BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WECT) – The N.C. 4th of July Festival Chowder Cook-Off was held Sunday at the Oak Island Moose Lodge. It was a good chowder eating day and a great crowd attended the event. The attendees voted and the winners were announced. 

Pictured front row:

• Gerald Leonard, Turtle Island Restaurant & Catering – Best Decorated Booth & third place Restaurant Division
• Earl Rush, Fishy Fishy Café’  - first place Restaurant Division
• Jennifer Biggs –Chowder Cook-Off Chairperson
• Paul Yeso – Lucy’s Choice Chowder - first place Individual Division
• Nancy Kelly – Champ Chowder – third place Individual Division

Pictured back row:

• Jeff Todd -  Turtle Island Restaurant & Catering – Best Decorated Booth & third place Restaurant Division
• Joe Caldropoli – Coastal Catering & Events – second place Restaurant Division
• Denise Pacula -  Pacula Builders  Best Constructed Chowder-  second place Individual Division
• David Kelly – Champ Chowder- third place Individual Division
• Brad Fisher & Drew Fisher with picture of Smudge – Dog Gone Good Chowder – third place Individual Division

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WECT) – The N.C. 4th of July Festival’s second annual Chowder Cook Off will be held on Sunday, March 4th from 1 until 4 p.m. at the Oak Island Moose Lodge.  

In addition to the Chowder Tasting, there will be a wine tasting by Silver Coast Winery, a baked goods sale, entertainment by “Party of Two”, a 50/50 raffle, door prizes, and cash bar. Advanced tickets are $8 and are available at the Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center, located at 4433 Long Beach Road. Tickets at the door will be $10. A limited number of tickets will be sold.

Chowder Cook-off awards will be decided by People’s Choice Ballots of those attending and tasting chowder. Awards will be given for first, second and third place in  the professional division and in the individual division. There will be an overall best decorated space award too. 

Entered in this year’s event in the Professional Division are Coastal Catering & Events, Clam Chowder & Corn Chowder, Duffer’s Pub & Grille, New England Clam Chowder, Fishy Fishy Café, New England Clam Chowder, and Turtle Island Restaurant & Catering – Annie’s Clam Soup. Entered in the individual chowder division are David & Nancy Kelly, Champ Chowder; Justin Munson & Mike Dobosh, Seamen’s Stew; Steve Leimer, Brunswick Chowder; and Paul Yeso, Lucy’s Choice Chowder.

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WECT) – Nestled between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is the second annual Small Business Saturday event, a day dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.

On Saturday, November 26, the Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce is joining American Express and others across the nation to ask residents to shop at their favorite local small business to help fuel the economy.

Small businesses are critical to the nation’s overall economy. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there were nearly 28 million small businesses in the United States last year. Over the past two decades, they created 65 percent of net new jobs. Their importance to local communities extends even further. For every $100 spent in locally-owned, independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures, according to the small business advocacy group The 3/50 Project.