North Beach Sun Holiday 2014

HOW ARE OUR

SCHOOLS? PAGE 8

SWIMMING WITH

SHARKS PAGE 22

H O L I D AY 2 014

V O L U M E 111

EVER WONDERED

WHAT’S INSIDE?

F ree!

NORTHBEACHSUN

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

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‘Tis the season for chocolate… famous chocolate covered caramel marshmallows, chocolate dipped cherries, peppermint patties, and chocolate covered Oreos. Local chocolatiers and owners of Big Buck’s Homemade Ice Cream Shop, Belinda and Juraj Pleva, make it all, right here and by hand on the Outer Banks. After years of study in Europe, they’ve perfected their recipe by merging different cocoa percentages to create their own utterly amazing blend of creamy, full-flavored and smooth Belgian chocolate.

Whether it’s custom corporate gift boxes for employees or clients, a jaw-dropping chocolate station for holiday parties, a mouth-watering treat for those on Santa’s nice list, or a delicious hot fudge sundae and the best hot chocolate on the beach for your elves, Big Buck’s Homemade Ice Cream Shop has all of your holiday needs covered.

Now accepting chocolate station bookings for holiday parties and 2015 weddings.

Customize your own station, or let us create one for you.

Come visit our booth at the Outer Banks Wedding Expo 2015. Samples will be available at our Chocolate Station.

Give the gift this year that everyone will love… chocolate!

Gift Certificates available Buy 10 corporate gift boxes get 11th one FREE! Give your friends and family a locally made treat. See our website to learn about our Chocolate Box or Fudge Box of the Month Club!

Surprise your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day with chocolate covered strawberries and a box of homemade chocolates!

A $10 VALUE! Buy 3 boxes of homemade fresh fudge and get the 4th box

FREE!

*IN STORE ONLY

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

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994 ince 12014 NORTH BEACH SUN sHOLIDAY

Waterfront Buccaneer’s Timbuck II Shops, Manteo Walk KH, MP4.5 Corolla 252-423-3118 252-715-0779 252-453-3188 bigbucksicecream.com • distinctdelights.com Like us on Facebook for updates, store hours, specials,@northbeachsun and more.

volume one hundred eleven

Hol i day 2014

5

BUT FIRST...

6 HOLIDAY EVENTS CALENDAR

FEATURE

8

EVALUATING SUCCESS Dare County school system faces challenges

10 mustang outreach program

Music and passion come together 10

FUNDING AROUND THE EDGES Fundraising with the Dare Education Foundation

11 adios to spanish

Elementary schools lose

their language program 12 dual enrollment

The college fast track for

local seniors COMMUNITY 14 this town’s got heart

Wrapped in love:

Congregation provides local

newborns with blankets 15 sharing the joy

A roadside library in Corolla looking back 16 welcome to the rock

Inside the Wright Brothers

National Memorial 18 the search continues...

Map offers possible details

on the Lost Colony R1 REAL ESTATE

arts & entertainment 19 CUSTOM ART

Unique gifts from local artists

20 the insider

Christmas celebrations on

the Outer Banks

lifestyle

21 b.s. in parenting

I’ll give you something to

be embarrassed about 22 double dog dare

Leslie swims with sharks 24 curiosity & culture

Beyond the mat with the

owners of Duck Village Yoga 25 following a

weaving dream

Beth Burns and her flock

outdoor

26 board banter

Getting the shot with Matt Lusk

16

27 fish like a local

Wintertime recipes when

the fishing is lean 28 flying high

Kitesurfing prodigy

Cameron Maramenides food & beverage 30 amanda’s kitchen

5-minute no knead bread 31 in our beer world

Good beer in a can... who knew?

shop talk

32 The obx list

Handpicked goods from

local retailers

22

25

34 everything else under the sun

Off-season gratitude

Cover photo by K. Wilkins Photography.

THIS PAGE K.Wilkins Photography (monument, sheep), John McCord (divers) NORTHBEACHSUN

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

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Photography K. Wilkins Photography Daniel Pullen Photography John McCord

Publishers Adam & Cathy Baldwin EDITOR Cathy Baldwin

Strong Bones. Active Life.

Ask your doctor if it’s time for you to check in with your bones.

The Outer Banks Hospital now offers bone density testing (DEXA).

This quick and painless test can help you and your doctor determine if lifestyle changes are necessary to keep your bones strong so that you can remain active well into the future.

For more information, call The Outer Banks Hospital at 449-4500. the right care. right here.

The Outer Banks Hospital is a joint venture between Vidant Health and Chesapeake Regional Medical Center.

Writers Matt Artz Cathy Baldwin Ed Beckley Dawn Church Phyllis Cole Mattie Dalia Lindsey Beasley Dianna Jesse Fernandez Laura Martier Amanda McDanel Eric Reece Kip Tabb Michelle Wagner

Art Director Dave Rollins Graphic Design Adam Baldwin Sales Manager Michelle Fernandez Account Executives Helen Furr Sue Goodrich Tori Peters Distribution Bob & Glen Baldwin

NORTH BEACH SUN 115 West Meadowlark St. Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 252.449.4444 phone 252.715.1303 fax

ADVERTISING DEADLINE FOR THE SPRING ISSUE

MARCH 6

The North Beach Sun is published quarterly by Access Media Group.

All works contained herein are the property of the North Beach Sun and/or its contributors. Opinions, responses, and inquiries are always welcome. You can email us directly at editor@northbeachsun.com or sound off at NORTHBEACHSUN.COM.

SUMMER 2014

Call today!

252.449.4444

VOLUME 109

INSIDE!

$12 for 1 Year / $45 for 5 Years Mail Checks to: North Beach Sun 115 West Meadowlark St. Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948

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SUMMER 2014

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NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

State:

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@northbeachsun

BUT

FIRST...

From the Publisher I hate public speaking. God only knows how I survived two years as an English professor; it rattled my nerves nearly every time I got up in front of a classroom of adults to lecture. So when I was asked to stand up in front of a room full of educators, politicians and community members at the State of the Child conference on the science of positivity, I got light-headed and forgot who I was and why I was there.

Let me clarify—I was not a paid speaker at the conference nor was my name on the agenda—the keynote speaker had asked EVERY PERSON in the audience to take turns stating their names, vocation and reason for being at this conference on positivity. When it was my turn, I mumbled my name, job and something about having two young children while my face flushed a deep shade of red. You would have thought he’d asked me to explain to the audience how babies are made.

What I didn’t say—and immediately wished I had—was that the North Beach Sun, this newspaper that I pour my heart and soul into, strives to be a shining light in the community. Our tagline “Good news for the Outer Banks!” isn’t just a slogan; it’s integral to my personal philosophy. I believe in promoting the positive, highlighting the good in the community and giving press to those who actually deserve it for their talents, humanitarian deeds, or downright amazingness. Shine a light on the good, and the good will shine back on our community.

Of course we will always cover issues that concern the community— education and traffic are two important and controversial topics that we cover in this edition—but you’ll probably never read a story in the North Beach Sun about a drug deal or sordid affair. It’s true, bad things do happen here. But guess what also happens every day, everywhere and on a much larger scale: good things. This community is full of good.

Good parents, good community members, good kids, good friends. The norm is that people love each other, and every day they do good things for each other. EVERY SINGLE DAY. That’s the norm.

We kiss our children as we tuck them into bed, we hold fundraisers for people who need help, we call our aging parents, we snuggle up with our dogs on the couch. We are good. I truly believe this. And I believe that the more we remind ourselves of the good in our community and the good in each other, the better off our little sandy stretch of the world will be.

“Good news for the Outer Banks”—it’s not exactly a recipe for world peace, but it’s my contribution.

We’re on the brink of a New Year. Need a resolution? Our staff has plenty…

I resolve to not give all of my time to being a good mom to our new baby, but to make sure to save some of “me” to share with my Super-Fantastic, Supportive Husband.

Giving my daughter a good example of a healthy and loving marriage will hopefully help her feel secure, confident and blessed.

– Kati Wilkins, photographer

I walk nearly every morning on the beach, even in windy winter weather, to maintain my sanity and do something good for my body. My resolution is to bring a bag with me to pick up the bits of washed up plastic and trash that I find. I’d like this beach to still be beautiful for my children when they’re my age.

– Cathy Baldwin, editor

Daniel Pullen Photography captures a surfer paddling past the remains of the Frisco Pier at sunset.

I resolve to surrender, lovingly.

Learn how to utilize more technology on my I-phone. (And to lose some @$#% weight!)

– Glen Baldwin, columnist and grandmother of 5

Speak less, learn more.

–Tori Peters, account executive

I’m going to attempt to undo the damage I did to my body between ages 20 and 40 during the years of 40 and 50.

– Adam Baldwin, publisher

– Kip Tabb, writer

I will attempt to wear pajamas to morning school drop-off no more than twice a week and shower at least that often. I will also get my doctorate in advanced mathematics in order to be able to help my third grader with his homework.

– Lindsey Beasley Dianna, columnist

I resolve to tone it down because people were put off by how awesome my 2014 was.

– Dave Rollins, art director

I want to plan more family activities like camping and hiking in North Carolina.

– Helen Furr, account executive

I’m going to be more mindful of my breathing and do more of what makes me happy.

I’m going to focus on who I really am. Actually the North Carolina motto, “Esse Quam Videri” (to be rather than seem), is now my motto!

-Michelle Fernandez, sales manager

– Sue Goodrich, account executive

-Cathy Baldwin NORTHBEACHSUN

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

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winter Events

Get more updates and info: facebook.com/northbeachsun

Calendar 2014-2015

The Big Curri-shuck Island Foodways at Island Farm

Outer Banks Running Club Gobbler 5K & Fun Run

November 28 – 29

November 27

Run-Eat-Nap! The Gobbler 5K takes runners on a course through the Village of Nags Head on Thanksgiving morning. outerbanksrunningclub.org

Candlelit House Tours

November 20 – December 31, Fridays and Saturdays

Breakfast with Santa

Take a festive, candlelit tour of Whalehead adorned with Christmas trees decorated by Currituck students. christmasincorolla.com 19th Annual Advice 5K Turkey Trot

November 28

Meet Santa face-to-face at Sunset Grille & Raw Bar in Duck. fishbonessunsetgrille.com Holiday Window Decoration Contest November 28 – December 19

November 27

Start your Thanksgiving off by burning the calories in the annual 5K Turkey Trot in Duck.

Proceeds go toward the Advice 5K Turkey Trot Charitable Endowment. advice5.com

View twinkling lights and festive displays in Duck, and then vote for your favorite holiday windows for a chance to win a stocking stuffed with gift cards to participating Duck businesses. townofduck.com/yuletidecelebration

#duckthehalls Instagram Scavenger Hunt November 28 – December 19

Take part in the Town of Duck photo scavenger hunt using #duckthehalls on Instagram and be entered to win gift cards to Duck businesses. Winners will be chosen by creativity and completion of all items. Be sure to follow @TownofDuck on Instagram. townofduck.com/yuletidecelebration Chicamacomico’s End of Season Festivities November 28

Visit with Santa and take part in the season-long raffle on the day after Thanksgiving. chicamacomico.net

WATERFRONT DINING

LUNCH • DINNER • BAR • BEST VIEW IN DUCK live music happy hour daily

amazing sunsets massage skin care

S *EXCLUDE OS* M O R P OTHER

November 28 – 29

Take the kids by Kitty Hawk Kites across from Jockey’s Ridge in Nags Head on Friday or Saturday for a visit with Saint Nick. kittyhawk.com Kites with Lights November 29

Watch the night sky over Jockey’s Ridge light up as kites with lights soar above. kittyhawk.com

WinterLights

December 2 – January 3

Take a stroll through the beautifully lit Elizabethan Gardens throughout the holiday season from Tuesday through Saturday. elizabethangardens.org Holiday Chefs Challenge December 4

Top local chefs compete against each other to raise money for the Beach Food Pantry. Enjoy an evening of delicious food, live music, prize baskets and more at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kitty Hawk. beachfoodpantry.org

Greeting Cards • Prints • Postcards Stickers • Bags • Canvas & More

IN STORES THROUGHOUT THE OUTER BANKS exclusively by

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NEW OIC ARTIST!

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½ PRICE WINE THURSDAYS $5 FRIDAYS • SUNDAYS BURGERS & BREWS SUNSET PHOTO CONTEST L 20% LOCA S T N DISCOU ND! YEAR ROU

Hanging with Santa

Enjoy all-you-can eat local steamed oysters from I Got Your Crabs restaurant, local wines from Sanctuary Vineyards and live music from 12-5PM. Sanctuary Vineyards, Jarvisburg sanctuaryvineyards.com

BUYLOCALART

what’s happening at aqua in the cool season...

gather with friends

Learn how the early inhabitants of Roanoke Island prepared for the winter. Activities will include hearth cooking, candle making, food preservation, wagon rides and more. Bring in a non-perishable food item and receive $1 off admission. theislandfarm.com

November 29

FALL/ WINTER SPECIAL S

An OUTER BANKS FAVORITE! Outer Banks artist, E.M. Corsa is passionate about art and nature, the combination giving birth to vivid watercolors portraying both fauna and flora. She paints what she knows best, and the appeal of her work stems from a keen eye for accuracy and detail with a balanced composition.

Self-taught artist and illustrator, Chris Kemp’s fine art and designs have made their way along the East Coast into eateries and surf shops and onto events posters and apparel.

To purchase more of Chris Kemp’s or E.M. Corsa’s work,

visit www.etsy.com/shop/OuterIsland or Facebook.com/OuterIslandCooperative 252.261.9700 restaurant | 252.261.9709 spa aquaobx.com | facebook.com/aquaobx 6

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

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26th Annual Festival of Trees December 11 – 13

Grand Illumination December 5

The sky lights up in Corolla with the grand illumination of Whalehead. christmasincorolla.com Holly Jolly Christmas Show December 5 – 7

Go on a magical, musical Christmas journey with Westifer the Elf and the Nu-Blu band at Roanoke Island Festival Park. hollyjollyobx.com Roanoke Island Christmas Weekend December 5 – 6

Manteo Preservation Trust, The Elizabethan Gardens and Island Farm join together for the Roanoke Island Christmas Weekend, which includes such beloved holiday events like WinterLights at Elizabethan Gardens, Christmas Past at Island Farm and the Holiday Tour of Homes. elizabethangardens.org Manteo Christmas Parade & Lighting Festivities December 5 – 6

Friday night watch the Grand Illumination in front of the historic Manteo courthouse during First Friday, and then on Saturday enjoy the Christmas parade through downtown Manteo. Take photos with Santa afterward at the Roanoke Island Maritime Museum and Creef Davis Boathouse. townofmanteo.com Duck’s Yuletide Celebration December 6

Enjoy the sounds of Emme St. James & Her Jazz Gentlemen while waiting for Santa riding a fire truck to arrive at the Duck Town Green to light the town’s Crab Pot Tree. townofduck.com/yuletidecelebration Free Fall Saturday Red Wolf Howling December 6

Meet at the Creef Cut Wildlife Trail on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge to hear red wolves in the only place in the world where they still exist in the wild.

252-216-9464 Santa and the Train December 11

Santa stops by the Outer Banks Brewing Station for the 6th Annual Santa and the Train festivities. Kids can make Christmas crafts, ride the train and take pictures with Santa. childrenatplayobx.com NORTHBEACHSUN

This 3-day event at the Outer Banks Brewing Station includes a visit with Santa, activities for children, music, and an auction of donated and decorated Christmas trees. The Festival raises money for Outer Banks Hotline, a local non-profit that aids victims of domestic and sexual abuse. obxfestivaloftrees.com Jingle Bell Run/Walk December 13

This festive 5K and half-mile fun run at Westside Athletic Club that benefits the ENC Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Lower Currituck Food Pantry. fsseries.com Holiday at the Museum December 13

Marvel at the Winter Wonderland train display and enjoy refreshments and live muisc at this annual holiday event at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. ncmaritimemuseums.com 111th Annual Celebration of the Wright Brothers First Flight December 17

This milestone will be celebrated at the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

252-473-2111 WinterLights with Santa December 20

Santa makes an appearance at the Elizabethan Gardens from 6-9PM. elizabethangardens.org 2nd Annual Outer Banks Festivus Road Race 5K/10K, Jingle Jog 1 Mile, and the Little Elf ¼ Mile December 20

Outer Banks Runcations hosts this run through the streets of Southern Shores that includes a morning photo op with Santa. runcations.com Don and Catharine Bryan Cultural Series Throughout January

Artist-in-residence Jesi PaceBerkley will have her works on display at Glenn Eure’s Ghost Fleet Gallery during the month of January with a reception on January 11. Classes, demonstrations and studio times are TBD. bryanculturalseries.org 2015 Wedding Weekend and Expo January 17 – 18

Meet local wedding professionals, tour venues and restaurants and register to win wedding giveaways, including the chance to win a Dream Wedding. outerbanksweddingassoc.org

37th Annual Frank Stick Memorial Art Show February 21 – March 19

Local art, ranging from conceptual to realistic, will be on display at Glenn Eure’s Ghost Fleet Gallery for nearly a month.

252-473-5558 Outer Banks Signature Chef Auction February 22

Chefs from some of the best Outer Banks restaurants will be on hand to provide tastings and live and silent auction packages at the Hilton Garden Inn. Proceeds benefit the March of Dimes.

252-573-9035 2015 Graveyard 100 March 7

This ultramarathon takes runners along Highway 12 through the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and over Bonner Bridge. graveyard100.com Kelly’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade March 15

Take part in the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the state, complete with floats, marching bands and live music. kellysrestaurant.com Harlem Ambassadors vs.

Local “All Stars” March 19

The Harlem Ambassadors take on a local “All Star” basketball team assembled by the Dare Education Foundation for a night of basketball at the First Flight High School gym. dareeducationfoundation.org OBX Taste of the Beach March 19 – 22

This festival sponsored by the Dare County Restaurant Association features tapas crawls, wine tastings, cooking classes, brewery tours and much more. obxtasteofthebeach.com Womanless Beauty Pageant

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 3-5 P.M. DUCK TOWN GREEN Enjoy live holiday tunes by Emme St. James & Her Jazz Gentlemen on the Town Green, strolling carolers from the First Flight High School Chorus, Santa’s arrival on the Duck Fire Truck, and the lighting of the Crab Pot Christmas Tree. Donations will also be accepted for Outer Banks SPCA and Food For Thought.

Select businesses will extend their hours until 7:00 p.m. and offer a locals discount on December 6.

Visit doducknc.com for details.

CHEERFUL CONTESTS THROUGHOUT DUCK VILLAGE Friday, November 28 – December 19 Make your way through Duck Village this holiday season to enjoy the holiday sights and have a chance to win gift cards from Duck businesses to help you complete your holiday shopping!

Vote for your favorite displays as part of the Holiday Window Decoration Contest, and snap and share photos along the way as part of a new #DUCKTHEHALLS Instagram Scavenger Hunt.

Yuletide cheer is comi

ng to

town!

March 21

You won’t want to miss this “beauty” pageant at Kelly’s sponsored by Brindley Beach Vacations & Sales in which male contestants compete dressed as women to raise money for local causes. Last year’s event raised more than $70,000! dearmrsdean@gmail.com Flying Pirate Half Marathon and First Flight 5K April 18 – 19

This pirate-themed half marathon begins in Kitty Hawk and ends with a Pirate Jamboree in Nags Head. flyingpiratehalfmarathon.com

Town of Duck

DuckOBX

For details on how to participate and be entered to win, visit www.townofduck.com/yuletide-celebration.

Events Information: 252.255.1286

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

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FEATURE

Evaluating Success The Dare County School System Faces Challenges

By Kip Tabb

When I was in high school, which admittedly was considerably before the 21st century, students had a choice of the languages they could take. Spanish, French, German or Latin were all offered, and college bound kids routinely took four years of a language.

My daughter, a junior at First Flight High School, wanted to take French this year, but classroom instruction of French had fallen to the budget axe. She could have taken an online class, but she had concerns about taking an introductory foreign language class without a teacher to help her through the first stages of learning.

She is taking Spanish instead and seems to be doing well, but it was disappointing to both of us that a course of instruction that seems so fundamental to understanding the world around us has been reduced to a choice of one.

The loss of classroom foreign language instruction is part of a much larger discussion that encompasses state and local budget decisions and Department of Public Instruction (DPI) requirements that affect what classes students must take.

The loss of $1.2 million forced decisions on the Board of Education that no one wanted to make.

“We’re a people-driven business,” Burgess said. “There is no way you can do this (reduce the budget by that amount) and not affect personnel in a major way.”

There were no layoffs, though. Nineteen positions were eliminated either through retirement, transfers or reorganization—but no one was told there would be no position for them this coming year.

There was a cost to that, though.

Spanish instruction at the elementary school level had to go. “I was certainly a proponent of it,” Burgess said. “That was a very painful cut for me. We were able to reassign the teacher.”

Although budget issues confronting Dare County Schools This past year was a difficult one for Dare County Schools’ administrators, although the students did just fine. are in the spotlight now, there is another battle brewing over The on-time graduation rate was 93.3%, the second highest school evaluations. in the state; students did well in AP (Advanced The state evaluation for schools has been The loss of $1.2 moving away from the “School of Excellence” Placement) classes—rigorous college level million forced model that had been used and is now evalucourses offered to juniors and seniors; and overall, Dare County schools and students compared decisions on ating schools based on Annual Measurable very favorably among North Carolina schools.

Objectives (AMO) criteria. That, too, will the Board of But the county’s questioning of how the dis- Education that change with the new system, although the trict was accounting for capital improvements led no one wanted AMO system will still be a part of the school’s grade. to a contentious debate over school funding and to make. ultimately cost the schools $1.2 million.

District Superintendent Dr. Sue Burgess was in the eye of the storm. “We were working to reduce and redirect $1.2 million. It was a reflection of a state and local budget process,” she said.

Although the budget process was difficult with the Dare County Board of Commissioners this year, Burgess said, “We’re working to resolve our differences.”

The school budgeting process in North Carolina may be more complex than in most states. The state legislature determines teacher salaries and funds a basic level of personnel and facility costs. Counties can and do add to the state revenues, and Dare County has traditionally been one of the most generous in doing so.

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NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

Former Director of Secondary Instruction Nancy Griffin noted that when the state legislature created its new evaluation criteria, it did not include implementation guidelines. “The A-F grading system that the legislature passed . . . how it will be implemented will not be announced until January,” she said.

No one is clear about how that system will be applied.

“There are a couple of different ways to measure performance,” Griffin said. “Either by proficiency or by growth.”

Proficiency refers to meeting or exceeding standards of education; growth denotes the improvement over the current level of performance, and as Griffin pointed out, a low performing school will show more improvement than a school that is meeting its AMO.

“A district or school could fail by not meeting performance standards but be doing a remarkable job by growth,” Griffin said. “The opposite is also true in that a high-performing school could have strong outcomes on tests but not really be providing at least a year’s worth of growth for its students.”

Griffin had additional concerns about the new system.

She referenced a requirement that certain courses must be passed, citing Math III—once upon a time called Algebra II—as a specific example. “At least 95% must pass (in the school), but there is not a common measure for what it takes to pass. We didn’t lower the standards in Dare County,” she added.

Recently published guidelines indicate the legislature’s new A-F system will count performance for 80% of the achievement measure and growth for only 20%.

Griffin also noted that the legislature is expanding the standards by which teachers are judged.

“The legislature can’t have it both ways,” she said.

“They (the legislature) are taking money away from professional development, and taking away time teachers can work and plan together. Then they hold them (the teachers) accountable.”

It is a troubling time for education in North Carolina. The legislature seems to be struggling to find the revenue to maintain a high level of performance in schools. Professional development—one of the keys to classroom excellence for teachers—is no longer funded; and there are important questions to be answered about how schools will be graded.

Yet there is still this—Dare County children are getting a good education. Every tool there is to evaluate their performance indicates that is the case. And technology will continue to be a key to that success.

In January, Dare County Schools will give Chrome Books to all high school students. Next year, middle school students will receive their Chrome Books at no cost. Chrome Books are Cloud-based computers with relatively little internal memory.

It’s indicative of a change in education—something that experienced educators and administrators have seen.

“Things are being done online and with the education highway,” Burgess said. “The kids of today are much more adept at learning things than we were.”

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NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

9

FEATURE

Mustang Outreach Program Music and Passion Come Together

Funding Around the Edges

Dare Education Foundation Plays an Important Role in School Funding

By Phyllis Cole Mike Dianna is a big guy, not just in stature, but in passion. As a successful restaurateur, he has an understandable passion for food and wine. Mike loves music and art as well. His restaurant, Mike Dianna’s Grill Room, is the music hub of Corolla for local musical acts and regional bands. On any given summer day, you can hang out and catch some of the greatest musical talent around on the outdoor deck at The Grill Room.

That brings us to Mike’s biggest passion, philanthropy. He is thankful for his success and wants to do all he can to give back to the community that has given so much to him. Four years ago, he started the Mustang Music Festival (MMF). The festival, which began as an organized jam session in the parking lot of The Grill Room, has outgrown its original home. MMF moved to the Currituck Heritage Park at Whalehead this year and featured a dual stage, 20-plus musical acts, art village, kid zone and silent disco.

It has become a bona fide true East Coast hot spot for Columbus Day weekend. To top it all “To see these kids get off, it’s a benefit for the Corolla Wild Horse so excited and want Fund, The Whalehead Preservation Trust and to share that with the Mike’s latest passion, the Mustang Outreach younger kids is what Program.

this is all about.”

Just over two years ago, distressed by the decimation of cultural arts programs in the local schools, good friend and local chanteuse Laura Martier gave Mike an idea to encourage local musicians to mentor budding student musicians. Inspired, Mike gathered some like-minded folks and started the Mustang Outreach Program (MOP).

As stated on mustangoutreach.org: “The mission of the Mustang Outreach Program is to supplement the cultural arts programs in local schools with world class music performances, residencies and mentoring programs. The goal is to also provide a stage for musically gifted local students to perform their self-composed works.”

MOP asked local musicians to mentor students in summer music camps and throughout the year.

The children’s first performance took place at Water’s Edge Village School in Corolla, and they have since held performances all over the beach. Some of these middle and high school students have formed their own groups, written their own music and mentored younger elementary musicians themselves. “To see these kids get so excited and want to share that with the younger kids is what this is all about,” enthuses Mike.

They’ve added the Dare County Arts Council as a partner, and the program has expanded exponentially. It culminated in the Mustang Music Festival this year when 105 students performed in front of a cheering crowd of 1,500 music fans, including the visiting professional musicians. “It was great to see these major musical artists, who just spent time mentoring these kids, in the front row cheering and clapping,” beams Mike. “It is so much bigger than I imagined it to be!”

Mike’s ultimate dream is a performing and cultural arts center right here on the Outer Banks to rival music and art schools everywhere. “Cultural arts are so important to the development of our youth,” says Mike. “It encourages creative expression and critical thinking that is absent in so much of the school curriculum these days. And every year, they seem to be cutting another arts program.”

With Mike’s inspiring passion at the helm and the continued assistance of committed business partners as well as individuals, Mike’s dream for a performing arts center might someday become a reality. His big passion couldn’t be better focused.

10

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

By Kip Tabb

One of the bright spots in the Dare County education system is the Dare Education Foundation (DEF).

A nonprofit, it is not part of the school system at all, but the support it has been able to give to teachers, programs and students has helped the schools maintain standards that are some of the highest in the state.

“We have three legs to our mission,” Elisabeth Piff, Executive Director of the DEF explained. Dare to Succeed is a program for students. Dare to Imagine incorporates classroom grants. Finally, Dare to Inspire entails a partial reimbursement scholarship of up to $1000 for teachers.

DEF also offers professional development scholarships.

The DEF was also instrumental in developing the affordable housing units for teachers at Run Hill in Kill Devil Hills and on Hatteras Island.

It is an expensive mission to fund, and often goes unnoticed by the public.

Knowing it needed to raise funds, in 2006 the DEF came up with a bold plan— they held a marathon.

During the first few years, the DEF managed the event. But it quickly became clear that it had outgrown the foundation’s ability to grow and manage it. The

result was the beginnings of Outer Banks Sporting Events (OBSE).

OBSE manages four races over the course of the year—the TowneBank Outer Banks Marathon and Southern Fried Half Marathon in November, the Wells Fargo Flying Pirate Half Marathon in April, Storm the Beach in June and the SAGA Outer Banks Triathlon in September.

The funds raised from those events are divided at the end of the year. “We take the net proceeds at the end of our fiscal year and split it 50/50 with the Dare Education Foundation and the Outer Banks Relief Foundation,” said OBSE Executive Director Lynda Wood. “Last year we gave approximately $140,000 to the foundation.”

Although the DEF receives other funds, the OBSE contribution is by far the largest single revenue source the foundation has.

Some of the programs those funds pay for have become fairly well known. AVID-Advancement Via Individual Determination—is a national program that introduces students to the possibility of college.

Focusing on kids who have academic po-

What else has the Dare Education Foundation done? Here’s just a partial list of what the DEF accomplished during the 2013-2104 fiscal year: • Reinvested more than $100,000 back into the Dare County Schools’ public school system.

education and sponsored a district-wide graduation celebration for all AVID students.

• Awarded ten 21st Century Skills grants, totalling $23,479.50.

• Provided $10,000 to be used towards student enrichment activities at all DCS’ middle and highschools for their AVID program.

• Provided three scholarships for graduating seniors enrolled in the AVID program who were going on to post-secondary

• Provided monetary stipends to 13 graduat-

ing seniors, regardless of whether they were AVID students themselves, on the basis that they had tutored AVID students.

• Assisted DCS with other costs of maintaining the AVID program and having access to all of the mostrecent AVID instructional materials.

• Provided 24 units for affordable teacher housing in Kill Devil Hills and 12 units in Buxton.

@northbeachsun

¡HOLA!

?

Elementary Schools Say

“Adios” to Spanish

By Lindsey Beasley Dianna

tential but whose parents typically have never gone on to college, it has a proven track record of success.

The DEF has also been active in bringing performing artists to Dare County to work with choirs and bands.

It is in the area of professional development for teachers that the DEF is finding an increasing need.

According to the DEF website, Dare County leads the nation with 25% of its teacher holding a National Board Certification. The foundation offers partial scholarship aid and reimbursements as teachers go through the nine-month process to be certified.

The DEF has also offset the cost of professional development for teachers.

Professional development is typically a one or two-day workshop or seminar that is key to teachers honing their skills. Although they are given professional work days to attend them, because of state budget requirements, teachers are required to pay for their substitutes from their own pocket.

The foundation can help with these expenses.

Although the largest single donation does come from the OBSE, the DEF does have a continuing need for funding—and contributors can decide how and where they want their funds to be spent.

“Except for housing, a donor can target anything they donate,” Piff said. “We’re a resource. We can coordinate directly with the schools.”

For more information on the DEF or to find out how to donate or become involved, visit DareEducationFoundation.org or call 252-255-5545.

• Awarded almost $12,000 in partial tuition reimbursements for teacher assistants and lateral-entry teachers to become licensed and/or for licensed teachers to polish their skills in 80 classes.

• Assisted eight teachers with partial PRAXIS test reimbursements. PRAXIS allows teachers to

NORTHBEACHSUN

become certified to teach in a new subject area and can sometimes be used to avoid teacher layoffs.

• Provided partial assistance to 10 teachers who were seeking their National Board Certification for the first time and two teachers who were renewing their National Board Certification.

Upon their return to school this year, Dare County elementary school students and their parents were surprised to learn of a notable change to the curriculum. Spanish is no longer being taught at the elementary level. We spoke with several parents of students from Kitty Hawk (KHES), First Flight (FFES), and Nags Head (NHES) elementary schools to see how they felt about the change. While responses ranged from ambivalence to outrage (par for the course with most politically-charged issues), all expressed disappointment with not being notified prior to the beginning of school, as well as the desire to be better informed and involved in decision making in some way.

Amy*, mother of two NHES students, felt that the Spanish program might have been in trouble last year, as the subject was taught by substitutes without a regular Spanish teacher.

She was disappointed when she learned of the cancellation, as were her boys, who had enjoyed listening to foreign languages when taught by a fluent Spanish teacher. “If we want our children to be able to navigate in an increasingly globalized society, knowing multiple languages is nearly a necessity,” said Amy.

As for her feelings on the massive cuts to our education budget, Jennifer said, “The fact that teacher’s raises are a farce breaks my heart. Tenured teachers are losing money, but we need the teachers with experience, and new teachers rely on them. We are sending teachers away because we’re not paying them enough. That’s just ridiculous.”

Crystal*, a mother of two, moved here from California because of our school system’s excellent reputation, and was disappointed to learn that her children would not be learning Spanish. “I was never offered it until high school, and I truly believe you have to start early, and that you need to be bilingual to get ahead in life,” said Crystal. A friend of hers taught Spanish at a preschool level, and she and some other parents are trying to get her to start a Spanish club. “Being bilingual helps them look at things differently, learn about the world, and gives them a step up in the world. And maybe it teaches us something, too!”

She cited an article by Patricia Duff, “Foreign Language Policies, Research, and Educational Possibilities”, on the advantages of introducing foreign language at an early age. In the article, Duff writes that there is a critical or “sensitive” period for optimal language learning, and particularly for foreign language pronunciation. That stage ends around puberty. “Some towns and cities have full language immersion schools, and now we have nothing,” says Amy. “Regardless of why the decision was made, it “Instead of would have been nice to have been informed progress, we’re and be able to comment on this issue. Budget regressing... cuts pose difficult problems for our schools, but we are a hard working and resourceful communiWhat are they ty. Surely, we can come up with a better solution going to take by working together.”

Danielle* has a son in KHES and she has strong feelings on the subject. “Every child should know a second language, especially the number one language spoken in the world!

I know for a fact that being bilingual has offered me an amazing amount of work opportunities, and I feel that every child should away next?

Beth* is a mother of four, and her youngest have that. For most universities, a foreign lanchild is in his final year at KHES. She expressed guage is a requirement,” said Danielle. “Why disappointment and shock, and felt the need to become bet- wouldn’t we prepare our kids for that? It must be returned ter informed so that her vote in the next election could go fur- into the school curriculum.” ther in supporting our schools. She felt strongly that students Parents from KHES are in the process of organizing a should be given any available advantage, and that learning a Spanish club, and at press time 76 students have signed up second language is a critical advantage in our increasingly to participate. While Danielle would prefer that it be taught global society. Not only did she feel that eliminating Spanish in school and not take time away from other extracurricular was a disservice to our students and our bilingual communi- activities, she will be assisting with the Spanish club. “My ty, but that we should be adding more languages to the cur- son was really disappointed,” said Danielle. “He loved the riculum, even through use of Skype or other technology.

Spanish teacher, and he’s excited about the possibility of the “Instead of progress, we’re regressing, and that really alarms me,” said Beth. “What are they going to take away next? There needs to be a loud cry from teachers and parents. If this trend continues, people are going to opt out of our school system and take their kids elsewhere.”

Jennifer*, whose child attends KHES, was ambivalent at first upon hearing the news, but then expressed concern that ESL students were getting an advantage over the other students by learning a second language in school. “I think my daughter is at a disadvantage to whatever percentage of second graders ARE learning Spanish (at home) right now,” said Jennifer.

club so that he can continue learning. Everyone can participate on some level.”

For Fiona*, mother of two students at NHES, the loss of Spanish at the elementary level is the least of her concerns. While she believes that her children do need to learn Spanish, she’d rather see it taught in middle or high school.

Learning that her children only had physical education once per week was her main concern. “I was livid he was learning Spanish over getting exercise,” said Fiona. “I think (elementary school) is for music and art and playground and running

continued>

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

11

STUDENT I.D.

FEATURE

First flight high school

STUDENT I.D.

¿QUE?

around. Let them be young. We are pushing too much too fast nowadays, and forgetting they’re kids. I was actually glad it was gone.”

As for other repercussions of the budget cuts, Fiona said, “Teachers are grossly underpaid. I volunteer all the time and try to support teachers as best I can. They are doing a phenomenal job teaching and supporting our kids, but they need more support and more money.”

Marta*, who has a daughter at FFES, was disappointed but not surprised and empathizes with the position administrators find themselves in. “This is the reality of making cuts to education,” said Marta. “We’re going to start feeling them in big ways. It’s unfortunate that Spanish was a casualty this time, but what are the alternatives? I don’t have an answer either. If the funding isn’t there, cuts have to come from somewhere. It’s the sad truth, but it’s the reality of the situation we’re in. I do think the boards have the best interest of our students in mind and that they do the best they can with what they have to work with.” *We have changed the names of the parents we interviewed. Most of them are active volunteers in the school system, and we wanted them to speak candidly.

Superintendent of Schools for Dare County Dr. Sue Burgess initially proposed the addition of foreign language studies to elementary schools in 2007, and she was sad to see the program go. “Our kids live in the 21st century. Global skills are critically important.

Most other countries in the world teach two languages,” said Burgess.

“We are behind the learning curve on that compared to other countries.

The goal was for our kids to have this for K-12. I had hoped to continue that, but with the revenue coming our way, that just wasn’t possible.”

The total amount of funding that was to be “reduced or redirected” was $1.2 million dollars, an enormous number that required difficult decisions to be rendered. “We’re a people-heavy business,” said Burgess, “and the only savings we can come up with is through people. We have tried very hard since 2007 to accomplish a reduction in force by attrition and transfers.”

This year, they eliminated a total of 19 positions through retirement, transferring or reorganization, which saved approximately $850,000.

They also delayed implementation of a laptop initiative for grades 6-12, which saved $75,000. Temporarily relocating the alternative school saved approximately $250,000 in lease amounts and related costs. The Spanish program was about $300,000. Two of its positions were already vacant, leaving only three people to be reassigned to positions for which they were certified. “None of these things were things we were thrilled about doing. We liked the alternative school where it was, and it was difficult to give up the elementary Spanish program,” said Burgess.

When asked about any plans to reintroduce it in the future, Dr. Burgess said her hands are tied. “I really wish we could, but realistically I’m not sure the revenue picture on the state and local level is going to change,” said Burgess.

For parents who wish to be more involved in the decision making process, she recommends contacting school principals to become part of their school improvement teams. “I’m glad there’s so much passion for something we started in elementary schools,” added Burgess. To be sure, there is certainly no shortage of passion in our local community when it comes to our children.

12

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

college of the albemarle

Dual Enrollment The College Fast Track for Local Seniors

¡HOLA!

Dare County Schools consistently rank among the top tier North Carolina schools in academic standards. Four-

?

year graduation rates are regularly above 90%, and First Flight High School has been either number one or number two in the state for graduation rates for the past seven years.

College-bound students take Advanced Placement (AP) classes at measurably higher rates in Dare County schools than other state schools, do better on college placement exams and overall show significantly better results than other districts in the state.

But preparing students for the academic rigors of college is part of the equation.

Increasingly, however, as the cost of a four year degree rises faster than wages and earnings, the dream of a college education is becoming an economic challenge that is difficult to overcome.

A dual enrollment plan allowing high school students to earn college credit while still in school is getting a new look and a lot of new attention.

“It’s been around for a long time,” First Flight High School Principal Arty Tillett said.

The idea behind dual enrollment is to offer collegebound high school students college level classes in a college setting—in the case of Dare County Schools, that setting is the College of the Albemarle (COA).

To account for the rigor of an AP class, an AP grade is scored higher than a standard grade. An “A” in an AP class is given six points instead of the standard four points for the grade, as an example. The bonus earned from an AP class is important in raising a student’s GPA—a determining factor in college acceptance. In the past, although a dual enrollment class was a college course, it was evaluated as a standard high school grade.

Another change may be even more important. “There is an articulation agreement between the North Carolina four-year institutions and the community colleges that they will accept our dual enrollment courses with a ‘C’ or better in the class,” Sweeney said.

That is very significant. It means a high school student who takes English 111 (Expository Writing)—which is a standard core curriculum class for graduation—will receive credit for the course at any state school.

The economic benefits are twofold—it will not be part of the fees for an incoming freshman, and it puts the student on track to graduate earlier.

There is no cost for the high school students. “It’s free. I tell students to tell their parents that,” said COA’s Dare County campus Dean Tim Sweeney.

“Dare County public schools, which are just outstanding, pay for that high school student’s text books. It is the only county that does that,” said Sweeney.

The program, which has been in effect statewide since 2002, has recently undergone some changes that are generating real excitement among educators.

“Dual enrollment has changed as far as weighted credit,” Sweeney explained. “The state Board of Education just approved . . . that dual enrollment at a community college will have the same weight as an AP class.”

By Kip Tabb

The economic benefits are twofold—it will not be part of the fees for an incoming freshman, and it puts the student on track to graduate earlier.

Currently the dual enrollment classes are usually online instruction. Sweeney is hoping to adjust that. “All students learn differently,” Sweeney said.

Manteo students, he noted, often take classroom instruction because of the proximity of the campus to the school, but FFHS and Cape Hatteras students prefer online courses.

“We might tweak that a bit,” Sweeney said. “A third option we have is a hybrid class. The student would meet with the professor one day a week and then be in contact through online the rest of the week.

We’re looking at hybrids more than ever.”

With the options available, dual enrollment classes are becoming more important to the overall education picture in high schools. Tillett sees the opportunity as one students will grab.

“I think we’re going to see a radical increase in enrollment,” he said.

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13

COMMUNITY

THIS TOWN’S GOT HEART

By Lindsey Beasley Dianna

Thanks to a local community group with big hearts, babies born at our own Outer Banks Hospital come home wrapped in a little extra love. Pat Morrison and her sister Cathy Thompson organized the efforts of their

congregation at Grace Lutheran Church By-The-Sea in Nags Head, and have provided our local newborns with almost 1,300 blankets and hats since they began this endeavor in 2011.

Pat’s idea was born when she went to Alabama to visit her daughter, who had been crocheting blankets by the hundreds and taking them to the local hospital. Pat, now three years cancer-free, had just come through a battle with breast cancer. She realized that while there were a lot of things she couldn’t yet do, making baby blankets while going through recovery was something she could manage. “It was a healing process for me,” says Pat. “I was down, as happens with cancer, but this just lifts you up.”

She talked with her sister Cathy, who was in charge of the flowers at church, and presented the idea to the church council.

“What do you do with 35 Easter lilies? Better to put blankets on the altar instead of all of these flowers that would be just be thrown away.”

feedback. When a mother of premature twins was moved to Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, she called Pat to thank her and give her an update on the babies’ progress. She told Pat that every time she looked at those blankets, she was reminded that someone here loves her and the babies.

The church decided to collect blankets four times a year, and the first collection yielded 90 blankets. Some donate hats, some provide Ziploc bags for the blankets to be packaged in, and one woman makes 400 hats a year herself. Says Pat, “It’s something everybody could get involved in on whatever level they wanted to. If you couldn’t make it, you could buy it.”

Their efforts extend beyond blankets and hats as well. When three women from out of town got stuck here in a hurricane, they had to stay for three months. Pat and her crew provided clothes, blankets, and many other supplies to get them through.

“That’s the kind of thing I feel good about doing,” says Pat.

The members of Grace Lutheran By-TheSea quilt, crochet, embroider, knit or buy their contributions, which are collected in baskets with cards for the families. They are then put on the altar and blessed. Pat washes them and she and Cathy deliver them to the Outer Banks Hospital. The first year they met their goal of 375 blankets and averaged 300 the next two years. This year alone they have made 300 already, although they may need to use the extra months—at least 400 babies are expected this year, and they are planning to provide blankets or hats for all of them!

Their acts of kindness touch many families and they have received rewarding

High-Quality, Educational, Creative & Fun toys that you won’t find anywhere else!

Pat praises all who have contributed, calling it a true group effort. They gratefully accept donations of handmade items or materials from anyone in the community wanting to become involved. Please contact Pat Morrison through Grace Lutheran Church By-The-Sea at (252) 441-1530, or email her directly at mspat_27959@yahoo.com to inquire about donations.

“This is really something that God wants us to do,” says Pat. “We want every baby to be wrapped in the love of God to be taken home. That’s every baby—we don’t choose the babies. God makes the babies, we give them the blankets. There’s someone here who loves them enough to give them a gift from God.”

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COMMUNITY

Sharing the Joy

One Book at a Time

By Phyllis Cole

Trudy Mehrhoff is a voracious reader. She’s also a giving spirit who has a sunny disposition that she shares with all who come in contact with her. That giving spirit led her to a brilliant idea. She decided to build her own little library in front of her home in Corolla.

Trudy had come across a website called littlefreelibrary.org that sold kits to build a small storage area and books to host a library. She enlisted the aid of her neighbor, Brad Sharp, and he built an enclosed bookcase mounted to a post amongst the Sweet Williams blooming in her front yard. They painted it bright lime green and hung a sign over the doors that reads simply “LIBRARY.” Trudy went to the local Corolla Library and explained what she was doing, and the staff gave their blessing. She purchased several used books from the Corolla Library and stocked the shelves of her lime green library.

Inside, along with the books, she placed a

handwritten note that stated: “Take a Book or Leave a Book.” She called some neighbors, had a dedication complete with the Pledge of Allegiance and christening, and thus was born the Library.

Trudy Mehrhoff and her roadside library.

Now, while cruising down Atlantic Avenue in Ocean Hill, visitors stop, smile, check out the selections and take a book to read while they are here on vacation.

“Take it with you!” says Trudy. “But just be sure to pass it along when you do finish it.” True to form, Trudy wants to continue sharing the love.

“Of course, I want to encourage people to read,” says Trudy, “but even more important, it fosters such a sense of community and brings joy to the neighborhood.”

Trudy keeps the selections changing, too. If certain books aren’t being read, she donates them back to the Corolla Library to be sold again and purchases new titles. Visitors also contribute books to the Library, and Trudy finds new books left on the shelves all the time. “Yeah, the kids especially love it, and I’m finding more children’s titles from the kids.”

The book selection is varied, but you won’t find heavy, dark-themed books.

“People come here to forget their problems for a little while. I want to keep it light, you know, beach reading. It’s about making people smile,” enthuses Trudy.

Some folks are a little confused at first.

“What if I can’t finish the book before I leave?” they sometimes ask.

She recalls some youngsters riding their bikes down the street and one exclaimed, “Hey look, there’s MY library,” Trudy giggles.

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The lime green color is a real eye catcher. Trudy claims it’s the most photographed house in Corolla. She’s now been inspired to build the annex to the Library across the street in Brad’s yard to house the children’s wing of the Library.

“As long as people keep coming and smiling, I’ll keep adding books to my little green library.”

The “Assistant Librarian”, husband Austin, who claims to have absolutely nothing to do with the Library, says, “She reads more than anybody I know, and this is just her way of sharing that passion and spreading some happiness in the community.”

Well done, Librarian Trudy. Well done, indeed.

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15

LOOKING BACK

Inscriptions no longer seen by the public convey the significance of the Memorial.

The hexagonal ceiling of the visitors’ area.

Ranger Josh Boles unlocks the doors to the Memorial.

WELCOME TO THE

ROCK Step inside the Wright Brothers National Memorial

16

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

Sitting atop a 90-foot hill and rising another 60-feet above that, the Wright Brothers National Memorial is an iconic symbol of the Outer Banks. Anyone who has been on the

We were able to meet up with Supervisory Park Ranger Josh Boles who brought a set of keys and an incredible amount of knowledge.

Outer Banks for any length of time knows about it and probably uses it to navigate when they are in the vicinity of Kill Devil Hills.

The trek to the top of the dune is well known as a lung busting, quad exhausting climb, but the view from the top on a clear day is worth every burned calorie and cramping muscle.

At one time the monument was the visitor’s center.

The original entrance to the Wright Brothers National Memorial was on Colington Road and can still be seen.

“Those pillars that sort of look like old Cold War era pillars, that was the original entrance,” Josh says.

Facing south and inscribed over the door at the base of the monument are the words, “In commemoration of the conquest of the air.” Well, it almost says that. As it turns out, whoever was blocking the letters didn’t quite get the measurements right and the second “m” in commemoration and “e” form an odd letter and the “h” and “e” in the second “the” create a hybrid “he”.

Behind the doors is a room that has granite walls and a black granite floor. It leaks—that is very clear. There are water marks on the granite and marks on the floor from the cleanup following heavy rains the week before we came. “They put the drain on the uphill slope,” Josh tells us.

But the details on the outside are what everyone gets to see. What we came to discover is what lies behind the nickel and stainless steel doors.

It seems a somewhat drab little room but as he speaks, Josh brings the history of the monument alive.

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Two granite staircases spiral up to meet at a landing.

The breathtaking view from atop the Memorial.

The Memorial’s signal lamp.

A tight metal staircase took visitors to the top.

Boles crosses into the darkened interior.

The small lobby that was originally used as a welcoming area for visitors.

Photos by K. Wilkins Photography / Story By Kip Tabb On each side of the door there are small alcoves about 6-feet above the floor. “These two little alcoves were the original location of the Wilbur and Orville busts. When this got closed, they got moved outside,” he tells us, indicating the busts on either side of the stairs leading to the monument.

During its life as the visitor’s center, travelers would have been greeted by an attendant as they came through the entrance. “There would have been a very traditional little table that would have had a map on it that showed you the grounds,” Josh says.

The stairs lead up to the top of the tower at the back of the room. Narrow, steep and clearly not made to any code in existence, today it is hard to imagine that at one time the public would have been allowed to climb them.

Yet they were used regularly by visitors to the Wright Brothers National Memorial, and like the tourists who would have found their way here 60 or 70 years ago, we also climbed to the top.

NORTHBEACHSUN

The view is magnificent. At 150-feet it is the highest point around, and beneath us the flight path of the Wright Brothers’ first flight stands out in miniature detail. Birds glided below us, and as we watched, a plane swooped in and did a touch-and-go landing at the airstrip.

There is graffiti in the grout of the stone, clearly seen as we descend—in its own way a remarkable historic testament and part of a narrative that is still unfolding.

It is, Josh tells me, perhaps his underlying reason for becoming part of the National Park Service. “I feel it’s my duty to protect and preserve the stories so they will continue to be told,” he says.

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

17

LOOKING BACK

The

Search

A copy of the 1608 A.D. map created by Captain James Smith of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia includes a three-sided structure with circular bastions representing James Fort. In the middle of it is a cross marking the site of the community church. Two years ago, researchers discovered a similar cross on the mid-1580s A.D. map belonging to John White, who led the ill-fated Lost Colony on Roanoke Island.

Lost Colony Map “Church Cross” Akin to Jamestown Fort?

The cross is in the middle of a four-pointed star shape symbol, which resembles an inland fort, where the Chowan and Roanoke rivers meet in the western Albemarle Sound. It is in today’s Bertie County.

Continues...

Could the cross be a sign that at least some of the lost colonists went inland? White left the colonists to return to England for supplies in 1587, but was delayed for three years from returning due to England’s war with Spain. When he did come back, he discovered the letters CRO carved into a tree and CROATOAN into a post. He assumed some colonists joined friendly Native American Indian Chief Manteo’s tribe on the beach near Frisco. From that vantage point, they could scout his ship upon its return. But he also was aware that other members would go “50 miles into the maine,” if they left Roanoke Island. A storm prevented him from exploring, and he returned to England without a trace of his family and friends.

By Ed Beckley

Archaeologists from the First Colony Foundation (FCF) in Manteo have been searching for relics and clues for more than a decade, and may have found undisclosed 16th-century remains Could the cross in Bertie. But they are hesitant to be a sign that proclaim, at least for now, that a at least some of fort ever existed on the site. the lost colonists

went inland?

Is the cross a real symbol, or is it a mirage? “Crossing lines on the fort symbol on top of the patch may be from a fold in the paper, especially the horizontal one,” said FCF President Phillip Evans. However, a British museum histogram of the image leaves room for the idea that it is a Christian cross, marking a church. Evans acknowledged the irony of two folds in a map intersecting at just the spot within the symbol where such a cross might be expected.

Evans said he believes the church marked on the copy of Capt. Smith’s map, known as the Zuniga map, “has been found archaeologically.”

John White’s map, which features a patch over the site where a possible fort was located. Transmitted light image (inset) reveals the 4-pointed star shape with cross (circled).

“The big difference between the Jamestown Fort and the symbol on the John White map is that we know a fort was built at Jamestown,” Evans said, “and there are some descriptions of it by people who lived there.

“We don’t yet have evidence of the English building a fort where the fort symbol or drawing appears on the John White

Out on a Whim

map, so we can’t, at this time, say whether this represents something contemplated and later forgotten; something desired or intended if all went well; a ‘blueprint’ or an actual plan for a settlement, or something the English may have undertaken to build.”

Evans continued, “This is why all things relating to the Roanoke colonies, especially the Lost Colony, take so much time and effort to sort out. I am sure the people at Jamestown wish they had more documentation on the early fort period there, but they are way ahead of us with what they have.”

(Some of the FCF staff were instrumental in discovering the expanded Jamestown community in Virginia in recent years.)

“John White and some of his contemporaries gave us some good accounts, but they are all frustratingly unclear about what the English built and where they inhabited in the 1580s.

This requires us to try to fit together puzzle pieces when we don’t have many pieces and do not have a clear idea how it should all look in the end,” said Evans.

Interestingly, the Zuniga map includes several annotations that reflect the Jamestown colonists’ priorities, which included locating the survivors of the Lost Colony. Evans pointed out that on the left side of the map, at Pakerakinick on the Tar River, is written, “here remayneth 4 men clothed that came from roonock to Ocanahowan.” He said the notation is a quote from the Native American leader who purportedly guided some Jamestown colonists south in search of the Raleigh colony. But they did not find the men.

News reports over the past century cite areas southwest of the Chowan and Roanoke rivers where blue-eyed Native Americans have been reported to reside. These articles indicate that family histories trace these people back to the Roanoke settlers. FCF is in possession of the reports.

Evans said FCF is entrenched in explorations in Bertie and is planning further digs on Roanoke Island at this time. The foundation hasn’t looked into the possibility of colonial offspring existing today –at least not yet.

First Colony Foundation is a 501C3 non-profit organization made up solely of volunteers. FCF receives funds for research solely through donations and grants. Anyone wishing to help fund First Colony Foundation endeavors may send a tax deductible gift to 1501 Cole Mill Rd., Durham, NC 27705.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

What do you give to the person who has everything? Or the parent who likes meaningful gifts? Or the friend who only wants something locally made?

There’s nothing more personal than a painting of your children or grandchildren, and artist Meg Rubino is a master at painting surf groms or beach babies in Outer Banks settings. Well known regionally for her watercolor paintings of local landscapes and beach scenes, Meg describes her style as “impressionistic” and favors painting “the little things around here that make you feel good.”

Commissioned pieces start at $250.

Check out her website megrubino.com or privately message her on Facebook.

Custom

Art. We spoke to five local artists who make custom pieces at prices that won’t break the bank. You’re welcome.

By Cathy Baldwin

Local Patty Hughes commissioned this piece of her grandson and his three friends scoping out the waves.

E.M. Corsa’s cloud paintings, or “Heavenly Celebrations”, are a totally unique way to commemorate a special event like a wedding or baby’s birth. She captures a moment in time by painting the clouds “en plein air,” meaning in open air, on a specified date. At the bottom of the painting, she inscribes the date, time painted and direction. She regularly paints the clouds so, if you missed a special occasion, she might still have a painting of that day’s sky on her blog, emcorsaclouds.blogspot.com.

E.M. Corsa captures the sun peeking through the clouds.

If you have a pet-lover on your Christmas list, Brad Price’s Painted Pets are the perfect gift. Email a photo (no flash, please) to Brad of your pup and he’ll create an original oil painting in his impressionistic style. Prices start as low as $85 for an unframed piece. You’ll want to order soon if you need it in time for Christmas; Brad asks for at least a two-week lead time. Brad can be reached via email at bradpriceart@gmail.com or at facebook.com/B. PricePaintedPets.

One of Brad’s works, Oliver, a rescued pit bull mix.

Artist Will Morgan of Seagreen Gallery cuts license plates from all 50 states to create one-of-a-kind, colorful pieces for his clients. Affixed to hand-painted and distressed North Carolina barn wood, Will’s license plate art can convey a message, family name, house number or special date. The cost is $12 per letter for a custom piece, but you can choose from plenty of his other designs featuring words like “Surf” or “Waves” at his gallery in Nags Head.

Every surfer wants “Swell” for Christmas.

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Have a home or boat you’d like made into a painting? Barbara Noel specializes in what she calls “whimsical illustration.”

Her custom acrylic pieces are vibrant in color and completely original in style.

Prices vary based on size and detail, and she needs about a two-week lead time.

Check out her other works at facebook.com/obxbarb or give her a call at (252) 207-2339.

This piece was commissioned by a Pennsylvania couple who asked for a Nags Head style home, with a surfboard, walkway and pelicans.

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THE INSIDER

Celebratsions k

on the Outer Ban

throughout the Holiday Season!

By Matt Artz

It may be the “off season”, but there are more community events happening around the Christmas holiday season on the Outer Banks than at any other time during the year.

The season officially kicks off when the big man in red arrives for Kitty Hawk Kites’ annual “Hanging with Santa” event, happening Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 28-29 at its Nags Head store, followed by the awesome “Kites with Lights” presentation atop Jockey’s Ridge after dark on Saturday, November 29.

Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo is hosting A Holly Jolly Christmas which promises three days of live music and classic holiday favorites performed by members of the band NuBlu. Presented by the promoters of the Outer Banks Bluegrass Festival, A Holly Jolly Christmas has shows scheduled for December 5, 6, and 7 in the indoor theater at Festival Park.

That same weekend, Manteo will host its Holiday Tour of Homes, featuring some of the most historic structures in the town, as well as its annual Christmas Parade with floats, marching bands, and lots more family fun along the downtown waterfront. Both events are happening this year on Saturday, December 6.

Just down the street from Manteo, the Elizabethan Gardens is again hosting their WinterLights display of brightly colored seasonal eye candy throughout the gardens. WinterLights is open from 6 to 9 pm on Tuesdays through Saturdays in December, except on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve. Island Farm on Roanoke Island hosts its unique Christmas Past program on Saturday, December 6, featuring demonstrations and samples of how the holidays were celebrated circa the 1850s. Visitors can ride an ox-drawn wagon with Santa Claus and taste the foods of a 19th century Christmas feast. You even get to watch the goose being prepared in the vintage cookhouse, and you can make your own cornhusk doll to take home with you.

Also on December 6, the Town of Duck will host its 4th Annual Yuletide Celebration on the Town Green, starting at 3 pm with live music by Emme St. James and her Jazz Gentlemen.

Hot cocoa will be served while you wait for Santa Claus to make a special appearance, trading in his sleigh on this night for an unforgettable arrival on a Duck Fire Truck. The event culminates with the lighting of the town’s Crab Pot Tree.

Hatteras Village will host its own Christmas Parade for the community to coincide with the 4th Annual Holiday at the Museum event on Saturday, December 13 at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, where children and adults alike can enjoy a Winter Wonderland train display by master model builder Charlie Klein. There will also be a children’s holiday craft table, letters to Santa, and a professional puppet show. Live entertainment will be provided by local choral groups, and refreshments will include a variety of hot soups, ham biscuits, holiday cookies, and punch. There will also be multi-themed fully decorated holiday trees throughout the museum’s new floral theme, and many decorations will be for sale.

If you’re not running around looking for last minute gifts, then the 2nd Annual Festivus Road Race 10k/5k is for you. RunCations and the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau present this new tradition on Saturday, December 20, running through Southern Shores.

For the kids, there’s also the Little Elf quarter-mile or Jingle Jog one-mile races happening at the same time.

Christmas is about gathering with our loved ones to remember all the good of the past 12 months, to fill our souls with the unconditional love of family and be reminded of all that is truly important in today’s often hectic and stressful world. It’s also a time to give thanks for the ultimate gift of another successful year on the Outer Banks, where it’s always bright and warm, even during the “off season”.

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Back at the Elizabethan Gardens, you can enjoy a buffet dinner with Santa on Saturday night, December 20, featuring a family meal followed by some quality one-on-one time with Mr. Claus and a complimentary tour of the WinterLights.

The 26th Annual Festival of Trees fundraiser for the Outer Banks Hotline Crisis Intervention Center returns to the Outer Banks Brewing Station in Kill Devil Hills for an epic fourday Christmas extravaganza, December 10-13. It includes a decorating party on December 10, the holiday bazaar and “Santa and the Train” in the backyard on December 11, the Holiday Party on Get the latest local entertainment news, Friday, December 12, and the charity previews, reviews, and interviews by Matt tree auction and social on Saturday Artz everyday at OBXentertainment.com, night, December 13. your #1 source on the internet for what’s 20

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LIFESTYLE

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B.C. (Before Children), I was pretty sure that being perpetually mortified by your parents’ sheer existence was a tween/teen phenomenon. Wrong again, Lindsey! Somewhere around the age of five, the “Ugh, Mooooooom, you’re embarrassing me!” stage begins. Once you’ve survived the initial blow to your ego over the idea that you might not be as cool in the eyes of Junior as you thought you were, it’s time to look at this in a different light. With just a bit of reframing, this can be the best thing that ever happened to you as a parent – better than Elf on the Shelf, I swear it!

When the “parent shaming” phase first hit my house, the initial “offense” was something super horrifying, like me telling the sitter that my son liked the color red or that he needed a bath. The look he gave me could have turned a city to stone. At first I honestly felt bad, and for a short while I vowed to make an effort to be somewhat less embarrassing with the hopes of minimizing future therapy bills.

But the list of incriminating acts grew longer every day. Don’t hold his hand in public because he’s not a baby, you condescending human! Hugs and kisses in front of friends? Just back off, Dad, because who can even breathe with that kind of stifling overkill?

No pet names—why are you trying to ruin her life?

Singing, laughing, breathing—no, no, and how dare you, you parental buffoons?!?

I attempted to interview my first and third grade children for this article several times with unoriginal results. Excited by You don’t have to the opportunity to versay much more balize their grievances than “clown suit” with Adults in General, around my kids they shouted their ananymore without swers at the same instant and time in screechy voices, which included all glorious results. of the aforementioned sins and lots of other things that didn’t even make sense. To sum it up, Parent + Public Everything = Probably Embarrassing. My son tried to explain this golden rule of cool, which apparently is to BE awesome without trying too hard. “Except on vacation,” he said. “Then you really need to get your awesome on. But not ‘mom awesome,’ just, like, regular awesome.” So there you have it: “cool parent” is an oxymoron. Don’t waste your time trying to figure out how NOT to be embarrassing. It’s futile, and you’re looking at this all wrong anyway.

I’ve seen some marvelous examples on the internet of parents who show us how it’s really done.

There’s a video of a mom driving in a carpool who responded to being disrespected by singing at the top of her lungs, and a dad who wore “short shorts” in public to drive home his dress code expectations.

Never before have there been so many outlets with

About!

By Lindsey Beasley Dianna

which to mortify your offspring. Calling someone to relay scandalous info is SO 1983. You can now FaceTime, Facebook, Instagram and Tweet that business for all the world to see in the blink of an eye. Bonus leverage if you happen to have a blog or a parenting column (wink wink!).

A practical application of embarrassment used as a parenting technique sounds something like this: “Remember, do NOT beg or whine for stuff in the grocery store or any other funny business. Cross me, and I’m picking you up from school tomorrow in a full clown suit, singing ‘Let It Go’ at the top of my lungs all the way to the car.”

The result? Pure magic. About once per aisle I’d say something like “tutu” or “clown shoes,” or mention Amazon’s overnight delivery service of said costume and bam…halos appeared over their adorably horror-stricken faces. I have shared the joy of this technique with friends, relatives and our babysitter.

You don’t have to say much more than “clown suit” around my kids anymore without instant and glorious results.

The great irony of this situation is that these people you’re trying not to embarrass are the same ones who at times seemed hell bent on doing the same to you from the very moment they arrived in your lives. In the early days, there are ill-timed blowout diapers and casualties of incompetent breast pads and nursing bras. They graduate to loudly mispronouncing “fork” or “sit” (you get the picture), and progress to heinously offensive observations about people’s differences in appearances.

I’ve had my skirt pulled up and pants pulled down in public (almost always at school functions), and have lost count of the number of conversations I’ve tried to hold with a baby’s hand on my breast or finger in my nose. The last time I was on an airplane with my children, my daughter lost her stuffed cat that she (of course) named “Titty”: “Oh no! Where’s my Titty? Mister, have you seen my Titty? Help me find my Titty! WHERE IS MY TITTY?!?! I’LL DIE IF I DON’T FIND MY TITTY RIGHT NOW!!!”

Like their mother, my children are over-sharers, and delight in divulging details that once upon a time I would have considered private. Karma is a clown suit children, and I’m ordering a special one today.

Lindsey Beasley Dianna is a fulltime mom to three who currently resides in Kitty Hawk. She’d like to be a writer when she grows up.

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

21

lifestyle

DOUBLE DOG DARE

There are two types of people in this world: those who think it’s insane to dive with sharks and those who don’t.

Leslie Young, sales administrator at Brindley Beach Vacations & Sales, bartender at Coastal Cravings and avid Outer Banks Bootcamper, is a certified diver. She’s also a pretty fearless go-getter of a woman who happens to be training for a half Ironman. I knew— just knew—she’d say yes to jumping into the shark tank at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. And she did. Her response, in typical Leslie form, was, “I’d love to!”

Leslie Dives with Sharks Photos by John McCord Story by Cathy Baldwin

The Graveyard of the Atlantic (GYA) exhibit has been a part of the Aquarium’s guest dive program since Memorial Day weekend 2012.

Since then there have been 368 guest dives in the 285,000-gallon tank. Currently 11 sharks share the tank: seven sandbar sharks, three sand tiger sharks and one nurse shark.

On the morning of the dive, Leslie admitted feeling “excited and a little nervous”, but mostly, she said, because it had been quite some time since her last dive. One of her last dives hadn’t gone according to plan; she had breathed in gas fumes from the boat and wound up nearly shooting to the surface from an 80’ depth. Her dive partner grabbed her foot and kept her calm until they could safely reach the top.

Once we arrived, we were ushered into the behind-the-scenes maze of offices at the aquarium where we met with Guest Dive Coordinator Jason Sheremeta, Dive Safety Officer Patrick “Murph” Murphy, and underwater photographer, Director of Education and Outreach and Field Operations Coordinator at CSI John McCord.

As a writer who falls squarely into the “it’s insane to dive with sharks” category, it was fascinating to hear Jason, Murph and John discuss how “relaxing” it can be underwater, and how diving with sharks is actually safer than say, driving on the bypass to the aquarium.

Murph gave me the stats: the aquarium has overseen 49,822 “individual splashes” or dives since May 2000. That comes out to 43,675 hours in the tank, or roughly five years underwater. YEARS. Out of all of those dives, only 53 have been aborted due to equipment malfunction, unusual animal behavior or other factors. And the best statistic of all: not a single incident occurred between the sharks and the divers in all that time.

Leslie seemed convinced. Convinced enough to go upstairs (also called “topside” where the divers suit up and enter the tank) and sign four pages front and back of release forms. Jason, in the most calm and nonchalant manner conceivable, almost convinced ME to get in the water.

Jason discussed the individual sharks at length, and we learned about the amorous 8’ male nurse shark who has tried unsuccessfully to mate with the female tiger sharks in the tank. He told Leslie in a half serious voice that she should expect to be attacked when she entered the tank—not by a shark, of course—but by the 4 inch Sergeant Major fish who actively guards her eggs.

As for protocol in the water below, Jason told Leslie she should stick with him along the sides of the tank or at the bottom as a general safety rule. He asked her not to touch any of the sharks or fish, and that sharks have the “right of way” in the exhibit. He also went through a variety of hand signals such as “Ok” (not to be confused with the thumbs up, which is a signal that means “end the dive” or “Not Ok”), “Not Ok”, and “Ears” (used to communicate an ear equalization problem).

He explained that he carries a safety pole, which is actually a PVC pipe striped with black electrical tape. “It’s a visual barrier,” explained Jason. Sharks can see the contrasting colors, and the pole helps them to not “bump into” the divers.

22

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

@northbeachsun

Jason, Leslie and John suited up—3 mil suits all around for the 78 degree water—and entered the acclimation tank. At about 3 feet in depth, the tank is the entryway to the exhibit. Divers start here, get their tanks and masks on, and check their weight belts before slipping through the window-like hole into the GYA. I watched from the top as the three divers swam through the entryway and made their way to the bottom of the tank sticking close to the side. Visibility from the top of the tank is somewhat limited, so I went back downstairs to the front of the exhibit (where regular aquarium guests view the sharks) to watch them.

It didn’t take long to realize that Leslie was at ease in the strange environment. She knelt down at the bottom of the tank and watched the sharks swim over and around her. My stomach was in my throat, but I could tell that she was relaxed.

The dive was over in no time, and I rushed back to the top to see Leslie and gauge her reaction. “That was awesome!” she laughed. “At first I was breathing heavy...getting used to the regulator...but once I got centered, my breathing got better.”

The sharks, it turned out, really weren’t so scary after all. “When you’re sitting on the bottom you actually want to reach out and touch them, but you can’t. You just realize that they’re not horrible.”

Having both John and Jason underwater during the dive was a huge help. “Jason was a very good guide,” said Leslie. “He was always checking on me, and he made me feel very safe.”

As for shark diving in the GYA, Leslie would recommend it to other divers. “This is a really great way to experience diving with sharks if you’re afraid of the ocean. This is a really safe, secure place.”

Way to go, Leslie!

Want to go?

Contact the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island at 252-473-3494.

•you Must be a certified diver •the Cost is $195 per person •Handicapped accessible diving is available •Divers must be ages 16 and up •there is a10% winter discount for local divers •Dives last about 40 minutes, but it’s about a 2-hour process from start to finish.

Left page: Leslie watches the sharks circle overhead; Behind the glass at the GYA with its toothy inhabitants.

Right page: (Clockwise from top left) Leslie signs release forms after listening Jason Sheremeta explain dive tank protocol; The sharky view from below; Leslie and Jason in the acclimation tank after the dive; Divers swim alongside the shipwreck replica in the GYA; Aquarium goers peer in on Jason and Leslie; Up close and personal with one of the tank’s 11 sharks.

NORTHBEACHSUN

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

23

LIFESTYLE

Jess Moody and Katie Kennis of Duck Village Yoga atop Jockey’s Ridge. Photo by Lauren Cowart Photography.

Katie and friends on one of her volunter trips (right).

CURIOSITY & CULTURE

Beyond The Mat Vriksasana,vriksasana. A call and response was taking place between 15 students who were sitting on a wooden floor in various states of repose: cross-legged, tucked against walls, draped in blankets and lounging on comfortable couches. Jess Moody and Katie Kennis were perched crosslegged on bolsters, smiling as the students struggled to pronounce Sanskrit words like Garbhasana, which means Child’s Pose.

The duo, co-owners of Duck Village Yoga in the Scarborough Faire Shopping Center and apprentices for the Kunga Yoga School, were leading a class for a recent 200-hour Kunga Yoga teacher certification that was held in a spacious home on the oceanside in Duck. As they addressed the aspiring yogis, taking turns sharing their own experiences as business owners, yoga teachers, community activists and budding leaders, they listened and smiled while fielding questions and answering them with wisdom, lightness, poise and passion.

going to the co-op to get fresh juices. Katie was the only other vegetarian I knew. We were college students getting up at 5 a.m. to do a two-hour yoga practice before class. We were definitely not the norm.”

Seeking passion is something both Moody and Kennis embarked on at a young age. When Moody was in college studying engineering at NC State University, she realized that although she was technically good at what she was doing, there was no passion behind it. “It was creating a lot of anxiety and sadness in my life. I started going to the college community center gym to work out.” Moody recalls, “One of my friends was going to the Pilates classes, and so I started taking the yoga classes. I knew that I liked it and I knew I was drawn to it…My whole life I’ve always been drawn to Eastern philosophies, Buddhism and meditation, so I started taking yoga classes randomly.”

During that time Moody was on her mat every day at the Wilmington Yoga Center doing whatever she could to earn a little extra money to pay the monthly membership fee while attending college. “Kunga Yoga is the center of everything that happens at the Wilmington Yoga Center.” Moody continues, “It opened the door to all types of yoga “When we were in and seeing that there Ecuador, we tried was more than one way to leave two or to approach yoga…seethree times but we ing people actually practicing what they preach couldn’t. Our hearts were there.” was the game changer for me.”

Kennis began practicing on the Outer Banks with her mother and sister. While she was away at school, her mother was at home on the Outer Banks embarking on her own journey to become a yoga teacher. She continually shared her journey and the tools she was acquiring with Kennis.

When she would come home, Kennis would practice yoga with her mother and sister every day. “I still remember laying in Savasana and listening to a Krishna Das song,” Kennis smiles. “The vibrations of the song went deep into my heart and I thought, ‘This is it. This is what I need to be doing.’”

After both Moody and Kennis transferred to UNC Wilmington, the pair met in an environmental studies class and quickly realized they shared a passion for yoga. Talking about that time Moody says, “Our friendship really started forming around getting up early, going to yoga class and 24

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

Sensing this, Kennis’ mom enrolled the two in an Ashtanga workshop at the Wilmington Yoga Center with Larry Hobbs. It was there that they became aware of the donation-based Kunga Yoga classes. Moody remembers, “I would revolve my entire schedule around getting to these donation Kunga classes.”

Kennis adds, “We saw the ability of a community to come together for something beyond the mat. We were growing up in the center of a pool of people doing this.”

What they were doing was Kunga Yoga. Kunga Yoga is the brainchild of Kristen Cooper, founder and training director of the Wilmington Yoga Center and Kunga Yoga School and one of the duo’s most beloved mentors. Kunga is a Kinyerwandan word meaning to serve or help. The mission of all Kunga Yoga programs is to offer the teachings of yoga as a path of service to the planet, its people, and all beings.

Kunga Yoga is for people of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and abilities. The heart of all Kunga Yoga programs is to encourage, inspire, and support healthy living, community

By Laura Martier

building, volunteering, and positive activism. Kunga Yoga classes incorporate a monthly service theme and they encourage conscious awareness of thoughts, words, and actions, and awareness of how these thoughts, words, and actions affect our community.

It was when the Outer Banks community came together to mourn the unexpected death of Kennis’ mother, that Moody and Kennis were reunited. They eventually found themselves teaching together while longing for the deep community connection they had experienced at the Wilmington Yoga Center. They started talking and asking questions about why they were working for other people which led to empowering statements and brainstorming sessions. Kennis still speaks about it with great passion remembering how they would say, “We can do this! We can bring something different because it’s all so good, and we can share something that’s helped us so much.” Continued conversations and more yoga practice planted a seed to open a studio, eventually resulting in the opening of Duck Village Yoga Studio.

With the opening of the studio, every step the pair takes is full of gratitude. Kennis and Moody both believe that the Outer Banks is very much a clean slate for the service work that they want to do. They see a very strong and supportive community and want to provide space and support to help people start to dedicate themselves on the mat and then inspire them to serve off the mat.

Both Kennis and Moody practice what they preach off the mat. When Kennis graduated, Moody decided to take some time off from school. The pair traveled to South America volunteering in schools and community centers wherever they could teaching English, yoga, and preparing young villagers to interact with tourists. Kennis states, “We would just show up and put it out there. As we did that, everybody wanted us for something.”

Moody adds, “When we were in Ecuador, we tried to leave two or three times but we couldn’t. Our hearts were there.” They are also a part of a non-profit called The Water’s Edge Project and have collected money for first aid supplies, taking them into villages in Mexico where Moody, representing Village Yoga, taught yoga, composting, and built a recycling center.

Now, with their hearts centered here on the Outer Banks, Kennis and Moody honor their passion for volunteering and

@northbeachsun

lifestyle

serving by working at the Outer Banks Cancer Resource Center. After being approached by Robin Hearne, the center’s Director of Outreach, to work with the patients, the two immediately said yes. “No questions asked!” Kennis states emphatically, “It was something really new for us. We’d never worked with cancer patients or survivors.”

The pair immersed themselves in self-study and research so they could provide something authentic and healing and a way to create a community within the hospital of men and women who were open to different forms of healing. Moody adds, “We’re just really grateful to be able to offer it to them. It’s a deep connection. To see someone who isn’t capable of breathing on their own or walking on their own, sit in a chair and do yoga—there are no words. They have been some of my greatest teachers.”

Now they are the teachers. In addition to running their studio and teaching full-time, Kennis and Moody are in the middle of a two year program apprenticing with Cooper, who has been one of their teachers from the beginning. They are training to become leaders and igniters of the flame in their community, learning how to lead using yoga as the stone that creates the ripple. Duck Village Yoga was recently chosen as the first affiliate Kunga School.

Beth Burns tends to her sheep at Island Farm on Roanoke Island.

Following a

Weaving Dream

Photo by K. Wilkins Photography / Story by Kip Tabb Every artist creates her own tapestry and for Beth Burns, it is weaving the wool she shears from the sheep she tends at Island Farm on Roanoke Island.

That style is apparent in her work. Her weaving has a soft, natural drape to it. The weave itself is tight, and the piece seems to have a lightness to it that is unique to Beth’s artistry.

It seems an improbable journey that brought the artist and her sheep together.

As she developed as an artist, she became interested in other ways to use the wool from her sheep, and increasingly Beth has been combining her wool with other fibers.

She worked for North Carolina Marine Fisheries for 30 years—starting in Elizabeth City right after graduating from NC State University. Two years later she was on the Outer Banks, and she has been here ever since.

It took her a while to take up her craft, but the interest was always there. “I had been wanting to weave since college,” Beth says. “It’s one of those things I’ve always known I’ve wanted to do.”

She didn’t do much with weaving until life threw her a curve. She was going to get married, and when that didn’t work, she made a decision.

“It’s like a pinch me moment every day,” Kennis says. “It’s so huge. Kristen sees the work that we are doing, and she sees the potential and knows that our hearts are in it every day. It’s such an honor to know that she believes in us and in this community.”

Moody agrees, “She knows that the magic is here.”

Magical things happen when communities come together to create good. This year the Kunga Fund, bolstered by 5% proceeds from each Kunga class, is helping to open a fifth Home of Hope orphanage in India, where young girls are rescued from the streets and given a home, safety, love and an education until they are ready to go back out into the world. There is now a whole global yoga community that is supporting these orphanages. “It’s infinite. It’s endless what we can do as we pull together,” Kennis remarks.

“Katie and I are just two people who have a very big dream.” Moody says, “I think of us as a catalyst. We can’t do it on our own, but what we are capable of is teaching people to empower themselves to be motivated and inspired to serve whatever part of their community or world that they want to.”

On and off the yoga mat.

NORTHBEACHSUN

“I was 36 and all my friends were adopting babies,” Beth says. “I wasn’t married and I didn’t want to do that, and they (the sheep) needed me two hours a day.”

What followed was a crash course in following a dream.

“I just poured myself into weaving. All I did was work at Marine Fisheries and weave,” she says.

A college friend’s mother told her about a weaver on Cedar Island and Beth started making the trip whenever she could.

“She was in her 70s then. She would wait for me on the front porch of her home on Cedar Island. I would take the ferry down and we would spend the whole weekend weaving,” she recalls. “My mentor was really good with color and texture and she worked with natural dyes—indigo and things like that.”

As she gained skill in her work, Beth began developing her own style. Her mentor seemed to work in a traditional style of wool weaving. “She was really into lumpy bumpy big stuff,” says Beth.

Beth, however, was drawn to a finer weave. “As I progressed, I got into super fine threads.”

“I’ve evolved. I took a course from a Japanese woman on superfine threads that had really good drape and moved naturally,” she says. “I like to work with silk. Silk is a little bit tough to get because it’s so expensive.”

She has also moved beyond weaving. She took a course in felting, a process that combines fibers, and fell in love with the potential it offered. “Taking wool fibers and agitating until it makes the silk crumple up and give it texture,” Beth says. “I love merging those two together.”

More recently she has gotten into a technique called nuno felting—a felting process that creates a lighter fabric. Using the technique, she has been able to create a very different look to the scarves and dresses she creates. “It’s seamless clothing. It’s hard to size, but it’s beautiful.”

It all comes back to the sheep, though, the sheep that allow her to create the scarves, throws and unusual fibers that are her hallmark.

There are seven of them, but her favorite are the merinos. “Right now I have four merinos,” she says.

“The merino (wool) is soft and it’s light. It’s just light and luxurious.”

Their home is at Island Farm, and for Beth that’s one of the best things about having her sheep. “I like that I can share them with everybody that goes down the bike trail,” she says. “They smile as they go by.”

Beth’s work can be found at Greenleaf Gallery in Duck and at the Dare County Arts Council Gallery in Manteo.

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

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OUTDOORS

BOARD BANTER

Getting the Shot with matt lusk

Matt captures his brother Dave getting barrelled. Matt hard at work (inset).

By Jesse Fernandez

Surf photography allows surfers and non-surfers alike to enjoy the sport from afar. Recording action imagery is no small task, so I sat down with Outer Banks lensman Matt Lusk to find out just what it takes to get the shot.

Originally from Yorktown, Virginia, Matt moved to the area in 2006 after college, utilizing a degree in chemistry and biology to work at the UNC Coastal Studies Institute. The job served its purpose, but he was still drawn to shooting photos after documenting a solo backpacking trip through Indonesia and Australia in between finishing school and joining the work force. He spent the next two years working and shooting photos on the side before finally taking the leap of faith in 2009 to become a full time photographer.

He readily admits that the money is in recording weddings, but his passion is documenting the action along the Dare County shorelines during any major swell event. Using Canon gear exclusively, he can be seen roaming the beaches, looking for the perfect line up angle, or swimming in the actual surf with a waterproof housing trying to catch that “in the barrel with the surfer” point of view.

Matt says his favorite perspective of the job is “being in the impact zone with the surfer and having the wave pitching over both of you at the same time.” That angle is also one of the hardest to achieve. There are so many things that have to come together for that to happen in our local beach break 26

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

conditions that it’s the reason he spends roughly 70% of his time shooting from the water. “It makes you feel like you’re right there in the tube and part of the action,” says Matt.

His go-to spot when “it’s on” is the Avalon Pier in Kill Devil Hills due to the quality of the wave and the level of talent it attracts. He likes the versatility of having an elevated perspective shooting from the top of the pier, or moving down the beach to use the pier as a backdrop. When the surf gets a little larger, Matt ventures south to hunt down the best sandbars and surfers from Pea Island to Frisco.

As far as conditions go, Matt likes an overhead day with off-shore winds and clear water, but will swim out in what he calls “chocolate milk” (stirred up sediment from the ocean floor) if the surf and surfers warrant it. “The truth is that clean hollow surf is when you get the best images with the most marketability,” says Matt.

Matt tries to be apolitical when it comes to which surfers he works with on any given swell. Usually he will find surfers who excel in that day’s conditions. Matt says he really doesn’t chase down or work specifically with anyone,

but takes more of a pied piper approach. Follow him, and you’ll get some images if you’re ripping!

At the day’s end, Matt doesn’t like to do too much editing once the gems have been plucked from the day’s captures. “I might spend five to 10 minutes per photo (to enhance the image), but the majority of time is spent finding the useable ones,” he says. “I can shoot 500 frames in a session and have a return of about five keeper photos.”

His motivation is still the same as it was in the beginning: to capture the experience of the ocean lifestyle and share the beauty of what actually goes on at the water’s edge when all the right conditions come together. The satisfaction comes from that one shot out of thousands that might inspire someone to get out to the beach a little more often or remind them of just how beautiful this area is and how lucky we are to be able to enjoy it as our backyard.

Jesse Fernandez is a surfboard shaper for WRV and six-time East Coast Surfing Champion.

@northbeachsun

OUTDOORS

Wintertime Recipes when the Fishing is Lean

By Mattie Dalia

FISH LIKE A LOCAL

Fishing can be tough on the Outer Banks in the wintertime.

Yes, you can find trout and puppy drum into the late fall. Yes, sea mullet and spot might be found in surfside sloughs. Bluefish are a decent bet from the beach by throwing a metal lure. Heck, if you’re lucky, you might find a lost striped bass in the sound or even the surf.

In general, though, cold days and cold water make for hard and often less than fruitful fishing.

But hey, you can still do the second favorite pastime of coastal fishermen: cook! Here are a few wintertime recipes to warm the body and encourage the mind to wait for spring fishing.

Smoked Bluefish

Hatteras Clam Chowder

Roasted Oysters

Smoked bluefish is a local treat that takes a little bit of work, but is very much worth it in the end. And smoked is the best way to consume bluefish, in my opinion.

This is not the creamy stuff our northern neighbors make, but a delicious, clear brothier variation that is oh-so-local and tastes oh-so-good on a cold day.

Easy, fun and delicious to do on a chilly day.

Be sure to buy local, salty oysters because, frankly, they taste the best!

15 taylor blues (1 - 3 lbs.)

2 dozen clams chopped (keep the juice)

Brine (1/8 Tsp. salt dissolved in 2 cups of water, and a bay leaf added)

4 strips bacon, chopped

Wash the oysters, especially if exceptionally muddy. Heat the grill up to medium-high (350° to 450°F—if you can hold your hand for five to seven seconds above the grate, it’s ready). Add oysters (I like to put the “bowl” side down, so the juices don’t all spill out). Cook about eight to ten minutes, or until the oyster opens its mouth and starts spitting at you.

Remove from the grill, and crack open with an oyster knife, being super careful not to spill the juice. Slide the knife under the meat to release from the shell. Dump the entire shell, juice and all, down your throat. Delicious!

Old Bay

1 onion, chopped 4 medium potatoes, diced 2 cans chicken broth

Filet and skin the bluefish. 15 taylors should fit nicely in a gallon Ziploc bag. Make up the brine and add to the Ziploc, seal tightly, and stick in the fridge for 12 - 24 hours (the longer, the saltier). Remove filets and shake off the brine (I use a salad spinner…shh, don’t tell the wife). Lay the filets out on wax paper and sprinkle the tops with Old Bay. An hour or so later, the pellicule is formed…a thin film on the fish that provides stickiness for the smoke. Fire up your smoker to no more than 200 and smoke the fish for about three hours. Keep tabs on the fish, removing the thinner pieces as they are ready (able to break apart easily, not too dry). Get some Ritz crackers, dollop on some cream cheese and a healthy chunk of bluefish. Vacuum seal and freeze the extra; these last a long time.

Sale!

Salt and pepper to taste Fry up bacon until brown. Add onions and sauté five more minutes. Add all other ingredients except clams.

Simmer until the potatoes are almost done, adding clams for the last five minutes. Done. Make some homemade bread and gorge thyself.

Mattie Dalia has fished the coastal waters his entire life and made a lifelong dream come true by moving to the Outer Banks in 2006. You can usually find him in the evenings on Nags Head Fishing Pier, pursuing his favorite fish, el Spanish mackerel.

Feel free to contact him at mattdalia@me.com.

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OUTDOORS

Flying High With kitesurfing prodigy Cameron Maramenides

Cameron Maramenides sits on the shore and stares out into the Atlantic Ocean. It is easy to tell he is distracted from the conver-

sation and when asked what’s on his mind, his response is simple.

“It’s the wind,” he says. On this particular day, it’s blowing relatively hard onshore. To be sitting in the sand on a day like this for Cameron is like sitting on the sidelines. All this First Flight Middle School seventh-grader wants to do is be in the water.

Whether it is the ocean or the sound, it makes no difference to Cameron. He’s kited in Greece, Puerto Rico and the Cayman Islands, and he doesn’t have a favorite.

“I like them all.” But, he admits, living on the sound provides constant access to the water and to him, it doesn’t get much better than that.

That’s no huge surprise considering the fact that he unofficially began kite boarding when he was in diapers, harnessed to the back of his father, world-renowned kiter Dimitri Maramenides.

While Cameron has not yet competed in professional events, he is hoping to begin in the next year or so. “He was too young and I didn’t want to push it too soon,” Dimitri says.

Life for the Maramenides father and son revolves around the wind, which is exactly what drew the family to the Outer Banks more than 17 years ago. Dimitri, owner of kite board equipment supplier Epic Kites, eats up his son’s shared passion for kiting.

Cameron’s short-term dream is to compete in the PKRA (Professional Kiteboard Riders Association) Tour this spring that would take him all over the world to kite board. The verdict is still out on whether he will be able to. He keeps whispering the word “homeschooling” in his father’s ear.

There’s only one rule, says Cameron, eyes still glued to the surf. “When my dad is out of the country, I am not allowed to go kite boarding because it can be dangerous.

You know, all it takes is turning the kite wrong and you can come down pretty hard.”

Young Cameron Maramenides, following closely in dad’s footsteps, has a passion and a talent for kiteboarding.

But in the same breath, this adventurous child says his favorite thing about the sport is to actually be lifted 50 feet in the air and land. And does he ever get scared out there?

“Not really,” he says with a sly smile. “I know whatever goes up must come down.”

Cameron is by far the youngest kite boarder in the water and he admits he’d like some peers his own age to go out with. He has begun to teach friends and hopes to expand. “I think the kids would learn better from me “When I go to the beach, because, you know, kids unpeople are always asking derstand each other.”

if Cameron is around and want his autograph,” his dad says. “Everyone knows him.”

On his father’s back at 19-months, Cameron slowly began his journey into the windy and wild sport of kite boarding through a series of steps over the next few years. As he went from toddlerhood to boyhood, Cameron went from holding onto a special bar while securely wedged between his father’s legs to being pulled on the board along the beach and then behind a boat.

By the time he was five, the youngest Maramenides was on a board of his own with the wind propelling his kite and him on and over the water. “When we put the kite and board together for him, it just clicked,” says Dimitri. “I didn’t give him a harness, just a life vest.”

And the first thing his son said during that initial experience with kite and board together, Dimitri recalls, is “Dad, why didn’t you do this before!”

While older sister Oliva enjoys the sport, her younger brother craves it. “Cameron’s been hooked from the beginning,” explains his dad. And although he has other interests such as soccer, lacrosse and constructing hand planes for body surfing, you can be sure that if it is windy, he will find a way to the water.

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NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

Photos courtesy of Dimitri Maramenides Story by Michelle Wagner

Aside from his passion to kite and being a typical middle schooler, Cameron also helps with Dimitri’s company, Epic Kites. The 5-year-old company based on the Outer Banks has clients worldwide, and Cameron heads up Epic Kites’ kids program. He tests equipment specifically made for children, and one of his biggest challenges was perhaps designing the Cameron Junior Pro kite.

Despite his ability to tackle and succeed at a water sport typically reserved for athletes a bit older than him, he remains humble.

“When I go to the beach, people are always asking if Cameron is around and want his autograph,” his dad says.

“Everyone knows him.”

How does that make the young kiter feel? “Good,” he says with a shy smile.

But when asked who he admires in the world of kiteboarding, Cameron can easily rattle off a list of names after giving it some thought, but his biggest role model rolls off of his tongue without even thinking.

“It’s my dad.”

@northbeachsun

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10/15/2014 2014 11:11:50 AM29 NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY

FOOD & BEVERAGE

AMANDA’S KITCHEN

Culinary and Confessions the Bread that Changed my Life

By Amanda McDanel

I have a dirty little secret. Really, you may need to sit down for this. I’ll admit, I’m totally self-taught in the realm of cooking and bak-

I see this is quickly turning into a culinary therapy session. Let me regress to the dirty little secret I mentioned. While I can craft crème brulee, homemade ice cream, tofu parmesan, roasted chickens, slivered Brussels sprout salad, and the list goes on. I cannot make rice to save my life. Brown, white, jasmine, short grain, long grain, it doesn’t matter— too sticky, too wet, too dry, too clumpy, or stuck to the bottom of the pan. There, I said it. It amuses my husband to no end; just like calling out multiplication tables on the fly to me in public.

ing. My education came from hours in the kitchen with my mom making birthday cakes for all of the men in her office and years of The Food Network. In graduate school I double majored in Child Development and the Food Network. I had a professor from Purdue University, and then there was Rachel Ray. This is all a true story. It is not even the confession I was going to make when I began this article, so now you are getting a two for one. Bonus!

However, this is not an article about rice. It’s about that whim my mother I have a distinct picked up 30 years ago—the bread. Although we ate it for months at a time, I My food fascination started with a divorced parent who didn’t memory of putting couldn’t make bread. I’m talking about the kind of bread that you pull fresh have much time—or take much pleasure—in cooking. Couple cinnamon on leftover from the oven, slather with butter and a sprinkling of salt and sit in the sun that with the fact that she was raised “in the country,” and you fried fish from Long John eating it while thinking life if pretty freaking amazing. Yep, that is bread. can imagine my childhood consisted of lots of boiled potatoes, Silvers and heating it up pancakes, fried bologna and a form of pot roast every Sunday. in the microwave. Very Well I finally learned how to make it! It’s foolproof, and you don’t knead little haunts me more Occasionally there would be a whim-like yeast bread that we had it. And the best part? It rises—wait for it—in the refrigerator and you can than this memory. to prepare every single solitary week, creating such an abundance just pull off a hunk and bake it whenever you want some fresh delicious lifethat we would soon burn out on it. Bread with jam for breakfast! Bread pondering bread! I know, I know this is almost too much for you to handle. Three with soup for lunch! Dried bread on salads! Bread ice cream! At the time, confessions and a failsafe bread recipe to serve with hearty soups and salads all my desire for carbs and handcrafted homemade dough balls is not what it is throughout the winter? Outer Bankers rejoice! You can thank me when you see me. Hugs today. are preferred. Just don’t tease me about the rice, okay?

I learned the fine art of birthday cakes, cobblers, and cookies very well though. So much so, you could probably call me a bake sale extraordinaire! Cooking, my friends, is very different from baking. Baking is a precise science where you follow almost a chemiAmanda McDanel has mostly lived on the Outer Banks cal recipe, and there is very little improvisation involved. Rule follower? Check—you’ll for 15 years, is married, has a beautiful daughter and a love baking. Cooking, on the other hand, is all slight adjustments, whims and creation of dog that walks backwards. A collector of the unique and flavor. My first attempt at trying to create my own flavor combination? I have a distinct different, she has an MS in Child and Family Development, memory of putting cinnamon on leftover fried fish from Long John Silvers and heating it has taught cooking classes and loves to create new recipes. up in the microwave. Very little haunts me more than this memory.

5 Minute No Knead Bread

From Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe François

Dump in the flour all at once and stir with a long handled wooden spoon. Stir it until all of the flour is incorporated into the dough. It will be wet, rough dough. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.

3 cups lukewarm water –about 100 degrees

Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 2 hours to rise. Do not punch down the dough. Cover and refrigerate the dough after 2 hours.

1 tablespoon granulated yeast- you can use any kind of yeast including: instant, “quick,” rapid rise, bread machine, active dry, 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt–adjust to suit your taste 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

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In a very large bowl, dump in the water and add the yeast and salt.

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

*The dough can be used right after the initial 2 hour rise, but it is much easier to handle when it is chilled. It is intended for refrigeration and use over the next two weeks, ready for you anytime. The flavor will deepen over that time, developing sourdough characteristics.

Dust the surface of the dough with a little flour, just enough to prevent it from sticking to your hands when you reach in to pull a piece out. Cut off a 1-pound piece of

dough using kitchen shears and form it into a ball. Place the ball on cornmeal dusted pizza pan or baking stone.

Let the dough rest for at least 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees with baking stone on the center rack, with a metal broiler tray on the bottom (never use a glass vessel for this or it will shatter), which will be used to produce steam.

Cut the loaf with 1/4-inch slashes using a serrated knife.

Slide the loaf into the oven onto the preheated stone and add a cup of hot water to the broiler tray. Bake the bread for 30-35 minutes or until a deep brown color.

Allow the loaf to cool on a rack until it is room temperature. If you cut into a loaf before it is cooled you will have a tough crust and a gummy interior. It is hard to wait, but you will be happy you did!

Makes four 1-pound loaves.

@northbeachsun

FOOD & BEVERAGE

GoodWhoBeer in a Can knew?

IN OUR BEER WORLD

By Eric Reece

Back when I was growing up, my dad had friends who drank imported beer out of a bottle and those who drank domestic beer out of a can. It made it easy to tell who had the coin. Bottles were glass and glass held pricey stuff like wine and cognac.

Aluminum cans were for soda pop and beer that came in a case.

Well, my friends, time as well as perceptions have changed because reality is forcing our hand. In my father’s day, oil would last forever and the price of gas wasn’t a hot button topic. Nowadays, however, weight is freight, and space is at a premium in trucks and warehouses across the nation so cans are the call. Even if you wanted to argue the relative merits of recycling both products, one virtue of aluminum stands clear in every brewer’s mind: it’s cheaper! That makes us happy.

Canning the Brewing Station’s Lemongrass Wheat Ale in July.

All these factors have contributed to a cottage industry that has sprung up these past few years within the craft brewing movement - the mobile canning operation. These beer angels travel between brew pubs and small microbreweries in cube trucks tightly packed with the miracles of modern engineering.

Our canner, Land Of The Sky, comes from Asheville, and—right behind the pub at the brewery doors—unpacks a four head portable canner, can rinser, pack trays, and a couple of pallets of our cans that are so light one person can move them. Approximately five hours later, we have about 200 24-can cases of our 16-oz Lemongrass Wheat ready for our can-conditioning process. Compare that to our in-house, one head bottle filler which takes 12-14 hours to get 50 cases of 12 bottles! For a space-challenged, limited-budget brewery like ours, this is manna from heaven. No wonder every little brew pub that can, cans!

With co-owner Aubrey Davis, Eric Reece opened the Outer Banks Brewing Station in 2001, bringing innovative brewing and revolutionary cuisine to the Outer Banks. Eric can be reached at 252-449-2739 or thecrew@outerbanksbrewingstation.com.

This means a huge boon in consumer choice and a solid push for the “drink local” section of your favorite shop. Gone are the days when good beer has to spend a month in the cargo hold of a ship.

Welcome to the age of the craft can!

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obx list.

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Handpicked goods from local retailers.

Happy Shopping!

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1. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend—and Santa’s most-desired gift! This necklace and ring by Vahan feature diamonds, gold and silver. See store for pricing. Jewelry by Gail • 2. Yoga Sling flip flops by Sanuk are both comfy and good for the environment—the bottoms are made from recycled yoga mats. The Flip Flop Shop • 3. Wild Pony White makes the perfect hostess gift! Made locally at Sanctuary Vineyards, Wild Pony White is both delicious and affordable at just $15 a bottle. Sanctuary Vineyards • 4. Fun and funky, this mixed-media bracelet features a Southern saying. Miss Lizzie’s • 5. Give the gift of homegrown this season with The Farm Market’s award-winning and vitamin A packed sweet potatoes. If stored between 50-60 degrees, they will last all winter. The Farm Market • 6. Say something sweet with these 300-thread count pillow shams. Perfect as a wedding, anniversary, birthday or Christmas gift, the shams are available in a variety of messages. $45 per pair. Urban Cottage • 7. Choose from beachy charms—sunshine, flip flops, anchors, or even an OBX charm— to create your own custom Pandora bracelet. Cotton Gin • 8. No one else will have the same outfit on at the holiday party if you wear a Marushka hand-printed shirt. All Ducked Out • 9. Brew in a Bag, an all-grain beer kit, makes beer-making fun and easy-to-do. OBX Winery offers supplies and support for your at-home brewmaster. OBX Winery • 10. Get a jump on next spring with the OBX Collection patio and deck furniture. This comfortable collection looks fantastic and is locally made by quality craftsmen. Carolina Casual 11. Wine drinkers will love Host Freeze Cooling Wine Glasses. Pop them into the fridge for the perfect red wine drinking temperature, or chill them in the freezer for your whites. $24.99 for a set. Chip’s Beer and Wine • 12. Not sure

Some photos by K. Wilkins Photography 32

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

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what to do with your grandfather’s ties? Have them woven into a memory piece tie rug. Endless Possibilities 13. Blister-fried, chocolate-covered or seasoned, North Carolina peanuts are a tasty, healthy and NC-made gift. Available in small, medium and large sizes. The Peanut Shop • 14. The Durawood rocker—with built in drink holders, no less!—is made from recycled plastic milk bottles, and the frame is guaranteed for life against fading, discoloration, cracking, peeling and chipping. The polypropylene cushion dries quickly and comes in three pattern choices. Nags Head Hammocks • 15. Don’t forget about Fido this holiday season!

Bring your pup into Tailwaggers on the beach road for a free nail clipping. Tailwaggers • 16. Mmm… chocolate! You’ll know your name’s on Santa’s “Nice List” if you get a box of homemade fresh fudge. Big Buck’s Homemade Ice Cream Shop • 17. Nixon’s “The Blaster” wireless portable speaker has it all—Bluetooth, an auxiliary port and a rechargeable battery. Plus, it’s dust-proof, shatter-proof, water resistant and it comes in a variety of colors. $150. Birthday Suits • 18. Everyone wants the gift baked with love, an Outer Banks Rum Cake! Available in 5 oz. for stuffing a stocking or 16 oz. for sharing with friends. Outer Banks Rum Cakes 19. Snapo Snap and Play Blocks are sized just right for little hands. Available in two sizes and made in the USA, the blocks snap together in all directions. A bonus—the smaller size blocks are compatible with Legos! $20 $35. Pirates and Pixies • 20. Gems aren’t just for jewelry—this large Brazilian amethyst stalactite geode looks just lovely on a shelf or as a centerpiece. Geodes range from $12 - $800. Michael’s Gems and Glass.

NORTHBEACHSUN

Tohave & to hold

Celebrate tHe momeNts tHat CoNNeCt you.

Sterling silver charms from $25

Jarvisburg Corolla Duck Nags Head 252.491.2387

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

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EVERYTHING ELSE UNDER THE

Sun

off-season

gratitude

By Dawn Church

With the blue skies, cooler temperatures, and serene beaches, it’s my favorite time to visit. We can walk into restaurants and get immediate seating, and the staff is visibly more relaxed. Shopping is fantastic as you can walk around at a leisurely pace without getting trampled.

Love, love, love OBX in the offseason.

With small business ownership and involvement, I’m thankful for our locals in the off-season. We miss them so much during the summer months in Duck— understandably avoiding traffic and crowds—but always look forward to their return and familiar faces in the fall. We’d be lonely without them.

-Marty, local

-Cathy, visitor

The Outer Banks is known to be a powerhouse of summer fun: warm ocean, hot sun, bright beach umbrellas and bustling loads of visitors. But not everyone knows what locals love the best: the graceful beauty and power of the winter ocean, empty windswept beaches, and the quiet of a resort town that has gone off the clock.

The holidays are another welcome part of the off-season, and they are cause for reflection and thanksgiving. So, we asked local and visitor friends to share with us the things that they are grateful for on the Outer Banks after the crowds have gone home. The list is varied, but a common theme runs through – more TIME to spend with friends, less traffic and the natural beauty of this strip of sand we all love.

I am thankful to have time. Time to spend with all of my favorite people, to care for myself, and to be able to hear, see, and savor what makes the Outer Banks so beautiful...quiet stillness, ocean waves, seagulls, crickets. Time just to be.

-Barbara, local

The friends who I only see in the fall and winter! Soups and stews and Halloween and Thanksgiving! Oh, and that you can turn left!

For the time to write songs and make pottery for weeks on end. The precious time goes by quick.

Use it wisely!

-Debi, local

-Aprille, visitor

Wes, local

I have visited during both peak and off-peak seasons, and truly the real gems can be found during off-peak. There are fewer people on the beach, smaller lines to restaurants, surprisingly wonderful weather for what is considered off-season! And since the locals are not so rushed and swamped, you are given the chance to get to know them and more about the area.

-Cindy, visitor

Because my dog loves crab hunting, beach walks are hilariously fun. The weather is amazing and you always see your friends on the beach because you don’t have to work 24/7. Surf fishing, warm days and chilly nights.

Community events like fall carnivals, Hotline’s Festival of Trees, Elizabethan Gardens’ WinterLights, chili and chowder cook offs, and seeing old friends, their children, and THEIR children seemingly come out of hiding.

Color change. It’s subtle, but it’s there if you look.

I am so grateful to be able to embrace, enjoy and be “in the moment” with the beautiful natural and exquisite surroundings of the OBX... beach, maritime forest, Jockeys Ridge, etc. I always tell my kids, “You are being raised in Disneyland; you just don’t know it yet.”

-Julie, local

-Billy, local

Patty, local

A lot less traffic and no wait at any of the wonderful restaurants.

Less crowded beaches. Oh, and beautiful weather.

-Karen, local

I love being able to see friends and meet new ones, the slower pace, playing tourist in my backyard, all of the great things to do, and enjoying and appreciating our natural beauty.

-Kathy, local

The calm of the off-season is the best! Calm on the roads, the beaches, the restaurants and stores. Cannot wait to head down tomorrow!

Being able to take the dog to “my beach” in Southern Shores BETWEEN 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.!

Thankful for the summer season that just passed, and seeing my customers and friends finally enjoying the fruits of their hard work during the summer months. Thankful for being able to start a new sales season at work, staying busy, but at the same time enjoying amazing events during the weekends where I can enjoy smiley faces and great talents. Thankful for pumpkin cheesecake, Christmas cookies, Monday jazz nights at Art’s Place. The October moon and the December sunsets.

-Kimberly, visitor

-Stephanie, local

-Flor, local

-Susan, visitor

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-Colleen, local Fewer people and so quiet! I have been coming down during peak season for 21 years; this was the first year I was there for the off-season. I loved everything about the off-season, (including the fact that it was my honeymoon) and we had a wonderful time.

-Jennifer, local

After the season...

I love being able to slow down, savor and enjoy each day and where we live...the beautiful OBX!

I love seeing friends who have been hiding all summer! And homemade soup at Stack ‘Em High!

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

Hidden Outer Banks is the lovechild of longtime local Dawn Church. She reminds locals and visitors alike to explore the rich history and local color that exists beyond the bright lights of the Bypass. Find HOBX at hiddenouterbanks.com and facebook.com/hiddenouterbanks.

@northbeachsun

Casual Outer Banks Dining LOCATED IN HISTORIC LIFESAVING STATION #6

Lunch & Dinner

|

Drinks

|

Exceptional Catering

MONDAY NIGHT PIZZA SPECIAL 4-11PM ALL 9 INCH GOURMET PIZZAS $8.99 WEDNESDAY LUNCH BLUE PLATE SPECIAL COUNTRY FRIED CHICKEN $6.99 (WHILE IT LASTS!) FRIDAY NIGHT PRIME RIB SPECIAL 4-10PM 12 OUNCE CUT $11.99 DAILY SPECIALS $2 OFF 9 INCH GOURMET PIZZAS OR 6 BUFFALO SHRIMP $6.99 3-5PM DOZEN STEAMED OYSTERS $7.99 3-11PM

THE BLACK PELICAN OFFERS COMPLETE CATERING AND PERSONAL CHEF SERVICES AS WELL AS DINNERS PREPARED FOR PICK UP OR DELIVERY EVENTS@BLACKPELICANCATERING.COM

TO GO ORDERS: 252-261-5504 ALL SPECIALS SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY AND ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR CARRY OUT

Open Year Round at 11:30 am | MP 4 on the Beach Road in Kitty Hawk | 252-261-3171 | blackpelican.com INTERACTIVE TRIVIA

The

WATERFRONT SHOPS

Barr-ee Station • Barr-ee Station 3 Candy & Corks • Carolina Keiki • Coastal Cantina • Dazzles Donna Designs • Duck's Cottage Coffee & Books • Duck's General Store Gray's Family Department Store • Islands By Amity • The Kid's Store Life's A Beach, A Lily Pulitzer® Signature Store • SeaDragon Gallery Sunset Ice Cream & Cappucino • The Blue Point Restaurant Untucked Resort Apparel for Men

The shopping begins where the board walk ends... in Duck NORTHBEACHSUN

NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

35

Open Year Round • Serving Lunch & Dinner

9.5

It's ALL Good!

Milepost 9.5 • on Highway 158 in KDH 252.441.7889 • MamaKwans.com

Yes! no!

Maybe?

Way! no Way!

Great Specials All Winter Long!

Follow the Fun on Facebook!

Way!

We Are Open Year Round We Won’t Let Mattie Grow A Mustache!

Jeff Will Get A Heater For His Bike $2 Sliders EvERY Wednesday Night Wrappin’, Soupn’ & Sandwichn’ Every Day For Lunch $20 Yards Of Beer EvERY Saturday

no Way! Live Music (6-9 PM) & nope!

$3 Drafts EvERY Friday Johnny Won’t Be Here All Winter

Ok! When The Cats Away....

Really? The Mice Will Play seRIOusLY! Get To The

Shack For Some Winter Time Love!

MP9 on the Beach Rd. • Kill Devil Hills • BonzerShack.com • 252-480-1010

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NORTH BEACH SUN HOLIDAY 2014

@northbeachsun