Erik Estrada coming to Wilmington for meet and greet event

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Erik Estrada is coming back to Wilmington. The star of the 70′s NBC hit show CHiPs is returning to celebrate the first season of his new series, Divine Renovation, which crews shot in southeastern North Carolina and currently airs on UP TV and is available on platforms including Amazon Prime, FreeVee and Tubi.

“It’s a way of saying thanks and also to raise some money for needed causes there,” Estrada said from his home in California. “I’ll be available to sign pictures, there will be (Divine) Renovation merchandise, and it’s basically to have a good day, people can come out and talk about the show.”

The ‘Meet and Greet with Erik Estrada’ is scheduled for Saturday, October 14, from Noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Loyal Order of Moose Lodge, 4610 Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington. Activities will include face-painting for kids, opportunities for pictures with Estrada, and a ‘Ponch’ look-alike contest, playing off the character Officer Frank Poncherello that Estrada played in CHiPs.

Divine Renovation is described as a home improvement show with a faith-based twist. Season one brought Estrada to Wilmington in late 2022, working with local groups like Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry, Welcome Home Angel, Coastal B.U.D.S and Catholic Charities of Raleigh on several projects to improve the lives of area families in need.

“I feel really good about it,” Estrada said about the episodes in the new series’ first season. “It’s just a real feel-good, kind of thing to do, especially at this point in time in my career at 74. I started out at 19 with my first movie, a faith-based movie called The Cross and the Switchblade, and here I am with the other bookend doing Divine Renovation. It’s a wonderful, heartwarming, ‘feel good about yourself for being involved’ show.”

Estrada said the second season of Divine Renovation will air in 2024, and crews will also soon get to work on shooting a third season of the show.

“The budget is getting a little bigger and better and so that will allow us to have more hands on deck and be able to use upscale equipment, the best that we can use,” he said. “There’s more to see and more to hear and more to do (in season two). It’s a work in progress, getting better as we go.”

According to a news release from the Wilmington Police Department, first responders with an ID will receive a $10 discount off the $25 ticket price at the door. Kids 12 and under are free. “A percentage of ticket sales will be donated to the Moose Lodge to support their charitable initiatives. To continue the concept of doing good and helping others, there will be a raffle for several stocked gift baskets,” the release said.

The general public can reserve tickets online via Eventbrite.

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