Are you a true Wilmingtonian? If you've done some of the things on this list, you might be
When you say you're "from" a place, what does that mean? A lot of things, probably, but one thing it means is that you have a bunch of shared memories and experiences with people who are also from that place.
Wilmington is growing so much it seems like you meet fewer and fewer people who grew up here (during the 1970s and '80s in my case), although I'm not sure that's a bad thing.
A new generation is coming along, and it's worth noting that present-day children and teenagers who were born in Wilmington or who have lived here most of their lives will have very different experiences of being "from Wilmington" than I did or my parents did.
But that doesn't make them any less local.
Anyway, with sincere apologies to Jeff Foxworthy, you might be from Wilmington if …
You went to the petting zoo or rode the kiddie train at Greenfield Lake: These days, the main attraction at Greenfield Lake is probably the skate park, or maybe the paddle boats. Some of us older folks have memories of there being a train little kids could ride. It operated from the 1950s to 1975, but the petting zoo there lasted until about 1980. These days, there's a giraffe sculpture made by Wilmington artist Michael Van Hout where the zoo was.
You saw Cape Fear Shakespeare at the de Rossett house: Back in the early '90s, before it became The City Club, this mansion at Second and Dock streets was pretty run down. And so, naturally, local thespians used its massive porch and terraced gardens as a free place to perform. Productions were staged there for three or four summers before the house was renovated and the troupe moved to its forever home of Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, but it was cool and fun while it lasted.
You've watched a movie or TV show you otherwise wouldn't care about just to spot the Wilmington locations: They've filmed a lot of stuff in Wilmington over the years, and every time they do it's like a little time capsule for the year the show or movie was made. The other night on HBO Max, I watched "Stephen King's Silver Bullet," a werewolf movie that filmed here in 1984 (it's … not good), and it was cool to see how Greenfield Lake looked back then and to catch a glimpse of a mid-'80s Dixie Grill downtown. (There's a lot in Burgaw as well.) But no way I'm watching "Silver Bullet" (Gary Busey alert!) if it wasn't filmed here.
You went to the public library when it was on Market Street: Before moving to its current location in a former Belk's department store at Third and Chestnut streets in 1981, the New Hanover County Public Library was located in the Wilmington Light Infantry building at Fourth and Market streets.
You saw a show at the Soapbox, The Mad Monk or Brogden Hall: Three different eras of concerts are now part of Wilmington history. The Soapbox Laundro-Lounge music venue on Front Street closed in 2013 after a 12-year run, just like legendary rock club The Mad Monk did back in 1996 after existing for about 13 years at two different spots. In the 1970s and '80s, New Hanover High School's Brogden Hall is the place where bigger concerts were held, with legends like Johnny Cash playing there.
Rock clubs that rocked 25 years ago The Mad Monk, one of Wilmington's most iconic venues, closed for good
You can name one Wilmington mayor besides Bill Saffo: That's right, it only seems like Saffo's been mayor forever. No hints with this one, and no fair using Google.
You know what Honey Bares was: That's right, back in the day, the Carolina Beach Boardwalk was a rough place. As a teen in the 1980s, I remember it being kind of sketchy in the daytime, and borderline scary at night. Don't believe me? Well, there used to be a strip club on the Boardwalk called Honey Bares. It was not a reputable establishment.
You shopped at Rare Cargo: From 1984 until 2006, this one-of-a-kind shop on Front Street owned by Mimi Kessler and her late husband, Joe, sold a well-curated collection of everything from cool clothes and beads to incense, toys, cards, novelty items and more. Even if you weren't going to buy anything, it was always enlightening to stop in and talk with Joe. (Bonus points if you also shopped at Planet, which was on the same block and was kind of like the spiritual successor to Rare Cargo. It too is now closed.)
Annals of Wilmingon shopping Everything must go, even, it seems, Rare Cargo
You saw a movie in a theater downtown: I'm not counting Thalian Hall because even though they screen a lot of films there, it's not strictly a movie theater. I'm talking The Manor on Market Street or The Bailey or the Bijoux (there were others) on Front Street, one of those. Bonus points if you saw a movie at one of Wilmington's old drive-in theaters, like the Starway on Carolina Beach Road.
You ate at The Mil-Jo, Pier 20, Roy's Riverboat Landing or Caffe Phoenix: Or at one of the bajillion or so other Wilmington-area restaurants that have closed over the decades.
You paid a visit to the World's Largest Living Christmas Tree: Starting in 1928 all the way through 2011, it was a holiday tradition for the city of Wilmington to string lights on this giant oak tree in Hilton Park on the Northside. Families would come to watch a children's choir sing carols and/or visit Santa in his little house. Nothing lasts forever, though, including trees, and this tree eventually got old and sick, thereby ending a decades-long tradition.
Wilmington history Remembering the World's Largest Living Christmas Tree
You got a cone from the old Dairy Queen on Dawson Street: I know I already mentioned the restaurants, but this one's a bit different. With its iconic sign depicting a bundled-up kid eating an ice cream cone (a sign that's now in the collection of the Cape Fear Museum), countless Wilmingtonians made some sweet memories at this spot, which was torn down in 1998. The Dairy Queen then moved to another spot across Dawson Street, but its recent closure means that DQ's 70-or-so-year run on Dawson has come to an end.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: How to know you're from Wilmington NC
