The second Friday in September has become fixed … sort of … as the date for “Wings Over the Neuse.” “Wings” is the single largest fund-raiser each year for the CSS Neuse Foundation, caretaker of the full-size replica of the CSS Ram Neuse.

Last year’s “Wings” event had to be put on hold due to an unwelcome visitor – Hurricane Florence. The 2018 version of “Wings,” originally set for Sept. 14, 2018, did not occur until Nov. 2. Our community was still reeling from Florence’s damage and flooding.

This Friday marks the Eleventh Edition. The galley crew is ready. The plate makers and delivery teams are in place. All will be descending on the Farmer’s Market at O-Dark 30 Friday morning to have everything ready to kick off by 10:30 a.m.

For the past few years my wife Sandra has worked “Wings” to help make plates. She describes the frantic activity as “Busy times 10.” Preparation is one reason this event is such a success year after year. Volunteer support is another. If you would like to help, come on down to the Farmer’s Market.

Sponsors are another reason the event grows in its success year after year. The Sixth Annual “Wings Over the Neuse” in 2014 boasted 56 sponsors. Now, we have nearly 100 sponsors for the event.

If you drive by the Neuse II on the corner or Herritage and Gordon streets, you can see the boards bearing the banners of this year’s sponsors. Hurricane Dorian delayed us a bit in putting up the sponsor boards. We want each sponsor to know we are grateful for their support.

From the beginning, community support has been the life’s breath of the CSS Neuse II. Visitors to the gunboat are amazed when we tell them the Neuse II was built over a period of seven years by hundreds of volunteers who worked under the supervision of volunteer and master shipbuilder Alton “Doc” Stapleford.

The Neuse II is a true community labor of love.

Friday offers an opportunity for the community to get on board and show some love. Our galley crew can cook thousands of chicken wings. The plate-makers can have carrot and celery sticks and a supply of Ranch Dressing at the ready. But none of our preparations mean anything without YOU.

The first plates should be ready around 10:30 a.m. I have no idea when the last plate of wings will fly away. Wing plates are still just five dollars – the same price they were when the first “Wings” took flight in 2009.

A number of my friends … um … missed the boat last year. By the time they entered the drive-thru, all the wings had flown the coup. Please come early this year.

The Neuse II is a genuine attraction that brings visitors to our community. For the past two years, our replica gunboat has drawn more than 5,000 visitors each year. With one-third of the year still remaining, the Neuse II has already had nearly 4,000 visitors this year. Please keep in mind, the Neuse II is open to the public only one day a week – from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

Supporters, both sponsors and those who buy plates, make possible the work we are doing. Our fundraisers enable the foundation to make improvements, pay utility and insurance costs, and fund repairs. Those of you who visit the Neuse II regularly can easily see the progress the foundation is making.

Your support makes progress possible.

See you Friday.

Mike Parker, who serves on the board of directors for the CSS Neuse Foundation, is a columnist for Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.