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Sandbar Lecture Series: The Life and Times of Crazy Dale Varnam

August 25 @ 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Rescheduled from July 14.

This unusual Sandbar Lecture features the writer of  My Right Hand To Goodness: The Life and Times of Crazy Dale Varnam. The quaint fishing village of Varnamtown, North Carolina—full of zany Southern characters—is the backdrop for the story, and town clown Dale Varnam, who perfected his own brand of crazy, is the protagonist. As this remarkable story is told, Varnamtown became the second busiest port of entry for illegal drugs on the Eastern Seaboard. Find out what Dale had to do with that during this Sandbar Lecture.

Author Lynn Cook Betz, true to a 60’s child in choosing life’s work, earned a degree in Sociology-Anthropology and minor in Philosophy, followed by a Master’s degree in social work. Lynn built her career out of that passion for understanding others, their worries, and their worlds. Hospital-based social work led to hospital administration and then Lynn– along with her husband Thom– decided it was time to become entrepreneurs. Lynn’s diverse careers, combined with the joys and dramas of living are cooked into the book. Add in Lynn’s love of crime stories; writing and words; history; research; and, a return to small town life, and, it was a homecoming. It was a ‘God moment’, when this story came to her to discover and write about. Maybe it was serendipity. The truth is: Dale Varnam had everything to do with it!

Details

Venue

Details

Venue

 

MUSEUM OF COASTAL CAROLINA
21 East 2nd Street
Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28469
Phone: 910-579-1016
Email the Museum
Museum Directions

September 3–November 7, 2026
Thursday-Saturday, 10am-4pm
Also open September 6 and 7 for Labor Day and October 11-12 for Indigenous People’s Day
Sandbar Lecture Series: Second Thursday, 5:30pm – September and October

Ticket sales end 30 minutes before closing time.

June 1–August 30, 2025
Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm (Until 7 pm Tuesday and Thursday)
Sunday, Noon-4pm
Sandbar Lecture Series: Every Tuesday, 5:30pm – June, July, August (Except August 25)
Snakes Alive!: Thursday, 6pm – June, July, August

Ticket sales end 30 minutes before closing time.

November 12–December 31, 2026
Thursday-Saturday, 10am-4pm
Sunday, Noon-4pm
Also open December 28-31
Sandbar Lecture Series: Second Thursday, 5:30pm – November and December
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day

Ticket sales end 30 minutes before closing time.

January 14–March 27, 2027
Thursday-Saturday, 10am-4pm
Also open January 17-18 for MLK Day and February 14-15 for President’s Day

Ticket sales end 30 minutes before closing time.

March 29–May 30, 2027
Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm
Sunday, Noon-4pm
Sandbar Lecture Series: Second Tuesday, 5:30pm – April and May
Closed Easter Sunday

Ticket sales end 30 minutes before closing time.

Visit the Museum Site

INGRAM PLANETARIUM
7625 High Market Street
Sunset Beach, NC 28468
Phone: 910-575-0033
Email the Planetarium
Planetarium Directions
Doors open 30 mins before the first showtime.

September 3–December 31, 2026
Dome Shows: Thursday-Saturday 11am, Noon, 1, 2 and 3pm
Laser Shows: Friday and Saturday 6 and 7pm
Also open September 7 for Labor Day, October 11-12 for Indigenous People’s Day and December 28-31
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day

March 30-August 30, 2026
Dome Shows: Monday-Saturday 11am, Noon, 1, 2 and 3pm
Laser Shows: Thursday-Saturday 6 and 7pm

January 14–March 27, 2026
Dome Shows: Thursday-Saturday 11am, Noon, 1, 2 and 3pm
Laser Shows: Friday and Saturday 6 and 7pm
Also open January 17 and 18 for MLK Day and February 14-15 for President’s Day

Visit the Planetarium Site

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