Columns

It was supposed to be a dream wedding for Natalie Gilbert and her fiancé Jeremy Palin.

Then a lil’ol, I mean big ol’, hurricane named Sandy interfered.

Hickory resident Cindy Williams, aunt of the bride-to-be, said they’d never dreamed a hurricane would descend like an uninvited guest and try to crash their plans.

The Indiana couple had been planning their Ocean Isle Beach ceremony for months.

From all early-morning appearances at Odell Williamson Auditorium, the quest to snag tickets for Willie Nelson’s first-ever known concert in Brunswick County wasn’t exactly an overnight, wait-your-turn-in-line campout.

But it was fierce and significant just the same.

When auditorium director Mike Sapp arrived at the venue two hours before ticket sales launched at 9 a.m. last Friday for Nelson’s Dec. 7 concert, he encountered just one waiting man seated in a lawn chair near the box office.

In a world filled with noise affronting our senses from all directions—from televisions to radios and even day-to-day banter, there is one place I know I can always go to find peace—by the sea.

It had been more than two months since I last had time to indulge in my favorite activity—doing nothing but sitting in the sand with my dog, a good book and my best friend. This past week I was able to log a few hours doing exactly that.

It’s the best yard sale in Sunset Beach.

That’s my summation of the annual two-day Seaside United Methodist Church Country Fair.

Some years back, while browsing for bargains and a few story ideas, I happened up on this best-kept secret on the church grounds. I’ve been hooked ever since.

For years afterward, including this past weekend, I’ve marked the fair with indelible ink in my desk diary.