Spend An Unforgettable Day!

Come to the beach and take in some history at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson Historic Site and Orton Plantation. Read more

Orton Plantation 100th Anniversary

Orton Plantation, which opens for the 2010 season Read more

Local Theaters Go Digital

The technology used for projecting movies onto the screens at movie theaters hasn’t changed much over the decades but now it has taken a giant leap!

Coastal Cinemas in Shallotte has just changed over from using the traditional 35 mm film to all-digital projection. Engineers there recently installed new Sony 4K Digital Cinema Systems technology into their 10-screen theater, providing for viewing in high-definition for regular and 3-D movies.

The new 4K format produces four times the number of pixels in its images than other digital projectors. The first major motion picture to incorporate this new technology was James Cameron’s recent blockbuster “Avatar.” Sony claims it will soon become the norm.

At Coastal Cinemas, three of the 10 screens will now show 3-D movies. Several of these are soon to premiere there. These include “Toy Story 3 and “How to Train Your Dragon”. Sony has created a partnership with RealD combining the 4K projector system with RealD’s 3D technology, creating an intense experience for moviegoers.

The new projectors also make the method of building film to be projected onto the screen obsolete and this will create an lighter workload for theater employees.

Before the installation of the digital projector, theater staff had to build the movies using film reels placed on circular tables called “platters”. The projectionist then fed the film through a number of rollers, then had to thread the film through the projector with it finally ending up on another platter.

With the change to digital technology the staff will receive movies on hard drives to be downloaded into the digital projectors instead of receiving large canisters of film every week to feed through the projector.

Using no film will mean there are fewer moving parts, no splicing and none of the wear and tear that gradually breaks down film.

Beach Renourishment!

More than 500,000 cubic yards of sand is coming to the Ocean Isle Beach strand during 2010.
The town is scheduled for another beach nourishment project, which Mayor Debbie Smith said should be the largest project of the year.
“That’s always a welcome addition to the storm protection strand out there,” she said.
The renourishment project, which is in conjunction with Carolina, Kure and Wrightsville Beaches, will bring 509,200 cubic yards of sand to the beach, according to the town’s Web site. The sand will be placed as far east as Shallotte Boulevard and as far west as Concord Street.
“This will go the furthest west than any renourishment has gone since original construction in 2001,” Smith said.
Ocean Isle Beach has contracted with the Corps of Engineers in a 50-year, $150 million contract for beach renourishment.
Smith said the beach renourishment project is coming at a good time for the east end of the island, which has had quite a bit of erosion recently.
“Right now most of it’s OK, but some of the eastern regions are getting narrower where they don’t offer the protection they need in case of a storm,” she said.
Smith is also hopeful about hearing a positive response from The Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) regarding the possibility of the town building a terminal groin at the east end of the island. The CRC has undertaken feasibility studies, which Smith hopes will help persuade the General Assembly the structures are necessary in the effort to fight beach erosion.
Currently these structures are not permitted by law.
Thee studies began earlier this year after a bill to make terminal groins legal stalled in the N.C. House. House Bill 709 was meant to “address erosion control issues,” and would give permission to the CRC to conduct a study of the feasibility and advisability of a terminal groin as an “erosion control device.”
Mayor Debbie Smith said that she hopes the House take positive action.

Sharky’s New Year’s: “Epic”

IF you weren’t there you really missed a lot! Sharky’s Waterfront Restaurant was the scene of an epic, all time New Year’s Party the likes of which Ocean Isle has never seen!

It was an a evening of live music, dancing and partying to ring in 2010, the NEW YEAR!!! Music was provided by “Bail Out” – Ocean Isle’s newest super group!!! This is a combination of The Cousin Homer Band and The Notorious Clam Slammers with special local celebrity musicians to appear on stage with them. In particular singer Angela Causey brought down the house with her golden voice.

Rick and the girls couldn’t serve the drinks fast enough – they looked wiped out by the end of the evening!! Owner Ray Harris gave a special News Years toast as the 15 foot lighted Shark was lowered from its 3 story platform in unison with the clock in Times Square, NY which was shown  on all the LCD TV’S.

What more could you have asked for?? Ocean Isle’s newest super group playing for your enjoyment, a island atmosphere with all your good friends and the biggest of big city party’s on the LCD’s for you to watch if you chose!!! Oh, don’t forget Ray’s toast! It will live on as a night to always remember!!

SEE YOU AT SHARKY’S NEXT NEWS YEARS EVE 2011!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas At The Beach!

Your whole family can get together for a unique Christmas experience!

This year do something different – bring the family to The Winds Resort Beach Club on Ocean Isle Beach for Christmas at the beach. The Winds will have a beautiful Christmas tree set up and decorated for you in a four, five or six bedroom Resort Cottage!

If you prefer the tree can be left undecorated so you can have the experience of decorating it with your loved ones (we’ll provide the tree, lights and decorations!).

The Winds is in a great location for families to “meet up” for Christmas – half way between New England and Florida so families living north can meet those from the south halfway!

There are also two international jetports close by (myrtle beach 40 minutes to the south and Wilmington NC 40 minutes to the north).

Everyone will enjoy the beach, the heated indoor pool and the hot Southern breakfast buffet (included each day).

Check out The Winds’ website for details: http://thewinds.com/christmas-packages

Local Store Big Deals For Xmas!

The GPS Store (a local business) is the the largest online retailer of GPS devices in the country! Located between Ocean Isle Beach and Sunset Beach on Beach Drive (hwy 179), offers Garmin, Magellan GPS and Accessories, Lowrance, Navman, Delorme software and more. … visit thegpsstore.com for all the latest GPS units with the newest maps at low discount Prices.

They are running a $99 special in time for the Holidays:

The Garmin Nuvi 205W Wide Screen Navigation System is an affordable 4.3″ touch screen GPS and is preloaded with Garmin’s City Navigator for the lower 48 states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
Order from them and they’ll give you free Second Day Air shipping!

Click here to check it out!

New Year’s Package For Two

3 Days 2 Nights with breakfast each day, champagne, dinner and a night of dancing and fun at Sharky’s at The Winds Resort Beach Club on Ocean Isle Beach NC – $197 New Year’s Package For Two at The Winds Resort Beach Club! Read more

History Buff Heaven

There are few places in America that can offer the variety of historical sites that are virtually on Ocean Isle Beach’s doorstep.

For instance the European history of this area goes back to 1524, only two years after Cortez conquered Mexico! In that year Geovanni da Varrazano made a landing just north of the Cape Fear River.

In 1526 Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon arrived at Cape Fear with around 600 settlers. The exact site of the colony, which only lasted a few months, has yet to be found. Read more

Local Pirate Captured!

The pirate Stede Bonnet was captured at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, right by the nearby town of Southport, NC. He was taken to Charleston, SC and hung along with his crew! Read more

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