For rice purchased Saturday, Tidewater Grain is donating 100% of all revenues to the Pamlico County FFA.

11:11a Wandering through the boat show, TownDock crew thought they had found a miniature blimp.

Nope, it’s a “masthead float”… from the crew at B&B Yacht Designs.

We asked Alan Stewart to explain:

Want a masthead float? They are on the B&B web site.

The above aside, there were indeed boats at the Oriental Boat Show. A lot of ‘em. Some with fancy interiors, some with no interiors. Boats for sale, boats for charter.

Check out the 2024 Boat Show scene here.

9:08a Hints of summer are visiting. Highs near 80 every day through Saturday.

Then back to mid 60s – and the possibility of rain – on Sunday.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Pamlico Sound Marine Forecast
• Weather Radar
• HarborCam

Trying to figure out what makes life worth living? So is the One-Off Book Club. They meet today at 4p in the back room of M&Ms to discuss the book Life Worth Living. No need to have read the book to attend.

This evening is the first meeting of the Community Interfaith Youth Group. Sponsored by Oriental United Methodist Church, the group welcomes middle and high school students. Meet at Lou Mac Park from 5-6:30p.

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.

SailPack Coach Dana Magliola writes in about housing sailors and the coming regatta:

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:

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’s just one problem. Janet Chinea of the Tree Board writes in:

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.