Outer Banks Milepost by Matt Walker

Issue 2.4

milepost

startingpoint Outer roadmap Bankers ain’t the prettiest gokite bunch milepost

Why do you live here?

A. Friends.

C. It just plain feels right. D. All of the above. you’ll find yourself face to face with a think tank of backyard ichthyologists who love nothing more than to detail the breeding and eating habits of every species. (And those aren’t just fish tales.)

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Sure, the dude fixing your deck looks like the Unabomber, but beneath the hoodie and shades is a head that’s fixin’ to explode with powerful information, from the engineering complexities of a proper roof pitch to the meteorological lowdown of a Bermuda High. That toothless crone working the Quik-E-Mart counter? She may slur sweet darlings in a slack drawl all day long, but catch her between shifts and she’ll spit the economic intricacies of all four seasons like a barrier island Ben Bernanke. And don’t even start talking sea creatures;

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Since the 60’s

B. Nature.

Nor are we the most professional. Or motivated. Or necessarily even sober. But, man, are we smart! According to the latest Dare County Community Health Needs Assessment, we have a greater number of high school graduates (91.8% versus 83.6%), a higher proportion of college degrees (32.1% v. 26.1%) and way more kids taking the SATs (87% v. 67%) than the rest of the state. Even our average score of 1011 is statistically higher. But you don’t need some egghead with a fancy degree to show just how intelligent we can be — just talk to the eggheads who surround you on a daily basis.

THE ORIGINAL

Maybe it’s just the long-term impact of survival instincts — wear too many hats for long enough, your brain’s bound to grow stronger. Might just be mental debris left over from too many bar debates. More than likely, it’s a byproduct of local pride that pushes us to be most informed about We know every subject that touches that in the our lives. Before game of long, we’re so absorbed in life, there our own little are no universe, we no longer fit in concrete with the outside answers — world, which is why I’d argue only best we’re not just knowledgeable guesses.

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— we’re nerds. As smart-yet-sociallyawkward as any slide-ruler-wielding Poindexter on the planet. In fact, if the U.S. were a high school cafeteria, the Outer Banks would be the lunch-table on the farthest edge of the room. No, we’d be more like a Coastal Comic-Con — a place where thousands flock every week to display their inner beach-dork before going back to a more mild-mannered life. Except we get to stay after the circus goes home. And that’s the best time. Because when the unconventional hall goes dark, you can still hear us running amok with our utility belts full of tackle, wearing snug-fitting rubber suits, trading inside jokes and laughing until saltwater shoots out our noses. Is that normal? Maybe not. Is it cool? Not always. But for us, being here remains the most logical selection. Because we know that in the game of life, there are no concrete choices — only best guesses. So we fill in the blanks that make us happiest. And that may be the smartest answer of all. — Matt Walker

Thank you for reading Outer Banks Milepost. We hope you’ve enjoyed it. If not — before chucking this issue in the nearest dumpster — please consider one of the following equally satisfying ways of expressing your disgust: Experiment with the effects of a Bunsen burner on newsprint. Make a pair of paper underwear — then give yourself a wedgie. Or simply add it to that six-month stack of newspapers you’ve yet to recycle. (Trust us: you’ll feel better.) Then, send any and all feedback — positive, negative or just plain confused — to: editor@outerbanksmilepost.com. Or light us up on Facebook with your opinions and ideas. We promise to find some way to re-purpose them.

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“There is no great genius without a mixture of madness.” — Aristotle “A nerd will be a nerd all his life.” — John Hughes

Issue 2.4

Winter 2013-2014 Cover: Dorks illustrated. Artwork: Britton Ricketts

TO THE

2012 EDITION

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Reader You Brushes & Ink Kristina Cancelmi, Marcia Cline, Carolina Coto, Fay Davis Edwards, Travis Fowler, Dawn Gray, Chris Kemp, Barry Lee, Ben Miller, Ben Morris, Daniel Pullen, Charlotte Quinn, Britton Ricketts, Stephen Templeton Lensfolk Matt Artz, Jack Basnight, Chris Bickford, Russell Blackwood, Michelle Conner, Amy Dixon, Lori Douglas, Julie Dreelin, Tom Dugan/ESM, Bryan Elkus, Dylan Fagan, Lauren Feeney, Chris Hannant, Bryan Harvey, Melody Leckie, Matt Lusk, Ray Matthews, Mickey McCarthy, Brooke Mayo, Dick Meseroll/ESM, Rob Nelson, Crystal Polston, Daniel Pullen, Ryan Rhodes, Terry Rowell, Tom Sloate, DJ Struntz, Aimee Thibodeau, Chris Updegrave, Laurin Walker Penfolk Ashley Bahen, Vic Berg, Hannah Bunn, Sarah Downing, Auntie Em, Paul Evans, Sarah Hyde, Catherine Kozak, Andrew Lewis, Fran Marler, Adam Norko, Matt Pruett, Mary Ellen Riddle, Brendan Riley, Corinne Saunders, Sandy Semans, Drew Vaughan, Clumpy White, Natalie Wolfe, Michele Young-Stone Art Director Ben Miller/Bighouse Design

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Congratulations

Phyllis Wells, the winner of this years Beach Book Cover Contest, for her painting titled: "Ageless: Fun is the Word.” Her Painting will be featured on the cover of the 2014 Beach Book. milepost

Sales Force Laurin Walker Big Mouth In Chief Matt Walker Blame It All On Suite P Inc. PO Box 7100 • KDH, NC 27948 252-441-6203

editor@outerbanksmilepost.com • sales@outerbanksmilepost.com Outer Banks Milepost is published quarterly (sorterly) by Suite P Inc. All contents are the property of Suite P Inc. and do not reflect the opinion of advertisers or distributors. Nor do their contents reflect that of the creative types (who would never, ever sell out). Comments, letters and submissions are usually welcome. Please include SASE for return delivery of all snail mail, however, Milepost and Suite P Inc. still aren’t responsible for any unsolicited materials. And don’t expect much else to move much faster than IST (Island Standard Time). Oh yeah: if you reprint a lick of this content you’re ripping us off. (Shame on you.) To discuss editorial ideas, find out about advertising or tell us we blew it – or just find out what the waves are doing – call 252-441-6203 or email: editor@outerbanksmilepost.com; sales@outerbanksmilepost.com.

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roadmap gokite milepost “Catching Stars” by Barry Lee www.barryslee.com

graphiccontent gosurf outthere gohunt

“I’m not into Star Wars. Or Sci-fi. In fact, I’m not very techy at all. But I do find space endearing. Growing up, I was always drawn to space cartoons because anything could happen — unlike down here, where everything’s so concrete. That’s why I’ve never painted fish or turtles or waves, because those are things I could see every day. I also feel space is one of those rare themes that unifies all humanity. Every person in the world looks up and sees the universe. There’s that whole ‘wish upon a star’ appeal. So, to me, this painting is all about whimsy and nostalgia — more Norman Rockwell than George Lucas — harkening back to being five years old and that whole atmosphere of endless possibility.” — Barry Lee

gosandboard 03 StartingPoint That’s smarts.

06 UpFront

Rising flood rates, flying rockets and racing razors.

15 GetActive

Charity is now a team sport.

18 Nerd Power

See what happens when you mix big brains with a bigger passion.

24 GraphicContent Noble gaffs and unstable elements.

31 GoSandboard Grit meets gravity.

16 QuestionAuthority Sometimes the most important question is, “Are you okay?”

34 FoodDrink

Lawdy, lawdy, we likes a toddy.

36 ArtisticLicense Barry Lee lucks out.

38 SoundCheck Homecooked beats.

41 OutThere

A swarm of swirling prose.

42 EndNotes 32 GoHunt

Honk if you’re hungry.

Stockpile these dates for winter.

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upfront soundcheck RISING TIDE

Add flood insurance to the list of escalating costs for coastal homeowners.

getactive

Since then, Willey says, only 1% of the properties in the NFIP nationwide have collected up to 30% of the money in claims. In the wake of Katrina’s catastrophic impact on New Orleans in 2005 — and bolstered by Sandy and the spike in river flooding damage in interior states — Congress decided they would no longer subsidize the human desire for any waterfront property and passed the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012. Starting next year, no matter where you live, your flood insurance premium will start phasing in rates based on the most current base flood map, which determines the actual risk. This could add up to some alarming rate increases for flood-prone residents all over the country — a few reportedly with a 2000% or more jump. (One Pensacola couple’s premium is forecast to jump from $1500 to $12,000 a year.) The good news? According to Willey, who has provided flood policies through some 30 hurricanes, 80% of the nation’s policies were never subsidized and wont’t be affected. Some may even see decreases.

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The bad news? That means the other 20% are subsidized. And once communities adopt the latest maps with the actual risk in 2014, those grandfathered homes will see sharp increases as they start phasing in the actual rates. (For primary residences, homeowners will face a 20% increase over five years until reaching actual risk; second homes and commercial properties in special flood hazard areas will see the premium increase 25% annually.) In some cases, it could make the insurance rate more expensive than the value of the house.

roadmap Flood insurance isn’t the most exciting subject. Most people’s eyes glaze over when you start using terms like “pre-FIRM” and “V-zone.” But come 2014, you better start paying attention, especially if you own one of the Outer Banks’ low-lying properties.

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And the really, really bad news? When you go to sell one of those houses or businesses, any buyer will automatically assume the actual risk rate, which might make it harder to sell if it adds a few grand to the annual mortgage.

“From 1969 until now, [high-risk flood insurance polices] were subsidized,” Fletcher Willey explains at his Nags Head office, The Willey Agency, with flood insurance graphs and pie charts So how do you know how you’ll be affected? Only a current spread out on his desk. “Now Congress is saying, ‘I’m sorry, we can no longer subsidize you.’” elevation certificate will show for sure. So now’s a good time to call your insurance agent — especially if you’re one of Before 1968, when the Federal Emergency Management Agency started the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), few insurers would cover flooding. So, communities were persuaded Dare County’s 414 “repetitive loss” properties — defined as filing two or more claims of at least $1000 within 10 years. to provide flood mitigation measures in exchange for the federal government providing flood (Repetitive loss properties that are subsidized can expect a insurance, even for existing high-risk properties. Because the real-risk premium — the actuary rate — was unaffordable, the government agreed to subsidize the pre-existing properties, and 25% rate increase annually until reaching actual risk.) later allowed properties to grandfather in at the rate in effect when constructed. (Dare County, as part of the NFIP’s Community Rating System, qualifies for a 10% discount for policy holders.) But all the flood-prone homes are not necessarily doomed. After Hurricane Bonnie in 1998, Jenny Jones, administration Those old homes are now referred to in insurance-speak as “pre-FIRM,” meaning they were and project manager for grants and waterways for built prior to the community’s adoption of the Flood Insurance Rate Map.

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upfront Dare County, says that 10 houses in unincorporated Dare were elevated, with 75% of the cost funded by FEMA as part of the Dare County Hurricane Recovery Project. Since then, 42 more have been elevated, and a new grant has provided funds to elevate 17 more, and 27 more have been tentatively approved.

HEADS UP!

soundcheck

This winter offers three stellar reasons to keep your eyes on the skies.

getactive

“They fare great, because we get them up as high as we can above base flood,” Jones says. “I don’t know any of the ones we’ve elevated that have ever been flooded again.”

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The caveat? All must be lived in year-round — and all must be worth saving.

Of course, lawmakers in Raleigh and D.C. have been inundated with complaints and are working to delay or change parts of the law. Many are proclaiming they’ll fight the hikes. But in these days of austerity, it will be hard for them to defend billing taxpayers to repeatedly fix houses that sit in a flood zone — especially when a large number of subsidized properties are also located in wealthy counties.

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“Should I write a policy for a bad driver who’s going to have an accident every weekend?” Willey asks, noting that 5% of flood claims are repetitive losses. “It all comes down to how much the taxpayer is willing to pitch in to make flood insurance costs affordable once the actual risk is taken into account.” And apparently, the answer is: Not much. — Catherine Kozak

From here to the moon. Wallops’ Minotaur V charges over Kitty Hawk on Sept. 6. Photo: Chris Updegrave

“Twinkle, twinkle, little comet… Will you dazzle? Will you plummet?” That’s the question puzzling both professional and amateur astronomers, as the Comet ISON comes barreling past Earth this November before circling the sun at an astonishingly close — and possibly self-destructive — distance of 730,000 miles. If the star-grazer survives, it could be the sweetest celestial eye-candy since Hale Bopp in 1997 — with the potential to be visible in broad daylight around 1:40pm on Thanksgiving Day. Or it might be a faint flicker, even at night. Nobody knows for sure until it makes its big U-turn. But whatever happens, Outer Banks beaches should enjoy prime viewing in the pre-dawn hours — particularly Dec. 5-10 — as according to Discover Magazine Senior Editor Corey S. Powell: “You will need dark skies and an unobstructed horizon to get the best view. In the first half of December the comet will get higher and (depending on how it behaves) may have a ghostly tail stretching up to a quarter the way across the sky.” Even if ISON fizzles, there are two sure-fire spectacles for space geeks to enjoy, as NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Center on Virginia’s Eastern Shore puts up more rockets. The first, a Minotaur 1, is scheduled to launch in the evening “no earlier than Nov. 19,” testing trajectory systems and carrying multiple payloads. And an Antares 1 will deliver fresh supplies to the International Space Station

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“sometime in mid-Dec.” Of course, launch schedules are prone to change, but anyone who saw Wallops’ Minotaur V light up the night on Sept. 6 knows it’s worth staying vigilant — especially if the Antares goes up after dark. “Both events will be visible for the MidAtlantic,” says Wallops News Chief Keith Koehler. “But the Antares is a bigger rocket. It’s about 130 feet tall, fairly large and slow moving. So, if it becomes a night launch, it’s going to be highly visible up and down the East Coast.” Now all we need are some pitch-black skies with no clouds — and an oceanfront porch with no renters. — C. White For the latest on ISON, go to www.nasa.gov. For Wallops Island Launch schedules and live feeds of launches, visit www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/home/index.html.

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upfront soundcheck

And you thought the Border Station had a big selection of fireworks. Photo: Courtesy of the Whalehead Club

getactive

BLAST FROM roadmap THE PAST startingpoint

Corolla rocket launches and the race for space

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In 1961, a cosmonaut named Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth. Suddenly, the United States found itself chasing Soviet technology at the height of the Cold War. A year later, President John F. Kennedy was asking Congress for $7 to $9 billion to fund aeronautics research, challenging Americans to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. “A nation which expects to be the leader of other

nations,” he told a packed Texas stadium on May 25, 1962, “cannot expect to stay behind in the race for space.” But for America’s tech community, the race was already on. Bolstered by a $500,000 contract with the U.S. Air Force, the Virginiabased Atlantic Research Corporation was developing a pasty concoction called “gelsolid,” which they believed would generate the necessary thrust to power rockets and become “the workhorse for outer space exploration.” They just needed a place to test it. In April of 1961 North Carolina officials learned of Atlantic Research’s quest and provided social and economic data, aerial photographs and tax information about Corolla — a sparsely populated area between the Virginia line and Duck. The company would ultimately lease a parcel of land owned by out-of-town titleholders called the Whalehead Club, which included the 1925 art deco mansion and numerous outbuildings built as

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upfront a hunting club for industrialist Edward Knight and his wife Marie Louise. Also acquired for the rockettesting site were eight miles of oceanfront property and two abandoned Coast Guard buildings.

“

Newspapers foretold how the project would breathe new life into the secluded village.

75 and 100 employees “working on two space-age problems.”

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“Consider the time and place,” says Susan Joy Davis, who delved deeply into each era of the great estate for her book, The Whalehead Club: Reflections of Currituck Heritage. “They were pioneers in the development of advanced performance solid-fuels for ballistic missiles during an urgent and heightened national effort to excel beyond Soviet capabilities.” At the time, the relatively new company didn’t have a mobile workforce to relocate to Corolla. Instead, they hoped to recruit “mechanicallyinclined young men” — sorry, ladies — from inside eastern North Carolina. In total, Atlantic Research Corporation employed eight people full-time: one commuted down the beach from Virginia; four rode over on a boat from Coinjock; and three were Corolla residents.

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An announcement was made in April 1962 that North Carolina had “stepped into the space age.” Newspaper articles foretold how the project would breathe new life into the secluded village and create jobs and prosperity. It was predicted that by the dawn of 1963 Atlantic Research Corporation would have between

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Sources for the preceding article include: Burlington Daily Times News (“Corolla and the Space Age: Three Part Series” by James H. Morris for the Associated Press, August 1-3, 1962; “Corolla Begins to Thrive Again,” August 1, 1962; “Space Age Research Center May Provide Swift Comeback for Corolla,” August 2, 1962; “Whalehead Corolla’s Big Show Spot,” August 3, 1962); Statesville Record & Landmark, (“Rocket Facility Planned for State, April 24, 1962; “Vast Changes on Corolla Sand Dunes,” April 26, 1962); and the Gastonia Gazette (“N.C. Plant to Develop X Rocket” by Vern Haugland, October 6); The Whalehead Club: Reflections of Currituck Heritage by Susan Joy; and “The Space Race,” John F. Kennedy Library website.

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1969. Ironically, that same year, the Atlantic Research Corporation closed shop in Corolla, leaving behind several storage buildings and Quonset huts. Within a couple decades, the final piece of Route 12 would connect northern beaches to the mainland, launching a tourism boom that still echoes today — and eliminating all but memories of Corolla’s early experiments with rocket science. — Sarah Downing

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Perhaps it was for the best. Powdered beryllium used in the propellant mix was toxic, the explosives used to fire the rockets were dangerous and secret details of the experiments made safety and security a top priority. In fact, while the company hoped the state would one day connect the road between Duck and Corolla to support a larger facility — future plans included a rocket manufacturing plant with 300-400 workers — that would have altered the secluded nature of the Currituck Banks that was necessary for rocket testing.

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“They wouldn’t let you around the Club,” the outgoing octogenarian recalls. “There were ‘No Trespassing’ signs up and you couldn’t even go into the boat basin. You couldn’t drive around up there.”

Currituck native Travis Morris remembers the The U.S. would end up winning the Space cautious nature of the site and their commit- Race by putting a man on the moon in July of

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upfront soundcheck getactive

A seasonal tally of recent events and their potential impacts startingpoint

BACHELOR’S PARTY Long the choice for high school grads seeking budgetfriendly basic courses — and bored retirees looking to kill time — come January, College of the Albemarle’s Roanoke Island Campus will keep the party rolling by offering four-year diplomas in Business Administration and Organizational Administration, plus online degrees in Accounting and Marketing. (Add a Greek Row and $50k in unpaid loans, and you’ve got all the B.S. of a real university.) +4

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PUMP AND DUMP “Don’t drink the water.” Look for the Tijuana Tourist Board’s motto to transfer east of Kitty Hawk’s high-tide line in years

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to come. The town decided to counter between-highway flooding with a pump station at Hawks Street in hopes they can “begin pumping storm water back into the ocean as soon as a storm subsides.” Which means plenty of oil, trash and toxins in the surf as soon as you paddle out. -2 THE PROBLEM WITH FLIPPER NOAA blamed a measles-like “morbillivirus” for this summer’s rash of East Coast dolphin deaths, including two dozen along the Outer Banks in one week. The last time this pathogen appeared 25 years ago, more than 740 dolphins washed up between New Jersey and Florida — many hitting shores in the springtime. It’s not contagious to humans, but you may want to cover your bottlenose this cold season, just in case. -2

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY? For the first time in 40 years, Oregon Inlet may get a new captain. Long run by Oregon Inlet Fishing Center Inc., the National Park Service opened-up competition for the next 10-year contract to operate the marina. Potential bidders started biting big time. So many, the NPS extended the solicitation period to Feb. 5. Look for a decision by Fall 2014, but no matter who lands the gig, boats can still expect big changes — including a 4% franchise fee — meaning more potentially rough seas for an industry fighting clogged inlets and a stagnant economy. -2 IS THIS A BRIDGE, OR A MERRY-GO-ROUND? Up and down. Back and forth. Hopes rose and fell this fall, as Bonner Bride’s three-decade legal saga swung both ways. In mid-Sept., a federal judge cleared hurdles for NCDOT to immediately start building the short-bridge replacement — only to see the Southern Environmental Law Center stall the process two weeks later with another appeal. Meanwhile, concrete chunks keep falling and a queasy local populace keeps yelling, “Does this ride ever stop?!” -3

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HE SHOOTS, COPS SCORE Gunfire on Roanoke Island led to a hotel bust, gang ties and a whole string of fall heroin arrests, emphasizing the Outer Banks’ smack problem is more than just an experimental phase. By Oct., Dare. Co. Sheriffs had launched a separate Wanchese unit and community watch, all to sound a clear warning to dealers: take your shoot-em-up shenanigans elsewhere. +3 SANDING ROOM ONLY How the tide has turned. Just 10 years after saying “no” to beach nourishment, Kitty Hawk’s Oct. 1 meeting was so filled with pro-sand citizens, you literally couldn’t get in the door. Duck and KDH also struck deals with Dare County to start dumping sand in 2016 — right about the time Nags Head finally pays off its debt. Better hope the ocean’s feeling generous. When you add up the price of all four projects, there’ll be $80 million in tax dollars sitting on the beach. All for the taking. +/- 0 FED UP And just when Uncle Sam couldn’t get any less popular, Oct.’s federal shutdown flared tempers on both sides of the bridge — especially private businesses working inside National Parks — as for 15 days, citizens quietly snuck across monuments and beaches and a whole nation wondered: how can public property be kept locked down? -3

FIELD OF DREAMS If you don’t build it… the town will buy it. So we learned in Oct. when Nags Head agreed to purchase the old Dowdy’s amusement park property for $1.5 million — under conditions that the land must be named “Dowdy’s Park” and remain recreational. Budget hawks question the expense, but with a pricetag well below the current $2 million value, bargain hunters and open-space lovers cheered the decision. +3 CRUISIN’ FOR A BRUISIN’ You thought your fall was rough? Police reported that a 48-year-old woman was knocked off her bike and relieved of her backpack while cycling home from work in the wee hours. What happened to the days when you could pedal around after 2am with nothing to fear but a stray rock — or maybe an angry spouse? Better keep your eyes open, and chin up, as we cruise into winter. –2 TOTAL: -4 For detailed reports on these stories and breaking local news on a daily basis — plus page after page of local discussion — visit www.outerbanksvoice.com and www.islandfreepress.org.

BATS#!T COMMENT OF THE MONTH!

“I fully expect to see the day come when the county and towns will hand out free surfboards and ten gallons of gas per month to every kid in the county.” —Ray, “Town of Nags Head to buy old Dowdy’s Amusement Park Site,” Oct. 22, 2013

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upfront

NECK ‘N NECK

Every culture has a winter sport to kill time. Canadians do curling. Norwegians cross-country ski. Even Jamaicans will burn hours bobsledding (among other things). Forget the Olympics and X-Games. Beard racing is this year’s burliest sport. Outer Bankers? We grow beards. But any

soundcheck getactive

startingpoint roadmap gokite Starting Line:

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Lap 7

After one week, stubble should start to fill in. If you’re not feeling a solid fifty grit on the face by now, you may start to worry. “Are his whiskers thicker — or darker? Is he pulling away — or patching up?” Just relax and grow your own race. Like Daytona, knitting a real neckwarmer is an endurance test, not a sprint.

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Eavesdropping on Northeastern NC’s community helpline

outthere

Everyone knows 9-1-1. But not all of life’s emergencies require an ambulance, cop car or fire truck. What if your kid needs a tutor? Or an elderly neighbor can’t drive to buy groceries? What if you’re having trouble finding a job? Or handling medical bills? What if you don’t know what help you’re looking for — you just know you need help? That’s when you call 2-1-1. “In Dare County there are over 100 non-profits doing great work,” says Patty McKenna, Dare County Coordinator for NC-211. “Add county, state and federal programs and there are more than 400 different services available. We’re the ones you call when you or a neighbor want to connect with those services.”

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MP 4 on the Bypass KittyHawkCarWash.com

oPeN Year rouND

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The yellow caution flag flies as you hit the itchy stage. Week Two is as critical as Turn Four at Talladega. Lesser men crack under the incessant scratching and discomfort. Others shudder at the sight of wispy chins and bald spots. Perseverance and determination are the only things that will get you past the rough patches.

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(252) 255-0222

Lap 14

Born in Atlanta in 1997, United Way took the information and referral phone number nationwide in 2000. Dare County joined up in April of 2012 after NC-211 pushed east of I-95. By 2014, one phone number will cover Currituck, Hyde and all of Northeastern NC, letting each county determine its own database of services — and track what needs are in demand and being met — handling

every possible option from support groups and prescription services to quitting smoking and pet rescues. And instead of hunting and pecking through pages of internet links, a single phone call puts you in touch with a trained specialist who knows how programs work and which ones you qualify for. They even have language translators to assist any person with any problem, 24-7. That way nobody has to explain their situation over 1000 phone calls — and an understaffed charity isn’t wasting valuable hours directing people to other non-profits. All by pressing three little digits. “It streamlines things for everyone,” says McKenna. “When you’re dealing with a life emergency like cancer, you don’t want to parse through all these groups to figure out who helps pay medical bills and who offers a ride to the doctor. In those times it can be really helpful to talk to a human being who says, ‘What do you really need? Let’s tackle each problem one at a time.’” For more info, go to www.nc211.org

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15-year-old can produce peach fuzz. Racing a fellow hair-farmer requires patience, skill and thick skin. Here’s how it works: challenge a friend of equal age and/or follicle count to face off for a month. Once a week, catch up to count bristles and trade cheeky insults. Whoever crosses the finish line with the most hair in the sink wins. Hey, it may sound boring and semi-redneck, but that never stopped NASCAR.

7/25/13

11:36 AM

Expert forecasters that live and work on the Outer Banks Mark Willis Chief Meteorologist

Kurt Korte Lead Forecaster

Lap 21

Time to clean the windshield. Just as Dale Jr. has to stop for new tires, a winning beard demands careful maintenance and specific lines. I take mine just under the chin and whack the cheeks for a clean, precise look. Decisive trimming can shake the strongest competitor; but it’s risky. One bad swipe can put you laps behind.

SLICE OF LIFE

LAP 31

Time for the clippers. Take a pass off the chin at the longest setting — then keep going shorter. Last person to hear the buzz of shorn whiskers loses, tears trickling down their piebald cheeks. Winner gets checkered flags and bragging rights. But why stop? You got all winter to keep going round-and-round. — Drew Vaughan Y

CMY

A cross-section of 211’s Dare County phone requests

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4% Housing Expense Assistance 4% Low Income/Subsidized Rental Housing 4% Medical Transportation 3% Community Health Clinics 3% Clothing Assistance 3% Housing Authorities 2% Diapers 2% Prescription Assistance 2% Public Housing 2% Section 8 Housing 2% Transitional Housing/Shelters 1% Aging Resources, Appliance Donation, Child Care Subsidies, Christmas Gift Programs, Food, School Supplies, Legal Aid and lots more...

Data for April-Dec., 2012; North Carolina 2-1-1 2012 Annual Report, Albemarle Area United Way

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Dear Em: It’s my turn to host Christmas and if history’s any indication, I’m in for a whole lot of criticism — and not much help. My father-in-law bitches that the TV’s too small and the kids are too noisy. And my mother-in-law picks apart everything else: from the temperature in the house to the size of the turkey to the brand of mayo we use on leftover sandwiches. And while I always offer to help clean or cook whenever his family hosts, they don’t leave the couch for a week. I’ve asked my husband to say something, but he thinks it will just ruin Christmas. And maybe he’s right. The last time I even politely noted we did things differently, his mom didn’t talk to me for days. Should I broach the subject before they get here? Or should I just shut up and grit my teeth, knowing I’ve got next year off?

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Sincerely, Nagged in Nags Head

Dear Nagged, Yep, nothing stirs up family dynamics like the holidays. Pulling people from their cozy little ruts of comfort causes all kinds of inappropriate behavior. So as much as we hope for holiday scenes worthy of Martha Stewart, the reality is often closer to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Navigating the distance between these two extremes accounts for plenty of frustration and friction.

by putting in a phone call about what kind of adult, respectful behavior is expected? Then, in the spirit of the holidays, take some steps to keep things peaceful: remind the kids they need to chill when Grandpa’s watching the game. And go ahead and buy some Hellman’s before Granny can gripe.

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Still, it sounds to me that the core of the problem is less the rudeness of your in-laws and more about your voice being heard. So ask yourself: What do you want? And how can you make it happen on your terms without souring the festivities for everyone else?

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Can you create some new traditions of your own that include co-operative meal prep, collaborative cleanup efforts, and a “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything” rule? Could you send a pre-dinner email? Or put your husband to work

Listen, this won’t be easy. People don’t like change. They will grumble, and they’ll likely talk behind your back, but this is about you finding your gracious strength. If you can communicate your intentions, clearly, things will begin to shift… and when it’s your turn again in a couple of years, they’ll be more prepared for your new paradigm. Get clear. Be strong. And claim your space. Otherwise, every year will just be a repeat of Christmases past. And, if all else fails, there’s always eggnog. Ho, ho, ho, Auntie Em

Got a life question for Auntie Em? Concentrate very, very hard and maybe she’ll pick up on your brainwaves. Or just send an email to em@outerbanksmilepost.com

getactive startingpoint

HUDDLE UP! roadmap

Want to make a major community difference

without major effort? Try joining a giving circle.

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Are you ready for some philanthropy? “No!” you say? Too busy? Too lazy? Football’s on? Or maybe you just don’t like the idea of giving cash to some group without any idea of where it ends up? Well, Outer Banks Community Foundation’s got an answer to all those problems. It’s called a “giving circle.”

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“Basically, it’s a way to self-organize without starting your own 501(c)(3),” says board member Avery Harrison, who helped found this year’s inaugural circle, OBX Giving For Good. “The OBCF handles all the paperwork, but the group makes decisions on what to do with the money. And by pooling our donations together we can make a much larger impact.”

Costa as each family huddles up, “and how we can all work together and make a bigger difference.” After some healthy debate, they finally decide to split $4000 equally between the top two organizations — Room at the Inn and Food For Thought — then stroke a bonus check of $250 for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. They also decide to donate some time to the SPCA, Children at Play and Surfing for Autism over the next year. That’s $4250 donated and six charities helped — all inside 60 minutes.

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Here’s how it works: families invite friends and neighbors to commit to donating a certain amount. (In this case, 21 families gave $250; $25 goes to OBCF membership, which feeds two other endowments.) From there, the group decides what to do with the dough. They can write one giant check — or a dozen little ones. They can ask for grant requests — or draw names from a hat. As long as the charity is tax-deductible and local, anything goes. But they do have to make a decision.

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So, on a Sunday in late September, the circle gathers to pitch their respective causes, from Mano Al Hermano’s work supporting our growing Latino community to the faithbased addiction support group, Outer Banks Dare Challenge. Each family gets three ballots to cast as they please; then they vote once more to decide how to divvy the cash. And at every stage, Executive Director Lorelei Costa confirms the will of the group and encourages them to fully discuss their decisions. “Talk to your kids about why these organizations are doing good work,” says

“That’s the other thing that appealed to me as a mother of three,” says Harrison. “It’s not a big-time commitment.” With such an easy combo of low maintenance and high impact, the OBCF hopes the giving circle will grow larger in 2014. The more families get involved, the larger the donation and greater number of issues can be represented. But there’s no pressure to continue. Just like everything else in the giving circle, future decisions are up to the group. And as the families get ready to leave, Costa brings up the most important vote of the whole meeting. “So, everyone, ” she asks, “are we all on again for next year?” A flurry of hands flies into the air. Every single one. For 31 years, the Outer Banks Community Foundation’s collection of endowments has helped fund local efforts from college scholarships to dental clinics to hurricane relief under the mantra, “connecting people who care with causes that matter.” To find out more about joining “OBX Giving For Good” or starting your own giving circle — or for anything OBCF-related — contact Lorelei Costa at lcosta@obcf.org. milepost 15

questionauthority upfront WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT? soundcheck

and anxiety usually is a combination of medication and therapy. And we’re using evidenced-based treatments that have been studied and shown to be effective. But therapy’s almost more stigmatized. People are more likely to say, “I’m on Xanax” than “I have therapy on Tuesday.” Oh, absolutely. And we have busy lives. You can take a Xanax and get back to work. But you build up a tolerance. One is going to work for a while, and then you will need two and then three. Opiates are like that, too. You have surgery and you start taking Percocet and eventually need them to function. It’s an epidemic down here and everywhere in the United States. Because when you try to stop, you vomit, then have muscle cramps and severe pain for five to 14 days. It is horrible.

getactive startingpoint ‘Tis the season for behavioral health issues. PORT New Horizon’s Michelle Decker discusses symptoms, myths and options for those in need.

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With all the recent heroin rumblings, I always wonder how many of those people got hooked on painkillers and moved on.

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Shorter days. Shrinking schedules. Smaller paychecks. Bigger benders. Despite all our self-professed love for the offseason, it’s often the most psychologically trying time of year. A period when bad moods and worse habits can get the best of anyone. And yet — while we all recognize our community isn’t always 100% happy-golucky — we don’t always know how to tell when someone needs help.

Distorted reality. Photo: Mez/ESM

MILEPOST: You always hear about depression this time of year. What is “depression” exactly? MICHELLE DECKER: Well, Seasonal Affective Disorder is a depression that has an onset in the fall and winter when days get shorter. Normally, it wouldn’t be as severe as Major Depressive Disorder — which is the technical term for depression — but the symptoms are the same: difficulty sleeping or inability to sleep; feelings of hopelessness and helplessness; thoughts of suicide; weight gain; weight loss. But lack of ability to feel pleasure is really a hallmark of depression. People can have things going on in their lives that are normally exciting and not be able to feel pleasure from them. At its worst, people have a hard time even getting out of bed. They start getting suicidal thoughts. And everyone thinks they know what depression is, but clinical depression impacts your ability to perceive what’s going on around you accurately. So, you will have people that love and support you, but you don’t feel like they care. When someone commits suicide, the question is always ‘why?’ They had a great business, they had a family, people liked

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“If a person’s not functioning — if they seem like they’ve changed — that’s when you encourage them to go talk to a counselor,” says Michelle Decker, program supervisor for Nags Head’s PORT New Horizons, which provides behavioral health and substance abuse assistance in Dare County. “You say, ‘I don’t know what’s going on, but you seem out of sorts. And I know some places you can go to figure it out.’”

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We sat down with Decker to discuss various problems from depression to suicide to substance abuse to see just what the signs are and what resources are available. milepost

them. But they didn’t see it that way. That was not their reality. That’s what’s interesting: because it seems like any of those symptoms — at least by themselves — can be misinterpreted. How do you know it’s more than just a bad day? We look at a couple of things. One is how long you’ve been feeling that way. So, generally, at a minimum, we say over two weeks. And the other thing we look at is severity. Is it keeping you from working? Is it keeping you from participating in activities? Is it impacting your ability to function in your daily life? If it is, then it’s time to get some help. Is the winter worse here — because work shifts stop coming or the holidays start? Any major life change is going to feed anxiety: divorce, job change, job loss. I don’t think there’s a more significant amount of problems. The issue is a lack of resources. There is only one licensed psychiatrist on the Outer Banks so our primary care physicians do a lot of prescribing, especially for anxiety and depression. And if you just take a pill every time you get anxious, it doesn’t cure the problem. The best treatment for depression

Plenty. We have a very small Suboxone program, which keeps people from getting dopesick while we give them therapy. We have 30 [treatment] slots that are full constantly. And we get two calls a day. It has to be tough here because while we have a very tight, nurturing community in a lot of ways — it can also be judgmental. And some people don’t get that these problems are a sickness. Well, people make judgments based on their own experience. They think, “I lost my job” or “I had to be on Vicodin and I was fine.” And they think their experience is the truth for everybody. It’s not. Life can change the chemistry in our brain. Sometimes it does it in a normal way and we can cope with it. Sometimes it responds in an abnormal way. So you have to be receptive to the idea that people experience things differently because we’re all different biologically. People who experience addiction or clinical depression, one of the first things we try to do is show them this is a brain chemistry problem. That it’s not caused because they’re deficient as a human being or their moral character is bad. Because depressed people have a tendency to personalize everything. If something’s going wrong, it must be because I had an impact on it. Depression looks and feels very selfish

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to those watching. And that can make things very difficult for loved ones. Because they are working their tails off to help the person and it’s never enough. Then how do you say “You need help” without sounding accusatory or making them feel worse? Well, number one: plan for a time when you’re not frustrated with the person. Come from a place of love and compassion. And think of the people who they’re usually receptive to. It might not be the husband or wife. It might be Mom or Dad. Or a friend who can sit down and say, “This is what we’re seeing. What do you think?” And know the options. Do they have a relationship with their family doctor? Lots of times that’s a good place for them to start.

down here. Some people, it truly doesn’t cross their mind that they should get help. But even if they’re receptive to getting help, they’re afraid of what you’re going to think.

“

“There are fiercely independent people down here. It truly doesn’t cross their mindS to get help.”

I’ll be honest: when I pulled up in front of the facility, I was worried… People are gonna think, “I knew he was crazy!” or “I knew he was on drugs!” But if you’re worried about walking in that front Is there a recognizable pattern between door, then we’ll meet you at the back. depression and suicide? You’ll always hear, Whatever your problem is, we’re gonna try “I never saw it coming.” to accommodate you. But, in all likelihood, if you’re going to change, you’re going to It’s not always telegraphed, true, but you have to do something you don’t want to or may notice unusual behaviors such as giving something that feels uncomfortable. away things that are important, making wills, making final visits. People also need to be If you could get a message out to the aware that the biggest risk isn’t when they’re community, what would it be? at their worst. When the person isn’t talking or returning phone calls or not showing up at That mental health and substance abuse issues are treatable illnesses. That you should never give church like they used to, they don’t have the up hope on anybody. We’ve had people come energy to do it. It’s later on, when they start in here who couldn’t get on the liver transplant feeling better but they can still remember list and they’ve been able to stay sober and get how bad they felt — that’s when people commit suicide. But anyone who says anything a transplant. We’ve had people who’ve gotten their children back. We had one woman who was about suicide you should take seriously and so depressed she wanted to die every day. Now contact a professional. Don’t be afraid to ask she’s working and in a relationship. She’s happy. the question. If you observe someone that is So there is help available. It might not be on your acting differently, isolating, irritable, sad and depressed, making excuses not to participate, terms — and it might not be located where you want it to be — but it is available. And there’s no you need to ask, “Have you been having thoughts that life is not worth living anymore?” shame in asking for help. — Matt Walker If the answer is “yes” you should urge them to For more information on PORT New Horizons, seek professional help through a crisis line or call 252-441-2324. East Carolina Behavioral a primary care physician or simply walk into Health’s 24-hour hotline (1-877-685-2415) PORT New Horizons. will refer you to the proper service. And So when you look at behavioral health on the Outer Banks, what’s the most pressing issue or cause for concern? Probably addiction is the most damaging. But I still go back to stigma. Getting people to be receptive that treatment is out there and it will work. There’re fiercely independent people

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Integrated Family Services has a free mobile treatment team that will respond to your home — or anywhere else — 24/7 at 1-866-437-1821. Ed note: The preceding interview was edited for space, flow and clarity. To read the entire discussion — from the problems counselors are treating in schools to the importance of family support — go to www.outerbanksmilepost.com. milepost 17

What happens when a bunch of brainiacs team up on a mission? You get...

“Who you calling ‘nerd’?” Well, let’s see: policemen, preachers, teachers, teens... PhDs and store clerks. Waiters and retired scientists. Everybody, really. At least in these parts, where all-consuming pursuits are a part of everyday life. When you think about it, “foodies” are just dorks with forks. Surfers are basically weather weirdoes in rubber costumes. And what’s a Guy Harvey shirt but an X-Men tee for angling geeks? But while every person has their own special pursuit that feeds their intellect and makes them feel special — put several ultra-obsessive minds together on a truly brainy task, and you unlock the ability to really stand apart. The following groups profiled have all teamed up around a single interest to become even more powerful — perhaps even make a difference. They’re not just nerds. They’re super nerds. Some do it for work. Some do it for play. Some do it strictly for themselves. But they all do it better than just about anyone you know.

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THE OBX FILES Need help solving a local mystery? The truth lies inside the Outer Banks History Center. The Outer Banks is a veritable hotbed of history. We’ve got America’s first English footprints. (Poet/adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh arrived here in 1584, more than 20 years before John Smith’s soles touched Virginia.) We have the world’s most famous pirate. (Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, terrorized the coastal waters of the Outer Banks in his 40-gun vessel, Queen Anne’s Revenge.) We’ve got the East Coast’s largest sand dune (Jockey’s Ridge) and the nation’s tallest brick lighthouse (Cape Hatteras Lighthouse). There’re marine relics lying under the sea, Civil War battlefields beneath the dirt. And, of course, 110 years ago two bicycle mechanics named Wilbur and Orville performed the world’s first wheelie on air.

In fact, one might argue our tiny county boasts more cultural contributions per capita than any place in the whole U.S. But what about the stuff that never finds a textbook? The family trees, public deeds, old-time photos even Google can’t muster? That’s when you head to the Outer Banks History Center.

Champney — a Civil War soldier from Massachusetts who captured the first Cape Hatteras Lighthouse on canvas before it was demolished in 1871. And it all began with a single endowment by one extraordinary man.

“It’s a wonderful, unique place,” says Kaeli Schurr, the OBHC Curator. “We’re the best kept secret of the Outer Banks because we help people solve a puzzle. We’re stewards to the treasure.”

“He still watches over us,” says Schurr, pointing to a framed portrait of David Stick, who died in 2009 at the age of 89. “Sometimes he even seems to wink.”

Located in the town of Manteo inside Roanoke Island Festival Park, the Outer Banks History Center is a regional archives and research facility funded by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. Administered by the State Archives of North Carolina, it’s loaded down with newspaper and microfilm, manuscripts, maps and serial holdings, paintings, pictures, even cookbooks. Think of it as our own little Ancient Library of Alexandria — only smaller.

Stick was as close as anyone could be to an Outer Banks Renaissance Man — and the very definition of an overachiever. Throughout his life, he served his country as a United States Marine, the state through the Historical Society of North Carolina, and the Outer Banks as Chairman of the Dare County Board of Commissioners. He also helped create the Dare County Tourist Bureau and the Outer Banks Community Foundation. He is credited with personally planning the Town of Southern Shores, and enacting, for the first time, North Carolina’s Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA).

Walk through the door, the center feels like your average reference section. Books and publications line the walls. A copier whizzes out paper in a corner. But beyond that room is a vault of vintage work and historical artifacts hidden from the general public. Row upon row of secret shelves protected by dim fluorescent lights, a powerful AC and an army of dehumidifiers. “It’s what you have to do when you’re built on a marsh,” shivers Assistant Curator and local author Sarah Downing, who began her “dream job” nearly 20 years ago as a data entry clerk. Behind her a maze of stacks bends with thick, bound books, maps and framed masterpieces. There are weather charts. Tax codes. Official Lifesaving Reports from 1916. Periodical upon periodical. You can find pictures of vintage storm damage by Aycock Brown, Frank Stick’s famous illustrations, even original portraits painted by people like Edwin Graves

When not setting state policy, developing real estate or protecting wetlands for future generations, Stick also wrote a number of books like Graveyard of the Atlantic and The Outer Banks of North Carolina — two of the UNC Press’s top-five best-selling books of all time. While researching, he amassed a huge personal library — so huge that Margaret Harper, a fellow promoter of libraries, measured it in linear feet. (“10 feet on shipwrecks, 37 feet on Raleigh’s Roanoke Colonies, 14 feet on the Revolution, 35 feet on natural history…”) By 1986, when Stick donated his library to the state, it represented the largest personally owned collection

A maze of stacks bends with thick, bound books, maps and framed masterpieces...

“ Creef, Parks, Schurr and Downing: smarter than a box of books. Photo: Chris Bickford outside of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Much of his donation was transferred to the Outer Banks History Center when the doors opened in 1989. It may not be as large as the Library of Congress or as impressive as the Louvre, but you can still get lost in it. And that’s where the staff comes in. “We bring order to the chaos,” says Stuart Parks, who also creates coloring books for children from archived photos of various Outer Banks scenes. “We help the public by answering their questions.”

Don’t recall if your great, great granddaddy was a Meekins or a Midgett? Looking for images of an old forgotten building? Or just a book on pre-contact Currituck? All you have to do is walk in and ask. Schurr’s specialty is AfricanAmerican History, while Tamra Creef is more of a generalist. Downing, who’s been here the longest, offers indispensable advice. And if it’s a photograph you want, Parks is the man. He’ll scan any image for the low, low price of $4. Together, the OBHC staff spends their days preserving and interpreting the history and

culture of the Outer Banks. And for random people who just want a glimpse of the good old days or trying time, there’s always the gallery, where every year the curators collect and display images and info from a specific period. Or, in the case of their 25th anniversary exhibit in 2014, an art show of locally inspired works that reflects the full spectrum of Outer Banks influence. But the Center’s ultimate purpose remains serving as a lodestone for all things local, as they collect and preserve just about anything

for future appreciation. In fact, they encourage folks to donate any artifacts and documents. And that means future families and fans will always find their own piece of history — and probably a few other pieces in the process. “It’s kind of like digging through an attic for the Outer Banks,” Creef says. “But that’s where the good stuff always is.” — Brendan Riley OBHC’s 25th Anniversary gallery exhibit, “An Eye for Art, a Heart for History,” will hang from Feb. 28-Dec. 31, 2014. milepost 19

Women of Steel (L-R): Forbes, Gomez, Adams, Kiefer, Rose and Sands. Photo: Jack Basnight

THE CHANGELINGS For 22 years, Theatre of Dare’s been transforming the local drama community. The stage is a cinder block room. Nothing but embossed, concrete walls. The props are chairs. High-backed. Orange. And in short supply for all the two dozen would-be RP McMurphies and Nurse Ratcheds who’ve filled the back of Manteo’s library for a part in Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. There are no costumes. No set. Nothing but pure imagination. But it’s enough, as for two hours the actors stand in groups of four, kicking scenes and parts back and forth like a game of live-theatre hacky-sack — then take their seats to act out even more, trading off-color jokes and dropping f-bombs, plus at least one solid armpit fart. “In volunteer theatre you get paid by having a good time,” shrugs Director Jon Bender, a veteran actor-turned-Manteo police officer. “So, if you’re not having fun, you’re not getting paid.” milepost

Used to be local theatre buffs got nothing at all. Most year-round residents are too busy in summer to attend The Lost Colony, much less take part. So, in 1991, a team of drama enthusiasts petitioned the Outer Banks Forum

of the Arts for some start-up cash. And in March of 1992, Theatre of Dare took the stage. “We did Neil Simon’s California Suite,” says board member Julia Scheer, who’s been involved since the second meeting. “By the spring of ‘93, we had three more shows under our belt and we’d paid the money back. And we’ve been rolling ever since.” Come this March, the troupe will be able to boast 70 productions from funny musicals (“Annie”) to tragic tearjerkers (“The Diary of Anne Frank”) to avant-garde numbers whose names you’d never recognize. But in the days of Netflix and iPhones, entertainment comes to you. Seats and roles have become harder to fill. So this year, they picked titles no one can resist — beginning with fall performances of Steel Magnolias and …Cuckoo’s Nest — resulting in a record turnout of potential actors — everyone from matronly grandmas to giggling longhairs to Lutheran ministers. “We get all walks of Outer Banks life,” says TOD president Don Bridge. “Retirees. High

school kids. The affluent and the not-soaffluent. Some have never been in a play before. Others have — maybe long, long ago — but suddenly they wake up and realize they’ve got the itch again.” It may be the oldest creative itch of all — the need to perform. But while musicians can jam out on a neighbor’s porch or artists can spill their guts on a canvas, acting requires an audience. And a set. And publicity. Stage managers and ticket takers. And with just two months to prepare each play — many of which overlap — members must play multiple roles behind the scenes, making the nonprofit as much a community service as a creative outlet. “It’s a lot of work, but if you enjoy doing it, it doesn’t feel like work at all,” says Bender, who doubles as technical director. “So our philosophy is: let’s work our asses off and show people what a community theatre can really do.” While Bender’s just starting to sort cuckoos in Manteo, Mike Mazza’s up in Southern Shores putting final touches on his magnolias. It’s

his first turn Members directing, but play he’s fielded a top-notch cast multiple for a so-called roles behind “amateur” production: the scenes, Connie Rose making the teaches drama at Manteo High nonprofit and runs her as much a own Dockside Theatre; Penny community Adams is music service as instructor for Kitty Hawk a creative Elementary; outlet... Jessica Sands worked as a professional stage manager in Boston; Emily Gomez studied music and arts at both UNC and NYU; and the show counts as Dianne Forbes’ 15th TOD performance. Yet, the one with the most stage time is the least experienced. In fact, she’d never acted before in her life. “I totally thought I was gonna bomb,” laughs KDH Postal Clerk, BJ Kiefer, who belted her lines during beach walks and practiced her accent on random customers. “I had to work real hard not to drag these other ladies down. But something about the vibe of this community really makes you want to give them your best at everything.” Still, volunteer theatre is a dangerous business. One where failure lurks behind every curtain. What if an actor gets sick? What if somebody forgets their lines? Or worst of all: what if nobody shows? Come opening night, all fears evaporate one by one, as 50 or more fans line up wearing collared shirts and pretty skirts. The College of the Albemarle stage looks like an actual mid‘80s hair salon — complete with hairdryers and vintage Paul Mitchell posters. And the ladies don’t bomb — they kill. The dialogue rings true with perfectly drawled deadpans and dramatic moments that carry everyone along like a happy carousel of highs and lows — then brings the whole room to a screeching halt.

weeping outright just a few feet away, your eyes can’t help but water. And that’s something even the smartest phone will never do.

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“We’d been doing that scene for a while,” says Mazza the following day. “But it never hit home like that. Live theatre triggers something that moves you; it transports you into another universe.” The next time I see the …Cuckoo cast, they’ve traded the library for a cramped room above La Dolce Vita. The concrete walls are now wood paneling. Chairs are now blue. And with just three weeks of rehearsals, the actors are characters: McMurphy looks like McMurphy. Cheswick looks like Cheswick. And Big Chief is so much like Big Chief, I barely recognize him as one of the audition’s hilarious hippies. Not because he lost his beard and added shoe lifts — but his presence is so eerily somber. “Ninety percent of the job is casting,” says Bender. “Because if you get people who can make the part believable, the rest of your work is keeping them from bumping into furniture.” Which is what they’re doing tonight. In fact, they’re blocking out the biggest scene of all: the climactic moment where McMurphy suddenly realizes he’s stuck in the loony bin for life — and his crazy friends knew all along.

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It’s a start-and-stop affair, full of drudgery and downtime, as Bender blurts out instructions like, “move up center” or “give that line to Billy” — interrupting scenes and even sentences before starting them over. But watching them work, you realize this is where the real magic happens. Those thrilling, emotional performances that seem so polished and natural — they all connect back to these long weeks spent tying scenes together. Working out the kinks so by opening night the wires are invisible.

With each new take, another tangle disappears. The wooden floor looks more like white tile. The t-shirts and hoodies hang like hospital gowns. The fake ferns rise into steel bars. And when McMurphy finally rages, “How do you like that?! I’ve just been conned “I just want to hit something,” Adams’ by a bunch of wackos!” — then breaks character wails in the closing scene as she character with a loud cackle — you can’t help mourns the loss of her daughter. “I just want to but share his epiphany. — Matt Walker hit it hard!” The impact isn’t just painful; it’s visceral. And contagious. Because no matter how much your brain says “this is fiction,” when a woman is

TOD’s final production, Oliver! The Musical, directed by Charles Massey with Music, Lyrics & Book by Lionel Bart, will run Feb. 28 - Mar. 2 & Mar. 7-9, 2014 at COA Auditorium. Auditions begin Dec. 9. For more details go to www.TheatreofDare.org. milepost 21

BRAIN BUZZERS For the Pit Crew, the mastery of useless knowledge is no trivial pursuit. “RUBBER” and “HOES” are husband and wife. So are “BIRD” and “FANCY.” Mid-50s with silver hair, at least once a week they head to their favorite local bar to meet similarly aged couples with secret nicknames and a shared fetish. Don’t worry. They’re not swingers. Or gamblers. Or even pool sharks. They’re trivia dorks, playing an online game called BuzzTime, matching wits with players the next seat over — or all the way across the country.

“I don’t know why we started,” says Rubber — whose real name is Curt. (He got his nickname back when he worked construction and was known to bounce off buildings.) “I guess it was just something to do. And we have been doing it now for over 20 years.” They call themselves the “Pit Crew,” and they’re as much a staple to Kitty Hawk’s Black Pelican as shelled peanuts and steamed shellfish. On most weekday afternoons, you’ll find a half dozen or so congregated at the recessed base of the horseshoe-shaped bar — better known as “the pit” — sharing a cold beer and warm camaraderie. They’ve even made matching t-shirts showing their dedication to the competitive sport of random knowledge. And like every great national pastime, it involves at least two flat screens and one big remote.

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Born in 1985, BuzzTime broadcasts a range of games from Texas Hold ‘Em to music trivia via broadband to more than 3800 bars and restaurants. The most popular option is Countdown Trivia. Made up of 15 questions broken into 3 rounds of play, each multiple-choice question is worth a max of 1000 points — if you answer correctly and quickly. The longer you wait, the lower your score. After every response, you can hear the crowd mutter and cheer as they watch their respective totals rise and fall on the screen. But it’s not just a battle between stools; each NTN location competes, as well. Between every game, the national rankings appear on the screen, posting names from Buffalo, New York, to Naples, Florida — mostly colder (or older) areas. But even our own “dirty bird” frequently finds a perch in the top-five — ranking #1 once or twice in the past 10 years — in a process where teaming up is the smartest approach. “Most of the higher scorers share answers,” says Rubber, who holds the local lifetime record of more than 2,000,000 points. “And the ones who don’t, never see their name on the screen because they are too damn proud.”

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Friday afternoons, most of the crew gathers for a fun-filled happy hour of questions and answers. It starts with the retirees, who filter in around 3pm. By 4pm all the teachers are posting up. Come 5:05, the post-work contingent joins the crowd. One by one, they stroll in, grab a big blue box and punch in their code, and another name hits the TV in all caps: CHAMP, MR. IQ, NERD, even plain-old HENRY and FRANK. Before long, the screen’s filled and the pit’s overflowed, running up both sides of the bar and onto surrounding tables, spilling loud banter all over the room as the players crack on each other — and anyone else who cares to listen. But only for a few seconds at a time. The moment the next question hits the screen, the whole bar goes quiet. And every neck cranes upward. Because when that timer counts down nobody wants to be the last one to answer. “Vermont!” Rubber boasts to the groaning crowd, as he nails which state was an independent republic for the past 14 years. “This is high-school education right here!” It can be a humbling experience for the most learned individuals, as each game is a test of both milepost

Add the pressure of a ticking clock and even the most obvious choice can be surprisingly elusive...

The bright kids always sit up front. Photo: Crystal Polston intellect and reflexes — with topics ranging from history to pop culture to literature and art to geography presented by an assortment of strange and difficult questions. “Which of these belong to the order Lepidoptera?” (A: Moths.) Or “The same year as Woodstock, a major musical festival was found on this British Isle?” (A: Isle of Wight.) Sure, the answers are sitting right in front of you, but add the pressure of a ticking clock — and some tricky word play — and even the simplest, most obvious choice can

be surprisingly elusive. Especially if you start getting a little too lubricated. “A few drinks gives you a slight edge,” Hoes admits. “But too many drinks can only hurt. Sort of like playing pool.”

“Whenever Henry got up we would hide his box or switch it with another one,” chuckles Hoes (whose real name is “Althea.”) “And it would always take him a while to figure it out. It got to the point where he would take his trivia box with him to the bathroom.”

And, like pool, everyone has their tricks. Some use both index fingers and stick to the number pad; others swear by having all five digits along the top row of the keyboard. A few hide their controller; another might blurt his answers outright. But most agree the key to success is to have your back-up answer ready to go. Try to stay cool. And whatever you do, don’t pee.

So, do these people ever leave the bar? Don’t they have hobbies? Of course! Just about everyone likes to watch Jeopardy. (You’ll notice they’ve all gone home by 7:30pm.) And most travel to other places, as well. But even when they leave the beach, they all admit to seeking out hotels and bars where BuzzTime’s nearby. The Pit Crew is just as eager to host out-oftowners every summer, one or two of which

have become semi members themselves. “This one man from Farmville will shout out the answers,” says Henry. “And if he’s wrong, he will buy a round of drinks for the other players.” Which is about all you can expect. This isn’t Wheel of Fortune or Family Feud. Nobody’s ever walked out with a new car, cash or a trip to Tahiti. But there are other rewards. The fun of hanging with lifelong friends. The thrill of matching them in a game of wits. And — occasionally — you win the grand prize: the satisfaction of being the smartest person in the room. — Natalie Wolfe

milepost 23

H Home

Periodic Table of Outer Ba

1.0079 3

Lighthouse Illuminations

Beachhouse Egos

6.941

9.0122

Nutria Assassins

Maximizing Gratuities

22.990

24.305

Na Mg

Treacherous Inlets

Virginians

Mn Music Nuts

Frustrating Environmentalists

39.098

40.078

44.956

40.078

50.942

51.996

54.938

55.845

Y Y’all

Zombie Restaurateurs

Naughty Bachelorettes

Mandatory Overtime

85.468

87.62

88.906

91.224

92.906

Suicidal Roadkill

Ba 137.33

outthere

[223]

Realtor Ads [226]

Hammering Framers 104

[98]

101.07

180.95

183.84

105

106

Deflated Bridgestones

[267]

[268]

Roadra Huma

102.

Os Oyster Shucking

Irat Rent

186.21

190.23

192.

107

108

Renourishment Envy

Sea Glass

Bulldozing Highways

[271]

[272]

[270]

109

Hurricane Shutters

Mant Theat

[276

Nautical Design

Pooping Mongrels

Summer Money

Economic Undulations

Ce Cabbing Everywhere

Police Roadblocks

138.90

140.116

140.90

144.252

145

150.36

151.964

Nature Pimps

Pick Ups

Artistic Maestros

237

244

243

Local Attitudes

95.94

Rusty Undercarriages

Watermen

Certifica Occup

58.9

Towering Crabpots

T&A

Red Flags

178.49

89 – 103

gosandboard

Frisky Russians

* *

gohunt

Nb Mo

57 – 71

Bragging Anglers

132.91

Crazy Rips

Rb Cedar Shakes

gosurf

Sandy Crevices

Canada Airstreams

Cs graphiccontent

Rodanthe Barrels

K Kooks

milepost

BREAKING DOWN THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF

Nd Pm Sm Eu U

Aviation Capital

Tourist Headaches

Political Ambivalence

Underdogs

227

232.03

231.03

238.02

Pu Am

He Hiring Euros

anks Elements

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Natives

Offseason

Flotsam

10.811

12.011

14.007

15.999

18.998

20.180

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.22

Gd Giant Dunes

Arsenic Levels

Sandspur Injections

Plovers

Soundside

Camo Leggings

Annoying Roommates

26.982

28.086

30.974

32.065

35.453

39.948

Ga Gulfstream Adventures

Gap-toothed Expressions

Br Beach Road

Kiteboarding Runs

58.693

63.546

65.39

69.723

72.61

74.922

78.96

79.904

83.80

Porch Debates 106.42 78

Zipping Neoprene

Addictive Sunsets

Severe Erosion

Insurance Nightmares

Te T-Shirt Empires

Isolation

Atlantic Graveyard

Church Disciples

Xenophobic Expletives

107.87

112.41

114.82

118.71

121.76

127.60

126.90

131.29

Hungover Groomsmen

Ambling Terrapins

Retired Northerners

196.97

200.59

204.38

207.2

208.98

209

[210]

[222]

111

112

113

114

115

116

117

118

Unsupervised, Underage Troublemakers

Loser Vindication

Underwater Utopian Society

Undesirable Unemployment Options

[284]

[293]

[294]

[292]

Royal Gardens

Capsized Newbies

[281]

[280]

[285]

Corolla Mustangs

Beer Koozies

247

Pool Boys

Cn Uut

Dancing Sails

157.25

Bridge Issues

Photo Ops

Fishing Line

Universal Uniforms Prohibited

[289]

[288]

Thirsty Mosquitoes

Yogurt Businesses

Tm Yb

Dating Yourself

Elevated Residences

158.92

162.500

164.93

167.259

168.93

173.054

174.9668

100

101

102

103

Fireworks Maniacs

Marsh Decoys

Noble Oddballs

Lifelong Residents

257

258

259

262

Casual Flings

Early-morning Shotguns

251

252

Fl Uup Lv Uus Uuo

Hovering Ospreys

Cm Bk

110

Tasty Bushels

195.08

Saltwater Baths

Aging Undergrads

Sketchy Neighbors

Temperamental Landlords

Pier Trolls

teo trics

Norâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Easters

Colington U-turns

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Nighttime Intoxicants

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F OUR EVERYDAY LIVES

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milepost 25

Currituck Light, May 2000. Parker (left) and Wilson (middle) examine the lens rotation mechanism alongside restoration expert Alex Klahm. Photo: Courtesy of Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc.

Armed with the desire to save our coastal past, the men look for solutions...

TIME STOPPERS Outer Banks Conservationists Bill Parker and John Wilson don’t just save old buildings — they preserve history. Nobody likes matching paint. Is it purple or puce? Cinnamon mist or cameo rose? Now imagine trying to determine some lost hue from a house that’s 150 years old. Not to mention the original design of the building you’re aiming to color. The shape of the windows. The bend of the banister. Recreating every detail inside and out — with nothing to reference but history books and old pictures. “My first job was working for the Architect of the Capitol,” says Manteo architect John Wilson. “We restored the old Senate Chamber which is much smaller than the one used today. We had to rely heavily on paintings to see what it looked like at the time of its use.” milepost

Wilson and his partner, Bill Parker, have spent their adult lives working to stabilize, rehabilitate or restore historic structures, including many listed on the National Register of Historic Properties. (Restoration means to return a structure

to its condition as of a specific time and place in history. Rehabilitation is repairing the property so that it can be adapted for reuse. And stabilizing a property is repairing what is necessary to keep it from further deterioration.)

discovered in the Library of Congress. After it was authenticated, two more were returned by families who realized that the ‘old chair’ handed down through the generations actually played a role in history.”

It’s important work that helps interpret and maintain a region’s history. It’s also big business. (For every $1 million invested in restoration, 42 jobs are created — 22 in the construction and 20 permanent positions.) But it’s not easy. Once you figure out what the building was supposed to look like, you have to find a way to recreate it — and fill it — requiring the ingenuity and diligence of a time-traveling detective.

Wilson and Parker’s role in recreating such history began at North Carolina State University in 1975 when they graduated with bachelor degrees in Environmental Design in Architecture before entering postgraduate work — Parker in Landscape Architecture and Wilson in Historic Preservation. After college, they lived in Washington, D.C., where Wilson worked for the Architect of the Capital; Parker did exhibit design work for National Geographic.

“The paintings of the chamber showed the chairs they used but we couldn’t find any of them,” says Wilson. “Until one was

While Wilson was still engaged in the Capitol project in 1975-76, they learned that the keeper’s house at the Currituck Lighthouse

Station was targeted for demolition by Currituck County. Apparently, the county had an issue with “hippies sleeping there.” But Wilson had a personal fondness for the groovy structure. “My mother played there as a child,” Wilson explains. “My great-grandfather was one of the light keepers.” Luckily, state and federal statutes say you can’t use tax dollars to destroy historic property. Armed with the law and a desire to save an irreplaceable piece of our coastal past, the men began looking for solutions. The U.S. Coast Guard owned the lighthouse, but the surrounding property had been given to the State of North Carolina, which placed it under the Wildlife Resource Commission (WRC). They asked WRC to allow them to lease the house and the land so that they could try to raise private money to at least stabilize the building. The request was repeatedly denied. So, they kept asking. In fact, they returned to Raleigh month after month after month. “One day, we walked in and the man said that they were going to accept our offer based on one condition,” laughs Wilson. “That we stop coming to his office.” With other like-minded friends, they formed the private nonprofit Outer Banks Conservationists (OBC) in 1980 to raise the necessary private money. Then they got to work. First, they stabilized the building by covering windows, repairing the roof and performing other tasks to try to stop the deterioration. They then began the restoration which, when completed, would take it back to its 1876 condition. The restoration was finally deemed finished in 2000. Mantels of each of the house’s 10 fireplaces were missing parts that had been stolen or destroyed. But by combining all the remaining pieces, they were able to reconstruct a complete mantel so that they had a blueprint to use for duplication. Unmaintained for decades, the more work they did, the more surprises they found. “One was a snake living in the wall,” says Parker. “The other was the discovery of the little keeper’s house on the property which had been totally hidden by vines and briars. It was in very bad shape — and we feared it didn’t have enough of its original historic fabric left — but in the end, I think we achieved something that lets visitors see what is old and new. And they enjoy it because it is so unique.”

Once the house was stabilized and that project was in the restoration phase in 1991, they made a similar agreement with the Coast Guard to restore the lighthouse — so long as it remained a navigational beacon. Years later, when the federal government divested itself of many of the historic lighthouses across the country, the nonprofit applied for and gained ownership of Currituck Light, which is now fully restored and open to the public for climbing. Furthermore, the fees charged to tour the structure help maintain the properties and pay for other extreme makeovers, such as the old Etheridge Homeplace on Roanoke Island — better known as Island Farm. “The original property was handed down in the family until some of my cousins and I inherited it,” says Wilson. “My cousins deeded the property over to OBC so that it could be restored to what we all thought was its original Victorian state. But we began finding details that didn’t fit for that era.” The more they peeled back the layers to find the house’s “bones”, the less sure they became. Finally, with the help of more experts, they determined that the original structure was indicative of life on the island in the late 1840s — predating the Victorian age by almost half a century, making it one of the oldest on Roanoke Island. “It was amazing the entire original structure was still intact,” says Wilson. Today, Island Farm preserves 1850s life on Roanoke Island. Like Currituck Light, revenue generated from tours and events is used to fulfill the nonprofit’s mission statement: to maintain and preserve the natural and cultural resources of NC Outer Banks. Meanwhile, Parker and Wilson also have helped Manteo Preservation Trust erect signs in front of historic properties to call attention to their timeless contributions to the local culture. They also design homes all over the country for clients who want their shiny new abodes to reflect the historic character of their communities. All told, between restorations and new builds, the duo estimates they have worked on more than 1,000 projects. Every single job is different but each one shares similar joys — and challenges. But those challenges also provide the greatest sense of satisfaction. “You might see a tree against a blue sky,” says Parker. “Someone else may see a tree creating shadows. It is the same with a building and detail: some can read a building and its connections to the local community and history; others cannot.” — Sandy Semans

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The LocaLs’ choice in coroLLa Currituck Light, May 2000. Bill Parker (left) and John Wilson (middle) examine the lens rotation mechanism alongside restoration expert Alex Klahm. Photo: Courtesy of Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc.

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Thibodeau, Weybright, Potter, Tholen, Gray and Potter hit the pool. Photo: Chris Hannant

WIRED SCIENCE At First Flight High, kids are building a super model. Her intricate body breaks the surface. Sinking a little, she glides gracefully to the middle of the pool — then floats — suspending herself just a few feet under water like a mermaid in a blue lagoon. Meanwhile, a small crowd of high schoolers follows her every move, a dozen eyes gawking at her perfect, neutral buoyancy. milepost

The team competes against the best young minds in the world...

“Oh, that is beautiful…” they purr and murmur. “It’s so awesome…”

programming and electronics and things like that, but also using power tools in the machine shop like band saws, turtle saws…”

But this is no poolside eye candy they’re perving on. No Wendy Peffercorn or Daryl Hannah. Or even another flirty, fellow classmate. It’s a remote operated vehicle — aka ROV or “an underwater robot” — made of PVC pipe and propellers, a mechanical arm (known as a “manipulator”) and four underwater video recorders that stream onto a nearby flat screen. And these are no mere onlookers. As members of the First Flight High School ROV Team they are the engineers, builders and navigators of this vessel. And, in this case, making sure the robot neither floats nor sinks unnecessarily is the first step toward controlling its every move — and the latest in a long list of problem-solving exercises.

“We don’t have a ton of opportunities like that in school,” adds fellow third-year veteran and junior Matt Gray. “So we do that here and get the experience.”

“All of our work is really rewarding,” says Matt Thibodeau, a junior who’s participated in the extra-curricular club since freshman year. “We get to learn a lot about not only

Since the club’s implementation, aided by the UNC Coastal Studies Institute in 2008, FFHS has traveled all over the country to compete against other high school and college teams. They’ve plunged the depths of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay and test-piloted the Neutral Buoyancy Lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. At each stop, they must provide technical reports, engineering presentations and data display components, along with competing in underwater challenges. Depending on the theme, these may include collecting a water sample, measuring depth, or capping a wellhead (think back to the 2010 BP oil spill).

“We’ve never done the same thing twice,” says Andrew Thomas, who teaches Physics and Oceanography at FFHS and acts as the club’s adviser and mentor. “We have different obstacles, screw different things up, make every mistake there is — but we learn every time.” And they have the results to prove it. Despite hailing from a comparatively small school system, FFHS has come in first-place at every regional event since 2008 (the only “hiccup” being the 2012 year, when they did not complete their ROV in time due to lack of donations and funding). They’ve advanced to the international competition five times and consistently placed high while racking up awards for design, top student engineer and fastest mission. In 2010, the team won its crowning achievement in Hilo, Hawaii, where they brought home first-place at the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) international competition. But in the world of robotics, that’s ancient history. This coming year, they will be charged with the mission of building a new ROV for the 2014 MATE competition. Taking place in Alpena, Michigan, the competition’s theme will be Exploring the Great Lakes: Shipwrecks, Sinkholes, and Conservation in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. “The underwater mission is definitely the exciting part,” says Thibodueau. “That’s what we get most nervous about.” Which is why they’ve already started practicing. Standing around the Thomas’ backyard pool, five boys and a girl are clad in safety goggles and armed with clipboards, electrical wiring and camera monitoring equipment. Besides the “two Matts” the team consists of four more students: fellow junior Dakota Tholen, sophomore Sam Weybright and two freshmen: Luke Potter and his twin sister Kenzie Potter, the team’s only female member. “I really like math and science so that got me interested,” she explains. “One of my friends was going to join, too, but it was too much of a time commitment.” She’s right. With only a few months to design, build and test an underwater ROV that must be ready for the MidAtlantic regional competition in April, the extracurricular club gets pretty cozy. “We’ll be spending a lot of time together,” notes Thomas, who volunteers his tool shed along with his pool and expertise. “Luckily, we have a good group …for the most part,” he says wryly,

with a sidelong glance at “the Matts,” who briefly feign insult. Of course, it’s a joke. In the pantheon of high school cliques, these are the easy kids. The ones who grew up building Legos, model trains and remote control cars and are now spending weekends working on school projects with their teacher. Maybe it’s because they’ve heard what the club has done for its members. Former student Zach Miller went on to study Ocean Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) and landed a job as an ROV pilot in the Gulf of Mexico right out of college. Other alumni include a Morehead Scholar studying Astrophysics at UNC-Chapel Hill as well as a Trinity Scholar at Duke. Some scored full rides to top universities, opening doors to marine-related career opportunities that could include designing or piloting ROVs and potentially earning grads up to six figures. That explains why the club keeps drawing in kids, no matter how time consuming or difficult it is. When Weybright says, “I want to go into engineering,” a few heads in the group nod. “Yeah, engineering,” they concur. Most want to pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) related careers. Others say law — or even Hollywood.

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“I’m actually trying to be a voice actor,” says Tholen. “This is just something I want to do because it’s really fun. I’m anxious to build an ROV.” By the end of this year, hopefully Tholen and his team can say they completed their mission — as well as taken a chance to prove themselves against the best young minds in the world. But let’s not forget: this is still high school. A microcosm of society where cool points and GPAs are often inversely related, and the “in crowd” scores popularity in terms of Instagram followers or underage drinking tickets. So what do the rest of the kids think about this sextet of future scientists playing robot pool party while they go to house parties? “Surprisingly, a lot of people don’t automatically go and say it’s a nerd thing,” says Gray. “Some people think it’s actually pretty cool.” — Hannah Bunn The First Flight High School ROV Team is currently seeking sponsors and funding to build and refine a new vehicle in time for April’s regional competition in Norfolk and traveling to Michigan’s international showdown come summertime. For info on how to donate or help the team, email Andrew Thomas at thomasan@daretolearn.org. milepost 29

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gosandboard Good times on the darkest days. Photo: Chris Bickford

ENTER SANDMAN

Open spaces. Sore legs. Sandy smiles. Cyrus Welch details the ups and downs of riding dunes.

“

“When the air’s freezing off the ocean, you can sit on the back bowl and bake in the sun.”

Growing up here, there wasn’t a whole lot to do. We didn’t have all the skate parks they do today. The Dare Centre didn’t like us skating curbs very much. Neither did the KDH cops. [laughs]. But we had plenty of beat-up decks. Plenty of dunes. And plenty of time to goof-off.

isn’t bad. Just don’t lean forward. Keep your weight on your back foot. Stay low. And bring your center of gravity down toward your legs and thighs. If need be, drag a hand to steer. The hardest part is walking back up the hill. Do that 15 or 20 times and your legs will be wobbling.

I started out on Run Hill. My dad used to work right next door so I’d go explore. I became fascinated with the dunes and the maritime forest. There was always fun stuff to slide and lots of natural sand features and funky drops and little runs that shot down into the woods. There still are. I remember after Hurricane Isabel came through it blew so much rain and wind all the branches got covered in sand. It looked like snow as I flew under the trees.

You want lots of wind in a certain direction and very dry conditions. That’s when you get sheered off edges you can launch off. It feels similar to diving off a dune — except you get to keep going. Once you start getting off the ground a little bit you can try some tricks. 360s. Front flips. Back flips. It’s a pretty easy huck because your board’s so small. You’re just flipping your board around. It’s nothing pretty. [laughs] But it’s fun. And the landing’s soft. Just remember to close your eyes.

windsurfing straps bolted through the bottom of a skate deck, flat heads, counter sunk. And then I attached a bike inner tube as a heel strap. But you don’t need bindings. Any old skateboard deck will do. Don’t bother with snowboards; they’re too big and heavy. Skimboards work the fastest. But the real key is to rub some paraffin wax on the bottom between each run.

They do make actual sandboards. I’ve never owned one. As a kid, I drilled a pair of low-top Airwalks right to my board. It worked, but then I’d biff and pull a shoe out and be standing there with no strap and a ruined shoe [laughs]. Now, I have

You can only ride Jockey’s Ridge in the offseason. But that’s okay because summer’s too hot and all the tourists track out the dunes anyway. Just like wakeboarding, if it’s choppy, you go slower. You want the sand to be nice and fresh and

It does have a similar aspect to snowboarding — on a much smaller scale and a whole lot quicker. But you can get a couple little turns off when the sand is right. There’s a bit of an “oh crap” sensation when you really start to move, but if you don’t mind getting sandy, the learning curve

smooth. But the dune always changes. And that’s another cool factor: the feature that was there last time is going to be more blown out or have better shape. On a sunny day, it’s fun to just walk around and scope out the different runs. A way to kick your heels up and take an afternoon off. Settle your attitude, take the dog and watch a killer sunset. And when it’s blowing northeast and the air’s freezing coming in off the ocean, you can sit on the back bowl and bake in the sun. More than anything, it’s a novelty. Just another means to an end, I guess. What is it about boards that we need to ride something all the time? Why do we always have to have something under our feet? To feel the energy? The gravity? I don’t know. I can’t explain it. But I need that feeling for some stupid reason. — Cyrus Welch Jockey’s Ridge allows sandboarding in designated areas of the park from October 1 to March 31. Permits may or may not be required depending on the equipment. Call the park office at 252-441-7132. milepost 31

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GOOSE CALLING gosandboard

Sometimes the wild answers back

Jimmy Curling was by far the best goose caller I ever met. He never used a man-made call of any type. He was a voice caller. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been privileged to hear some of the best goose music ever performed by humankind. I got limits hunting with multiple world champ Glenn Covey and have sat awe-struck listening to Erleen Snow at decoy shows, but no one ever talked goose like Jimmy talked goose.

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It was Mr. Curling’s opinion that if a kid didn’t learn to call geese before his voice changed, he’d never be able to execute a proper call. To prove a point he asked my Dad to do a bit of calling for us. Now as a bit of background, my dad, Vern and Jimmy, were tight as gunning partners. Vern had witnessed Jimmy’s prowess calling geese on many occasions and was so enamored with the effectiveness of voice calling that he had practiced endlessly (it seemed, to my chagrin) to perfect his own voice call. Just the week before, as a matter of fact, my Dad had managed to call a trio of fat Canada geese into his decoys. Vern was plenty full of himself. When Jimmy asked him to demonstrate, he nearly dove at the chance to perform for his mentor. “NAR-ONK, RONK, NAAARO-NK, AHH-RONK.”

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A proper call has two segments. The low guttural first sound is immediately followed by the higher, resonating second note. It has to be similar to a whip’s crack. Jimmy often told me it was kind of a mix between country music and Tyrol yodel to achieve the transition between the two notes. That transition is the key to a proper goose call. (A Tarzan yell also contains those transitions but not as sharply or as forcefully defined as in a goose call.)

Bless his heart, but he simply sounded awful. He finished off with his strongest effort yet. “AHHHRO-NK, RONK!” Jimmy let this performance settle in for a full minute. It seemed that it took that long for our ears to unclench. Kind of like the effect of biting down with your teeth fillings onto a ball of aluminum foil while somebody else fingernail-scrapes a blackboard. “Now see, son. Your voice has finally all but changed. If you don’t practice, and I mean this week, that’s the most you’ll ever be able to hope for.” We

all laughed. Vern didn’t take it personally. He had called in that bunch of geese the week before, after all. Besides, Vern knew that if I learned now, I could do his calling for the rest of our days together. I learned that week. Even though I was only a kid (twelve), my dad would take me out of school for a week every year to go gunning with him and his hunting buddies. It wasn’t our fault that school inconveniently coincided with duck season. Could life be any better for a kid?! We were nearing the end of the week and I had been “ner-onking” my head off at every chance. In my mind, I had perfected a right passable goose call. Hunting in a dense fog in the public blinds of the Bodie Island marshes, I’d managed to turn a lost gander back toward us. The goose and I conversed for a full minute as he zeroed in on my calling. You can’t imagine a child’s disappointment any more than was

mine when a gun erupted from the next blind over. Even though I never even saw that bird through the fog, I knew for a fact he was coming to me. That other SOB shot my bird! I was inconsolable as I’d never shot a goose of my own before. We were in one of Jimmy’s blinds in Kitty Hawk Bay the next day. It was late morning when a gaggle of about 30 Canadas came winging into view from the north. “Now’s your chance,” Jimmy urged. “Make up for yesterday.” I honked once or twice, timidly. A couple more honks and I was warming to the endeavor. I tried a few more honks and then a yodeling barrage that sounded like a flock and a half of geese all by myself. In twenty seconds, I’d near about “ner-onked” myself sick. The birds never veered. Not even a bit. I felt an elbow dig into my ribcage. “If you’re going to change the minds of

geese, you got to talk to the boss,” Jimmy whispered. “Nnng-onk.”

again wheeled into the wind and, finally, into our decoys.

“

The goose and I conversed for a full minute as he zeroed in.

“That’s her,” Jimmy noted. He matched her tone I got my first-ever goose that day. and inflection to a T with a honk of his own. In fact, I’m not “Nnng-onk,” she replied. Jimmy answered back. sure I didn’t get She called twice. Jimmy aped her note for note. the one my Dad claimed as well. Jimmy, he got the The flock that had long ago passed us sudboss goose. He denly wheeled. At once, the rest of the flock had to, he told me, because now it knew his went silent. voice. — Vic Berg “It’s you and me now, sweetheart,” Jimmy gushed in a whisper. “Tell me what you want to hear.” The preceding story is an excerpted chapter from My She replied. Jimmy answered. Back and forth it went. Note for note, syllable for syllable. I thought we were going to lose them once when Jimmy’s voice half cracked through the exertion, but he managed to add a few mewlings that reassured the boss goose and they

Life Pile: A Compilation of Stories from the Lifetime of a Hunter/Gatherer. Recently published by Schiffer Books, Vic Berg culls favorite experiences and philosophies out of fifty years working as an Outer Banks guide — covering everything from humorous, hardlearned lessons to heartfelt convictions to the proper way to position your decoys. (He even includes a few tasty recipes.)

“ Fowl play. Photo: Troy Cranford milepost 33

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Get up!

TODDY TIME endnotes

Get

Add some fire and spice to your festive libations.

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“This holiday, you will be visited by three spirits…” Ha! More like 300, as the winter season pours on an endless supply of festive drink options. There’re Thanksgiving dinners basted with buttery Chards. Beefy reds to wash down the Christmas roast beast. And bubbly champagne to toast the New Year. In between you’ll quaff hearty ales over afternoon football, sip single-malt scotches beside open fireplaces and guzzle gallon upon gallon of open house eggnog. Meanwhile, Grandma kicks back in the corner, daintily sipping her little “hot toddy.” But don’t let Granny fool you: that tiny teacup contains enough holiday cheer to fuel a chorus of carolers.

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What’s a “toddy” you ask? Basically, it’s a blend of lemon, hot water and whiskey. Etymologists believe the name flows from Scotland. (Todian Spring — better known as “Tod’s Well” — supplied Edinburgh with its water; the word “whiskey” in Gaelic is uisge beathe or “water of life.”) Some even say it has healing qualities. In Japan, they mix hot sake with sugar and raw egg as a home remedy for the common cold. According to Victoria Moore, author of How to Drink, “...lemon, honey and hot water is even more ‘medicinal’ if finished off with a tot of whisky. The vitamin C for health, the honey to soothe, the alcohol to numb...”

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tequila and orange juice to rum and hot cocoa. Open since 1860 — the year Lincoln was elected and now Philly’s oldest continuously operating tavern — McGillin’s Olde Ale House offers an array of concoctions that pair perfectly with their roaring fireplace. The Irish Hot Apple Cider is as simple as it sounds. Like your punch with more panache? Try 1.5 oz of Bols pumpkin spice liquor mixed with coffee or hot chocolate, finished with a cinnamon and sugar rim.

try to make approachable drinks,” says startingpoint“We owner Christopher Mullins Jr. “Instead of

“

that tiny roadmap

While the traditional tincture still calls for 2 oz of Scotch, lemon and sugar — finished with boiling water to taste — any liquor can light up your cup, though dark spirits or gin usually work best.

teacup contains gokiteenough holiday milepost cheer to fuel a chorus of “The woody and smoky notes correcarolers. late with the winter

using water, we like to substitute cider or hot chocolate as the base. The trick is to take something you know and modify it.” Tea is another perfect toddy mixer. The intricate flavors can balance or emphasize any alcohol. It’s also easy to mix — just steep your favorite blend and spike it accordingly — as opposed to complex recipes that feel more like brewing soup than making a cocktail and where the margin for error grows with the size of the pot. “If you are going to make a large batch for a party,” says Rothbaum, “be careful not to keep it boiling for too long, or the liquor begins to cook off.”

Wherever you may live, whatever the reason, graphiccontent there are just certain sensations that create

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season and warm from the inside out,” says Noah Rothbaum, editor-in-chief of Liqour.com. “But the important part about the toddy is that it needs to be hot. It’s very similar to a Bloody Mary; it’s like a blank canvas and you can make it whatever you want.”

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outthere

Today, the combinations are endless. From

a cozy winter atmosphere. After a long day of shopping and celebrating, coming home to the smell of a simmering pot of spices and citrus can liven any party. Just don’t imbibe too heavily or you’ll start seeing dead dudes in door knockers — or find your own face in the porcelain. — Fran Marler

New Year’s:

A little something festive for Christmas:

A little something sassy for

Mulled Wine

Tequila Hot Toddy

• 1 bottle red wine • 1 glass brandy or port • 5 cloves • 1 orange, sliced • 1 cinnamon stick • 1 pinch apple pie spice • sugar to taste Gently heat the wine and spirit in a saucepan. Stick the cloves into the orange slices. Add the cinnamon, clove-spiked orange slices, mixed spice and sugar. Simmer for 15 minutes and then serve. (Excerpt from How to Drink.)

• 2 oz Añejo tequila • 3/4 oz Grand Marnier • 1/2 oz agave nectar • 1 tsp lemon • 1 tsp orange juice Mix all of the ingredients together and top with hot water. (www.shoottocook.com)

A little something sweet and spicy for

Valentine’s:

Cocoa Loco Toddy • 2 oz Flor de Cana 7 yr. rum • 1/2 oz Godiva Chocolate Liqueur • 1 thin slice habanero chili pepper • 1 dash cinnamon • 2 tsp brown sugar • 2 oz milk • whipped cream Add the ingredients except the whipped cream to a small saucepan and simmer over low to medium heat until hot. Strain into a mug and top with whipped cream. Garnish with grated pistachio. (www.liquor.com)

And something new for National

Hot Toddy Day ( Jan. 11) :

Chai Rum Toddy • 2 cinnamon sticks • 2 tsp whole cloves • 15 cardamom pods, crushed • 7 star anise pods • 1 tsp black peppercorns • 2 tbsp. Ceylon or English Breakfast tea • 3 oz aged rum • 16 oz water • 2 tsp honey, or to taste • 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice Tools: saucepan, tea infuser, fine-mesh strainer, spoon Glass: mug Combine spices with water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and add tea (in an infuser) to the water, allowing to steep for four minutes. Remove the tea infuser but allow the spices to simmer for another six minutes. Strain spiced tea into two glasses. Stir in 1 1/2 oz rum , 1/4 oz lemon juice and 1 tsp honey (or desired amount) into each glass. (www.imbibemagazine.com) milepost 35

artisticlicense

SKETCHES fooddrink OF THINGS TO COME

Barry Lee always knew he’d be an artist. His drawings told him so.

endnotes

Coffee so fresh you want to slap it!

Call Barry Lee lucky. Not many 6-year-olds have the good fortune of knowing exactly what they want to be in life. Even as a toddler, Lee would go through reams of paper while watching cartoons in the living room. A line or simple shape per page was enough to send it fluttering into a pile on the floor as he reached for the next blank sheet. A chalk easel his parents bought him at age 3 proved a more environmentally friendly outlet for his illustrations, though the quality of work he’s producing today would surely convince Mother Earth to let bygones be.

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“I would draw things I wanted to be when I grew up,” says the Nags Head native. “I think it was about first or second grade when I decided, ‘Hey, I want to do this!’”

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And this November, he did. The 22-year-old earned a degree in illustration from Atlanta’s Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). But even before he graduated, a growing indie fan base certified his eye-popping pop culture portraits done in acrylic collage, with a flair for colorful patterns and quirky subject matter.

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“I’m really inspired by film,” says Lee. “As well as African art, Picasso, the Muppets and funk music… Strange combination, I know.” In October, Lee hung his portraits at Atlanta’s Octane Westside for his first solo show. Titled “These People Aren’t Barry Lee,” the cast of canvassed stars includes Agent Cooper from David Lynch’s early-‘90s cult drama “Twin Peaks,” the ever-incorrigible Ron Swanson from NBC’s recent comedy “Parks and Recreation” and a melancholy Margot Tenenbaum from Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums. The images strike an interesting dichotomy between bright color and a punchy style with subjects who tend to be cold, standoffish, or strange. But the result is art that is compelling and smart, much like Lee himself. And it’s even more impressive when you consider his history.

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“In high school, there was a period of time when I felt that I needed to relay a message to people about what I had,” remembers Lee. “So, I started making work about people’s reactions to me.”

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The subjects tend to be cold, standoffish or strange. But the result is art that is compelling and smart.

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Lee was born with a rare birth disorder called Nager Syndrome, characterized by the underdevelopment or absence of certain fingers, limited elbow movement and shortened forearms, along with deafness and vision impairment. While his case was considered relatively mild, it still required surgeries and physical therapy from a young age. Any part of the struggle might dampen someone’s artistic vision. But Lee continued to express himself with confidence as he confronted the world around him. One surreal work depicted a group of people with butts for heads waiting in line for a freak show.

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“At the time I felt frustrated,” he recalls. “But I look back now and kind of shrug-off that milepost

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Art that pops. Photo: Dylan Fagan

work. A professor in college told me, ‘I think you’ve settled this,’ and I had. She continued by telling me, ‘make things that make you happy; too many people are miserable anyway.’” Today, Lee’s paintings and life are more absurdly joyful than resentful. (One painting depicts the vampire Nosferatu smiling from a tanning bed coffin.) And he surrounds himself with fresh sources of happiness, such as a collection of soul records — Al Green, Prince and Shuggie Otis currently top the list — while juggling a constant variety of commercial projects. In 2013, he designed the disc cover and companion poster for The Head’s 2013 EP “Girls of the Yukon.” Last year, he experimented with children’s books, writing, illustrating and self-publishing, I Dream of Being an Astronaut — a classic “grass is greener” story about a boy who wanted to be a spaceman before ultimately realizing that home is always better than floating in orbit. One might think this would be the defining pursuit for a boy who began drawing pictures while watching The Jetsons. But for Lee, kid lit is just another finished page to toss aside as he turns toward his next piece. Or as he says: “My focus on portraiture is a priority to me and my aesthetic.”

Join us for a Town-wide celebration of Yuletide cheer! Enjoy live music on the Town Green by Emme St. James and Her Jazz Gentleman, the arrival of Santa on the Duck Fire Truck, and the lighting of the Crab Pot Christmas Tree. Afterward, enjoy a Tapas Crawl and special extended-hours shopping. Vote for your favorite Duck Business Holiday Window between November 29 – December 20 for a chance to win gift cards to help you complete your Holiday shopping in Duck!

Don’t let the fancy art-speak throw you. Lee may be a savvy mix of cinephile, soulman and artist — one whose work mixes movie stars with Martians — but his vision for the future remains as simple, bold and grounded as a young boy’s stark crayon lines on white paper. His dream job? “To become a freelance illustrator,” he says, “and live comfortably enough to buy sandwiches and records.” — Hannah Bunn

For more information, please visit townofduck.com, call our Events Hotline at 252.255.1286, or follow us on Facebook at Town of Duck or on Twitter at DuckPR. milepost 37

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outthere

How Whiskey & Daggers gave hip-hop a beach home

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Fur coats and summertime. B-boy hats and fishhooks. Hip-hop and beach towns. Some things just don’t seem to go together — until they do. Such is the tale of Josh Elwang and Derik Wineland — aka Uncle Elly and Blackbeard. By day, one’s a massage therapist, the other runs Mom’s Sweet Shop. By night, they write rhymes and spit raps as Whiskey & Daggers. But before they were rubbing shoulders, selling clothes or rocking mikes, these Outer Banks homeboys were just two adolescents with an ear for raw music.

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“My dad was like the biggest Lynyrd Skynyrd fan,” laughs Wineland. “So when I heard hip-hop, all these inner city stories sparked my imagination — like listening to a movie. I would secretly order CDs. One time all this NWA came in the mail. My mom said, ‘No way’, and threw ‘em all in the trash.” Can you blame her? In the early ‘90s, gangsta rap had suburban America petrified that their kids were gonna stop milepost

Natives with attitudes. Photo: Chris Bickford Set Design: Chris Kemp

playing soccer and start pulling drive-bys. But 20 years later, Ice Cube’s making kiddie flicks and there’s a hip-hop artist for every set of ears — from rapping grandmas to Rastafarian rabbis to radical Muslims — everyone upping each other with spontaneous rhymes, powerful imagery and even the occasional insult. “In hip-hop, everything’s a little extreme,” says Elwang. “So, instead of gangsters, we have pirates who sleep on air handlers or underneath the pier.” For the past eight years, they’ve combined urban beats with local color, poking fun at all the gritty elements from bonehead tourists to stolen bikes. The result is a searing satire on Outer Banks living that can be hilarious, humbling and brutally honest. We sat down to talk about what it’s like to love Tupac in a town full of Buffet fans. And what it means to mix cultures along with your music.

MILEPOST: How do a couple of beach kids start a hiphop outfit? Josh: I think it’s because we were the last generation to get real music videos on MTV. I specifically remember in the third grade getting the whole school bus to do “Hip Hop Hooray.” All these white kids, driving through Chicahauk singing Naughty By Nature [laughs]. Later in high school, me, Marty [ Josh Martier] and Dave Whitfield would be bored in winter. We’d sit around in a circle rapping, telling our little stories about chasing girls and riding waves and fantasies we wanted to live. That was when a light went off, like “Whoa! This is cool.” Derik: I started out doing some shows with Rolo and Chris Pendry from Cool Hand Luke. I’d get on stage and spit a couple of verses with them. When I started making my own beats, Whitfield said, “Yo, Elly’s making beats, too” so we linked up. We’d have these pow-wows where I’d write to an idea he created. And then he’d do the same. We probably have a hundred songs saved on a computer.

“

you’re basically recycling music from a past generation and bringing it to light for a new generation in a different way. It’s definitely clever. But it seems like Like this jazz song you’re almost alienating two groups of we’re listening people: I mean, if you like hip-hop, you to now, this bass won’t relate to beach cruisers. And if you line is in a Jay Z relate to beach cruisers, you might not be song. And that’s into hip-hop. How does it play? the cool thing. Because there’s Derik: Well, if we rapped about other stuff a population of kids who don’t know this it wouldn’t be true to what we do or where music. But they’ll hear a hip-hop song and it we’re from. So we said, “Let’s rap about will get them into it. surfing and skating and pirates partying and kicking your trash can over.” But a lot of the But in order to understand all those songs we wrote when we were kids. Now I’m levels, people have to hear it. And I think, more intrigued in making songs that speak to with hip-hop, it’s easy for people to go, “I people here, but with more creativity. As far hate rap” and tune out entirely. as playing live goes, we figure people want to be entertained so why not give ‘em a show? Derik: But everything on the radio is all Cut-up. Be silly. They’re either there to laugh trap music. It’s popping molly, and partying and have a good time — or they’re just there and clubbing... to hate on you, so screw ‘em. And that’s actually worse than gangsta Josh: And what’s funny is the most common rap in some ways… response when we play a show is, “I hate hiphop, but that was pretty sick.” But the coolest Derik: Way worse. At least NWA and Public thing about hip-hop is it’s always in the now. Enemy and KRS-One had a political message. Rock ‘n roll has a longer life expectancy. Now it’s like, “Okay, so you fell asleep in a Hip-hop’s all overnight sensation. I can listen Bugatti and you woke up drinking champagne to something I wrote when I was a kid and — so what are you talking about?” see how much I’ve changed. And to me, it Josh: But those guys are just personas like teaches me how to grow as a writer and a performer, just listening to my own thoughts pro wrestlers. Underneath all that there’s a thousand other dudes telling their real, blueyears later. But at the time, I didn’t even collar tales. It’s unbelievable the variety out consciously think about what I was saying. It there now. just came out. And that’s why people love freestyle, because it’s so spontaneous. Derik: A good example is Action Bronson. And you’re not just trying to think up He’s this MC who’s also an amazing chef. So rhymes — you’re trying to out-rhyme, he raps about exotic foods and seasonings outdo the other guy without messing and sirloins — and real life, too, but every up. I think that’s what people find song has some food reference. He’s selling most entertaining — that element of himself. danger. But it’s got to be scary for the Josh: That shows how far hip-hop’s come: fat, performer, too. Albanian private chefs are artists [laughs]. Josh: You’re actually being vulnerable. And Derik: Or a surfer kid and a skater kid from people respect that. Especially, when you’re NC. But that’s what hip-hop’s really about: it’s rapping with other people outside your being who you are. — Leo Gibson element. But what keeps me interested is Josh: We still write sort of patchwork. But in the beginning we’d get in the same room and throw ideas back and forth. Like “On My Beach Cruiser.” I remember being in his house, blaring the beat, and saying, “That’s so funny. What else can we say that’ll make people laugh?”

“instead of gangsters, we have pirates who sleep on air handlers or under the pier.”

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you had me at

Locals, find out for yourself what all the fuss is about!

You’ve probably heard of it - and if you haven’t yet been a part of it, 2014 is the year to discover the party that locals and visitors rave about year after year. A four day food festival that has grown to be recognized as one of the nation’s best. The Outer Banks Restaurant Association’s annual Taste of The Beach event is a fantastic way to sample the fare of many restaurants on the Outer Banks in one fun-filled, food-centric weekend! It all takes place over St. Patrick’s Day weekend, March 13th through 16th, and there are events with an Irish food and drink theme, but many that simply celebrate fresh seafood by our local Chefs. Enjoy multi-course wine dinners or an event that highlights the local spirit (and spirits!). Try a more casual tapas crawl or a group cookoff event. We encourage you to bring your friends and invite your family. With so much to chose from there really is something for every taste and budget. Events and tickets begin posting in December and all events .com will be up by the New Year. obxtasteofthebeach obxtasteofthebeach.com

“Wouldn’t miss the Grand Tasting for anything!”

“Kelly’s Seafood & Wine Pairing dinner blew us away, and was really affordable.”

“Chef Pok rocked the 5-course dinner we went to at the Brewing Station. Awesome!!”

“Ortega’z Chili Roasting class was so cool. I feel confident I can do this at home now!”

“We really enjoyed the Make Your Own Bread event at Bonnie’s Bagels...so much fun!”

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endnotes Let’s talk turkey. You’ve got food. Others don’t. So take all the canned goods you stockpiled during the federal shutdown — plus personal care products, household cleaners or pet food — and donate them to Hatteras’ 20th Annual Island-Wide Food Drive by Dec. 31. Drop offs are: Hatteras Realty in Avon and Hatteras Village (9am-5pm); Our Lady of the Seas Catholic Parish in Buxton (24-hour drop-off); Frisco Shopping Center (6am9pm); Outer Beaches Realty in Hatteras Village, Avon and Waves (9am-5pm); Surf-orSound Realty (8:30am-5:30pm); Red & White Grocery in Hatteras Village (7am-8pm); and Midgett Realty in Hatteras, Avon and Rodanthe (9am-5pm). Too busy to deliver? Cut a tax-deductible check to United Methodist Men and mail it to Hatteras Island Food Pantry, PO Box 1591, Buxton, NC 27920. • Same goes for folks north of the bridge. The Beach Food Pantry will take any unopened, unexpired, nonperishable item you’ve got at their Kitty Hawk HQ at 500 Sand Dune Drive between 2-4pm. KDH Library also maintains a continuous drop-box, but cash money is just as consumable. Mail your donation to: Beach Food Pantry, PO Box 1224, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948. For deets and online donations go to www.beachfoodpantry.org. • You’ll be happier than a Santa with five chimneys when Christmas in Corolla decks the halls of The Whalehead Club this winter. Come every Mon.-Sat., Nov. 21-Dec. 28., for festive, period décor and a model train that shows the Knight Family’s journey from Philly to Corolla — plus staff members’ tales of international traditions and Christmas trees decorated by Currituck students. Learn more at www. whaleheadclub.com. • Hop over to KDH for the opening OBXMas event of the season: the First Flight Holiday Lights Frog Pond. From Nov. 25-Jan. 3, walk behind Aviation Park for a DIY trail of glowing, Griswoldian decorations, dazzling snowflakes and candy canes — plus one big leaping amphibian. More at www.kdhnc.com. • Less frogging, more jogging. The Thanksgiving trots kick in Nov. 28 with a triple helping of healthy runs like Duck’s 18th Annual Advice 5k Turkey Trot — complete with post-race festivities and some sweet pumpkin pie (more at www.townofduck.com) — while Southern Shores’ 3rd Annual OBX GoFar 5K Turkey Trot & Thanksgiving Children’s Fun Run and the Hatteras Island Youth Education Fund’s 2nd Annual Surfin’ Turkey 5K and Drumstick Dash both raise funds to fight childhood obesity. Sign up at www.gofarclub.org/outerbanks-go-far. • Race back in time Nov. 29-30 when Manteo’s Island Farm interprets fall food traditions from the 1850s with Island Foodways — plus candle making, ox-drawn wagon-rides and other pre-Nintendo childhood distractions. (Bring a non-perishable item for the Roanoke Island Food Pantry and save a buck.) And return Dec. 14 for the farm’s take on Christmas Past, complete with storytelling and a visit from vintage Santa. Times and prices at www.theislandfarm.com. • Fly over to Nags Head Nov. 29-30 as Kris Kringle trades his sleigh for a glider at Kitty Hawk Kites’ Hanging with Santa event. On Sat. grab some hot cider and walk up Jockey’s Ridge after sunset for Kites With Lights’ gravity-defying LED display. (Bring a flashlight so you don’t redden anyone’s toes.) More at www.kittyhawk.com. • Like some greenery with your light shows? Then you’ll dig Elizabethan Gardens’ Grand Illuminations on Nov. 30. From 6-9pm, enjoy festive fare in the “Embellished” Hall and cozy fire pits and dazzling decorations on the great lawn — plus seasonal gift and plant sales — all to kick-off WinterLights’ 22 days of electrifying displays (Dec. 3-7, 10-14, 17-21, 26-28; Jan. 2-4). For details and tickets — plus news on other holiday events and classes like Art of Centerpieces (Dec. 7, 14), Ladies’ Night at the Gardens’ pampering combo of champagne and shopping (Dec. 2, 9), and a Dinner with Santa (Dec. 13) — visit www.elizabethangardens.org. • What’s in a name? Not much, apparently, as Jennette’s Pier’s 3rd Annual Redfish Saturday Tournament on Nov. 30 offers trophies in black drum, gray trout, bluefish and six more game fish categories — plus door prizes and free post-tourney chili. 7am-1pm. Entry: $15; $8 ages 12 and under. More at www.jennettespier.net. • Also on Nov. 30 it’s Sanctuary Vineyards’ seafood horn o’ plenty — aka The Big Curri-Shuck — a cornucopia of all-you-can-eat oysters, crabs and

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endnotes BBQ, plus endless sips of their savory wines. Buy tix early for $25 ($40 per couple) at Kitty Hawk’s I Got Your Crabs or any Cotton Gin location. Or get ‘em at the gate for $30 ($50 per couple). Details at www.sanctuaryvineyards.com. • Strung out on strings? Be at Southern Shores’ All Saints Episcopal Church on Dec. 1 when the Bryan Cultural Series hosts NY’s Simon String Quartet (4pm; $15 a ticket; deets at www.bryanculturalseries.org). Fiddle around some more on Dec. 8 at 7pm with St. Andrews by the Sea’s beloved classical Christmas concert, Violins and Voices (www.saintandrewsobx.com). And on Dec. 15, Trio La Mer mixes holiday music and Mozart with a free 2pm show at Jennette’s Pier. • Hey big spender: show how generous you can be Dec. 5-7 when Jennette’s Pier hosts the 25th Annual Festival of the Trees’ gift sales, bazaars, music and silent auctions. Plus, on Dec. 6 join the Silver Anniversary Toast for fancy finger food and champagne ($25) and then go bigger with Dec. 7’s Gala Holiday Social and Benefit Auction ($50) all to support Hotline’s local services for victims of domestic and sexual violence. More at www. obxfestivaloftrees.com. • On Dec. 6, Manteo’s First Friday celebration of shopping and solidarity includes a Vic Berg book-signing at Duck’s Cottage Downtown Books. My Life Pile’s collection of hunter-gatherer essays and recipes is a tasty gift for any coastal resident. More at www.duckscottage.com. • What’s the recipe for an epic holiday nighttime event? Start with the historic Dare County Courthouse. Add a stage, lights and choirs, then some carolers singing in Elizabethan costumes, a candy-cane twirler or two, a couple cold pints from Poor Richards or Full Moon and lots of local revelers — and you’ve got Downtown Manteo’s Grand Illumination Christmas Tree Lighting at 6pm on Dec. 6. • Then come back on Dec. 7 at 10am to watch the 42nd Annual Manteo Christmas Parade, a rolling

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Get your jollies at Downtown Manteo’s Grand Illumination festivities on Dec. 6. Photo: Melody Leckie

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endnotes flotilla of 50 floats, marching bands, swerving Shriners and a firetruck-riding Santa — plus Grand Marshall Marjalene Thomas, Master of Ceremonies Della Basnight and music by The Jazzmen Band. More at www.townofmanteo.com. • That leaves plenty of time to march north to the Town of Duck’s Yuletide Celebration on Dec. 7, 3-5pm, for music by Emme St. James and her Jazz Gentlemen and the traditional Crabpot Tree lighting. Stick around for a tapas crawl and extended shopping where you can vote in the Business Window Decoration Contest for a chance to win prizes. Contest runs Nov. 29 – Dec. 20; visit www.townofduck.com for details. • “Ho…ho…hooowwl.” On Dec. 7, Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and the Red Wolf Recovery Program offer a free chance to hear red wolves sing in the wild. Meet at the Creef Cut Wildlife Trail at 5pm. Programs typically last two hours. Call 252-216-9464 for more. • On Dec. 7, Outer Banks photographers will team up with hair and make-up artists, caterers, DJs and community volunteers to host the 4th Annual Help-Portrait at Nags Head Church, M.P.13, to provide portraits free of charge to needy people in our community. For more information contact Rich Coleman at rich@colemanshots.com or Rachel Moser at planning@11thhourevents.com. • If you’ve scratched your head over some of Raleigh’s recent decisions, come to Pamlico Jack’s on Dec. 7 for the Dare County Democrats’ “Really Rally.” From 12-3pm, meet, greet and eat with concerned friends and neighbors. Independents are cordially invited. Visit www.daredemocrats.com for developing details. • Right, left or in between, whatever political position you play, there’s a team to join with regular practice: the Dare GOP (www.daregop.com) gathers the second Tues. of each month at different locations. And the OBX Tea Party (www.obxteaparty.com) meets every Thurs. at 5:30pm at Western Sizzlin’. • On Dec. 7 and 14, Let’s Celebrate Christmas! Join Natalie Drummond and former cast members from the Outer Banks Music Showcase — along with the Limelight Kids Show Choir — as they get all festive at First Flight High School with two daily performances at 2pm and 7pm. Call 252-619-4061 for

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tix. • And the season keeps rockin’ at the Outer Banks Jubilee Christmas Show every Fri. and Sat. thru Dec. 23 — plus select weekdays — with a dazzling spectrum of holiday selections from “Deck the Halls” to “Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer.” Get a current sched and tix at www.outerbanksjubilee.com. • On Dec. 8, Outer Banks Forum for the Lively Arts cranks up the Christmas spirit with WVL Radio Theatre’s 1940s-style “live broadcast” of Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life.” Tune into the First Flight High School auditorium at 7:30pm for some living actors, old-school sound effects and 100,000 megawatts of holiday schmaltz. Tix are $15; more at www.outerbanksforum.org. • And come back after the holidays for two kinds of trios. On Jan. 25, the Horszowski Trio (www. horszowskitrio.com), stars two-time Grammy nominated violinist Jesse Mills, cellist Raman Ramakrishnan and pianist Rieko Aizaka as they play works inspired by legendary pianist Mieczysław Horszowski. (Don’t worry: there’s no spelling test at the end.) And on Feb. 25, the John Brown Trio (www.jbjazz.com) pumps up the piano, bass and drums. Shows start at 7:30. $25 per adult; $12 per student. More at www.outerbanksforum.org. • Face it: your kids won’t buy any family gifts if you don’t force them. So be like Santa and put your tiny slave labor to work at KDH Co-Op’s Little Elves Work Shop, where children ages 5-10 spend three afternoons making presents for just $75. (Dec. 4, 11, 18; call 441-9888 to register.) Oh, and your husband’s slack, too. Better send him to The Man Sale on Dec. 24, 10am-3pm, for personal help with shopping, free wrapping and insider info on what a girl really wants. More at www.kdhcoop.com. • On Dec. 10, the 5th Annual Santa and the Train event chugs into the Outer Banks Brewing Station to benefit Children @ Play. From 3-7pm, enjoy a sack full of fun from train rides to sock ice skating — plus a bake sale courtesy of Cake Pops, Kind Confections and Cafe Lachine. Get details at www.childrenatplayobx. com. • For something decidedly non-kid-friendly be at the Pit Boardriders Grill on Fri. Dec. 13 for a 21+ concert starring Polkadot Cadaver — featuring members of Dog Fashion Disco — with openers Bound and closers Copper & Star. $10 advance, $12 at the door.

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endnotes — allowed.) Then take a breather by watching the annual Hatteras Village Christmas More at www.pitsurf.com. • Like our cover? Then Dec. 13 is your lucky day as Mom’s Sweet Parade. Starts at Teach’s Lair Marina at 2 pm and ends at Hatterasman Drive-In. • On Shop hosts a one-superman show of Britton Ricketts’ radical, rideable skate and surf Dec. 15, it rains sugar when the famous Candy Bomber designs. Call 252-441-MOMS for details. • Adjust your flies over Dare Co. Regional Airport and drops attitude on Dec. 14 with Trio’s Holiday Market and chocolate bars for good boys and girls — 1pm for ages 6 Open House,11am-6pm. Then come back from 6-8pm and under; 1:15pm for 7 and up — before Santa himself when Bubbly Fest pops the cork on champagne, cava, disembarks at 1:30pm for the sweetest appearance of the cremant, prosecco, moscato and more for just $20. Give season. For more, call 252-475-5572. • And on Dec. 17, your palate a digital tickle at www.obxtrio.com.• “It’s not the plane takes a second spin over Wright Bros. the size of the painting, it’s the touch of the stroke.” Find National Memorial for the 110th Anniversary of out for yourself when Dare County Arts Council Powered Flight. This year’s festivities honor aviation’s unzips their Annual Small Works Show on Dec. 6, 6-8 industry side by inducting Mr. William E. Boeing into pm, revealing 500 budget-friendly pieces — including the First Flight Shrine on Dec. 17. Show up at 9am for a paintings, pottery, jewelry and more. (Show runs thru commemorative program and speech by the company’s Dec. 31). Meanwhile, word nerds can display their gift of Senior VP, Dr. Louis Mancini. And look up at 10:35am gab with Literary Open Mic Night (every second for an aerial parade of flying machines. More at www. Thurs. at Glenn Eure’s Ghost Fleet Gallery). And Art firstflight.org. • On Dec. 21, race up to the Southern Talks offer a conversation with a featured exhibitor Shores Marketplace for The Festivus Road Race every month. Visit www.darearts.org for dates. • And 10k/5k and Little Elf Jingle Jog 1-Miler. This family-kidDec. 14, 6-10pm, be at 108 Budleigh for the arts On Dec. 15, the Candy Bomber drops sweets at the Dare. Co. Regional and-Santa-friendly event runs 8-9:45am. Details and council’s coolest event of the year: Chillin’ for the Arts. Airport — and drops jaws at Wright Memorial’s First Flight Celebration on Dec. 17. Photo: Mickey McCarthy pricing at www.runcations.com. • Also on Dec. 21, Santa This annual fundraiser features food, beer and wine, posts up at The Christmas Shop in Manteo to grant music — plus an extra-lively live auction of works by every wish, from ponies to pop guns to pop stars. (Maybe Dare County’s most celebrated artists. $35 per person. not that last one.) But every kid does receive an ornament or a gift of some kind (Get your For tickets contact the DCAC at 252-473-5558 or www.darearts.org. • Give your legs a jollies at www.outerbankschristmas.com). And for the full range of Santa sightings see the workout down south with Dec. 14’s annual Winter Climb at Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. latest issue of Outer Banks Child — or go to www.outerbankschild.com. • Or let (All kids must be 42-inches tall and be able to climb 248 steps; no carrying — or dropping

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endnotes Whalebone Surf Shop be your board-riding benefactor. Come in on Dec. 22, 4-6pm, for org. • If gems and smithwork make you all sparkly, be in Manteo on Feb. 7, as the Dare Co. sweets and soda and a shot at winning a brand new shred-sled. Call 252-441-6747 for Arts Gallery unveils this year’s College of Albemarle Jewelry Show with an opening details. • You’ve got ‘til Dec. 31 to float into Roanoke Island Festival Park for Elizabeth IIreception 6-8pm. Runs thru Feb. 28; more www.darearts.org. • Dig this, Dune Huggers! 30 Years of History. This nautical nativity scene tells how our favorite colonial boat was Friends of Jockey’s Ridge will be working on the second phase of their fencing project in born through blueprints and Feb. at a date TBD (Learn more artifacts. Or hear it from the at www.jockeysridgestatepark. shipbuilders themselves via com/friends). And if that the narrative film By Our sounds like too much work, just Hands. Open 9am-5pm; and go bask in the glow of their it’s totally free. Details at www. Tree Lighting on Dec. 1. • roanokeisland.com. • Or set a Does your do-gooding need course for the Outer Banks dough? The Outer Banks Brewing Station as Ability Community Foundation Clothing’s Surf Slideshow makes quarterly grants to Nights unload local photogs’ qualified nonprofits, religious hottest shots every month on institutions and government “whatever Tues. works.” (Hey, agencies serving Dare County they’re not supposed to be and the Outer Banks from timely; they’re surfers.) Dec. is Corolla to Ocracoke. Learn Daniel Pullen, while Feb. more and complete your features Benny Crum and application online by Feb. 7 at DVO’s own Bob Hovey. (The www.obcf.org. • We all know pub closes for Jan. to give your the Roanoke Island liver a rest.) Full deets and Freedmen’s Colony is an music news at www.obbrewing. important piece of history. On com. • On Dec. 25, be in your Feb. 21, it will be set in stone living room for the annual with a North Carolina Present Opening for a mix of Highway Historical Marker at holiday cheer and gift giving. the Dare Center in Manteo. (Ask your various family Join the dedication at 1pm. members for times and Then, join the celebration at details.) And on Dec. 31, College of the Albemarle for celebrate the arrival of another the 10th Annual Freedmen’s “Portsmouth Island Church Interior” won Best in Show at 2012’s Frank Stick Memorial Art Show. See who gets New Year with hats, hooters Colony Blues Jam where Matt anointed with this year’s big prize, Jan. 25-Feb. 22 at Glenn Eure’s Ghost Fleet Gallery. Photo: Ray Matthews and — come Jan. 1 — a variety Walsh & Low Count and of hangovers. • On Jan. 11, the 9th Annual Flights of Fancy Gala roars into The Jazz Age, Jonny Waters & Company will blow out all the candles — and a couple of eardrums — complete with “fringe, frippery, sequins and pearls.” This will be the Outer Banks Hospital’s starting at 6:30pm. Tix are just $15. • On Feb. 28, 5:30-7:30pm, the Outer Banks History last big shindig at the Wright Brothers National Pavilion, which is scheduled for removal, Center will celebrate their 25th Anniversary by unveiling An Eye for Art, a Heart for but the proceeds will keep on benefiting local services — like the Wellness Bus. For more History. This yearlong exhibit will cull work from artists of every media to celebrate local information, including sponsor support and making donations to the silent auction, call 252culture, then present awards in five categories. For a single entry fee of $25, artists from 449-4529. • Wondering where everybody went Jan. 18-19? If they’re a caterer, cake-maker, any area can submit up to three original works. Entries should be accompanied by an photographer or DJ — or recently engaged — they’re probably at First Flight High School Artist’s Statement (75-200 words) that puts each entry in context and briefly explains the for the Outer Banks Wedding Expo. Two days of tastings, tours and tear-filled emotional tie to Outer Banks regional history. All materials must be received (not postmarked) by the tantrums. Don’t miss the drama. More at www.outerbanksweddingassoc.org. • Better hike up Outer Banks History Center no later than 5pm, Dec. 2. For details call 252-473-2655. • your trousers for “Sink, Sank, Sunk” as Currituck Heritage Park’s 2014 Winter “Please, sir can I have some more… drama.” You bet. Be at Manteo’s College of the Educational Series features both natural shipwrecks ( Jan. 21) and military battles (Feb. 11). Albemarle for Theatre of Dare’s performance of Oliver! The Musical, Feb. 28-Mar. 2 Both events are free but seating is limited, so reserve space by calling 252-453-9040 or and Mar. 7-9. Even better, join the cast by auditioning on Dec. 9, 4-7pm, at COA email events@visithwhalehead.com. • Then on Jan. 25, 6-8 pm, plunge the depths of Glenn Auditorium. It’s a large cast requiring actors of all ages and genders. More at www. Eure’s Ghost Fleet Gallery for the opening of the 36th Annual Frank Stick Memorial Art theatreofdare.org. • And on Mar. 1, stuff yourself silly with spicy food and good times at Show. This longest-running visual art exhibition in the county stays live thru Feb. 22 and Children @ Play’s Annual Mardi Gras Gala, 7-11pm at Jennette’s Pier. Just Playin’ promises a bounty of sculpture, painting, drawing, fiber, pottery and mixed media — plus a Dixieland provides the tunes. Bad Bean Baja Grill provides traditional New Orleans range of awards for local artists. Participants must drop work Jan. 21-22, 9am-5pm. (Go to style buffet. Bells & Whistles gussies up the joint like Bourbon Street. And guests www.darearts.org for more information.) And come back Feb. 28-Mar. 4 for the Don Bryan boogie down in black tie attire and Mardi Gras masks while performers and an open beerRetrospective Exhibition, featuring works from public and private collections spanning and-wine bar complete the festive atmosphere. Tix are $50 per ticket or $90 per couple. Bryan’s time as an artist from the mid ‘60s to the present. More at www.bryanculturalseries. Find out details and sponsor info at www.childrenatplayobx.com.

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