The Nortons had even brought in well-known Lake Gaston regional DJ Kevin Smiley and Double Shot Acoustics to entertain the crowd. It was so wonderful to sit out on the newly renovated Front Porch of Norton’s at the Lake, especially with a light breeze and the addition of a lovely water feature. The ever-innovative Lynn Norton saw a beautiful and soothing water feature somewhere in her travels. She then gets her ingenious husband Johnny to recreate her vision, so that now there are four ceiling-to-floor water “curtains” across the Front Porch, falling gently onto pebbles below. Ahh…
But, I digress. The Shrimp Boil experience made me think of the many amazing places we have around the Lake Gaston region to keep us entertained all the year through. It also made me think of how great the need is for our full-time Lake Gaston residents to get out and support these endeavors. Have you ever thrown a party – planned a really great menu, games, entertainment, etc. – and been really excited, but a less than stellar crowd shows up? You feel like you are making a great deal of effort for little return.
It is kind of like a small book shop we once had in Roanoke Rapids – The Book Inn (after Walden Books in Becker Village Mall closed). I frequented Annette Heath’s book shop and absolutely loved it. I’m a book worm, after all. But, after Annette closed her shop because she just wasn’t getting the necessary traffic, people kept saying, “What a shame that the book shop closed.” My response was always, “How many times did you shop there?” Sadly, often the response was, “Well, I haven’t shopped there, but I always meant to, and now I can’t.” Guess what, folks, businesses cannot survive, much less thrive, without local support. That’s why the ideas of Shop Local and Shop Small mean SO much everywhere, but especially in more rural economies.
In my job, I have the pleasure of gathering regional events for our weekly email newsletter (the events email comes out on Thursday, so you can plan your weekend and look ahead to what’s coming up). If you don’t receive this email, you should sign up! You can do so on the home page of our website – www.lakegastonchamber.com – or on our Facebook page – www.facebook.com/lakegastonchamber. Let me remind you what was happening around the Lake Gaston region JUST this past weekend…
The Pointe offered the Usual Suspects Band on Saturday and The Embers on Sunday. Watersview holds Wine Down Wednesday and Thirsty Thursday every week and entertainment most weeks. Warren FoodWorks holds Trivia Night every Thursday and also had a concert – The Walking Guys – on Friday. Kevin Smiley performed at The Shady Shack on Saturday. On The Front Porch of Norton’s at the Lake, they are hosting karaoke every Thursday night. Roanoke-Wildwood Volunteer Fire Department holds BINGO every Thursday night. Warrenton had a Friday night Gala and an African American Cultural Festival on Saturday. The Club/Lake Gaston Resort hosted the Seaplane Splash-In on Saturday. Dylan Moore Days, benefitting local families in need, was held this weekend in Halifax. South Hill held its annual Wine Festival on Saturday. There was an RC Helicopter Fly-In in Gaston on Saturday. The Roanoke Valley Chamber hosted their annual Ducky Derby festival in Weldon on Saturday.
Wow! That was just one weekend in the Lake Gaston region, and I’m sure there were events that I was not aware of. There are so many wonderful things to do here! Our full-time residents need to not only be participating in these events but also serve as ambassadors to let people know just how much there is to do within just a short driving distance.
Let’s not sit at home every weekend. Invite some friends and support our local businesses, so they will be able to continue coming up with creative entertainment for us, so they won’t just survive in the off-season, but will be able to thrive. Coming up soon…More karaoke (you don’t have to sing, you can listen) on The Front Porch this Thursday night. A Taste of Love performs at Watersview this Saturday night from 7-11 p.m. Octoberfest will be Friday, October 2, at Shady Shack. Don’t miss Blues, Brews & BBQ at The Pointe on October 10. There is so much more to mention, but you’ll have to get the newsletter or follow us on Facebook to learn more!
