THE BRUNSWICK BEACON, Thursday, April Z3,1W7—Page J-A
Easter Holiday 'Terrific'
Despite Weather, Traffic
While heavy traffic through
Shallottc may have slowed their ar
rival, less than ideal weather didn’t
keep the crowds away from South
Brunswick Island beaches this
Easter holiday.
They took to the strand when the
sun allowed. Sunday morning, a
crowd estimated between 3,000 and
4,000 strong gathered on the strand at
Ocean Isle Beach for an early morn
ing worship service sponsored by
Shailotte Presbyterian Church. “It
was more than last year," said Mrs.
Dan Norman, wife of pastor.
Estimates of the crowd attending
sunrise services at Holden Beach
Pier vary from 60 to 400, but
everyone agreed there was standing
room only for Easter services later
at Holden Beach Chapel.
At other times, visitors crowded
local shops, bringing smiles to pro
prietors’ faces.
In fact, business was great, accor
ding to managers contacted at the
close of the long weekend that here
on the coast marks the beginning of
the “season."
“We had real good traffic,” said
Debbie Sloane Fox of Sloane Realty
at Ocean Isle Beach.' ‘It seemed to be
up from last year despite some of the
weather forecasts we kept hearing.”
While most people were down for
only the weekend, she added, "there
were probably more people here for
the week than last year. We're
delighted."
Schools in South Carolina and
Mecklenburg County were on holiday
last week, and most North Carolina
schools this week, extending the holi
day for many families.
The t(«AA in renters and property
owners this Easter was about the
same as past years, she estimated,
approximately 50-50.
Fox said she’d heard surprisingly
few complaints about heavy traffic in
Shailotte over the weekend.
At 5:30 p.m. Friday, southbound
traffic approaching Shailotte was
backed up five miles north of town an
U.S. 17, moving at a snail’s pace.
Homeowners along the route
reported Impatient drivers attemp
ting to pass on the right shoulder and
several near-accidents when traffic
moving at €0 miles per hour faced
sudden stops on the main highway.
Sliallotte Police Chief Don Stovall
said some of the slow-down was caus
ed by lack of syncronization between
the light at the Intersection of U.S. 17
and Holden Beach Road (N.C. 130)
and the light at Smith Avenue. After
traffic from N.C. 130 tm-ned left into
town, he said, it was blocked at the
second light Then only a few south
bound vehicles on U.S. 17 could make
the light The problem was reported
to the N.C. Department of Transpor
ta tio.'!.
He added, “When there were
blockages, we tried to help as best we
could.”
At Sunset Beach, Tom Tucker at
Sunset Beach Realty also reported an
excellent holiday weekend.
“We were at capacity," he said.
The beach had traffic problems of
its own. “There were horrible waits
at the bridge. The stop lights were
terrible,” he said. “Everyone hates
them."
Friday afternoon and again Satur
day morning, officers were assisting
traffic on the mainland.
A lot of people might have prefer
red better weather. Tucker added,
“but they adapted.”
And reports from stores In the area
suggests they spent the time shopp
ing for everything from paint to
swimwear.
Business was brisk in both the food
market and clothing loft at The
Beach Mart on the Holden Beach
causeway. “I don’t know the sales
figures, but we were busy,” said
Assistant Manager Charlene Loyd.
“We look forward to it (Easter). It
kicks off our season. We saw a lot of
familiar faces we hadn't seen since
last summer.”
A.B. Willis, owner of Bryan's in
Shailotte, said the mixed weather
probably helped business there.
“It was great, better than last
year,” he added.
As for the traffic, he continued, “it
never helps when you can't turn off,
wUt only ons or two iripnlinnpf)
It”
At Shallotte's Ace Hardware,
numor RAaman oatrt Ki letnaoB
was “terrific,” better than ha had an
ticipated for his first Easter in opera
tion. “We could have used another
helper or two," he said. “I wasn't
prepared for what happened, but I
will be next year.”
Hewett estimated about half his
business came from locals; the other
from non-resident property owners
down to fix up their cottages for the
season.
Gerald Long, manager of Shailotte
Piggly Wiggly food store, said he saw
a “noticeable increase" in lines, and
didn't hear much about the traffic.
“People who don’t like it don’t
stop,” he suggested.
Terry Causey at the Western Auto
store on the north end of the business
strip did hear about the traffic.
“One customer Friday said it took
him an hour and a half to get from
East Sing Restaurant to Western
Auto,” she said.
The store’s business, added
Causey, was “hectic.”
On Holden Beach Road, hostess
Faye Pittman at East Sing
Restaurant said business wasn’t so
good there Friday, but picked up on
Saturday. The customers were most
ly tourists, except for regulars at the
Sunday luncheon buffet
“Lots of people said traffic was
‘murder’,” she noted.
BETWEEIN 3,000 and 4,000 worshippers
daunted by threatening skies.
STArr PHOto iv sumn ushep
attended Blaster morning services on Ocean Isle Beach, on-
Holden Beach Awards Public Parking Lot Contract
BY ETTA SMITH
A construction contract awarded
by Holden Beach commissioners
Tuesday will soon kick off construc
tion of the largest public parking pro
ject on the Brunswick County coast.
The contract went to APAC
Carolina Inc. of Myrtle Beach, which
will begin construction immediately
on a 90-space parking lot on Jordan
Boulevard. MAC Construction Com
pany of Shailotte underbid APAC, but
did not include a performance bond
Point VFD
Elects Officer
Shailotte Point Volunteer Fire
Department members elected of
ficers .April 15, re-e!ectir“ Mik“
as president and fire chief.
Other officers for the coming year
are Donald Pennington, vice-
president; Eleanor Hoff, secretary;
Bob Hoff, treasurer.
Membership on the board of direc
tors is unchanged, with J.B. Har
rison, Joe Pigott, Jimmy Pigott,
Joyce land, Helyn Phillips, J.R.
Chadwick, Palmer Suggs and Ray
Jackson serving another year.
in the bid, as required by state law
for any muncipal project costing
over $30,000.
APACs bid was $28,564, MAC Con
struction bid $25,308.20, and Jerry
McLamb Construction Company of
Shailotte bid $34,676.
The project will also include
restroom facilities and picnic tables.
When bids were opened April 16, only
one for $46,440 was received for con
struction of the restroom facilities.
That bid also lacked a performance
bond, which disqualified it from con
sideration.
Commissioners voted to reject the
bid and review the project before
seeking more bids for the restroom
facilities.
The project is being financed by a
$60,480 grant from the N.C. Depart
ment of Natural Resources and Com
munity Development, and $6,520 in
town money.
Access Offered
The board also heard a request
from Kemp Holden that he be allow
ed to give the town two 15-foot strips
of land on either side of the north end
of Canal Drive without having to
have his property re-subdivided.
The strips are located where
Conch, Mullet, Iron Age and
Blockade Runner streets intersect
with Canal Street on the east end of
the island.
According to Planning Board
Chairman Alan Holden, who explain
ed the request to commissioners,
Holden would not be increasing the
number of his lots, receiving no
building advantages, or changing the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ease
ment line.
Town Administrator Bob Buck said
that to allow the request, Holden's
property would have to be re
subdivided in order to meet the sub
division regulations.
The board voted not to take any ac
tion on the matter.
Auflgt
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Anniversary Sale
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Bed, bath and kitchen accessories
candles — cookbooks — tablecloths
aprons — curtains — sewing notions
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