Brand New Park Officially Open

The brand new, nearby Ocean Isle Beach Park officially opened Saturday, August 21st after many months of delays.

The $2.9 million, 5-acre park located on Old Georgetown Road is a project of the Brunswick County Department of Parks and Recreation and is convenient for use of Ocean Isle Beach, NC residents and visitors.

Originally the county’s plan was to be finished with the park by last by October, 2009 but construction on the park came to a standstill when the contractor on the project, Weaver Co. Inc., of Conway, S.C., went bankrupt, leaving the park’s fate hanging in the balance.

Liberty Mutual, the bonding company for the project, took over with Boggs Paving Inc., of Myrtle Beach, was chosen to finish the job.

The park’s amenities include eight tennis courts, playground equipment and a 300-seat amphitheater and more.

I think it is certainly an asset to this end of the county. It’s got wonderful tennis courts and a wonderful playground for children,” Ocean Isle Beach Mayor Debbie Smith said. “Of course, with the amphitheater and event space it should add some activities in our end of the county.”

The county received a $500,000 Parks and Recreation Trust grant for the $2.9 million project.

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Did You Know…?

DID YOU KNOW?

• The population of Ocean Isle Beach from 1955 to 1963 according to the World Book Encyclopedia was listed as four, being the George Sloane Family.
• Ocean Isle Beach was named Hale Beach prior to 1949
• The first inhabitants of Ocean Isle Beach arrived here about 10,000 BC and were mostly Cape Fear Indians.
• A popular dance hall existed in the 1920’s on Gause Hill where the Odell Williamson home is located today (to the right of the causeway as you come on the island)
• A 20 person Coast Guard Station was located on Gause Hill during World War II.
• Both Indians and pirates were virtually exterminated from Ocean Isle Beach in 1720.
• A live oak tree located at Shallotte Point is over 2,000 years old.

Local Author and Illustrator Miller Pope brings us his “Secret History Of Brunswick County” – From the earliest days of European exploration to the golf courses and beach resorts in this fascinating and fast-growing region, Brunswick County has attracted settlers, invaders, and visitors of all descriptions.

In these pages you’ll read about Steve Bonnet, the “Gentleman Pirate,” who hid his ships in Brunswick’s moss-draped creeks but unfortunately underestimated the ebbing tide; “Mrs. Calabash,” who’s said to have lent her name to the famous sign-off for Jimmy Durante’s classic radio shows; and Topsy the Elephant, who swam for the Brunswick riverbank after breaking loose from circus handlers in the 1920s.

Follow the struggles and victories that shaped Brunswick County, from the first contact of Europeans with native Americans, to successive administrations of the Lords Proprietors, the royal governors, the British crown, and the leaders of a new nation—many at whom hailed from this small but influential corner of North Carolina. Discover Brunwick’s rich Civil War history, scenic roadways and waterways and current-day towns and townships.

Tales of the Silver Coast, recounts the tales of privateers and plantation owners, politicians and Prohibition rum-runners and the many colorful people and diverse places of southeastern North Carolina.

Hard Cover $24.95

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Ocean Isle’s Water Cleanest!

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