Sneads Ferry's December Runs Through One Address, and the County Just Zoned It for That
November 12, 2026
November 12, 2026
On November 2, Onslow County commissioners approved a rezoning for two parcels on Park Lane in Sneads Ferry. The parcels hold the Turkey Creek Fire Rescue station and the Sneads Ferry Community Center. The vote changes nothing you'll see when you pull in for Christmas in the Ferry on December 12. It means the building that hosts that event, the Shrimp Festival and Friday bingo is now zoned for event use. Until this month, the county listed it as a nonconforming structure.
That zoning cleanup matters because so much of the season happens here. Between now and Christmas, the community's December calendar keeps coming back to 126 Park Lane, and almost all of it is planned by one group of volunteers.
The application, filed on behalf of the Sneads Ferry Community Council Inc. and the Sneads Ferry Volunteer Fire Department, covered 12 acres at 114 and 126 Park Lane. Park Lane runs off the north side of Sneads Ferry Road. The fire rescue station sits at 114, and the Community Center at 126. Neighbors within half a mile include Onslow County Senior Services, Salem Baptist Church and Forever Fit Fitness Center.
The land had been zoned Residential 8 Manufactured Housing, a district designed for homes. The county staff report for case PREZ-2026-00015 spells out what the switch to Community Business does for a site like this one:
| Use at the site | Residential 8 Manufactured Housing | Community Business |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor event venue | Not allowed | Allowed by right |
| Emergency services | Allowed | Allowed |
| Restaurant | Not listed | Allowed |
| Outdoor vendor sales | Not listed | Allowed |
In the staff evaluation, county planners wrote that the change "would correct the current nonconforming status of the Sneads Ferry Community Center." The case was on the Onslow County Planning Board's October 1 agenda, and the board recommended approval. When commissioners took their vote, Citizen Portal's summary of the meeting reported that a Sneads Ferry volunteer representative spoke in support. It also reported that staff described the change as recognizing continued civic and event uses on the property, the Sneads Ferry Shrimp Festival among them.
In short, the county caught its map up to how the property has been used for years.
The applicant is just as useful to know as the zoning. The Sneads Ferry Community Council describes itself as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that volunteers have led for more than fifty years. It serves the Turkey Creek Fire Department District, so its territory follows a fire district boundary. The Council produces the North Carolina Shrimp Festival and Christmas in the Ferry, and it maintains the Center's building and grounds.
You can see how the Council works in who sits at its table. Its board includes representatives from Turkey Creek Fire & Rescue, Sneads Ferry churches, the New River Garden Club, Yopp Meeting House and Sneads Ferry Hope. Each reports at the monthly meetings. Here is some of what the Council lists as its year-round work:
That last line explains how the vendor tables at the Center fill up. The Council offers local businesses space to showcase their companies at the monthly bingo, the Shrimp Festival and Christmas in the Ferry. Its general meetings are open to the public. They take place on the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Center.
This post publishes Thursday, November 12. Here's what's left on the Park Lane calendar from here through December, in order:
Within six weeks, one building hosts a civic meeting, two bingo nights, a county-run celebration and the community's biggest holiday event.
The official Christmas in the Ferry listing calls it a full-day event and tells families to come early. The day starts with breakfast with Santa. After that come crafts for the kids, a bounce house, Christmas characters, lunch, craft vendors, performances, dinner and the Festival of Trees. According to the Only in Onslow holiday roundup, admission is free, as are the cookies, coffee and hot chocolate, and each child gets a free gift from Santa. The roundup also lists photo ops and a chili cook-off. The Council says some of the children's gifts and prizes are books, puzzles and other educational materials.
Last year the event ran Friday and Saturday, December 12 and 13, 2025. That weekend opened Friday night with a Lighting of the Trees and the chili cook-off, followed by breakfast with Santa on Saturday. For 2026, the Council's listing shows Saturday, December 12. If you want to see the trees lit or enter a pot of chili, check christmasintheferry.com closer to the date for the full schedule.
To get involved instead of just showing up, use the contacts the event page lists for each piece of the day:
The vendor contact is the Shrimp Festival's email address, which says a lot about the event. The same volunteers who ran the festival in late September are now running Christmas.
The rest of the county spreads its holidays across downtowns and waterfronts, and the event organizers vary from merchants to service clubs. Here's what the Only in Onslow roundup lists for the weeks around the Park Lane events:
Christmas in the Ferry starts at 9 a.m. and the Richlands parade at 5:30 p.m., so a family could fit both into December 12.
In Sneads Ferry, almost all of it happens on one lot at 126 Park Lane, which also holds the volunteer fire rescue station. As of November 2, the county's zoning map lists that lot for the uses it has had all along.
If you live near Park Lane and wondered what the Community Business rezoning means for the property, Homes By Holly can walk you through the county's staff report and what the new district allows. Schedule a Free Consultation and we'll look at it together before Christmas in the Ferry.
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