EmeraldFest Concert Series Kicks Off June 15
The 2017 EmeraldFest Concert Series kicks off on Thursday, June 15 at 6:30 pm at the Western Ocean Regional Access!
Free outdoor concerts will be held each Thursday evening throughout the summer!  Bring your blanket or chair, and come on out and enjoy some great music with us!
Free concerts are also offered in Swansboro each Sunday evening throughout the summer.  Check out the EmeraldFest and SwanFest lineups at http://www.seasideartscouncil.com/ .

The EIPHC will be Phlash Phlocking at Salt Bar on Thursday, June 8, 2017. Let’s all come out and welcome new owner, Sean to the island family officially!! Sean was a great supporter of the Beach Bike Poker Run and this will be a fantastic way to show our gratitude. Thursday night is shaping up to be a fun filled event with live reggae music by TreeHouse, Patron and Bacardi reps on premise and DOGS welcome!! I’m sure Annie, Bennett, Bouy, Mahi, and Tierney will be checking out the theory that “dogs relax to reggae”. The music starts at 9:00 pm. So grab your best buddy (human or four legged) and head out to Salt Bar to show them how we “Party with a Purpose”. Hope to see everyone there.

WOW! What a month the EIPHC had in May. The Beach Bike Poker Run was a huge success with our biggest crowd and the most money raised in the history of the event. The month has flown by, and I’ll use that as my excuse for this Phlocking information being so late. You know the Parrot Heads just keep right on “Partying with a Purpose” so get ready to join us on Friday, June 2nd at the E-Club for our monthly gathering. The PHUN will begin at 7:00 pm and continue until at least 9:00 pm.  If we’re lucky, our new t-shirts unveiling the updated club logo will be available. Don’t hold me to that….but a fellow PH told me that it just might happen. The E-Club will be providing drink specials, yummy food and a great outdoor patio with Cornhole and my favorite Giant Jenga!!

This month we will be raising money for BackPack Friends and providing food to kids in needs on the weekends or over holidays when they are not provided meals at school.   Be sure to bring your food or cash donations and remember the money raised in the 50/50 drawing will also support this GREAT cause.  The following is a list of items included in the bags for students – Each Backpack Contains: 2  vegetable bowls, 2 fruit bowls, 3  meat stews or canned meat, 1 packaged noodles, 2 healthy snacks, 2 breakfast items, 1 peanut butter, 1  jelly,  4  snack crackers, 1 roll toilet paper, and 4 individually wrapped spoons.

Come join us for a guaranteed good time!! Hope to see you there!!

It’s a Parrot Head Fiesta on Friday, May 5th.  Come celebrate Cinco de Mayo with us from 7:00 – 9:00 pm at the Emerald Club.   We will be raising money for The Alzheimer Association with a special auction and our 50/50 raffle.  We are excited to offer 2 bicycles and a very special reclaimed wood table created using wood from our very own Bogue Inlet Pier.  The items have been provided by members and  will be auctioned with all proceeds being donated to our May charity.  As you know, our Beach Bike Poker Run is right around the corner so this is a great opportunity to bid on a new ride for the special day!!  The picture below represents the style of the table that is being made and donated for this special event.  So, mark your calendars and plan to join us…..as always, there will be drink specials, free food and fun with friends!!

Auction Items:

June 17th (sunrise to sunset) – The Longest Day Fundraiser for Alzheimers

The 4th Annual Emerald Isle Sea Turtle Crawl (EISTC) on the beach in EI! We are excited the Emerald Isle Parrot Heads are teaming up with us again this year. The Alzheimer’s Association Longest Day event is a sunrise to sunset event to raise funds and awareness about Alzheimer’s disease. Our chosen event is to walk the beach from sunrise to sunset in a relay fashion and celebrate with a sunset ceremony at the Point (around 8:00pm). It is great fun and a fabulous way to raise money. Finding a way to end Alzheimer’s is a passion that is very close to our hearts and many of us know someone who has been affected by this disease…or will in the future…Now is the time to #endalz We would love for y’all to join us. Here are several ways you can participate:

1. Are you a Parrothead? Of course you are! The EIPHC will support you by a $10 donation when you walk during our sunrise to sunset relay. On Saturday, June 17 you will be scheduled to walk a 2 mile leg of the relay depending on the time of day you want to walk and where you live. As we have done in past years we will have volunteers who can shuttle you from the end of your walk back to your car (EI police allows street parking with our special passes for the day). We find that walking with a larger group brings greater attention to the event. Please invite your family and friends to walk with you. Let us know you will be joining us and we will be in touch with you closer to the walk to let you know the schedule.

2. Fundraise/Donate: Go to https://act.alz.org/goto/EISTC2017 (you may have to copy and paste into your browser if you cannot click on the link). Click on Join our Parrot Head Team and search for Emerald Isle Parrot Head Club (Val Johnson can assist you). There you can donate to the EIPHC team directly. If you want to create your own page for family and friends to donate, when you go to https://act.alz.org/goto/EISTC2017 click on Register. Registration is free. When you register you have the option of purchasing a t-shirt for $5 or $10. When you register you can personalize your own page on the website with your story about living or caring with someone with Alzheimer’s. You can invite friends and family to donate to your page, walk with you or attend one of our fundraisers. And of course we will take cash or check direct donations to the team! BONUS: Any donation of $50 or more will enter the person in the raffle for a stay at Batten the Breeze (courtesy of Emerald Isle Realty)!

3. Attend a Fundraiser: Frosted in Swansboro is holding a Cake Decorating Fundraiser for us on April 25 or May 18 from 7:30-9pm. The cost if $53.50 (tax included) and $15 of each fee will be donated to our team! We are also holding a weekday event on Saturday, May 27 from 5:30-7pm. We can also schedule a painting class with Peggy Poe if anyone would like to paint a swimming Sea Turtle. We can schedule small groups if you have friends or family who want to do the event together. Let me know if you are interested in attending so we can register for the event. These events are open to everyone (not just EI Sea Turtle Patrol).

4. Sponsorship: We are also working on sponsorship signs that will be placed around the town the week before the event and on the day of the event. Show your support and advertise your business as well as your commitment to end Alzheimer’s! Sponsorship of a sign is $50 and we will advertise your business, honor your loved one living with or lost to this disease, or Thank you for your support. Contact Susan Smith (Parrot Head) at 301-802-2121 or susan.seadreams@gmail.com

The EIPHC will be working hard on EARTH DAY to clean up our roads and waterways on Saturday, April 22nd. You can join us by land or by sea for a morning of litter pickup and an afternoon of play. By land, we will be picking up litter from Highway 24 and 58 intersection to the bridge (and a little bit on the other side of the bridge) from 11:00 am to Noon. If you want to help with the highway pickup contact Jean Jensen at 607-759-7159 or email
him at belguimboy@aol.com. The highway pick-up crew will  meet at the Emerald Club at 11 am to collect your bags and other materials.  By sea, please contact Val Johnson at 919-906-6107 or email her at gocoastalgirl@gmail.com to sign up and see if we are still in need of boats, captains and worker bees. UPDATE (4/15/17) THANKS FOR THE GREAT SUPPORT – ALL “BY SEA” SLOTS ARE FILLED AT THIS TIME.  The sound sweep is currently scheduled from 11:00am to 1:00pm. We will have an After Party at Pelican Island when the work is done and the club will provide hot dogs. Sound sweep boat captains will be available to shuttle highway (By Land) workers over to the island to join in the fun. Come out and help keep our “Little Piece of Heaven” clean!!

It’s going the be a beautiful night for a rooftop party….or at least that’s the plan! The Parrot Heads are calling a Phlash Plocking for Wednesday, April 19th at the Torpedo Lounge. Join us for live music and some of the best views on the island. We will be sending out a HUGE THANK YOU to Transportation Impact, our “Presenting Sponsor” for the Beach Bike Poker Run in May. Let’s show up in big numbers to show our gratitude!! Pure T Mommicked will be playing from 6-9 pm and there may even be a special Spring Break beverage to enjoy. The Torpedo Lounge also offers a yummy menu with offerings from Caribsea. This will be a great way to break up the long work week and enjoy some “Hump Day” FUN!!

The EIPHC Beach Bike Poker Run “Big Birds” have been hard at work planning this years FANTASTIC EVENT. The Poker Run is the Parrot Heads’ biggest fundraiser of the year and a great opportunity to experience how we “Party with a Purpose” here on Emerald Isle. This year’s Poker Run will be held on Saturday, May 20th. This is an ADULT ONLY event! Proceeds from the event will go the the Semper Fi Odyssey Children’s Adventure Camp which sends children of injured Marines and Sailors to camp for a week and then provides them with mentoring support throughout their school year. Last years event raised $7200 and brought in 230 riders. The entry fee is $20 and there will be cash prizes for the best poker hand. Prizes will also be awarded for best decorated bikes and costumes in each of the theme categories. This year’s themes are: PHeathered PHriends, PHriends of the Sea and PHoo-PHoo Drinks. Our newly designed EIPHC T-Shirts will also be unveiled and available for purchase. STAY TUNED for additional information concerning sponsors, prizes and event day detail…..COMING SOON!! THIS IS AN EVENT THAT YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS!!