FROM THE DESK

We’re all part of a narrative that’s still being written.

WHETHER YOU APPROACH THE NEW YEAR (and the ever-growing activities surrounding it) with excitement or a bit of preemptive exhaustion, there’s something undeniably satisfying about turning the page on that particular calendar – a sense of accomplishment mixed with some vaguely defi ned notions of possibility and potential.

But while much is made of “newness” as we approach those last few days of December, it’s not exactly that simple. Unconsciously or not, we celebrate both the beginning and the end of a year simultaneously because all those mixed feelings don’t exist in a vacuum. We can’t move forward if we don’t choose a starting point, and we can’t mark progress without fi rst having a point of reference to measure it by.

We talk a lot about that sort of context here at the North Beach Sun. An idea for a story is nothing without also fi guring out a compelling way of telling it, after all, just as a single photograph can’t capture the whole of an experience, and bare biographical facts won’t ever adequately illustrate a life.

Much has changed in the world over the past year, and in many ways we’re all still coming to terms with that. On the Outer Banks in particular, this has included a real estate boom of epic proportions, a record-making number of seasonal visitors, and an overall growing level of interest in these barrier islands that hardly seems proportionate given our size.

So where do we go from here? The trouble with talking about hypothetical futures is that they can so easily become abstract. But only looking at hard statistical data generated by market reports won’t get you very far either. Neither a projection nor a past accounting will ever fully explain why so many people are drawn to the Outer Banks.

But consider this: In 2022, the North Beach Sun will have been in continuous publication for 35 years, the past decade of which has seen it evolve as a magazine under the direction of the Baldwins – and in that span of time there’s never been a shortage of stories to share about the diverse people and things that continuously make this narrow strip of land so special.

Because when you get right down to it, that’s the ultimate context: The shared narrative that all of us on the Outer Banks are still writing together, piece by piece – slowly shaping and reshaping a community that’s both our largest achievement and our greatest work in progress.

As always, we hope you enjoy this issue!

Publisher Editor staff staff

PUBLISHERS PUBLISHERS Adam & Cathy Baldwin Adam & Cathy Baldwin EDITOR EDITOR Amelia Boldaji Amelia Boldaji ART DIRECTOR ART DIRECTOR Dave Rollins Dave Rollins GRAPHIC DESIGNERS GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Adam Baldwin Adam Baldwin Dylan Bush Dylan Bush CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTORS Cathy Baldwin Amelia Boldaji Steve Hanf Catherine Kozak Katrina Leuzinger Ryan Moser Elizabeth Neal Britton Ricketts Ted Alcorn Cathy Baldwin Amelia Boldaji Steve Hanf Catherine Kozak Katrina Mae Leuzinger Fran Marler Brooke Mayo Amanda McDanel Ryan Moser SALES MANAGER Helen Furr Elizabeth Neal Britton Ricketts ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Faith Turek SALES MANAGER Helen Furr ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Faith Turek

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