The Emerald Isle St. Patrick's Festival returns on Saturday, March 12, from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. at the Emerald Plantation shopping center. Catch us if you can!

Friday, March 11, will be armband night for the amusement rides. For just $17 per armband, you get unlimited turns on the amusement rides from 5-10 p.m. at Emerald Plantation, behind ACE Hardware. Please note, no food vendors, arts and crafts vendors or alcohol sales will take place Friday evening.

The main event on Saturday features live music, a beer garden, arts and crafts vendors, delicious food and amusement rides. New this year is a sports demonstration by Chain Reaction Sports and professional BMX rider Alex Johann, sponsored by Buy the Beach Realty and South Swell Surf Shop.

Proceeds from the beer garden will benefit the Emerald Isle Business Association. The beer garden will open at 10 a.m. and is open to those who are age 21 and older with valid identification.

There will be a variety of musical acts, including The Mad Fiddler, Spare Change, the Ashley Larue Band, My Three Kilts, Monkia James Band and Heartstop in the main tent. Additional acts will also perform on the Emerald Stage.

The Carteret County Tourism Development Authority is the title sponsor of this year's Emerald Isle St. Patrick's Day Festival. In addition, 34° North Bar in Cedar Point is the presenting sponsor of the 2022 festival.

You can find details on this event on the Town's website and the official Emerald Isle St. Patrick's Day Festival Facebook page.

The Eastern Ocean Regional Access, at 2701 Emerald Drive, will be closed Friday, March 4 through Wednesday, March 9 to the public. The Western Ocean Regional Access will remain open during this time.

The EORA will be closed to provide a special training exercise to the Emerald Isle Fire Department, as well as neighboring departments.

We appreciate your patience and understanding related to this temporary park closure.

The Town of Emerald Isle is seeking applicants for a variety of full-time, part-time and seasonal positions.

You can find full details and applications online at www.emeraldisle-nc.org/employment for the following positions:

Watch our video below about becoming an Emerald Isle Ocean Rescue Lifeguard!

Beach driving season continues through April, and permits are available either online at www.emeraldisle-nc.org/beach-driving or in person at the Police Department, at 7500 Emerald Drive.

Please note, there is a ten-day period around Easter when beach driving is not allowed. Details are listed in the sidebar on the right.

When you apply for a beach driving permit, you will receive an email or phone call when the permit is ready to pick up.

In order to secure a beach driving permit, you will need to watch a short educational video, take the brief quiz and fill out the application form.

The final day of beach driving for this season will be April 30. The new season will begin in September.

The Emerald Isle Fishing Tournament is accepting applications for the 2022 Emerald Isle Tournament scholarships. This year, up to six scholarships, valued at $3,000 apiece, will be awarded.

Application criteria and materials can be found on the Town's website, under the Emerald Isle Fishing Tournament Committee page.

Graduating seniors from Swansboro, Croatan and East and West Carteret high schools and the MaST Early College High School may apply. Applicants must have been accepted by an accredited two-year community or technical college, or a four-year college or university. They must have expressed interest in some aspect of Marine or Coastal Science or Engineering, by planning to major in marine biology, ecology, oceanography, fisheries biology, geology, environmental science, climate change, marine policy, ocean engineering, ship-building, or the chemistry or physics of the ocean. One long-term desire of the Committee is that successful scholarship recipients might return to Eastern/Coastal North Carolina to pursue their post-graduate career.

Eligibility: Any graduating senior from these local high schools with an interest in a marine-related career, except the children of Tournament Committee members.

Applications and supporting documents must be turned in to Mrs. Nicole Rains (Swansboro), Mr. Mark James (Croatan), Ms. Pam Roberson (East), Ms. Melissa Smith (West) or Ms. Lisa Nathan (MaST) no later than April 18, 2022. Scholarship winners will be notified the first week of May.

The Emerald Isle Golf Cart Safety, Rules & Regulations Class is available online. You can find out information concerning this online class and save $25 off your registration/ renewal for 2022 by visiting our website.

To renew for your 2022 registration, you will first watch a video that explains some golf cart rules and regulations, and review the PowerPoint presentation before taking your short test to receive the $25 discount. Once you have taken the test, you will need to fill out and submit the registration application form.

As work continues on the B. Cameron Langston Bridge leading to and from Emerald Isle, the N.C. Department of Transportation’s contractor is allowed to have one lane closed at any time from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 6 p.m. through 6 a.m. Monday through Friday, and at any time on Saturday and Sunday.

Motorists are encouraged to build extra travel time into their commute.

Lane closures will continue through April 8, but will pause March 11-13 for the Emerald Isle St. Patrick's Festival.

Don’t forget, you can always access our series of bridge traffic cameras on our website at EmeraldIsle-nc.org and on the free Emerald Isle, NC app.

The "R U OK?" program offered through the Emerald Isle Police Department is once again available to Town residents.

This is a free service that provides daily phone contact with seniors or homebound residents of Emerald Isle.

For more information please contact Community Resource Officer DeLorme by calling 252-354-2021 or via email at sdelorme@emeraldisle-nc.org.

Emerald Isle EMS will have forms on calls as well, but they will need to be turned into CRO DeLorme. She can pick up the forms if they can’t be brought to the Police Department at 7500 Emerald Drive.

Last month, the Town introduced a new program to address the vegetation needs throughout the community: Call Before You Cut.

The Town is in the process of revising its Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and is taking special care to address vegetation requirements throughout Emerald Isle. The revised UDO will be finalized late Summer 2022.Until then, the Board of Commissioners is taking action at this time to focus on vegetation updates.

Effective immediately, if you plan to prune or remove any trees or vegetation from your property, chances are you will need to secure a permit from the Emerald Isle Planning Department beforehand. Anything that has at least a 3 inch caliper at 36 inches above grade will require a permit.

In order to secure your permit, property owners will need to call the Call Before You Cut number through the Planning Department at 252-354-3338. A Town employee will come to verify the vegetation before a permit can be issued.

In addition, if you see cutting activity and you are concerned it is not in accordance with the Town's guidelines, you can anonymously report it at the same number.

If you have questions, please contact Town Planner Josh Edmondson.

Paid parking will begin on April 15, and two free passes are available for Emerald Isle taxpayers. Paid parking will be at the Eastern and Western Ocean Regional accesses.

In addition, Handicapped/100% Disabled Vet, Purple Heart or Emerald Isle Business Owners are eligible for one free permit. Supporting documentation must be uploaded when applying for this one free permit in these categories.

Parking pass applications will be available online only for the month of March, and will also be available in person starting Friday, April 1. Starting on that date, you can apply at the Emerald Isle Police Department at 7500 Emerald Drive. You will need a current vehicle registration(s) and driver’s license when applying for your permit. If you have questions, please call EIPD at 252-354-2021.

Emerald Isle taxpayers are eligible to receive two annual free parking permits for the Eastern Ocean Regional and Western Ocean Regional accesses. These parking permits will be granted only for vehicles registered in the name of the taxpayer and are non-transferable.

The permit decal must be for the current year and be permanently affixed to the driver’s side windshield. Improper placement of decals may result in paying the parking fee, confiscation or possible citation. Lost or confiscated permits will not be reissued.

Like last year, paid parking will range from $2-$4 per hour, with a maximum amount paid up to four hours. If you stay longer than this, you will only pay the four-hour price.

Get to know our hardworking Town staff! You can find our latest staff feature across our social media feeds. We appreciate all they do, and want to shine a spotlight on their accomplishments.

The following employees were recently acknowledged:

Lace up those sneakers rising sixth and seventh graders!

If you love basketball and want to gain experience training alongside real college basketball players and coaches, Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative will select one young man to attend the Carolina Basketball School at UNC-Chapel Hill and one young woman to attend the Wolfpack Women’s Basketball Camp at NC State University this summer.

The Carolina Basketball School at UNC will take place June 18-22 and the Wolfpack Women’s Basketball Camp will occur June 19-22. All expenses for the overnight camps will be paid by the cooperative. Campers are responsible for their own transportation to and from the camp.

While the physical benefits of playing sports are quite obvious, we’re confident campers will gain new skills that will develop their character and help them excel on and off the court, such as collaborating with teammates, setting goals and establishing new friendships.

Contestants are judged on academic records, extra-curricular activities and the content of two short essays. Applications must be submitted by March 31. Scholarship winners will be announced in May.

To apply, visit www.ccemc.com/SportsCamps.

Did you know? Emerald Isle EMS offers a subscription program to help offset the cost of an ambulance transport. You can view our video for a quick explanation on why this program is beneficial to you and your family.

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 EMS Department and expires on June 30th, 2022. There will be no refunds for cancelled or forfeited memberships.

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

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.

This form is available online on the Town's website.

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 has a number of official online platforms you can use to stay connected to the latest news, 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:

Every Friday 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.