Along US 17 in Hampstead, framing for a new library is up next to the Hampstead Annex, a county building that began as a school in the 1920s. In December, a Hampstead theater company will stage Elf Jr. at the Annex while that construction continues next door.
Hampstead's holiday season happens on two pieces of county-owned land: the Hampstead Annex at 15060 US Highway 17 and Hampstead Kiwanis Park at 586 Sloop Point Loop Road. Both have grown in the past two years. This is the last holiday season the Annex hosts on its own. By next December, a library is scheduled to be open next door.
The Schoolhouse on US 17
The main Annex building was the Topsail consolidated school, built in the 1920s and later used as a middle school. The smaller building to the north was the school cafeteria, and it later became a sheriff's annex with holding cells. In 2014, Pender County renovated the school into county offices and refurbished the auditorium for community use, as WECT reported when staff moved in that October.
On weekdays the building runs county business. This month and next, it also hosts some of Hampstead's biggest community nights.
On Friday, November 6, Pender County Emergency Services will hold its first Fire Recruit Graduation and Emergency Services Promotional Ceremony at the Annex at 6 p.m. The county has invited the public.
In December the Annex hosts theater. Untitled Theatre Productions is a Hampstead nonprofit founded in 2023 to bring affordable live theater to Pender County. It will stage Elf Jr. in six performances:
- Wednesday, December 9, at 7 p.m.
- Thursday, December 10, at 7 p.m.
- Friday, December 11, at 7 p.m.
- Saturday, December 12, at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
- Sunday, December 13, at 3 p.m.
Tickets are sold through OnTheStage and listed at $19.90, including estimated fees. The county calendar lists the run as Elf – The Musical, and its listing links to the same ticket information.
What Is Going Up Next Door
The framing beside the Annex is the Judy Holly Sidbury Hampstead Branch Library. Pender County broke ground on Wednesday, May 6. The county's announcement says completion is scheduled for summer 2027. At the ceremony, County Manager Colby Sawyer spoke about the site's history as a place of learning. That history starts with the school the Annex still occupies.
The library is named for Judy Holly Sidbury, a founding member of the Pender County Friends of the Library, after a donation from Al Sidbury. At the same ceremony, the Topsail Township Friends of the Library announced a $500,000 gift.
The current branch has outgrown its space. In September 2025, WECT reported that at least 66,000 people had passed through the Hampstead branch in the previous year, and it quoted library director Allen Phillips-Bell:
"Our current Hampstead library, our children's programs are overcrowded."
The costs came in under the original plan. Early estimates put the project at $15.3 million. When commissioners awarded the construction contract to Daniels & Daniels Construction on February 17, 2026, the contract was $7,906,000 and the approved budget was $10.8 million, according to WECT. The 20,000-square-foot building is planned to include:
- a larger children's area
- a teen room
- two large meeting rooms
- eight private study rooms
- a semi-covered outdoor courtyard for reading and programs
The Annex stays open while the library is built; the project's bid documents require it to remain operational throughout construction. This December's audiences will arrive at the Annex with an active job site next door. If the summer 2027 date holds, next year's holiday crowds will find an open library with meeting rooms and a courtyard beside the old school.
The Park the Kiwanis Built
The rest of the season happens on Sloop Point Loop Road, at Hampstead Kiwanis Park. The Kiwanis Club of Hampstead has worked on the park from the beginning. It handles maintenance and beautification, runs concessions at youth sporting events, and sponsors Trick-in-the-Park at Halloween, an Easter egg hunt, and the Turkey Trot, along with a pre-race pasta dinner.
The park itself has grown. Pender County opened Phase IV on September 4, 2025, and more than 200 people came to the grand opening. The expansion added:
- six tennis courts
- four pickleball courts
- two basketball courts
- two multipurpose fields
- a longer multiuse path
- a picnic shelter and restrooms
- more parking
The county opened the tennis and pickleball courts to community reservations. This is the second holiday season with all of it in place.
The park's events start today. Movie Night in the Park runs Thursday, November 5, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The 16th Annual Hampstead Kiwanis Park Turkey Trot starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday, November 21, the weekend before Thanksgiving. The Hampstead Kiwanis Christmas Tree Lighting follows on Friday, December 4, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The county's listing says more details are coming.
On Tuesday, December 8, the two campuses share a program. The Gingerbread Pirate Adventure, from 4 to 5 p.m. at Kiwanis Park, includes story time and a craft led by Pender County Library. The library that is building its new home beside the Annex is bringing story time to the park.
Two Stops Off the County Grounds
Two other events round out the season. Each lines up with a weekend that already has a park event on the calendar.
The Christmas in Pender-Onslow Festival of Trees benefits Lauren's Hope. It fills the Topsail Island Moose Lodge at 13175 NC Hwy 50 in Hampstead with decorated trees, vendors, holiday activities, and a gingerbread contest. Hours are Friday, November 20, from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, November 21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the Greater Topsail Area Chamber listing. The Saturday opens an hour after the Turkey Trot starts, so it's easy to go from the race to the trees. Tree decorators, vendors, and sponsors can find details at christmasinpenderonslow.org.
The Greater Topsail Area Christmas Flotilla runs on Saturday, December 5, the night after the tree lighting. Boats leave Bush Marina in Topsail Beach at 5 p.m. and are expected at Soundside Park around 6 p.m., per the chamber's listing.
The Season, Date by Date
From December 4 to December 13, events move from the park to the sound, back to the park, and then to the Annex for a five-day run of Elf Jr.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Thu, Nov 5 | Movie Night in the Park, 5:30–7 p.m. | Hampstead Kiwanis Park |
| Fri, Nov 6 | Fire Recruit Graduation and Promotional Ceremony, 6 p.m. | Hampstead Annex |
| Fri, Nov 20 | Festival of Trees, 5–8 p.m. | Topsail Island Moose Lodge |
| Sat, Nov 21 | 16th Annual Turkey Trot, 9 a.m. | Hampstead Kiwanis Park |
| Sat, Nov 21 | Festival of Trees, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Topsail Island Moose Lodge |
| Fri, Dec 4 | Kiwanis Christmas Tree Lighting, 5:30–7:30 p.m. | Hampstead Kiwanis Park |
| Sat, Dec 5 | Christmas Flotilla, departs 5 p.m. | Bush Marina to Soundside Park |
| Tue, Dec 8 | Gingerbread Pirate Adventure, 4–5 p.m. | Hampstead Kiwanis Park |
| Dec 9–13 | Elf Jr., Untitled Theatre Productions | Hampstead Annex |
Before December, the Annex's next scheduled event is the fire recruit graduation on Friday, November 6, at 6 p.m. Elf Jr. follows with performances December 9 through 13.
Matt and Kristin Freeman's team at Thirty4 North Properties Group follows Hampstead from Sloop Point Loop Road to US 17, including the library rising beside the Annex. If you'd like to talk about how Hampstead is changing, from the new library to the Kiwanis Park courts, Contact Us.
