SWEET JOY

With the opening of Mimi & Papa’s Gourmet Popcorn and Homemade Ice Cream, George and Phyllis Murray are fulfilling their longtime dream of working side by side.

BY ANNESOPHIA RICHARDS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURA GLANTZ

AAt this point in his career, there seems to be little George Murray hasn’t done. His many accomplishments range from early days serving in the Air Force, to decades working in the corporate world, followed by many years spent as a Leland-area business owner. Now with retirement on the horizon, Murray is finally getting the chance to check one last item off of his personal bucket list: working alongside his wife, Phyllis. With the opening of the couple’s new shop, Mimi & Papa’s Gourmet Popcorn and Homemade Ice Cream, life couldn’t be sweeter for these high school sweethearts as they bring a little bit of sugar and a lot of smiles to Leland. Murray first began dreaming of opening an ice cream shop 17 years ago, when he decided to leave his longstanding career in financial accounting and start his own business. As residents of Magnolia Greens, he and Phyllis saw a need in the community for a place to buy their favorite frozen treat. However, the timing didn’t feel right, so Murray instead opened a custom framing shop, which became the first commercial business in Waterford.

Inspired by his love of art and lucrative hobby of pencil drawing (he’s gained notoriety over the years as the licensed artist for the Andy Griffith

Not yet ready to retire, Phyllis and George Murray are celebrating their 54 years together with a new business venture.

Show as well as for his other celebrity portraitures,) a framing business seemed like a good fit. The shop later moved locations from Waterford to Brunswick Forest to Village Road, eventually transforming into what is now Murray’s Signs and Graphics.

Through all these business changes, however, the thought of one day opening an ice cream shop never left Murray’s mind. When Phyllis retired from her job as a dental office manager last November, the couple saw an opportunity to finally take the leap.

“We knew we wanted to work together, so I decided to sell the sign business this past spring,” Murray says. “We just wanted to do something different. We should be retired, but neither one of us wants to sit home. We want to stay active, and we want to have fun.”

The name of Murray’s new shop stems from the nicknames their two granddaughters used as children when referring to him and Phyllis. As for the popcorn part, the couple decided to add the offering to their menu because of their shared passion for the snack.

“Phyllis and I can’t watch a movie without eating popcorn, we just love it so much,” Murray says.

They will cook all the popcorn in-house and offer flavors like butter, caramel, cheese, salt and vinegar, sweet and salty, Old Bay and others.

“We’ll be asking our customers what flavors they’d like to see,” Murray says. “If you can imagine it, we’ll try to make it.”

The shop offers 21 flavors of locally made ice cream ranging from traditional vanilla, chocolate and strawberry to favorites such as salted caramel, double chocolate, coconut, coffee and peanut butter. Mimi & Papa’s also serves milkshakes, slushies, sundaes and waffle cones made in-house. Lucky Want to go? visitors might even get a Mimi & Papa’s Gourmet chance to see a little magic or Popcorn and Homemade get a personalized balloon Ice Cream adorned with Murray’s 324 Village Road NE, artwork. Leland

“My grandchildren grew up with my antics of doing card (910) 408-1170 tricks and making things mimiandpapaspopcorn.com disappear, and they and their friends would call me the ‘magic man,’” Murray say. “I used to keep a bag of balloons in the cabinets at my businesses, and if kids came in, I’d pull out a balloon, blow it up and then draw a Peanuts character or something else they wanted on it. I told Phyllis that selling popcorn and ice cream means we’ll have a lot of kids in here, so I’ll be able to do some of my silly stuff again. I sure do enjoy that.”

As the past president of the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce and founder of the Leland Area Rotary Club, Murray is no stranger to the ins and outs of running a business. His ties to the community run deep, as do the friendships he’s made over the years through his business interactions and desire to help entrepreneurs succeed.

“I’ve always enjoyed running my own business, because I’ve met so many young, professional people trying to start businesses here in the community,” Murray says. “They ended up in my framing shop, and we would become good friends over the years, even though I was the old man of the group, and we shared a lot

of advice on different things. It’s been a great thing being a part of this community.”

Brunswick County District Attorney Jon David is excited to support his longtime friend’s new venture.

“George is a pioneer in the Leland community who opened up one of the first commercial establishments long before Walmart and Harris Teeter came to town,” David says. “As a longtime resident of Leland and a founder of the Leland Area Rotary Club, I know George has deep roots that will serve the business well on the road ahead.”

In the 54 years Murray and Phyllis have been married, they’ve never had the chance to work side by side until now. Opening up Mimi & Papa’s Gourmet Popcorn and Homemade Ice Cream is all about finding joy in life and having fun together, something the couple has been dreaming of for quite a while.

“The best part is having Phyllis by my side,” Murray says, “She’s my partner, and we’re happy to be working together for the first time. We are grateful to our daughter, Misty, our granddaughter, Jordan, and our son, Chris, for their help in getting us started. We could not have done it without them,” says Murray.

Phyllis is also very excited about embarking on this new adventure with her husband, and she believes opening their new shop is the perfect way for them both to keep busy.

“After 54 years together, George still makes me laugh every day,” Phyllis says. “We hope we can put a smile on people's faces as they come in for our sweet and salty treats. We look forward to serving our friends and hope to make many new ones through this journey.” 

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Back to Nature

Through good, old-fashioned outdoor fun, Coastal Carolina Outreach helps improve the health and well-being of kids and teens.

BY MELISSA SLAVEN WARREN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL RITENOUR

AAre you of a certain age where you have fond childhood memories of playing outdoors with friends or family from sunup to sundown? Riding bikes, hiking trails, creating adventures in which your mind and body could run carefree?

Carrie and Brian Higgins are. That’s why they started their new nonprofit, Coastal Carolina Outreach.

While they admit the world isn’t the same as when they were kids, they know that being outside still has the same

Carrie Higgins, left, and Brian Higgins, right, with four of their nine children, Maddie, Heather, Kage and Zoe, at home in Ash.

value. Studies show that kids who play outside are more likely to develop better cognitively and physically. Not only does being active outdoors challenge kids’ physical endurance, but also “it has the ability to inspire, calm, rejuvenate, connect and bring a person into the present,” Carrie says.

In 2018 the couple purchased nearly 20 acres in Ash, North Carolina, with the idea of giving children, including their own, a safe, inviting space to experience nature.

“I've always had this philosophy to raise free-range children,” Brian says.

The couple met in 2015 and found they had mutual commitments to family, faith and an inner drive to help others, especially kids. Carrie taught at the elementary level for more than 15 years, and Brian, a Navy veteran and former detective with Ocean Isle Beach Police Department, has opened his home to numerous foster children in addition to adopting children.

Combined, Carrie and Brian have nine children. Brian has six children, five of whom are adopted and one biological child. Carrie has two biological children. They have another child they call a “daughter by choice.” Though she’s not legally their child, they provide the love, guidance and support she needs to be successful. They also have three grandchildren.

Simple outdoor activities are the hallmark of Coastal Carolina Outreach. Left, Kage and Maddie practice archery; below, Heather does some gardening.

Last spring Carrie made the decision to leave her teaching career to stay home and help address the health difficulties of two of their children. “It hit us hard when some of our kids began struggling with mental health,” Carrie says. “Besides traditional routes, we were looking for ways promote a healthier lifestyle for all of our kids.” With the idea of providing “good, old-fashioned outdoor fun,” their nonprofit was born.

Coastal Carolina Outreach’s mission is to improve the overall well-being and mental health of kids and teens in our community through nature, connection, art and education.

My original thought was foster kids, but we realized that there was a real need of programs for teens in our community. So that is the group we are focusing on first.

The idea for Coastal Carolina Outreach began even ahead of COVID. Carrie and Brian watched as their own children were spending more time indoors on their smartphones and less time being active outside.

The goal is to promote simple programs like hiking, fishing, archery, camping, horseshoes, gardening and arts and crafts that bring a sense of simple joy back into the lives of kids and teens.

“During the pandemic, Carrie and I were able to get more of a direction on which groups of kids we wanted to focus our time and energy on, and who would get the most use of our programs,” Brian says. “My original thought was teenagers, but the need is there for everyone.”

Right, Zoe working on arts and crafts; below left, Kage practicing archery; below right, Brian and Carrie, the founders of it all.

Summers are great for some families who can afford to send their children off to camp. But for kids who are stuck at home during their summer vacations, their time isn’t always spent in meaningful ways.

“Regardless of a family’s financial situation, we want to provide youth in the area access to programs that can help improve the well-being and mental health of kids and teens,” Carrie says.

Still in its infancy, Coastal Carolina Outreach launched its first program in April 2022. Called Hope Rocks, it is designed to help teen girls learn healthy ways to cope with the stress and

struggles of life, giving them the opportunity to build positive relationships with their peers. Carrie, who has a master’s degree in curriculum, instruction and supervision and is a certified group life coach, has also implemented Hope Rocks 2 this summer, which is the next step for girls who completed the first program. A new Hope Rocks fall session will begin September 12, 2022.

Coastal Carolina Outreach’s next program, Fly True Archery, will begin in the fall of 2022 and is open to all teens ages 12 to 17. It will involve clinics to learn the basics of archery, followed by a club to practice and build positive peer relationships.

While Carrie is focusing on the programming, Brian enjoys spending time outside preparing the property. Plans for 2022 into 2023 include constructing the archery range, building a campfire ring and installing picnic tables, benches and swings.

“Our plan is to create different nature trails where kids can walk through and identify the different types of trees and

plants and just enjoy nature,” Carrie says. “We’re also working on raised garden beds and a sunflower garden. We dream of a space where people can enjoy the simple pleasures in life and get back to nature.” Additionally, Carrie and Brian have a longterm goal of creating camp sites for families who don't normally get to experience camping, particularly for foster kids and their families.Want to learn more? “It’s tough to be able to get away and do a lot of things that are within the constraints Coastal Carolina Outreach of foster care,” Brian says. “We’ll provide the coastalcarolinaoutreach.org (910) 617-7219 space, the equipment and the food for these families so they can experience being outdoors and spend quality time together.” As for what Carrie and Brian envision for the future, they have some wonderful ideas they would like to see come to fruition, including a fishing pond and playground equipment including tree swings, balance beams and large rocks to climb on. They are planning a carnivorous plant garden and an indoor structure for meetings and groups. 

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A New Chapter

for Brunswick County Library

Meet Patricia Dew, the multitalented new director of Brunswick County Library System.

IIt’s no surprise that Patricia Dew, recently named director for Brunswick County Library System, is right at home in any library.

“My mom has told me she was prepared to read the first book I brought home from my elementary school library to me. Instead, I sat down and read it to her,” Dew says.

It was the beginning of a lifelong love of books. And libraries.

Dew got her first public library card from the North Durham Branch of Durham County Library in Durham, North Carolina, at age six. Mrs. Scott, the children’s librarian, encouraged her to read anything and everything and introduced her to her first book without pictures.

“It was a biography of Annie Oakley,” Dew recalls. “I loved that book and the ‘don’t tell me what a girl can’t do’ story.”

Dew volunteered at that library throughout her teen years, which eventually led to a summer job during college.

Dew’s bachelor of music degree with a concentration in music education from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and a master of library science with a concentration in public libraries from North Carolina Central University demanded many days in college libraries.

“I spent a lot of time in the music library using print and audio resources,” Dew says. “And I spent a semester with an honors professor working on bibliographic research.”

In 20-plus years of public library service, including her most recent position as Supervising Librarian for New Hanover County Public Library Pine Valley Branch, Dew has performed almost every possible library role, including shelver, assistant, local history assistant, interlibrary loan assistant, reference librarian and branch manager. The positions have given Dew a broad perspective of public librarianship. She considers it a privilege to have experienced all of these roles, and library director was her dream job and career goal.

“This position was the right opportunity for me at the right time,” Dew says.

Her role oversees the operations of the five libraries in

Brunswick County Library System Director Patricia Dew (left) with Heather Donnell, manager of the Margaret & James Harper Jr. Library in Southport. Brunswick County: Margaret & James Harper, Jr. Library, Southport; Rourk Branch Library, Shallotte; Leland Library, Leland; G.V. Barbee, Sr. Library, Oak Island; and Southwest Brunswick Branch Library, Carolina Shores. Dew is responsible for budgeting, developing employment and service policies, strategic planning, public and governmental relations and reporting, ensuring compliance with laws, fundraising and staffing. Driven by the 3.84 percent population growth in Brunswick County in the past year, Dew says the libraries are on the edge of a great opportunity. “Our sleepy, rural beach towns are transforming into vibrant communities with more social, educational, artistic and recreational possibilities,” she says. “I want to bring Brunswick County libraries fully into the 21st century.” In addition to her library-focused proficiencies, Dew attributes her ability “to take charge and lead no matter what” to her U.S. Army career. She attended Army Non-

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9400 Ocean Highway W., Carolina Shores Commissioned Officer Education System schools, where she studied basic through advanced leadership. She intends to take the masters level class in the near future.

As an accomplished clarinet, bass clarinet and saxophone player, Dew spent 17 years in the 208th Army Band serving as musical performance team leader and small ceremonial band leader.

“I started taking music lessons in fourth grade,” Dew says. “I can play any woodwind instrument. But no strings.”

Recorder, pennywhistle and Irish flute are also in her repertoire of instruments. In the perfect fusion of her two favorite things, books and music, Dew was awarded an Army Achievement Medal for her work organizing hundreds of concert band, jazz band, brass quintet and ceremonial pieces of sheet music in the music library.

Dew is now a Sergeant First Class in the U.S. Army Reserve, serving as the North Carolina Noncommissioned Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer, the go-between the Department of Defense officers and civilian decision-makers to coordinate, plan and respond to emergency situations. In January 2023, she will have served 20 years.

Dew hit the ground running in her first 60 days as library director. She implemented OverDrive, giving readers access to hundreds of e-books online, and started a presence on Facebook, Instagram and Nextdoor. She is actively updating the county library website.

Dew’s longer-term goals include adding staff and resources, expansion of hours and locations, enhanced e-book collections, access to online services and new programming, all in a friendly and welcoming environment. The Brunswick County Library Board of Trustees is also under the new leadership of Brunswick County resident Jeff Mount as of January. The board is excited to welcome Dew as the new director, Mount says. “The trustees will take a much more proactive role as an advisory council to Ms. Dew,” Mount says. “Together they will strive to create a vibrant, lively and

“enriching patron experience. A listening campaign throughout the Together they county will be launched to will strive uncover how to increase to create a library services, and a county literacy summit will vibrant, lively be formed joining together and enriching teachers and nonprofits patron engaged in literacy initiatives. The trustees experience. will research the feasibility of a bookmobile and will continue to leverage existing partnerships with nonprofit groups including Friends of the Library, Kiwanis, Smart Start and Brunswick County Literacy Council.” Dew says she and Mount have gotten off to a good start with their working relationship and that the Board of Trustees is already working on updates to library policies. “Libraries are for everyone,” Dew concludes. “I’m excited to have so many opportunities to grow the library system and create friendly, welcoming, useful community centers and places of ‘yes’ that meet the needs of everyone in the community.” And this may be the best news of all: It’s free! For everyone! 

Another Shot

A Winnabow family is reviving its property into The Golf Barn, a golf utopia with family-style fun, professional golf instruction and much more.

BY KATHY BLAKE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY GLENN GUIAO

OOn Highway 17 southbound in Winnabow, at the corner of Bell Swamp Connection NE, a 7-foot chicken named Hennifer Lopez guards a miniature golf course under construction. And the white, yellow and red fiberglass chicken is stuck. Two predecessors flew the coop and bit the dust, says Brad Phillips, one of Hennifer’s caretakers, but this bird will not budge.

“She’s here to stay. She’s been reinforced,” he says.

Hennifer’s 15-acre domain is about to become The Golf Barn, a family entertainment venue with minigolf, a driving range, professional instruction using Toptracer technology, evening games with glow-in-the-dark golf balls, along with a restaurant and a fire pit. Phillips, a PGA Class A professional, which means he can teach golf and run a golf facility, is director of the venue. He and partners Ed Burnett and Burnett’s son, Edwin, plan to open the facility by September 2023. Ed Burnett, 71, has owned 70-plus acres at the site for several decades. Edwin, 27, and Phillips, 28, were childhood best friends growing up in Brunswick County. Which brings us to the 7-foot chicken. “She’s keeping the legacy,” Burnett says. “We grew up in Southport and Oak Island, and this is before Oak Island exploded (in population), and we were working and had the beach and a boat, and that’s pretty much what the area had, the water,” Edwin says. “So, we needed something else to do.”

Hennifer Lopez stands guard over the future site of The Golf Barn, a family golfing and entertainment venue, in Winnabow.

Seeing a long, Wilmington-toMyrtle gap in “something to do,” Burnett invited families to his farm to enjoy a pumpkin patch, a corn maze and hay rides. A giant chicken stood guard over the former soybean fields but, Burnett says, “It got stolen. It inexplicably went missing.”

Burnett bought a replacement, a 9-foot metal chicken, at a garden center in Wilmington.

“We painted him gold, and people loved seeing him out there, but he rusted out and went head-first into the dirt,” Burnett says. “We took him inside but told people he was vacationing in Florida.”

A few years ago, the Burnetts and Phillips came up with the idea for a golf center on the property.

Phillips played high school golf at South Brunswick and attended Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina. He studied golf management and is a certified personal trainer and certified nutritionist. “That’s where golf is going right now,” Phillips says. “Those PGA Tour guys spend a lot of time in the gym.

“I always knew I wanted my own space to teach, because most of your traditional country clubs don’t allow personal trainers and nutritionists with golf coaching.” Phillips says. “So, I partnered with the Burnetts, and they had all this land, so we thought why not make it not just a driving range but a whole golf utopia? So that’s how we got from Point A to Point B.”

Edwin attended UNC-Chapel Hill, where he was a management and society major, which focuses on the inner workings of companies. He thought he might follow his dad into the real estate business.

“I came back home after college,”

The Golf Barn will be a family entertainment venue with a restaurant, fire pits, minigolf, a driving range, professional instruction using Toptracer technology and evening games with glow-in-the-dark golf balls.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Edwin says, “and got my real estate license, but I’ve been working on The Golf Barn. We have a good idea of what it’s going to look like, even though it isn’t completely laid out yet. We are going to include a fireplace and some picnic tables where people can sit out and enjoy the atmosphere, play some corn hole and listen to live music.”

Burnett sold much of the land to a housing developer, but saved 15 acres for The Golf Barn. The trio plans to build about 20 bays on a 360-yard driving range, with 15 equipped with Toptracer. If you don’t know what that is, think graphics that follow a tee shot with a colored line in the air displayed on a screen, showing a golf shot’s ball speed, height, hang time and other stats.

“Serious golfers can aim for pins 300 yards away and, similar to a bowling experience, the names and scores will be lit up on the screen above them. It’s very interactive,” Edwin says.

The range, they emphasize, will aim for the trees, not Highway 17.

The restaurant will be a burgers-chicken-fries-onion rings type place, though the ink isn’t quite dry on the menu.

The golf segment will have memberships available, Edwin says. “It’s not completely nailed down, but we plan some type of memberships in which people can get unlimited balls for the driving range or discounts on the Toptracer.”

“The Toptracer is by the hour,” Phillips adds, “so members might get unlimited balls for the range, and half-price per hour for Toptracer.”

Children can utilize Toptracer, as well.

“Aside from tracking golf balls, which is what the serious golfer wants, the technology also allows you to play mini games like Go Fish, because each driving bay will have a little screen on it,” Edwin says, “and kids can see different fish swimming around and different targets lit up.”

The Golf Barn will have a little of everything for a familyoriented day or night out. And no matter what happens to Hennifer Lopez the 7-foot chicken mascot, The Golf Barn's logo of a chicken atop a red barn will ensure that a bird is always here to stay. 

Ed Burnett, standing, along with his son, Edwin Burnett, right, and family friend Brad Phillips, are the creators of The Golf Barn.