North Beach Sun Summer 2015

SUMMER 2015 • VOLUME 113

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NORTHBEACHSUN

INSI

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THE OUTER BANKSIEST LIST EVER ASSEMBLED NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

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Nothing says summer like a big scoop of homemade ice cream in a waffle cone!

Let Big Buck’s Homemade Ice Cream cool off your taste buds with a frosty milkshake, fresh fruit smoothie or a banana split piled high with all of your favorite toppings. Need a caffeine boost?

You’ll love their frozen mochas.

Hankering for fudge? They make that, too.

Big Buck’s Homemade Ice Cream is the best on the beach, and it’s because they make it all fresh daily. Come in and try a scoop to see why the Outer Banks voted Big Buck’s “Best Ice Cream” on the beach!

Fresh, creamy fu dge is made daily fudge kettle. Try o e of their best in their -sellers: dark chocolatenca chocolate peanut ramel sea salt, cheesecake made butter, or strawberry with real cream ch eese!

y and watch Bring the famthil eir Belgian them make fresh-dipped chocolate and ies daily! strawberr

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

2

994 ince 12015 NORTH BEACH SUN sSUMMER

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.

1587

Fresh local seafood, prime meats, fowl, game and vegetarian dishes.

405 Queen Elizabeth Avenue 252-473-1587 • 1587.com

Sleeping In, Ltd.

The boutique with “a little touch of a lot of things.” Chic Apparel, Jack Rogers Shoes, Sleepwear and Fine Linens.

101B Fernando Street

252-475-1971 • sleepinginobx.com

N PARKI M AG

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Big Buck’s Homemade Ice Cream

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57 varieties of ice cream, frozen yogurt, Belgian chocolates, fresh fudge, espresso & smoothies. Open late!

E LAN O LI A

207 Queen Elizabeth Avenue

252-423-3118 • bigbucksicecream.com

& A LK IN A R DW A M AR O B

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on Roanoke Island Offering gourmet coffees, teas, ice cream, smoothies & so much more!

106A Sir Walter Raleigh Street 252-475-1295

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IGH D LE

The Coffeehouse

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Sisters Boutique & Gifts

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Generational goods for women of every age and shape.

AV EN UE

207 Queen Elizabeth Avenue

E LT WA R I S

A R R

IG LE

252-305-8582 • sistersboutiqueofmanteo.com

Poor Richard’s Sandwich Shop

T H S

Waterfront dining, live music, Boar’s Head meats, salads, and daily specials.

303 Queen Elizabeth Avenue

252-473-3333 • poorrichardsmanteo.com THE LOST COLONY

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ELIZABETHAN GARDENS I S L A N D FA R M

AQ UA RI U M

K PAR

F E S T I VA L PA R K

DO AN T N E R FE TRE S

IN G

RS ME ET R FA R K MA

Magnolia Lane 252-473-5141

Avenue Waterfront Grille

Local seafood, all natural proteins, specialty burgers & gourmet pizzas. Craft beers, hand selected wines, OBX inspired cocktails.

252-473-4800 • avenuegrilleobx.com

The Island Shop

A downtown destination featuring an eclectic mix of art, gifts, and accessories. See the latest shirts

by Tia Design and Sea Salt.

UPCOMING EVENTS

First Friday of every month, 6-8pm Stroll the streets of Manteo enjoying food, drink, live music, local art and more.

FARMER’S MARKET

Saturdays 8am - 12pm Local vendors can be found at Creef Davis Park on the waterfront.

TUESDAYS IN MANTEO

Every Tuesday Hang out on the waterfront and enjoy the hospitality of downtown Manteo. Kid activities, live music, Crafter’s Fair, 2 mile Fun Run, and more!

NORTHBEACHSUN

Irresistable luxuries for you and your home.

Linens by Bella Notte, clothing by CP Shades, and more!

207 Queen Elizabeth Avenue

ROANOKE ISLAND

FIRST FRIDAYS

nest

INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION

Saturday, July 4 Festivities start at 3pm with fireworks at dusk.

DARE DAY

Saturday, June 6 An outdoor celebration of all things Dare County: food, games, arts & crafts, kid’s activities, and more.

JUNE BOOK SIGNINGS

Contact Downtown Books for more info 6/5 A.J. Tata Foreign and Domestic 6/11 Richard LaMotte The Lure of Sea Glass 6/26 John Batchelor Chefs of the Coast 6/30 Kathryn O’Sullivan Neighing with Fire

JULY BOOK SIGNINGS

Contact Downtown Books for more info 7/3 Stephen Kirk Voices of the Outer Banks 7/7 Matthew Quick Love May Fail 7/10 Suzanne Tate & James Melvin 7/28 Michelle Young Above Us Only Sky

NEW WORLD FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS August 12 & 13 Experience the arts from around the world on the Manteo Waterfront Boardwalk.

OUTER BANKS BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL

September 23-26 Bluegrass stars from all over the world will be on hand for this 4-day event at Festival Park. Cherryholmes, Sam Bush, & Rhonda Vincent headline.

101 Budleigh Street 252-473-6656 • gallery101manteo.com

Roanoke Island Running Company

Running shoes, apparel, nutrition and hydration products, post run pampering products and more!

Magnolia Lane 252-305-8343

Charlotte’s

Full Service Ladies Boutique specializing in fashions that are traditional with a contemporary flair.

103A Fernando Street

252-473-3078 • shopcharlottes.com

Downtown Books

An original book-tique featuring an abundant selection of titles, Melissa & Doug toys, greeting cards, chakra candles, local goods & more.

105 Sir Walter Raleigh Street

252-473-1056 • duckscottage.com

NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

3

7

BUT FIRST...

34 26

8 summer EVENTS CALENDAR 12 intro to the -est list

The Outer Banksiest list ever assembled 15 from molasses to glasses

Outer Banks Distilling 20 beauty and the brains

Duck Research Pier and the

Coastal Studies Institute

R1 REAL ESTATE 25 UFOs!

I want to believe 26 portsmouth island

The Outer Banks’ abandoned island 36 a wwii spy in buxton

The incredible unknown story 40 hot shops

Beach apparel that gets noticed 42 The perfect summer meal

Bacon ice cream!

volume 113

44 b.s. in parenting

Keep your privates private, Private!

4

46 everything else under the sun

Our cover artist, Rick Romano

ABOUT THE COVER: Artist Rick Romano individually painted Outer Banks scenes for this issue’s “-Est” List.

Photos this page by K.Wilkins Photography, Crystal Canterbury, and John McCord / Coastal Studies Institute

NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

15 20

Love it.

Find it. Rent it.

Drive-thru Express Check-in • No Security Deposits No Credit Card Fee • Complimentary Starter Kits in Every Home Visit OuterBanksRentals.com to browse hundreds of cottages and condos from Corolla to South Nags Head! Receive live-chat assistance, view guest ratings, submit last-minute bids and more!

888.635.4223

Serving Outer Banks Vacationers And Homeowners for over 35 Years

Tired of being told how to rent YOUR house?

We offer flexible management options tailored to your needs.

property management

Tired of fees and charges ON TOP of your commission?

Our competitive commission rates include cleaning costs.

Tired of losing renters due to poor customer service? See what our 2014 guests have to say …

“I have rented from Stan White a few times now and you are the only ones I will rent from in the future. Great people, great homes and over all great service.”

– Tina C.

NORTHBEACHSUN

“Compared to other rental companies, you have the best customer service. Check-in is never stressful, and if there is a problem, it is addressed promptly.”

– Mary B.

“Your staff was incredibly helpful on the phone when I was trying to make a decision not only on where to be in the Outer Banks but which home would work for us.”

– Lisa H.

OUTERBANKSRENTALS.com

NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

5

Waterfront. Polished. Casual.

Panoramic Soundfront Views

Publishers Adam & Cathy Baldwin EDITOR Cathy Baldwin

Seasonal New American Cuisine Local Fish • Crab Stuffed Shrimp • Sea Scallops Crab Cakes • Wood Roasted Chicken Hand Rolled Ravioli • Steaks Stuffed Pork Chop • Old World Wood-Fired Pizzas

Writers Cathy Baldwin Ed Beckley Dawn Church Lindsey Beasley Dianna Dan & Laura Martier Amanda McDanel Kip Tabb Michelle Wagner

10 Craft Beers on Tap Weekly Changing Wines by the Glass Dinner Nightly On & Off Premise Catering

Check out our chalkboa rd for today’s fish and creativ e additions to our menu.

252.715.2220 papercanoeobx.com 1564 Duck Road in Duck, NC 27949

COPY EDITOR Michelle Wagner

Located in North Duck across from the Sanderling Inn

Photography K. Wilkins Photography Ed Beckley Ryan & Rach Photography Baldwin Video Productions Crystal Canterbury Shad Dusseau Art Director Dave Rollins Graphic Design Adam Baldwin Sales Manager Michelle Fernandez Account Executives Matt Byrne Helen Furr Sue Goodrich Tori Peters Distribution Bob & Glen Baldwin

ADVENTURE CENTER HANG GLIDING · SUP · KAYAKING · KITEBOARDING · JET SKIS · PARASAILING JETPAK · WILD HORSE TOURS · DOLPHIN TOURS

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

ADVERTIS ING DEADLINE FO THE FALL IS R SUE

The North Beach Sun is published quarterly by AUG. 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.

7

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BUT

FIRST...

By late-June, Dare County is expected to get the much-anticipated new H-145 helicopter. The new helicopter, made by Airbus and outfitted by Metro Aviation, is the first medical helicopter of its type in the nation, says Chief Officer for Dare County EMS and Dare MedFlight John Watts. “This helicopter will be closely watched by lots of agencies in the United States to see its functionality,” says Watts. Equipped with

new instrumentation, computerized systems and a more advanced aptitude for night-flying, the helicopter will replace the current Dare MedFlight. Based at the Dare County Regional Airport, the Dare MedFlight services all of Dare County around the clock and has a staff of five pilots, two full-time mechanics and 12 flight paramedics. The price tag of the new helicopter is about $8 million.

From the Publisher

Find Your Best of the Beach (Access)!

I’m a first born. If you’re a first born, you probably already know at least some of the character traits: competitive, stubborn, perfectionistic, and, last but not least, a compulsive list maker. I make lists on the backs of envelopes, on my I-Phone, and in emails I send to myself. Sometimes I even write my grocery list based on what order the aisles appear in the grocery store. Naturally, when North Beach Sun’s Art Director Dave Rollins suggested making a superlative list for our summer issue, I loved the idea.

One of many amenities that keeps the Outer Banks affordable and family friendly is the abundance of free public beach accesses. There are plenty of options: accesses to the ocean that only require a climb over the dune, some that are just across the street, and for those who prefer a wave-less water excursion, there are also soundside accesses. Here are a few extraordinary spots that provide so much more than just a place to park your car.

There was absolutely nothing scientific about the way that we came up with our superlatives. If you read the list and think we missed something, then you’re probably right. Those on our “-Est List” just happen to be some of the most beloved places, coolest bits of trivia and obscure factoids that we thought you might find interesting.

There are plenty of ties and runners up. Hey, it’s really hard to narrow down a list like this! Who can really tell which Outer Banks facility is the “Brainiest” when both the Coastal Studies Institute and the Duck Research Pier are top-notch scientific institutions (page 20)? We called that one a tie. And we couldn’t be certain if the infiltration of the Outer Banks by a German spy during WWII was the “Obscurest Major Historical Event” (page 36), but it sure is one that I doubt many who visit or live here know about.

There are also plenty of made up words. Let me tell you, spellcheck does not have a sense of humor. And what does it really mean to be the “Rummiest New Business” (page 15)? Honestly, we wanted to include the guys from Outer Banks Distilling in this summer issue.

They’re following a wild dream, totally kicking butt, and we’re gunning for them to succeed. Plus, we love rum.

We hope you’ll learn a little, laugh a little, and try not to take the “-Est List” too seriously. Of course, if you’re a first born, taking everything too seriously is part of your personality and I get it. I totally do.

Happy summer to all of you, and may this be your best“est” vacation (to our tourist readers) and the lucrative“est” summer season (to our local readers) that you’ve ever had.

Peace and love,

NORTHBEACHSUN

-Cathy Baldwin

Something for everyone

Keep your bases covered

Jennette’s Pier has the mac-daddy of all beach accesses, complete with ADA accessible bathhouse AND a stabilizing mat path onto the beach itself to accommodate strollers and wheelchairs. If you get tired of hanging on the beach, you can always head up to the pier itself to check out the snack bar, aquarium or maybe spend a couple of bucks to walk out over the water. It is also a lifeguarded beach and provides loads of parking. MP 16.5, in Nags Head.

With Ocean Boulevard, Art’s Place and Wink’s right across the street, Eckner Street access at MP 2.5 in Kitty Hawk is a trifecta of perfection if you need a snack or a chilled beverage during your beach excursion. Parking is limited and can be a bit tricky, but there is a lifeguard and even a webcam (surfline.com) for checking out the beach action before you get there.

Head south You’ll find Coquina Beach off Highway 12 at MP 22.

It’s a little bit of a drive, but worth it for its awesome bathhouse, showers and beach ramps. Named for the tiny Coquina clams that pop up near the water’s edge, Coquina Beach also is the final resting place of the shipwreck Laura Barnes.

Glenmere access at MP 8 in Kill Devil Hills is the home of the Little Red Mailbox of Hope. The mailbox is a place to receive or leave messages of love and hope; you’ll find a journal and pens inside the box.

This access has a lovely gazebo, lots of parking, stairs and ramps, and is the perfect spot to add a little extra love to your beach day.

Wave-less wonderland

Horse around

Jockey’s Ridge Soundside Beach in Nags Head sports a wide sand beach and shallow water, making it perfectly kid and dog friendly. This quiet, uncrowded spot is a welcome getaway for a family picnic and good for enjoying the sun when the wind is blasting sand on the ocean side. South of Jockey’s Ridge off Soundside Road, around MP 12.

Looking to share the beach with more than just your human pals? Head on up to the end of the road in Corolla, hit the sand, and keep driving north. You’ll need a 4WD vehicle and loads of common sense (for remembering to air down your tires and check the tide chart first), but the payoff is big: miles of wide beaches and wild horses roaming freely.

To beach with love

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.

NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

7

summer 2015

event

Get more info on events at the new

northbeachsun.com

calendar

Windmill Point Art Fair

First Thursday of June, July and August

This art fair boasts more than 40 regional artisans and craftsmen at the Outer Banks Events Site.

The event benefits the Children at Play Museum. windmillpointartfair.com Rogallo Kite Festival June 5 – 7

This free kite festival at Jockey’s Ridge honors Francis Rogallo, inventor of the flexible wing, and features stunt kites, kite displays, kite instruction, kite making and more. kittyhawk.com Dare Day Festival June 6

More than 100 vendors and artisans line the Manteo waterfront during this outdoor, familyfriendly festival. darenc.com/dareday

Concert on the green in Duck. Photo courtesy of the Town of Duck

Daffodilly Fest: Big Bugs and Blooms March 14 – June 13

This 4-month long celebration includes a Daffodilly Parade, a Dandy Daffodilly Dog costume contest, a Daffodilly Princess Tea Luncheon, musicians, dancers and more than 40,000 daffodils in bloom at the Elizabethan Gardens. elizabethangardens.org Outer Banks Wedding Association’s Bridal Mixers May - August (Wednesdays)

Engaged couples are invited to mix, mingle and share ideas with local wedding professionals.

Visit the website for details and hosting venues. obxwa.com Manteo Farmer’s Market

May 9 – October 10 (Saturday mornings only)

Buy fresh local fruits and veggies at this farmer’s market every Saturday in downtown Manteo.

Ghost Tours of the Outer Banks Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays

Get spooked by local legends and lore during these 90-minute walking tours in Manteo. ghosttoursoftheouterbanks.com Acoustic Sunsets

May 23 – Late September (Thursdays)

Sip local wine and listen to great acoustic bands on the north lawn of the Cotton Gin in Jarvisburg. sanctuaryvineyards.com 8

Rock the Cape Cupcake 5K May 24

This Manteo running event raises money for locals fighting cancer. obxcupcake5k.com Outer Banks Beach Music Festival May 24

Shake a leg on the lawn of the Whalehead Club to the music of Pairadocs, The Embers and more. visitwhalehead.com Shallowbag Shag Beach Music Festival May 25

Spend your Memorial Day at the Shallowbag Shag at Roanoke Island Festival Park dancing to today’s top beach music artists, including Jim Quick and Coastline, The Embers, The Tams and Band of Oz. obxshag.com Whalehead Wednesdays May 27 – September 30 (Wednesdays only)

Sample wines and listen to live music on the lawn of the Historic Corolla Park. visitwhalehead.com Let Hope Arise: Presented by His Generation May 29

Jesus Culture artists Kristene DiMarco and Derek Johnson will perform in the Outdoor Pavilion at the Roanoke Island Festival Park. roanokeisland.com

NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

May 30

Local and regional acts take to the stage at the Koru Village Beach Klub to benefit the Dare County Arts Council. darearts.org The Lost Colony

May 29 – August 22

This fascinating historical drama—the longest running outdoor historical drama in the United States—brings to life the mystery of the first English colonists that happened right here on the Outer Banks. thelostcolony.org Triple S Invitational May 29 – June 5

World class men and women kiteboarders compete in this multi-day event in Waves, complete with bands and parties. triplesinvitational.com OBX Brewfest May 31

This inaugural beer festival at the Outer Banks Event Site will feature more than 80 craft brews, an adult game zone, home brew demonstrations and more. obxbeerfests.com Faire Days Summer Festival Series Every Wednesday thought the summer starting June 3

Enjoy live music, horse rides, a magician, face painting and more in the tree-lined courtyard of Scarborough Faire Shopping Village. scarboroughfaireinducknc.com

Brew & Arts

June 8 – August 31 (Mondays)

Kids can make a craft while adults shop the artisan booths in the backyard of the Outer Banks Brewing Station at this free event to benefit Children at Play Museum. obbrewing.com Storm the Beach June 14

Outer Banks Sporting Events presents this team-oriented race full of obstacles and adventures on the beach by Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head. stormthebeach.org 4th Annual Outer Banks Sunrise 5K and Little Crab Crawl June 17

Outer Banks Runcations presents this family friendly running event at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head. runcations.com Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel: Children’s Theatre of Charlotte June 17 – 19

The Children’s Theatre of Charlotte brings this story of friendship to the Indoor Theatre at Festival Park in Manteo. roanokeisland.com Storybook Wednesdays June 17 – August 19

Children are invited to story time at Elizabethan Gardens where they’ll enjoy a garden-inspired story and activity. elizabethangardens.org

Children’s Interactive Theater

June 23 – August 11 (Tuesday mornings)

Bring the kids to these weekly interactive shows at the Duck Amphitheater, featuring the North Carolina Aquarium, Lost Colony and more. townofduck.com 14th Annual Under the Oaks Arts Festival June 23 – 24

This 2-day art festival features more than 100 artisans on the waterfront grounds of Historic Corolla Park. visitwhalehead.com 4th Annual Sunset 5K and Carolina Pig Pickin’ Presented by CasNCals Pool & Spa June 24

Outer Banks Runcations presents this family friendly running event at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head. runcations.com Concert of the Duck Town Green June 25 – August 26 (Thursday evenings)

Bring a blanket to the Duck Town Green every Thursday evening and enjoy live music ranging from reggae to jazz. townofduck.com Family Magic Show

July 1 – August 12 (Wednesday mornings)

Illusionist Clive Allen of OBXtreme Magic performs incredible illusions and mind-bending magic at the Duck Amphitheater. townofduck.com Salsa Cinderella: Grey Seal Puppets July 1 – 3

The tale of Cinderella is told through a spicy cast of salsa ingredients at the Indoor Theatre at Festival Park in Manteo. roanokeisland.com Duck’s 11th Annual 4th of July Parade July 3

Cheer on this festive parade in downtown Duck. townofduck.com 4th Annual Sun Realty Firecracker 5K, Old Glory Mile and Little Sparkler Stroller July 3

Get the whole family into the race with these three events at the Town Hall in Kill Devil Hills. runcations.com @northbeachsun

OCTOBER 9-10, 2015 | WHALEHEAD at HISTORIC COROLLA PARK

All Natural Meats • USDA Prime Beef The Freshest Seafood • Award Winning Wine List Great Kids Menu • Live Music & Karaoke

CUSTOMER APPRECIATION Every Sunday - 50% off any bottle of wine

Timbuck II Shopping Village in Corolla NORTHBEACHSUN Grillroomobx.com • 252-453-4336

COROLLA’S HOME FOR LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

CHECK OUT OUR ROAD TO MUSTANG NORTH BEACH SUN CONCERT SERIES LIVE ON THE DECK!

SUMMER 2015

9

summer 2015

event

calendar Independence Day 1850 July 4

Festival of Fireworks Independence Day Celebration by Currituck County Department of Travel and Tourism July 3

Marvel at fireworks on the lawn of Historic Corolla Park. visitwhalehead.com July 4th Celebration July 4

Commemorate this national holiday with fireworks and the renowned United States Marine Corps 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Band at Festival Park in Manteo. roanokeisland.com

Celebrate the 4th of July as they would have in the 1850s on the Island Farm. theislandfarm.com Freedom 5K, Glory Mile and Sparkler Fun Run July 6

Get the whole family into the race with these three events at the Town Hall in Kill Devil Hills. runcations.com Happily Ever After Children’s Show: Bright Star Touring Theatre July 8 – 10

Kids will enjoy this funny take on the Grimm’s classic fairy tales at the Indoor Theatre at Festival Park in Manteo. roanokeisland.com

OBX Sandbar 5K

Children’s Story Time

August 2

July 9 – August 13 (Thursday mornings)

The little ones will enjoy story time at the Duck Amphitheater.

Geared towards children ages 3 – 7. townofduck.com Huck Finn: Presented by UNC Pembroke July 15 – 17

Follow Huck’s journey down the Mississippi River in this delightful play at the Indoor Theatre at Festival Park in Manteo. roanokeisland.com Lighthouse Series 5K

July 15, 29; August 5, 12, 19, 26

Vacationing runners will enjoy this fun 5K series through the Historic Village of Corolla Light. runcations.com Village of Nags Head 5K

July 16, 23, 30; August 6, 13, 20

Vacationing runners will enjoy this fun 5K series through either the Village of Nags Head or Jennette’s Pier, depending on the date. runcations.com

This beach run in Kitty Hawk benefits the Outer Banks Relief Foundation. outerbanksrelieffoundation.com

37th Annual Wright Kite Festival July 18 – 19

Learn to fly stunt kites and watch large kite displays during this kiting event at the Wright Brothers National Monument in Kill Devil Hills. kittyhawk.com

A Pirate Party Children’s Show: presented by Rainbow Puppet Productions August 5 – 7

Kids will enjoy this fun and interactive puppet show at the Indoor Theatre at Festival Park in Manteo. roanokeisland.com

The Ugly Duckling: Bright Star Touring Theatre July 29 – 31

Children will love this tale of inner beauty and friendship at the Indoor Theatre at Festival Park in Manteo. roanokeisland.com Outer Banks Watermelon Festival July 30

There’s plenty for the kids to do at this summery event at the Kitty Hawk Kites store in Nags Head, including a bounce house, dunk tank, watermelon seed spitting contests and more. kittyhawk.com

Waves of Change Festival August 8 – 9

This two-day event of worship, song and fellowship celebrates Christianity at the Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo. roanokeisland.com New World Festival of the Arts August 12 – 13

75 artists from all over the East Coast participate in this 33rd annual juried outdoor art show in downtown Manteo. townofmanteo.com

BASIC OIL CHANGE

LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED!

KILL DEVIL HILLS 1800 S. Croatan Hwy. (252) 715-1800 (At 9.5 Mile Post, Across from Nags Head Hammock)

Hairoics understands that a

successful business is created not by attempting to be an overnight “hot new fad”, but by a commitment to professionalism, passion, and perseverance, which is why Hairoics has enjoyed 25 years as the Outer Banks favorite salon and spa.

1314 S. Croatan Hwy • Mile Post 9.25 • Kill Devil Hills OuterBanksHairSalon.com • 252-441-7983 10

NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

HOURS Mon-Fri Saturday

19

$

95 PLUS TAX

• Oil and Filter* • 23-Point Inspection • Tire Pressure Check

Walk-Ins Welcome! - Backed by a Nationwide Warranty

• • •

Visual Inspection of the A/C Components Check Belts Check A/C Temperature & Operation

*Oil change includes up to 5 quarts of 5W30 conventional motor oil and standard oil • Monitor Air Flow from Vents filter. Additional disposal and shop supply fees may apply. Special oils and filters are available at an additional cost. Not valid with any other offers. Must present coupon at time of estimate. Offer valid on most cars and light trucks. Valid at participating locations Inspection does not include opening the refrigerant portion of the system. Costs will only. Limited time offer. See center manager for complete details. apply for parts and services needed to repair the system. Valid at participating locations EXPIRES SEPTEMBER 15, 2015. only. See manager for complete details. EXPIRES SEPTEMBER 15, 2015.

ENGINE LIGHT ON?

BRAKE PADS & SHOES

50

% OFF

7:30am-6:00pm 8:00am-4:00pm

WE WILL BEAT ANY WRITTEN ESTIMATE!

COOLING SYSTEM SERVICE

Check Engine • ABS Brake • TPMS Free scan includes scan tool hook-up and code reading. Additional diagnostic service at additional expense is likely. Valid at participating locations only. See manager for complete details. EXPIRES SEPTEMBER 15, 2015.

SAVE NOW ON BRAKE PADS & SHOES! Additional parts and service may be needed at extra cost. Valid on pads and/or shoes only when installed at Meineke. Discount applies to regular retail pricing. Not valid with special order parts. Not valid with other offers or warranty work. Present at time of estimate. Offer valid on most cars and light trucks. Valid at participating locations only.

Limited time offer. See center manager for complete details.

EXPIRES SEPTEMBER 15, 2015.

Take a virtual air tour!

Rides as low as $42 per person obxhelicopters.com 252-475-HELI (4354) Dare County Airport • 410 Airport Rd • Manteo, NC

obxbiplanes.com 252-216-7777 @northbeachsun

Get more info on events at the new

northbeachsun.com

Outer Banks Pirate Festival August 12 – 14

Learn about pirate history, listen to their stories and watch reenactments during this fun festival at Jockey’s Ridge Crossing in Nags Head. kittyhawk.com Surfing for Autism August 15

This autism awareness event at Jennette’s Pier partners two surfers and a therapist or teacher with an autistic child. surfingforautism.com Outer Banks Pro August 26 - 30

Watch top rated surfers compete in one of the best surfing competitions on the East Coast. wrvobxpro.com Outer Banks Triathlon September 12 – 13

Participants can choose from Sprint, Olympic or Half in this annual test of endurance. outerbankstriathlon.com

Outer Banks Bluegrass Festival September 23 - 26

Amazing bluegrass artists converge at Festival Park for a weekend of great music. Check out Cherryholmes, Sam Bush, Rhonda Vincent and more. bluegrassisland.com Crabdaddy

September 26

Enjoy local wine paired with fresh Outer Banks seafood. sanctuaryvineyards.com 9th Annual Duck Jazz Festival October 11

Maceo Parker headlines this premier outdoor jazz event on the Duck Town Green. townofduck.com Mustang Music Festival October 9 – 10

The annual MMF rocks Whalehead with numerous live bands, activities for kids, artisans and more. mustangmusicfestival.com

Your guide to style!

I T T E F N O C 015 summer 2

CO. CLOTHING

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Superlatives are the best part of any high school yearbook. Sure, the class pictures are timeless and the inscriptions at the end are touching, but doesn’t everyone want to know who’s “Most Likely to Succeed”, who was the “Best Couple”, or who has the “Prettiest Smile”?

This “-Est” List is much the same as the superlative lists from yearbooks past. It’s a compilation of local and staff favorites and totally off-the-wall facts.

It’s also plenty subjective. And it’s full of made-up words.

It was written in fun and meant to be read with a sense of humor while sipping on a frosty Bushwhacker. We hope you learn a little, laugh a little and maybe take the time to visit some of these cool Outer Banks landmarks. They are, after all, what makes this place the “coolest” sandbar on the East Coast (in our humble opinion, of course)!

the

The “-Est” List was a cumulative effort by our writers. Lindsey Beasley Dianna deserves a big chunk of the credit for endlessly interviewing, researching, and writing the majority of the “-Ests”. Cathy Baldwin, Michelle Wagner and Katrina Leuzinger also contributed.

creepiest fish to come ashore

With a large mouth and sharp teeth, the lancetfish is a fearsome-looking predator of the deep. THE DEEP. So beachgoers at Jennette’s Pier were quite surprised to find a live lancetfish wash ashore near Jennette’s Pier last May.

Photo by Leif Rasmussen

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the

rummiest new business

At their facility in downtown Manteo, the boys from Outer Banks Distilling have the stills to pay the bills.

OUTER BANKS DISTILLING

From Molasses to Glasses Traveling across Costa Rica, one can see miles and miles of sugar cane fields filled with tall, willowy stalks that dance in the tropical breezes. Cana de azucar, the world’s largest crop by production quantity, satisfies the world’s hunger for sugar. But for those looking for a different kind of sweet, the kind that comes with a body warmed by sun and cooled by island trade winds, only one form of sugar cane will do and that is rum.

Photos by K. Wilkins Photography Story by Dan and Laura Martier

Roanoke Island will soon be synonymous with rum production. Why not? It is an island after all, steeped with the history and lore of pirates and bootleggers. On a recent Sunday, self-appointed rum aficionado and occasional Outer Banks Rum Games judge Dan Martier set out to explore the buzz surrounding the newly opened Outer Banks Distilling, makers of Kill Devil Rum, and in the process perhaps find a little buzz of his own.

It’s Easter Monday on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We all celebrate Easter in different ways but there is a sense of a new beginning, a new life, new frontiers. How fit-

ting that I find myself crossing the bridge to Manteo to meet with four brave, swashbuckling lads who are riding this wave of new beginnings. My Easter celebration has left the sting of a slight hangover from frequenting several local establishments with a few friends. Indeed, I was living up to my reputation of living the good life, looking for joy and never turning down a chance to partake in a celebratory beverage, especially with friends. I never say no! I also did not say no when my partner and love, who is in Costa Rica and would normally write this article, thought I was better-acquainted with this thing called rum.

CONTINUED> NORTHBEACHSUN

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I love Manteo and miss living there. It’s just great to be able to park your car once you get here and walk the entire town. Great shops, restaurants, so much history, so many must-see attractions, and now yet another destination, Outer Banks Distilling.

As I walked into the Outer Banks Distilling building, I was welcomed by Matt Newsome who was sitting at the retail counter near the entrance. Along with Newsome, Scott Smith, Adam Ball and Kelly Bray are the four co-owners and partners responsible for the creation of Outer Banks Distilling and Kill Devil Rum. Of all four owners, I am most familiar with Newsome. We have shared many a night of hospitality and music. Newsome has a voice that will project and carry across the Roanoke Sound, which didn’t help my head that was still hurting from the night before. Scott Smith, who I have also known for many years, joined us out front. Smith is extremely laid back, so it’s a pleasure seeing him so passionate about making rum.

These two mates are perfect for any front of the house operation, and as I watched them in action giving multiple tours, Newsome’s charisma and Smith’s chill vibe created a great balance. I could feel the energy in the space as I witnessed the foot traffic 16

NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

of boaters, shoppers and curious locals who meandered in to see what was happening here.

I love rum as much as I love Manteo. Like the gentlemen of Kill Devil Rum, I have sampled rums from all over the world. According to Newsome, the nuances of Kill Devil Rum are a result of much research and development gathered during their collective travels.

The road to Kill Devil Rum was long. Individually, each young man harbored an entrepreneurial dream to create something viable, to open a brewery and start home brewing. Newsome researched rum distilling and found connections between the Outer Banks and rum, beer brewing and distilling. “I found out Kill Devil was the first term for rum,” says Newsome.

“Nobody had done anything with that.” After returning from a beer festival in Asheville where there were more than 50 beers brewed in North Carolina alone, Newsome declared, “We have to make rum.”

The four of them began their journey with a weekly meeting for an entire year while they still maintained their jobs. They poured over business plans, zoning laws in each local town, wastewater issues and while cutting through tons of red tape, they eventually settled on Manteo because it had public sewer.

“However, we are not dumping wastewater from production down the drain,” Newsome points out.

“We hooked up with some local planters who have joint compost piles. Garden clubs in Hatteras and in Manteo will take our waste and use it for fertilizer.”

The attention to detail and conservation threads We want to try throughout the different things and entire operation, at the same time which began Jan. concentrate on creating 6, 2014 when the partners closed a premium product. on the property that in 1946 was Twiford Furniture Store, then Davis Department Store and finally Dare County Board of Education offices.

With the new year and new venture ahead of them, they walked into their space with sledgehammers, removed all of the drywall, and partitioned offices and cubicles. It took a full year to assemble all the equipment and to get all of the legalities taken care of in order to open the doors.

“

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Left: Kelly Bray, Matt Newsome, Adam Ball, and Scott Smith stand at the back door of their distillery. Middle: Sampling the product. Right: A bottle from batch #1 of Kill Devil Rum.

the renovations by Kelly’s father, Larry Bray.

“Everything in here is made from the lumber we salvaged from the building,” says Kelly, “even the picture frames.” Bray, who has dedicated many years to brewing some amazing local beers, says everyone involved in the project brought their individual talents to the table. Everything is made in-house, from the hands-on distillation, blending, bottling, labeling, graphic design and artwork to the molasses—the pure form of sugar that eventually becomes rum.

Ball and Bray handle the distilling end and are responsible for some of the best beer I have ever had anywhere. Although they are producing white rum, these two gentlemen are bringing their beer brewing roots to rum making. We, the public drinkers, can expect a variety of rums unaged and aged.

The white rum will be a constant, but Ball notes the wealth of agriculture here in Eastern North Carolina and wants to use local produce like pecans and honey for barrel-aged rum. He plans to tap into this goodness to produce small batch releases, something different coming out every year. “We want to try different things and at the same time concentrate on creating a premium product,” he says.

NORTHBEACHSUN

Ball and Bray will look to the public to see what works. This is very exciting. These guys are thinking outside the box.

Well, there’s so much more to say about Ball and Bray, but I knew if I could flag down Smith or Newsome, I could taste the rum and feel better about my aching head. Unfortunately for me, it’s not going to be ready until the end of April. This means that you readers can take a $10 tour and sample the new Kill Devil Rum. For me, a little hair of the dog would have helped. No rum! I immediately stopped the interview and walked out the door.

Kill Devil Rum is in full production now and will be on the shelves of local ABC stores by press time. Tours of Outer Banks Distilling, located at 510 Budleigh Street in Manteo, are available Monday through Saturday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Editor’s note: The first batch of Kill Devil Rum was released to local ABC stores in early May. Every ABC store on the Outer Banks sold out on launch day.

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the

runner up

Photo by K. Wilkins Photography

The Corolla Wild Horse Fund manages the herd and works along with local volunteers and public officials to protect them, which is no easy task with droves of curious visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of the horses’ majestic beauty. Signs remind the public to keep a minimum distance of 50 feet, not to feed the horses, to keep the gates closed at the end of the paved road in Corolla, and to use caution when driving through their stomping grounds.

With only 84 in the herd presently, any one catastrophic event threatens to wipe them from the northern banks forever. They are also down to one maternal line. The lack of genetic diversity is a serious threat to their future, resulting in shorter life spans and fatal birth defects in most foals. Recently, CWHF Director Karen McCalpin at long last was able to integrate a stallion named Gus from Cedar Island’s Shackleford herd, the only other registered wild Colonial Spanish Mustang herd on the East Coast.

After months of acclimating to his new surroundings, Gus found some girlfriends, and hopes are high that he will contribute to a boon of healthy offspring and fortify the herd of these native settlers.

For more information, check out many of our past feature stories on the herd, visit corollawildhorses.com, or follow the Corolla Wild Horse Fund’s Facebook page for pictures, news and updates. Let these wild horses drag you away… to Carova, the wildest place on the Outer Banks!

wildest locale

Where the paved road ends in Corolla, wildness abounds. Just to get up to Carova, you’ll need 4WD, sufficiently deflated tires, and a sense of adventure. The 84 wild Colonial Spanish Mustangs that roam these beaches today are the descendants of horses brought here some 500 years ago by Spanish explorers. They’ve drawn national attention and are beloved by hundreds of thousands of locals and visitors alike.

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge Gators and red wolves and bears, oh my! Spanning more than 150,000 acres of swamp forest and wetlands, this wildlife refuge boasts an impressive array of fauna and flora, with over 18 different habitats and numerous species of birds, plants and animals.

Though it is suspected that Alligator River may have been named for its shape, the American Alligator (once an endangered species) is a dominant predator, claiming the likes of raccoons, muskrats, snakes, fish and turtles among many other refuge dwellers.

Keep your eyes peeled, and keep your distance!

the

With one of the largest black bear populations in the southeastern United States, visitors just might catch a glimpse of these giants, perhaps even with cubs in tow. Another species of note is the Red Wolf, one of the rarest of the world’s endangered species. The Red Wolf Recovery Program is working to bolster the numbers of those living in the wild.

largest sand dune runner up

Jockey’s Ridge State Park is home to “The Living Dune”.

Ever morphing and shifting with the dueling northeast and southwest winds, it stands approximately 21 meters (68 feet) over sea level, making it the tallest active dune system in the eastern United States.

The 420-acre park is comprised of the dunes, maritime forests, and enough sand to fill six billion dump trucks—or a small percentage of what beach dwellers find in their cars at the end of the summer!

Anyone who appreciates outdoor beauty will love exploring both the desert-like terrain and the maritime forest, with the dunes boasting out-of-this-world sunsets. It’s a true nature lover’s paradise, enjoyed either through self-guided walks or educational tours with rangers.

You may be lucky enough to stumble upon a fulgurite, tubular masses formed when lightning hits quartz sand, but that won’t be a souvenir you can take with you—it’s property of the state park.

There are endless possibilities for activities at Jockey’s Ridge year round, including hang-gliding, kite flying, hiking, bird watching, sandboarding (Google it!), and even sledding and tubing in the winter.

What lies beneath is the subject of much speculation and fascination.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Jockey’s Ridge devoured an entire miniature golf course, and there are photos to prove it!

NORTHBEACHSUN

A few miles up the road from Jockey’s Ridge is the lesser-known Run Hill. It is, quite literally, a dune on the run. With northeast winds packing a greater punch than its directional counterpart, Run Hill is constantly migrating towards the south at a rate fast enough to bury whole trees in a matter of years and sections of the forest in mere decades.

NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

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the

brainiest facilities

By Kip Tabb

Beauty Brains and the

The Duck Research Pier and the Coastal Studies Institute

Above: An aerial view of the Duck Research Pier. Photo

by Baldwin Video Productions. Right: Students from the Coastal Studies Institute doing field research. Below: The CSI building on Roanoke Island. Photos by John McCord / Coastal Studies Institute

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Once upon a time the brainiest place on the Outer Banks was obvious (a nobrainer, if you will)—the Field Research Facility in Duck, commonly known as the Duck Research Pier. Founded by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1977 to study nearshore

wave action, the facility has almost 40 years of data recorded and an extraordinary reputation.

It is considered today to be the preeminent wave research facility in the world. Really… the world.

Dr. Steve Elgar and Dr. Britt Raubenheimer from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution are a husband and wife research team who have been coming to Duck for a number of years. In Steve’s case it’s been 25 years, dating back to when he was doing research at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

The couple’s work is pretty esoteric stuff, but it’s the type of research that shows up as practical knowledge 10 or 12 years later.

What keeps them coming back to Duck?

According to the couple, the professionalism of the staff, the quality of the data, the really cool equipment and the Outer Banks. As Steve says, “It’s a great facility, and we love it here.”

The researchers wouldn’t be coming to the Outer Banks if the staff wasn’t remarkable, and by any criteria, the Field Research Facility is home to some extraordinary scientists. Their work is published regularly in journals that only their peers understand, but the theoretical work and observations they are making have real world implications.

Our understanding of storm surge has improved dramatically with a better ability to predict its impact because of the research being done in Duck.

The measurements of how sand moves along our coast, how much of it is moved and how the waves effect where it will be deposited and what happens once it is, is the type of information that scientists studying the nearshore environment would find endlessly fascinating. While it may leave the average person scratching his head, it’s essential data that is used in beach nourishment.

All of this gives the impression that the staff is a bunch of brainiacs incapable of practical thought.

Not the case at all—these are people who know how to take the theoretical and make it practical.

the

When Dr. Jesse McNinch and Dr. Kate Brodie, two researchers at the pier, didn’t have a way to monitor the flow of water at the mouth of a river or through an inlet, working with the staff they created their own system—Radar Inlet Operating System (RIOS). Here’s the brief description: “RIOS is used to study the real time changes of a river mouth or inlet over a long period of time . . .”

merriest home

The Poulos house in Kill Devil Hills is a marvel of Christmas lights every holiday season. Featured on HGTV and The Today Show (Al Roker himself stood on their lawn!), the lights and displays take 12 weeks to assemble. Viewing is free—and an Outer Banks holiday tradition—but donations are accepted to help with power costs.

NORTHBEACHSUN

Brainiest place around? Maybe, and with a track record dating back 38 years and ongoing success, it’s tough to argue against them.

Or it would have been until 2003 when the Coastal Studies Institute (CSI) opened its doors.

Dr. Nancy White, director of the institute since its inception, points out that the mandates of the two organizations are very different. The FRF is an Army Corps of Engineers facility charged with studying nearshore wave action. The mandate of the CSI is education and research.

The research is focused on our coastal environment, but the investigations are all-encompassing, covering everything from maritime history and archeology to estuarine research and the economics and public policy involved in living on a barrier island.

The people on staff are as highly regarded by their peers as the FRF staff. There are actually more PhDs at the CSI than at Duck, but some of that is the nature of their mandate to teach.

Because the research they are doing is advanced—cutting edge in many cases—much of the work they publish tends to be the type of material their peers understand best. But the work does have practical applications. The studies that Drs. J.P. Walsh and Reide Corbett have done on estuarine erosion in North Carolina may not be the type of reading that a person would take to the beach, but their findings have very important implications for what areas of the shorelines on North Carolina sounds can be protected and how to protect them.

Dr. Corbett also does extensive research in Antarctica—work that has been recognized internationally—something the author of this article discovered when he was working on a story on sea level rise in the sounds. Typically Dr. Corbett is very good about returning phone calls. This time, no word from him.

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A week later he called, apologized and mentioned that he had been in Italy at an international conference of scientists looking at environmental changes on the continent. That’s pretty exclusive company.

photo by outerbanksmedia.com

How good is it? On a regular basis, the 15-person staff hosts researchers from everywhere.

Is the FRF brainier than the CSI? Or is it the other way around? The inevitable conclusion is there is just no way to tell so we will call this one a tie.

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the

gnarliest contest

the

The WRV OBX Pro presented by Hurley and Pacifico is one of the biggest East Coast surfing events, and it happens right here. Watch future legends compete for the title at Jennette’s Pier this August.

Learn more on page 4 of Outdoor Outer Banks.

grandest tree The Live Oak at Elizabethan Gardens Nestled in the lush Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo, this beautiful living piece of history, measuring 15’ 1” in diameter, has stood tall for over 500 years.

Executive Director of Elizabethan Gardens Carl Curnutte III says the tree dates back to at least 1585.

Curnutte says he likes to think of Virginia Dare playing underneath the majestic oak once upon a time.

The Elizabethan Gardens were incorporated in 1950, but long before that many locals knew of this tree’s significant place in the history of Roanoke Island and the Outer Banks. It has withstood many severe storms and hurricanes, including Hurricane Donna in 1960.

Scientists plugged a cavity in the tree left by Donna with etched cement to blend in for aesthetic purposes and maintain the tree’s structural integrity.

The tree came down with a disease in 1961. Experts who came to study it and who determined the approximate age of the tree were moved to raise funds to inject a chemical and cure the “cancer of the tree”.

This was a radical procedure in the field of botany at the time. Over subsequent years, some natural adjustments have been made to protect and pay homage to the tree. Arborists prefer now to allow it to maintain its natural course.

britishest soil

runner up

The British Cemetery on Ocracoke commemorates those lost aboard the HMS Bedfordshire, a British ship sent to assist in the defense of the coast in an area named “Torpedo Junction” during World War II. The British trawler was sunk by a German U-boat in May of 1942.

There were no survivors, and only four bodies were found as they washed ashore on Ocracoke Island. A plot of land was donated by a local family in which to bury the bodies. It was later donated to the British government making it official British territory, and a Union Jack still flies there at all times today as a reminder. The 2,290-square-foot cemetery is maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard, and a memorial ceremony complete with a 21-gun salute and the playing of “Taps,” is held there each May to honor the fallen soldiers. According to Roadside America, one plaque reads: “If I should die think only this of me. That there’s some corner of a foreign field that is forever England.”

Hatteras Island British Cemetery This nearby graveyard is smaller in size and notoriety, but certainly not in historical significance. In April 1942, a British tanker carrying airplane fuel off Torpedo Junction was taken down by a German U-boat. Half the crew drowned, and two bodies washed ashore and were buried in this tiny cemetery. Annual memorial services are also held here and attended by British officials.

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NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

the

the

Whether it is the oldest tree on the Outer Banks is something impossible to verify, but one thing’s for sure—standing next to this lovely giant, you’ll feel tiny in the presence of its historical grandeur.

mispronounciest name

kuh-RAHL-uh Corolla is a town, not a car! This town north of Duck is literally the end of the road. It’s hard to keep a straight face when people ask how to get to “Ca-role-uh.” That’s a Toyota, not a town, friends!

runner up

Bodie Island is pronounced just as in “hide the body”, “beach body”, or “anybody”. “Boh-dee” is a name for many a beach kid!

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the

disputedest bragging rights

First in Flight: it’s emblazoned on our license plates, and the Wright Brothers National Memorial stands tall as a testament to the bragging rights North Carolinians have held onto fiercely for years.

North Carolina’s official state motto is Esse Quam Videri, Latin for “To be rather than to seem”, or by another translation: “The fact is that fewer people are endowed with virtue than wish to be thought to be so.” This is perhaps prophetic, given the debate to come many years later.

North Carolina license plates used to read “First in Freedom” until 1982 when special interest groups pressured the state into changing it. They went with “First in Flight” as a motto they felt they could prove. But could they?

Wilbur and Orville Wright lifted off the dunes of Kill Devil Hills in 1903 for the first successful powered flight, or so we believe. We’d grown used to haggling over the bragging rights with Ohio. The Wright brothers were born in Dayton, Ohio, and designed their aircraft models there. Ohio’s license plates proclaim it the “Birthplace of Aviation.”

Then, Connecticut entered the game with documentation of Gustave Whitehead, who is thought by some to have designed an aircraft that climbed 50 feet over Bridgeport and flew more than a mile in 1901, two whole years before the Wright Brothers.

Connecticut asked the Smithsonian Institute to weigh in, but no investigation was held. Some politics were in play, as the Wright Estate was said to have sold the aircraft to the Smithsonian for $1 in 1948 in exchange for refusing to recognize any refuting claims. Connecticut took it to the media with a 60 Minutes segment entitled “Wright is Wrong?” back in 1986. Later, when Connecticut state officials passed a resolution recognizing the state as the first in flight, North Carolina teamed up with Ohio to dispute the claim, calling the integrity of documentation into question.

Picture Yourself in Duck.

According to a recent New York Times article, when North Carolina ratified its own resolution some 30 plus years ago, they noted that aside from Whitehead, Bridgeport was known for “another great showman, promoter and circus man”, P.T. Barnum, who said, ‘There’s a sucker born every minute.’”

With our streets, businesses and schools named in honor of the Wright brothers’ flight, North Carolinians aren’t giving up these bragging rights any time soon.

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Situated between sound and sea, Duck offers beautiful places to walk, shop, dine and play year-round. Reconnect with nature by strolling along the boardwalk, walk our business district, enjoy live programming at the Town Park with free concerts and yoga on the green, interactive theater and more.

We’re n ot do n e yet.. .

the -est list continues after the real estate section

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NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

Town of Duck

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Events & Information: 252.255.1286

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!

S O F U

the

strangest sightings

By Michelle Wagner

Think UFO sightings are reserved strictly for science fiction movies? Think again. Browsing the National UFO Reporting Center

Online Database may make one feel like the Outer Banks could be invaded by extraterrestrial life at any moment.

If reports are any indication, summer visitors are particularly susceptible, as most of the sightings happen during the warmer months.

“Seven orange glowing, silent fireballs were moving along the same trajectory equidistant apart,” reads a report filed in the database from Nags Head last September. Two other reports, one from Buxton and the other from Nags Head, reported orange and red lights over the ocean on the same night.

Earlier in the summer, UFOs were also apparently hovering over the barrier islands, according to database reports. One was spotted Duck, where three bright orbs were sighted for nearly three hours and then in another instance in Nags Head, small red lights “were flying along the coast of Nags Head and all disappeared at the same location but there was no sound.”

Still another from last summer reported seeing an orange fireball traveling north near milepost 21 in South Nags Head.

Dare County rates quite high for UFO sightings, according to a California-based research firm called FindTheBest, which compiled a map of UFO sighting in various counties around the country based on per capita.

whether by shooting stars or even a flock of birds,” says FindTheBest’s Lane Allison.

“So we wanted to give more of a per capita number, which is why we created the per capita statistics.”

“What we learned through our research is that, in fact, most UFO sightings aren’t actually reported and between 98 and 99 percent of those that are reported can be explained by natural phenomena,

While regions in the western part of the country have a much higher rate of reports per capita than in the east, Dare County ranks up there with an impressive figure of 43.8 sightings per 100,000 people. And, if the numbers are any indication, UFOs seem to prefer to hover over the coastal county more than its inland neighbors.

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According to reports, researchers created the map based on more than 61,000 reports. The firm states that it could not take into account the “deliberate hoaxes,” nor could they account for the UFO sightings that are never reported.

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Surrounding counties such as Currituck, Gates, Bertie, Perquimans, Beaufort and Pasquotank reported no sightings.

In 2006, a container carrying Doritos chips was lost at sea, perhaps the victim of a rogue wave or high seas. Shortly thereafter, much to the delight of the seagulls, thousands of bags washed ashore on the Outer Banks.

One possible explanation given by a commenter on the site was the lack of light pollution in areas where sightings are high: “For one thing, in wide open spaces there’s a lot more sky to see. Also, it only affects nighttime viewing, so it isn’t west specific, but the further away you are from ambient lights the easier it is to see things at night.”

Either way, it may be a good idea while you are outside at nighttime this summer to look up. You just never know what you may see.

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the

LONeLIest ISLAND

Portsmouth

Island

By Michelle Wagner

There is a place on the Outer Banks where you can sit on the beach in the middle of July and still expect to be entirely alone, where tourist traps are nonexistent and the only traffic you will see is from the shorebirds fighting over fishing grounds.

While you won’t be able to pop into the convenience store to get a drink, grab an extra pair of batteries or that bottle of sunscreen you forgot, you will experience a virtually untouched island at the very southern tip of the Outer Banks.

Here, what you forget or run out of you will just have to do without.

The fact is that this is a place that can’t even meet your basic needs like food, shelter and water, much less accommodate mere conveniences.

There is no bridge to get you here. It’s been a ghost town for more than four decades and the elements can be brutal and unforgiving. But yet it still draws visitors year after year 26

NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

to explore its shores and get a glimpse of what the Outer Banks may have once looked like.

This is Portsmouth Island—approximately 20 miles of rugged, beautiful landscape surrounded by water. It’s an adventurer’s dream, a fisherman’s haven and a history lover’s candy store. Don’t expect to drive to it. You will need a boat for that, either your own—if you are brave enough to navigate the shoals—or someone else’s. It may be safer to reserve a spot with Ocracoke native Rudy Austin. He makes a living off of taking passengers back and forth between the islands, entertaining them along the way with fun facts delivered in his thick Ocracoke brogue.

On the very southern tip of the Outer Banks, Portsmouth

Island is just west of the North Core Banks and part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore. Five and a half miles south of Ocracoke, it is easily considered Cape Lookout’s prized possession. Its deserted historic village and handful of cemeteries draw thousands of tourists every year. Beachgoers, fishermen, shell collectors and outdoor enthusiasts easily become fascinated by its natural offerings.

Portsmouth’s History Portsmouth Village was chartered in 1753, and within two short decades it had become a thriving village of fishermen, families, the U.S. Lifesaving Service and farmers. Its location next to Ocracoke Inlet made the town a major port in North Carolina. Known as the “lightering” village after the lighter, shallow draft boats used to transfer cargo in the sound waters, Portsmouth was a major shipping center. By 1860, the island’s population had reached an all-time high of 700.

@northbeachsun

Above and left: Abandoned homes and buildings dot the village on Portsmouth Island. Photos by Crystal Canterbury. Right: An aerial view of the village’s church.

Photo by Shad Dusseau.

That population began to dwindle during the Civil War. The island became a target of the Union Army, causing many residents to flee. That and the formation of a new inlet at Hatteras and the shift of shipping routes to the north marked the beginning of the end of Portsmouth’s heyday as a shipping center.

Fishing then became the primary occupation of its residents toward the mid-1800s, and the U.S. Lifesaving Station, which opened its doors in 1894, played a vital role in the island’s everyday life for nearly a century. But by 1956, only 17 residents remained. When Henry Pigott died in 1971, the last two residents of the island moved to the mainland.

Portsmouth today The village is only accessible by ferry and there are a variety of options to consider, depending on which way you are coming from. But one thing is for sure. Getting there is just part of the adventure Portsmouth Island offers.

NORTHBEACHSUN

Visitors can wander around the abandoned village and view the exhibits on “lightering,” as well as community life and island survival. The Theodore and Annie Salter House and Visitor Center, the schoolhouse, post office, general store and lifesaving station are open seasonally to the public, along with the Methodist Church and Henry Pigott House. Guided walking tours are offered seasonally as well.

A 4WD vehicle is essential if you want to explore the island in its entirety, and ferry shuttles from the south can accommodate vehicles and will drop visitors off at a small National Park Service operated campground with cabins.

ATV tours are also available.

But from the Ocracoke side, visitors can only go on foot.

Austin is happy to accommodate visitors by either shuttling them to the beach side or the historic village and providing detailed information on what they need to know while they explore this remote island.

Among the most popular pastimes on the island is fishing. Anglers can expect to land everything from flounder and mackerel to red and puppy drum. Beachcombing is also a popular pastime. Due to its south-facing beach and gradual shoreline, visitors are sure to find a variety of shells.

Common finds include the Scotch Bonnet, olive shells and sand dollars. One can also expect to find spiny murexes, a variety of conchs, lightning whelks and more.

Visitors should keep in mind that trails often are difficult to walk on due to standing water and sandy soils.

Sunscreen, insect repellent, water, food, sunscreen, adequate clothing, a hat and good walking shoes are a must.

Whether you are looking for adventure, solitude or a big catch, Portsmouth Island is sure to deliver.

For more ferry information, go to www.nps.gov/calo/ planyourvisit/ferry.html.

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the

weirdest unexplained sound Seneca Guns, the unoffical name for mysterious booms that occasionally rattle homes on the Outer Banks, always lead to numerous calls and Facebook posts. While there has not been any scientific explanation for this phenomenon, often the events are attributed to military jets breaking the sound barrier.

The name comes from Seneca Lake, located in upstate New York, a region that often experiences similar noise events and has for more than 100 years. These booms are often reported along the

coasts of North and South Carolina, but have been experienced up and down the East Coast.

“Most booms people hear or experience are actually some type of cultural noise, such as some type of explosion, a large vehicle going by, or sometimes a sonic boom, but there have been many reports of booms that cannot be explained by manmade sources,” according to the United States Geological Survey’s website. “No one knows for sure, but scientists speculate that these booms are probably small shallow earthquakes that are

too small to be recorded, but large enough to be felt by people nearby.”

The unexplained events have been occurring in places around the eastern United States and India for at least a century, the USGS reports. Some suggestions over the years, which the USGS discredits on its web page, have included tidal waves, landslides off the continental shelf, a meteor exploding in the atmosphere, lightening, a hole in the ozone layer, global warming, cold air meeting warm Gulf Stream air, and finally, Indian ghosts firing guns.

In conclusion, the website states: “The Earth is a complex place and there is a lot about it that we don’t understand. Perhaps someday we will understand what causes Seneca guns, but right now we don’t understand what makes them. However, they do not seem to pose a threat to anyone.”

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The Bushwhacker tastes like a milkshake, but fair warning—this delectable concoction packs quite a punch with nearly every ingredient containing alcohol. While this guilty pleasure originated in Florida in the 1930s, Outer Bankers and visitors can thank (or blame?) John Kirchmeier for bringing the drink here after getting his first taste in Cane Garden Bay on the north shore of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.

“It was like an alcoholic chocolate milkshake,” laughs John, who featured the frozen drink when he opened Quagmires in 1996. By the time Quags finished its wildly successful 10-year run in 2006, the staff was making 35-gallons each night to satiate the masses. You can find one today at John’s latest restaurant venture The Bonzer Shack, as well as Mama Kwan’s and Lucky 12 Tavern, both run by former Quags employees, as well as a few other places up and down the beach.

What’s in it, you ask? Light rum, dark rum, Bailey’s, Amaretto, Kahlua, Coco Lopez and a smidgen of half and half with a dusting of nutmeg on top. Enjoy this naughty treat at your own risk!

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Find u Slogan Shore We wi bird se garde nature

As far nature

Thank like to Cell# i We are the tim

Trica H wildab

the

Best Wedding destination Weddings are BIG business on our little sandbar.

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that you’ve met your mate and/ or married here, attended a wedding here, or are one of the thousands of folks in the service industry who make weddings on the Outer Banks a beautiful memory to last a lifetime.

The Outer Banks Wedding Association (OBWA) is a not-for-profit organization comprised of nearly 300 wedding-related businesses and professionals.

Many of these wedding vendors can be seen at OBWA’s annual Wedding Expo held over a weekend every January. Hundreds of brides from all over the country attend to make contact with vendors and plan out their Outer Banks weddings.

The Outer Banks has gained national recognition as one of the hottest wedding spots in the world. Renowned online publication TheKnot.com ranks the OBX as number 7 out of 50 “Top Destination Wedding Locations World Wide”, and credits our community with hosting 70% of all destination weddings taking place in the United States. Alyson Pugh, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for OBWA, says that the top three wedding locations on

the Outer Banks ranked in order are Nags Head, Corolla and Manteo.

The popular wedding publication Destination Weddings & Honeymoons named the Outer Banks as “The Best Wedding Destination in the U.S.” citing numerous qualities and attractions pleasing to wedding couples and guests alike. According to Destination Weddings & Honeymoons: “Weddings held here are driven by a desire to connect family and friends while enjoying the simplest of pleasures: good food, festive spirits and fine company.”

Accommodations range from cozy bed and breakfasts to rental homes with up to 16 bedrooms, and scenic venues range from gardens and vineyards to the peaceful beaches in the 4WD area north of Corolla. There are endless options from which to choose both the wedding and reception site. With breath-taking scenery, world-class cuisine and service industry professionals who are skilled at catering to the masses with Southern hospitality, there are more reasons than not to have your wedding here on the Outer Banks. If you do, we can pretty much guarantee that you and your guests will be coming back to make even more memories for years to come!

t he

Photo by Ryan & Rach Photography

longest line

It’s Sunday morning and you want hot, fresh, made-to-order donuts. You’re not the only one. Duck Donuts is popular for a reason. There’s gonna be a line, but one bite of that bacon-topped, maple-glazed goodness and you’ll be in donut heaven.

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NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

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the

FLATTest HOMES

The Southern Shores Flat Tops

By Katrina Leuzinger

You see them dotted around Southern Shores, little ground level cottages with flat roofs and Easter egg colored shutters propped open. Back in the 1950s, almost all the homes in Southern Shores were flat tops. Now less than 30 of these pieces of history remain.

The houses have stood through 60 years of rising tides and hurricanes. Now the biggest threat to them is demolition. More and more of these historic homes are being bought and then knocked down in favor of something bigger and newer. Just this past April yet another flat top on Ocean Blvd. was destroyed to make way for something new.

Local artist and architect Frank Stick purchased most of what is now Southern Shores in 1947 for just $30,000 (now valued at $430 million). Knowing that the land would sell better with houses on it, Frank and his son David designed the flat tops.

Frank wanted to build houses that would blend in with the dunes, reminiscent of the type of beach cottages found in Key West. What he created was something truly unique to the Outer Banks. They’re built from 42-pound concrete blocks made from local sand.

If you chip the concrete, you can still see bits of shell in it. Local juniper beams crisscross the ceilings and give the houses their own distinct, earthy smell. More juniper was used for the paneling and cabinets inside, creating a look that’s one part cabin in the woods, one part beach box.

It’s a sensitive subject for the group of very passionate people who own flat top cottages. “I fell in love with (the house) years ago.” says owner Steve Gudas. Steve and his wife Sally organized the flat top cottage tours last year and the year before to benefit the Outer Banks Community Foundation Flat Top Preservation Fund (a foundation that was incidentally founded by David Stick).

Steve describes walking into the cottage he would one day own and thinking, “I gotta live here. This is my house.” Steve and Sally also manage a Facebook page for fellow enthusiasts. The page is populated with fascinating old black and white photographs as well as listings of the many flat tops up for sale, in the hopes that they’re purchased by someone who will preserve the property.

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@northbeachsun

the

tastiest roadside cake

Both photos by K. Wilkins Photography

So what makes these funny little houses worth saving? The owners acknowledge that they are not practical in many ways. The old buildings require a lot of upkeep. Being on the ground puts them at a higher risk for floodwaters. They have cinder block lined holes in lieu of septic tanks.

But just step through the doors of one of these retro gems and it’s clear why their owners love them. The cottages are charming; with cool breezy interiors and a front door that walks right out onto the dunes.

They’re built from materials that can only be found here. And between the lighthouses, the first flight memorial, and the old lifesaving stations, the Outer Banks is a place that prides itself on its history. The flat tops are one more part of that fascinating and storied history.

Check out Southern Shores Historic Flat Top Cottages on Facebook for more info on how you can help save these unique homes.

The 12 Layer Cake from Cindy’s Kitchen Tucked away in a Citgo station on Highway 158 in Barco, Cindy’s Kitchen is full of delectable surprises. Marked only with an understated sign featuring their signature 12 Layer Cake, stopping in on the way to the Outer Banks is a must. Each layer of moist yellow cake is topped with the perfect amount of homemade chocolate icing—just the right amount of sweetness in every mouth-watering bite. Owners Cindy and Kevin Spain make everything from scratch daily, and the cake’s recipe is a carefully guarded secret. Any visitor lucky enough to discover this local favorite will be hooked from the first taste!

Call to reserve yours today!

Ghost Tours of the Outer Banks

Urgent

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the

TALLest LIGHTHOUSE

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Running a marathon is hard. Running an ultramarathon is EXTREME. Want to test your mettle against the toughest athletes out there? Try running the Graveyard 100, a 101.5-mile race from Currituck Heritage Park in Corolla to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras. Read more about the Graveyard 100 on page 6 of Outdoor Outer Banks.

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scariest place

Along with many other unsolved mysteries in the Outer Banks’ legendary haunted history, Roanoke Island is home to both PscyhoPath and OBX Ghost Tours.

The Lost Colony’s Psychopath fright-night attraction challenges visitors: “Are you brave enough to walk the Psychopath alone?” Be afriad, friends! More than 400 years ago, 117 people disappeared without a trace. Many a tale has been spun about what became of them and the strange events that still occur at the site today. Check out hauntedisland.org for a spooky sneak peek of this action-filled haunted walk through the woods.

OBX Ghost Tours take victims—I mean visitors—on ghastly guided tours of Manteo, through the Graveyard of the Atlantic, village cemeteries and beyond.

They’ll also be happy to keep you up at night recounting their expertly told tales of Manteo’s ghosts and Blackbeard’s dreadful legacy! Visit ghosttoursoftheobx.com or call (252) 573-1450 for more information or to make reservations for an experience you won’t soon forget!

runner up

The climb is arduous, with a total of 257 steps from the ground to balcony level and with no air conditioning or elevator. Be sure you are up to the task before your ascent! Check out the National Park Service’s site for more information on this national treasure, including a detailed history, and tour schedules, and information on the spectacular Full Moon Climb! (nps.gov/caha).

the

is the tallest brick lighthouse in North America. Exactly how high, you ask? Everywhere you look, you’ll find a slight variation. According to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Division of the National Park Service, the short answer is 210 feet above mean sea level. The plaque at the lighthouse ticket booth reads 208 feet, which was its height above sea level at its old location. It is 198.49 feet from the ground to the top of the lightning rod. It ranks as the 15th highest lighthouse in the United States, but that’s because the first 14 were built on higher ground.

The U.S. Coast Guard owns and operates the navigational equipment, and the National Park Service maintains the lighthouse tower as a historical site. The first Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was built in 1802. It was demolished after the Civil War and a new one designed to stand taller and shine brighter was erected in 1871. In 1999, after erosion of the shoreline threatened the integrity of the lighthouse, it was moved 2,900 feet from its original location in what was deemed “The Move of the Millennium”. There was much debate as to whether it would survive the move. With the whole world watching, the structure was successfully moved with complex equipment, carefully and slowly— just five feet at a time.

ruggedest race

The Herbert C. Bonner Bridge is a different kind of scary. Built in 1963, it is the only road to Hatteras Island crossing Oregon Inlet. It was recently voted as the third “Most Hatest Bridge in America” by automotive blog Jalopnik, and given a paltry 4 on a scale of 1 to 100 for safety rating by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Environmental and state groups have long been in a battle as to the solution. Although repairs began this spring, with unpredictable ocean currents washing away the sand supporting the bridge, the trek across Bonner Bridge is scary indeed!

@northbeachsun

The much-anticipated sequel to The Outer Banks House is here…

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the

OBSCURest major HISTORICAL EVENT

In the Little Town of Buxton a Spy ______

Did Roam

By Ed Beckley

Dillon said, back then access to Hatteras was by ferry, and travel over land was by walking, horseback and riding on the Midgett Bus Line.

However, some local folks still recall the hora Driving and getting stuck in the sand wasn’t ror of corpses washing ashore, deafening fire the on come have y good option. “So he may bombs in the sea, mangled ship parts and stick bus,” she said. of oia oil amuck on the beach—and the paran . yards back “He didn’t work. He was just visiting. He bad men stealing secrets in their own stayed with the Melhouses on Buxton Back In the early 1940s, Outer Bankers went to bed in Road. The house is worrying if German spies might come ashore s still there. I played the dark of night from their U-boat submarine In the early with their son, Ralph. hidden behind the waves. Today we can find 0s, Outer Germans were infil- 194 no WWII espionage reports from the National kers went Ban al- trating everywhere,” Archives or FBI focusing on North Carolina, worrying bed to an Dillon said. though there is a viable local story of a Germ German spies if by She said the spy in Buxton who was eventually captured might come s name was Hans man’ . authorities ashore in the Haas, and he came was it lects recol n Buxto of Dillon dark of night White Carol to into the Post Office, came t accen an Germ a with man a from their U-boat when 1940 where her mother, submarines visit with the parents of a childhood friend, beMaude White, was ind fore the U.S. entered the war.

He hidden beh Postmistress. es. wav fathe the in Dillon’s personage was featured wanted to mail heavy do mous Nell Wise Wechter novel, Taffy of Torpe parcels in wooden a by Junction, a part-fiction, part-true account of boxes. They were maybe two-and-a-half feet , Willis Taffy her d “Mot name . ger them spirited red-haired teena two-feet, and he would insure who grew up with her beloved Gramp at the asked him two or three times what was in there, heart of the “Battle of Torpedo Junction” off the and he said, ‘books’. I told mother, ‘That man’s s Outer Banks. lying to you.’ There was no place to buy book could who e nativ a ’t wasn he “I don’t remember what he looked like, and on the island, and ,” have collected so many books, and she became there was nothing unusual about his dress he suspicious. I think she was already suspicious.”

Dillon said. “I don’t know when or how arrived.”

Dillon said her only interaction with the was he man was that day in the post office. She and Dillon said there was speculation r spoke of the incident with the let off of a U-boat and rowed ashore in a rub- her mother neve or anybody else. She said she susber raft. “The Coast Guard boys would talk, Melhouses s. pected the Melhouses wouldn’t have admitted and they mentioned finding rafts in the dune and her mother wanted to keep We assumed men were coming ashore from the Haas was a spy, s.

German subs,” she said, but conceded, “I really it to themselve ” here. got he don’t know how

World War II was hell, and those who remember it are few.

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NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

BELOW: Unidentified ass istant stands near the 50-foot Fessen den Tower in Buxton in the early 1900 s (Thomas B. Gray photo from Outer Banks Histor y Center Collection). INS ET: Reginald Fessenden. (Photo from Outer Banks Histor y Center Collection )

LOWER LEFT: Carol Dillon standing in front the former Buxton Post Office where her mother, Maude White, was Postmistress (Ed Beckley photo).

TOP LEFT: The commendation received by Maude White related to her capturing the spy and helping the Navy. ABOVE LEFT: The 8,000-ton oil tanker Dixie Arrow was torpedoed by U-71 on March 26, 1942 off of Ocracoke Inlet and sunk. U-71 wreaked havoc on the Outer Banks’ waters, returned to Germany, and was scuttled there two days after Adolph Hitler committed suicide (Outer Banks History Center Photo).

ABOVE RIGHT: Graveyard of the Atlantic roadside historic al marker on Route 12 in Buxton (Ed Beckley Photo).

“I don’t remember where he was mailing the packages or if he received mail,” Dillon said, “but mother did not mail the boxes.

She called the FBI.” Maude White was also a volunteer “Coastal Observer” for the U.S. Navy, and had a relative at the Coast Guard station on the island and may have used the telephone there, she said.

Dillon said the FBI undertook the arduous trip to Buxton and discovered the boxes were filled with maps of all the little canals and waterways and water depths from Maine to Florida.

“I don’t think they confronted him here. But they secretly followed him back to New York and arrested him there. He was a Germa n spy and was caught, and my mother was the one responsible for his capture,” said Dillon. “I don’t think the FBI told her specifically what happened to him, but they said they caught a ring of spies when they follow ed him to New York.”

Maude White received a commendation from the District Intellig ence Office of the United States Navy for her patriotic service.

FBI and other U.S. records make no mention of a Hans Haas, whom Dillon presumes was using a false name.

The largest espionage case in the U.S. that ended in convic tions was the Duquesne Spy Ring in New York. A total of 33 members of a German espionage network were convicted in 1941 after a lengthy FBI investigation. If indeed “Haas” was associated with the Duquesne Spy Ring in New York, and was part of the ring of spies captured in New York, his fate was a long prison term.

However, there is probably no connection between Hans Haas and that operation because it took place a year before Dillon’ s encounter, if her memory is true, and descriptions of the spies’ work do not match Haas’s endeavors. Finally, Dillon viewed photos of the 33, but they did not trigger her memory of what he looked like. It was, after all, more than 75 years ago.

We do not know for certain what happened to the Germa n spy of the Outer Banks. However, Dillon offered she did not think he lived out a full life.

runner up First Wireless Telephone Perfected on

the Outer Banks

“wireless telephone” from Reginald Fessenden perfected what he called the e the Wright Brothers his operations base on Roanoke Island the year befor all changed the world, and succeeded in their first powered flight here. They who? everyone knows of Orville and Wilbur. But Reginald Jersey and a radio pioneer.

Fessenden was a Thomas Edison protégé in New op wireless telegraphy, devel The U.S. Weather Service contracted with him to gible speech in intelli ss wirele but he far exceeded that goal. He first tested 1902. That’s when in ses purpo ical pract Maryland in 1900 and made it work for ot tower near 50-fo a to miles 48 n, Buxto he transmitted musical notes from voice and music of ons missi trans e receiv to able Manns Harbor Bridge. He was on an actual telephone here. am in Massachusetts in He went on to broadcast the world’s first radio progr he was considered by many 1906, and according to the National Park Service to be the “Father of Voice Radio.” nden wrote that her In a letter to Victor Meekins of Manteo, Helen Fesse radio possible.” husband’s Fessenden System, “made present day after him. The USS In gratitude, the nation named a Destroyer Escort historical markers on Fessenden deployed during World War II. Roadside Manteo are a tribute to Route 12 near Buxton and on the US 64 bypass near rial to him. Stay memo a the man, and locals planned for decades to build . issue fall the in that tuned to the North Beach Sun for more on

NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

37

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@northbeachsun

the

greenest hangout

Jennette’s Pier was originally opened as a

fishing pier in 1939 by the Jennette family. It has evolved over the years into a state institution with national recognition for their earth-friendly practices. After the family sold their interest, the pier was slated to become condominiums in 2002 before the community stepped in. With help from the state’s Clean Water Management Fund, it landed in the lap of the North Carolina Aquarium Society (NCAS), to be redesigned as an educational outpost to the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island while also maintained as a public fishing pier.

In the fall of 2003, the pier suffered a devastating blow from Hurricane Isabelle, and NCAS began to rebuild it. Pier Manager Mike Remige has worked with NC Aquariums since 1997, and was rehired as the director of Jennette’s Pier in 2010. Today, Jennette’s Pier boasts the esteemed Platinum LEED (Leadership in Environmental Design) certification, the highest level of national achievement in building strategies and practices, including: State of the art wind turbines that power 15%-20% of operations annually A solar paneled shade pavilion that powers the night lights for the pier Two rain water cisterns used to wash vehicles and pier decks Reclaimed water filtration system, utilizing 75%-80% of waste water (for nonpotable use only) All geothermal HVAC units with a closed loop system providing year round heating, cooling and refrigeration Jennette’s Pier‘s rainwater cisterns (left) and wind turbines have helped the building to earn a platinum LEED certification.

Photos courtesy of Jennette’s Pier.

A parking lot built on a storm water retention system, designed to capture every drop of rainwater on the property and intended to prevent flooding of the surrounding Whalebone Junction area Jennette’s Pier hosts numerous camps, programs and events that build environmental education into just about everything. “We are teaching sustainable practices, and hope our programs spark interest in future careers to benefit the environment,” says Mike. They recently hosted their fourth annual Earth Fair OBX with close to 400 people in attendance. Visit jennettespier.net for more information on their classes, events and more.

runner up

The Outer Banks Brewing Station’s wind turbine has been a landmark on the bypass since 2008, but the restaurant has implemented green practices since they began construction in 2001.

They applied for the permit for the turbine in 2002, and it was finally made a reality in 2008. The turbine powers 8%-10% of overall annual operations, an impressive number considering what it takes to power a year round restaurant and manufacturer. Co-owner Eric Reese says that equates to about “a

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house and a half” in average beach-box terms. They use bamboo takeout containers and biodegradable plastic cups, and they grow herbs and garnishes for the restaurant in garden boxes in the backyard.

The grains left over from the brewing process are utilized to augment farm feed for cattle, given to local composters, and used in their pizza dough and even dog biscuits. They are big supporters of the local green movement and believe that sourcing things close to home is of critical importance. “We’re all Outer Bankers first. Trying to help each other survive serves us all better in the long run,” says Eric.

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HOT SHOPS

2

get seen This summer it’s all about getting noticed.

Get these eye-catching items at local retailers and hit the beach!

1

1 Retro high-waisted bikini by Beach Diva. Available at Shore-Fit Swimwear.

2 Woven wide-brimmed sun hat with feminine pink trim. Available at Miss Lizzie’s.

3 Recycled yoga mat flip flops in bright, summery colors. Available at Flip Flop Shops.

4 Free-flowing Wrecking Ball beach romper. Available at Confetti Clothing Co. 5 Spartina brand linen beach bag.

Available at Cotton Gin.

6

6 Oversized beach throw blanket with colorful chevron pattern.

Available at Kitty Hawk Kites.

7 Neon laser cut bikini separates by Rip Curl. Available at Birthday Suits.

8 Billabong hybrid board shorts.

Each pair is made from shredded and recycled PET (approximately 25 water bottles). Available at Gray’s.

9 Hang 12 trucker hat by local artist Brad Price. Available at All Ducked Out. 10 Roxy Surf’s Up girls’ bikini for teeny wahinis. Available at Wave Riding Vehicles.

Photos by K. Wilkins Photography

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NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

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Photo courtesy of Confetti Clothing Co.

5

4

3

8 10

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NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

41

amanda’s kitchen

the

perfect summer dessert meal

By Amanda McDanel

Ahhhh, the sweet hazy lazy days of summer are upon us. The days where the sun

stretches until late in the day and you don’t feel like turning on the oven. It is the time of year when it’s perfectly acceptable to eat a tomato sandwich or a big, juicy, dripping slice of watermelon for dinner. (Do you salt your watermelon? I thought everyone did! That is a discussion for another time, I suppose.)

The long days give you time to stretch things out— more hours in the hammock, more time to play horseshoes in the fading sun, more time to run through the sprinkler for hours on end just because you can, and even time to enjoy the luxury of taking the slow route.

Summer just isn’t the same without ice cream. The slow route is the best way here—stretching out the process to make your own ice cream by hand yields mind-blowing results. Come on—you’ve got the time!

It’s summer! Remember those hours spent taking turns churning, churning, churning the old ice cream maker and then lifting the lid to reveal the most delectable of all summer treats to be enjoyed on a summer evening?

With the help of electric ice cream machines, the slow route isn’t as slow these days, and you’ll be spared the milkmaid elbow, but still receive the same delicious reward in the end.

I love homemade peach, strawberry and vanilla ice cream, and you can find loads of recipes for those with a simple search online or in a good cookbook. But what I’m talking about is the ice cream that sounds so weird but OMG, WHAT IS IN THAT?!? Licking the bowl like a feral cat then sucker punching the person next to you and running away with their cone kind of ice cream. I’m talking about candied bacon ice cream.

The saying goes that bacon makes everything better, and it’s true with ice cream as well. Are you a fan of salty and sweet? Do you like to dip your bacon in maple syrup when eating your pancakes in the morning? If so, this is the ice cream for you. Did I mention there’s rum in it? Brown sugar rum-based ice cream laced with candied bacon pieces. It’s the perfect summer meal and you can even get away with eating it for breakfast on the hottest days—it DOES have bacon in it!

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NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

bacon ice cream!

For the ice cream custard: Makes about ¾ qt There are several ways to make homemade ice cream. You can purchase an inexpensive electric ice cream maker ($25-50). There are two types: a self-contained unit that has a gel interior you place in the freezer for 24 hours prior to use and the old fashioned kind your grandparents had that requires ice and rock salt. If you find yourself becoming an ice cream aficionado, you can also purchase an attachment for your Kitchen Aid mixer that eliminates the requirement for another piece of equipment.

For the candied bacon: 5 strips bacon about 2 teaspoons light brown sugar To candy the bacon, preheat the oven to 400F. Lay the strips of bacon on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or aluminum foil, shiny side down.

Sprinkle 1½-2 teaspoons of brown sugar evenly over each strip of bacon, depending on length.

Bake for 12-16 minutes. Midway during baking, flip the bacon strips over and drag them through the dark, syrupy liquid that’s collected on the baking sheet. Continue to bake until as dark as mahogany. Remove from oven and cool the strips on a wire rack. (Make extra! I swear you will eat the entire first batch!) Once crisp and cool, chop into little pieces, about the size of grains of rice.

Bacon bits can be stored in an airtight container and chilled for a day or so, or stored in the freezer a few weeks ahead if they last that long before someone eats them.

3 tablespoons salted butter ¾ cup (packed) brown sugar (light or dark) 2¾ cup half-and-half 5 large egg yolks 2 teaspoons dark rum or whiskey ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract optional: ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon To make the ice cream custard, melt the butter in a heavy, medium-size saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar and half of the half-and-half. Pour the remaining half-and-half into a bowl set in an ice bath and set a mesh strainer over the top.

In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks, and then gradually add some of the warm brown sugar mixture to them, whisking the yolks constantly as you pour. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

Cook over low to moderate heat, constantly stirring and scraping the bottom with a heatproof spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. Strain the custard into the half-andhalf, stirring over the ice bath until cool. Add liquor, vanilla and cinnamon.

Refrigerate the mixture. Once thoroughly chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Add the bacon bits during the last moment of churning, or stir them in when you remove the ice cream from the machine.

Recipe courtesy of David Lebovitz

Amanda McDanel has mostly lived on the Outer Banks for 15 years, is married, has a beautiful daughter and a dog that walks backwards. A collector of the unique and different, she has an MS in Child and Family Development, has taught cooking classes and loves to create new recipes.

@northbeachsun

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NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

43

B.S. in parenting

Keep Your Privates Private, Private

By Lindsey Beasley Dianna

Some parents scrapbook in order to preserve precious memories of their children.

I’m more of an observer, taking notes as I blend in with the wildlife like Jane Goodall—only my primates are a bit less civilized.

When I get compliments on their behavior in public, I am thankful, relieved, and extremely confused.

My field notes read more like scenes from Animal House, with gems like these: “Hey mom, I named my nipples! Meet Ted and Jerry Junior,” “Watch it, my penis is not a water fountain!” and “Now it’s YOUR turn to bite MY hiney!” Even the 2-year-old is on the program, with a penchant for flashing her “woobies” like Mardi Gras is a 24/7 occurrence. I am already contemplating revoking all future spring break privileges. It is, as she says, utterly “dick-ulous.”

We are at that stage where pure childlike innocence meets curiosity of all things body-related. Even though nothing sounds right, I know that it’s me, the corrupted adult, that’s interpreting their experimental vocabulary and behavior as something far more worrisome than it actually is. The children and I have two entirely different perspectives… I hope. Lord help me, how I hope.

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NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

Fraternity party or family time? The following behaviors are examples of incidences that could be interpreted either way, and I just can’t help but get a teensy bit nervous about the following examples: • “Cheers!” This has been a favorite for all three since baby days, but they overplay their hand when they have milk chugging contests.

• Spinning like little ravers until they get dizzy and fall down, and then repeat until eventually someone gets hurt.

• Someone emerges covered head to toe in marker or nail polish, as if they were the first to pass out at a party.

• After a wild night it’s not unusual for someone to pop up around 2 a.m. and attempt to order a pizza.

• Graffiti: nail polish, markers and crayon (the price I pay for doing something nuts like closing the door when I go to the bathroom).

• The ability to pass out anywhere, anytime.

• Petty theft—we all lose a lot of things around here. Sometimes they turn up smuggled into someone’s pillowcase or dresser

@northbeachsun

drawer, but a lot of things can take years to surface, if they ever do.

• Two words: clothing optional.

• Party games: their inventive version of hide and seek, where they hide each other’s clothes while playing in their underwear.

From moment to moment, I find myself coming up with new rules for acceptable code of conduct.

Immune to most of the insanity, my new rules sound something like this: A) keep your pants (and shirts) on when we have people over to play; B) we aren’t an underpants-only colony, and if we were we really should give people some warning; and C) only in our house, kids. Not in 7-Eleven or friends’ houses. (I blame that last one on growing up in a beach town.

It gets confusing when they spend half their lives in swimsuits.)

There are questions, soooo many questions, and I awkwardly walk the line trying to counter the onslaught of information they receive from outside sources with answers that are truthful, accurate and age-appropriate. I am arming them with dangerous information, and can’t guarantee a safe discharge of weapon or predict any unintended casualties. My most sincere apologies to the parents of all of my children’s friends and classmates who did not want their children knowing the technical names of body parts or other various information because I know

better than to think that they are keeping this coveted information to themselves, despite my pleas to keep the talk about their privates private.

B U Y 2 T ACOS GE T A FREE 12 0Z. SMOOTHIE

When all else fails, I like to go with the “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” approach. Here are a few fun ways to illuminate the dickulousness of their behavior and shock some sense into them: • When it’s time to leave the house, stand at the front door with purse and keys in hand, wearing only underwear and shoes. Pretend you don’t understand why they look mortified. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, no?

• Bust out your phone to video the inappropriateness, and watch as terror fills their eyes and they start to beg you not to post these things on Facebook (or write about them in future articles).

For the last year I’ve been smuggling my copies of the North Beach Sun into our home and hiding them like copies of Playboy. When the kids are old enough, I’ll pull them out from under the mattress and let them read my loving accounts of their wild, inappropriate and very unprivate youth.

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.

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45

EVERYTHING ELSE UNDER THE

Sun

About the Cover Artist

Photo courtesy of Rick Romano Story by Cathy Baldwin

Rick Romano has the laid-back surfer vibe of a guy who’s spent years pursuing his passion. And

that’s because he has. An avid windsurfer, surfer and paddle boarder, Rick’s followed his dreams of being an artist who lives, works and plays by the sea.

“I’ve been an artist for over thirty years,” says Rick. “It’s just something that always came easy to me.”

Back in the 1980s, Rick had the chance to design the official poster for the Worrell 1000, a 1,000-mile catamaran race from south Florida to Virginia Beach. The poster gave him credibility in the art world and soon he was designing posters for the East Coast Surfing Championships and the Neptune Festival in Virginia Beach.

Rick was then commissioned by The Virginian-Pilot to create a Virginia Beach scene for a poster to benefit the children’s charity organization, The Joy Fund. The poster became such a hot seller that he started producing a weekly 10”x 10” piece of local landmark art featured in “The Beacon” section of the Pilot.

Over the years he’s garnered accolades and quite a following, and his works have been published by the prestigious Bruce McGaw Graphics, an international art publishing company out of New York. He’s humble about his talent, and refers to his younger days when he was just starting out. “I tended bar at night and painted during the day,” he says. “People kept buying, so I kept painting!”

Rick particularly favors painting beach scenes, old architecture and old trucks—“They’re classics all by themselves,” he says of the trucks. “I like acrylic paint for detailed stuff,” says Rick, “and oils for en plein air [painting outdoors].”

After years of living in Virginia Beach and Maui as a full-time artist, Rick decided to move to the Outer Banks three years ago. “I’ve been coming to the Outer Banks since I was a teenager,” he explains. “I fell in love with it here as a kid.”

Today Rick lives in Carova, out of earshot from the hustle of Virginia Beach. He spends his days paddle boarding for miles in the sound, surfing when the waves are good, painting his favorite nautical subjects, and constructing frames for his art.

“There’s so much to explore here,” says Rick. “It amazes me how cool it is.” Inspired by the beauty of his new surroundings, Rick’s latest project is a 22” x 28” illustrated map of the Virginia state line south to Corolla depicting wildlife and landmarks entitled “The Four-Wheel Drive Beaches.” The poster is for sale locally at The Cottage Shop and Corolla Outback Adventures. Check out more of Rick’s art at rickromano.com.

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NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

The artist enjoying his other pastime. Below: Rick’s latest project, an illustrated map of the four-wheel drive beaches.

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Open Year Round • Serving Lunch & Dinner

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NORTH BEACH SUN SUMMER 2015

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