FREE TO THE PUBLIC | FOOD TRUCKS | BEER & WINE PERMITTED (21+)
Don’t forget to head down to the Crystal Coast this weekend for the Emerald Isle Beach Music Festival! Some of the biggest names in the business will be coming to help you dance the day away in a place we consider paradise.
A Brief History of the Emerald Isle Beach Music Festival
For many years throughout the 80’s and 90’s this Festival brought a big crowd over to this small beach community just before the official start of the Summer season. It was held at the Holiday Trav-L-Park Resort, but the increase in business was evident throughout Carteret County. Ultimately, the festival grew to the point where it was no longer feasible to please everyone.
After a brief hiatus, the town and some dedicated local sponsors decided it had been long enough. Last year marked the revival of the festival and an estimated crowd of over 9,000 was there to bear witness. It was a brutally hot summer day in the end of August, but the crowd stuck it out until the very end. Overall, it was noted as a great day with some positive feedback on ways to improve for the future.
11 AM- 5 PM on Saturday, September 30th
This year, town officials decided to push the festival date back into the end of September- hoping that we’d get some of that beautiful Fall weather we all know and love. The forecast looks like we’ll get just what the doctor ordered, with temperatures in the mid 70’s throughout most of the afternoon. A slight shower is possible, but anyone whose ever spent time in EI knows you can’t let a little chance of rain spoil your fun. The music will kick-off at 11 AM with MC Sammy O’ Banion starting the party. The Fantastic Shakers, Band of Oz, Too much Sylvia, and The Embers will round out the afternoon, while Ken Knox and the Chairmen of the Board provide finishing touches. If you’ve never had the pleasure of hearing any of these bands in person, here’s your chance.
Come Early and Hungry
It might not be a bad idea to hit the beach earlier than normal because this event is sure to draw a crowd. The good news is, you won’t have to pack a sandwich because there will be plenty of delicious Mobile Food Vendors available for you to enjoy. Bring some cash and grab a bite when your stomach starts growling. There should be plenty of choices for all appetites including fresh seafood, the ever popular Dank Burrito, and some sweet treats for dessert. T-shirts will also be For Sale in the entry-way space by the Volleyball courts. Beer and wine are permitted for those who are of the legal age, but liquor will be prohibited.
Parking
Handicapped parking will be available at the big parking lot next to the Islander (101 Islander Dr).
The town will allow parking along the grass of Hwy 58 (Emerald Dr.) Please park diagonally to accommodate more vehicles and ensure everyone will be able to get out safely. If you’re lucky enough to call Emerald Isle home, you can walk or hop on a bike and hit the multiuse path to avoid traffic.
Come Say Hey!
If you’re coming into town and not yet lucky enough to call Emerald Isle home, stop by our Sales office at 200 Mangrove Dr. across from CVS. We will have some of our dedicated Real Estate Agents On-Duty, ready to help find the perfect property for you! Office open Saturday 9 AM- 5 PM, Sunday 1 PM- 5 PM
The Tams may have said it best: “Be Young, Be Foolish, but Be Happy”
Envoy the Emerald Isle Beach Music Festival, but please remember to leave the beach cleaner than you found it 🙂
Carteret County Association of REALTORS® Awards Ceremony
/in Real Estate /by Amanda GrayAgents & Offices Recognized as Top Producers
Last Thursday at The Country Club of the Crystal Coast, the Carteret County Association of REALTORS® held their Annual Awards Banquet. It was a beautiful evening and a great way for the entire dedicated group of real estate professionals to celebrate all of their hard-work throughout 2017. Dinner and cocktails were served early in the evening, followed by the awards presentation and the evening was rounded out with dancing.
Platinum Level Offices
For the 2nd year in a row, both our Emerald Isle & Atlantic Beach Offices were awarded with the Platinum Level status, which is the highest attainable achievement for an office. To qualify, an office must have had at least 170 sides or more than $40 million in Total Sales Volume. Both of our office locations finished in the Top 5 of all offices that are active members of the regional association. Our Emerald Isle Office represented clients on 293.5 sides, with over $88 million in volume for an average Sale Price of over $300,000. Atlantic Beach had one of their strongest years ever, producing almost $59.5 million in 206 sides, for an average Sold Price of $288,583. Combined, the 2 offices accounted for over 8% of the total Volume produced in our area.
Kitch Ayre- Gold Level Status
Kitch Ayre- a consistent Top Producer within not only our company, but also our county- was presented as a Gold Level agent through our local REALTOR® association. She produced over $15.8 million in 2017 and represented clients in over 45 sides. With an average Sales price over $350,000, Kitch is well known as a true professional in the local luxury real estate market. Congratulations Kitch on another outstanding year to be proud of!
Lorna Riggs- Silver Level Status
Lorna Riggs had an incredible year, producing over $12 million in 28.5 sides for an average Sales Price over $425,000. These are numbers to be proud of, and proves that Lorna’s dedication to serving her clients’ best interested is well worth it. We are so happy to have Lorna and her husband Ray as part of our Bluewater family. They are true team players and always searching for new and innovative ways to provide the most excellent real estate service.
Ron Webb- Rookie Production Award
Ron Webb, one of the newest additions to our Bluewater family, was pleasantly surprised to hear his name called as Rookie of the Year. He was responsible for over $2.5 million in Sales Volume- which led the way for newly licensed agents that joined the local association within the last 18 months. Ron marks the 3rd consecutive Rookie of the Year from Bluewater offices- which is a great example in the training and goal setting programs available to our new agents. Laina Collins, of our Emerald Isle office & Jim Bailey, from Atlantic Beach are the other two previous Rookie of the Year Award recipients.
Congratulations to all award winners on another great year and Thank You to the hardworking team and volunteers that represents our local association office. Also thank you to Luis Robles of Main St. Studios for providing us the photos from this event!
Snow Day on the Crystal Coast
/in Vacation Rental /by Amanda Gray2018 Snow Day on the Crystal Coast
We don’t get snow very often on the Crystal Coast, but when we do we make the most of. The white powder along the coast makes for a beautiful photo and great memories. Check out our photos from our January 2018 snow fall . If you are local or vacationing with us, we would love to see your photos as well!
Agents Recognized by Regional Association
/in Real Estate /by Amanda GrayDecember 7th, 2017 was a great day to be a part of the Bluewater family. The Carteret County Association of REALTORS® held their annual awards banquet and New Board member Installation meeting. 132 total members gathered together on a beautiful day at the Coral Bay Club in Atlantic Beach to celebrate the accomplishments of their fellow peers.
Bebbie Quinones
Bebbie, from our Atlantic Beach office, was awarded with the Professional Service Award. This recognition is a true testaments to Bebbie’s commitment to provide exceptional customer service for all parties involved. The Professional Service Award is voted on and given to a REALTOR® who goes above and beyond to do whatever it takes to see a sales transaction through. With over 25 years of experience in the sales and customer service industry, it’s easy to see why the award is well deserved. As a successful business owner, and during the years that she has been a licensed broker, Bebbie has utilized her ability to listen to her clients needs, and go the extra mile for every Client. She relocated to Carteret County 11 years ago from San Diego, California. She has been married to her husband Joe of 38 years and together they have 2 married Daughters and 8 Grandchildren. Congratulations to Bebbie!
Stephanie Ross
Stephanie, who is also a part of our Atlantic Beach sales office was elected to the Carteret Sounty Association of REALTORS® Board of Directors. Stephanie will serve as the Director for the Atlantic Beach area and will help the board with various duties including: Making policy decisions consistent with governing documents, Identifying important community issues, adopting the annual operational budgets, and serving as the appeal body for any Ethics hearings. We are so proud of Stephanie for stepping up and challenging herself to help our local REALTOR® Association grow to its full potential. Congratulations Stephanie!
Stephanie Ross is shown in the far left of this photo with the newly appointed Board of Directors.
Marcia Jordan from our Emerald Isle Office was also represented during the inauguration of the new Board President, Norma Wagaman. There is a ceremonial ‘passing of the gavel’ that she is always proud to be a part of.
Congratulations again to our team members, Bebbie and Stephanie- and Best of Luck in your future endeavors! Keep up the great work.
Who’s Who on our Coast
/in Vacation Rental /by Amanda GrayGuess Who Stayed with Us?
We have been very busy on our Coast! We have hosted quite a few social media influences in the Travel space recently and we would love to show off all their explorations. If you would like to learn more about their stays check out our Pinterest Board with links to all they showcased during their travel and vacation time with us. We hope to host even more in the near future to help share this beautiful Crystal Coast we call home – and many call their home away from home!
Are you a travel influencer? Are you interested in partnering with us? We’d love to know!
2017 Sea Turtle Season
/in Vacation Rental /by Amanda GrayLoggerhead Season Comes To A Close
Sea Turtle season runs from May 1st to October 31st each year. With that being said the 2017 season has ended and we have the final counts for Emerald Isle and Atlantic beach. We hope you enjoy learning about these beautiful animals as much as we do. Here is the data in numbers for you and some great places to learn more. Check back next year for a 2018 season update!
Emerald Isle
19 Nest
8 False Crawls
1881 Estimated Eggs to Date
1394 Hatched Eggs
19 Eggs Lost
1120 Emerged Hatchlings
57.5 Days: Mean Incubation Duration
73.8%: Mean Hatch Success
58.6%: Mean Emergence Success
Atlantic Beach
9 Nest
6 False Crawls
975 Estimated Eggs to Date
915 Hatched Eggs
9 Eggs Lost
799 Emerged Hatchlings
61.1 Days: Mean Incubation Duration
93.9%: Mean Hatch Success
81.7%: Mean Emergence Success
To learn more about these amazing creatures and stay up to date on all the nest Click Here.
Kindness Rocks
/in Vacation Rental /by Amanda GrayKindness Rocks
The Adventures of Jett & Dash
So we have River rocks at the front of all of our office doors, and there are some very large ones. We have found that our guests enjoy finding our smaller rocks and making them into kindness rocks. We have so many employees that have lucked up and spotted some lovely gifts from our vacationers. In the video to the right you can see a few that we have discovered 🙂
So naturally, I as a mom wanted Jett to experience this phenomana taking the nation by storm. Jett actually was the one who found the pink rock that says “Hope Anchors the Soul” at our favorite park Pirate’s Den Park in downtown Swansboro. So after the storm and while at the beach filiming my co-worker’s rocks, I collected the giant shells that were washed up because I thought these would also be perfect painting mediums.
This Wednesday was the big day. We painted….or better yet we made a few MESSY masterpieces.
We started off so well. Look at these pictures. He could be a genuine Picasso. He was staying on his rock, dipping his paint brush in responsibly and cleaning it in the water cup after each color…sort-of. (see #Responsible Jett below) But, the almost 2 year old in him took a wild turn. See the aftermath below.
All in all our kindness rocks turned out so cute. Now we have to see where we will leave them to brighten up an unsuspecting strangers day!
Note: Be sure to polyurethane spray your rocks prior to painting so the rocks do not soak up all your paint. Then spray them again after you are done so they withstand the weather.
ALSO use washable paints, like the crayola kit we used, so you can easily soap down your now colorful child and make them squeaky clean.
Visit our pinterest board for ideas on how and what to paint on your kindness rocks!
2017 Emerald Isle Beach Music Festival
/in Real Estate /by Amanda GrayFREE TO THE PUBLIC | FOOD TRUCKS | BEER & WINE PERMITTED (21+)
Don’t forget to head down to the Crystal Coast this weekend for the Emerald Isle Beach Music Festival! Some of the biggest names in the business will be coming to help you dance the day away in a place we consider paradise.
A Brief History of the Emerald Isle Beach Music Festival
For many years throughout the 80’s and 90’s this Festival brought a big crowd over to this small beach community just before the official start of the Summer season. It was held at the Holiday Trav-L-Park Resort, but the increase in business was evident throughout Carteret County. Ultimately, the festival grew to the point where it was no longer feasible to please everyone.
After a brief hiatus, the town and some dedicated local sponsors decided it had been long enough. Last year marked the revival of the festival and an estimated crowd of over 9,000 was there to bear witness. It was a brutally hot summer day in the end of August, but the crowd stuck it out until the very end. Overall, it was noted as a great day with some positive feedback on ways to improve for the future.
11 AM- 5 PM on Saturday, September 30th
This year, town officials decided to push the festival date back into the end of September- hoping that we’d get some of that beautiful Fall weather we all know and love. The forecast looks like we’ll get just what the doctor ordered, with temperatures in the mid 70’s throughout most of the afternoon. A slight shower is possible, but anyone whose ever spent time in EI knows you can’t let a little chance of rain spoil your fun. The music will kick-off at 11 AM with MC Sammy O’ Banion starting the party. The Fantastic Shakers, Band of Oz, Too much Sylvia, and The Embers will round out the afternoon, while Ken Knox and the Chairmen of the Board provide finishing touches. If you’ve never had the pleasure of hearing any of these bands in person, here’s your chance.
Come Early and Hungry
It might not be a bad idea to hit the beach earlier than normal because this event is sure to draw a crowd. The good news is, you won’t have to pack a sandwich because there will be plenty of delicious Mobile Food Vendors available for you to enjoy. Bring some cash and grab a bite when your stomach starts growling. There should be plenty of choices for all appetites including fresh seafood, the ever popular Dank Burrito, and some sweet treats for dessert. T-shirts will also be For Sale in the entry-way space by the Volleyball courts. Beer and wine are permitted for those who are of the legal age, but liquor will be prohibited.
Parking
Handicapped parking will be available at the big parking lot next to the Islander (101 Islander Dr).
The town will allow parking along the grass of Hwy 58 (Emerald Dr.) Please park diagonally to accommodate more vehicles and ensure everyone will be able to get out safely. If you’re lucky enough to call Emerald Isle home, you can walk or hop on a bike and hit the multiuse path to avoid traffic.
Come Say Hey!
If you’re coming into town and not yet lucky enough to call Emerald Isle home, stop by our Sales office at 200 Mangrove Dr. across from CVS. We will have some of our dedicated Real Estate Agents On-Duty, ready to help find the perfect property for you! Office open Saturday 9 AM- 5 PM, Sunday 1 PM- 5 PM
The Tams may have said it best: “Be Young, Be Foolish, but Be Happy”
Envoy the Emerald Isle Beach Music Festival, but please remember to leave the beach cleaner than you found it 🙂
Emerald Isle Annual Day4Kids
/in Vacation Rental /by Amanda GrayThe Adventures of Jett and Dash
With a toddler and a newborn, I can not stress to you enough how much we need to get out and about to stimulate big brother and tire him out so we can focus on the littlest. Every weekend I am looking for something to do to stimulate him and make him happy. Last weekend was no different. We packed up the car and headed to the Annual Emerald Isle Day4Kids, held every 3rd Saturday in September
Polish Water Ice furnished 400 samples of their delicious treats. Needless to say, that was my big kid with the giant sweet tooth, AKA Daddy’s first stop.
The first 100 kiddos to the Emerald Isle Day4Kids got a t-shirt, so of course, we tried to leave the house early. But with two under 2 that was a no-go. The event started at 10 and we arrived at 10:15 and there were NO MORE FREE SHIRTS. That is how well the event was going. It was a nice outing that you could do for an hour or so and go on about your Saturday. No-fuss no muss.
Emerald Isle Day4Kids participating companies/ organizations were asked to have 400 free items to give away to the kids –
Coffee Season on the Crystal Coast
/in Vacation Rental /by Amanda GrayCoffee Season on the Crystal Coast
To me, coffee is an everyday thing, to some coffee starts with the fall. Many people choose to have coffee when the fall chill starts and continues into the winter months. For me, coffee season on the Crystal Coast is pumpkin spiced lattes and hot coffee. This switches up my daily summer coffee scene of frozen coffee and iced lattes. There are so many ways to enjoy coffee and if you’re a local or a vacationer, the Crystal Coast has many small coffee shops to try out.
If you are not a coffee drinker, these shops also have drinks and snacks for you as well. One even welcomes dogs and provides pup-a-chinos for your furry friend! Browse these small businesses and don’t forget to always shop local. Feel free to let me know what your favorite coffee is, I am always open to trying new things.
Crystal Coast Coffee Roasters – 1513 Bridges Street, Morehead City
A local coffee roasting company delivering freshly roasted specialty coffees from around the world. Crystal Coast Coffee Roasters aims to provide the finest specialty coffee through direct relationships with coffee lovers. They bring joy through coffee and discover, source, and roast the highest quality coffee directly for their customers.
4 J’s Cafe and Bake Shop – 8802 Reed Drive, Emerald Isle
Gourmet cappuccinos, lattes, macchiatos, coffees, and teas in a quaint and relaxing cafe! Come and meet Joe, owner of 4 J’s! Joe is originally from New York. If you live on the Crystal Coast or just call it home for a week, once a year, stop in and say hello to Joe and 4 J’s group of friendly baristas.
The Infusion Cafe – 1012 Arendell Street, Morehead City
The Infusion Cafe is dedicated to sharing their knowledge of the teas and coffees that they carry. They have over 100 world infusions, including teas, rooibos, mates, fruit infusions, herbals, and numerous freshly roasted single-origin coffees! Their menu has a variety of hand-crafted items including salads, sandwiches, soups, quiche, desserts, and scones.
K9s and Coffee – 8101 Emerald Drive, Emerald Isle
Have you ever sat back and thought “All I want to do is drink coffee and pet my dog”? Well, now you can! Their mission at K9s and Coffee is to provide a place you can hang out with your best friend whether they have fur or not. They call themselves pet friendly, but your furbabies are not just tolerated here – they are truly welcome! In addition to being a coffee shop serving some of the best lattes, smoothies, and baked goods around, they are also a pet supply store! Come by, grab a cup of coffee, spend time on their porch swings or rockers while your furry family member enjoys snacking on bully sticks! Their motto is “Paws and enjoy life” and they are there to help you do just that.
Do you have a favorite coffee shop on the Crystal Coast? Let us know in the comments!