Please join us for The Expo Preview Party Business after Hours.
Friday February 24th from 6-8pm.  The event is held at Currituck High School.
Come on out to network with the 2012 Exhibitors and fellow Chamber Members.
The event is being catered by Southland Catering.
Don’t miss out on this fun opportunity to meet someone new, and
don’t forget your business cards!

Take the lawnmower to have a service check or call your lawn maintenance guy to schedule his first cutting.  Lawn prep is the key to getting a  jump-start.  Keep raking leaves to prevent them from smothering the grass. Start using a spring fertilizer that contains a moss-killing product.  This will need to be done again in early March. For an extra soil boost, follow-up fertilizing with an application of dolomite lime.

Beginning now and early March, set up a bright, warm, indoor, corner for spring and summer starts.  Use sterile supplies, provide plenty of  movable light, and keep the low temperature at 70 degrees.  Start seeds of summer perennials, annuals, vegetables, and herbs indoors.  In mild climates begin spring soil prep for vegetables.  Make sure your soil isn’t too moist before you start to spade or till.  If a squeezed handful leaks water, it is not ready.  Mix existing soil with prepared manure and compost.

One last idea.  Visit garden centers as soon as spring plants arrive, get ideas but keep in mind there maybe another cold night or  two, so don’t plant  too early.

If the chilly winds don’t keep you under the covers, spend the next sunny weekend on these projects so you will have a head’s up on Spring.

You can create a raised garden bed now and as soon as it is warm enough you can start sowing seeds. Redesign your garden layout. Consider adding trellises, fences and garden benches. Purchase seed packets at your favorite garden supply center.

If you have been taking care of the birds this winter, don’t stop now. Remember to check their bird baths so they have ice-free water.

It is a good time for houseplant maintenance as well. Check plants for aphids, mites and other pests. Find a good organic product to treat these pesky critters.  Don’t over water your plants right now because you will create a bad case of root rot.  In sun rooms and on  windowsills where you have plants be careful they are not getting drafts or that their leaves are touching the window panes.

Just a little time on a couple of things  now and you will be ahead of the game!

The ALAL and Re/Max Alpha would also like to thank PJ Hovert for her constant support and donations, and Helen Cherry from the Tulls Creek area for her donations.  Please help the animals today and stop by or donate.

Showcasing Northeast North Carolina’s Finest!

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Cooperative Extension in Currituck County officially launched the 4-H Backpacks For Kids Program on Friday, April 15. 2011.  This program will provide nourishment to school children who are in need of food for the weekend.

Why is the Backpacks for Kids program needed?   According to an analysis by Feeding America, a hunger relief organization with which the food banks are affiliated, North Carolina ranks as the second-worst state in the nation when it comes to children under 5 lacking regular access to nutritious food and as 10th-worst for children of all ages.

Weekends are a critical time for low-income children, as they have access to fewer food resources, such as the free school lunches they receive during the week.  Each child receives enough food for six full meals, including cereal or pop tarts, a protein source such as tuna fish or beef stew, peanut butter, canned vegetables and fruit, soup, juice boxes and a snack such as peanut butter crackers or yogurt snacks.  We also use the backpacks as a medium through which we share nutrition education with the children’s parents, helping to reinforce healthy eating and lifestyles at home. Through this program, we can reach children at-risk of hunger in a safe and easily accessible setting.

Approximate cost to feed one child twice monthly is twenty dollars.

For more information about the program, please contact 4-H Agent, Ellen Owens, 232-2262 or ellen_owens@ncsu.edu.

Just a reminder:  We need volunteers for the Super Adoptathon this Saturday February 11th at the Greenbriar Petsmart! The more hands we have, the more animals we can send. Please contact Ginger Sikes at 252-232-3696 if you can help out!