Columbus Weekend: Shop Our Stores, Waccamaw Siouan celebration planned for Saturday

The Shop our Stores Downtown Whiteville promotion will also be held on Saturday. With several chances to win hundreds of dollars to spend in shops in downtown Whiteville, Columbus County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism President Joan McPherson encourages folks to come out for the contest. “It’s festive,” she said. Plus, “It’s fun” and “It’s all free.”

Waccamaw Siouan Heritage Celebration

Held in honor of Native American Heritage Month, the Waccamaw Siouan Heritage Celebration “is a way to share our traditions and culture with the people of Columbus County,” says Waccamaw Siouan Chairwoman Pamela Young-Jacobs.

The museum’s Wuertz says that incorporating “cultural awareness into our natural sciences” is “just one step we’re trying to take to be more inclusive” of all communities across Columbus County.  

At the event, performers will demonstrate traditional Waccamaw Siouan dances, to be accompanied by explanations of the symbolism behind the regalia worn, the history of the dances and more, says Wuertz. Booths on Indigenous arts, crafts and knowledge will also be on site to provide more information about Indigenous cultures.

Also, visitors can sample traditional Indigenous foods, like fry bread. Refreshments will also be available for purchase, Wuertz notes. 

In partnering with the museum and other community groups, Young-Jacobs says she can feel “excitement and a spirit of unity in the air.”

Historically, “Our people were not allowed to practice our traditional ways due to fear.” However, “After hundreds of years of separation and not sharing who we are,” she says, “this is such a meaningful collaboration.”

The museum is located at 415 S. Madison St. in Whiteville. The celebration will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. In the event of inclement weather, the event will move indoors.

Shop Our Stores Downtown Whiteville

At the fifth annual Shop Our Stores Downtown Whiteville promotion, you have a chance to win up to $725 to spend at nearly three dozen local establishments.

“This is the largest number of participating businesses we’ve ever had,” said McPherson. 

There will also be a $500 prize and four $250 prizes in the form of what McPherson calls “unique shopping dollars” that winners can spend at any of downtown Whiteville’s 33 participating businesses. 

By popping into shops all across town through the competition, “People discover things they didn’t know were here,” says McPherson.

To qualify for either the $725 or $500 prize, participants must collect stamps from all 33 participating stores. To be entered in for four chances to win $250, however, participants need only to collect 15 stamps. 

Stamps are to be compiled into your “stamp passport,” which can be picked up at the chamber office, the Columbus County Arts Council and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. 

Making a purchase is not required to be eligible for the prizes, McPherson emphasized. On Saturday, “We hope they see something they want to purchase, of course,” but the real goal, McPherson explains, “is to bring them back again and again.”

The contest begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Stamp passports must be turned in by the contest deadline to be entered into the drawings, says McPherson.

And, throughout the Shop Our Stores event, McPherson says to be on the lookout for Mr. and Mrs. Claus, the Grinch and other Christmastime icons, who will be visiting for the event.

Later that day, at 6 p.m., the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony will take place in downtown Whiteville. There will be music, hot cocoa and free carriage rides, and more entertainment will be available, according to an event flier.