Club briefs

Buy wine tasting tickets by April 25
The Ocean Isle Beach Chapter of the American Wine Society will host its next wine tasting event for area wine lovers and their guests at 5 p.m. April 29 at the Silver Coast Winery, 6680 Barbeque Road in Ocean Isle Beach.
The cost of the tasting will be $10. All guests are urged to bring their favorite wine glass for this event. Prior to the tasting, the chapter will have a brief meet-and-greet social with wine and cheese being served.
The theme for this meeting will be “Discovering the value of Portuguese wines.” This tasting will include six table wines from Portugal’s premier wine regions, Douro and Minho.
The March meeting featured a wine dinner at Chianti South Italian Restaurant.
“The food and wine pairings were a home run,” said Stanley Barwikowski, chapter chair. “The wine dinner consisted of four courses with beautifully paired wines, with ample amounts of food and wine being served.”
The chapter is also planning tastings featuring wines from the PGA Tour, premium boxed wines and a one-year chapter birthday celebration at future meetings. They will also participate in the American Wine Society’s National Tasting Project on pinot noir. Everyone is welcome to attend chapter meetings.
All those planning to attend this event are should RSVP by April 25 via email at OceanIsleAWS@gmail.com. This event will be limited to 40 guests.

Restores sales benefit Habitat for Humanity
Many homeowner associations (HOA) do not permit yard sales. What do you do with that porch table or the kids’ outgrown bedroom furniture?
Brunswick County Habitat for Humanity can help. It has two ReStores in the area, one in Ocean Isle Beach and one in Southport, and will accept your gently used household items, electronics, appliances and furniture. Staff and volunteers are onsite Monday through Saturday to answer questions or accept donations and will provide a tax receipt to make your gift tax-deductible.
Donating to its ReStores serves many purposes. It keeps useful items out of the waste stream by reusing them. At the same time, they provide a quality product at a greatly reduced price. All donations and purchases support its mission to build decent affordable housing.
ReStores help fund its new house construction for Brunswick County families, as well as provide critical repairs to homeowners struggling to care for their house due to disability, age or economic condition. Call today to arrange a free pick-up of larger items (Brunswick County residents only) or drop off your donations at one of two locations:
•Restore 1: 7011 E. Beach Drive in Ocean Isle Beach. Call 579-8346.
•Restore 2: 4170 Long Beach Road SE in Southport. Call 457-1772.
Visit Brunswick County Habitat for Humanity at 4255 Long Beach Road Southport or call 454-0007 or go to its websites at www.brunswickcountyhabitat.org or bch4hom@eastnc.twcbc.com.

Intercultural Festival planning is under way
Brunswick Community College, the Brunswick Arts Council, the Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce and The Brunswick Beacon invite everyone to attend the ninth annual Brunswick County Intercultural Festival from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, in front of Odell Williamson Auditorium on the campus of Brunswick Community College, just off U.S. 17.
The Brunswick County Intercultural Festival is committed to celebrating cultural diversity in all its aspects, while honoring the cultural history of Brunswick County. This cross-cultural education event presents a culturally enriching and entertaining experience for people of all ages.
Festival-goers will have the opportunity to learn more about the cultures that live side-by-side within the county. The festival is packed with numerous performing artists, children’s activities, cultural displays and ethnic food sampling.
Enjoy the excitement of the International Pavilion. In addition to displaying Brunswick County’s heritage, the International Pavilion has new countries, displaying information from the African continent, South America, Asia and Europe. Learn about the Argentine Tango; the Czech Republic and its One Hundred Towers City; Mexico and Central America with its Aztec and Mayan heritage; Russian crafts and stories; the Philippine culture; books and costumes from Thailand; the Caribbean and more. New this year will be an immersion to Tibet culture.
More than 20 countries and cultures will be represented. There will also be a new feature for kids of all ages to participate and “travel” around the world.
Continue your international journey (for a $6 fee), as you walk to the International Food Tasting Tent. Sample some international cuisine from some of the finest ethnic restaurants, representing a number of cultures such as European, African, Asian, Mexican and American. Food has always been a way to build bridges to other cultures and to share each other’s hearts, the intent of this event.
At the Intercultural Festival Entertainment Stage, join in for a “diversity celebration” that features performing arts and complements the Intercultural Festival’s arts and crafts, educational exhibits, ethnic food and children’s activities.
Savor international cuisine while taking a journey to different cultures. This year, the stage will again feature a lineup of high-energy musicians, dancers and performers, dressed in authentic traditional costumes.
The entertainment, which includes traditional and contemporary performances, will showcase some of the best ethnic performers of the region and is designed to foster an atmosphere that introduces families and children to the rich cultural diversity of our county.
This year will welcome the Ballet Folklorico Guadalupano. Dressed in authentic Mexican costumes, its first performance will be an Aztec ritual depicting the Aztec culture as Mexico was before the arrival of the Spaniards and conquerors. They will also dance to the music from the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
The Entertainment Stage will also feature performances by the powerful Walsh Kelly School of Irish Dance step dancers, the Polish Polka singer and trumpet player, Japanese drumming and dance, Chinese sword dance, Mongolian and Tibetan performances, a West African ensemble, youth groups and more. Join in for a multicultural experience where we celebrate people and cultures from around the world.
Home Depot will have children’s project and hands-on activities under supervision and direction of Home Depot associates and their store manager. Upon completion of the project, each child will receive a certificate and other gifts.
Leading active participation for Brunswick County schools are Supply Elementary School and Early College High School’s Circle K Club. An invitation is extended to all Brunswick County schools to participate, learn, expand cultural knowledge, travel and experience the world right here.
Volunteers are needed and appreciated. Vendors can still apply, as well as sponsors. Visit its website for application forms. Find them on Facebook or Google at Brunswick County Intercultural Festival. Email interculturalfestival@hotmail.com or call 842-6566.

Davis to speak to Civil War Roundtable
The Brunswick Civil War Round Table will celebrate its second anniversary at its next meeting on Tuesday, May 1. The meeting will feature renowned historian, prolific author and popular Civil War speaker William C. “Jack” Davis. His topic is entitled: “Was Confederate Defeat Inevitable?”
According to Civil War talk radio host Gerald Prokopowicz, “Jack Davis has written more books (30) about the Civil War than most people have read.” Davis a nominee twice for the Pulitzer Prize in History; the only three-time winner of the Jefferson Davis Award; senior consultant for 52 episodes of the History Channel’s Civil War Journal; previous editor of “The Civil War Times;” popular speaker on the Civil War lecture circuit; and currently history professor and director of programs of the Civil War Institute at Virginia Tech.
“Jack’s topic is extremely interesting and is still debated to this day,” said Round Table program chairman Max Williams. “In addition to his impressive credentials, he is also a book reviewer for the History Book Club, and is currently writing a multivolume treatment of Virginia in the war, so he really knows his Civil War history.”
The essence of his presentation centers on this debate: “Lost cause” historians contend that superior Federal resources and population doomed the Confederacy to defeat from the start, despite the valor of Southern generals and their men. Opposing historians emphasize contingencies that could have resulted in Southern victory, and eventually, Southern independence. Who is correct? Both sides have excellent arguments, which will make the Davis presentation very provocative and entertaining.
Registration for the Tuesday, May 1, anniversary meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 209 E. Nash St. in Southport. Everyone is welcome. There is no admission fee for this meeting; however, visitors are encouraged to become members of this fast growing, nonprofit organization, which now has more than 270 members. Most of the dues collected go toward fees and expenses to invite the most renowned and knowledgeable Civil War historians.
For more information, contact Wally Rueckel at 253-7382 or email wrueckel@questor.com. Visit its website at brunswickcivilwarroundtable.com.