Serving Our Community.
The Wilkinson Community Event Center is a non-profit organization that strives to provide services to residents of Beaufort and Hyde County that are not otherwise available to these rural agricultural communities. This includes a historic event venue to host various educational, social, and community functions. We are a centerpiece of our community and work synergistically with our town and county to better the lives of local residents. While “The Wilkinson Community Event Center” is the steward of the historic John A. Wilkinson Building, the actual owner is the entire Greater Belhaven community and not one person or family. At the center of everything, we are focused on providing the small-town hospitality for which Eastern North Carolina is known!
Annual Community Events
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Wine, Dine & Design
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Christmas Craft Show
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Festival of Trees
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Shag Dance Lessons
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Firecracker Dinner & Dance
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Miss Independence Pageant
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Election Poll Site
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Medical Testing Site
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July 4th Concert
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Rotary Winter Gala
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Classes & Workshops
Our History
The Wilkinson Center was built as Belhaven High School in 1937 and in the mid 1940’s was renamed after one of Belhaven’s first and leading citizens, John A. Wilkinson. The high school boasts 51 graduating classes from 1938 - 1989. From 1989 - 1997 the building served as a junior high school until hurricanes forced the closing of the building as schools were moved outside of the flood zone. Thanks to a strong community effort, the building was saved and became a member of the National Trust of Historic Preservation in 1999. Even today, “The Wilkinson Community Event Center”, a non-profit organization, fights to preserve this historic site for the benefit of rural communities in Beaufort and Hyde Counties!
You can help!
The main goal of “The Wilkinson Community Event Center”, a non-profit organization, is to preserve this historic and versatile structure for the use of local communities. While “The Wilkinson Community Event Center” is the steward of The John A. Wilkinson Building, this building actually belongs to the Greater Belhaven area. This is truly a community building that is not owned by one person or family! Over the past year, we’ve made some major improvements, but there is still work to be done. Your tax-deductible donation can help make that happen! Please use the button below to our GoFundMe page or mail your donation to P.O. Box 38 Belhaven, NC 27810.
2023 Board of Directors