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MAD Charleston 2022 Event Summary

Our 8th event on Oct. 8, 2022, was held on one of the best weather days
that we’ve had in many years. We hosted almost 50 Active-duty Troops fishing,
and we fed about 115 participants and volunteers. The only unfortunate part last
year was that Sanibel Island in Florida was hit by a monstrous hurricane one week
before our event, and we lost Troops that were called up to assist in cleanup.

Thank you to Carolina Composites for their continued support, and Rivers
Edge Marina for use of the facilities.

We’re looking forward to our next event coming up on October 7, 2023!

Team MAD Charleston

MAD MHC 2022

MAD MHC 2022 was a great way to get Morehead City MAD back on track as the flagship chapter of MAD.

With a huge amount of help from the Southport chapter, we were able to hold an extremely memorable event. We had 63 boats volunteer and hosted 178 troops. The weather was a tad better than forecasted which allowed a bunch of boats to head offshore while others stayed nearshore and wore out the spanish mackerel, sharks and even a couple cobia. Rich Anderson and family did a great job getting all the fish cleaned and packed up for our troops to take home and enjoy on their own. It was a long day but seeing all the smiling faces debark from their boats is a reward you just can’t get anywhere else.

Afterwards Fat Fellas BBQ served up a meal fit for a king and our great friends at Big Rock Sports donated a tremendous amount of prizes to be given away to the troops. 2022 was overwhelmingly successful and the Morehead City chapter is eager to grow our events bigger and better each and every year.

MAD Charleston 2020-2021 Summaries & 2022 Date Set

MAD Charleston 2020 & 2021 Event Summary

The Charleston Chapter of Military Appreciation Day, Inc. would like to thank the captains
who put Active Duty Troops on the water on a not-so beautiful October 10th, 2020,
morning, and made our event a little success. With COVID hitting, we held an undercover
event consisting of two boats. Others cancelled due the poor weather.

Our 2021 Event was held back at Rivers Edge Marina on October 8th – 9th, 2021. Still a
tradition, Friday evening at the Captains Meeting each Captain was given our “MAD
Charleston Chapter Commemorative Coin”. This year we had 8 very special American flags that were flown in a local C17 that was evacuating refugees from Kabul Afghanistan. We’ve been fortunate that for 6 years flags have been given away as a “thank you” from the MAD Charleston Team to our volunteer captains. And once again, Southern Que-N-Stew provided the captains with a tasty meal.

After another windy and full moon tide on Saturday, we gathered back at Rivers Edge
Marina, and the evening’s most delicious dinner was again provided by Henry and the
Pioneer Smokers. Once the bellies were satisfied, the troops and captains were asked to
stand, and the captains presented their troops with a “MAD Commemorative Coin”. Music
afterwards was provided by our MAD Charleston house band Fat Alice, who has played at each of our events.

Door prizes for the Troops were different this year. Unfortunately, the usual sets of cornhole boards were absent this year, but we were able to give away 16 envelopes with
$50 each to the troops.

MAD 2022 Charleston will be held on October 8-9, 2022. Hopefully we’ll have better weather!

 

Team MAD Charleston

MAD 2017 Events coming soon!

Military Appreciation Day events are on the calendar and arriving soon!


MAD 2017 Morehead City was the first event for 2017.
and is now part of history. Photo Gallery Here

MAD Tidewater Chapter is fishing on August 26

MAD Tidewater General Volunteer Registration is open.
MAD Tidewater Boat Volunteer Registration is open.
MAD Tidewater Troop Registration is open.

September 9 is the big day for the Southport Chapter.

MAD Southport General volunteer registration is open.
MAD Southport Boat volunteer registration is open.
MAD Southport Troop Registration is open.

More information will be posted here as the day gets closer and closer ….

Make your plans to join us in saying One. Simple. Thanks!


If you have already registered (volunteers, boat captains and troops) but did not receive a confirmation email contact the MAD System Admin immediately at admin@militaryappreciationday.org

Paula Holland accepts position as Event President of our Morehead City event!

We are excited to announce that Paula Holland, of Beaufort, NC has accepted the Event President position with the organization! Paula will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the event, normally held one weekend before the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament.

Paula has already been a rock star for the organization, leading several activities, helping secure a ton of donations, and securing the use of facilities like Olde Towne Yacht Club docks and crew for our Carrot Island family tour. She has even raised funds to pay for two pontoon boats used for that activity.

She is stepping up to help as we hope others will, if you see Paula thank her, and lets support her as much as possible during this time! She is already at work on the 2018 event!

Scott Krieger

Chairman of the Board of Directors – Military Appreciation Day Inc.

MAD 2016 Southport – A Tremendous Win!

On September 10th, 2016, Military Appreciation Day (MAD) hosted Active Duty troops and their families from all over the state. They represented all 5 branches of our Armed Forces – Air Force from Seymour Johnson AFB in Goldsboro, Army from Ft Bragg in Fayetteville, Marines from the Camp Lejeune/Cherry Point area up near Jacksonville, Navy from Wilmington (did you know we had Navy so close?) and the Coast Guard from Oak Island and Wrightsville.

In the end, we hosted about 140 troops and 67 family members (Adults and Children) who joined them to take advantage of the family activities. It was our 10th year, and our largest event ever. Staging this event is no small feat. We are 100% volunteer- not one paid person at any level and we are 100% donor supported. That means we rely on the generosity of the community, both in terms of volunteer time, cash, goods and services – all needed to bring the troops and their families a truly world-class event.

So what does a MAD event look like? The troops start arriving on Saturday morning at about 5 AM.That means that most leave their respective posts and bases between 2:30 and 3 AM! For the next couple of hours they are matched with their Captains and head out for a day of fishing on the water. Ashore, we entertain families and prepare a huge picnic for troops, families, Captains and crew. At the picnic, which this year included live entertainment by our very own Linda Snyder (Thank you!), we gave out wonderful door prizes donated by local businesses. There is absolutely no charge. That’s how we show our One, Simple Thanks to our troops and families. Some very special Thank-you’s

Thank you City of Southport – Mayor Dove, Board of Aldermen, Randy Jones at Tourism and Heather and Cookie at Parks and Recreation – thanks for supporting us this year. Thank you especially for proclaiming the 2nd Saturday of every September as City of Southport Military Appreciation Day. Thank you South Brunswick High School JROTC – A special thanks to Colonel Thomas Blue and the fine young men and women who presented the colors with such precision and dignity. This is their second year honoring us.

Thank you Fishing Community – This is first and foremost a fishing event. Some 73 boat Captains volunteered their boats, crews, bait, tackle and fuel to provide a memorable day to our richly deserving troops. You constantly amaze me with your dedication and support of this event. Not to mention, y’all caught a bunch of fish!

Thank you Volunteers – It took nearly 80 of you to pull this event off! From set-up on Friday morning to tear-down on Saturday night, from 5 AM to 9 PM, you did it all. You decorated, prepared and cooked two meals plus snacks; literally serving hundreds, and then cleaned up afterwards. You helped coordinate the boats, guided the troops, cleaned the catch and entertained the families. You did it all with a welcoming smile. I would be remiss if I didn’t call out Ginny and Jerry Hrabica, Charlene Parsell, Kerri Trayah and our fund-raising team of Chris Schnell, Jim Hedgecock and David Call for their incredible efforts on behalf of our service men and women. What a team!

Thank You Southport Marina – To Hank Whitley, Eric King and the marina staff – By its very nature, MAD makes a lot of demands on the facility. For months leading up to the event, Eric is often heard to say; “Here comes Pomeranz, I wonder what he wants now?”. The reality is that you constantly ask what we need, meet those needs and then turn the marina over to us for two days to use the facility as we see fit…as your contribution to our service members and their families. You folks are a treasure.

Last, but certainly not least, Thank you Donors – We had two challenges this year: 1) Grow the event to include more troops and family opportunities while 2) becoming our own Chapter of MAD (there are 5 chapters) and therefore becoming fully responsible for our own fundraising. Well, you all made it possible to reach our goals!

I don’t exaggerate when I say that never before has our community been as generous as it was this year. Private citizens wrote checks, about 100 businesses and civic organizations contributed cash, donated goods and services and volunteered. Of those, the vast majority are right here in Brunswick County – Southport, Oak Island, Boiling Spring Lakes, Bolivia, Leland, Shallotte! Finally, I live in Southport and am very proud of our city and all the supporting communities here in our county. We don’t just talk the talk but demonstrate our appreciation in a very real way. Our troops deserve nothing less. As our MAD motto states, I offer you my heartfelt One, Simple Thanks.

For privacy I do not list private donations but you know who you are. In alphabetical order, here is a list of Businesses and Civic Organizations who contributed so generously (any errors or mistakes of omission are mine):     

American Fish Co. Boatyard BB&T Beachin’ Day Spa/Tideline Nails Beana’s Kitchen Bella Cucina Bells Supply Inc BEMC Better Beach Rentals Blackbarry Enterprises BSL VFW Post 10400 Burney’s Bakery Calcutta Cape Fear Jewelers Carolina Decals Carolina Yacht Care Carr Insurance and Realty Chasers Sports Bar and Grill Clem’s Seafood Coastline Catering Comfort Suites Costco Cox Quality Home Furnishings Dentelle Fine Lingerie Boutique Doodles Dosher Memorial Hospital Downtown Southport Inc Dry Street Pub Duke Energy Dutchman Creek Bait and Tackle Eric’s Grille First Bank Food Lion Geddings and Kleva, PLLC Haraway Real Estate Hardees High Tide Helicopters INA Oil Jazzy Jane’s Boutique John Azzato, MD, P.C. Jones Seafood House Josephs Italian Bistro Kimball’s Furniture Knights of Columbus Kopp Bros, Inc (DBA Kopps Kwik Stop Korman’s Signs Local’s Family Diner Loco Jo’s Lois Janes B&B Long Bay Artificial Reef Assn Inc Lowes Foods Lowe’s Home Improvement Lowrance Mansfield Brothers Gas Mansfield Brothers Heating and Air Martin’s Auto Rebuilders, Inc McDonalds Mr. P’s Bistro Oak Island Accommodations/Town Vacations Oak Island, LLC Oak Island Bar-B-Que House Oak Island Deli and Pub Oak Island Express Lube Oak Island Golf Club Oak Island Moose Lodge 2059 Oak Island Sporting Goods Oak Island Sub Shop Ocean Outfitters Old Bridge Diner Oliver’s on the Cape fear Party Time Pharmacy Restaurant Piggly Wiggly Port City Java Ports of Call Restaurant Renee’s Fine Jewelry Rudd Sold Inc Russell’s Place Restaurant Sam’s Club Sea Tow Shagger Jacks Shallotte Electric Side Street Bakery Side Street Cafe Signature Consultants Southport Animal Hospital Southport Marina Southport Realty, Inc Southport Smokehouse Sportsman Boats MFG Inc Sportsman’s Choice St James Fishing Club State Port Pilot Stewart’s Hardware Stifel (EJL Holdings) Tatum Construction Taylors Cuisine Thai Peppers Restaurant Tidal Merchant LLC Town of Oak Island TRIAD Saltwater Anglers Trolley Stop Wildlife Grill and Restaurant Wilmington Cape Fear Pilots Assoc

 

Hank Pomeranz, Event President of the Southport Military Appreciation Day Chapter.

MAD 2016 Tidewater, Virginia


It’s coming and we’re ready!

August 27th Military Appreciation Day Inc, Tidewater chapter will host our Heroes for a fun day of fishing while treating family members to a great variety of land based activities, great entertainment, and awesome food! Our Troops can expect a wide range of fishing opportunities as our captains will do all they can to put you on fish. And this year we all have the entire Rudee Angler for use by our troops and their families courtesy of Captain Skip Feller and his entire crew!

As always we’ll have a Captain’s meeting as an online webinar on the Thursday prior to the event. We talk about expected weather conditions, have a safety briefing and of course discuss fishing reports as a way to insure all captains have the best information possible to provide their guests with a great experience on the water. We ask all captains to either attend or designate a crew member to attend. Specifics on the meeting will be sent to all registered boat captains a few days before the event.

This year we’ll also conduct an online webinar for all volunteers on the Wednesday prior to the event to discuss all the things we’ll need to do on event day as well as to answer any questions new volunteers might have. While by no means mandatory all registered volunteers will be encouraged to attend and will receive specific details a few days before the meeting.

For all our registered Military men, women and families: As mentioned in the email you received after registering you’ll be assigned a boat captain about 10 days prior to the event. Thank you all for your service and we’ll look forward to seeing you on August 27th!

MAD Events coming soon!

Military Appreciation Day events are on the calendar and arriving soon!

Troop sign up for MAD Southport 2016 opened on August 1, with that event date being held on September 10th, 2016 at Southport Marina in Southport North Carolina. Chapter President Hank Pomeranz and his volunteers are set and ready for another great event! As always, fun, fishing and great food will be served up along with memories and smiles for miles! We already have dozens of boats signed up and waiting to get their assignments!
Please see the Southport Chapter page for links.

After Southport we have MAD Lewes Delaware chapter hosting an event on September 24 (wow a busy month for us!)
Troop sign up for MAD Lewes DE opened on August 8. Chapter President Hector Reyes has lots planned and his volunteers stand ready to show the Troops a good time!
Please, visit the Lewes Chapter page for links.

Last, but CERTAINLY not least, our Charleston SC chapter will host it second event on November 12th, 2016. Let me tell ya these folks know how to do it right! Their first event was a big success and they hope to build from there. Chapter President Gene Morrison and crew did a fantanastic job, and we’re certain 2016 will be even better!
Please, see the Charleston Chapter page for links.

 

Make your plans to join us in saying…..One, Simple, Thanks!

MAD MOREHEAD CITY 2016 SET AND READY!

June 4th, Military Appreciation Day Inc, Morehead City chapter will host our Heroes for a fun day of fishing and treating the family members to many land based activities, great entertainment, and awesome food! In the tradition of the Morehead event, expect the same or more as last year, boat rides, kids Pirate Ship, land based games, DJ, corn hole, wild pony boat tours, and much more!

Our Troops fishing can expect the gamut the ocean has to offer, inshore, nearshore, and offshore fisheries should all be red hot and bountiful!
Changes – Captain’s meeting Friday June 3rd, at City Park and NOT Jaycee Park.
Volunteer registration is now open for our volunteer Captains, cooking crew, and land based volunteers who help make this event great!

Ladies and Gentlemen – Prepare for another good event this year in Morehead City!

Our Volunteer meeting will be held at City Part (Train Depot Park) located at 1001 Arendell Street, Morehead City NC 28557 (Google Map)

We would like as many volunteers there at 3:30 PM on Friday June 3rd as possible. We will discuss the overall event, your participation and job duty then prepare shirts, buckets and goodies for the Captains meeting to start around 5:30 pm. 

Captains – Please show up to City Park listed above at 5:30 pm and we’ll get any last questions answered, give you some information, we’ll share some fishing information and then have a few awards and a great meal prepared by our famous HOBO JUNCTION volunteers! We have lots of door prizes to give away including a touchscreen Lowrance sounder and numerous other items and gift certificates.

Event day – For all our registered Military men, women and families, if you have not been contacted by a boat Captain, unfortunately we did not have enough boats to take everyone but that still does not mean you can come and enjoy the fun! 

We have many, many activities to enjoy the day and coast including:

City Park – Registration opens 9 AM under the blue tent near the bathrooms, we’ll check you and your family members in under the currently registered Troop, please have any applicable Military or dependent ID available. You will receive information about our activities and a participant wristband.

 9:30 AM Shuttle to see wild ponies on pontoon boats at Olde Towne Yacht Club at Carrot Island (Shuttle vans and car seats provided)

Informational displays

Face painting

Live music bands

“Major Dave” DJ between intermissions

Sidewalk chalk

Popcorn, cotton candy available

Children’s playground

10:00 AM DunkTank

11:30 to 1 PM Hamburger and hot dog lunch served

JAYCEE PARK 9:30 AM Signs will direct you, one block over, one block up, an easy walk

Fishing from the docks

Family one hour fishing trip

Scavenger hunt Sugarloaf Island (Licensed Ferry Captain will shuttle)

Family boat rides around the harbor

Pirate Boat Rides 10 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, 2 PM http://beaufortpiratesrevenge.com/

About 3 PM until the fishing boats return and fish cleaning, bathrooms available.

For everyone’s safety we ask that only those loading and unloading from the boats enter the dock area.

Soda and water served all day at each activity

 5:00 PM until Dinner Served – 6:00 PM we will start our prize giveaways to our Military participants, lots of goodies including a $250 flat screen tv!

TROOPS ON OUR ROSTER MUST BE PRESENT AT COOKOUT TO WIN!

Parking available in the lots located at 10th and Shepard Streets.

 

One.Simple.Thanks