NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) – It’s happy hour at Firehouse subs and customers can sample the new Coca-Cola Freestyle Fountain.

The new drink machine allows guests to choose from more than 120 beverage brands or mix their own favorite drink combinations.

"The first time we saw Coca-Cola Freestyle, we knew it would revolutionize the beverage industry," said Robin Sorensen, co-founder of Firehouse Subs. " It offers an interactive experience that when combined with our subs, is unmatched. “

The unit is touch-screen operated and offers regular and low-calorie beverages, including flavored waters, sports drinks, lemonades and more.

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - A commitment has been made allowing Wilmington to get an Arts Council that will launch on December 7th.

Offices for the Arts Council will be upstairs in the Brooklyn Arts Center.

Both New Hanover County Commissioners and the Wilmington City Council previously rejected a request for an annual commitment of $50,000 for up to five years. 

But Rhonda Bellamy, the interim director for the Arts Council says city officials did allow the city broker to let them use a loan as an endowment.

The new arts council will be funded in part by the NC Arts Council, Creative Wilmington, and fundraisers.

Rhonda Bellamy, a former radio personality in Wilmington, will run the council during a nationwide search that's expected to take six to nine months.

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - The Carolina Chocolate Drops, the newest and youngest players in a long lineage of black string bands known for their "Hit 'Em Up Style," will take the stage in UNCW's Kenan Auditorium at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 29.

Their appearance is the last in the fall lineup of the UNCW Presents Arts in Action Series and co-sponsored by the Upperman African American Cultural Center.

Selling out in venues across the country, The Carolina Chocolate Drops were the first black string band to grace the Grand Ole Opry, according to UNCW officials.

Honored with a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album, the trio's style is described as "dirt-floor-dance electricity" by Rolling Stone. Band member Justin Robinson said in a statement, "We play in an older tradition, but we are modern musicians. Yes, banjos and black string musicians first got here on slave ships, but now this is everyone's music."