Two programs on back-to-back Saturdays will highlight different aspects of North Carolina’s maritime history during the Civil War.
All in Columns
Jessica Anderson: Gardening in the Summer: Are You Too Late or Too Early?
We are at the point in the summer where the heat feels oppressive and even the plants flop over in the afternoon, and I can relate. Many believe that there is nothing to be done in the garden in the heat of the summer besides keep the weeds and bugs at bay and harvest what you planted in April.
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Celebrating Independence Day
Share your American pride with red, white and blue recipes for July 4th! Patriotic foods add more excitement to your celebration table.
Evelyn Dove-Coleman: Getting Out Again
Since the Pandemic, I have generally stayed in since meals and groceries can be easily delivered right to my front door. I still wear a mask when I do go out, and I most enjoy sitting on the deck over the ocean to let the salty air breeze blow over me then.
Kristy Kelly: I could be a little nicer
One of the women I admire, at an event we were both attending, took a few moments to tell me how much she enjoyed reading these columns. My writer’s heart explodes with joy every time I hear, or read, those words. Then she proceeded to say I am much too hard on myself.
Mike Parker: Historic Harmony Hall ceremony welcomes new citizens
Most of us celebrate the Fourth of July as a way to honor The Declaration of Independence – the document that officially declared the 13 colonies as independent from Great Britain. We consider July 4th as the birthday of our nation.
Bucklesberry, Back in the Day: Name Not So Unique
The Bucklesberry farm community does not hold a registered trademark on its name, unusual as it is. And it certainly is not the first to have this name. Not so unique, there are a number of places in North Carolina and across the pond (England) with variations of the same name, including "Buckleberry," "Bucklebury," "Bucklersbury," "Bucklesbury," and "Bucklesberie."
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Don’t Judge a Tomato by Its’ Color
When visiting your local Farmer’s Market and roadside stands, be sure to seek out the Heirloom tomatoes like German Johnson or Purple Cherokees, they are often the ugliest tomatoes but they also often the tastiest!!
Kristy Kelly: The day I almost had to run away…
As with most things in my life, I’m a walking contradiction. It freaks me out to be the center of attention, yet here I am, publishing another personal column—on my birthday, no less. Standing in a room full of people makes me feel claustrophobic, but I’m usually in attendance for most big events in our community. All it took was a rise in temperature for all my contradictions to align.
Evelyn Dove Coleman: Nightly rituals
Most nights about bedtime, my only sister will announce that she is turning in and say "Good Night." I will say to her "Say your prayers." She will reply to me "You too." And I will answer "Always." That's our ritual: Good night.
Mike Parker: What – exactly – did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
On Wednesday, states across this nation celebrated “Juneteenth,” one of the oldest known commemorations related to the abolition of slavery in the United States. The word “Juneteenth” is a contraction, actually a portmanteau, of the month “June” and the date “Nineteenth.” Juneteenth celebrates June 19, 1865, when enslaved people of African descent located in Galveston, Texas, finally learned of their freedom from slavery in the United States.
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Born for Corn
Were you “born for corn”? That’s definitely a southern expression, but also reflects a love of the sweet summer vegetable. As we move into summer corn remains a star ingredient that will dominate every Farmers Market and dinner table in the south.
Kristy Kelly: Writing toward a new reality
Writing, for me, had become as routine as breathing—so natural that I barely noticed its presence. But somewhere along the way, I'd forgotten the unique cadence of my writing voice, lost in the humdrum of daily life.
Lesley Rigsby: It takes everyone working together
Have you ever played a team sport? If so, you understand it takes everyone working together to be successful. You win as a team, and you lose as a team. In soccer, you have eleven players on the field at a time.
Mike Parker: Are we seeing the rebirth of Nazi mentality?
According to an April 5th report by the BBC, on the morning of October 7, waves of Hamas gunmen stormed across Gaza’s border into Israel, killing about 1,200 people. Hamas also fired thousands of rockets into Israel