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Broad Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a congregation in the downtown historic district of New Bern, North Carolina, that has held a weekly Communion service since its founding as a Disciples church in the mid-1800s. If you are looking for a church to visit in New Bern, its Sunday worship begins at 11 am, Communion is offered weekly to all, and the service is also live streamed for those who cannot attend in person.

Where it is and what kind of church it is

• Location: the downtown historic district of New Bern, North Carolina.
• Tradition: Disciples of Christ, described on the church site as a congregational church.
• Worship style: traditional/blended, with Holy Communion celebrated every Sunday.
• Music: the church is instrumental, featuring chancel bells, organ, and piano, and occasionally an acoustic guitar.

Because it sits in the historic district, it is within reach of the downtown area rather than out on the outskirts — useful if you are already spending time downtown or visiting New Bern.

Sunday worship and Communion

Sunday Worship Service is at 11 am. Two things stand out for a first-time visitor:

1. Weekly Communion. The congregation has celebrated the Weekly Communion Service since its founding. All are welcome to receive communion weekly — the church states this plainly rather than reserving it for members.
2. Live stream option. If you cannot be there in person, the weekly service is live streamed. The link is posted on the BSCCNewBern Facebook page and on the church's YouTube page.

The church's own framing is simple: "All are welcome!" That applies both to attending and to receiving communion.

Accessibility

The lower level and the sanctuary are handicap-accessible, and the building has an elevator. If mobility is a consideration for you or someone you are bringing, this removes the usual worry about older historic-district buildings with stairs at the entrance.

Getting oriented before you visit

The church website includes a Newcomers tab with information for first-time visitors, alongside sections for Ministries and Events, News, Becoming a Member, Weddings, and a Unity Sculpture. If you want to know what to expect or how to get more involved, Newcomers is the place to start.

Who you will find there

The site lists current staff:

Rev. Zeb Hough has served in pastoral ministry for sixteen years and also worked in the human services and nonprofit sectors. He holds a Master's in Theological Studies from Northeastern Seminary with a focus on family systems and strategic leadership, and certifications in crisis counseling, spiritual direction, trauma-informed care, and motivational interviewing. His own experience of receiving public assistance and church-based compassionate ministries shapes how he speaks about community safety nets.

Quick answers

• What time is Sunday worship? 11 am.
• Is Communion open to everyone? Yes — all are welcome to receive communion weekly.
• Can I watch online? Yes, via the BSCCNewBern Facebook page or the church's YouTube page.
• Is the building accessible? Yes — the lower level and sanctuary are handicap-accessible, and there is an elevator.
• How do I learn about visiting or joining? See the Newcomers tab on the church website; Becoming a Member is also listed there.

Oliver Prime's upcoming shows are listed on the events section of his official website, oliverprime.com. That page is the primary source for his own performance dates. If you want to know where and when he is playing, start there, then check the news page for newly announced shows. Use the booking/contact page only if you are inquiring about booking him, not to find event dates.

The Events Section on oliverprime.com

The site is the official website of producer and DJ Oliver Prime, and its stated content includes news, events, discography, biography, and contact information. The events section is where his appearances are collected.

What you can expect from a listing:

• Date – when the performance takes place
• Venue – the club, festival, or space hosting it
• City – the location, useful when he plays multiple countries in one run

Because the site covers his own schedule, treat the events page as a personal gig calendar rather than a directory of electronic music events in general. If you are looking for a night out that is not an Oliver Prime show, this page will not help you.

Checking the News Page for Newly Announced Shows

New dates often appear on the news page before or alongside the events section. If the events list looks short, the news page is the next place to look for announcements of recently added shows.

A practical routine:

1. Open the events section and note the dates already listed.
2. Open the news page and scan for recent posts about new gigs.
3. Compare the two so you do not miss a show that has been announced but not yet added to the events list.

Booking Inquiries vs. Event Dates

The contact and booking information on the site is for people who want to book Oliver Prime, not for finding out where he is playing. If your goal is to attend a show, the events and news pages are the right places. If your goal is to hire him, use the booking contact instead.

What This Site Does Not Cover

The events section lists Oliver Prime's own appearances. It is not a general electronic music event calendar, so do not expect listings for other artists or unrelated club nights. For his recorded output, the discography page is the relevant section; for background on him, the biography page.

Quick Reference

Start with the events section, cross-check the news page for fresh announcements, and use the booking contact only for inquiries about hiring him.

A faire — short for Renaissance festival, and also written renfest or renfaire — is a seasonal outdoor event that recreates a 16th-century European village and fills it with theater, music, games, and an artisan marketplace. You can walk in knowing almost nothing and still have a full day: the format is built so that shows, food, and shopping happen continuously around you. The Carolina Renaissance Festival in North Carolina is a working example of the type, open annually on Saturdays and Sundays from October through November.

What "faire" actually means

The word comes from the same root as "fair" — a gathering for trade and entertainment. A Renaissance faire borrows the look and language of Tudor-era Europe, then blends history with fantasy. That mix is deliberate, not a mistake: you will see jousting knights alongside mermaids, fairies, and friendly dragons.

If you have seen the phrase "pleasure faire," it refers to the same idea — a fair staged for enjoyment rather than commerce alone.

What you can actually do at one

At the Carolina Renaissance Festival, a single day can include:

• Jousting — three jousts daily, ending with a final joust to the death, staged as combat for the Queen's honor
• Falconry — birds in flight, presented as the ancient sport of kings
• Mermaids and fairies — "Legends of the Deep" and roaming fairy characters
• Stage entertainment — 16 stages of music, comedy, vaudeville, and circus acts
• Olde-world craft demonstrations — blown glass, smithed iron, cobbled footwear, jewelry, pottery, and candle making
• Games and rides — archery, axe throwing, tomato throwing at insulting fools, and a ride on what the festival calls the world's largest rocking horse
• Food and drink — smoked turkey legs, meats on sticks, craft brews, stews, sweets, Pepsi, cappuccino, and mimosas

The scale is part of the experience: over 140 arts and crafts shops and more than 1,000 costumed villagers, many of them roaming and interactive rather than confined to a stage.

How a faire differs from a normal festival

The practical effect is that you are not just watching — you are inside the scenery, and the villagers will talk to you.

Practical planning notes

• Bring cash. Many artisan merchants prefer cash, and many festival performers gratefully accept tips. Twenty ATMs are placed throughout the village if you run short.
• Check ticketing before you go. The festival sells tickets and offers VIP joust seating, so reserved seating is an option if the joust is your priority.
• Plan for a full day. With three jousts, 16 stages, and 140+ shops, a partial visit means skipping whole categories of the event.
• Expect a family-oriented crowd. The festival describes itself as a non-stop family adventure, and the entertainment is pitched as something for all ages.

Why the Carolina festival is a useful example

It shows the full template in one place: tournament jousting, falconry, mermaids, fairies, live music, feasting, games, and a large artisan market, all running on weekends in October and November. If you are trying to decide whether a faire is worth your day, that combination — continuous shows plus a real marketplace plus costumed interaction — is what you are buying. If you only want a concert or a craft show, a faire is more than you need. If you want a day where something is always happening and you can shop between shows, it fits.

A concert wind band is a large instrumental ensemble made up of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments that performs while seated on a stage, rather than marching or moving. It differs from an orchestra because it has no string section, and from a marching band because its purpose is concert performance rather than field display. Community concert wind bands, like the Bristol Concert Wind Band in the UK, exist to give adult players of all ages a place to rehearse and perform wind music together, and their concerts are generally open to the public.

What instruments are in a concert wind band?

A concert wind band draws from three instrument families:

• Woodwinds – flute, piccolo, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, and saxophones
• Brass – trumpet, cornet, French horn, trombone, euphonium, and tuba
• Percussion – timpani, snare and bass drum, cymbals, glockenspiel, xylophone, and other tuned and untuned percussion

The exact lineup varies with the group. A community band may have a fuller clarinet section and fewer oboes or bassoons than a professional wind ensemble, simply because of which players are available.

How is it different from other ensembles?

The clearest dividing line is the string section: an orchestra has one, a wind band does not. The second is movement: a marching band plays while marching, a concert wind band plays seated.

What happens at a typical concert?

A concert wind band performance usually follows a familiar pattern:

1. Setup and warm-up – the band takes the stage, tunes, and plays a short warm-up.
2. Programme – a set of pieces, often mixing original wind band works, transcriptions of orchestral music, film or show tunes, and lighter concert items.
3. Direction – a conductor leads the ensemble, setting tempo and dynamics.
4. Breaks – there may be an interval, and the conductor or a band member may introduce pieces.
5. Close – a final piece, sometimes a march or a well-known arrangement, ends the concert.

Audiences do not need to know the repertoire in advance. Applause between pieces is normal, and dress codes for community concerts are usually smart-casual rather than formal.

What role do community wind bands play?

Community wind bands keep wind music alive at a local level. They give adults a reason to keep playing after school or university, provide performance opportunities in the region, and often support tuition and player development. The Bristol Concert Wind Band describes itself as promoting wind music in the Bristol region through tuition, development, and performance opportunities for adults of all ages — a typical example of how a community band serves both its members and local audiences.

Who can join or attend?

• Players – community bands generally welcome adult players of varying experience, though some ask for a basic playing standard or an informal audition. The Bristol Concert Wind Band states it is open to adults of all ages.
• Audiences – concerts are usually public events, with tickets sold at the door or in advance. Details vary by band and venue.
• Beginners – some bands run training or development groups for less experienced players; others expect players to be concert-ready.

If you are considering joining, the practical questions to ask are: what playing standard is expected, how often the band rehearses, where rehearsals take place, and whether there is a membership fee. If you are considering attending, check the band's website or local listings for concert dates, venue, and ticket information.

A pleasure faire is another name for a Renaissance festival (also called a ren faire, renfest, or Renaissance faire) — an outdoor event that recreates a 16th-century European village with costumed performers, artisan shops, live entertainment, food, and games. The term "pleasure faire" comes from the historical fairs where people gathered for commerce and amusement, and today it's used interchangeably with "Renaissance festival." If you're deciding whether to attend one, the short answer is: go if you enjoy immersive theater, shopping for handmade goods, live music and comedy, and watching knights joust — and you're comfortable spending most of a day outdoors.

Pleasure Faire vs. Renaissance Festival: Same Thing, Different Name

There is no separate category of event called a "pleasure faire." The phrase is a synonym, not a distinct type of festival. You may see it used in a few ways:

• Historical reference — the pleasure fairs of Elizabethan England, where entertainment mixed with trade.
• Modern branding — some festivals use "pleasure faire" in their name or marketing to sound period-appropriate.
• Casual shorthand — attendees and performers use it loosely alongside "ren faire" and "renfest."

So if you're searching for a pleasure faire near you, you're looking for a Renaissance festival. The Carolina Renaissance Festival is one concrete example: it describes itself as a 16th-century European-style art and entertainment festival blending history and fantasy.

What You'll Actually Experience

A Renaissance festival is built around a fictional village that stays "in character" all day. Based on the Carolina Renaissance Festival's own description, here's what a typical visit includes:

The through-line is immersion: performers interact with you as if you're a visitor to their village, not a spectator at a show.

How to Decide If It's Right for You

A Renaissance festival is likely a good fit if you:

• Enjoy themed, interactive environments rather than passive entertainment
• Want to shop for one-of-a-kind handmade gifts
• Have kids who'd enjoy games, rides, and costumed characters
• Like the idea of a full day outdoors with food, music, and spectacle

It may be less appealing if you:

• Dislike crowds, walking, or being outdoors for hours
• Prefer structured, seated performances over wandering between stages
• Are looking for a quick two-hour outing — these events are designed to fill a day

Practical notes before you go

• Cash matters. The Carolina festival notes that many artisan merchants prefer cash, and performers gratefully accept tips. Twenty ATMs are placed throughout the village, but bringing cash saves time.
• Check the season. The Carolina Renaissance Festival runs annually on Saturdays and Sundays, October through November.
• Plan ahead for tickets. Ticket purchasing, VIP joust seating, and visit planning are handled through the festival's own pages, so check current details there rather than assuming availability or pricing.

The Bottom Line

"Pleasure faire" and "Renaissance festival" mean the same thing: a day-long, immersive outdoor event with jousting, artisans, costumed performers, food, and games. If that mix sounds fun, pick a festival, check its dates and ticket options, bring cash, and plan to stay a while. If you're in North Carolina, the Carolina Renaissance Festival is a ready example of everything a pleasure faire offers.