At the Morehead City Council meeting on July 11, 2023, then-Councilmember George Ballou read a letter into the official record. It came from a resident who wanted decorated marlin statues across town. At the unveiling three years later, Ballou told the Carteret County News-Times how it started: "I said, 'What a great idea. If you will write a letter and address it to the city council and the mayor I will present it to the council.' And guess what? She wrote a letter."
That letter is now a seven-foot fiberglass blue marlin on the front lawn of City Hall at 1100 Bridges Street. It was unveiled on Thursday, October 1, 2026. It's also the only marlin the city plans to keep for itself. Every statue that follows needs a local business or organization to buy it, hire an artist, and put it up on its own property. How the program is set up decides how fast the marlins spread across town.
Three Years From Letter to Lawn
The resident read her original letter aloud at the October ceremony, as the News-Times reported:
"I've been thinking of the best idea. On my last visit to New Bern, I noticed decorated bears all around sharing their town spirit. We should show our town spirit by decorating marlins all around our town. I chose marlins because we have a Marlins baseball team."
The city's own records show how the idea became a program. In the City Manager's report for August 12, 2025, it was listed as close to launch, with a first run of 25 unpainted statues. The report also tied it to a strategic-plan goal of building civic pride and a unified sense of place. The Call for Artists opened October 31, 2025. The city later extended the deadline to 5 p.m. on December 12, 2025.
At the November 12, 2025 council meeting, then-City Manager Chris Turner said the 3D rendering had been approved and the city was waiting on printing of the first statue. He estimated the first 25 would arrive in February 2026. The unveiling came in October instead. None of the public records reviewed for this post explain the eight-month gap.
At the ceremony, Mayor Lee Stiles credited former mayor Jerry Jones and Turner with getting the program started. He also thanked Assistant Finance Officer Sarah Currie and other city staff. The city also thanked its Public Services team for preparing the site.
The City Hall Marlin Sets the Bar
Chrissy Suralik painted the first statue. A 2023 community profile linked her to Inkspiration Studio Tattoo and credited her with murals downtown. She told the News-Times she spent 25 to 30 hours on it. "Public art is always a little nerve wracking because you've got a lot of eyes on it, but this is really exciting," she said. The paper called the design aquatic-themed.
City Manager Randy Martin explained the choice of fish with this year's calendar. "The Big Rock Tournament this year was historic in proportion," he said, and he also noted that the Marlins baseball team at Big Rock Stadium won its division and finished runner-up in the conference. Stiles described what he hopes comes next: "Over time, imagine these marlins throughout Morehead City. Each one different, each one telling a different story."
How long that takes depends on private buyers, because the city sells the statues and doesn't place them.
Every Marlin After This One Needs a Buyer
According to the city's FAQ, a statue costs $2,500, which includes a printed 4-by-8 plaque. The artwork, clear coat, and installation cost extra. The buyer and the artist agree on the price of the art. So $2,500 is the minimum, and the full cost depends on the artist and the design.
Who can buy one is limited. The FAQ names businesses and organizations in the Morehead City Planning Area, which covers the city limits and the extraterritorial jurisdiction. Households aren't on the list.
The News-Times described three phases:
- Application. A business or organization applies to buy a statue. Selected applicants are notified and start working with their chosen artist on a design.
- Purchase and design approval. The buyer pays for the statue and submits the design for approval.
- Installation and promotion. The finished marlin goes up on the buyer's property, and the city promotes it.
The rules shape what you'll see on the street. Designs have to be original and family-friendly. They also have to follow city ordinances, including sign rules that ban lettering or words on the statue. A dental office or a marina can't paint its name down the side of its marlin. The plaque is where credit goes.
Buyers can pick an artist from the pool approved by the Adopt-A-Marlin Committee, which scored applicants on artistic merit, feasibility, and community relevance. The FAQ also lets buyers bring their own artist, as long as that artist follows the program guidelines. Pool artists had to be North Carolina artists, professional or emerging, at least 18 years old, and able to handle large outdoor work.
A statue can be moved only with city approval, so that "maps, website, and promotion materials remain accurate." That wording means the city expects to map the marlins. No map has been published yet, and there's only one statue so far.
The city's November 2025 announcement said 23 marlins would be part of the first public release. The council minutes from that month describe an order of 25, with one kept by the city and 23 offered for sale. That accounts for 24 of the 25, and the minutes don't say what happens to the last one. Either way, about two dozen statues are available, and each one needs a buyer.
New Bern Shows How Slowly This Can Grow
The resident borrowed the idea from New Bern, so New Bern is the best guide to how a program like this grows. New Bern's Bear Town Bears started with the city's 2010 tricentennial, when 50 fiberglass bears went up around town. They work the way the marlins will. Local businesses sponsored bears and worked with local artists on themes and locations, and the Craven Arts Council & Gallery runs the program today.
| New Bern bears | Morehead City marlins | |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | 50 bears for the 2010 tricentennial | 1 statue unveiled October 1, 2026 |
| Who pays | Local business sponsors | Businesses and organizations in the city limits and ETJ |
| Count today | More than 100, per Craven Arts Council in 2026 | 1 confirmed, about two dozen ordered |
| Finding them | Free map at the visitor center, plus a Google map | Map planned, per the city FAQ |
The New Bern Sun Journal covered the 105th bear, installed by McCarthy Dental. That's roughly double the 2010 launch, spread over about 16 years. In its 2024 downtown guide, Our State counted 32 bears downtown and suggested picking up the visitor-center map for a self-guided scavenger hunt.
Once enough statues are out, people start using them in new ways. The Craven Arts Council and the New Bern Yarn Project dressed the bears in handmade scarves and cowls for America's 250th anniversary in July 2026. A second installation, focused on nonpartisan civic engagement, runs from October 9 to November 4, 2026, so it's up right now, about an hour up the road.
What the City Hasn't Published Yet
As of the October 1 unveiling, public coverage confirms only the City Hall statue. The November 2025 minutes said several businesses had shown interest. No sales count, buyer deadline, or location list has been released since then. The city hasn't announced a long-term goal beyond Stiles's hope that the marlins spread across town.
The Adopt-A-Marlin Program page is the place to watch for buyer applications and, eventually, the map. For now, the only marlin you can visit is on the lawn at 1100 Bridges Street.
Linda Rike Real Estate has been the official real estate company of the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament since 1998, so we'll be watching where each new marlin goes up. If you run a Morehead City business that's considering a statue, or you'd like to talk about anything else in town, contact us. We're glad to share what we know.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
