This is Mat Kearney; he is the main reason we made our recent trip to Emerald Isle. My older kids are big fans – after his live show, I’m a big fan, too. He did a great job.
If you’re not familiar with his music, you can check him out here. You’ve heard his songs on Grey’s Anatomy. He’s good, and if your teenaged daughters are obsessed with him, that’s not a bad thing.
Our entire weekend was a whirlwind, but Saturday was awesome. It rained on us off and on all day long, but by the end of the evening, the skies had cleared and it was amazingly beautiful. I’ve never been to the coast in late September, and I was surprised by the heat. It was like summer. The beach was awesome – and not too crowded. We only spent about two hours by the water – Syd and I ran to the pier and back (two miles, thank you very much) and the kids played in the water for a bit. The remainder of the day we spent at the festival. They closed part of Highway 58 and set up a very nice stage on the shoulder of the road. There was room in the grassy area and on the highway for a pretty awesome street party.
Emerald Isle was ‘born’ as a town fifty years ago, so this was the celebration of the growth and investment of the founding fathers and mothers. It’s a very family-friendly place – none of the craziness of Myrtle Beach and not too much development. They’ve really focused on keeping the area a very calm, family-type environment – and they’ve done a good job.
To celebrate the anniversary, they cleared the Food Lion parking lot and set up vendors. You could get North Carolina style barbecue, bratwurst, hot dogs, soda, DQ blizzards and more. The Budweiser truck was parked by a fenced off area that became the ‘beer garden’. Mostly, folks stayed in the fences and drank their beer, which was nice.
To commemorate the decades since the town began, they had several bands lined up to play music from various styles and eras. It was really cool! We parked our chairs and blankets in the lawn and sat back to enjoy the entertainment!
The first band did some AWESOME sixties and seventies cover tunes! Didn’t catch their names, but we loved the groove..

Paul Miller was a hoot; every time the bands broke down and cleared the stage for the next band, he provided entertainment. Here, he was juggling an apple, a fake arm and a machete. Ouch. He was pretty good!
Wells Fargo set up this terrific replica of Wild Bill Cody’s stagecoach; the kids jumped in and posed. Maybe this will be our Christmas card photo…
Here’s Paul Miller again; this time, he was a magician. Daniel and David got called up to be his “special assistants”! Here, Daniel is doing some sort of bouncing dance before making his brithday card ‘disappear’.

Both boys take a bow!


This guy was part of The Breakfast Club – obviously. Great mohawk! Funny – we saw him after the show, without the makeup and with his hair combed out, and he looked like the straightest, most corporate guy you’d ever see…
They said, “Roscoe, sit.” He did.





Sounds wonderful!>And it’s amazing how blogging makes us look at the world differently, isn’t it?
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WOW! What a great weekend Beth. I was just grinning from ear to ear reading this post. Joy ooozes from your words. :c)
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Yeahhhh Beth! I gotta say, it’s a showdown between Mat and his adorable…hat>and SWEET little Roscoe. Uh, is he a male? 😉> This is a wonderful post. I feel as if I were right there. Your words ooze with the deep appreciation of a mom who doesn’t get out enough…take it from one who doesn’t! More live music for everyone!>I’m going to keep my ears open for Matt Kearney, won’t close my eyes, either.>Thanks for the Boston fix.
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Beth,>>Hey, women and teenage girls get along just fine and if I were there with you, I’d be up front movin’ to the grooves, too :o)>>What a fab weekend. I love musical intertainment and hot dogs with red dye. Paul Miller looks like a young Elton John. Your kids look so happy…>>See? Everyone should have a Boston Terrier that smiles for the camera! He’s adorable! Thanks for the BT Fix!
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….well….what can I add….especially after the Master Blogger Herself chimed in on this one….I think the dog did it! But for me it is the kids….all 5 (or 6 as the case may be.) The kids…the beach…the music….the smiles….the TIME TOGETHER…..isn’t that what a big part of what this life is all about!! (even if it’s in a car going to OHIO!) ….think I’ll take this inspiration over and blog something myself! keep it flowing, Beth….there’s Grce Every Day!
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wow what a weekend Beth, now there’s a reason to watch Grey’s anatomy… I’m guessing the hat isn’t in it!!;)>So pleased you had such wonderful family time – brilliant photos too, x
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Now I do realise he is just singing in Grey’s anatomy – I think I was fantasising again – he is rather gorgeous though…;)
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Yay, weekends like this are remembered forever! Glad you had a good time with your family. Nice photos, and you’re right, the fireworks shot is amazing.
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