Whew!
It wasn’t easy but we managed to pull off a minor miracle: opening the hospital for tours during "Autumn with Topsail" and putting together another successful Annual Lobster Dinner and Auction the very next weekend.

The less-than-perfect weather during the festival certainly didn’t stop the crowd of over a thousand people from streaming through our doors for a last peek at our turtles. While our volunteers manned the tanks in our year-round uniforms of T-shirts and shorts our visitors came through bundled in coats and hats trying to ward off the wind and cold. Many of them were first-timers who just happened to be in the area and were lucky enough to catch us before we closed (for good) for 2009.

As soon as we closed our hospital doors and packed up our tents (literally) on Sunday we had to switch gears. Away went the T-shirts, hoodies and stuffed turtles and out came the plates, silverware, claw crackers and table decorations for the dinner and auction. In a flurry of activity the Assembly Building was transformed for the big night: over 200 places set and ready, silent auctions items lined up with bid sheets and the stage area packed with a very impressive array of items for the live auction.

Photo left: Our live auction items all went home with happy buyers.

Guests began arriving at 5:30, registered for their paddles and immediately headed to the auction areas to get their game plan together. Old and new friends mingled during the complimentary wine and cheese hour until Jean rang the dinner bell right around 7 PM. Our amazing volunteers in the kitchen, and our backyard chefs were ready when the hungry crowd came through the doors. Things moved quickly as the plates were piled with a huge lobster and all the fixins’. It was an amazing act of juggling as the heavy plates and drinks were snaked back through to tables where they were plunked down and attacked. Shells flew, people were christened with lobster and clam juices and laughter was the main dinner music.

After the plates were cleared and the desserts served the live auction began. Bidding was enthusiastic on everything from jewelry, quilts, wall hangings and other "soft" items; prints, original paintings and photographs; a very unusual hammock from Brazil and one absolutely amazing rifle. I don’t know if you can call a gun "pretty" but that rifle was a thing of beauty, and it went for a beautiful price!

Our sincere thanks and gratitude to everyone involved in both of these efforts. Our supporters came from far and wide, from up and down the coast, extending well beyond the greater Topsail area. And in spite of the economy our guests dug deep in bidding for our auction items. A special thanks to everyone who donated items and services for our auction. We are grateful to all of you who support us not only for these special events but also year-round. Thanks for making the evening a success.

It might be stunning
It won’t last forever - the warm weather. Pretty soon we’ll be waking up to some" too cold too early" mornings, the kind of chill that stops sea turtles in their tracks. Sea turtles are still enjoying the bounty of the in-shore waters, and they get so involved in chowing down that they ignore the cues to start moving to someplace a little warmer, especially the little Greens. Remember last year - when we admitted 30 turtles in less than two weeks? We sure don’t want to see that again, but we do have to prepare. Part of that preparation involves your help. Be on the lookout for any sea turtle that just seems to be floating, drifting, not using their flippers or diving for food. They just might be a cold-stun, and when we get them in time they are usually short-timers who can quickly be released.

All sea turtles are federally protected animals. Harassing or interfering with them or their nests in any way is punishable by a hefty fine and/or imprisonment. Please report any incidents of nesting, hatching, injury, stranding or harassment to our Director of Beach Operations, Terry Meyer at 910-470-2880 immediately.

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Contact me at: flippers@embarqmail.com with questions or comments. Contact me at: flippers@att.net to request to be added to the monthly e-mail newsletter. This column will appear in print every other week through next Spring.