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Maritime Events

Museum Crew Offers All Sorts Of Fun

STORY BY JEFFREY STITES

Looking for some fun with maritime flair this spring? The North Carolina Maritime Museum in Southport may just be the ticket. From activities for children and families to a field trip to Raleigh or a concert on the lawn, the crew at our hometown museum has quite bit planned for the coming weeks. And don’t forget to buy your raffle ticket to win a kayak! The drawing will be April 1 (that’s no fooling) and proceeds go to help the museum continue to provide top-notch programs and activities for the community. Raffle tickets are $10 each and are available for purchase online on the Friends of the Maritime Museum website at https://www. friendsncmmsouthport.com.

Upcoming Programs:

Sensory Saturday: Lucky Sailor

Join the N.C. Maritime Museum at Southport on March 5 for the Sensory Saturday program “Lucky Sailor.” Sensory Saturdays are offered the first Saturday of every month from 10 am to noon. During this program, exhibit lights are dimmed, all audio is turned off and a special activity or craft is offered. This free program is designed for individuals and families with sensory sensitivities or special needs. All ages and abilities are welcome. All participants and patrons are asked to use quiet voices for the duration of the program. For more information, contact Curator of Education Katy Menne at 910-477-5153 or katy.menne@ncdcr.gov.

Third Tuesday: “Everything You Wanted to Know About Gullah-Geechee Culture in Just About 30 Minutes”

Wilmington is the northern-most point of the Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. Join the NC Maritime Museum at Southport and the Rev. Sean Palmer March 15 at 7 pm to learn about the important nuances of this African-American ethnic enclave and why recognition of it is so important. The program is part of the Third Tuesday lecture series, which is held at the Southport Community Building, 223 E. Bay St. Lectures are geared for ages 16 years and older. Admission is free and open to the public; however, reservations are required since seating is limited. For more information or to register, call 910-477-5151 or visit ncmaritimemuse umsouthport/ events.

Enter to win this kayak!

Spring into History: North Carolina’s Capital

Travel with the N.C. Maritime Museum at Southport on March 19 to our state capital, Raleigh. The tour will visit the NC Museum of History and the N.C. Museum of Natural Science. Between stops, enjoy a delicious lunch and shopping. Ages 15 and older welcome. Trip will last from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. Tickets are $40 per person and include transportation from and return to Southport in the museum van, lunch and any admission costs. All programs are subject to NC state taxes; 10 percent discount for Friends members at the Family level and above. Registration closes the week prior at 5 pm. For more information or to register, call 910-477-5151 or visit ncmaritimemuseumsouthport/events.

Homeschool Friday: Sneak Attack

The Museum’ March 25 Homeschool program “Sneak Attack” honors the 80th anniversary of the sinking of the SS John D. Gill by shedding light on the Silent Service. Students will learn about U.S. military submarines, those from other countries seen in our waters, and the kind of damage they can render to an unprotected vessel. Homeschool programs are offered the last Friday of every month. Classes, which are held from 2 t- 3 pm, are geared for ages 7-17. Each class is $7 per child; there is a 10 percent discount for Friends members at the Family level and above. All programs are subject to N.C. state taxes. Registration closes the day prior at 5 pm. For more information or to register, call 910-477-5151 or visit ncmaritimemuseumsouthport/events.

Benefit Concert

On Sunday, April 10 at 5 pm, the Friends of the NC Maritime Museum at Southport will host a concert featuring one of the area’s leading bands, The Back Porch Rockers. Admission to the concert, which will be held on the Riverfront on the Garrison Lawn at Ft. Johnson in Downtown Southport, is free to the public. The concert’s fundraising efforts are being supported by generous sponsors as well as attendees who join in the night’s raffle for some very attractive items/baskets. Many local businesses have donated exciting items and gift certificates for the raffle baskets.

24 Leland Magazine /March 2022/ www.LelandMag.com

Sponsorship Opportunites For Event

STORY BY LISA STITES

Don’t grab your dancing shoes just yet, but if you want to help support the WAVES 4 K.I.D.S. summer dance fundraiser, now is the time to sign up as a sponsor.

The mission of WAVES 4 K.I.D.S (Kids In Difficult Situations) is to raise funds to assure, if public funds are not available, that children under the care of the Department of Social Services, or other children in difficult situations, in Brunswick County will be provided resources and services, based on financial need, to meet their health, educational, and social welfare needs, according to the organization’s website. This summer’s fundraiser will be June 2 at the Barn at Rock Creek in Leland and will feature beach music from The Catalinas.

There are several ways businesses and individuals can sponsor the event, with sponsorship levels ranging from $100 to $2,000. Sponsorships starting at $500 include event tickets.The event will also include dinner and dessert, a 50/50 raffle, and live and silent auctions.

Dan Charna is a member of the WAVES 4 K.I.D.S. Board of Directors, and he and his wife also serve as Gaurdians Ad Litem, court-appointed advocates who work with children involved in cases of abuse or neglect. Charna said the foster system is “near and dear” to them both.

“My oldest son and daughter in law decided to become foster parents,” Charna said. “The first set of siblings (three) were dropped off with only the clothes on their backs. The second set, which they ultimately adopted, had little more. This is not unusual as children many times are removed from a home in an emergency. Many foster parents do not have the financial ability to purchase all the necessary equipment up front to foster children from babies through teenagers. Waves4Kids can step in during these times to provide a bridge between taking care of the children and when the state can start financial support. My children had no such support in a city the size of Houston. We are blessed that Waves4Kids is available to the children of Brunswick County.

Since forming in 2004, the group has used donations to donations provide vital support including medical and dental care, daycare , scholarships, clothing, school supplies, and more. Visit www.waves4kids.org to learn more about the organization, how to volunteer, to buy tickets for the summer dance fundraiser or to become an event sponsor.

March Roundtable

Presentation On The Attack On Fort Fisher

STORY AND PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

Popular local historian Dr. Chris E. Fonvielle, Jr. will present “Closing Down the Kingdom: The Wilmington Campaign” at the Tuesday, March 1meeting of the Brunswick Civil War Round Table. The meeting will be held at Hatch Auditorium on Caswell Beach. Registration begins at 6:15 pm, and the program starts at 7 pm. While everyone is welcome, non-members are charged a visitor fee of $10, which can be applied toward the $25 annual membership dues.

Chris will give a presentation on Union military operations to capture, as well as Confederate efforts to defend, Wilmington, NC, the South’s last major Atlantic port stronghold in late 1864. He will discuss the battles for Fort Fisher during Christmas 1864 and mid-January 1965, which turned out to be the largest U.S. Navy bombardments of the Civil War. He will also examine why the Federals were so interested in taking not just Fort Fisher, but also Wilmington in the winter of 1865.

At the First Battle of Fort Fisher, the Union tried to capture the fort guarding Wilmington. It lasted from December 23–27, 1864. The Union Navy first attempted to detonate a ship filled with powder in order to demolish the fort’s walls, but this failed. The navy then launched a two-day bombardment to demolish the fort and compel surrender. On the second day, the Union army started landing troops to begin the siege, but got word that enemy reinforcements were approaching, and with worsening weather conditions, the operation was aborted.

The second Battle of Fort Fisher was a successful assault by the Union Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. The fort was sometimes referred to as the “Gibraltar of the South” because it was the last stronghold of the Confederacy. It had tremendous strategic value during the war, providing a port for blockade runners supplying the Army of Northern Virginia.

Wilmington was not captured by Union forces until February 22, 1865, approximately one month after the fall of Fort Fisher. Located just 30 miles from the mouth of the Cape Fear River, it was among the Confederacy’s more important cities with a population of 9,553, nearly the same size as Atlanta, Georgia. Its port traded cotton and tobacco in exchange for foreign goods such as munitions, clothing and foodstuffs. These cargoes arrived via blockade runners which had to avoid the Union’s imposed maritime barricade. Cargoes were then transferred to railroad cars and sent from the city throughout the Confederacy. By capturing Wilmington, and with the port closed, the Union blockade was complete, and it gave General Sherman’s forces a base of supply and a supply route to the sea.

These are some of the highlights and facts surrounding the closing months of the war. There is no better fact checker and storyteller about this period than historian Chris Fonvielle, professor emeritus in the Dept. of History at UNCW. He is a native of Wilmington, with a lifelong interest in the American Civil War, North Carolina, and Cape Fear history. His in-depth research focuses on coastal operations and defenses, and blockade running in southeastern North Carolina during the Civil War. He has written and published books and articles including The Wilmington Campaign: Last Rays of Departing Hope; Wilmington and the Lower Cape Fear: An Illustrated History; and, Fort Fisher 1865: The Photographs of T.H. O’Sullivan.

For more information about the in-person meeting, the easy online registration process, how to attend meetings remotely, or how to become a member, email president John Butler at Brunswickcwrt@gmail. com. Or call him at 404-229-9425.