The Town's Administrative Offices will be closed December 23, 26 and 27 to allow staff to spend time with loved ones around Christmas.

The Community Center will close at 5 p.m. on December 23 and will reopen on December 26.

The Police Department Lobby will close at 4 p.m. on December 24, and will be closed on Christmas Day.

In addition, the Town's Administrative Offices will be closed on Monday, January 2,

in observance of New Year's Day.

The Town of Emerald Isle would like to wish all a safe and happy holiday season!

NCDOT Updates Bridge Work Schedule

The following information is from the North Carolina Department of Transportation:

On Sunday, Nov. 27, a state highway contractor began instituting daytime lane closures on weekdays on the two-lane Emerald Isle Bridge (N.C. 58) for the ongoing bridge preservation project.

The contractor will follow this schedule for lane closures, lasting until March 31, when the project is scheduled to be completed:

The contractor may elect to work either Saturday or Sunday, or both days, on the weekends. The contractor in September resumed the rehabilitation work under nighttime lane closures.

Drivers should proceed cautiously over the bridge and expect possible delays.

As with most highway contracts, there will be no lane closures on the bridge during the holiday periods of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. The exact dates when there will be no closures over the upcoming holidays are listed at this DriveNC.gov webpage.

When a lane is closed, flagging operations will be used to allow traffic from each direction to take turns crossing the bridge, so drivers should expect delays and proceed cautiously in the work zone.

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.

Check out the Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair on Saturday, December 3, for area artisans and vendors who will have plenty of items for your holiday shopping needs!

You can support local and find unique gifts for your loved ones.

This event will be held from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. in the Emerald Isle Community Center, at 203 Leisure Lane.

Please note, all vendor spots have been filled at this time.

Children of all ages are invited to enjoy Santa's cookies and popcorn while watching a Christmas movie with their family. Please bring a blanket for your family to sit on during the movie.

After the movie, children will get the chance to tell Santa their Christmas wishes and have a photo opportunity with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

This event will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, December 9th, at the Community Center.

For more information, please contact Emerald Isle Parks and Recreation at 252-354-6350 or email Drew Conekin at dconekin@emeraldisle-nc.org.

At the December 13 Regular Board of Commissioners Meeting, retiring Town Attorney Richard Stanley will be recognized for his decades of service to the Town of Emerald Isle.

The Town plans to recognize the sacrifice and dedication of this exceptional public servant.

Stanley is retiring after 40-plus years of service as Emerald Isle's attorney. He also previously served as Beaufort's Mayor.

You are encouraged to attend this meeting for this special presentation, or may watch via livestream on the Town of Emerald Isle, NC Facebook page or via Zoom.

Through December 15, the Emerald Isle Police Department is collecting items for the Outerbanks WildLife Shelter (OWLS) through the Giving for the Greater Good Drive.

Items can be dropped off at the Police Department at 7500 Emerald Drive. Their full supply wishlist can be found online, and here are items that can be delivered as a part of the EIPD donation drive:

You could win a brand new golf cart from Johns Golf Cars by purchasing a raffle ticket!

The Emerald Isle Business Association has partnered with the Emerald Isle Golf Cart Advisory Committee for your chance to win this four seat, customized golf cart valued at $13,500!

Ticket sales will be online only until the Emerald Isle St. Patrick’s Festival on Saturday, March 11. On that date, there will be in-person ticket sales, and the winner of the golf cart will be drawn that afternoon.

Online tickets are $20.75 and will soon be available. You can purchase multiple raffle tickets at the same time, with six for $100.

Proceeds will benefit area programs and charities through the Emerald Isle Business Association, and improvements to the Emerald Isle Golf Cart program.

Do you have what it takes to be an Emerald Isle Ocean Rescue Lifeguard, or know someone who does?

Applications are now open for lifeguard positions in 2023. You can find the job

description and application on the Town's website.

The Emerald Isle Fire Department will begin testing in January, and training will start mid-March. Lifeguards will be on the beach strand in phases, beginning April 1.

The Emerald Isle Fire Department worked with Santa Claus this year to bring you Christmas tree safety tips. By following these tips, you can reduce your risk of your tree catching fire.

In addition, you can watch our video on kitchen safety advice, as you spend time preparing food for family and friends throughout the holiday season.

Emerald Isle Christmas Parade Delights All

Thank you to all who participated and viewed the 19th Annual Emerald Isle Christmas Parade on Saturday, November 26th!

Congratulations to the following winners:

Non-Commercial:

First Place: Snow Day At the Beach - Emerald Isle Sea Turtle Patrol

Second Place: Misplaced Mutts

Third Place: Emerald Isle Parrot Head Club - Giving Tree

Commercial:

First Place: Ryerson Unlimited

Second Place: Emerald Isle Dance Studio

Third Place: Emerald Isle Realty, Inc.

The Inaugural Emerald Isle Car Show was a huge success on November 12, and raised money toward the Emerald Isle Police Department's new Shop With A Cop program.

The funds raised will allow area children to go shopping with an EIPD officer this month for Christmas gifts.

This event would not have been possible without the generosity of our event sponsors and raffle donors, or the participants and spectators.

Special thanks to our event sponsors: Day5Art – logo artwork; 77° West, ACE Hardware, Island Harbor Marina, Watson Inc., Roy’s Automotive, Michaelangelo’s, Emerald Isle Design Group, South Swell Surf Shop, EI Self Storage, Banks, Gray, and Crumpler, Bluewater Realty, Coastal Recovery.

In addition, thank you to our raffle donors: Emerald Isle Design Group, Emerald Isle Cinema 4, JR Dunn, Publix, Glazed and Dazed Donuts, ZZ Speed Shop, Majestic Solutions, Shark’s Den, and Capone’s.

You can see a full list of the car show winners here.

Golf cart permits are now available for 2023 through the Emerald Isle Police Department. These permits expire on December 31 of each year, no matter when you last purchased a permit.

New this year: You will receive a golf cart safety keychain with your permit, that includes a QR code to our interactive golf cart map.

You can find the full list of golf cart rules and regulations on our website, along with your permit application. In addition, watch our video below for an overview of Emerald Isle's golf cart rules.

Beach driving permit applications for the 2022-23 season are currently available online at www.emeraldisle-nc.org, or in person at the Police Department, at 7500 Emerald Drive.

You will receive an email alerting you when your permit is ready to be picked up at the EIPD.

The official beach driving season began Thursday, September 15th.

Please note, the traffic pattern has changed this year when accessing the beach strand at the Point. Drivers should respect the roped off areas and follow the traffic flow. The new ingress and egress also applies to foot traffic.

You can watch a video from Chief of Police Michael Panzarella on the changes here.

Watch the video below for information on the beach driving application process.

Join the Emerald Isle Neighborhood Watch in 2023! You can learn more information and helpful hints about keeping yourself and your neighborhood safe on our Neighborhood Watch webpage.

Don't forget to check out the latest Neighborhood Watch Newsletter, which is released monthly.

Emerald Isle EMS provides for special medical care and/or help evacuating during disasters, including hurricanes, to those who are registered under the Medically Fragile List.

It is important to note that this form should be completed and submitted to Emerald Isle EMS well in advance of impending disasters. If you or your family member are not already on this list, please take the time today to register.

Contact Emerald Isle EMS at 252-354-2249 if you have additional questions, or would like to register with the Medically Fragile list.

Please note, this registration service was previously handled through Carteret County Emergency Services. If you previously signed up through the County, you will need to register with Emerald Isle EMS.

The Town of Emerald Isle is offering a subscription program to help offset the cost of an ambulance transport. This optional annual subscription of $50 covers the direct costs of ambulance services not paid by your insurance. The $50 covers two people: the head of household, along with one other person. You may include others living in the household for an additional $10 each. Your subscription begins two days after receipt of application, payment, and acceptance by the Town of Emerald Isle's Fire/EMS Department and expires on June 30th, 2023. There will be no refunds for cancelled or forfeited memberships.

Memberships will transfer, and provide identical coverage protection, once the Fire/EMS departments merge in 2023. Sign up today for this service.

Please note, any subscriptions done prior to June 30 have expired. This program runs from July 1 - June 30, with the Town's fiscal year.

You can register online for the subscription program or call the EMS Department at 252-354-2249 to complete the information over the phone.

The Town of Emerald Isle is now seeking a Firefighter/Paramedic to help serve our community in the Emerald Isle Fire Department.

Do you, or someone you know, want to work alongside a great team in a beach town?

Are you interested in working on the ambulance, fire truck and with the Ocean Rescue Lifeguards?

A strong applicant will be a certified paramedic with NC firefighter credentials, or the ability to obtain firefighter certifications by July 1, 2024.

This position includes a potential annual salary of $58,338, inclusive of overtime, paid holidays, a longevity bonus, a 48/96 schedule, and more.

View the full job description and apply online to be considered.

The Town of Emerald Isle has a number of official online platforms you can use to stay connected to the latest news, upcoming events, the Parks and Recreation monthly calendars, our live beach and traffic cameras, and more.

You can also view the monthly Board of Commissioners meetings, which are live streamed on our Facebook page. These meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m.

Follow us on the following platforms:

On Fridays we share pictures from the community - and we need your help. Send your best Emerald Isle pictures to Anna Smith, Town Clerk/Public Information Officer, at asmith@emeraldisle-nc.org for consideration. Please include "Friday Features" in the subject line, and the name of the photographer. You can also use #EmeraldIsleNC in your Instagram photos.

Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative (CCEC) began right-of-way maintenance along Coast Guard Road and Highway 58 (from Joel Lane to Pier Point Drive) in Emerald Isle on Monday, November 28. Maintenance is scheduled to last for several weeks. For the safety of cooperative employees, contractors, and the public, please slow down and safely move over when you see crews working.

CCEC has an obligation to provide safe, reliable energy to all its member-owners. An integral step in meeting that requirement is regular maintenance of power lines, equipment and vegetation within the rights-of-way. We have a three-year right-of-way maintenance program, that is designed to prevent outages and provide safe access to our equipment, while balancing economic costs and environmental concerns.

CCEC has contracted Temples Tree Service to manage vegetation in our rights-of-way. If you have any questions, please contact the cooperative at 252-247-3107.

BBWC Customers,

If planning on leaving your home for an extended period of time, evacuating for a hurricane or winterizing your home, please be sure to cut off your water at your customer cut off valve.

Most customer cut off valves are located in a green box close to BBWC's black meter box near the street. If you need help locating your customer cut off valve, please call our office and we can schedule for a technician to come out and mark your box with flags.

Note: Any repairs or replacement needed for the customer cut off valve are the responsibility of the customer. Please call a plumber.

As always, thank you for being our valued customers!