Southport Magazine

What: Oak Island Beach Preservation Society Wine Tasting and Silent Auction
When: Saturday, April 26th • 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Where: Island Way Restaurant
1407 E. Beach Dr., Oak Island
Cost: $25/person; very limited tickets!
Info: (910) 933-4325

There is a saying that, “Beauty is in the eye of the beer-holder,” a twist on a popular proverb to harp on alcohol’s effects on judgment and perception. But, what if raising a glass of wine really could cultivate true beauty?

The Oak Island Beach Preservation Society is responsible for the ‘Be a Beach Lover’ campaign to educate guests of the seashore on how they can help with preservation. Courtesy photo

For 15 years, the Oak Island Beach Preservation Society has been toasting the beauty of our beaches through their annual wine tasting and silent auction fundraiser. On April 26th, 2014, the society will gather again to support our coast with the theme “Fine European Value Wines: Oui! Si! Ja!” All of the proceeds will fund beach preservation, conservation, and education activities.

“We’ll be featuring both reds and whites from France, Spain, and Germany,” Cindy Johnson, media liaison for the society, details. “A total of 13 wines with broad appeal and pleasing price points have been selected by our ‘tasting committee.’ The Grape & Ale (8521 E. Oak Island Dr., Oak Island) and The Wine Rack (102 W. Brown St., Southport) will have these great wines available and also will have a limited number of tickets available.”

The event, held at Island Way Restaurant in Oak Island, will feature appetizers from Island Way as well as hors d’ouevres from other providers. “Many restaurants, delis, grocers, and food vendors pitch in annually to make our event the success it is,” Johnson notes. “Everyone is providing a special or signature dish. Folks who have attended before know there will be a unique celebration cake baked by the island’s CrazyCakeChicks in appreciation of our Beach Preservationist of the Year. The Royal Starfish Award will be presented to that person being recognized for their stewardship and conservation efforts.”

An original oil painting by Harriet Seekins featuring a shore bird urging folks to ‘Be a Beach Lover’ will be a part of the silent auction fundraiser on April 26th. Courtesy photo

Aside from the delicacies offered, the silent auction will feature items for nearly every interest. “We have some incredible artisans within the Beach Preservation Society who donate items they have made,” Johnson shares. “Also, we continue to have very generous donors throughout our communities of Oak Island and Southport. Our auction table includes custom furniture, oyster-shell wreaths, jewelry, wine, gift certificates for restaurants, fishing, golf, merchandise, statues, boat trips, zoo admission, original oil prints, doll clothes, salon services, apparel, doggy gift baskets—the assortment is amazing!”

The society, founded in 1997, is dedicated to keeping the beach of Oak Island clean while educating the public about caring for our seashore. “Everything we hope to do is in the best interest of our beaches,” Johnson asserts. “It’s the reason we hold the wine tasting and silent auction, our only fundraiser of the year, so that we can invest back into the Beach Preservation Trust Fund. This way we can contribute funds to support and advocate for healthy beaches. Isn’t the beach and the ocean why we live here?”

Education programs include the “Be a Beach Lover” campaign, in which locals and tourists alike can take a pledge to follow certain rules for preservation, such as staying off the dunes to protect the natural plants that, in turn, protect the town. “The beach and the dunes provide a much-needed boundary,” Johnson explains. “They provide our safety net when those crazy, violent storms pound our shoreline. Preserving and conserving these beaches and dunes serve a very necessary purpose: We get to stay another season!”

Additionally, the society raises awareness about our local Loggerhead sea turtles. While kids enjoy digging holes in the sand during the day, if the holes are not filled back up by dark, the turtles can become trapped and stranded. From May through October, the nesting season for Loggerheads, folks should plan to keep beachfront lights off at night, as it can confuse and draw the turtles in the wrong direction—they follow the glow of the moon back to the ocean.

“To further our goal, the society is supporting the town’s new Beach Ambassador program,” Johnson tells. “Although still being fine-tuned at this point, the new effort is to acquaint and remind folks of the recently approved town ordinance about daily removal of beach gear and cabanas and making sure holes are filled before nightfall. It’s an advocacy program to assure that the beach is fun and safe for everyone. Junior Beach Club is another aspect of our organization aimed at our younger beach lovers and includes beach-themed crafts, stories, even turtle-nest tending. The Beach Preservation Society makes every effort to have a presence and a chance to offer information and volunteer opportunities at events like the Farmers’ Market, the Oak Island Art Guild fair, Beach Day, and the annual Christmas by the Sea Parade. We sponsor 67 beach accesses through our Adopt-A-Beach program and also build bike racks and doggy-bag boxes for beach accesses. Members of our board coordinate volunteers to assist with large beach clean-ups as well as the regular beach litter pick-up that is done by volunteers week to week. We stay busy!”

The vivacity with which the society works to fulfill their three pillars—preservation, conservation and education—is fueled by their passion for the nature of our coastline. “How could anyone not be awed when it’s February and you’re the only one out walking on ‘your’ part of the beach?” Johnson muses. “And how about the bounty provided by the ocean itself: the fish, shrimp, oysters? And the amazing sea-turtle habitat we get to be a part of between May and October? It doesn’t get any better than seeing a hundred tiny Loggerheads scrambling down the runway toward the ocean! And, if we don’t preserve our beaches it would be hard to plop down in a beach chair and watch dolphins play!”

For more info on the event, contact Cindy at (910) 933-4325. To learn more about the Oak Island Beach Preservation Society or for details on becoming a member, visit the organization’s website.