MUMFEST 2012 Is Here!



Setting up Indy Tour in early morning hours



Locating the necessities



Michael's Amusements...ready for festival goers

It’s hard to believe, MUMFEST is just hours away. The city is busy overseeing the set-up of the Indy Racing Tour, portable restrooms and the rest of the items on their “To Do” list. Bud Van Slyke, an outstanding volunteer who has overseen the Boat Show and Union Point Park for the past 10 years, has been at the park for most of the week and will be there all day today orchestrating the set-up of the boats, vendors, pool assembly. The hustle and bustle is growing in intensity with the goal of having everything ready for Saturday morning at 9:30 am when the party begins!

If it seems in the past month or so, the daily posts have been focused primarily on MUMFEST, it’s true. In the two or three months prior to the festival, our time is consumed with taking care of the many chores that are required to prevent utter chaos.  It is labor intensive, but well-worth the effort when vendors begin arriving, know  where to set-up, know the rules and things go smoothly.

Vendors begin arriving on Friday and setting up after 6 p.m. Many chose to set-up Friday evening and many also arrive early Saturday morning. The same is true for the attractions and vendors.

Once the confusion of  set up is over, the fun begins with two days of numerous venues, savory foods, hundreds of vendors with a myriad of products.

Danielle and I appreciate all the support the community extends to this event and our biggest wish is that everyone will have a grand time.

See you at MUMFEST!

Susan Moffat Thomas

Executive Director

What's New At Mumfest

Mumfester’s for the most part love tradition…funnel cakes, amusement rides (especially the Ferris wheel), the many vendors with a large assortment of unique items and the long standing festival attractions. They also look forward to something new, a venue that will become a tradition, like the Incredible Purina Dog Show and they won’t be disappointed! Here’s what’s new at MUMFEST 2012

On the Water

SEAFAIR, one of the ten largest privately owned mega yachts in the United States, is a floating art gallery with three decks of fine art, sculpture and photography for sale; docked at the New Bern Grand Marina behind the Doubletree Hilton Hotel it is open for tours Friday through Sunday.

CRYSTAL COAST LADY offers one and a half hour fully narrated scenic nature and history tours aboard the 75’ super cruiser with enclosed and open air seating on the upper and lower decks, a kids steering station, giant bow viewing area, full snack bar and galley and clean, modern restrooms.

LOOKOUT LADY, the 49 passenger ecology tour vessel offers a relaxing getaway from the hectic excitement of the festival with two hour historic and scenic nature river tours. 

In the Midway

The INDY TOUR features the Detroit Chevrolet Grand Prix of Belle Isle Indy show car, a 4L85 transmission, several high performance engines, plus a display of Chevrolet accessories and performance parts.

RING CITY ROLLERGIRLS, a female flat track roller derby team based in Kinston, will be demonstrating the skills and tricks used in the world of roller derby.

Willy the Hillbilly, the popular character representing Mountain Dew in the 1960s, will entertain crowds on Saturday and Sunday.

New Stage

On Sunday, the NC Songwriters Co-op will entertain crowds with newly written songs performed by members of the Songwriters’ Cooperative. 

New Eats

Pumpkin funnel cakes, deep fried butter, alligator bites, shrimp and grits, bacon wrapped scallops, Shawarma and crab fritters, in addition the all the traditional favorites.

In The Park

Expansion of the Boat Show will include Outdoor Recreation exhibits and on-going demonstrations of standup paddle boarding, canoes, kayaks, cycling, motor cross sports, spas, jet ski dealers, outdoor adventure clubs and the Gables Run Equestrian Center is bringing Peanut the Pony for photo opps with children.

On the Downtown Streets

ARTZONE features artists working in different genres with art demonstrations and exhibits en plein air (outside) and in galleries along the 300 block of Pollock Street and throughout the downtown.

QR code signage throughout the festival for smart phone owners to check on schedules and locations.

For a full list of activities, attractions and performance schedules go to mumfest.com. For your convenience, you can download the map of the festival area and/or pull out the center section of the Sun Journal tab delivered to subscribers on Thursday.

See you at MUMFEST…pray for good weather!

Susan Moffat Thomas

Executive Director

MUMFEST Tab/Program

In today’s Sun Journal, the MUMFEST tab/program is inserted to provide a total overview of all that will be happening during the festival weekend. In addition to the many, many venues, entertainment, information of the free continuous shuttles, the drop off and pick-up locations, a map of the festival area with a complete schedule of times for the shows, demonstrations and entertainment is included. The map page was designed as a pull out to make it convenient for festival-goers to take with them so they won’t have to worry or wonder where everything is located.

Stacey Swann, who works for Scott Embrey, put the tab together which I’m sure everyone can see was an enormous challenge. Designing and arranging so much material to fit within the 32 pages was quite a feat. We applaud her for her creativity and all the hard work that went into it.

For those who don’t subscribe to the Sun Journal, copies will be available (as long as they last) at the Swiss Bear booth at the corner of Broad and Middle and at the Sun Journal booth near the entry to Union Point Park on Saturday and Sunday. You may also go to mumfest.com and click on the festival map button to easily print a copy to take with you. For those with smart phones, QR code signage will be located throughout the festival. We worked to make it as convenient as possible for festival-goers to know what is going on. We don’t want you or your family to miss anything as there is truly something for everyone!

The weather forecast indicates we will have nice weather (a great relief) so we look forward to record crowds and a fun-filled family weekend. 

Susan Moffat Thomas

Executive Director 

Coastal Photo Club - MUMFEST Scavenger Hunt



Coastal Photo Club - Mumfest 2011

One of the challenges of MUMFEST weekend is having the time to take numerous photos that capture the  spirit of the festival and are good enough to use the following year for marketing, so we are happy to report the Coastal Photo Club for the second year in a row is embracing this challenge. To add to the esprit de corps, the Club sent members a scavenger hunt list of 30 phrases they need to capture in their photo’s… reminds you of the sun, brings joy to a parent, floats in the sky, spun sugar, makes music, on four wheels, that which best exemplifies MUMFEST 2012. It’s a great list and will surely produce some great photos.  

The Coastal Photo Club meets the second Saturday of each month at Centenary United Methodist Church in downtown New Bern, NC at 9:30 a.m. This active group sponsors many activities including  youth photography workshops, workshops on photographic history, mini and major competitions with special themes, taking publicity shots at special events (like MUMFEST and Riverfest), organizing photo gallery exhibits and seasonal photo worthy events. They also enjoy the camaraderie of members with cookouts and other get-togethers throughout the year.

The home page of the Club’s website www.coastalphotoclub.com to our delight, has a photo of a group of their members at MUMFEST, camera’s in hand, ready to shoot!

If you or someone you know, might be interested in joining the Club, contact President Judy Hills at ahills@suddenlink.net

 for more information. You can also go to their website and download an application form. It's a great way to sharpen your photographic skills, particiate in the numerous activities, share your interst and enjoy the friendship of a great group of people.Swiss Bear and MUMFEST appreciate the Coastal Photo Club’s willingness to share their time, talent and interest with us and look forward to seeing an array of photos capturing a fun-filled family weekend.

How about you…do you plan to take pictures at MUMFEST? We'd love to see them.

Susan Moffat Thomas
Executive Director



Sold Out - Filled Up!

Local honey at Mumfest

Mumfest Food Vendor

Artist at Mumfest

Pumpkin Patch at Mumfest

For the first time, all the vendor spaces are filled and we must turn vendors away. As much as we dislike doing it, we are returning recently received applications as there simply isn’t any more available space. To accommodate the continual applications  pouring in daily over the past three weeks, we studied the maps for every possible location that could be used to increase the number of spaces without compromising the safety of festival-goers. As a result, half of the East side of Craven Street (300 block) will have vendors, also on the easement/sidewalk along the east side of East Front Street (100 block) and in Union Point.  

So if you are looking forward to shopping for unique items and gifts, well over three hundred vendors will offer an array of goods and services. Everything from sculpture, pottery, hand crafted and hand-made items, specialty foods, jewelry, gourmet spices, clothing and accessories, information on area organizations, commercial products, business opportunities, home improvements… even employment opportunities can be found.

Vendors are located throughout the festival midway area and in Union Point Park.

Susan Moffat Thomas

Executive Director

SeaFair Arrives...



SeaFair 228' Yacht

What a treat it will be to watch the colossal 228 foot SeaFair maneuver through the Cunningham Bridge and dock at the New Bern Grand Marina. Captain Craig Matthews expects the yacht (ship) to arrive in New Bern around 2:30 pm.  Although SeaFair is one of the largest commercial vessels that travels in the Intercoastal Waterway, it can dock at the New Bern Grand Marina as it was designed to have a draft of only 6.5 feet,  the depth at the Marina.  

It will be a spectacular sight and the newest major venue for MUMFEST.

The opening gala, Arts Ahoy will be held Thursday evening, an elegant casual affair  celebrating the unveiling of the SeaFair Collection, 28 galleries filled with art by nationally known artists and photographers. Butlered canapés, fine champagne and wine, guests can mingle with Governor Perdue and Larry Wheeler, Director of the North Carolina Art Museum and enjoy an evening unlike any other that has ever  been held in New Bern.


SeaFair Yacht

Tickets can be purchased through  http://www.cravenarts.org/  or at the Bank of the Arts. This fundraising event benefits the Craven Arts Council and Swiss Bear, organizations committed to the betterment of downtown and the community.

Special thanks to this outstanding community for supporting our many events, projects and MUMFEST. We are looking forward to an outstanding week.

Tell us what you think.

Susan Moffat Thomas
Executive Director

Main Street Solutions Grant - Updte on old Pak A Sak Building Renovation

Old Pak A Sak
under renovation

Gutted Interior

Last March we were happy to report two downtown projects submitted in January through the City for a NC Main Street Solutions grant for $100,000 was being funded. Swiss Bear and the City Planning Department worked with Haroldson Properties to acquire the grant to assist with the renovation of what is referred to as the old Pak A Sak building (a small grocery chain in New Bern for many years) on East Front Street and the expansion and improvement to the retail area in the Bank of the Arts.

The Haroldson property has been under renovation since April for lease to David Blythe as an annex to the Branches Furniture Store on Pollock Street. Work included demolition and gutting of the interior of the building, removal of the huge walk in cooler, replacing all electrical and plumbing systems, cutting into the brick façade to allow for new thermal windows that extend to the concrete floor, suspended ceilings, new light fixtures, wall to wall carpeting and last, but not least, the graffiti on the exterior of the building removed.

Effective October 5, David Blythe, third generation owner of Branches, will sign a five year lease. He is very happy as the addition of 9,000 square feet of downtown showroom space  allows the introduction of two new product lines –  mattress and outdoor living galleries. David said ”he has been waiting for years to have another showroom within walking distance of the original store. Branches walk-in traffic downtown is five times more than it ever was in the previous annex location on Highway 70 East”.

He is hiring three new employees (meets the terms of one new employee for every $25,000 of MSS grant money) and is grateful to Swiss Bear, the City, Haroldson Properties and the state for making the renovation of the building possible.

Swiss Bear is pleased the NC Main Street Solutions Fund Program made it possible to renovate a long standing vacant building, expand a downtown family business and the downtown retail mix, create three new jobs and enhancing the East Front Street gateway and corridor into downtown. 



Nearing completion



David Blythe, Owner
Branches Furniture Store




Susan Moffat Thomas
Executive Director

Make It Pop!

Round-a-bout at East Front and Broad Street

In a previous blog, I related new Parks & Recreation staff, Eva Osteen and Steve Hollar were busy coming up with ideas and designs to energize and beautify the City and downtown area public spaces with new varieties of plants and seasonal selections.

In the round-a-bout at East Front and Broad Street, grass and brick since it was constructed by NCDOT a number of years ago, was recently landscaped with a 20 foot diameter area filled with mums, shrubs and other flowering fall plants and equipped with water access to allow for drip irrigation.

After looking at the newly landscaped area, the City Manager and Thurman Hardison, Director of Parks & Recreation decided it looked good , however it would look even better with a larger landscaped area and more plantings to minimum the amount of grass to make it pop!

So with that directive, over the next few days, Parks & Recreation staff will expand the diameter of the planting bed by 12 feet and fill it with more plant material including nandina, lantana, viola and pansies and in the center, yellow and red mums to create a  focal point and “make it pop”,  for MUMFEST.

The next phase of seasonal plantings will include additional pansies and unique winter annuals (bright, bold colors) and tulips.

We couldn’t be more pleased.

Susan Moffat Thomas

Executive Director

October 7-14 An Incredible Week For New Bern

Committee members (L to R)
Judy Avery, Nancy Stallings,Danielle Glynn, Melissa Riggle,
Nancy Wyatt, Jim Bisbee, Sandy Bruno
Members not pictured
Susan Moffat-Thomas, Linda Mattocks, Carol Tokarski, Alison Mattocks, Mary Harris

The Arts Ahoy Committee met on Monday morning and we were all happy to hear the tickets are selling extremely well and may be a sell-out. The good news provided the enthusiasm for all of us to embrace the many details that remain to insure the event will be a grand affair., i.e. selection of hors d oeuvres from the list submitted by Seafair’s chef, booking entertainment for the three decks for the First View, organizing guest registration for the evening of the event, parking…the list is long but our able committee members are taking it in stride and everything should go as planned.

The Arts Ahoy gala marks the inaugural of this mega yacht’s stay in New Bern with the unveiling of The SeaFair Collection to include works of art from a broad array of paintings, prints, sculpture and photography by contemporary artists, all available for sale. Artists include Robert Cottingham, Thomas Hartmann and pop-artist icons Robert Indiana, Jim Dine, Tom Wesselman and many others. In addition to the 28 galleries filled with art, there are two outdoor bars, a coffee bar and an open-air bistro and bar on the Sky Deck. What a great venue for MUMFEST’s 32^nd year.

Captain Craig Matthews notified us they departed from Brooklyn at 9:45 am on Monday, expect to reach Morehead City Thursday morning to take on fuel and then on to New Bern arriving, weather-permitting, on Sunday. It will be fascinating to see this 228 foot yacht arrive and watch as Captain Matthews maneuvers the enormous vessel so it can dock at the New Bern Grand Marina.

Arts Ahoy featuring nationally known artists on Thursday, acclaimed musicians performing at the Four Seasons concert on Friday, MUMFEST on Saturday and Sunday with dozens of venues…what an incredible week…what an incredible reputation New Bern is building!

What do you think?

Susan Moffat Thomas

Executive Director

Inaugural Four Season Concert In New Bern, October 12

Ara Gregorian, Artistic Director
Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival

It is quite amazing how many world class musical performances New Bernians can enjoy throughout the year, at a modest price, without leaving the city and the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival is at the top of the list.  

We are very fortunate, Ara Gregorian, Artistic Director of the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, East Carolina University chose to have the inaugural season open in New Bern on October 12 in the NC History Center Cullman Performance Hall at 7:30 pm.

The outstanding program includes Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonata for Piano and Violin in A Major, Op. 30 No.1, and Richard Strauss' Sonata for Violin and Piano in E Flat Major, Op. 18 with additional selections to be announced.

Robert McDonald, piano, won the gold medal at the Busoni International Competition, top prizes at the William Kapell International Competition and the Washington International Competition along with many other honors throughout his career and is on the piano faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School.

Ara Gregorian, violin, the founder of the Four Season Chamber Music Festival made his New York recital debut in 1996 at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and his debut as soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra in Symphony Hall in 1997. He has performed around the world and is a member of the violin faculty at East Carolina University.

Tickets: $25 public, $10 students. Go to http://www.ecuarts.com/

or purchase in person at the Bank of the Arts.

Special thanks to Katherine and John Haroldson for sponsoring this first of a three concert series. The second and third performances are December 1st and May 4th.

Susan Moffat Thomas

Executive Director