Having just finished celebrating the lunar New Year I thought it was time to take a look back at 2011 for notable events that happened in our corner of the world. Of course, it would be impossible to document everything that made the news so I am paring it down to a few topics touching on historical events, marine life, and democracy.
The end of May we thought was the last filming of a long running and popular television series, 'One Tree Hill'. The producer learned that the network picked up a ninth and final season, making it the longest running TV series. 'One Tree Hill' continued shooting through the summer and an evening with 'One Tree Hill' was held at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington as a tribute to the cast and crew in late October. The film industry is very important to the local economy and many people who are not professional actors often get to be hired as extras, which is quite fun. Can you imagine yourself on television being viewed by millions of people?
Weather events are always big news stories. We all know hurricane season runs from June through November. Scientists using technology combined with historical records help us anticipate these potentially damaging weather events early enough to warn people and keep us safe. We had a single hurricane, Irene, that made landfall in North Carolina as a Category 1 on August 27. The categories let us know what to expect in terms of wind speeds and possible damage. Wilmington was more fortunate than our neighbors to the north in the Outerbanks where 2,500 people were cut off from the mainland due to storm surge closing off the only roadway.
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| Irene leaves 2 new channels on the barrier islands (Outerbanks NC) |
On September 15 the nearby North Carolina Aquarium at Ft. Fisher announced the arrival of 8 bonnethead shark pups - 7 females and 1 male. Bonnetheads are part of the hammerhead family with rounded rather than rectangle heads. The pups are about 1 foot long and will grow to 4-5 feet adults. They can live up to 10 years and eat crustaceans. What are crustaceans? This was only the second time that the aquarium had sharks born in captivity. They were isolated initially to make sure they were healthy and to keep them safe from predators in the tank where they were born.
October 2 marked the scene of an exciting 50th anniversary of the USS North Carolina battleship arriving in Wilmington. The ship was launched in June 1940 and earned 15 battle stars in World War II. Over the years it has become a major tourist attraction in the area attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. On its anniversary celebration the entrance fees were slashed back to 1961 prices - 50 cents for an adult and 25 cents for a child - with concerts and living history demonstrations it was a spectacular day.
October was a busy month here. Chef Keith Rhodes, owner of 'Catch' a popular local restaurant was honored with a nomination for the James Beard Southeast Chef of the Year for his winning Carolina crab cakes with Texas Pete Aioli. You can find his recipe on the Internet. Chef Rhodes is a strong believer in the science based management of fish stock which ensures a sustainable supply and supports local fisherman. He also pairs his fish with locally grown organic produce making sure his customers have a 'healthy' meal. He is also known for being selected as a 'Top Chef' contestant on Bravo's reality show.
In November we hold general elections and 2011 was the year that our current mayor was running for re-election along with two town council members - one council member was not seeking another term . Mayor Saffo won re-election and the council seats went to incumbent Laura Padgett, and two new members, Margaret Haynes and Neil Anderson. They will sometimes face difficult decisions and we have to trust their leadership to keep our neighborhoods safe and allow our community to continue to grow and prosper.
What were your top stories from 2011?
Smiles,
Marilyn
Sister Cities Association of Wilmington (US)
