When you leave the house, good things happen, we can prove it

John Staton, Wilmington StarNews

Welcome to the weekly Port City Life newsletter brought to you by me, StarNews reporter John Staton.

I don't need to remind anyone of this, but you never know what can happen if you leave the house once in a while.

Take Wednesday night, for example, when I went to see the (always free!) Gruff Groat Comedy show at Waterline Brewing, which Wilmington comic Lew Morgante has hosted for the past seven years. Something I wasn't expecting was a Myrtle Beach comic and ventriloquist, Deegan Hudson, who did a routine with an audience-roasting puppet named Critter. It was like something you'd see on "The Tonight Show" back in the day, and yet it was happening right before my eyes.

Anyway, in the spirit of leaving the house, let's check out what's going on this weekend.

Weekend weather outlook

Now that it's May we're seeing warmer and more humid weather, and we'll get a taste of that this weekend. Highs around 80 each day with lows in the mid-60s, partly to mostly cloudy with a decent chance of rain Sunday morning.

Go | See | Do

Three Wilmington-area concert series, including Kure Beach's Boogie in the Park, return this weekend.

In addition to free outdoor concerts, we've got a diverse collection of touring acts and local bands this weekend, along with a Cinco de Mayo celebration, a film festival, an '80s-centric dance night and the return of a Wilmington comedy legend.

Check below for performers and details.

Local events: 18 things to do in Wilmington this weekend as the free, outdoor concert series return

The Dish with Port City Foodies

Got a favorite hamburger in the Wilmington area? Vote in our poll and make your voice heard.

Plus, a downtown building that houses a popular bar and restaurant has new owners, and we've got a list of food and drink events for May.

Getting to know the 'USS Belville'

The USS Belville/Leland, seen in this photo taken March 15, 1993. The former barge had sunk further into the Brunswick River than it had previously been after a storm a couple of days earlier.
The USS Belville/Leland, seen in this photo taken March 15, 1993. The former barge had sunk further into the Brunswick River than it had previously been after a storm a couple of days earlier.

For those of you who moved to Wilmington or northern Brunswick County less than 30 years ago, the "USS Belville" was a rusty old barge that sat in the Brunswick River off U.S. 17 South and U.S. 74/76 West, just before the exit into Leland and Belville.

How it went from eyesore to local lore is quite the tale.

USS Belville: A rusty barge on the Brunswick River went from eyesore to local lore

News you can use

Leland residents are pushing back against a proposed tax increase. Brunswick County reporter Jamey Cross has the story.

Plus, a former Wilmington baseball star makes his major league debut, and Wilmington secures funding for a low-income housing development.

Let's get social

For more Port City Life news, including updates to food and entertainment stories, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/MyPortCityLife.

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This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Arts, entertainment and events newsletter for Wilmington, NC

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