On Sunday, Oct.18, the Wrightsville Beach Museum of History will unveil a North Carolina Historical Highway Marker at Wrightsville Beach commemorating the advent of surfing on the island in 1909.
The unveiling takes place at the corner of Waynick Boulevard and Bridgers Street, where the marker will be placed. Then, during a ceremony at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort, J. Skipper Funderburg, Mike Merritt, Dave Baker, Dr. Joseph James, Ben Bourgeois, Will Allison and Cissie Brooks will be inducted into the Wrightsville Beach Waterman Hall of Fame.
Following the induction, the community is invited to participate in a memorial paddle out to honor surfing pioneer Berk Haywood Bridgers and other watermen like Michael Whitmore and Bill Creasy who died during the past year.
Before the paddle out, family members of Whitmore and Creasy might share photographs or mementos, Wrightsville Beach Museum of History director Madeline Flagler said.
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