In Paradise On Paradise: Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival, Oriental, NC (Oct. 8-16)

The after effects of Hurricane Matthew had more of an impact on our travels than the storm itself. Power outages and high water levels closed the waterways to navigation for an extended period. Thankfully, our stay in Portsmouth was without drama and we had the opportunity to enjoy both it and Norfolk. We took advantage of the inexpensive ferry service to make multiple trips to Norfolk. Jim visited the battleship Wisconsin and Naval Museum and Debby enjoyed the MacArthur Mall. We met a delightful couple from Erie, PA with a sistership to PARADISE, and enjoyed exchanging experiences.

Battleship Wisconsin

The flood gates were finally opened on Oct 12, so there was a mass exodus of boats heading south. Our objective was to get to Oriental by Nov. 14 where we had long standing reservations coincident with the Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival. We stopped overnight in Coinjock and Belhaven. In Belhaven we had dinner at Spoonriver, a well known and popular farm-to-table restaurant. The night we were there was the first they were open since the hurricane. Unfortunately, we were disappointed with our meal and expressed it to the waitress. Almost immediately the husband and wife owners came to see what could be done to make us happy. They went beyond all expectations to make up for the chef’s failure which included a bottle of wine to take home. As we were the last to leave we got a picture with the entire staff.

Staff of Spoonriver
Owners are at each end

Sunrise in Belhaven

On arrival in Oriental we were saddened with the news that one of our long standing friends in town had died in July. Bob and Betty Brown were the first couple we met in this town on a trip in 2009. Bob was fixture at the Tiki Bar, and a friend to all he met. He is missed.

It is amazing that one week after Matthew its effects are still being felt throughout North Carolina. Sections of I-95 and US 70 remain closed due to flooding and the water level in Oriental did not crest until Saturday, one week after the hurricane.

Flooded street in Oriental

Can you pick out PARADISE in the flood?

The third annual “Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival” was all it was hyped up to be. On Saturday 33 musical groups performed on 20 different porches throughout town. Playing everything from gospel to bluegrass to rock it culminated with a great performance by The Carmonas at the end of the day. For further enjoyment there was a classic car show, food court and village market. We love Oriental!