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Ben Casey was driving along Hwy 306 in Arapahoe, when a red maple compelled him to stop. Ben brandished his Nikon and went to work. (click pic for more red maple views. Ben Casey photos)

12:21p Mom Nature is being a bit too generous with the unpleasant weather supply today. That said, the rain is forecast to be less likely this afternoon.

It’s a busy weekend ahead.

Jorge Pease has been creating a campground in Whortonsville for a couple years. Today Jorge invites all for an Opening Party for Hidden Orchard campground, a space for RVs and tent camping. Even if it is wet out there, there is a huge roof to hang out under… where life will be dry. Free burgers 2:30p – 4:30p (or until) today. BYOB.

Jasmine Tasty Thai food truck at the brewery today. Saturday Mariposa Bakery & Wine bar is open (Sat, Sun & Mon mornings 7-10a (bakery) and evenings 3-8p (wine bar). The bakery is featuring holiday deserts: Pumpkin, apple & pecan pies.

A Food Drive for PCFLO Saturday. The Pamlico Poker Run combines driving and gaming. Wine tastings Saturday, 2 and 3p at Nautical Wheelers: Andy Woolgar leads the tastings. Taqueria San Luis food truck Saturday at New Village Brewery.

Sunday Hoff n Finch play at Casa Que Pasa (also called the Taco Tower). A free Community Thanksgiving dinner Sunday at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Sunday evening 7p is a Community Thanksgiving Worship at St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church, featuring the Pamlico Chorale.

Find it all in TownDock’s What’s Happening.

8:37a Kinda odd weather today. It’s a warm front moving through, which will deliver warmer stuff Saturday. Sunday and Monday will be beautiful autumn dry.

Any rain today is more likely before noon ~ 1pish.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Oriental Weather Station

On the Neuse today almost calm, winds to maybe 5 knots. Saturday not much more, 10 knots.

• Neuse River Marine Forecast

This past Tuesday was the monthly town meeting… TownDock’s Laurie Stahlmann was there:

The last town meeting for the existing town board shown above (Commissioners Litzenberger, Overcash and Winfrey and Mayor Belangia. Commissioners Crosser and Price were absent).
The meeting included: A favorable report from Cindy Randolph, CPA on the annual audit, a road repair reserve fund was approved, plus a request for Oriental residents on Broad Street to string up holiday cheer.

Coming next week, a complete report on Tuesday’s town meeting.

3:22p Oriental Rotary has a Poker Run this weekend. They tried to have one back in October, but we got rains and flooding and hints of divine punishment. It was rescheduled for another day.

That day is this Saturday, high noon, starting at Town Hall in Minnesott Beach. It’s open to any type of car, motorcycle, or motorized vehicle with at least two wheels. More info on the Pamlico Poker Run here.

We’ve run this before. It’s too silly not to run again. Here’s what it looks like at a Poker Run start:

1:10p Sometimes, a pastor is just a regular human. Anne Sims writes in (in a non-pastoral role):

Do your best to put visions of an axe throwing pastor aside.

8:44a Here’s the agenda for tonight’s town meeting. The meeting is at 6p, Oriental Town Hall.

Just in case you have other entertainment plans, TownDock reporting crew will be at the meeting.

Didn’t freeze last night… the overnight low was 35.

Sunny & 60~ish today, then highs near 70 for the rest of the week.

Deep introspection. Opportunities expand. Intuitive insights.

It’s all in today’s Salty Celeste horoscopes.

4:22p Freeze warning if effect for tonight. It may sneak just below freezing… the forecast low 31.

11:07a The Wednesday Night sail goes on hiatus for the cooler months, returning in spring.

However, Open Sailing on Monday’s continues all year. Open Sailing at Bow to Stern means sailing friendly Cape Dory Typhoons. Today is an example of a perfect November day for a sail.

Jim Edwards writes in:

Oriental’s Town Board meets Tuesday Nov 18, 6p at Town Hall.

A new board was elected on Nov 4, but that board doesn’t begin their new duties until the Dec 9 meeting, when they will be sworn in.

Earlier Tuesday, a most different endeavor. You’ll learn to paint.

Folk art artist Charlie Frye invites y’all to painting class at Nautical Wheelers, 2-4p. Charlie will lead and inspire you in folk art painting, while the Wheelers keep pouring wine. Read on…

9:02a The bluegrass band Authentic Unlimited performs tonight at the Old Theater.

But they are also doing an intimate “Informance” today, 11a at the Oriental United Methodist Church sanctuary.

It’s free, and you’re invited (all made possible by Pamlico Music Society).

It’s crazy nice out there. Sunny and near 70 today and Sunday, more sun and highs near 60 Monday and Tuesday.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast

12:55p There is music in our town this weekend.

Saturday Pamlico Music hosts Authentic Unlimited, showtime 7:30p. They are bluegrass, and they are seriously good:

Sunday, the Old Theater presents Bryan Mayer. North Carolina native Bryan Mayer has real country chops: He won the CMA Best Male Country Artist of the Year. Showtime 3p Sunday.

Tonight Capone’s Taste of Philly truck at the brewery. Mariposa is open Saturday, Sunday & Monday mornings 7-10a (bakery) and evenings 3-8p (wine bar).

There are at least two Food Drives’s going on. Marsha’s Cottage is collecting for PCFLO through Saturday. The Pamlico Democrats are also collecting for PCFLO, drop off items Saturday Nov 15 9:30a – noon at PCDP HQ, 13630 NC Hwy 55, Alliance. They will also collect on Nov 22.

Saturday at New Village Brewery, the Taco Loco food truck.

TownDock’s events calendar is What’s Happening.

8:33a Thanksgiving is two weeks from today. For your calendar, a few events that are part of the holiday:

• Nov 23: Community Dinner, St. Thomas Episcopal, 3p
• Nov 23: Community Thanksgiving Worship, St. Peter the Fisherman, 7p
• Nov 25: Gourmet Bake Sale, St. Peter the Fisherman, 9a-1p
• Nov 27: Thanksgiving Day Bike Ride, 9a.

Thankfully, you’ll find it all in What’s Happening.

3:27p Will the Aurora Borealis ~ the northern lights ~ be visible in Oriental tonight?

Maybe. They were out there last night, and we were not in a primo area forecast to see them. According to NOAA, geomagnetic storm activity is expected to be high tonight, with the best chances between 7p – 10p (and possible til 4a).

To give yourself a better chance to see the lights:

1:23p Pamlico County Fishes & Loaves Outreach (PCFLO) helps feed a lot of folks in Pamlico County.

In support of that mission, Marsha’s Cottage is collecting non-perishable food items now through Nov 15. Just bring your donations to Marsha’s Cottage at 204 Wall Street in Oriental.

1:14p Dave and Carol Wright lived in Oriental for almost two decades. Dave as a yacht broker, Carol as a real estate broker. They moved to Wilmington in 2019, but are remembered warmly by many in town.

We are sad to share that Dave Wright passed away this past Friday. More about his life here.

12:47p The ferries are all normal again, no backup. We thought there must be some event to create the wait times this morning, but it seems it was just a missed ferry earlier in the day.

9:40a The ferries are all running… but an odd note from Cherry Branch:

In October (Halloween inspired), Dale Montgomery revived his Ghost Walk tour of Oriental. On multiple evenings, Dale led unsuspecting humans around town, sharing the spookier side of Oriental’s history.

There was no charge, but Dale did mention it was OK to leave a donation. Not for Dale – it was fittingly for the Oriental History Museum.

After several Ghost walks, Dale added up the loot. $1,133 donated.

(click pic to see the historical view)

Dale Montgomery handed the haul to Oriental History Museum President Lou Ostendorff.

If it’s been a while since you’ve visited the museum, consider stopping by. 802 Broad Street. Hours: Friday 11-3, Saturday 1-4.

1:38p There are defibrillators at many businesses around town.

That’s great, but what if you had to use one?

Eric Kindle presents a class on using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) at the Oriental Woman’s Club, Tues Nov 11 at 10:00a. It’s free, all are welcome.

AEDs are used when a person has collapsed and is unresponsive.

Congratulations to Henry Frazer & crew of Oriental Express, 1st place Spinnaker Division in the 2025 Oriental Cup Regatta. Joe Valinoti skippered Il Gatto to 1st place JAM (jib & main). In Cruising Class, 1st went to Curtis Boyd onboard Whirlwind.

More Oriental Cup results here.

9:21a Hurricane season officially ends on Nov 30. This morning, all quiet on the Atlantic. The simple words from the National Hurricane Center:

This is the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald, made famous by the Gordon Lightfoot song of the same name. It was November 10, 1975.

A new feature begins today on TownDock. A few weeks back horoscopes began… Salty Celeste has daily horoscopes on TownDock.

She has agreed to expand a bit on that… today begins Pet Horoscopes. Really. Pet Horoscopes are a weekly feature (the human horoscopes are daily).

Many pet owners don’t know their pet’s birthday. For them, Salty has added a new astro sign: Incognita … the sign for birthday unknown.

• Weekly Pet Horoscopes
• Daily Horoscopes

3:41p He’s a “viticulturist.” Hmmm. We had to get out the TownDock dictionary for this one.

Dang. Fancy. And he’s comin’ to town. Bill Wheeler writes in:

We have a rare (steak pun) opportunity to meet and have dinner with Johan Viljoen, South African winemaker and viticulturist (not ventriloquist).
Johan will be spending one of his 5 North Carolina days in Oriental. He will share the story behind making world-class wines, produced by hand.
Add to that dinner: Petite Crab Cake, Salad, Steak, Scalloped Potatoes, Dessert.
Tickets $75.
https://nauticalwheelersnc.com/products/new-wine-dinner-normandie-estate-1693

3:20p The Stanley Cup. The America’s Cup. The Oriental Cup.

They just may be three of the sporting world’s most desired trophies. Only one of them can be won this weekend.

Too much October wind moved the Oriental Cup Regatta to this November weekend. Racing on Saturday, with dinner (Sat) & awards (Sun) on the Oriental Marina grounds.

Tonight at New Village Brewery, Tanja’s German Street Food truck.

Mariposa Wine Bar & Bakery is open Sat-Sun-Mon. The bakery (w morning coffee) open 7a-10, wine bar 3p-8. Dutch Apple pie and pumpkin pie are among the deserts this weekend. The Oriental farmers are in autumn gift mode at the market Saturday morning. It’s a Fine Art and Craft Festival Sat 9a-1p at Oriental Woman’s Club. Baked goods too. At the brewery Saturday, Roadside Dogs.

Sunday get your goin’ to movie duds on… Out Of Africa graces the Old Theater screen. It’s a 3p matinee.

It’s all in What’s Happening.

Kinda &^%$y cloudy weather tonight, then sunshine enters for the weekend. Saturday & Sunday, mid 70s both days.

Monday, ol’ man winter. High just mid 50s, and a low near 30.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast

9:35a Whittaker Creek channel will soon get dredged, and with that a slightly altered route.

Dan Allen has spearheaded the work of Friends Of Whittaker Creek, to both gets dredging funded, the channel re-routed, and a dredging permit.

The actual dredging work is about to begin… read on.

Back in April TownDock spoke with Dan… he explained the dredging & re-routing process:

Here’s the story published in April: Whittaker Creek Channel: Dredging and a Reroute

2:48p It’s breezy out there, winds in the mid 20s. Tonight on the Neuse, a Small Craft Advisory, gusts to 25 knots.

It calms down to 10-15 Thursday. Saturday (Oriental Cup day) still has an ideal 10-15 knot forecast.

Late this weekend, we’re in for a temperature swing.

Sunday, mid 70s. This warmth is short-lived.

A strong Arctic cold front arrives late Sunday into Monday, bringing the first real cold blast of the season. Expect a dramatic temperature drop:
- Monday and Tuesday: Highs just near 50.
- Monday night onward: Lows plunge to the low 30s.

Just what should you do? Your Salty Celeste horoscope may have answers.

1:25p Oriental elected a completely new town board Tuesday, in what can only be read as a repudiation of the board elected in 2023.

The two incumbent commissioners received less than 1/3 of the votes of the top two candidates. They received less than half the votes of a candidate that didn’t even win.

The 2025 town election results are here.

Sunday afternoon, visit the Old Theater for an experience that will take you far from domestic politics:

Out Of Africa shows at 3p Sunday on the Old Theater screen.

7:38p Results: 547 ballots cast. It’s an all new board.

Paul Jordan, Chris Moffat, Iris Cooper, Lou Ostendorff and Don McGuire elected. Incumbents Crosser and Price distantly trailed.

Paul Jordan: 380 votes
Chris Moffat: 375 votes
Iris Cooper: 308 votes
Lou Ostendorff: 285 votes
Don McGuire: 268 votes

Paul Fairbank 260 / Gregory Bohmert 151 / Mary Ellen Ham 139 / Bonnie Crosser 123 / Allen Price 106 / Bob Maxbauer 52

Mayor Sally Belangia, unopposed, was re-elected.

More election info here.

5:30p Polls close at 7:30p (you can still vote until then). TownDock will have results online as soon as possible after that.

The last town election (2023) we were able to publish results within 10 minutes of polls closing. It will depend on how quickly election workers are able to process results.

There are indications we may have a record voter turnout. We’ll know after the polls close. Results coming tonight after 7:30p.

3:16p George Beckwith passed away in early October, while working on his farm in Virginia.

A celebration of George’s life is tomorrow at 1p at Christ Church, 320 Pollock Street, New Bern.

It will be followed by a reception in his honor at Copper Ridge on the Neuse, 2706 Old Cherry Point Rd, New Bern.

10:33a It is happily autumn out there. Sunny & mid 60s today, 70 Wednesday.

Today is election day, polls open til 7:30p. Results will be posted on TownDock.net tonight after the polls close.

Campaign signs dot the village… pics from a morning bike ride:

Saturday is the re-scheduled Oriental Cup Regatta. The day has an ideal 10-15 knot forecast.

9:16a No early voting this year. There is one day to vote… election day: tomorrow, Tuesday Nov 4.

In Oriental you vote at Fire Station 19 on Straight Rd. The polls will be open in North Carolina from 6:30a to 7:30p.

Here is a sample ballot for this election.

Re the town board elections, a couple links:

• Meet the 2025 Town Board Candidates

• Oriental Candidates Forum 2025

7:55a The workforce is now less challenged:

Back to the normal two boat schedule.

5:35a Ya gotta give the the Cherry Branch/Minnesott Beach Ferry folks kudos for candor:

We are on an amended schedule due to workforce challenges.

Departing Cherry Branch 5:00a, 5:45a, 6:45a, 7:45a, 9:00a, 10:00a, 11:00a, 12:00p, 1:30p, 2:30p, 3:30p, 4:30p, 5:30p, 6:30p, 7:30p, 8:30p, 10:00p.
Departing Minnesott Beach 5:25a, 6:15a, 7:15a, 8:30a, 9:30a, 10:30a, 11:30a, 12:30p, 2:00p, 3:00p, 4:00p, 5:00p, 6:00p, 7:00p, 8:00p, 9:00p, 11:00p.

4:04p The witches are ditching the paddle & row:

12:55p Paddle, with witches. Be brave. It’s today at 4:30p.

9:17a You’ll get brighter mornings. And darker evenings.

But you do need to remember to set the clock back an hour on your microwave.

There’s a chance (30%) of rain this afternoon.

Happy Sunday.