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“Turn gokite your milepost head and graphiccontent cough. ” gosurf roadmap
They’re the five words no man wants to hear when he goes for a physical. (Others include “This might pinch a bit” and “Prostate exams begin at 40.”) Which explains why the older we get, the less we visit the doctor. After all, who wants an annual reminder of their own mortality? Especially when you feel 100% perfectly fit. The same goes for beach towns. And on the Outer Banks, we like to think of ourselves as the fittest hunk of coast for miles around.
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Self-exams are even more fun with friends. Photo: LWW
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Except beach towns never stop running. We keep chugging on. And on. And on. Bearing all those decades of fast living — plus the added pressure to stay competitive. The more weight we bear, the more likely we are to slip up: Add a little pavement here to harden our bottom lines. Brighten our color to look more youthful — maybe some extra volume up top — and wake up one day unable to recognize ourselves.
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Seven decades of tourism, we’ll still kick the taffy out of any town.
Come on! Just look at us! Our rugged shoreline is the very face of natural beauty — a big chiseled chin bound by waving tresses of untamed water. Our dunes bulge symmetrically like 100 miles of six-pack abs. Do we look 427 to you? Hell no! Seven decades of nontstop tourism and we’re as virile as ever, ready to kick the taffy out of any resort town from New England to Naples.
Instead of sexy Mr. Natural, there’s a sand-worn shell propped up on bad lifts and plastic surgery. Raking the beach like a bad comb-over. Sporting a big neon bypass that blinks “Hey, baby!” like a cheesy gold chain and wondering, “Where’d all the talent go?”
Okay, so we’re a little gray in spots. But those old-school cottage courts and cedar-shake shanties make us look distinguished — not dilapidated — only adding to our impressive charm. In fact, we’re a lot like the aging tough guy from your neighborhood block party. The one who plays football with the kids, does keg stands with teens ‘til 2am and still wakes up to a morning marathon. We work hard. We rage harder. And if we drop from a heart attack before reaching the finish line, fine. We’ll still go down swinging, smiling and looking pretty.
Of course, we’re not there yet. Far from it. In fact, the whole point of this issue is to celebrate the features that keep us so fine and attractive. To strut around in front of the mirror and pat ourselves on our firm, rippling backsides. (“Good game, Sport!”) But as long as we’re basking in our own reflection, it’s always wise to check for moles and blotches and other signs of future illness to make sure all the cool babes who live here are proud to stick close — and that millions of swimsuited hotties keep on coming. Because it’s never the probe or the cough that gets you. It’s the turning your head. — Matt Walker
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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: Paper sneeze guard for your portable grill. Seat cover for bathhouse toilets. Disposable diaper for bladder incontinence. 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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“Father,
”
art we there yet?
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” — Jacques Cousteau “It’s perfectly acceptable to go wild at the beach.” — The Ziggens Issue 3.2 Summer 2014 Cover: Mirror mejor
“Don’t ye make me
pull this ship over.”
Photo: C. White Design: Ben Miller/Bighouse Reader You Brushes & Ink George Cheeseman, Marcia Cline, Carolina Coto, Jesse Davis, Fay Davis Edwards, Travis Fowler, Dawn Gray, Chris Kemp, Ben Miller, Ben Morris, Holly Nettles, Daniel Pullen, Charlotte Quinn, Meg Rubino, Stephen Templeton Lensfolk Matt Artz, Chris Bickford, Russell Blackwood, Mark Buckler, Michelle Conner, Amy Dixon, Lori Douglas, Julie Dreelin, Tom Dugan/ESM, Bryan Elkus, Lauren Feeney, Chris Hannant, Bryan Harvey, Ginger Harvey, Anthony Leone, Jared Lloyd, 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, Cyrus Welch Penfolk Ashley Bahen, Hannah Bunn, Paul Evans, Sarah Hyde, Catherine Kozak, Dan Lewis, Fran Marler, Adam Norko, Matt Pruett, Mary Ellen Riddle, Brendan Riley, Corinne Saunders, Sandy Semans, Clumpy White, Natalie Wolfe, Michele Young-Stone Design/Production Jesse Davis 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
Imagine what life was like crossing the Atlantic on the Elizabeth II. Then see what real life was like in 1585 as you explore our American Indian Town, Settlement Site, Museum and more. Fun for the family. Manteo, 5 miles from Nags Head. Event Rentals: Weddings • Receptions • Concerts • Meetings roanokeisland.com | (252) 475-1500 | Visit us on facebook milepost
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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. www.outerbanksmilepost.com
roadmap gokite milepost graphiccontent gosurf outthere gohunt rearview “Air Ball” By Holly Nettles www.hollynettlesart.com
“I like paintings that have an energy but with an underlying feeling of peace. This one started out as a vintage black-and-white newspaper photo. But it reminded me of a picture of my mom from when we’d all go to the beach in summer. Now it’s what we do with my kids. I actually have a series of kids on the beach doing cartwheels. Kids on swings. Kids hula-hooping. It’s sort of a recurring theme. But anything that has a sense of joy or fun always appeals to me. I guess I like art to remind me of a certain time, or just a vision that once brought a smile to my face. And this piece makes me smile again each time I see it.” — Holly Nettles
03 StartingPoint
Let’s get physical.
06 UpFront
26 What Lies Beneath
Outer Banks dive culture is full of deep wrecks — and deeper passion.
Finding castaways, healing herbs and a tune-powered time machine.
36 Graphic Content
18 GetActive
38 Time2Shine
You gotta keep ‘em separated.
21 FirstPerson
The O.G. of fresh produce.
22 Question Authority
What’s up, Beach?!
Poster-sized pratfalls.
A six-pack of absolutely fabulous Outer Banks features.
52 GoRelax
57 FoodDrink
Three times the treat makers.
58 FoodDrink
Small craft distillery warning.
60 SoundCheck
Songs from the soundside.
63 ArtisticLicense
A handy man’s work is never done.
Let someone else work on those muscles.
65 OutThere
54 GoFish
66 EndNotes
A booze-cruise with bait.
Reeling in the ears.
A fresh application of summer haps. milepost 5
upfront
LAND OF MYSTERIES
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What happened to the Lost Colony isn’t as puzzling as who really settled here first.
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The Outer Banks — “the Land of Beginnings” — is also a Land of Mysteries. Our most famous puzzler is the fate of the 1587 English colonists who disappeared before John White returned to Roanoke Island with supplies in 1590. Another mostly forgotten settlement has gained more recent attention — the Freedmen’s Colony established on Roanoke Island during the Civil War as a safe haven for former slaves. But is there another that predates both those known colonists? And possibly even connects their stories?
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“Sir Francis Drake may have deposited [free slaves] on the Outer Banks,” says history professor and researcher Michael Oberg of SUNY-Geneseo, New York, “but we don’t know where or if he really did.”
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Oberg says that one of the reasons more isn’t known about the possibility of a “first and forgotten” lost colony is because in the 1800s and into the 1930s, North Carolina history was a celebration of white Protestant Europeans.
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“The evidence is a long and fragile chain because of the records,” says Oberg, who presented his thoughts locally at the 2012 Bill and Ida Friday International Symposium, Roanoke Conundrum – Fact & Fiction. “We don’t know if
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the storm sunk the boats they were on, or if it could have washed the vessels out into the ocean. So, we are left with making educated guesses.”
made for Florida and Virginia. By that time it was clear that he planned to leave all of them except the Moors and European galley slaves, at the Virginia settlement…”
Researchers have long debated whether Sir Frances Drake left a large number of Turks, Moors and domestic black slaves behind when he helped Ralph Lane’s Roanoke Island colonists return to England in 1586. A number of historical accounts state that Drake stole as many as several hundred slaves held by the Spanish in the West Indies and Florida, and took them north. And some historical documents mention that he told those taken from the Spaniards that they would be freed.
In 1586, what is now North Carolina was known as Virginia.
The questions are: Did he? And, if so, where did he leave them? “The evidence is overwhelming [that he did],” says Professor Arwin Smallwood, head of the history department at NC A&T in Greensboro. “And there is no doubt that he put them ashore in that area [the Outer Banks]. And earlier, there is evidence that several hundred other slaves captured from the Spanish were placed ashore in South Carolina. There, they aligned with the Native Americans to drive out the Spaniards.” The purpose of Drake’s visit to Roanoke Island was to bring supplies to Lane and his colonists, so he may have intended to leave the slaves with Lane to provide additional manpower at the fort. In the narrative The Roanoke Voyages, author David Quinn weaves contemporary accounts together to put Drake’s adventures into context: “…At Santo Domingo and Cartagena [Drake] had also been collecting men,” Quinn writes, “galley slaves (mainly Moors, but including some Europeans), a few soldiers (again mainly Moors), negro domestic slaves to whom he promised their freedom… he had not set any of them on shore when he turned back from Cartagena… and
“…He again sailed north and on 8 June he was sighted by Captain Stafford’s party on Croatoan Island near Cape Hatteras…” Quinn’s narrative states that Lane and his colonists wanted to return to England. According to Quinn, Drake provided Lane with the 70-ton Francis, two pinnaces, four boats, two experienced sailing masters and crews, weapons, tools, clothing — but only enough food for 100 men for four months.
they were able-bodied and well-armed so they were absorbed into the Indian population.”
Could this explain the heritage of many of the black Outer Banks natives who trace their ancestry back to Hatteras Island and Native Americans? “There was a lot of mixing between blacks and Indians,” says Oberg. “There also was a lot of mixing with Could this other groups. The records that survived were written explain the by and for the European heritage of population so much is not known.” many of
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the black Outer Banks natives who trace their ancestry back to Hatteras Island?
Wood states that before Drake could unload the reinforcements, a summer storm scattered his fleet. “… These people, mostly Africans, apparently vanished in the sudden storm, and records give no indication of their fate. But one wonders: What might have become of these ‘lost colonists’ if they had managed to go ashore before the tempest struck?...”
Smallwood agrees the English reports leave many questions unanswered. But, he also says those aren’t the only accounts. There also are Spanish records. Smallwood and his students continue to search there to fill the information gaps left by our ancestors’ indifference and cultural bias — as they work to try to solve the mysteries of The Other Lost Colony. — Sandy Semans
There is no “if” to the matter, according to Smallwood. He says there is much evidence that the slaves were not only put ashore but were welcomed by the coastal tribes who were already decimated by diseases brought by the English. “The coastal tribes were terrified of the Tuscaroras and they feared not being able to defend themselves. The blacks were immune to the diseases carried by the whites,
Ed note: To learn more about Roanoke Island’s mysterious history, try the following books: The Head in Edward Nugent’s Hand by Michael Oberg; The Atlas of African-American History and Politics: From Slave Trade to Modern Times by Arwin Smallwood; Roanoke Voyages:Vol. I and 2 edited by David Beers Quinn; Black Crescent: The Experience and Legacy of African Muslims in the America by Michael A. Gomez.
In his book, Strange New Land: Africans in Colonial America, retired Duke University history professor Peter H. Wood writes that three black men who remained behind at St. Augustine confirmed to authorities that their liberator “meant to leave all the negroes he had in a fort and settlement established… by the English who went there a year ago.”
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FLAT TOP FOUNDATION getactive Avalon Beach sets up KDH as a future tourist town — and creates the structure for an Outer Banks rental market.
Read a 1951 brochure for Avalon Beach, and you’ll find no discussion of granite countertops — “7 miles of concrete streets” is a firm enough sales pitch. Yet, the program proclaims that “120 modern beach cottages have been built by individual purchasers and more are going up all the time.”
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Created during the surge of development following World War II, this subdivision predated Kill Devil Hills by at least two years. In 1951, more than 1100 lots were already platted and offered for sale as second homes or investment properties. The size? 50 by 100 feet. The price? A low $125, sometimes cheaper. Unlike today, developers didn’t woo wealthy buyers. Instead, they courted blue-collar families, writing introductory letters to shipyard workers from the Tidewater area. Some eager realtors even delivered brochures personally.
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Sandbox salad days. Photo: Roger P Meekins/Outer Banks History Center
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The Outer Banks vacation rental biz runs like an arms race: A world where developers and rental companies battle to outdo their neighbors, resulting in fancier homes full of high-tech amenities. The grandest accommodations offer game rooms, wet bars, swimming pools — even in-home movie theaters. However, it wasn’t always this way. In the beginning, modern convenience meant little more than four walls, a flat roof and a short walk to the water.
“Every week or so, my father went up to the Ford Motor Company in Norfolk or the shipyard in Newport News and put flyers on the
windshields,” recalls Tanya Young. Besides heading the Kill Devil Hills Historic Landmark Commission, Young grew up in Avalon; in fact, her father Robert Young helped develop the neighborhood. “That was the marketing,” she continues. “It wasn’t on the radio. It wasn’t in the newspaper. He’d simply take those flyers and people would come down. Then he’d sell them a lot and take payments. It allowed those people who had steady income to have the opportunity to own a second home.” Now you know why all those KDH streets bear the names of humble towns from Virginia and eastern North Carolina — Yorktown, Rocky Mount, Hampton, Newport News, etc. — instead of exotic tropical paradises. The cottages were equally modest: all came with just two bedrooms; all were less than 800 square feet; all had flat roofs. And all were made of concrete, which was a good
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An oceanfront model rented for $150 a week.
insulator, keeping homes cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Screen porches and fireplaces sometimes helped regulate temperature.
Under the headline “Summer Cottages Sprouting like Flowers in Early Spring,” a lengthy article in the March 27, 1953 edition of the Coastland Times mentioned several homes under construction in Kill Devil Hills and Kitty Hawk. One ocean-side cottage by Portsmouth’s C.L. Kelly featured such luxuries as “a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a bath, the whole surrounded by a wide porch. It will have a flat roof.” By 1969, the Robert Young and Associates
rental catalog boasted dozens of options in the Avalon Beach neighborhood. An oceanfront model rented for a cool $150 a week while further from the water prices were as low as $65. Today, the subdivision is defined by three streets that run, east to west, from the Beach Road to Bay Drive: Sportsman Drive (originally known as Kitty Hawk Drive), Avalon Drive and Durham Street. Another east-towest thoroughfare, Suffolk Street, connects Elizabeth City Street to Edenton Street. Highview Street — named for the ridge upon which it still stands — marks the center point. Still, while the streets sound familiar — and the parking area south of Avalon Pier looks like the same empty sandlot from a half-century ago — the rest of the neighborhood has filled out considerably. Instead of a sparse population of concrete structures and open space, you’ll find rows of pilings from sound to sea.
But take a bike ride on any sunny afternoon and you can still spot a few cool, oldschool squares. In fact, Ms. Young is happy to report that some are even registered historic landmarks. And while vintage selling points like “Formica countertops” and “knotty pine cabinets” may sound like antiquated amenities by our modern standards, those simple boxes contributed the single most important construction idea in the history of Outer Banks architecture — one that laid the very foundation for every luxury accommodation that goes up. “Dad made it a moneymaking venture [for his clients],” Young says. “He said, ‘Buy the lot and get it paid for, we’ll build a house and rent it for you.’ That’s how the rental market came into play.” —Sarah Downing Sources include, Avalon Beach promotional brochure, circa 1950; “Summer Cottages Sprouting Like Flowers in Early Spring” Coastland Times, March 27, 1953; Interview with Tanya Young, March 24, 2014
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GROW YOUR getactive OWN MEDICINE soundcheck
Chronic garden remedies that are perfectly natural startingpoint — and perfectly legal The sun sparkles. The sky shines with periwinkle
hues. It’s a perfect morning to go work in the garden. But, after an hour, the sweat starts pouring, the world tilting — warning signs of impending heat stroke. A quick ocean dip should do, but while grabbing your bike, you stub your toe, smack your head and wake up shortly after covered in skeeters. Later, standing before your medicine cabinet — bleeding, itchy, bruised and sunburned — you crack the mirror to find the first aid kit’s completely empty. But that doesn’t mean you’re without hope. Some of the best miracle cures are waiting right back in your garden or its neighboring ditches, not to mention a treasure trove of unknowns in the ole Frigidaire. “In traditional Chinese Medicine, they believe that our bodies respond to the laws of nature,” says Cheryl Blankenship of Island Acupuncture. “In fact, often a natural remedy will have fewer negative side effects. And using items we already possess is always a much more affordable practice.”
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rearview moms might know yarrow as “nosebleed plant.”
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First: stop the blood. Sometimes called “Military Herb” or “Yarrow” — moms might know it as “nosebleed plant” — Achilles made Herba Militari’s healing properties famous during battle by stuffing the plant into his soldiers’ wounds, where it stopped bleeding and acted as an antiseptic. You can do the same for minor cuts. According to Blankenship: “Just chew it up and slap it on, but be careful: yarrow looks a lot like Queen Anne’s Lace.” In other words, be 100% sure you’re picking the right stuff before taking a bite. Water down that sunstroke. A big slice of watermelon is good for more than spitting seeds. Being 92% water, the fruit cools the body, while providing potassium, B vitamins and electrolytes — and high quantities of citrulline, an important amino acid. Some research shows it might even aid with erectile dysfunction, the perfect cure for summer heat and the perfect elixir for summer lovin’.
Hairoics understands that a successful business is created not by attempting to be an overnight “hot new fad”, but by a commitment to professionalism, passion, and perseverance, which is why Hairoics has enjoyed 24 years as the Outer Banks favorite salon and spa.
Crush nausea. Got peaches? Now all you need is a blender: add sliced peaches or even just some peach nectar to whip up on queasy innards. Better yet, try adding 1/4 teaspoon of raw ginger. According to WebMD, patients who underwent chemotherapy saw a 40% reduction of nausea from ginger alone. Take a bite out of bug bites. Between backyards and bathing suits, itches and rashes are big summer ailments. Instead of applying cream, eat a banana, then press the inside of the peel to any irritated areas. Hate fruits and veggies? Reach for Arm and Hammer. According to Dr. Austin from Surf Pediatrics, “Baking soda is very soothing for bug bites; add a few tablespoons or more to a hot bath to calm histamines.” Oatmeal baths are also soothing and moisturizing for rashes — and sunburn. Green on red. Snapped aloe is only one sunburn remedy; cucumbers also boast natural antioxidant and analgesic properties. Blend up a batch into your own face mask. Want more cool beauty tips straight from the fridge? Douse your hair with mayo; fat and oils are excellent for dry follicles. The mother of all irritations. Wet bathing suits are nobody’s friend and neither are UTIs. But they do have foes in the form
of Dianthus. Also called “Sweet William” or “Carnation,” add some edible, alluring flowers to salads and sandwiches to treat urinary and bladder difficulties — but never if you’re pregnant or lactating, as they can stimulate the uterus.
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Comfrey compresses. For pains, strains, fractures and bruises, Comfrey’s antiinflammatory properties make it a speedy wound healer, as concentrations of Allantoin — a crystalline compound — speed up cell growth. “Just mash it, cut it into small pieces,” says Blankenship. “Then soak it in vinegar — or water if the skin is irritated — and wrap up the area of concern. I’ve seen pretty traumatic injuries make miraculous improvements because of an overnight application.” Still not sure? Chinese culture offers a good rule of thumb: look to the shape and color of food for corresponding benefits: kidney beans are good for the kidneys: beets are healthy for the blood; walnuts are brain food; ginger helps the stomach digest. Remember, it’s still medicine: you don’t want to blindly stuff your mouth. Do some research, ask questions, then reach for cures in the natural world. At least you know they won’t hurt your wallet. And you can’t say that for most modern medicine. — Fran Marler milepost 11
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WE’RE KING OF THE WORLD! Or at least Roanoke Island, as the Outer Banks’ first major regatta — the ISAF International Catamaran North American Championships — will run June 9-14. It’s all part of Wanchese-based non-profit SAIL NC’s plan to make our waters an epicenter for sailing pursuits of every stripe. For now, look for roughly 50 vessels to race on two courses on Croatan Sound and — Neptune-willing — a bunch of deck-shoed spectators to watch ‘em go ‘round.
roadmap gokite A cheering, jeering look at recent events and their potential impacts milepost
RED FLAGS OVER HATTERAS? As of May 5, the park service had yet to find a way to fund lifeguards on Coquina, Buxton and Ocracoke beaches. Superintendent Trimble was hopeful he could cut deals with Hyde and Dare County to help cover the costs — at least through the season. Better hope they come to some agreement. Otherwise, there’ll be plenty of arm-waving down south this summer. (Followed by plenty more finger-pointing as to who’s really responsible.)
WAKE OF THE FLOOD MAPS Hiked pants. Arched eyebrows. Sweaty armpits. Outer Banks flood insurance issues have never looked pretty — until this March. First, Congress passed a mix of grandfather clauses, timing delays and cap increases to make rates more affordable. Shortly after, the state announced that updated maps might mean thousands of properties won’t need flood coverage at all, leaving coastal residents feeling surprisingly dry and secure. (Until the next insurance threat rises.) HOT FOR TEACHERS “Fight! Fight! Fight!” Last fall, Raleigh passed legislation to phaseout teacher tenure by 2018, drawing outcry and protests from educators in hallways across the state. This spring, Dare’s Board of Education joined the chorus of counties passing resolutions to reverse the new rules. Whether lawmakers modify their behavior remains to be seen, but it’s great to see some push back in the face of more teacher-bullying. GO WEST, YOUNG SAND Easy come, easy blow. So South Nags Head discovered after a long winter of strong winds pushed deep piles of sand across oceanfront driveways and into swimming pools. The town moved fast: offering permits to let bulldozers push the precious resource east before turtle nesting season stole their chance to reshuffle
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the shoreline — or homeowners dumped all those freshly bought dunes elsewhere. WE’RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BUDGET Meanwhile, Oregon Inlet was up to its eyeballs in gritty frustration, as channel depths hit barely 2 feet — so shallow the Army Corps stopped dredging while waiting for reinforcements. Vocal opinions range from dropping more rocks on the north side of the inlet to removing the rubble that’s already there. None solve the root of the problem: who’s gonna supply the cashflow? WHERE THE SIDEWALKS FINISH It’s been a long, hard road, but Kill Devil Hills finally started closing unsightly sidewalk gaps. On the west side of the bypass, look for a complete stretch of concrete from Eighth Street to Goddard — plus a fresh layer of cement from Third Street to Cameron. On the east side, Holly to Eighth Street will now fully connect; so will Third Street to Fifth. All told, more 4000 linear feet will make pedestrians safer — and smooth out the town’s rough appearance. GAMBLERS INCORRIGIBLE Two college teams of meteorologists say they’re calling for a lessthan-active hurricane season: Colorado State University’s April longterm forecast calls for nine tropical storms, three hurricanes — one major — while NCSU hedged their bets further with “eight to 11
named storms.” Both point to a combo of cooler water in the tropics and an El Nino out west. Us? We point to a losing record of annual predictions that prey on people’s hopes and fears — and almost always fall short of the goal line. A SHAKE OF THINGS TO COME? Did we just feel our first real temblor of offshore drilling resistance? In April, Nags Head opposed seismic testing off the Atlantic Coast, as board members feared air guns would kill marine life and scareoff commercial fish in the future. But the most tangible reason struck a few days earlier in far-flung Texas, where a Galveston tanker spill tainted tourist beaches 200 miles away — suggesting that maybe this whole petroleum businesses is a disaster worth avoiding. TIRE SLACKERS And you thought Hatteras had issues with lifeguards and beach driving? In April, a Corolla Ocean Rescue vehicle was discovered chassis-deep in the shorebreak. Apparently, two employees used the truck as a party shuttle the previous night and ended up smacking a stump and cracking a hub. Officials say drugs and alcohol weren’t a factor, but both were suspended. Might we suggest some community service? Lord knows they could use some free labor down south. 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
SMART-ASS COMMENT OF THE MONTH “Better get that sand out of that pool, if a turtle nests… you won’t be able to rent your house until after the eggs hatch.” — BrownEyedGirl, “New sand from beach widening project is drifting too far west,” March 11, 2014, OuterBanksVoice
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“Coolest, Smallest Nano-brewery on the Coast.” “ FULL MOON BREWERY SWEEPS THE WORLD BEER CHAMPIONSHIP – LANDING 8 MEDALS ” • Handcrafted Ales Brewed On Site • Innovative Cuisine • Angus Steaks, Quiche, Fish & Chips, Burgers and Local Seafood “How Beer Saved the World” Fun and informative session hosted by Brewer Paul Charron You’ll Love the Homework! Tuesday and Thursday Reservations required. Large and small groups accommodated.
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milepost graphiccontent gosurf outthere You asked for it — you got it. Whether crying for bands, or bitching about lost opportunities, locals love to whine about the lack of music options at Roanoke Island’s Festival Park. Well, last July Brew Thru listened. And on a warm night in July, 2500-plus fans went bonkers for Blues Traveler, silencing critics and inspiring a triple-shot of tunes for the coming season.
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“We wanted to do one show last year and make sure things worked,” says local beer magnate-turned-concert promoter Philip Foreman. “This year we’re gonna try three. And if that’s successful, our goal is to have six next summer.” You can’t blame him for being cautious. The open skies and grassy seats that
made success stories out of Government Mule, Scotty McCreery and back-toback bluegrass festivals also make storms a constant concern. (In fact, a tropical system canceled Blues Traveler’s first attempt several falls ago.) But while you can’t control the weather, you can dictate about everything else. And for Foreman, that means bringing back three more ‘90s namesakes with wide appeal to all ages: Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers (with Pat McGee Band and ChessBoxer) on June 26; Live (with Cracker and Formula) on July 10; and Gin Blossoms (with Spin Doctors and Scars On 45) on July 17. He’s also keeping the ticket prices reasonable, just $35, while adding some
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Brew Thru brings triple the concerts back to Festival Park. upgrades such as beachside shuttles busses. Plus, one fix he takes personally. “One thing I did not like last year was seeing people wait 10 to 15 minutes for a beer,” he says, “so this year we’re adding more tents and cooler trucks.” Clearly Philip knows his audience. And with a portion of alcohol sales and all tips going to The Friends of Elizabeth II, every pint helps keep the whole facility afloat.
And that’s the whole point. “Blues Traveler was magical,” says Foreman. “But the reason we did it was for Roanoke Island. In fact, last spring I was complaining to a board member that Festival Park was underutilized and he said, ‘Well why don’t you do something?’ Two weeks later I was planning a concert.” Keep filling that lawn, and we can all keep this place rocking for years to come.
For tickets and full details on the Brew Thru Summer Concert Series — including band bios, shuttle info, VIP parking and priority admission options — go to www.brewthru. com. And for the full list of Roanoke Island Festival Park’s entertainment and educational opportunities visit www.roanokeisland.com. milepost 15
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It’s not just the ‘90s on repeat this summer. Between comeback tours, road warriors and tribute acts, almost all the best concerts are blasts from the past.
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Buck’s Beach Blast at the Whalehead Club, May 25
1964 (A Beatles Tribute) Live At The Waterside Theatre, June 15
SHAG YOURSELF SILLY
FREE LOVE FLASHBACK
Shallowbag Beach Music Festival at Festival Park, May 26
The Lovin’ Spoonful Live At The Waterside Theatre, July 20
Think beach music’s for white-haired old fogies? “Shagging” began as a way for ‘50s teens of both races to share space and kick sand in segregation’s face. Today, lawn festivals — and bands like the Tams, the Embers and the Carolina Breakers — still fight the power by dancing barefoot.
Before Woodstock and Vietnam, “hippie music” was all pop melodies, paisley shirts and the occasional pork-chop sideburn. 1964 recalls a Fab Four with more twisting and less shouting — while the Lovin Spoonful relives sugary hits like ‘65’s “Do You Believe in Magic?” — bringing back happier times before the ‘60s got hairy.
Need tickets and times? Google the venue or artist. Wanna know what other bands are
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On the Border (The Eagles Tribute), Koru Beach Klub, July 10
Badfish (Sublime Tribute), Port ‘O Call, June 18; Koru Beach Klub, June 19
The Hackensaw Boys, Port O’Call, July 23; Koru Beach Klub, July 24
COWBOYS & WEST INDIANS
BAD BOYS
MOUNTAINS MEET THE SEA
The Original Wailers, Port O’Call, July 16; Koru Beach Klub, July 17
Who’s Bad? (Michael Jackson Tribute), Outer Banks Brewing Station, July 10
Donavon Frankenreiter, Kelly’s Tavern, August 18
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No decade blended music cultures like the ‘70s, as reggae turned the world onto “world music” and the Eagles added L.A. style to country twang. Today Bob may gone, but the Original Wailers burn on. And On the Border reheats the Eagles’ platinum hits and face-melting guitar solos — no peyote or tequila necessary.
Michael Jackson was the biggest pop star of the ‘80s — if not of all time. Bradley Nowell was the ‘90s most punked-up, hip-hopped rude boy. Both made music that defined whole eras then left giant holes by dying too young. Whether or not you saw them alive, here’s your chance to see what you’ve been missing.
playing on any given night? Just go to www.outerbankslivemusic.com.
Say “Howdy” to The Hackensaw Boys — a mining explosion of banjo, stand-up bass and Blue Ridge rock. Now, say “’Sup, brah?” to Donavon — a surfer boy with Cali-hooks and groovy guitars skills. Two 2000s acts with separate styles — and a shared belief in showing off America’s modern musical diversity with major performances.
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towns’ summer litter problem? gokiteWanna trashPutoura recycling bin in every driveway.
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Here’s a joke: How do you know a rental home’s completely empty? The trashcan’s completely full. Damn right it’s not funny. Yet, every changeover weekend, black bins overflow in every driveway, wind blowing litter like tumbleweeds across a western ghost town. But don’t shoot the visitors — they’re not villains. It’s we homeowners who could help clean up the streets — and help the environment — just by signing up for curbside recycling.
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“When recycling cans aren’t available, we get calls asking where the items are supposed to go,” says Kim Dubec, property manager for Joe Lamb Realty. “So by installing recycling bins at the rentals we are simply offering something that most folks are used to doing at home.” Just not necessarily this home — unless you live in Southern Shores, Duck or Corolla. Elsewhere, citizens must drive their recycling to specific drop-off locations or pay for a private service. For $7.82 a month, Outer Banks Hauling provides a curbside bin and empties it weekly. Currently, they service 2100 bins between Manteo, Colington, Nags Head, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills. “For 2013, out of all these locations including Hatteras, around 1500 tons of recyclables were generated from residential properties alone,” says Mike Norris, manager for Outer Banks Hauling. “That trash would have cost $108,285 for a visit to the landfill.” And that’s mostly year-rounders. Toss in summer’s 250,000 weekly visitors, and you stack on even more bottles and cans — valuable commodities that end up in the landfill, or possibly the street, instead of being recycled, where they boost our nation’s economic development and maintain energy security.
According to the EPA, “Recycling of aluminum cans saves 95% of the energy required to make the same amount of aluminum from virgin sources. For each can recycled, this is enough energy to run a television or computer for three hours.” Not a bad deal for spending less than $100 a year — especially if your rental home’s generating thousands each week. And if not, it still saves gas, time and labor spent delivering it to a local drop-off. But it gets better: the more houses that sign up, the more efficient each haul becomes, which can drive down the price for every customer.
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In three short months, Nags Head tripled their tonnage.
Last June, a few lucky Nags Headers got recycling as part of a pilot program that put bins at rentals with the highest turnover. In three short months, they tripled their tonnage. This summer, another project will run from July to September. Dubec hopes such efforts will inspire more towns to sign up, thereby making it more cost-effective for all locals — and mandatory for every home. “Only by making it a requirement is this going to work,” she says. “We need to show that this can be successful.” And you can help. Whether you’re a resident homeowner or a foreign investor, sign up for a bin — then ask your towns to team up and make it cheaper for all. And if you’re a visitor, demand a rental home that’s recycle-friendly. It’s the quickest, greenest way to make our town look a little less trashy. Because, as Norris says, “If there is a can, folks are going to use it.” And if not, more garbage just goes wild in the streets. — Fran Marler
WHAT TO CHUCK: Recycle: Corrugated cardboard Aluminum Tin Glass bottles and jars Mixed plastic Mixed paper Don’t Recycle: Ceramic dishes Broken glass Light bulbs Plastic motor oil containers Paint cans Legos Garden hoses Oil drums Pizza boxes
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firstperson gobike Fruits are his labor. Photo: Crystal Polston
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endnotes questionauthority upfront THE PRODUCER Eighteen years. That’s how long I’ve been standing in front of the Seagate North Shopping Center. The old owner didn’t want to drive to Currituck anymore, so they asked my brother-in-law at the Jarvisburg Tarheel if he knew anyone. I’ve been running Tarheel Too ever since.
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There’s no real sixth sense to selling produce. Keeping prices reasonable so you can move it — that’s the key. You don’t want produce sitting around. And variety. Because people get tired of eating the same thing. I know I don’t graze as much on the job as I used to [laughs]. You might even catch me eating a bag of chips every once in a while.
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We buy what we can locally. If there’s any organics we try for those. Thursday
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Ed Goninan stands and delivers seven days a week — all summer long.
and Monday afternoons are best — especially for items like jicama and tomatillos. Tomatoes are probably the most popular. Summer fruit. Corn. I’ll order kale if a chef asks, but otherwise I don’t bother. I guess nobody comes to the beach to cook greens. It’s a long day. I get up at 4:30 each morning, go to Currituck to load the van, then head to the beach and start setting up. By the time I open at 10am, I’ve already been working five and a half hours. By the time I break down, do paperwork and get home, it’ll be after 7:00pm. I’ll do that seven days a week. This summer my son’s getting married, so I’ll close for the first time ever on June 1. Consider yourself warned.
Really, I’m more of a tour guide than anything. Visitors want to know: “Where’s the Wright Memorial?” Or “Where’s a good restaurant?” I get “Where’s the ABC Store?” a lot. [laughs] But it’s fun meeting new people. And I like seeing the familiar faces each summer, week after week. Year after year. That’s probably the best part. The worst part? The weather. You have to be prepared for anything. I’ve had wind and rain flood out the whole bottom of the market. And a full parking lot can get even crazier. Nobody’s hit the food stand — at least not yet — but they smack that light pole all the time. The more people come through, the more hectic it gets. But I’m pretty relaxed by nature.
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The best beach researchers dive right in. Photo: Daniel Pullen
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GIVE IT TO US STRAIGHT, DOC
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A check-up with Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman on what makes for a healthy beach
Just who is Stephen P. Leatherman? And why should any of us care?
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Well, you probably know him better as “Dr. Beach.” Every Memorial Day weekend he issues a top-10 list of “America’s Best Beaches,” inspiring huge headlines for coastal newspapers across the country and endless slideshows for click-hungry travel websites. (Not to mention drawing biting cries of malpractice by destinations that don’t make the cut.)
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What you may not realize is Leatherman isn’t some quack paid to write press release fodder for tourist boards — he’s a respected scientist and professor at Miami’s Florida International University who’s spent 20 years developing and revising a format of 50 criteria from access to water quality. And what you most surely didn’t know is he began his illustrious career right here on the Outer Banks, doing research for his alma mater, North Carolina State University.
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“I spent my last two years as an undergrad studying erosion,” says the 67-year-old Charlotte native. “Every weekend I’d drive down to do beach profiles and track currents in Cape Hatteras and milepost
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Ocracoke. That’s how I paid my way through college. I see the Outer Banks as almost a second home.” Maybe that’s why both beaches consistently make the top 10. (Ocracoke even hit #1 in 2007; Cape Hatteras’ highest ranking was #4 in 2010.) But just because we’re among his favorite patients doesn’t mean we get special treatment. Each year, Leatherman dives back into his research to perform a veritable colonoscopy on every inch of U.S. shoreline, meaning beaches rise and fall every summer. Some even drop off the charts entirely. We called the doctor to find out what makes for a healthy beach and how to stay on his list for years to come.
MILEPOST: Have you been here since you graduated? Are you aware how much it’s changed? DR. BEACH: It’s been a while. I think the last time I was in Cape Hatteras was probably three years ago. But the changes are incredible. When I was in college, Whalebone Junction was just two roads that came together. There was nothing there — just nice, little cottages. I kind of wish it was still that way, to be honest [laughs]. But I do understand people need a certain amount of convenience. And I think one good thing is it hasn’t gone highrise like Miami or some other areas. Not yet. So how did you develop the criteria over the past 24 years, and how do they work? Well, it didn’t take that long to develop,
OUR SUITS but it took a while, because nobody had done it before. But the criteria aren’t purely scientific; when we look at sand, it’s not just grain size or mineralogy for its own sake. It’s how the beach is used. So very fine sand rates higher, because people prefer that. And black sand beaches may be very exotic, but they’re really very hot. And in 2015, for our 25th study I’m going to pump up another criteria: smoking on beaches. There’s nothing I hate more than putting my hand down in a pile of cigarette butts. So they’re meant to gauge people’s use of that area. Like access. Bad access could mean not enough parking. Or it says, “Park Closed” on your favorite weekend. Or there’s a place here in Florida that you only get there by ferryboat and it’s fairly expensive. To me, a $60 ride on a ferryboat is not good access. So I have to count a lot of points off for that. I was surprised to see Main Beach in Long Island, New York top the list last year. The stereotype of the Hamptons is super exclusive mansions where P. Diddy and Martha Stewart vacation. How do they rate in terms of access? Well, the Hamptons are very exclusive. It’s one of what I call the “three gold beaches” in the U.S. The others are Palm Beach and Malibu. These are havens for the rich and famous, but the Hamptons also have areas with no development. And in many ways, they have not built on the beaches. They have these big homes, but they’re on huge, 10-acre lots. There are no high rises. You have 25- to 30-foot dunes there; beaches that are 300-feet wide. And they do have public access. If you go to Cooper’s Beach in Southampton — which was the #1 beach a few years ago — there’s a parking lot behind the big sand dune that will hold probably 200 to 300 cars. Now, you do have to pay to get in there, like $30. What I tell people to do is stay in Southampton and bring a bicycle, so you don’t need to drive your car or pay anything. Because I’m not going to pay $30 a day to park. So how do the criteria affect each other? I’d assume the more access you have, the more potential for crowds and other problems. Are they weighted differently?
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“If you want to make the list, you do have to have some creature comforts. But you also have to let nature be nature.” — Dr. Beach
Here’s the way to look at all 50 criteria: there’s a number of categories about the sand, water and safety — so if there’s a problem with any of those, they get knocked down real quick. Clean water’s absolutely critical. And I get a lot of criticism from people in California because of it. The Los Angeles Times will say, “Why don’t we have more top -10 beaches? Is it because we don’t have enough mosquitoes? Or we don’t have enough hurricanes?” But the problem with Southern California is there’s so much development. You may have great beauty with all the sea cliffs, but it’s where the mountain meets the sea, so you also get runoff problems. And it’s very hard for them when it rains in winter, because it runs off so quickly. How do you stop all that?
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We’ve actually seen some issues here, because we’re more developed than we used to be. If we get the right rainstorm our outfalls can get pretty bad. I know in your area and others like Myrtle Beach, when you get those thunderstorms and a lot of water, it’s very hard to deal with. You don’t want to shunt it back toward the bay, because then you foul up the water for the clamming and oysters and all that. It’s a difficult situation. I couldn’t possibly test all the beaches myself, but all the counties have their own health departments to take water samples. And the EPA puts all that together. I look at all the water quality data and if a beach has had more than a couple of closures a year, then they’re out. Same thing with safety. Safety is a very big issue. If you
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Well, I’m sorry to hear that. And I know exactly what you’re talking about because it’s always been a challenge of the National Park Service to make available the resources and also protect it. And sometimes they go too far on the protection side because it’s the easy thing to do. But it is a special place and that’s the reason it became the first National Seashore. Look at the imagery from around the world — and I have — you don’t see anything quite like these three big capes. It’s completely unique.
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wildlife and wood on the beach — in fact, you’ll see logs that are five-feet in diameter — but, I don’t put that on my top-10 list, because the area is so isolated. There are no amenities. And how many people are going to want to walk 10 miles to get to a beach? So, if you want to make the list, you do have to have some creature comforts. But you also have to let nature be nature. If there’s too many people, it’s not going to be a top beach, either. South Beach? It’s big, it’s nice, it’s warm — but there’s a bunch of nightclubs that empty onto it. It’s a party beach. It’s so crowded; you look around and can’t find your kid. It’s like Where’s Waldo?
“Look at the imagery from around the world, you don’t see anything quite like North Carolina’s three big capes. It’s completely unique.”
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Looking at your annual list, there are a lot of national seashores and state parks — Hawaii, Florida, Cape Cod, here. Why is that?
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Got rid of all the lifeguards? You mean “Lifeguard Beach” is no longer a lifeguarded beach? That’s going to be a downgrade if that happens.
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June 29 • 8pm
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That’s the other issue we’re facing. As you know, Cape Hatteras has a lot of NPS land. Part of their recent budget cuts included eliminating lifeguards.
The situation’s still fluid. They’re trying to find the funding. But people aren’t happy. Especially since we have a host of access issues in Hatteras, as well.
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look at the criteria, I talk about rip currents, presence of lifeguards, two or three other thing. If you don’t have those things and you have problems with drownings, then you’re going to go down very fast.
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The reason I put them there is for their great scenic beauty. Their water quality is usually high, because there’s not overdevelopment. They usually keep up the resource well and have pretty good access. And they don’t normally have huge crowds, either. It’s not just throngs of people, where you can’t walk past the blankets to get to the water.
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It seems like they make good anchors, too. Even if you’re here in town, you have Hatteras nearby. Like the best of both worlds.
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That combination is a great asset. I can take you to a beach in Washington’s Olympic National Park called “Shi-Shi Beach.” It’s a 10-mile walk in, where you have to take everything with you. And you’ll see a lot of
That’s why winter is probably our saving grace. If it was nice here year-round, we’d be in a world of hurt. In terms of population? I think you would be. But I like the beaches there in winter. Certainly, you have to put on your coat, and the wind can really whip through you sometimes. But the beach looks so different and I like to see the big waves crashing through there, particularly at the point where they refract around and hit each other on that spit. It’s a different place altogether. Maybe the lesson is for beaches to play their strengths. We have rip tides, but that’s part of having a natural sloping beach. Or access issues down south are part of the price of open space. It’s always a balance. And a tradeoff.
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Leatherman’s love for fine sand extends all the way to Jockey’s Ridge. Photo: Anthony Leone
Have any beaches ever fallen off the list? Oh yes. Poipu Beach — on the dry side of Kauai — is a fantastic place. An idyllic place. It got hit by a hurricane and kind of wiped out — but later rebuilt and came back as a national winner, but I had to drop it off the list for a few years. And, of course, if an oil spill hits. I had to pull off some beaches on the Florida Panhandle for a year or so. There’s another issue. Because North Carolina is considering offshore drilling right now. Should we be worried? Well, I understand everyone’s trying to get more economic activity and more jobs, but you guys are better off than most areas because you’ve got the tourism. And it’s so expensive to drill offshore that when you look at the potential for oil and gas and the cost environmentally, I don’t see it working. And if you start having problems with oils spills or tar balls, it’s certainly gonna sink you.
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So how do you think we’ll fare longterm? Any chance at the top slot this year? You’ll have to wait and see. I would like to see you work on those lifeguards. This is very upsetting to me because a lot of people, particularly the visitors, have no idea about the water. They can drown in their bathtub; much less worry about currents and big waves. But I’d say you’re doing a pretty good job overall. You’ve got so much to offer. When I taught in Maryland, we used to visit Duck. I’d go windsurfing in the sound. We’d drink good wine at night and the kids would chase ghost crabs. And Jockey’s Ridge is an amazing geologic feature. When my kids were small, we’d go climb it and they’d be tired, screaming, “This feels like this Sahara Desert!” And I’d say, “I know. Isn’t it wonderful?” — Matt Walker
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The preceding interview was edited for space, flow and clarity. For the full conversation — including more on the moral responsibilities of administering beach nourishment and why hardened structures don’t work — go to www.outerbanksmilepost.com. To see Dr. Leatherman’s criteria and discussion of the U.S. shorelines, go to www.drbeach.org.
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“A lot of the shallow wrecks were dynamited or wire-dragged because they were considered navigational hazards,” says CSI’s John McCord. “At 250 feet, the E.M. Clark is still completely intact. And that’s what makes it iconic.” Photo: NOAA/CSI
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what lies
In the early stages of World War II, East Coast ships had one purpose: keep our European allies flush with resources. Arms. Food. Fuel. But German U-boats had another mission: sink everything.
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Four months into the war, and the Nazis were officially kicking our butt. By the end of July, 397 vessels would meet their doom between America’s East and Gulf Coasts, the bulk of the action occurring off the Outer Banks. In his book, War Zone, North Carolina maritime historian Kevin Duffus says America’s first six months of 1942 marked “one of its worst defeats of the Second World War” as “nearly 5,000 people were burned to death, were crushed, drowned or vanished into the sea.”
Just off our shores lurks a modern wonder of worldclass diving — and a stunning memorial to our wartime past. Its future, however, may bring a whole new battle.
photo: John Livingston
On March 18, 1942 the E.M. Clark was 22 miles southwest of Hatteras, completely blacked out, until a thunderstorm lit her up — and two torpedoes took her out — dropping the nearly 10,000-ton tanker 240 feet to the seafloor inside of ten minutes. One week later, the Dixie Arrow met a similar fate, except this time three torpedoes detonated the 96,000 barrels of crude oil onboard. She blazed for a full day, slowly drifting toward shore. Come April 7, it was the British Splendour’s time to burn and bottom out.
But more shocking than the numbers is how so few people know these battles took place. Ask the average U.S. citizen about our role in WWII and they usually start with Pearl Harbor and end with Hiroshima, with a little D-Day in-between. Ask anyone who’s done a little diving off the Outer Banks, however, and they’ll give you a completely different story. “When you get down there on one of those big wrecks, it boggles the mind,” says Marc Corbett, who when not researching and identifying nearshore wrecks works as a mate for two Hatteras dive charters, Lion’s Paw and Under Pressure. “Your knees are in the sand as you’re looking up at one of these monoliths, and it’s blocking out your whole field of view. You feel like one of those monkeys in 2001: A Space Odyssey. When you realize Adolf Hitler’s U-boats were sinking those things out there every other day, it’s like, ‘Wow, we really could have lost the war.’ And they don’t exist to the world, except when a fishing boat snags a line on one.”
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Truth is, these wrecks were never
meant to be seen. During the war, the government made sure the explosions and smoke that were so visible off our isolated beaches never hit the newspapers. (“Loose lips sink ships” was more than a call for citizens to shut up, it was a mandate for media sources to maintain morale by hiding defeats.) After the war, the submerged hulks were seen as navigational hazards best avoided. If that wasn’t possible, they were dynamited, wire-dragged and hauled to deeper water where they could be forgotten.
devoted two books, four decades and 1,000 dives to his favorite sub, which lies 16 miles off Nags Head. “Every now and then you get a perfect day, but not that often. You have to really want to go.”
Conditions get warmer and clearer south of Hatteras, but currents can still be serious — the diving becomes more like mountain climbing, as you slowly pull your way down a line through the cool depths, holding on to the wrecks for dear life. And seas can turn sour any second. But these are also the hazards that earned the Outer Banks its title, “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” over 500 But time adds value to all things. Baseball years ago, making for a marine environment cards. Beer cans. Draw a stick figure today, that boasts as much it’ll be a Picasso in a colorful history as it thousand years. Take In the days does varieties of fish. a hunk of military history, soak it in a before GPS and “In the early years swirling ocean for 95% of divers wanted seven decades, and the Internet , nature will twist and artifacts,” says Bunch, sculpt that chunk of who himself recovered a community battered metal into a the U-85’s “Enigma breathtaking work of machine” — a German of diehard raw metal and eyecoding device that popping marine life. now lives in Cape history buffs Hatteras’ Graveyard of “I took a young lady grew around the Atlantic Museum. to the Dixie Arrow a “It could be anything. couple of summers these relics. Plates are popular ago,” recalls Lion’s because they have Paw captain David dates. And everything Sommers. “She said the Germans made was stamped with a it was one of the most prolific dive sites she ever encountered in terms of sea life. swastika — nuts, screws — so guys would And she was an aquarist at one of the big grab it all. It had nothing to do with liking California aquariums. But it’s also the open Nazis; they just wanted something to Atlantic, so diving here can be challenging remember their dives by.” for less-experienced divers.” In the days before GPS and the Internet, a In other words, this ain’t Club Med. Spin a community of competitive, diehard history globe and pick a famous dive destination, buffs and diving nuts grew around finding you’ll choose the Caribbean. Maybe Belize. these relics. Rogue researchers who spent Tropical locales where coral reefs and years studying blueprints and charts to crystal clarity make for clear viewing and make sure they came back with the coolest no current. In North Carolina, Morehead stuff or — if possible — perhaps even City’s the call, as calmer waters keep charter the discovery of a new wreck. Once they boats filled with freshly certified fans eager scored something good, they kept it secret. to see the U-352 — one of North Carolina’s three popular submarine dives. The two When U-Boat expert Uwe Lovas others — the U-85 and the U-701 — lie off pinpointed the U-701 in 1989, he told the Outer Banks, where sketchy weather almost no one. One jealous diver was so allows for maybe 50 trips a season, and the obsessed that he offered to pay $10,000 undersea climate brings other challenges. for a trip out there. Nobody talked. “All the times I went out to the U-85, the average visibility was 10 to 12 feet,” Until 2003, when a certain loose-lipped says revered local diver Jim Bunch, who’s lady revealed the U-701’s location.
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(252) 255-0222 “Uwe Lovas was a very smart guy to be able to keep the U-701 so secret for so long” says U-boat expert Jim Bunch. “People would fly airplanes to look for him. Finally, around 2001 a friend said, ‘I think I know.’ So we went looking. I went down first. I saw two sharks, took a couple pictures, made another dive that afternoon and never went back [laughs].” Photo: NOAA/CSI
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“Recreational divers love Hatteras because of the sharks,” says Under Pressure captain, JT Barker. “But there’s a reason they call it the ‘Graveyard of the Atlantic’ — the weather, the seas, the current. It can all change in a minute. And the deeper you go, the more challenging it gets. But if I counted the 15 minutes I spend at 300 feet as the only reason to dive, it would never be worth it. It’s the adventure. It’s the camaraderie of the group. And meeting people who are as psychologically messed up as you are [laughs].” Photo: NOAA/CSI
“The first time I dove the U-701 with Uwe it was 90% covered in sand,” says Sommers. “The only thing sticking up was the gun, the conning tower and a bit of the stern. I never took a charter there all those years. Then [Hurricane] Isabel came through and scoured her out and blew away the sand. One day somebody drove over it and said, ‘Oh, a wreck.’ And that was the beginning of the end.”
second with technology that’s five times high-def. Part of it is purely academic — when you only get a few days to make a dive, you maximize the potential data for later study — but the visual impact is equally robust. Certainly more thrilling than any textbook.
It didn’t take long for the pillaging to begin. Only instead of retrieving dinnerware, someone sawed off the periscope. The resulting outcry drew a whole different species of diver: one whose very purpose wasn’t to keep wrecks secret, but to first study them and then broadcast every detail to the world.
Walking into the A/V room of CSI’s Wanchese headquarters, Interim Director of Education, Outreach & Communication John McCord hands me what looks like a pair of plastic aviator shades, sits me down in a chair and spins it toward a five-foot TV. The screen needs every pixel for what pops out next, as a six-foot sand tiger shark swims out from behind a giant, rusty, metal hull and straight into the room.
“We had just completed our large-scale excavation of the [USS] Monitor in 2003 when that happened with the U-701,” says Joe Hoyt, Maritime Archeologist for NOAA’s Monitor Marine Sanctuary. “We were approached in conjunction with East Carolina University to see what the impact was on these U-boats and other sites. The more we looked into the resource, the more we realized there’s this amazing untold story.”
Not anymore. Enter the “Battle of
“Here, put these on.”
Beginning in summer, this 3D experience will head to the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island where the average shmoe can experience the E.M. Clark’s awesomeness, without ever wearing a Scuba tank — or even a high-tech rebreather — in what McCord hopes will be the first of many digital trips to Davey Jones’ locker. “Because, let’s they film be honest,” he says, “even most divers aren’t going to 250 feet.”
the Atlantic” project. Since 2007, a every second team of researchers from NOAA, ECU The problem? Some do. And they’re and the Outer Banks’ own Coastal with high-def protective of their deep-sea stomping Studies Institute (CSI), has been grounds. Especially when they feel like working to document what exactly technology. it’s being infringed upon. went down during those months of 1942. Gathering firsthand accounts of “That video’s pretty, but it’s not going merchant marines. Filming and photographing wrecks from to bring me or Dave any business,” says Under Pressure’s every angle. Even recruiting recreational divers to help captain, JT Barker. “I don’t trust anything the government with the research. It’s all part of a mission to record every says. The worst thing you can hear from the government is, facet of not just a rare period in North Carolina‘s wartime ‘I’m here to help you.’” past, but a confluence of world history that stretches from German bunkers in Normandy to Japanese battleships in All summer, Barker runs “six-pack” charters out of Hatteras. Micronesia’s Chuuk Lagoon. For $155 he’ll take certified divers to the Tarpon. The “The Battle of the Atlantic is part of a world war,” says Proteus. Pretty much anything inside the recreational limit ECU associate professor Nathan Richards, who serves as of 130 feet. But those trips are just a way to fund a passion Program Head of Maritime Heritage for CSI. “You have that triples that depth. Barker is aiming to dive every boat this microcosm of American and international history in the “Billy Mitchell” fleet: 11 of the most challenging sitting very close to the shore that is connected to other wrecks off our coast, some of which lie 440 feet below the archaeological sites across the planet. People around surface. the world will get more understanding as we reveal the potential of these wrecks.” “Only one guy’s completed ’em all,” Barker says. “Ken
And NOAA’s sharing their findings like never before. From an online “maritime heritage trail” that lets you tour the coast, to audio recollections of coastal residents, to dive slates with diagrams and coordinates, to hours of the most high-resolution digital footage and photography ever captured. Last summer, a National Geographic docudrama called “Hitler’s Secret Attack on America” took a million viewers along with Hoyt as he and his team searched for the last missing German sub to sink off our coast: U-576. This summer they’ll continue the search, filming every
Clayton. I’m the next closest. And I’ve got two left — the S-132 and the Virginia, both are at 390 feet.” At these depths, one tiny mistake could mean death. Planning and completing a mission can take years. But what scares Barker more than not coming back up is not being able to get down.
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“If NOAA decides to expand the Monitor sanctuary like they’re saying,” he worries, “I’ll probably be out of business inside of two years.” milepost 31 SummerAd.indd 1
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In the world of undersea conservation,
NOAA’s Monitor Marine Sanctuary stands alone. It’s the smallest — just one nautical mile in diameter, 16 miles off Cape Hatteras — and protects just one wreck: USS Monitor, the Civil War ironclad that rests 230 feet below the surface. Considering it’s the most important wreck in American naval history, it’s no surprise that the tiny sanctuary has fierce restrictions — gaining permission to dive it entails a long and not always successful permitting process. After three decades of focusing solely on the Monitor, in 2008 NOAA started asking the question: What if we expanded the sanctuary’s mission to protect these other historic sites? Only they’ve yet to say what “expansion” means. Would it cover just the most famous military wrecks — or the entire graveyard? Does increased protection mean a few mooring buoys so boats won’t tie to the wrecks — or a bunch more permits to keep them from trying? Six years later, they’ve still not answered these questions. What’s filled the void is exactly what you might expect: suspicion, worry and a lot of fear that a giant “Keep Out” sign might soon stretch for miles offshore. “I know this is frustrating for the public because NOAA’s only response has been, ‘We can’t tell you what it looks like,’” says Sanctuary Superintendent David Alberg. “It sounds like we are being evasive when, technically, we haven’t even really started.”
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But things are beginning to move. In 2013, the sanctuary’s management plan included steps to explore expansion. In February, that process began as a working group of stakeholders — members of the fishing industry, tourism reps, and, of course, divers — met for the very first time. That collective will continue to gather concerns and suggestions, weighing potential rewards and future risks, then present ideas for public comment. From there, NOAA says they will begin to have enough information to start answering questions. Until then, they’re not offering many details — just frequent assurances that a bigger sanctuary won’t decrease access. “Our primary concern is the protection of the physical resources at the bottom of the ocean from things like anchors, commercial fishing nets and artifact removal,” says Paul Ticco, NOAA’s Regional Coordinator for the Northeast and Great Lakes Region. “I think we’d all like to see increased access
for diving. And this is not a situation we’re creating out of thin air — there are examples.” The model NOAA refers to most is Lake Huron’s Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, located in Alpena, Michigan. Before they officially recognized this sunken collection of more than 50 relics in 2000, NOAA faced intense blowback from Alpena’s residents. But by 2011, the town was so pleased with the increase in tourism and awareness that the same people who once wore buttons crying, “Say no to NOAA,” were asking to expand the site even more. “From what we’ve seen from Thunder Bay, I see an amazing opportunity for coastal North Carolina,” says Alberg. “Not to keep anyone away, but to take this story to a
After three decades of focusing solely on the Monitor, now NOAA’s asking: What if we expanded? much wider audience. People who may not even be scuba divers, but who share this maritime history with all of us.” So far, the NC dive community doesn’t share the same enthusiasm. In fact, the only person we found who sounds willing to consider the idea is Bunch, who also serves on the stakeholder group. “Nobody else has stepped forward to give this amazing resource this type of recognition,” Bunch says. “So as long as it doesn’t infringe upon anyone’s rights — divers, fishermen, the public in general — and provided everyone works together to do something good, I think it’s probably a good idea.” But the rest of the diving community? They say this isn’t the Great Lakes. That the divers who are up to the Graveyard of the
Atlantic’s formidable challenges are already well aware of its amazing bounty — and the ones who aren’t should probably stick to coral reefs in the Caribbean. And while they’ll proudly state the Outer Banks has a maritime history that’s worthy of recognition, they don’t think it’s worth the risk of diving in with the feds.
Grow
Memories
“Those divers in the [Great Lakes] are looking for a walk in the park — this is more like climbing Mount Everest,” says David Sommers, the Lion’s Paw captain who helped put together a wreck symposium with Barker and others last summer. “While I’d like to believe that NOAA is as wound up about shipwrecks and their history as I am, no matter the intent, the execution will create rules, regulations and restrictions. Those rules will change over time. I don’t care what anyone promises.”
In the end, the ghost that hangs over
the Graveyard of the Atlantic isn’t Adolf Hitler. Or even Jacques Cousteau. It’s Conrad L. Wirth, the National Park Service Director who promised Cape Hatteras would stay open forever when it became federal property in 1953 — then left 60 years of successors holding on to the keys. For anyone who’s witnessed all the access nastiness of the past 15 years, just the thought of another decade of deciding what to do with a larger maritime sanctuary is enough to just say, “No.” But while that debate still seethes with anger, the main participants in this potential showdown — the divers — are showing uncanny courtesy, at least amongst themselves. Because when you spend your life clinging to the same wrecks, researching the same history and experiencing the same undersea wonders — at depths few people will ever attempt — you can’t help but develop a certain level of trust. Or at least respect.
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“I still communicate with NOAA,” says JT Barker. “I don’t hold any grudges. Me and Joe [Hoyt] have things we don’t agree on, but we get along fine; we even exchange numbers because we’re both looking for the U-576.” Likewise, Hoyt, the Maritime Archeologist for NOAA’s Monitor Marine Sanctuary, is equally aware that while every political process is turbulent, the waters here are particularly troubled.
Summer activities schedule online!
Says Lion’s Paw captain, Dave Sommers: “Whether it’s academic research or private charter, we all dive for similar reasons.” Top to bottom: CSI goes high-def; Corbett and Barker fix the prop; NOAA charts fresh territory. Photos: NOAA/CSI and LWW
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IN THE DEN OF A KITTY HAWK COTTAGE, 50 YEARS AGO, A SMALL BUSINESS OPENED THEIR DOORS.
They knew that the Outer Banks was special and that once people came, they would return, again and again… They were right. Although things have changed since 1964, the fundamentals of that business and the Outer Banks remain the same.
DIVERSE
There are many different reasons to visit the Outer Banks. Adventure seekers come to surf the best waves on the east coast, or experience world-renowned off-shore fishing or go 4x4 driving on the northern beaches. Nature lovers come to watch dolphins and birds from their balcony, or explore the sand dunes of Jockey’s Ridge, or watch the sun rise from the beach and set over the sound. Families of all types visit the area year after year to enjoy many aspects of the Outer Banks. What keeps people coming back is the diversity of this place we love. History has not changed this. Beach Realty & Construction / Kitty Hawk Rentals offers its own diversity. They realize that many different types of people visit the Outer Banks. Some will want a luxury oceanfront estate loaded with modern amenities; others prefer a simple beach cottage with only the basics. While affordability may be a reason for choosing one home or another, Kitty Hawk Rentals believes that personal preference is also a factor. This is why their inventory has always encompassed a wide variety of vacation homes. “While we uphold our vacation homes to certain standards, we value diversity in our rental portfolio. After all, our corporate motto is ‘Matching guests’ needs with quality properties”, states Jason Ward, General Manager of Kitty Hawk Rentals.
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EXCLUSIVE
The Outer Banks is exclusive. When you visit the Outer Banks for the first time, you are joining a club; a club of people who are proud to call the OBX their vacation destination; a club whose members are proud to wear OBX on their t-shirt or on the bumper of their car. Some are initiated into this club from birth as their families have visited for generations. Some, because they are adventurous and want to try a new vacation spot. The Outer Banks remains exclusive for those who choose to visit and live here. Beach Realty & Construction / Kitty Hawk Rentals is a business where employees are proud to work. Owners are happy and willing to refer their neighbors. Guests gladly share their experience with friends and family. While Beach Realty & Construction/ Kitty Hawk Rentals extends an open invitation, once you accept, you will know you are a part of something exclusive. This was the case in 1964 with only 50 vacation cottages in its inventory, and is still the case in 2014 with almost 500 homes.
Congratulations to Beach Realty & Construction / Kitty Hawk Rentals for their fifty years of success on the Outer Banks – and for remaining true to what the Outer Banks is all about.
SIMPLE
The Outer Banks is a simple place. Years ago, a two lane wooden bridge was the way to retreat to the Outer Banks. Beaches, cottages, local businesses and a few main roads were all that comprised this stretch of sand. While other beach towns have developed into high-rise hotels and boardwalks, the Outer Banks has remained simple. Now, the bridges are wider, the roads are paved, local businesses and cottages are more plentiful but the area is still, simply unspoiled. Beach Realty & Construction / Kitty Hawk Rentals, like its surroundings, has a simplistic approach to business. The nature of the relationship between customers, owners and employees is simple. When you call, someone answers. When you visit, your check-in is easy. When you allow them to care for your home, it is worry-free. When you buy or sell, the process is uncomplicated. When you build, from start to finish is effortless. You become a part of the big family that is Beach Realty & Construction / Kitty Hawk Rentals and it feels simple.
“This area has had a lot of challenges over the years,” he says. “And they have every right to be leery of the federal government. This is a community where actions speak louder than words. So we can tell them what our plans are — or aren’t — but more important will be what we actually do.” Ultimately, it’s the wrecks themselves that just might force consensus, as the more time the players on both sides of the debate dive together, the easier it will become to trust each other to Ultimately, do the right thing. For now, NOAA it’s the will continue to gather stakeholder wrecks input as they themselves prepare for public hearings in the fall. that just Until then, both private charters might and PhDs will pray for calm weather force and clear water as they continue consensus. to swim back through time to record fresh experiences — and with a little luck, maybe discover a new wreck — while embarking on adventures most of us can only imagine. “I’ve dived from Maine to Venezuela,” says Sommers, “and Hatteras is still my favorite place. Because it’s high-energy. You might see a big wreck. Or a manta ray. Or some plate that was last touched by a guy who died 100 years ago. That’s what makes it exciting: you never know what’s going to happen.” — Matt Walker
For more on diving off the Outer Banks, including descriptions of wrecks and dive footage, go to www.divehatteras.com and www.capt-jt.com. For more about NOAA’s “Battle of the Atlantic” project, and to follow the process of possible sanctuary expansion, go to www.sanctuaries.noaa.gov. For a firsthand look at artifacts, scuba gear and the U-85’s Enigma machine, visit the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras Village. And for a history lesson of how they all got there, read Kevin P. Duffus’ War Zone: World War II Off the North Carolina Coast. “You always have one wreck you want to go to, and one that’s your favorite,” says Hatteras dive mate Marc Corbett. “My favorite right now is the Lancing. It’s huge it’s with big boilers spilling out of it. But it’s hard to dive because it’s up near Diamond Shoals where the water’s usually murky or there’s lots of current. The one I want to go to is the E.M. Clark [pictured here], which is 100 feet deeper. But every day you get out, you’re really happy you did.” Photo: NOAA/CSI
Ed note: On June 5, the Expansion Working Group will present their recommendations to the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. This meeting is open to the public and will be held at the UNC Coastal Studies Institute, room 262, at 10am. milepost 35
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rearview
gosandboard
SUMMER’S LIKE HOLLYWOOD ON THE OUTER BANKS. The season when our small-town beach takes its sizzling turn in the spotlight, sporting sexy outfits and mirrored shades — all while setting up for the next entertaining display of comic drama. In honor of our red carpet time in the sun, we’ve concocted some poster-sized ball-busters saluting the various villains and heroes — tragic clowns and sit-com scenarios — all guaranteed to to keep us laughing, crying and wincing for months to come.
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Artwork: Ben Miller
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Three rules to living on the Outer Banks: Don’t call it “the OBX.” Don’t drive drunk. And don’t claim. Not about when you moved here. Or who you know. Not even about how hard you work. (Or don’t.) The less you brag, the more you fit in. But after the toughest winter in recent memory we can’t help boasting a bit about our hometown’s best attributes. Because when you think about it, we’ve got plenty to be proud of — from rippling shorelines to real waves to just more room to move around. We compiled our favorite half-dozen reasons why our Carolina corner is the East Coast’s shining oasis of summertime fun. But then you probably know this stuff already — otherwise you’d be on some other beach right now.
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Don’t hate us ‘cause we’re beautiful. Photo: Chris Bickford
E 2 SHINE Six reasons why our beach is better
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All all
Picture a paradise where no beach comes with a cover charge. Where public crossovers cut between cottages, ferries are free and the phrase “feed the meter” might as well be a foreign language. That piece of heaven is what we call home. Now imagine the exact opposite. Sounds like Hell, right? Not quite: it’s New Jersey. “By statute, towns are allowed to charge beach fees,” says Ralph Coscia, president of the Garden State’s Citizens Right to Access Beaches (CRAB). “So almost all do. Some charge $8, $9 or $10 per person. And those are the public beaches. Others are posted private or they stay inaccessible by design.” And what nasty designing it is. In Mantoloking, you’ve got two hours to park per day. (Try swapping spaces, and you’ll get a fat ticket to go with that lousy tan.) And the milepost
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access, the time.
few places that do roll out the welcome mat — like Atlantic City — still make sure they bring in some coin. Might be a $3.50-per-hour parking meter. Or a $50 private lot. Or just a $10 locker fee. (Towel-changing is also a chargeable offense.) Suddenly, our issues with the park service and private communities sound pretty paltry. Because while we may not get to Cape Point in summer — or behind the closed gates from Southern Shores to Corolla — back in the heart of town it’s basically open season. At last count, the 2004 Ocean Shoreline Public Beach Access Survey, Nags Head had 4.3 accesses and 59.6 parking spots per mile. Kitty Hawk: 3.3 and 13 slips. KDH: a whopping 6.6 paths to the beach and 124.9 places to put it in park. That doesn’t
All play, no pay. Photo: Chris Bickford
include side streets. Or the ramps down in Hatteras. Or Pea Island’s miles of sandy shoulders. You can take a 10-minute dip, 10 times a day, with 10 different families and not spend a single dime, except for filling the gas tank — and maybe a cooler. And nobody ever gets whacked just for walking over the dune line. “Ha!” laughs Coscia. “I wish. I’d say Wildwood Beach is the closest to what you describe. But they’re filled up by 10am. Otherwise, you’re looking at $100 or $200 a day for a family of four. We’ve got some nice beaches. But economically, a family from New Jersey or Pennsylvania or New York can easily take that money to the Outer Banks and have just as good or better day.” So that’s what they do. milepost 41
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BENEFITTING THE COROLLA WILD HORSE FUND
Ninety times the shoreline.
Wanna see the biggest stretch of beach on the whole Outer Banks? Look west, young waterman. Add up every nook-and-cranny of Albemarle and Pamlico sounds, and you get 8,640 miles, a bulky total that puts our Atlantic’s salty side to serious shame — while offering two distinct bodies of water to explore and enjoy.
So do all the jet-ski rentals. And parasail tours. Anything that requires a marina or a motor. Not to mention all the kiteboarders and sailboats chasing the wind. With shallow water and put-in points from Whalehead Club to Hatteras Village, it’s an ideal habitat for beach-weary water enthusiasts looking to try something new.
“What’s great is we have diverse ecosystems,” says Terri Kirby Hathaway, Marine Education Specialist for North Carolina Sea Grant. “You might see diamondback terrapins in the Pamlico — because they like brackish water — or an alligator in the Albemarle because they like it fresh. And the inlets let all sorts of creatures swim in and out. Sharks. Rays. Sea turtles. In fact, all the dolphin tours actually run inside the sounds.”
But if you really want to soak in the sound, try slowing down. A creepy kayak lets you sneak up on critters. A stand-up paddleboard adds enough altitude to see straight to the bottom. Or just take a slow walk on some secret shoreline, where our long history hides pottery shards, arrowheads and musket balls just under the surface.
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“We didn’t write Life Along the Inner Banks for people to find places to eat,” says Dr. Robert Lippson, who spent years boating from Norfolk to Key West with wife and co-author Sarah J. Lipson. “We wrote it to glorify the mudflats and sand flats. To look. To smell. To see how the wind shapes the yaupon hollies and green shrubberies. The Outer Banks is the perfect place to witness that spectacular story.” And while the same stretch of water may connect from Florida to Maine, nowhere does it sit so close to the sea for so many miles. So near, so dear, you can walk from east coast to west coast in a matter of minutes. Or see a California sunset just by turning your head. milepost 43 Your chariot awaits. Photo: Ryan Rhodes
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Wanna get high? Sorry. The Outer Banks may have lots of vices, but altitude is not one of them. Sure, our oceanfront McMansions may be getting more super-sized, but at least their fat asses don’t hog the whole beach. And if you glance around at our towns’ shared history, you’ll recognize a clear preference for trailers, flat-tops and beach boxes and zero tolerance for anything over six stories — even if we do have a fetish for stilts. “The tallest we can do for the Residential Low and Ocean Impact Residential Zones is 42 feet —50 feet in the Commercial Zone” says Greg Loy, Town Planner for Kill Devil Hills, Dare County’s densest population center.
iends in low places.
“I couldn’t tell you the tallest hotel in Dare County, but I believe Kitty Hawk’s Garden Inn is about 60 feet.” Sixty-two to be exact. By comparison, her Hilton sister in VB triples that size at more than 21 stories. Meanwhile, Myrtle Beach’s Margate Tower is 320 feet — the third tallest building in South Carolina — while Ocean City’s Century One Building pushes 350. And those are just the big boys; their neighbors are nearly as massive, ganging up like a bunch of bullies to scare people off. At least in these parts. “When you look at the surveys, visitors and residents just don’t want additional building height,” Loy continues.
“They think our lower profile is one of our most special differences. And I don’t see a great deal of budging on that.”
mention the nasty traffic implications of a thousand more hotel rooms.) But the most pressing reason is so plainly obvious, you can literally see it from miles away.
Not that developers don’t keep pushing the limits. In 2011, a special KDH committee spent roughly 10 months debating whether to add eight feet to the oceanfront roofline — before public outcry killed the issue. And this April, Duck denied the Sanderling an extra story for fear giving an inch would prompt a chain reaction.
“High rises dominate the landscape and take away from an area’s natural feel,” says beach-ranking expert, Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman. “It’s as simple as that. Besides, they block the afternoon sun — and that’s the best sun of all!”
So what’s the big deal about a few taller buildings? Well, if you think six generations of a single family can cover some sand, try tower upon tower of total strangers. (Not to
So while our neighbors can’t find an inch of daylight between chairs, we get plenty of room to spread out our beach towel — and plenty more hours to bask in the afterglow.
See foam? We can. Photo: Bryan Harvey milepost 45
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Wading’s for wimps. Don’t let Coastal Living tell you any different. Because while cover shots of tranquil seas may sell magazines, they’re no fun on the inside. Lucky for us, the same geographic factors that make the Outer Banks a punching bag for winter storms will playfully pummel your family all summer long, while you sit back and sip on a drink, or even better, jump in the water. “What makes us special is our exposure,” says Mark Willis, chief meteorologist for Surfline.com. “We stick out so far in the ocean we get swells from every direction. You usually don’t even need a storm to find something to splash around in.”
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It may be tiny. It may be windy. But at least it’s moving. And if you’re looking for a more serious challenge? “I ran a historical computer simulation for a point off of Hatteras,” Willis continues. “The chance of us getting swell over 2 feet at 7 seconds is 49% in June and 42% in July. So once every two days you’ll get something rideable. In August, it increases to 58%. And it’s 72% in September, which is when the ocean really starts to get active.” Of course, an active ocean demands constant attention. To weather. To lifeguards. And to the occasional flagpole,
4 as towns fly red banners screaming “No Swimming” if conditions grow too hazardous. But even then you can always paddle out with a fiberglass board and a leash. And that’s good news for places where lifeguards don’t patrol — or just aren’t close by — as every surfer in the lineup is a welcome goalie for clueless beachgoers who get sucked out to sea. “Significant swells and offshore winds make nice waves, but also strong rip currents,” says Nags Head’s ocean rescue captain, Chad Motz. “So we’re happy to have surfers out there for when swimmers do get in trouble.”
Luckily, there’s usually only a handful of “red flag” days from June 1st to Labor Day. The rest of the time King Neptune stands ready to slap the whole family silly. So while wave pool saps spend $50 a pop to stand elbow-to-elbow in chlorinated water and Lord knows what else — just for 90 seconds of sloppy chop and poorly piped surf tunes — our ocean breeze park cranks all summer long. No lines. No wading.
Inner tube. Photo: Matt Lusk milepost 47
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We don’t mean king crab legs. Or popcorn shrimp. And we sure as hell don’t mean frozen. When Outer Bankers order seafood, we want it three ways: fresh, cheap and overflowing with options. That’s because we’ve got not one, but two locally sourced supply chains waiting offshore. “We basically straddle the Mid-Atlantic and the Southern Atlantic regions,” says John Hadley of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. “Right off Hatteras marks the northern range of more semitropical species and the southern range of northern species. You can get vermillion snapper, but also get monkfish. And a lot of other fish in between.”
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So while Maine stakes its reputation on a single red lobster and Key West worships the conch alone, we’ve got more choices than can fit on a platter — much less on a
Charter sauce. Photo: Daniel Pullen
More-than-you-can-eat seafood.
license plate. Like tuna, friend? Here’s a whole loin. Feelin’ like flounder? Dig into these doormats. Gallons of scallops. Mounds of mahi. Plus bushels of blue crab in every stage of development from softies to sandwiches. In fact, it’s such a bottomless bounty, we simply must share.
necks in our Colington hood. And Manhattan’s finest gourmands may wear Gucci loafers, but their catch-of-the-day walks in wearing white slippers. Of course, food trucks and fishing vessels travel both ways, so always ask your server or fish store for your filet’s birth certificate. And when in doubt, stick to the species that stick closest to home.
“Every place up here says, ‘Maryland crabs,’ but there’s nowhere near the supply to meet our demand, so a lot come from the Outer Banks,” says Dan Beck, one-time Outer Banks restaurateur-turned-Annapolis seafood wholesaler. “That’s the well-known secret up here. And those fish houses in Wanchese are sending trucks up to Fulton’s fish market in New York on a daily basis in summer.”
“Crabs, oysters and southern flounder are usually locally caught,” suggests Hadley. “Our snapper/grouper fishery is outstanding. And we have a very large shrimp fishery, but so does the Gulf, so you’ll want to double-check that it’s local.”
That’s right, Maryland. Chances are the last crab cake you claimed once chewed chicken
The best way to certify seafood’s 100% homegrown? Go catch it yourself. There’s a good chance you’ll find an endless buffet of flavors to choose from. So floppin’ fresh, it’ll spoil you forever.
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Bathwater conditions.
Forget the hot sand. The hip food. Even the friendly people. There’s only one reason people flock to the Outer Banks: a refreshing ocean. With it, we’re the coolest place on the planet. Without it, we’re nothing but a skinny pile of dirt. And if you’re gonna earn your reputation by bathing strangers, the least you can do is keep the tub clean. “Last year, 240 beaches were monitored in North Carolina and 2% of the time results exceeded national safety standards,” says Angel Haren, consultant for the National Resource Defense Council. “That’s a record to be proud of. But at the same time, you can always do better.” How much better? Well, currently, we’re third out of 30 states behind New Hampshire and Delaware, both of which came
Keep it clean, baby. Photo: Ryan Rhodes
in at 1% — but both of which also have fewer than 25 testing points. On the Outer Banks, we have 66 — 58 of which had zero closures and advisory days. The bad news? That means on eight beaches water quality tanked, particularly after big storms. And it’s all part of a trend that’s pushing more people toward the coast — and the pavement and pollution that comes along with them. “Last year, there were more than 20,000 closing and advisory days nationwide,” Haren continues. “And we’ve seen those numbers be pretty consistent the past three years.” That helps explain our neighbors’ stats: Virginia, 6th place with 4% of beaches exceeding standards; Maryland, 11th place and 6%; New York, 20th place and 9%; South Carolina, 26th
place and 11%. But this is one place where states should stop competing and start teaming up, as money for water testing faces attack with each federal budget. “For over a decade, BEACH Act funding was automatic,” says Dr. Chad Nelsen, Environmental Director for the Surfrider Foundation. “But recently, we’ve been fighting year by year. We got it for 2014, and we’re already fighting for 2015. It’s like being on a hamster wheel.” And we all know what a hamster wheel smells like, right? That’s why every ocean lover should be pushing for testing — while making improvements to reduce storm water runoff. Because the quicker beach towns get rid of all that number two — the sooner we all get to be number one.
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gorelax surfing events. She prefers giving a more sedative massage and works with many prenatal women. However, no matter which therapist you see, that sedation should begin before anyone lays a hand on you. “It’s all psychosomatic, so the atmosphere, energy and setting are all very important,” says Outer Banks native Brandi Miss. “You want music that will calm the nervous system, colors and visuals that are soothing and a comfortable environment that doesn’t promote too much of one dogma or is too masculine or feminine. I use unscented, organic laundry soap and natural products that are neutral in smell and only use very specific pure oils (fractionated coconut oil and ajoba are popular) regarding people’s allergies. Basically, try to bring the outside in — lots of plants, rocks and feathers. All this promotes relaxation.” Brandi actually re-routed a degree in Philosophy to work on an herb farm in Seattle, where she found herself drawn to Asian techniques like Ashiatsu and Shiatsu, inspiring a move back East for formal schooling. After working in Chapel Hill for five years, and then the Sanderling Inn, she’s settled into a more liberating and intimate role as Mother Nurture Massage. Yowell, Miss, Reis and Markert work out the author’s kinks. Photo: Julie Dreelin
TOUCHY FEELY Are you stressed, injured or old? Even if the answer’s “no” you’re still overdue for a massage.
in the States, dismissing it as a luxury — a decadent indulgence for fat, pasty tourists. The irony is: vacations don’t generate stress, life does. Work does. Home does. Lucky for me, I’ve been living in a Shangri La of massage therapy this whole time.
Touch yourself. Go ahead, no one’s looking. Set the mood, dull your inhibitions and rub that aching shoulder. Squeeze that sore butt cheek. It feels good at first, but after about five seconds it ain’t all that, is it? That’s because you’re doing it wrong. You don’t know your body as well as you thought. You’re not trained in the art of the tactile. And, moreover, you’re not relaxed. Not completely.
“The Outer Banks isn’t the place for ‘fast food’ massage,” says Heidi Markert, a therapist of eight years who moved here from Virginia Beach. “The whole vibe is about relaxation, unlike the hustle and bustle of the city, where people fit a massage into their hour lunch break.”
In 22 years of surf travel, I’ve gotten massages all over the world: Hammam in Morocco, Pijat in Indonesia, painful ones in Samoa, mellow ones in Central and South America… If the wind was up and the sign said 25 bucks, I was down. But oddly, I’ve never received one
Heidi works primarily out of Aqua Spa in Duck, but still services some clients back in VB while lending her hands at local
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“I don’t cater to the visitor trade,” Brandi says. “I get calls from out-of-towners but refer most of them on. I have a very local clientele, with regular business hours, and do therapeutic work for people who’ve sustained an injury and are rehabilitating, or athletes like marathon runners or triathletes. I can give a nice relaxing massage, but that’s not really the work I do.” If that’s what you seek, Liza Yowell might be more your speed. A licensed therapist of 14 years with 60% local clientele, her boutique-style Bodywork By Liza space reeks of good chi; and though her business model is focused equally on skin care and other holistic remedies, Yowell knows how to address trauma — and how to prevent it. “I’m a big believer that people should get a massage at least once a month for maintenance,” she says. “People come to unwind for their vacation, but then some
people will throw out their back, let it go for a month, then say, ‘Fix me.’ It’s not always that simple; you might have to come in a few times. But sometimes I can get that knot out in one visit. And it’s cool when you see someone a month later, like, ‘Where ya been?’ And they say, ‘Oh, I haven’t needed a massage since I saw you, because you got rid of the pain.’” And with that, this guy’s ears perk up. In a desperate attempt to pull the E-brake on middle age, I’ve embraced the ugly truth: before 40, bodywork is pleasure. After 40, it’s damage control. And seeing as I spend half my life hunched over a desk and the other half getting detonated in the ocean — plus new arthritis creeping in every season — it’s almost imperative I start incorporating professional massage into my ritual. Be it Liza’s preferred Lomilomi technique or Psoas treatment, or something a little harder.
“
vacations don’t generate stress, life does. Work does. Home does.
“I’m good with people who have chronic pain or skeletal issues,” says Christina Reis, who brings eight years experience to Outer Banks Massage Therapy in Corolla. “I specialize in neuromuscular therapy, myofascial release, Swedish deep tissue… But I won’t tell somebody they need intense work if they can’t handle it. We’ll communicate. And I never do the same massage twice, expecting the same results. That’s the definition of insanity [laughs], so I change it up, tailoring my massage to the client. And you’d be surprised at the variety of clients I get: as young as seven and as old as 98.” But buyer beware: the residual effects of getting a full-body massage from any of these four attractive, good-natured young ladies go far beyond relaxation
and pain management. In fact, the comedown can be quite… psychedelic. “As soon as a client walks out of the room, you can see it in their face,” says Liza. “It’s like they’re meditating. They think they need a taxi to get home [laughs], because they’ve experienced something pretty intense that’s at least made a difference in their day.” “I’ve seen people walk out in the wrong direction, leave their keys or credit cards,” laughs Christina. “A lot of people prefer doing in-home massage specifically for that reason. They feel so relaxed they don’t even want to drive afterwards.” Many of Brandi’s clients who deal with specific injuries report that massages have helped them sleep better and feel better overall — while athletes report performance improvements the very next time after getting a massage. For Heidi, however, it’s all about the connection. “I had this sweet elderly lady who had just lost her husband,” she remembers, “and at the end, she had me crying with, ‘God bless you, sweetheart. You made me feel better than I’ve felt in a long time.’ Sometimes they just want someone to talk to. And I love people. That’s why I do what I do.” When you get right down to it, that’s what we all seek in life: Interconnectivity with something good. And beyond the myriad physiological benefits of massage — being touched just feels good. “I didn’t think I’d like touching half naked people [laughs],” finishes Liza. “But I used to work for a military contractor in Washington D.C. I just hated being chained to that desk in that environment. Then I fell in love with massage. It isn’t just about going into a room and getting touched. Massage integrates everything: mind, body, spirit, and how you feel about yourself. At the end of the day, seeing the difference I’ve made in the well-being of a person is really gratifying.” — Matt Pruett milepost 53
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OPPORTUNITY BITES
Set a course for adventure. Photo: Matt Lusk
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Sometimes the chance of a lifetime bites. Sometimes it snags. Sometimes it hooks you completely. Last summer, I scored a job as a mate on a head-boat. I figured after 15 years teaching high school science — and a lifetime of fishing — I was fully prepared for any challenges, be they awkward kids, yucky guts or the occasional screaming parent. What I didn’t expect were the potential rewards. Because when you’re not fixing blown-up reels or surgically removing hooks from various body parts, the fishing can be quite good. And when it’s not, you can always count on the company.
endnotes
vessels are popular: the cost is reasonable compared to a private fishing charter ($45$55 a person vs. $300+ to go offshore). The captains usually stay in the calm waters of the sound so land-lubbers don’t get scared or seasick. The boats provide tackle and bait; the mates even help beginners get fish off their hooks. And roomy cabins offer protection from the sun or unpredictable weather.
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“Every year we look forward to going out on the Miss Oregon Inlet,” say Wanda and Dickie Dickens from Danville, VA. “The fishing and the scenery are great, but most of all we enjoy the people and having a couple of cold ones while out on the water.”
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A “head-boat” is a fishing charter that charges “per-head” to take folks fishing — sometimes more than 50 people at one time. Driving over the bridge, they look like floating tourist traps for rookies and cheapskates. But there’s a reason these
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to accommodate wheelchairs and walkers — allowing every age and ability to join in the fun. Sounds crowded, but it’s more like a big party where everyone sees what everyone catches — be it a huge fish, a throwback boot or something in between.
“Last year, this poor kid accidently dropped his rod overboard and started crying,” recalls Miss Oregon Inlet Captain Jerry Simpson. “I felt awful for him. But the very next day we were fishing in the same area and this guy starts reeling in something big. It turns out he caught the rod. I was ecstatic. You would have thought he caught a marlin. And everyone on the boat got a good laugh.”
Head-boats offer lots of fish — and laughs — for lucky anglers. Headquartered at the historic Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, the Miss O.I. runs twice daily in summer — one four-hour trip in the morning and one in the afternoon — targeting small bottom fish such as croakers, flounder, sea mullets, trout and all sorts of “trash-fish.” Some days they’re happy to bite. Other days are a little slow. Just don’t expect to feed your whole family. Most of the customers practice catch-and-release or they give their haul away to one person who might be planning a fish fry. But you’re always sure to go home with a few keeper memories and glorious sights. The Miss O.I. fishes near “Bird Island” where thousands of feathered friends roost for the summer. Customers routinely see pods of dolphins. Sea turtles will sometimes pop their heads up for a peek. And in between, the mates have a tackle box of ways to keep kids entertained. “When anyone catches a blow-toad I inflate it like a balloon,” laughs Miss O.I. mate Mackenzie Middleton. “I hate to think about how many times I have been on Facebook with my lips on a fish.”
Closer to town, the Pirates Cove Marina has two head-boats to choose from. Like the Miss O.I, the Crystal Dawn runs two fishing trips a day. The boat is a bit more modern and can carry more passengers (around 60), but she also takes longer to get to the fishing grounds. Some people use the time to take in the scenery or climb on the top deck to catch some rays. (If it’s views you want, the Crystal Dawn also offers two-hour sunset cruises and scheduled trips to see the purple martins roost beneath the Old Mann’s Harbor Bridge.) Or for the more adventurous, Pirates Cove’s 57-foot Country Girl will take up to 27 brave anglers through Oregon Inlet to bottom fish various rock piles, wrecks and artificial reefs several miles out to sea. It’s an all-day trip, so first-timers and small children will want to back-out, but it is perfect for the more experienced angler who wants to bring home multiple dinners at a reasonable price. However, if you’re committed to coming home with a mess of fish and a greater challenge, there’s only one option — drive south and hop aboard the Miss Hatteras. “The Miss Hatteras is special,” insists Kill Devil Hills’ Carey Foster. “The fishing is a lot more engaging than most head-boats. You bait, drop, hook and catch the fish all on your own. And she offers a chance to see fish that many people don’t know exist.” One of two head-boats to run out of Oden’s Dock in Hatteras Village, she’s owned and operated by the legendary Captain Spurgeon Stowe, whose family has been fishing in this area for five generations. Stowe’s Cap’n Clam runs sound trips like the Miss O.I. and Crystal Dawn. But it’s the Miss Hatteras that really inspires more committed anglers, as she’ll spend the whole day bottom fishing out in the ocean, targeting everything from black sea bass to triggerfish to snappers to groupers. She also does king mackerel trips in the fall and private charters for large groups upon request. At times, this boat catches so many fish that it can be chaotic. But all that thrilling action makes for the experience — as well as the element of surprise.
“I see a new species of fish on every trip,” Foster continues, “and the mystery of fighting a creature from the deep offers extra excitement.” No matter which boat you choose, be prepared for a long day. While the boats provide the necessary rods, reels and bait, you must pack whatever you plan on eating and drinking, and if you’re indulging in alcohol maintain your composure (and avoid glass containers). It’s also a good idea to bring extra clothing, sunscreen, plus some old rags to wipe your hands and clean fish guts. Otherwise, all you need is some extra cash for tipping the mates. A little patience for unforeseen problems. And the willingness to share a few laughs with the folks around you. — Ashley Bahen
HOOKS, LINES AND THINKERS Miss O.I. says, “Planning ahead makes for happier head-boating.” Time trips wisely. “Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays are always less crowded in summer. Mornings are cooler. And show up a half-hour early. The sooner you’re on, the better your spot.” Maintain your cool. “Head-boats sell sodas, water and snacks, but no real food and no alcohol, so bring your own. Just make sure your cooler is small enough to fit beneath benches.”
In life, sometimes desire meets opportunity, that’s when the magic happens. Welcome to mine!
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Baited breath. “While the boats provide the necessary rods, reels and bait, you can bring your own gear; in fact, anglers who bring shrimp often have better luck.”
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Hold onto your hat. “Headwear goes overboard all the time. Most of it stays lost at sea.”
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Keep a weather eye. “Some of the smartest people ask if it rains over the water. I assure you it does. Pack accordingly.”
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Triple stuff. Photo: Julie Dreelin
Prior to 2001, Waite was a New Jersey attorney who made monthly visits to her Southern Shores getaway. When she and her husband became year-round residents, Brynn dove into interior design, decorating more than 100 vacation homes — until development hit the wall in 2007. Once more she swapped careers, testing out passions from pottery to sugared nuts before consumer demand revealed her destiny.
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SWEET IDEA
Three artisan food makers find room to go bigger — by squeezing together.
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Stop into Kitty Hawk’s Zen Pops’ storefront, you’ll find more than organic frozen popsicles; you’ll also get Good Karma Foods’ granola and Sweater Box Confections’ baked delicacies. These three local food artisans have gone from start-up ideas to supplying big chains. Now they’re looking to expand even further by squeezing together.
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“There is an intangible benefit of being under one roof beyond the cost savings,” says Zen Pops owner Crystal Swain. “We also share our experiences and bounce ideas off each other that we wouldn’t get on our own.”
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Maybe because they have such different paths to success. Chris Carroll first moved to the Outer Banks in 1993. Between killing blazes as a firefighter she cooked up desserts for a long list of restaurants like Petrozza’s, Ocean Blvd. and the Colington Café. Inspired by her grandmother, who always packed treats in sweater boxes, she started her own bakery business in 2012. Barely two years later, Sweater Box Confections is
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There are no walls, so each person can work personal magic while still sharing ideas.
“I was doing food demos at Whole Foods,” Waite recalls. “It was so clear my market was more healthy. So I stopped making brittles and switched over to granola and muffin mixes. Then I switched again and made everything vegan.”
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Most homegrown food businesses start out humble, taking root in the owner’s family kitchen. But once an entrepreneur decides to produce en masse, that cozy table starts to feel cramped. Without the capital for a commercial facility — and the courage to make a “side biz” full-time — the most worthwhile dreams can quickly crumble. That is, unless you get creative.
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Vegan Ice Cream to Whole Foods in Virginia — the very store chain that helped alter Brynn Waite’s career path. (Albeit with a few extra turns.)
providing Cheese Pennies and Lavender Shortbread Cookies to Nags Head’s newly opened Fresh Market and a host of local retailers. “Now I’m rushing to finish my website,” she admits between piling trays with biscotti. “Because when visitors leave, they still want some of the Outer Banks. And if they like what we make, we can always ship them some.” Crystal Swain’s been sending Zen Pops north long enough that fans from Virginia seek her out on vacation. But her tale actually begins back in Durham. One day her son, who is lactose intolerant, started begging her to take him out for ice cream. Crystal was so struck by the lack of options that when she moved to the Outer Banks in 2009, she started making vegan popsicles. Today, she offers as many as 10 flavors at once, from Key Lime Pie and Coconut Thai Basil to Strawberry Herb Lemonade and Watermelon Margarita with Outer Banks Sea Salt. “The idea was always to change flavors each week,” says Swain. “We might get figs from Colington or lemongrass from Wanchese. It all depends what we can source locally.” What doesn’t go in the counter cooler for sun-stroked sweetlovers either goes to a range of area restaurants or it hits the road north. In fact, Swain ships boxes of Enlightened Palate
Good Karma Foods now hits shelves from here to New York, as well as to Whole Foods stores from Raleigh to Washington DC. Last year, she made the biggest leap yet, placing a 160case shipment to China — the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce’s first Export Certificate of Origin in at least 20 years. Still, while she may be the most far-flung foodmaker on the beach right now, Brynn’s real goal is to help local residents. “My idea of going big is to be able to employ lots of people,” she asserts. Expanding staffs. Larger freezers. Extra storage. It all requires more space. So this spring, all three bizzes moved in together. Located in the same Kitty Hawk building that houses The Good Life, it’s the perfect location to draw healthy foodies. And while the shingle out front says Zen Pops, the kitchen remains a team effort. In one corner, Chris stirs up sweet batter. In the far back, Brynn hand-mixes oats. Crystal combines cold citrus and coconut. There are no walls — just see-thru shelves — so each person can work personal magic while still sharing ideas. It’s a business dynamic that can’t be beat. One that helps them take their respective arts farther than ever before, while still making a difference at home. “Every so often, a child comes in who can’t relate the taste of a strawberry popsicle to an actual strawberry,” says Crystal. “That blows my mind. So I love that we get to educate people about real food through such different niches. And to do it in such a fun way is even better.” — Dan Lewis milepost 57
fooddrink the infamous pirate Blackbeard lost his head in an authentic cutlass-slashing battle between good and evil. Or as Robert Burr, publisher of Rob’s Rum Guide and the host of the Miami Rum Festival, notes: “There’s a lot to play off there.”
Newsome, Bray, Smith and Ball: ready to bust out some booze. Photo: Chris Bickford
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Way more than you can share over a single mojito. But let’s try.
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In colonial times, rum — which is made from sugar cane or its byproduct, molasses — was cheap and plentiful along the coast. Shipped in wooden barrels, it was an important drink to seafarers because rum could purify water. (More often, it substituted for water.) In its clear, un-aged form, the taste was wretched. A well-known nickname for rum was “kill devil,” Burr says, either because it tasted so bad it would kill a devil, or it was so rough it was like being killed by the devil. We’ll settle for either.
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PIRATE SPEAKEASY
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From buccaneers to bootlegging, the Outer Banks has a long history of loving liquor. This summer, Kill Devil Rum plans to make it legit.
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The real story about Kill Devil Rum is that it hasn’t existed until now. Well, it did, but not really. Except now it does — but not quite yet.
fermented hops, either as brewers or bartenders, but the more they talked, the more the conversation turned from ales to spirits.
“It’s kind of a no-brainer to do rum here,” says Kill Devil Hills’ Scott Smith, wiping his brow after another long day of sledgehammering walls. “Turns out making it’s the easy part.”
“Rum seemed like a better fit,” Newsome explains. “It was a way to get in the front end of the distillery business instead of the tail end of the brewery business.”
Come June, Outer Banks Distilling will start making Kill Devil Rum in the heart of Manteo — Dare County’s first liquor manufacturer since Prohibition. (At least the first legal one.) And with all the Outer Banks’ indigenous demand, tourist trade and hooch-loving history, you couldn’t pick a better place for it.
Smart move considering it’s the hottest alcohol trend. According to the American Distilling Institute, just 70 U.S. craft distilleries existed in 2004. Ten years later there are 630 — make that 631, now that these four thirty-somethings incorporated.
In fact, the American tradition of bootlegging was born and perfected in the quest for rum. And, as a result, so was much of the Outer Banks most beloved allure, including ships, pirates and at least one town name. Ocracoke, after all, is where
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A few years ago, Smith and his three partners — fellow KDH’er Adam Ball and Kitty Hawk’s Matt Newsome and Kelly Bray — discussed starting a brewery. They all had some sort of experience with
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But rum’s exciting story doesn’t stop there. Burr claims it was the Molasses Act of 1733’s imposition of high taxes on molasses coming from the French West Indies — and not the tax on tea — that really inspired the American Revolution. To get around the tax, colonists became skillful smugglers, creating an underground network that included both patriots and pirates — many of whom swilled gleefully as they sailed off our shores. Rum’s local history becomes a bit groggy after the revolution. Richard Foss, author of Rum: A Global History, notes that despite little existing information about the state’s pre-Civil War rum distillers, he believes “lots of people were making it” in small quantities. “Distilling was an everyday skill,” he says, “with turpentine and wood alcohol made in high volume, and the skill of distilling one could easily be used for the other.” Anyone with a speck of entrepreneurial instinct has got to raise his or her glass to Outer Banks Distilling for making such historic lore drinkable. “It sounds to me that these guys have a really good story,” says Burr. “If they have a really good rum, that’s two legs of the stool.”
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Leave that leg to Bray. As the head distiller, he notes Kill Devil Rum will be produced in a 300-liter pot still, a traditional method that allows for more creativity and a better product. The copper and stainless steel still was custom-made in Germany. The distilling will be done in small batches, using a blend of Louisiana molasses. And while they begin by making a white rum, more variety will become available as they start to begin barrelaging: the first batches will soak in old bourbon casks for a year; ultra-premium for five to seven years. They also have plans to imbue unique Outer Banks flavors like local honey — even pecans pulled from a backyard tree. “This place will be a lab to do whatever we want,” Smith says. “We’re trying to create a brand that people here will be proud of.”
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“This place will be a lab to do whatever we want.”
But the third leg of the stool may be the trickiest of all: getting it to customers. In fact, much of the past year’s build-up went toward figuring out the legal complexities of a tightly regulated industry. By law, Outer Banks Distilling can’t pour glasses and sell cases. They supply the state, which sells to the county, which sells to the bars and liquor stores. Burr says such regulation quirks can make marketing a craft liquor challenging. But he also says the nationwide distillery boom is increasing pressure on states to eliminate the middlemen and let liquor flow directly to consumers. Still, the four partners seem to be navigating the new waters quite well. Smith says they’re working on selling online through an Internet distributor. And while visitors can’t buy bottles from them directly, they can take a tour and taste samples, at which point they’ll get maps marked with X’s for each ABC store and bar that offers the product. But first, the boys need to finish renovating their space. Located on the corner of Budleigh Street and U.S. 64/264, it was once the home of the old Board of Education
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and Davis’ Department Store. At press time the two-story, 7600-square foot behemoth was an empty husk. Nothing to show of its former life but drywall dust and stripped lumber. “You should’ve seen the ceiling,” laughs Smith. “Little staples every three inches and they all had to come out by hand.” Next, they’ll need to spruce up the inside and put in the still. Plans include an open balcony and pool table. And no Outer Banks business is complete without a souvenir shop. Look for plenty of t-shirts where the Kill Devil Rum logo will wave proudly. No eye-patches or peg legs. Just an old nautical map with the sleek, black silhouette of a bedraggled sloop. “We didn’t want to go too pirate-y,” Newsome says.
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It’s hard to see how they can go too wrong. At present, no craft distillers do business for 100 miles. There is only one North Carolina distillery that makes rum exclusively — Muddy River — and its headquarters is west of Charlotte. Otherwise, the other 13 manufacturers listed by the state ABC Commission work mostly in vodka, brandy, gin and a whole lot of moonshine whiskey.
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Ironically, Dare County’s moonshine heritage is strongest of all. During Prohibition, some of the East Coast’s most prized illegal liquor came out of East Lake and Buffalo City, flowing north on the Alligator River into speakeasies as far as New York. Still, no one at Outer Banks Distilling expresses any interest in replicating those days. “To me,” Newsome notes, “moonshine kind of loses something when you buy it over the counter.” Burr agrees. He says white lightning’s hip factor is already fading. Rum, on the other hand, is a taste on the rise. A flavor with farreaching tropical panache and a vibe that will only feel more exotic when connected to an island oasis full of modern-day pirates. “Rum is fun and rum is cool. And rum,” Burr says, “is the coast.” — Catherine Kozak milepost 59
A destination close to home.
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Life and death — setting suns and warm friends — they’re all fertile ground for future lyrics. Photo: Chris Bickford
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For Sean Olds and the Church of the Eternal, good songs flow from timeless themes and coastal scenes.
Summer parties and skinny- dips in the sound. Wet, stolen kisses beneath a star-filled sky. Bar glasses brimming with tears and hearts overflowing with woe. Stir it all in a rocky tumbler of introspection and romantic chills, and you’ll get the lyrical elixir for Sean Olds’ songwriting.
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After a 12-year spell playing mostly covers in Wilmington and Richmond, the 30-yearold Outer Banks native returned home in March 2013. That’s when he really started putting pen to paper — and tracks to tape — recording and releasing his debut CD last August, starring a ragtag lineup of players collected over a blaze of nonstop summer gigs: Jeff Miller on drums; Stephan Carbocci on bass; Jeff Carroll on keys — plus acein-the-hole Nashville pros Charlie Austin on fiddle and Ed “Muskrat” Reams on pedal steel. Titled After the Big Dark, it’s a musical concoction that’s not quite country, and just this side of folk, yet rocks and rolls every step of the way.
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“That’s the problem with my songwriting,” he says. “We have so many different influences, I can’t describe our music. The closest thing I would say is Americana.” A better description might be “Carolina-cana” — or even “the Albemarle sound” — as he paints a world where wooded adventures butt right up to the shoreline and troubles crash into town like an afternoon thunderstorm. We sat down with Sean as he prepared for another summer of electric live shows — and put the final touches on the band’s brand new CD, Wider than the Sky.
MILEPOST: What was it like growing up playing here? SEAN OLDS: What’s funny is I never played growing up here. I took guitar lessons from Joe Mapp in high school, but I quit after a couple of months. I guess I’ve never been a great learner from other people [laughs]. Then when I got to college, a lot of people in my dorm played, so I started this horrible, ramshackle group. That’s actually when I wrote my first song. And a lot of the music on After the Big Dark came from my last couple years in Virginia. I was working a lot. I broke up with my girlfriend. I barely knew anyone. It was a pretty tough time. But a lot of my imagery draws from coastal Carolina when I was younger. I grew up right on the sound. We were barefoot all the time, making tree forts and fixing piers after hurricanes. It was awesome. So when I moved back here, all that just sort of came out. I wrote like eight songs at once. But I
It is a pretty amazing lineup. And it seems like a full melting pot of influences. We’re all totally different. I think when people hear we have a fiddle player they go, “Oh, bluegrass!” but Charlie loves to play anything. Muskrat knows the whole country vein, back-and forth. Stephan grew up in Brooklyn and was a jazz/bluegrass upright bass player. Jeff is the X-factor, because he was a full prog-rock, metal drummer. But we all get along great. And I don’t have to tell anyone what to do. I’ll write a song and put it to them, and we all figure it out: Is it recording worthy? Maybe. Maybe not.
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Do they ever shine anything outright? Oh yeah. Charlie, especially. He’ll say straight up, “That’s not a very good song.” [Laughs] And I respect his opinion because he’s such a professional. He spent years playing with so many great country acts. But he also hated “Diggin’ Out West” at first. And once it became a collaborative effort, it turned into one of our favorites. That song’s interesting because so many artists do try to make it big in California. Is it autobiographical at all? Not for me. But I’ve had a lot of friends who’ve moved to Southern California to try and reinvent themselves. One’s a guy I never heard from again. He always called Wilmington “the city of pirates and lost boys and mermaids.” And the Outer Banks is the exact same way, really. I’ve had friends from here move away and never come back. Others stick around forever. And I always wonder: which one of those am I? That’s the thing about lyric-based music — it’s so personal. You have to really bare your soul to do it well. Is that scary sometimes? It can be. You just have to be confident with what you’re doing. But it is kind of crazy because you have some feeling that’s yours and suddenly it’s not yours anymore. And it’s tough, too, because you’re writing
he paints a world where troubles crash into town like an afternoon thunderstorm.
about girls you’re with — or girls who broke your heart. But I feel like I’m pretty good at writing stuff about change and growing up. And that’s what a lot of this new album’s songs are about: that transition. Like right now, I’m in between my twenties and thirties. I still feel like I’m young, where I can go out and have a good time all night long — but really, I want to go to bed and read a book, get up early with some coffee and write some more.
THANK YOU to the first person who tried an OYSTER!
At least you’re disciplined. Lots of bands don’t ever write their own music — much less record two albums in two years. Am I disciplined? I don’t know. I probably write three or four songs a week… and two or three are total crap. But you have to write. You have to. Because if you stop writing, well, then you just stop. But I know what I’m good at, the range I should sing in and where I belong. Because you also have to ask yourself: What subjects am I the right person to write about — and what’s offlimits? So, what’s off-limits? Well, politics for one. Religion’s another. Really, the older I get the more I realize it’s a waste of time to exert my opinions on anything but my music, the people around me, love or pain and stuff that I feel. I‘ve also got a five-year-old who doesn’t live near me, which is tough. That creates a lot of emotion. So I guess happy songs are off-limits, too. [laughs] I try to write ‘em, I do! They just come off way too poppy. But I’m trying to get a little grittier and more energetic in the studio. Because we’re super energetic live, and I don’t want the CD to come off like, “Awww, this guy’s so sad. What’s wrong?” — Leo Gibson
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HANDY fooddrink MAN
Will Morgan turns vintage finds and hard labor into fresh works of art. Spot Will Morgan at work and you might mistake him for a local landscaper. Or maybe a handyman. Shirtless and sweaty, he toils behind the Seagreen Gallery, tilling soil and hauling hunks of wood. Catch him carrying the right chunk of metal, and you might think he’s scrapping cars for cash. But start looking deeper, and you’ll realize this is no mere manual labor, as Morgan transforms each castaway object into a fresh amalgam of artistic expression.
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“That’s the cool part about working around here,” Morgan says with a shy smile. “I feel free to explore and experiment and come up with new things — the wackier the better.”
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Outside, cases of old wine bottles become six-foot translucent walls, while a head-high wave built from old beach fencing pitches across an organic garden. Inside, marine artifacts spring to life in the form of clocks, barnacled buoys become light fixtures. Walls squirm with fish made from wrenches, bolts and old doorknobs fused together. No job is too big or too small. If he sees potential in some poor old object, he’ll find a way to coax it out. And if he doesn’t know just what to do, he’ll learn.
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“This year’s project is welding,” says Will’s cousin, Lauren Evans, who manages the gallery and its artists. “Last year it was electricity. You’d hear him yell out the back and know he had shocked himself. But it was worth it; he makes the most beautiful lamps.”
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“Out back” is where you’ll find Will most often. He’ll bang around between the yard, the parking lot and his workshop, breathing new life into the salvaged objects — pieces of old furniture, musical instruments, auto parts and lots of reclaimed wood. If it doesn’t come from a barn, or the beach, you can bet it springs from an estate sale or flea market. Perhaps even the side of the road.
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“We pick things up everywhere, my family has always had a knack for that,” says Will, who proudly comes from a clan of photographers and artists. “My dad grew up on a sevengeneration farm in Gates County, so we’ve got barns full of wood that was milled 40 to 50 years ago. It’s amazing that we’re able to work with it; you can’t go buy materials like that at Lowe’s.”
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Still, Morgan admits he didn’t always have such a fondness for vintage goods. As a teenager, he remembers wishing his living room was a little less “well-loved.” (“I was like, ‘Can’t we just get a leather couch and a big-screen TV like
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This year’s remodel. Photo: Chris Hannant
everyone else?”.) But with time, the funky furniture from his childhood grew on him. All it needed was the right catalyst to turn creative.
the gallery with her husband, Phil Morgan, in 2011. “The whole building is about repurposing. We basically had to gut it and start from scratch.”
“I’ve really gotten into refurbishing furniture and repurposing things ever since we opened the business,” says Morgan. “I have a real appreciation for it now.”
Then the whole family combined forces to revitalize the structure and fill it with life. Three years later, it’s an emerald treasure box packed with repurposed efforts by local talents. Susan even makes the popular sea glass mirrors. But Will never put down his tools. For him, the building remains a work in progress — an extreme makeover he can’t stop making over.
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The south wall alone is a testament to his ceaseless tinkering.
But Will’s greatest work of art may be the building itself. Just a few years ago, Seagreen Gallery was called “Walt Gray’s World of Musicana” — the latest and last incarnation of the Gray family’s iconic Nags Head department store. Originally built in 1948, for most of the 21st century it sat blue and lifeless, a Beach Road fixture frozen in time. Full of character but rapidly decaying. “Once it went up for sale, we knew this place was it,” says Will’s mom, photographer/artist Susan Evans, who bought
The south wall alone is a testament to his ceaseless tinkering, a mixed media mural of sculpture, paint and plaster. A rainbow fence runs into a row of antique doors then blends into a wave of license plates crashing beneath a sun of street reflectors and emptying into a fountain full of water (and soon to be fish). None of it’s planned — or even consistent — but somehow it still flows together. Even if it never actually stops. “It’s super random,” he admits. “But that’s how I work: I see a niche and just start working with my hands, figuring it out. I just hope it looks good in the end.” — Hannah Bunn milepost 63
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gosurf outthere gohunt rearview BASED ON A TRUE STORY…
Yesterday, I dug inside my ear and pried out a small, stubborn nugget of what looked like sand but, upon further analysis, proved to be a fossil ball crammed with petrified summer memories. Seashell fragments and sodden sea oats. Fiberglass filaments in resinous amber. Sunburst pebbles from an old Morey Boogie. And one scrap of Velcro that long lost its fuzz. Sea foam. Beer foam. Cooler foam. Board foam. The faded shade of adolescent lipstick. Echoes of shouting parents, whistling lifeguards and the sulfurous residue of forty-plus Fourths of July. Literally layer upon layer of leftover beach days. All caked in a crust of saline and Coppertone, packed hard by the pressure of several thousand shorebreak flips. And at the very core, microscopic remnants of rusty beach fencing wired ‘round a piece of pail plastic, and a single molecule of the purest 2pm sunlight. All of it living in a tiny stalactite — no bigger than a fingernail — hanging on the edge of my Eustachian tube. Just imagine what’s collected inside my head. — C. White
Artwork: Fay Davis Edwards
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upfront soundcheck getactive startingpoint Y’all ready to Rock the Cape?! On Fri. May 30, Dare County Arts Council’s annual fundraiser returns to Avon’s Koru Beach Klub with tunes by Eddy and the Riptides, Jayne Doe, Cashmere Jungle Lords and — dang, right! — Southern Culture On The Skids. From 4-10pm, you get artists, raffles plus a live painting and “tagging” demo with toon titan Chris Kemp — all to benefit the Community Music School. Tix are $12 in advance, $18 at the door. Learn more at www. darearts.org. • The party plays on at Koru every Thurs. night, from June 12 (Spiritual Rez) to Aug. 28 (The Embers) — plus the Avon Luau hulas each Tues., June 3-Aug. 26, and Wed.’s Teen Night howls June 11-Aug. 13. (Full sched at www.koruvillage.com.) And with the recently purchased Avon Pier and freshly opened Pangea Tavern, it’s the perfect place to take part in the 3rd Annual Shore Break 5K and Tide Pool Fun Run Memorial Day 5K to benefit Hatteras Island Youth Foundation. Register at www. hatterasyouth.com. • There’s no lack of Hatteras haps this summer. May 23-26, Robert August goes searching for — what else? — Waves, as he narrates Real Watersports’ Endless Summer Weekend. Then, May 31- June 6, the Triple S Invitational dangles a $40k purse to draw the world’s 40 best kiteboarders for daily competition — and nightly parties with fans.
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Surf, slick or slide over to www. realwatersports.com for more. • Just down the road, Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station’s Summer Programs run June 2-Aug. 29 — offering everything from coast guard drills to Nights in Rodanthe gossip to maritime word games — all culminating with Aug. 7’s 9th Annual American Heroes Day to honor our rich lifesaving history. More at www. chicamacomico.net. • Hungry? The Hatteras Fire Station and Avon Fire Station both fry fish to raise dough for local charities and churches, every Sat. night, June 7-Aug. 30, 5-7pm. More at www.outerbanks.org. • And the Hatteras Island Art Show stocks the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Center with a spectrum of Outer Banks artists selling candles, photography, soaps, jewelry and more to raise green for Hatteras Island Meals, the Fessenden Center and others: May 26 (10am-5pm); July 3 (10am-5pm); Aug. 29 (10am-5pm); Aug. 30 (10am-4pm). Catch up at www.spinfinitedesigns.com. • You can’t keep a good art community down south. Kitty Hawk’s Jelly Fish Lounge will draw creative types at 5pm every Thurs., May 29-Sept. 25. And in KDH, Brew & Arts in the Beer Garden serves a sampler of tasty talents behind the Outer Banks Brewing Station. Kicks off May 31, 12-6pm, before going twice monthly on Mon., 3-9pm: June 9, 23; July 7, 21; Aug. 4, 18. Keep tabs on both events by
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Outer Banks Event Site // 6906 S. Croatan Hwy, Nags Head, NC 27959
Duck face meets camel walk. SCOTS rock Avon on May 30. Photo: Daniel Pullen
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following Facebook. • Dig beach sports — or just svelte bodies? You’ll be all over the EVP Outer Banks Pro Volleyball Tournament at Jennette’s Pier, May 31-June 1, as extreme talents of both sexes set, spike and sport skinny attire for a $4000 purse. Peep www. evptour.com for deets. • Longtime proponent of nude selfies Glenn Eure is keeping things tasteful this summer as the Ghost Fleet Gallery hosts Jackie Zagon and Elliot Susser’s sculpture show, My Old Neighborhood, June 1- 30. Reception’s June 8, 2-4pm. More at www.glenneure.com. • Think that’s a crack-up? Outer Banks Comedy Club’s summer streak runs almost every weekend, starting with San Fran comic champ Bengt Washburn (May 28-29) all the way to US troop favorite Mark Riccadonna (Aug. 12-15). Get a full list at www. comedyclubobx.com. • And The Lost Colony’s 77-year marathon continues May 29Aug. 22 — including three “Dare Nights” where a local ID and food pantry donation pay your way in ( June 6, 13, 20). But wait! There’s more, as the Made In Carolina Festival serves up local crafts, cuisine and the Red Clay Ramblers with Molasses Creek on June 29. And the Live at the Waterside Concert Series rocks the fort with 1964 ( June 15), Lovin’ Spoonful ( July 20), Jars of Clay (Aug. 3) and Marty Stuart & The Fabulous Superlatives (Aug. 17). Tix and times at www. thelostcolony.org. • “I think we’re gonna hurl… a keg!” That’s right, beer nuts, on Sept. 6, the First Annual Outer Banks BrewTäg will pit 25 teams in a challenge to see who can fire their 15.5-gallon silver barrel farthest before an audience of crazy spectators, cool bands and craft breweries. Wanna compete? Go to www. obxbrewtag.com and read all the rules (there’s a lot) then sign-up by June 1. $100 per team helps benefit the Rogallo Foundation, which supports and stimulates research in the science of gliding and soaring flight. • Speaking of Frank, June 7-8 fly up to Jockey’s Ridge for the 32nd Annual Rogallo Kite Festival’s fluttering tribute to the NASA scientist and inventor of the flexible wing. And if you’re a real dune hugger, you’ll bookend the summer with two sandy soirees: Jockey’s Ridge’s 39th Birthday on May 31 and Aug. 30’s Celebration of Carolista Baum — both hosted by Friends of Jockey’s Ridge. More
at www.kittyhawk.com. • We’ll be running a lot this summer — to the beach, to the bar, maybe after a few girls — but for the lunatics who actually enjoy two-footed exercise, there’s plenty to speed after. On June 4, celebrate National Running Day at Southern Shores Marketplace (Call 252 -489-8239 to register). June 18 is the Outer Bank Sunrise 5k and Little Crab Crawl; June 26 is the Sunset 5k and Pig Pickin’ — both at Jennette’s Pier. Nags Head’s Running of the Village 5k Series sprints every Thurs., 7am, July 10-Aug. 2 and Corolla’s Lighthouse 5k Series bolts each Wed., July 9-Aug. 20. Click over to www. runcations.com for a series of sweaty options, including three Run Swim Run events. • Wanna get more than just footloose? Boogie over to Storm the Beach on June 15 as big teams tackle major obstacles, getting down and dirty in distances from fun runs to 5k. More at www.stormthebeach.org. • And June 21-22, the OBX Tri Fest entertains the whole family with “retro races” and “splash dashes” for ages seven and up, with a portion of proceeds going to help GoFar. More at www. outerbanks.org. • Tri what? Try fishing! Start June 14, as everyone from groms to grannies gathers for Jennette’s Pier’s Fourth Annual Family Fishing Tournament. (Times and prices at www.jennettespier.net.) But June 18 is strictly for kids as every pier from Kitty Hawk to South Nags Head joins forces for the Fritz Boyden Annual Youth Fishing Tournament — letting more than 400 kids fish for free (and a shot at two trophies). Divisions and details at www.ncbbaonline.com. • Get that handmade, bottle-cap pescado you’ve been angling for — or a bonafide masterpiece from a national name — when the 13th Annual Arts Festival under the Oaks strikes the The Whalehead Club, June 18-19. (Free admission; $5 parking goes to help preservation efforts.) Plus, tunes flow for the Tuesday Night Concert Series, Wednesday Wine Festivals pour on the vino and plenty more options await at Currituck’s most historic hunting club. More at www.visitwhalehead. com. • Talk about an affordable health care act. On June 5, 9am-12pm, the Outer Banks Hospital’s Health Coach is providing free wellness check-ups at Southern Shores Marketplace. (Call 252-449-4500 to make your appointment.) And June 12, 7pm, OBH shows the ultimate skin flick: “Love the Sun,
Waterside Theatre • Roanoke Island • Manteo, NC May 30 • August 22, 2014 • 8:00 PM (Nightly except Sunday) Mondays, Kids are Free - Special curtain time 7:30 PM Purchase Tickets by Phone (252) 473-6000 or Online www.thelostcolony.org
—————— VIP TICKET —————— With our VIP package, you get it all…and at a BIG discount. For $40 (a $50 value) you get premium seating, guided backstage tour, souvenir program, collectable lanyard, rain insurance and a special secret gift. $40 Adults and $25 Children. (Additional discounts do not apply)
———— CHARACTER DINNERS ———— Meet the cast for dinner before the show! Enjoy a buffet dinner, mingle with cast members, dress up in costumes, enjoy the sunset on the sound, take a special backstage tour and enjoy the show. $50 Adults and $28 Children. Tuesday and Wednesday nights only.
————— CHILDREN’S SHOW ————— How I Became a Pirate Book, Music and Lyrics by Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman Based upon the book “How I Became a Pirate”. Written by Melinda Long and Illustrated by David Shannon. Performed by members of The Lost Colony company in the air conditioned comfort of the Sound Stage Theatre. Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2:00 pm (From June 17 – August 13) All tickets are $10 plus tax. Sponsored by Outer Banks ACE Hardware
Visit our website at www.thelostcolony.org
for additional information and more exciting events throughout the year.
THE BEST FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT ON THE OUTER BANKS!
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endnotes Love Your Skin More” where Dr. Demetri Poulis answers questions between bites of popcorn. Call 252-449-8265 to register. Can’t make it? Visit www.theobh.com and watch the clip at home once it premieres. • All aboard! Join the NC Coastal Federation on a Boat the Bay through local estuaries every Thurs., June-Aug., 9-11am — and meet (but not necessarily eat) its many inhabitants. For deets call 252-473-1607 or visit www.nccoast.org. • Ride a board! June 20 marks the biggest day in slacktivism: International Surfing Day. Just pick up some trash, eat a Boar’s Head hot dog and maybe ride a wave out at Nags Head’s Bonnett Street Access. (Starts at 6pm). And for a more fast-paced adventure, be at the KDH Bath House on July 26, as the 21st Annual Surfrider Paddle Race raises scholarship money with a one-mile sprint for all ages, genders and vehicular persuasions. (9am registration; 10am start time.) More at outerbanks.surfrider.org. • Super competitive? Just super stoked? You got three choices. On
June 21, O’Neill’s Annual Grom Prix at Avon’s Hatteras Island Boardsports lets 15-and-under wonders fight for a spot in Wrightsville’s Sweetwater Pro-Am. (More at www.hatterasislandboardsports.com.) On July 9 Hurley’s Surf and Enjoy Tour lets Rob Machado and Carissa Moore push newbies into waves while the big kids do battle — and everyone enters for a free a trip to Cali’s 2014 Hurley Pro. (Call Whalebone Surf Shop at 252-441-6747.) And Aug. 15-16 is the two-day window for Rip Curl’s GromSearch at Jennette’s Pier, where the victors advance to the national contest — and a possible shot at competing Down Under. Do your didgeridoo diligence at www.ripcurl.com. • Heybattaswing! The Outer Banks Daredevils baseball season runs May 26-Aug. 13. For $5 you can cheer college athletes as they knock homers all evening. (Instead of jeering college kids that strike out all night.) More at www.outerbanksdaredevils. com. • There’s no way to miss Fourth of July this year as fireworks fly over every coastal
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corner, from Currituck’s Independence Day Celebration at the Whalehead Club (www. visitwhalehead.com) to Avon Pier, Nags Head Pier and (that’s right) even KDH’s Avalon Pier will go pop after dark. Post up early to beat the traffic. Times and viewing options blow up at www.outerbanks.org. • Meanwhile, over in Manteo, Island Farm’s Independence Day 1850 is a vintage find of musket-fire, games and a reading of the Declaration of Independence. (Find deets at www. theislandfarm.com.) And Roanoke Island Festival Park’s perennial patriotic display promises the USAF Heritage of America’s 40-piece band and full-on pyrotechnics. More at www.townofmanteo.com. • Festival Park keeps firing all summer thanks to Brew Thru’s Concert Series (see Page 14) plus children’s plays like Hansel and Gretel ( June 18-20); You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown ( July 1-3); The Little Prince ( July 16-18); and Don Quixote ( July 23-25). $5 tix; 10:30am show times. Learn more at www.roanokeisland.com. • Gotta keep little kids entertained, right? That’s why Children at Play’s Movies on the Sound
goes mobile this summer. Nags Head’s Outer Banks Event Site introduces tykes to The Goonies ( June 6), Monsters University ( June 20), Harry Potter ( June 20) and Mary Poppins ( June 27). Duck Town Green assembles The Little Mermaid ( July 11), The Lego Movie ( July 18), Smurfs 2 ( July 25) and the Iron Giant (Aug. 1). And Manteo’s College of the Albemarle does Despicable Me (Aug. 8), Karate Kid (Aug. 15), Frozen (Aug. 22) and Peter Pan (Aug. 29). Nags Head charges $10 a car; others are free. Times and details at www.childrenatplayobx.com. • Or tickle ‘em pink with KDH Co-Op Art Gallery’s classes: Watercolor Workshop ( June 23-27); Creativity Studio for Teens & Tweens ( July 7-11); Oceans, Beaches and Creatures of the Deep, ( July 28-Aug.1); and Birds, Bugs and Flying Things (Aug. 11-15) — plus Afternoon Craft Workshops on select Thurs. afternoons. Call 252-441-9888 to learn more. • Grow some memories at Manteo’s Elizabethan Gardens every week, June 10-Aug. 21, as wee ones enjoy Minty Tuesdays, (2-3pm), Storybook Wednesdays (10-11am) and
13th Annual
gokite BY THE
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Under the Oaks at
graphiccontent June 18, 2014 10-6 pm June 19, 2014 10-5 pm
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Celebrate Art with scores of nationally acclaimed artists under our
magnificent Live Oaks on the shores of Currituck Sound. Enjoy music, outthere local food and drinks, children’s activities and much more! FREE Admission. $5 parking donation requested for Whalehead Preservation Trust.
gohunt For more information call 252-453-9040 or visit online www.visitwhalehead.com
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Rock The Cape Festival Spiritual Rez Badsh - ATOTRIBUTE SUBLIME WEEKLY EVENTS Holy Ghost Tent Revival AVON LUAU Fireworks at Avon Pier & Live Music TUESDAYS 6PM Ultimate Eagles On the Border - Tribute Band TEEN NIGHT WEDNESDAYS 8PM The Original Wailers Hackensaw Boys Tickets can be purchased Band of Oz at the Beach Klub, Koru Village, & online at brownpapertickets.com The Alchemystics Proverbial LIVE from Milepost 55.5, Avon, North Carolina Carbon Leaf KoruVillage.com | 252-995-3125 (Koru Village) 252-995-0285 (Beach Klub) The Embers
Thurs.’ Tea With The Queen (3-5pm), plus Tues. and Thurs. performances of A Peter Rabbit Tale, 9:30-10:15am. Visit www. elizabethangardens.org for pricing and more events. • “Aaaahh!....” Roanoke Island Aquarium’s Dinosaurs! exhibit lets life-sized “terrible lizards” roam the grounds all summer. Meanwhile, the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation (STAR) Center displays a cuddly partnership with the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles so folks can watch staff and volunteers work with cute, widdle patients (awww). Both are free with park admission. More at www.ncaquariums.com. • The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is full of animal interaction opportunities — from bears to birds to bats to butterflies — in vehicles from canoes to kayaks to trams to vans. With Red Wolf Howlings and Young Naturalist Programs, it’s the funnest and often free-est way to get firsthand looks at indigenous critters. Call 252-216-9464 to reserve spots. • And when all else fails, perch up at the Black Pelican any Fri. or Sat. and be amazed as Stanley The Magician
Star-spangled dangle. Post up early July 4; you’ll see way more than fireworks. Photo: JP Sousa
makes frowns disappear. • And you gotta keep the big kids entertained, right? Try a nice deck tour. Start in Corolla by toasting Mike Dianna’s Grill Room’s 10th Anniversary with free concerts on the tenth of each month — Tom Principato plays June 10 and Austin, TX’s, Wild Child makes a special delivery on Aug. 8. More at www.grillroomobx.com. • Flock south to Duck as the Blue Point celebrates its 25th birthday with outdoor music every Wed.– Sat. (Details at www.thebluepoint.com.) And Sweet T’s offers three musical flavors: the Yacht Dogs on Sun. (7-10pm), the Three Amigos on Thurs. (6-9pm) and Sean Olds on Fri. (5-7pm.) Visit www.sweet-ts-duck.com for updates and other specials. • Run down to Kitty Hawk’s Rundown Café for a chorus of coastal crooners, Wed.-Sat, 6-9pm. More at www.rundowncafe.com. • Wine your way west, as Jarvisburg’s Sanctuary Vineyards hosts Acoustic Sunsets every Thurs., with live music and free tastings 5:30-8:30pm. Well-behaved pets welcome. Deets at www. sanctuaryvineyards.com. • And the Sky Blue Summer Concert Series expands Hatteras
Thursday, September 4th, 2014 11 am to 7 pm Come pig out on delicious BBQ, local wines, craft beer, art and music.
For more information visit online www.WineAndSwineOBX.com Signature Sponsors:
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endnotes works by 26 artists reflects infinite love for our coastal home. Gallery is located inside Festival Island’s audio horizons at Real every Mon., Thurs., Fri and Sat. Full list at www.realwatersports. Park and open daily, 9am-5pm. • The maritime wonders never cease at Hatteras Village’s com. • Wanna rage late night? Hit the Port O’Call for surf punk (Eddy and The Riptides; June 12 and Aug. 21), Celtic punk (Hey, Hey Hooligan; June 13-14) and a three-day psychedelic haze Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. On June 24, the History Center’s assistant curator (and our respectable rag’s resident historian) Sarah Downing discusses the mystery of the Carroll A. of The Kind ( June 20, 21, 23). More at www.obxportocall.com. • Kelly’s steps high with John Brown’s Body and Session Rockers on June 22, Collie Buddz on July 10 and Tribal Seeds with Deering — a five-masted “ghost ship” schooner found on Diamond Shoals with no signs of life. (Advance registration preferred, 252-986-2995.) On June 17, WWII buff and author Jim Bunch New Kingston & The Expanders on Aug. 20 — plus more acts each and every week. Get the reveals every secret of his favorite sub, the U-85. On July 8, John Hairr explains San Ciriaco: The sched at www.kellysrestaurant.com. • And on June 14, The Pit flashes back two decades with a Infamous Hurricane of 1899; and Mexecono Reunion starring Chris on Aug. 19, the Island Art of Kim Campbell in the kitchen — plus Mosher is a first-person account Version and the Lonely Teardrops from a most vibrant artist. For more on stage. And June 21, it’s a 20th presentations and illuminating yearbirthday party with Endless round displays, visit www. Summer followed by Cha Cha ncmaritimemuseums.com. • Back on Cadillac and Grant Austin Taylor. the beach, the 36th Annual Wright More at www.pitsurf.com. • Then Kite Festival salutes our aviation flash forward 20 years when Bad past with a weekend of billowing Bean Baja Grill and Moms Sweet color, July 19-20. From 10am-4pm Shop draw a newer, hipper crowd of learn how to fly stunt and power local stereotypes with the Hound kites from experts or just float your Dogs Family Band ( June 7, July 12, own. Entrance is $4 for ages 17 and Aug. 9) and Zack Mexico ( June 28, up; otherwise, it’s completely free. July 26 and Aug. 30). • Beat it over to No strings attached. More at www. Barnes Street beach access for each kittyhawk.com. • Haul butt to help month’s 6:30pm meeting of the local causes when the OBX Sandbar Outer Banks Drum Circle: June 28, 5k runs past Kitty Hawk’s Old July 26, and Aug. 23. • And fans of Station Aug. 3 to benefit the Outer cheap, good music will enjoy Thurs. Banks Relief Foundation. More at night’s Concert in the Duck Town www.outerbanksrelieffoundation. Park, where acts like Jug Tucker com. • Then dash back down to Nags ( July 17), Holy Ghost Tent Revival Head on Aug. 7 for the 8th Annual ( July 24) and Violent Mae (Aug. 14) Watermelon Festival’s super sweet all play for nothing. Get a band combo of splash tanks, bouncysched and more weekly freebies — houses and seed-spitting contests to like Tues. morning tantric courtesy of Chris Updegrave brings “Carmageddon” and more high-impact images to DCAC Arts Gallery on Aug. 1. help Wright Flight of NC — a nonDuck Village Yoga — at www. profit that rewards good grades with airplane rides. More at www.kittyhawk.com. • We interrupt townofduck.com. • The Manteo fun flows on July 6 as OBX Swim Club hosts the 2nd Annual this series of shameless plugs to bring you a Supermoon. On Aug. 10, the full moon comes Open Water Swim — and adds a stand-up paddleboard race — at the Ol’ Swimming Hole. closest to the earth making the lunar disk look bigger than ever. Start peering east after sunset More at www.outerbanks.org. • And they keep flowing each week, as Tuesday in Manteo mix and you’re sure to crack a smile. • Aug. 11-15 you’re sure to bust a move, as Slickstock come to arts, entertainment and children’s activities downtown and a “Brew University” for adults at Full Moon Brewery. Come back with your doggie each second Thurs. as Pints for Pups puts 10% off Real’s waterfront stage with five nights of music and headliner Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Mix Master Mike of the Beastie Boys. More at www.realwatersports.com. • Aug. 13-15, 80 artists your food purchase, and a dollar of every ale, toward the SPCA. Fetch dates, times and more from Vermont to Florida invade Manteo for the New World Festival of the Arts, Aug. 13-15. shelter-supporting events at www.obxspca.org. • And then there’s First Friday, Downtown More at www.townofmanteo.com. • “I was here first!” That’s right, on Aug. 18, the Virginia Dare Manteo’s monthly foray into later shopping and local culture — including Dare County Arts Faire celebrates the birth of America’s first little sister — and the New World’s first English-born Council’s receptions for featured artists: Rick Cocke ( June 6), Robin York ( July 4) and photog child — with field games, red face painting and free sugar. Starts at 10am on the grounds of Ft. Chris Updegrave (Aug. 1). The party runs 6-8pm; the art hangs out all month. Get artist profiles Raleigh National Historic Site. More at www.outerbanks.org. • The party continues that and all workshops and classes — like Fay Davis Edwards’ Watercolor Painting and Terrific evening with a special performance of The Lost Colony where local infants take turns playing Tuesday Story Time — by visiting www.darearts.org. • Pop next door to Downtown Books — baby. Would-be stage moms can stay tuned to www.thelostcolony.org for audition dates. (Maybe or up to Duck’s Cottage — for a literary mother lode of book signings. In Manteo, meet Google ‘child star trainwrecks’ while you’re at it.) • And there’s no way we’re leaving without photographer Bruce Roberts ( June 6, 5-8pm), mystery woman Kathryn O’Sullivan ( July, hitting the beach — twice — as Jennette’s Pier caps the summer with two more surfing events. 1-4pm), children’s thrillers Suzanne Tate and James Melvin ( July 10, 2-4pm), maritime expert Kevin Duffus ( July 17, 2-5pm) and sea glass hunter Richard LaMotte (Aug. 14). In Duck, it’s On Aug. 23, 9am-1pm, it’s Surfing For Autism, the annual feel-good event that gives kids O’Sullivan on June 30, Duffus on July 18, LaMotte on Aug. 15. And July’s the time to Find with special needs and their families a special weekend at the beach. (To volunteer or help Waldo! as the red-striped rogue hides inside businesses in both Duck and Manteo. More at sponsor visit www.surfingforautism.com — and support the fundraiser at Trio in Kitty Hawk www.duckscottage.com. • While you’re in Manteo, don’t miss the Outer Banks History Center’s on Aug. 9.) Then, the WRV Outer Banks Pro does Labor Day Weekend right by cutting 25th anniversary exhibit — An Eye for Art, A Heart for History — this lively display of 45 loose with a four-day shred-fest, Aug. 29-Sept. 1.
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Open Year Round • Serving Lunch & Dinner
9.5 It's ALL Good! Milepost 9.5 • Highway 158 in KDH • 252.441.7889 • MamaKwans.com
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We are WIDE opEn for Lunch & Dinner and we’ve got a great bar to relax with friends! We did not enjoy the long, cold winter! We’ve got Music every night (no Cover!) The blondes are not twins. We’ve got Corn Hole to occupy rowdy adults and kids Brett still has not cut his hair! Charles called his Mom! We won’t grow up! We can’t wait to see Y’all!
MP9 on the Beach Rd. • Kill Devil Hills • BonzerShack.com • 252-480-1010
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