Carolina Beach celebrates boardwalk makeover

CAROLINA BEACH — Six months of renovations to Carolina Beach’s historic oceanfront area were celebrated Saturday.

Seventy-five thousand dollars in donations went into the renovations. Entertainment included live music, face painting, a dough nut eating contest, programs sponsored by the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, and much more. Business was booming for many of the shops and restaurants.

Gary Toppin and his family have been coming to Carolina Beach for about twelve years. He said, “It’s been pretty amazing to see the changes that have gone on, especially since the Marriott went up, that’s when we saw a lot of the new businesses coming in and reinvestment, revitalization of the boardwalk down here and it’s good to see that and more people coming down, more things to do.”