SOCIALLY SPEAKING

When I came up with the idea to publish a small guide for the 250 celebration my original idea for a four page newsletter grew. There was more ‘good news’ than I expected.  

I can’t express how thankful I am to everyone who has stopped me on the street or in a store and offered kind words about the printed issue of The Edenton Social Light.  

As we can tell from the amount of cars downtown and the people enjoying the town’s retailers that Thanksgiving  will once again bring many Edenton families  together. It’s the beginning of the Holiday Season. Speaking from experience, the Christmas Season in Edenton ranks high among those in other charming renowned communities.  

Edenton’s Community calendar is full. Make sure to take a look and download ours, it has a list of events that will warm your heart and bring good cheer to your soul.  

If you on a tour of town over the weekend, stop by Surf, Wind and Fire and see if you can catch the large fish on the retailers wall. On Sunday, December 1, Surf, Wind and Fire is hosting another Downtown Sunday event. Stop by, listen to tunes, enjoy some food from the variety of trucks and catch a fish for two.  

Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Karen Foley

Destination Downtown Edenton, now doing business as Main Street Edenton, is an award winning program dedicated to preserving and enhancing the charm, vitality, and economic health of historic downtown Edenton. We work to support existing businesses, recruit new investment, and foster a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere for both residents and visitors.

Our programs and initiatives focus on four pillars: Economic Vitality, Design, Organization, and Promotion. Through Economic Vitality, we support the growth of local businesses by offering resources such as data analytics and business development services, organizing networking opportunities, and advocating for the needs of our entrepreneurs. We also actively work to recruit new businesses and investments that complement our downtown’s unique character, creating job opportunities and ensuring long-term sustainability.

Our team collaborates with property owners and local government to maintain the beauty and historic integrity of our downtown through Design initiatives. We actively advocate and review downtown policies and offer a Façade Grant program to ensure our historic downtown maintains it’s charm. Organization focuses on bringing together volunteers, community leaders, and partners to foster a unified vision for Edenton’s future. We work in lock step with the local Tourism Authority, Chamber of Commerce, Historical Commission and Edenton Chowan Partnership to ensure we have aligned vision for Edenton’s future. Finally, through our Promotions work, we host events like Boogie on Broad and the Sounds of Summer Concert series, showcasing Edenton as a lively hub of activity and culture.

Main Street Edenton is proud to serve as a bridge between Edenton’s storied past and its bright future, where businesses thrive, visitors feel welcomed, and the community gathers. Join us in our mission to make downtown Edenton a place that’s vibrant, inclusive, and unmistakably unique.

Ches Chesson is the Executive Director Main Street Edenton.

The holiday season took little time in getting here. Last week signified it is upon us.  

The annual 43 year Candlelight Tour this weekend will bring locals and visitors to Edenton to view a dozen or so historic homes decked out in Christmas cheer. 

As we begin our holiday shopping, let’s look to our downtown merchants who work tirelessly to fill their stores with items on your shopping list.  Shopping locally benefits the entire community. It builds relationships within town and helps support the local economy. Spending our dollars at shops and restaurants helps keep Edenton healthy. You may be surprised at the interesting items you will find.  The friendly service can’t be beat by big box retailers or online shopping. In most cases, you will be greeted by the local shop owner who has invested in Edenton with their heart, soul and money to make Edenton the special place we all call home. Reciprocating with your patronage is your gift to them.

I received an email last week from a reader who enjoyed her shopping experience downtown. I thought it would be terrific to share. 

"Found the paper at the Diner on Broad and LOVE it! Good writing, good content, good editing and enjoyable reading. A week ago  I decided to start the horrendous task of shopping for our large family(37)and starting my annual mantra, I hate the mall, I hate shopping. I took a walk downtown hoping I might find something to jumpstart my shopping list and I’m so excited to tell you this. I bought every single gift, from babies on up, on Broad Street in Edenton. In every store I had personal service; the clerks, totally familiar with their stock and inventory, are happy to have me in their store and care that I’m there. Some even offered to gift wrap my purchases. Most offered to carry my bags to the car, which happened to be parked in front of the store, or within the block. (Totally unnecessary, but what a lovely offering.) what a lovely shopping day that was, and did I mention, gifts weren’t made in China? Turns out, I really don’t hate shopping! I love our town. Shop local! Thanks for the nice publication. Merry Christmas."

Her kind words ring out to all the merchants making this holiday season so special.
Take a shopping break and catch a fish in front of the mural on King St. It will make a great holiday fish story. 

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy New Year.  We have much to be thankful for in our special community.    

Karen Foley

Kids, dogs, adults and Deere on Broad St. was a wonderful site. 

It was a weekend that will be remembered as thousands of locals and visitors gathered in Edenton on Saturday morning to watch the annual Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade. The weather, almost balmy, provided sunny skies and just the right amount of briskness to make warm hats, scarves and blankets appropriate.  

The overflow crowd at the Edenton Coffee Shop and the Broad St. Diner along with the hundreds of folks that took advantage of the Christmas Farmer Market filled the sidewalks  in preparation of marching bands, fabulous floats and a parade of tractors that would have made John Deere proud. For those less enthused about tractors, John Deere was born in Rutland Vermont in 1804, became a Blacksmith and developed the first steel scouring plow and founded the company in 1837. Many Edenton farmers are fond of the Deere brand  apparent from the parade of big wheeled Deere on Broad St. 

It wouldn’t be a parade without the judges, the curbside sitters, dogs,  horses and of course, fire trucks, and the tractor parade along with cameras to capture the warm, joyful expressions of the crowd. 

I had a terrific day photographing the parade of children and dogs and after the parade cleared, watching the shops overflow with customers. 

It was an amazing weekend of constant activity. 

While the Chamber of Commerce and the Edenton's Historical Commission sponsored the weekend events, the volunteers and town workers that diligently worked behind the scenes to make everything happen play a major roll in making milestone weekends. 

I would image the town crew, the police department, town officials and everyone involved in the events would appreciate a standing ovation for the great work they contribute throughout the year, and especially on the weekends of added activity. 

Whenever you see these dedicated individuals, offer them a Merry Christmas for helping to make ours, and so many visitor's holiday season Merry. Thank you all.

KF.

It looks like 2025 is going to be a great year for Edenton.  Downtown is looking more vibrant and healthier than it has in years. The retailers were bustling all holiday season with both locals and visitors choosing Edenton as their shopping destination.  The Cupola House interior has returned home from the Brooklyn Museum and the reinstallation of the original woodwork has begun.  The Albemarle Queen is getting its sea-legs with themed dinner cruises. Also, the four empty retail spaces on Broad Street are under renovation with exciting new retail experiences ahead. We can stop into the Farmers Market Saturdays all winter for local honey and baked goods which doesn’t happen in most towns our size. Downtown even has a cigar bar, for the so inclined. Edenton is also home to the Chowan Senior Center, one of only two ‘excellent’ ranked centers in all of Eastern North Carolina.

Edenton has managed to embrace its historic preservation efforts while staying on-trend with innovation. It’s amazing  you now can improve your golf game without leaving the city limits.  Drop the kids off at the Taylor Theatre to see a newly released movie and get in a round of golf on the second floor of the theatre at TaylorGolf. I can think of a number of situations where the gals go shopping and the guys spend time improving their game.  Edenton continues to evolve with unique services and experience for both our residents and visitors alike making it a top destination in eastern North Carolina. 

As we look at neighboring municipalities throughout the region, we must be proud of the targeted focus and integrity used in maintaining Edenton's prosperous downtown.

Preserving the past while embracing the future is always a tricky balance to obtain and even more difficult to maintain. 

Thanks to the efforts of community leaders Edenton's history melds perfectly with it's  progressiveness making the destination a coastal fascination.  What a wonderful time to live in the south's prettiest small town.

KF.

Yes, it’s been cold in Edenton. The dampness of Albemarle Sound makes it especially bone chilling. Even the dogs don’t want to take a walk.  

Following a marvelous holiday season where the streets of Edenton were buzzing with shoppers, it’s now time to welcome the chilly few months of winter and Edenton’s hibernation season. What’s there to do is the question on everyone’s mind.  

Here are ten tips that may help you to get out of the house...

What a great time to catch up on a good book. Did you know that Kingstreet Marketplace has a gently used book store with historical books as well as many best sellers, just waiting to jump into your hands to share a story or two with you.

Get into the ‘Swing of Things’ by teeing up at the Taylor Theater. My husband and I just took a tour of the golf simulator and were very impressed. Plus the beer and wine at the clubhouse -  downstairs at the concession stand - can be enjoyed with a White Castle and a bag of popcorn.  Here’s your chance to learn to golf or improve your swing. You’ll be all set for that first good day of spring.

Play inside Pickleball. If you are a member of Chowan Senior Center, join in the fun. Both beginners and experienced players are welcome to play at the Walker Gym twice weekly. 

It may be cold outside but Edenton is blessed with many sunny winter days.  Don’t forget the Edenton Farmers Market is open every Saturday. Support those local vendors who are there to serve you whether warm or chilly. Many of the summer vendor's products are available inside the market shop.

Visit the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library. It offers so much more than just books. They have a great group of current magazines and a comfortable chair, just waiting for you. You can also access their historical files to thumb through some of Edenton’s interesting history.

Many of the merchants are in their back rooms cleanup and stocking new spring inventory. If you walk in and don’t see your favorite merchant, give a hello shout out.  

Too cold to walk outside?  Jump on a treadmill at one of the three gyms in Edenton.  You can read about them in our health section.  

Warm the car and drive to the Museum  of the Albamarle in Elizabeth City . Enjoy meandering through the art while getting t inspired.  Don’t feel like driving that far, visit Chowan Art Council and view art from the many talented local artists gracing the serene, enjoyable space. 

They say life's a chess game. It is on Tuedsays at the Chowan Senior Center's weekly chess game series. You don’t have to be a senior to play some worthy senior opponents. Stop in. Kris Bateman of Downtown Roots is a regular participant and many seniors claim his game is as good as his sandwiches. Give them a call for times @ 482-2242.

A note about the chilly...We found many things shocking when we left Manhattan for Minneapolis in 1988.  During our first winter, in 1989 we saw the temperatures dip to negative double digits. The following year, the winter was so warm residents were parading in bathing suits and the Winter Carnival Ice Festival was replaced with a sand castle competition.  

Although the sand castle temperatures hovered around 32 degrees, similar to what they are in Edenton currently, there are no outdoor sandcastle competitions currently scheduled for downtown Edenton.

Not to worry. Spring will be here soon . I am looking forward to seeing all of the town dogs walking their owners down Broad St. 

We'll have a very exciting dog announcement news as soon as the cold weather (paws's, had to do it) and becomes dog walkable again. 

Enjoy the week.

Karen Foley