Tuesday, August 31, 2010

A Poplar Grove Wedding

Pam Nelson and Trevor Balogh's beautiful August 14th wedding. Photography by Crystal Genes, from Charlotte. The music was a gift to guests at the reception. Click here http://crystalgenes.net/#/balogh/

Friday, August 20, 2010

Pender County Tourism Video

Pender County Tourism produced a wonderful video of Poplar Grove for their website http://www.visitpender.com/

Thursday, August 12, 2010

30th Anniversary, The Artful Peanut, Art Show, Farming, Hammer In,



It was a beautiful day inside and out. The manor house offered a one day, special Anniversary Tour relating the story of Poplar Grove and peanuts. Creative Artists of Hampstead held an art show inside the Cultural Arts Center and on the lawn. Demonstrations and book signings took place throughout the day. Be sure to catch photos of the replica of a 19th century working wood shop made by the Wilmington Area Woodturners. It's amazing! Folks had a chance to sample boiled peanuts, a new taste experience for many. Stories were told and visitors learned a lot about peanut farming. Volunteers gave out more freebies (courtesy of the National Peanut Board). The Artist Blacksmith Association of North America held a Hammer In in the blacksmith shop.

The Artful Peanut, Saturday, July 31st, Opening Ceremony



Opening Ceremony at 9:30AM Poplar Grove Director Nancy Simon introduced speakers: Congressman Mike McIntyre, National Peanut Board Member Dan Ward and Pender County Tourism Director Monique Baker. Mr. Ivey Hayes, North Carolina's own (and favorite) artist unveiled "Peanut Harvest" and signed works sold in the gift shop. Cindy Rhodes played the hammered dulcimer throughout the day, a beautiful accompaniment. Incredibly creative bakeries Half Baked Confections, La Gemma, and Sugar on Front Street offered peanut butter banana tarts, cheesecakes and treats to die for. The Carolina Peanuts booth was HQ for peanut lovers. Volunteers passed out free t-shirts and other goodies, provided by the National Peanut Board. Anniversary cake donated by Sugar on Front Street.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Peanut-iest Day in the South



Saturday, July 31, Poplar Grove celebrated 30 years of being open to the public. These are the first photos from The Artful Peanut. So many people and organizations worked to make it a great day. Watch for more posts next week.

The Peanut-est Day in the South was generously supported by the North Carolina Peanut Growers Association, the National Peanut Board and the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. Thanks to their contributions visitors received free t-shirts, Nutty McBuddys and more plus, Poplar Grove now has a beautiful new display in the Forrest Lewis Building. Dan Ward, Danny McDuffie, Wilbur Ward and John Spruill educated visitors throughout the day.

A big thank you to the folks who worked behind the scenes: Bob Sutter and Betsy Owens of the North Carolina Peanut Growers Association(people really enjoyed taking their photos in the "field"), Maria Mehok of the National Peanut Board, Tim Evans of Golden Grove (best peanut bars on earth!) and of course, Ivey Hayes who beautifully depicted the peanut harvest.

North Carolina Peanut Growers Association, Chief Executive Officer Bob Sutter

with the new display.