Wednesdays With Wendy June 9th

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.

-Walt Disney


NHCSO out in full force on the waters for the holiday weekend

As summer quickly approaches, boats are ever increasing in numbers on the North Carolina coastal waters. A new law became effective May 1st that requires anyone in NC under the age of 26 to complete a boater safety education course before operating a boat in state waters. Officials say there are quite a few people who are unaware of the law or haven't taken the course yet. The North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission provides an easy way to get temporarily certified. Click here to take an online course and get a temporary certificate that can be used for 60 days.

In addition to spreading the word about the new boating law, the sheriff's office has two boats patrolling the waterways trying to cut down on underage drinking and trashing of the islands. Officials want the public to be aware that Masonboro Island is a protected area and that anything that is brought onto the land needs to be taken off.

Masonboro Island is the largest undisturbed barrier island along the southern part of the North Carolina coast and is located approximately five miles southeast of Wilmington, in the most populous part of the North Carolina coast. The Masonboro site is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway to the west, Masonboro Inlet to the north,
and Carolina Beach Inlet to the south.

Primitive camping is allowed on the island. Campers should use areas that have obviously been camped previously. Camping on dunes and disturbance of vegetation are not allowed. Visitors need to pack out everything they packed in.

Thanks to the North Carolina Wilflife Resource Commission and the North Carolina Coastal Reserve for their facts and information.






Britt's Donuts Carolina Beach-

Doughnut worth drive? 'Oh my God, yes'

Traveling 129 miles from Raleigh to the beach to try an 80-cent doughnut is to put faith in those who have come before, to trust in their ability to judge grease and glaze. Because even with rhapsodic testimonials posted across the Internet, driving that far to eat Britt's Donuts is a gamble because there are no choices. If you prefer chocolate, and your buddy eats jelly-filled, that's fine, but you can't have either. Britt's sells only fried glazed doughnuts. There is a simple reason for this, insists owner Bobby Nivens. "When we get busy," he says of his airy, hand-cut delicacies, "we don't have time for other doughnuts." After the first one, you might not either.

Sold warm and served in a white paper sack, the doughnut has welcomed visitors to the Carolina Beach boardwalk since 1939. Nivens bought the business in 1974 from originator H.L. Britt. Nivens knew the tiny kitchen well, having worked there in the '50s while in high school. Today, at 71, Nivens very literally makes the doughnuts the same way he did as a teenager. The recipe has not changed. He uses the same rolling pin.

On Saturday, the small stand opened its dual garage doors to welcome regulars and first-timers alike. Maureen Bannon, who lives near Charlotte, stopped by with friends enjoying a girls weekend to try the famous doughnut she'd heard so much about. Was it worth it? "Oh my God, yes," she says. "You'll probably see us again in a few hours."

The doughnut has devoted fans, but Nivens isn't the sort of cook who shares his techniques with friends. Only he and his wife, Maxine, know the exact recipe. One of them has to mix the dough so the employees can make the doughnuts. Even their daughter isn't privy to the doughnut's innards, although she knows where the recipe is written down in case anything happens to the secret-keepers. Nivens dreamed years ago of expanding his deep-fried empire to include shops in other cities, but he eventually decided against the plan. Money, he says, isn't everything. Plus he and Maxine enjoy their time off, which is pretty much October through March.

The shop opens at 8:30 a.m. every day during the summer. It closes each night when business slows, and Nivens never shuts the garage doors if there are people in line.
"I don't want to get killed," he says, laughing. Thanks to Matt Ehlers at the Raleigh News Observer for this great story.

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114 Spring Creek
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