North & South Kerr avenues – If you are local, it’s definitely pronounced CAR. As in the Car Wash (Kerr Wash) located on S. Kerr near Market Street. If you are new in town and according to an unscientific survey, you say Kerr, just like it looks. Mostly because that is what your brain is telling you it should sound like and you don’t want to look stupid. I like to mix the pronunciation up in a paragraph just to cover all my bases. And I know they understand my directions, I mean I only say that word when giving directions. With all the new arrivals; I predict it will one day just be called Kerr. But I hope that the guys at the Kerr Wash are still around to keep us honest.

Kure Beach – Cure (a Cure for the common cold) E Long E, Loud and proud. Try it, “Kure.” Ok that’s it. Kure Beach is located along the coast on the south side of Carolina Beach it is home to about 2,000 predominately white couples.

Topsail Island – Top (that’s easy) and NOT Sail it’s SeL as in “selected to join the team.” Topsail is the Northern beach of the selected area beaches that people visit. Head north on Route 17 to 210 and make a right. It’s undergone some tremendous growth in the past few years but manages to hold onto its roots. Be sure to visit Max’s Pizza if you go for the day. Max’s is a Topsail landmark among locals and the line wraps around outside during tourist season. Topsail has a beach, of course and a few areas to shop. It has the pretty in pink Wings store and another one or two of the same classification. It has an older small strip mall about 3 blocks to the left of the two traffic lights where ice cream and T-shirts and jewelry can be found. And a new addition Topsail Trading company where you can pick up fudge, Tee shirts and finer gifts is located opposite the exit for the small strip mall. Be sure to stop at Doug’s Salvage on the way up and the garden centers on the way back.

Cut the light – turn the light off. Sometimes ‘cut the light on’ or just ‘cut it on’ everything gets shortened and run together here, that part is given.

Grab a Buggie – Get a shopping cart at the grocery store or the Wal-Mart.

Oyster Roast – A very popular party invitation here in the area. Local Oysters are in season in every month without an R. These parties are outdoors so bring your warm comfy clothes. Several bricks are laid around a fire pit forming a U frame two or three bricks high. A metal plate or rack is placed over the fire. The Oysters are put in something like laundry baskets and hosed off before roasting. They are a muddy mess when they arrive. Oysters are thrown on the plate or rack and roasted. Some throw wet muddy disgusting burlap sacks over them to help them steam a bit. They open like clams and then you eat the Oyster with hot sauce or melted butter. Tables are laid out with saw horses to accommodate the shucking, prying the shells completely apart, and the trash. Table tops have holes cut in for buckets for the shells. Shells can not be thrown away but must be taken to a recycle facility. You do not need to bring you own shucking tool, one will be provided.

Boiled Peanuts – I can’t even tell you how the locals say Boiled, and it’s not just the peanut connection but the egg connection as well. It’s that southern rolling of all the letters into one that can’t be put down with real letters. If you think they said boiled, they probably did, it may indeed be missing a few vowels. Boiled peanuts can be found along side many roads in the area and also in convenience stores. Boiled peanuts are the northern version of pickled eggs.

The Loop – The Loop is a one mile circle that runs around the entrance fork to Wrightsville Beach. People walk and jog it. If you bring your dog make sure they are well behaved with joggers and carry your credentials. Unruly dogs are not welcome in this serious walker’s paradise. After you come over the bridge and get to the blinking light “The Loop” is right in front of you. If you bear left, then make a quick right there is a visitor’s bureau there that is worth a stop at least once. Sort of directly behind the visitor’s center (you can walk from there) and accessed via the sidewalk around the loop, (unless you cut through the ball parks and such) is a bird sanctuary that is a nice place for a relaxing meditation or well, bird watching.