Crystal blue waters have been shimmering for our lifetimes. Developments around her have brought thousands, if not millions, to the sandy shores.
And there at the heart of White Lake, that beautiful 1,200-acre expanse that is the ultimate Bladen County playground, is Goldston’s Beach. Now the Grand Regal at Goldston’s Beach, it has changed with the times, progressing from wooden structures to steel and concrete, but always the ideal complement to the Carolina Bay Lakes waters.
Saturday they’ll gather and celebrate the centennial anniversary of Goldston’s. When H.P. Goldston got things started in 1921, we would guess he could have no idea of just what this paradise would one day become.
To be honest, few among us would dare dream some of the images we now see after Jake Womble, Dean and Jenna Hilton, and Mollie Owen did a transformation of the properties since the beginning of the calendar year.
And there’s more to come. Jenna’s imagination and eye for detail is legendary among those around her, and Dean’s track record on the business front speaks for itself.
Jake tells us his family is incredibly proud of what is taking place, and well they should be.
There is much to celebrate this weekend, too.
The history is one thing, the future is another.
But oh, what a history.
This is a facility that got its initial boost by being the lone ranger when it came to telephone lines across the Cape Fear River. There wasn’t another one!
And then it had lodging capabilities.
Within its first two decades, there was a pavilion and dance floor that stretched out over the waters — just off where the gift shop now sits alongside Goldston’s Pier. Talk about scenic — this was the place to be for the big band sounds of the day.
Fast forward to those changing times after World War II, when the music of the 1950s and 1960s were defining America. Again, the dancing shoes in White Lake beach-front establishments were toe-tapping their way, be it at Goldston’s or next door at Crystal.
The Ski Heels, those incredible water teams, punctuated the next couple of decades. Development around the lake continued, eventually covering in what was once known as the swamp side.
It’s been an incredible journey. The fire of 1957, the health of the lake scare in 2018.
Amid it all, many of us have journeyed to the sand, or the arcade, or the old bingo hall, or the sandwich shop — we went somewhere and saw somebody. And we had a great time.
There are more to come.
The transformation of Grand Regal at Goldston’s Beach has set a foundation for the rest of the 21st century. There’ll be music as there was in the past, there’ll be fun in the sun, there’ll be indoor attractions for when the weather — rain or heat — prompts us to seek shelter.
Congratulations on the first 100 years to our friends at Goldston’s. And here’s to another century of greatness.