free
Issue 6.2 milepost 1
Grays
milepost
2
startingpoint roadmap
Chug sunshine, puke rainbows. Photo: Daniel Pullen
THE ORIGINAL
gokite
You milepost are what graphiccontent you eat. gosurf
I’d take the adage one step further. I’d say you become what you consume.
outthere
I’m told fluorescent lights and spreadsheets don’t make particularly good diets. But, then again, neither do Word docs and JPGs — not to mention emails, texts and political posts. Yet I devour them all day long. All that digital data sticks to the ribs. And if you think a gallon of Ben & Jerry’s puts pounds on your beltline, you should feel how a few billion pixels weighs on your core, your soul — your very being.
gohunt
rearview
Some weeks, I literally can’t see my feet beyond the laptop. And then something happens: I stand up and walk outside. And with one hit of sunlight, my world starts changing. Or more accurately — my world changes me. It could be as simple as a neighborly driveway chat. Or a bike ride down Bay Drive. Sometimes, outdoors can even be indoors. A spontaneous beer — cheers, boys! — or grocery run. But the natural environment — the fresh stimulation — almost always contains some welcome
surprise, even if it’s just a simple realization like, “Wow, puffy clouds actually move pretty fast.” Or, “Who knew human beings weren’t always such a-holes?” But my all-time refresher remains the ocean. Every wave, friend or plunging seabird is a happy distraction. You don’t get pixels — you get molecules. You don’t send emojis, you trade smiles. And the only screen is a shimmering sea of saltwater that swallows you instead, filling every pore with a healthy solution. Scrubbing away serious concerns and silly feuds and stuffing your brain with feel-good thoughts. One solid session, I feel renewed. Fulfilled. More peaceful and mellow than the Dalai Lama. As giddy and light as Richard Simmons huffing helium from a happy-face balloon. And that’s what makes summertime so special — there are zero reasons to not go outside. To not get wet. Not even a lightning storm. After all, what’s more mentally shocking than huddling under a beach house and watching the sky blow its holy transformer?
Since the 60’s
“
In fact, let the bolts fly. Because awe, fear, joy, fun — those are the only electrical pulses that matter. The random stimuli that wipe our hard drives, rewire connections and remind us with each thundering boom that a two-dimensional collection of colored dots is not real life.
Fear, awe, joy, fun — those are the only electrical pulses that matter.
Sometimes I wonder what would happen if the whole world stood up at once, shut off their computers, and waded into the sea well over their heads. Would we short-circuit the planet, start over and reboot entirely? Would we emerge with a new outlook? A blank screen? Maybe this is the year we should all find out. — Matt Walker
Thank you for reading Outer Banks Milepost. We hope you enjoy it. If not — before chucking this issue in the nearest dumpster — please consider one of the following equally satisfying ways of expressing your disgust: throw it on the driveway and smash it with a hammer; wipe it with…well, you know where to wipe it. 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.
Rentals • Lessons Boards • Wetsuits Surfwear • Sunglasses Sunblock • Sandals T-Shirts Old Nags Head Cottage Row MP 13.5 Beach Rd. Nags Head 252-441-7349
Fast & Easy!
Stay in Your Car Express Wash
FREE VACUUMS With Wash
Only Undercarriage Wash on the Beach!
PACKAGES
from $9
Mobile Detailing
Bypass MP 4 • 4011 N Croatan Hwy
Call: 252-255-0222
milepost 3
Find it all in Duck.
Connect with nature by strolling along the Boardwalk, walk the village area with stores, galleries and eateries, and enjoy free live events at the Town Park throughout the year.
“Everything magical happens between the months of June and August.” — Jenny Han “Are you ready for the summer? Are you ready for the good times?” — Camp North Star Kids Chorus Issue 6.2 Summer 2017 Cover: Life from above. Photo: Hank Skenck Reader You Brushes & Ink Carnell Boyle, John Butler, George Cheeseman, Marcia Cline, Carolina Coto, Michael J. Davis, Fay Davis Edwards, Mary Edwards, Laine Edwards, Travis Fowler, Dawn Gray, Amelia Kasten, Chris Kemp, Dave Lekens, Alex Lex, Ben Miller, Ben Morris, Holly Nettles, Rick Nilson, Stuart Parks II, Charlotte Quinn, Meg Rubino, Shirley Ruff, Stephen Templeton, Mike Zafra Lensfolk Nate Appel, Matt Artz, Chris Bickford, Russell Blackwood, Don Bower, Aycock Brown, Mark Buckler, Jon Carter, Rich Coleman, Chris Creighton, Amy Dixon, Lori Douglas, Julie Dreelin, Tom Dugan/ESM, Roy Edlund, Bryan Elkus, Ben Gallop Cory Godwin, Chris Hannant, Bryan Harvey, Ginger Harvey, Anthony Leone, Jeff Lewis, Jared Lloyd, Matt Lusk, Ray Matthews, Brooke Mayo, Mickey McCarthy, Roger Meekins, Richard L. Miller, Dick Meseroll/ESM, David Molnar, Ryan Moser, Rob Nelson, Crystal Polston, Daniel Pullen, Ryan Rhodes, Terry Rowell, Tom Sloate, DJ Struntz, Aimee Thibodeau, Eve Turek, Chris Updegrave, Cyrus Welch, Jay Wickens
Visit doducknc.com for a shopping guide and info on special events held by Duck Village Merchants.
Summer Events For start/end dates and more info visit townofduck.com
Tuesdays
Wednesdays
Yoga on the Green 7:30 a.m.
Dynamic Flow Fitness on the Green 7:30 a.m.
Children’s Interactive Theater Amphitheater 10:00 a.m.
Family Magic Show Amphitheater 9:30 & 11 a.m.
Movies on the Green Dusk
Thursdays Concert on the Green 6:30 p.m.
Penfolk Ashley Bahen, Amelia Boldaji, Sarah Downing, Paul Evans, Brandon Follett, Laura Gomez-Nichols, Jim Gould, Steve Hanf, Sarah Hyde, Catherine Kozak, Katrina Leuzinger, Dan Lewis, Fran Marler, Matt Pruett, Mary Ellen Riddle, Sandy Semans, Julie Southard, Shannon Sutton, Kip Tabb, Michelle Wagner, Hannah Bunn West, Clumpy White, Natalie Wolfe, Michele Young-Stone Pointing/Clicking Jesse Davis Sales Force Laurin Walker Save the date! This October, it’s the 2017 Duck Jazz Festival. Visit duckjazz.com for info and updates.
Big Mouth In Chief Matt Walker Blame It All On Suite P Inc. PO Box 7100 • KDH, NC 27948 Office: 252-441-6203 • Sales: 949-275-5115 editor@outerbanksmilepost.com • sales@outerbanksmilepost.com
townofduck.com milepost
4
252.255.1286
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
Fresh Local Seafood, Steamers, Burgers, Pasta and Daily Specials!
gokite milepost 03 StartingPoint Thought for food.
graphiccontent gosurf outthere gohunt rearview
06 UpFront Regulation madness, required gear and Dune Billy’s beach rules. 20 Question Authority Shoot photos to kill litter. 23 Summer A-to-Z A seasonal encyclopedia of inspirational facts, eyepopping photos and funloving figures. 40 GraphicContent Something to keep you guessing this season. 65 FoodDrink This time, it’s personal.
MP 11 on the Beach Road, Nags Head 252-441-RAWW - tortugaslie.com
We Come To YOU!!
66 ArtisticLicense Alex Lex makes digital magic. 69 SoundCheck Pick-up queen, Jamie Crutchfield. 71 OutThere We’d love to turn you on. 72 EndNotes Summery glossary.
“Underwater” By Alex Lex “To make the photo look real, but not too real — that is the challenge. For example, early on, I took the Bonner Bridge and I erased everything but the posts and the cars, then I posted it on Facebook. But people freaked out — because they thought maybe the bridge really broke. So I took it down. Now, I make pictures that look like that movie. I put meteors crashing into the water, or have the ocean flooding the monument. Or this picture: I took Jennette’s Pier, and then I put the orca whales underneath. Fake, right? But then some person complains I put in the whales to draw more tourists! [Laughs] I guess that’s the internet. But for me, every photo I make, I’m celebrating the Outer Banks. And once people get it, they usually laugh. And once they laugh, they usually love it.” — Alex Lex
Call To Book This Week!
Vacation Homes Weddings Events Parties Of All Sizes Unlimited, •• Unlimited, handhandscooped scooped Italian Ice Ice Italian for all all ages ages for Create your your •• Create own menu menu own & adult adult & infusions infusions Allergen free free •• Allergen
252-564-5126
obxsunsetslush.com milepost 5
upfront soundcheck MURKY WATERS Who really stands to benefit — and lose — from rescinding the getactive Clean Water Rule? Clean water is usually a winning concept across the political spectrum. So much so that even the White House’s normally environmental skeptic has claimed to be a fan.
startingpoint
“Clean water, crystal-clean water is vitally important,” the president declared in a November 2016 New York Times interview. But somewhere, Donald Trump shifted his position. On Feb. 28, he signed an executive order that could undo the Clean Water Rule, calling it “a horrible, horrible rule” with “sort of a nice name.”
roadmap
Trump’s order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers to review the 2015 Clean Water Rule: Definition of “Waters of the United States” — which aims to protect even small wetlands and waterways from pollutants, based on the interconnectivity of watershed systems — and publish a new proposed rule that would rescind or revise the rule.
gokite
milepost
“The Clean Water Act says that the EPA can regulate ‘navigable waters’ — meaning waters that truly affect interstate commerce,” Trump said when he signed the order. “But a few years ago, the EPA decided that ‘navigable waters’ can mean nearly every puddle or every ditch on a farmer’s land… It was a massive power grab.”
graphiccontent
But was it really? Is this law really designed to punish small-time crop growers — or is it more likely to prevent pollution from hog waste lagoons and coal ash ponds? And if a smaller wetland connects with a major waterway, don’t those of us downstream have rights, too?
outthere
Remember when the Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire in 1969? Or when the Hudson River in New York was so polluted with PCBs, sewage and chemicals that it had no fish? Or when our neighbor the Chesapeake Bay, the nation’s largest estuarine system, was so polluted with runoff that the entire watershed was threatened? Those waterways and countless others are now healthier because of the Clean Water Act.
gohunt
Despite the law’s revered status in the nation’s environmental legacy, Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006, Rumpler says, weakened the act’s protections. The 2006 case in particular, he explains, created loopholes that put at risk more than half of the nation’s streams and 20 million acres of wetlands.
gosurf Clearly, it’s a complicated issue with far-reaching impacts. What’s even more confusing is that the Clean Water Rule is being removed without ever being put into action. To understand the rule, we must first understand the Clean Water Act of 1972. The law established water quality standards and limited the amount and type of pollutants that could go into rivers, streams and wetlands.
“For 44 years, it’s been our bedrock protection for our waterways,” says John Rumpler, senior attorney and clean water program director for the nonprofit Environment America.
FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED FOR 30 YEARS!
rearview
More Than a Body Shop! Collision Repairs Glass Replacements Mechanic Repairs Oil Changes Brake Service • Tires Alignments up to 18,000 lbs Body Repair: (252) 441-8050
Service Repairs: (252) 441-8051
1202 Swan Street • Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 milepost
6
After the 2006 decision, environmental activist groups failed to get Congress to pass an amendment that would restore the act. In 2012, the EPA agreed to address the fix through the rulemaking process. Following hundreds of public meetings and nearly a million public comments, the Clean Water Rule was finalized in May 2015 and was scheduled to go into effect on Aug. 28, 2015. But, Rumpler says, “polluters and their allies” filed a lawsuit and managed to get a nationwide injunction. The rule’s been tied up in courts ever since. Now it may never be implemented. And that’s bad news for coastal NC — and anyone who enjoys clean water.
“
Of more than 2,000 swine operations in the state, only 12 have been required to have a Clean Water Act permit.
According to Rumpler, the rule would restore protection of 242,691 miles — or 56 percent — of streams in North Carolina. About 4.7 million people in the state depend on those streams to help provide their drinking water. It would also restore wetlands that are vital for flood control, wildlife habitat and for filtering water pollutants.
“Without this Clean Water Rule,” Rumpler says, “if that wetland is not on the banks of a river, that wetland is not protected.” That would include any Outer Banks wetlands that are not part of a navigable water system. Granted, state laws are still in place to protect public waters; however, in NC, the Clean Water Act works hardest and is administered by the state’s Division of Water Resources. And it doesn’t mean our waterways are always protected under the federal law. For instance, according to the Waterkeeper Alliance, of the more than 2,000 swine operations in the state — you know, where pig poop is collected in open lagoons and sprayed on farm fields — only 12 have been required to have a Clean Water Act permit. And Duke Energy was recently cited with nine criminal violations of the Clean Water Act for polluting waterways with coal ash. Thankfully, the barrier islands have been spared major polluting events, mostly because our waters are vast and our polluting industries are not. But water runs downstream, and since the Outer Banks is mere inches above sea level, that means a lot of stuff coming from those inland waterways is heading our direction — although rarely do we see the effects directly. Not only that, we have our own issues with soundside flooding, ocean overwash, stormwater drainage, high water tables and septic tank leakage.
The Clean Water Rule restored, not expanded, the protections in the act, proponents say. It would allow the federal government to regulate pollution that flows into major bodies of water — such as the sounds and other marsh areas that support wildlife habitat and hunting and fishing. For Outer Bankers, healthy waters mean a healthy economy. According to the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries, recreational anglers caught about 10.2 million fish in state waters in 2015, and commercial watermen sold 66 million pounds of finfish and shellfish. Between 1994-2012, Dare County averaged about 30.3 million pounds per year in landings, valued at about $22.8 million. So who doesn’t want clean water? Golf course associations oppose the rule, based on a concern that ponds, streams and wetlands on golf courses would be under the rule’s oversight, according to the Associated Press. And developers, construction companies and realtors have concerns that the rule could limit the use of private property that may be near such streams or wetlands. But the two biggest foes are energy companies and agriculture. The North Carolina Farm Bureau, for instance, has said it is uncertain about what wetlands and streams the rule would regulate — such as ephemeral streams that may exist for just a few hours after a rainstorm. Farmers are also skeptical about whether the rule would put new regulations on drainage and irrigation ditches and storm discharges. And while we may think $3 million a year is a lot money for catching fish — Duke Energy harvests watts to the tune of $3 billion a year. And the NC Pork Council puts pigs’ economic haul at $11 billion. And the biggest moneymaker is always boss hog when it comes to these decisions. The irony? Rumpler says the Clean Water Rule is actually less restrictive in jurisdiction than the Clean Water Act. It also preserves all the permitting exemptions in the act for farming practices, doesn’t add any requirements for agriculture, and doesn’t change any private property rights. As for Trump’s charge that puddles could be regulated? Rumpler dismisses it as a “longdiscredited canard.” “Even the Farm Bureau has stopped repeating that,” he says. So why imply that a law meant to protect average citizens from major polluters is a classic case of Big Government squeezing the little guy? And why paint the move as protecting smalltime crop farmers, when fields are exempt? Some might observe it’s the same anti-regulatory stance that got him elected. And in politics — or fishing — when a bait works, you keep using it. — Catherine Kozak
You Can Count the IngredIents on one Paw! eastern & western herb suPPlements non-toxIC, made In the usa toYs & aCCessorIes sPeCIaltY Cat & dog Food GroominG • TraininG • Daycare All new “Cookie BAr” for your fAvorite pooCh. 25+ flavors to choose from!
MP 5.5 • Seagate North • Kill Devil Hills 252-449-0331 • OuterBanksSchoolForDogs.com
the fine art of reuse
mp 10.5 beach road (252) 715-2426 milepost 7
upfront soundcheck
If you build it, they will sun. Photo: Aycock Brown/Outer Banks History Center
getactive startingpoint roadmap
MADE gokite IN THE milepost SHADE
How Mission 66 helped define Coquina Beach.
Last year, the National Park System celebrated its centennial. All across America, these federally preserved historic sites, seashores, battlefields and trails held special events. But a half-century ago, the parks were just spiffing up for their 50-year anniversary. You might say they were on a mission. Indeed they were: Mission 66. It was Park Service director Newton Drury who first sought funding to modernize facilities and improve access to parks. After years of neglect during World War II, our national treasures faced a visitation boom. Folks were eager for recovery, and Drury knew updates were necessary for the convenience and safety of the traveling public. However, it was his successor, Conrad Wirth (you might’ve ridden a ferry named for him on your way to Ocracoke) who implemented the idea. Instead of asking for annual appropriations, Wirth requested a ten-year chunk of money, allowing for greater flexibility to accomplish multi-year projects. In 1956, the NPS launched Mission 66 to fund maintenance and repair, construction of roads and trails, and to build visitor centers that would mark a new era. According to Dr. Sarah Allaback’s Mission 66 Visitor Centers: A History of a Building Type, these new facilities “were intended to blend into the landscape, but through their plainness rather than by identification with natural features.” While pre-war structures were rustic in nature, the new designs used “efficient and economical building materials, such as concrete, glass, and steel, which were thought less difficult to maintain and suited for high-traffic use.” The Outer Banks soon became home to two modern looking Mission 66 projects: the semispace age, sort-of-domed visitor center at the Wright Brothers National Memorial; and the creation of a day use area at Coquina Beach.
A great selection of Local Books... and a whole lot more!
graphiccontent gosurf
New Release Fiction and Non-Fiction
outthere
Outer Banks Note Cards Journals Young Adult
gohunt rearview
8
Paperback Best-sellers Hardback Best-sellers Children’s
Birthday Cards Nonfiction Adventure Sea Stories Fishing Outer Banks History
[Buxton Village Books floorplan]
The building is vintage...the books are new. 47918 Highway 12, Buxton, NC 27920 (252) 995-4240 www.buxtonvillagebooks.com We ship!
milepost
Contemporary Literature Southern Literature Women’s Interest Cook Books
Est.1984
“
Part of the newly established Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Coquina Beach Day Use Area featured sunshades made from cantilevered beams with horizontal louvers, rising every foot or so like giant stair steps. But the sunshades weren’t just futuristic looking, they were meant to be functional. Designed by Donald Benson, an architect in the Park Service’s Eastern Office of Design and Construction, the shades needed to shelter the picnic area as well as stand up to the Outer Banks’ notorious storms, so they were built to allow hurricane winds to pass directly through them.
In June and July of ’57, nearly 30,000 people visited.
Originally, the beams were to be made of concrete and shades of metal, but plans were modified; Rilco Laminated Wood Products Company in St. Paul, Minnesota, made the prefabricated louvers from red cedar and fir, and then sent them east for assemblage at Coquina Beach. Daniels Building Supply and Shanaberger Lumber Company of Nags Head received the $78,000 bid to put together the structures in the spring of 1956. They completed their task in October.
Locals and visitors were quick to take advantage of this new seaside gathering spot. One of the first documented uses of the picnic area was on Oct. 13, 1956, when Balfour Baum, Jr., whose father was a ranger at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, celebrated his birthday at Coquina Beach with an “outdoor supper” complete with cake. Church picnics, family reunions and Girl Scout outings all partied in the shade. In June and July of ’57, nearly 30,000 people visited the Coquina Beach Day Use Area.
The shades also garnered national attention — both good and bad. While Progressive Architecture magazine highlighted the award-winning design, writer Dan Morrill felt Benson’s creation was possibly too forward-thinking, suggesting it might cause much the same reaction as “three nude men on a Republican Convention Program.” (At least until modern architecture became the norm.) Although designed to handle tropical systems and tons of moving sand, the eye-catching architecture proved no match for a series of good ol’ Outer Banks nor’easters. In April of 1973, the Coastland Times ran a photograph under the headline, “Coquina Picnic Area Falls Prey to Sea.” The caption explained that the picnic area was “a victim of severe storms and erosion this past winter,” and went on to share the gloomy news that, “the picnic platform and the sunshades shown here have been partially destroyed by encroaching water and will be torn down in the near future.” Still, many Mission 66 structures remain. In fact, the Wright Brothers Museum is currently undergoing renovations that will return the historic building to its original form while updating the displays and making it “greener.” Get out to our national parks and see them. It’s a big country. You need a mission. — Sarah Downing
Sources include: Mission 66 Visitor Centers: The History of a Building Type, Sarah Hallaback, 2000; The Creation and Establishment of Cape Hatteras National Seashore: The Great Depression through Mission 66, Cameron Binkley, 2007; “No Daub, No Wattles: Coquina Beach at Nags Head to Feature Modern Trend in Architectural Ideas,” Virginian-Pilot, July 22, 1956; “Celebrates Birthday with Beach Party,” Coastland Times, October 19, 1956.
milepost 9
upfront soundcheck
SHUCK ME, BABY Hot for oysters? Bivalve curious? Why not apply for the NC Division of Marine Fisheries’ Under Dock Oyster Culture Program, which allows soundside residents to install aquaculture cages beneath piers and docks. Participants must live on waters approved for harvesting shellfish — and be willing to send in samples for study on vibrio bacteria — but, in return, you get year-round access to a secret garden of edible love.
getactive startingpoint roadmap A cheering, jeering gokite look at recent events and their potential milepost impacts
THIS BITES In less tasty news, the NC Marine Fisheries Commission accepted a petition by the NC Wildlife Federation to limit shrimp trawling as soon as 2018 — despite opposition from five advisory committees, plus hundreds of commercial fishermen and
graphiccontent e
Fre Shark’s Tooth
Live Coral Reef Tank! gosurf
for the Kids!
WiFi!
outthere gohunt rearview Great NC Seafoods • Hand Cut Angus Beef Fresh Pastas • Wood-oven Pizzas • Fish Tacos Salads • Sandwiches • Burgers & More
Serving Dinner 3:30pm in Season • 4:30pm Off Season Open for Lunch in Season 11:30am (May -Sept.)
Reservations Accepted • 252~480~1919 • www.makomikes.com 1630 N. Croatan Hwy • Kill Devil Hills • MP “Lucky 7” • 158 Bypass milepost
10
seafood lovers. Conservationists say they’re reducing bycatch. Watermen say there’s plenty of fish — it’s their livelihood that’s getting killed. And the rest of us wonder: since when were ten-pound frozen boxes a shrimp’s natural habitat? WHO YOU GONNA CALL? What’s the best way to stop ghosts? Keep folks from dying. In April, officials cut the ribbon on a new Regional Emergency Communications Center in Manteo, which will relay all the 911 calls for Dare, Hyde and Tyrrell counties, as well as house the Dare County Emergency Operations Center for hurricanes and other disasters. By connecting nearly 50 agencies in a region that covers roughly 3,400 square miles, this first-of-its-kind, cost-consolidating measure will ultimately handle an estimated 153,000 calls per year — or one every 30 seconds. (Hopefully, you never have to make one.)
WE’VE GOT YOUR NUMBER The Outer Banks’ own state reps blindsided businesses and elected officials this spring by issuing bills to repeal the local ban on plastic bags, saying there are no numbers to show it works. (There are also no numbers to show it doesn’t.) So, in response, we humbly submit the following figures. Eight: that’s how many years the ban’s been in place, visibly reducing the amount of plastic litter on beaches and streets. Six: that’s the number of resolutions opposing the repeal, including Dare County, KDH, Nags Head, Manteo, Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. Zero: that’s the amount of attention paid to constituent concerns before and after the repeal. (It’s also how much our lawmakers in Raleigh apparently care.) NAMING CONVENTION As proof that no good deed goes unpreserved, this spring, Dare County’s Board of Education recognized former
commissioner Warren Judge for his lifelong love of learning by fixing his name to First Flight High’s football field. And be ready to salute every time you pass through Pea Island, as the county approved the DOT’s decision to name “the Lego bridge” replacement after Captain Richard Etheridge, calling him “a man who overcame slavery, war and racism to lead the finest Life-Saving Station in the nation.” THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON GREED Wanna get high? Of course you don’t. At least when it comes to oceanfront height limits. In fact, research shows that nearly 90% of locals and visitors see our seashore skyline as tall enough — or too tall. Yet, a single hotel keeps petitioning KDH to change town code, so they can cash-in and leave us with the long-term consequences of similar transactions. If you think this whole idea is shady, come out to the June 12 public hearing at 5:30pm and remind our decision-makers to “just say no.”
A BIG, BEAUTIFUL OIL BOOM? Apparently, cooks and commercial fishermen aren’t as cool as coal miners. Barely two years after coastal towns and businesses rose up to stop the Obama Administration from drilling offshore, Trump announced he would restart the whole process ASAP. Proponents predict huge profits — opponents predict massive spills. But with hundreds of thousands of existing jobs on the frontlines — and a $1 billion Outer Banks tourism economy at risk — we know exactly who’s gonna end up paying for every mistake, big or small. YEAH, BUOY! In April, marine enthusiasts of every flavor rejoiced to hear NOAA fixed the Oregon Inlet and East Hatteras weather buoys — the latter of which had been down for nearly a year. They also serviced Diamond Shoals and Frying Pan Shoals, and exchanged the buoy off Virginia Beach. Add CSI’s two freshly installed stations
studying water exchange and coastal currents, and you can bet surfers, fishermen and weather nerds will know exactly what time it is when it comes to ocean conditions. PRESSURE COOKER At press time, Corolla residents were fixin’ to blow over how to handle buried beach drivers. First, Currituck ruled that 4WD freelancers must register as towing services before digging for dollars. (Good Samaritans can still unstick folks for free.) Next steps include possibly making tire slacking mandatory, or face fines and citations. The online public didn’t seem to dig either proposal, but one surefire solution gets unanimous support: if your tires have never touched sand, maybe stick to the pavement. For detailed reports on these stories, and daily local news — plus plenty of local discussion — visit www.outerbanksvoice.com, www.obsentinel. com and www.islandfreepress.org.
bat-sh#!t COMMENT OF THE MONTH! “Who wants to deplete our oxygen making trees to save a damn stupid turtle…Until the Outer Banks can produce enough trees to make their own paper bags, don’t tell the rest of the state to support your toxic environmental agenda.” — Mike G, “Repeal of OBX plastic bag ban approved by the state Senate,” Apr. 24, 2017, OuterBanksVoice.com.
KILL DEVIL HILLS AT MP 8.5 | CAPTAINGEORGES.COM OUTER BANKS | VIRGINIA BEACH | WILLIAMSBURG | MYRTLE BEACH milepost 11
upfront soundcheck
WHADDYA RECKON?
We got questions — you got answers. getactive Toby Gonzales, 41 Restaurateur/Website Developer Kitty Hawk “I so rarely go to the beach these days that most of the time I forget my bathing suit.”
startingpoint roadmap
252.255.0375
www.wavepizzacafe.com
1190 duck rd. duck nc
gokite milepost
Kati Wilkins, 32 Photographer Kill Devil Hills “My hat. I actually kind of collect beach hats from places I’ve traveled to, because I always end up buying new ones.”
graphiccontent gosurf Visit our fresh new restaurant and bar in Southern Shores!
Matt Price, 36 Real Estate Developer Southern Shores “It’s always one of three things: wax, a towel or my surfboard leash.”
outthere gohunt
rearview
252.261.0224 • SteamersOBX.com 1 Ocean Boulevard Southern Shores Southern Shores Crossing Shopping Center Open 11:30am – 9:30pm
milepost
12
Bart Kramlik, 44 Brew Master Kill Devil Hills “As soon as I get to the beach, I pretty much realize, ‘I should have brought a chair.’ It never fails.”
What are you likely to forget on any given beach day? Asia Marie, 28 Ice Cream Scooper Nags Head “Trash bags, which is sad, because not a day goes by that there’s not some kind of litter. But I still grab as much as I can.”
Anne Shisler, 43 Retail Sales Frisco “I usually forget to bring water — or some other type of hydrating beverage.”
Discover What’s New at The Cotton Gin
Ryder Dudley, 16 Surf Shop Grom Kill Devil Hills “My towel. Luckily, I usually have a T-shirt with me, so I just try to dry off with that.”
cottongin.com
Cotton Gin & Sanctuary Vineyards in Jarvisburg 6957 Caratoke Hwy., Jarvisburg, NC • 252-491-2387 (winery at 7005 Caratoke Hwy., Jarvisburg)
Cotton Gin in TimBuck II, Corolla Cotton Gin in Duck 789 Sunset Blvd., Corolla, NC 252-453-4446
1185 Duck Rd., Duck, NC 252-261-2387
Cotton Gin in Nags Head
5151 S. Croatan Hwy. (MP 14.5) Nags Head, NC • 252-449-2387
Eric Drexler, 41 Chef Kill Devil Hills “Every time I hit the beach, I always forget any problems I’m having.”
Interviews and images by Tony Leone
AwardWinning Wines
Free Tastings • Free Tours milepost 13
upfront soundcheck
Healthy is as healthy does.
getactive RADICAL KIDS CAMPS ALL SUMMER LONG
startingpoint
5 Day Coastal Explorer Camps: Learn to surf, kayak, and stand-up paddleboard on this radical summer camp packed with water action! The camp culminates with a team surf contest, Slice pizza party, rash guard and Certificate of RADuation!
Jr. Lifeguard Camps: Experience what it takes to be an ocean lifeguard
with Kill Devil Hills Ocean Rescue Lifeguards! We emphasize ocean safety, environmental education, first aid, physical training and board sports.
3 Day Waterman's Camps: Give yourself and the kids a break and
learn to surf, kayak and stand-up paddleboard. We will whip your grommets into shape while implanting powerful instruction for a lifetime of enjoyment on the water. Yewww!
(252) 261-0145 • obxkayaking.com
roadmap gokite milepost graphiccontent gosurf outthere gohunt
Nags Head, NC www.woodsondentistry.com 252-441-1319 milepost
14
AROUND rearview THE WORLD IN 31 YEARS
Who in the hell would run 24,904 miles? And why? Bruce Hilpert discusses his lifetime lap around the planet.
Voted Best Auto repAir shop – 5 years running! “This is really no story at all. A serious runner has likely run this far in the past ten years. I just happened to keep track of it.” Anyone who’s met Bruce Hilpert knows he’s humble. A self-professed “mediocre surfer” and “semi-sorta, seasonal local,” every year, from June to September, Hilpert’s permagrin face is a summer fixture on KDH beaches, riding waves — or catching rays — with nary a self-important sentence passing through his smiling, sun chapped lips. So, needless to say, his April 8 Facebook post was a bit of a shocker:
oFFiciAL N.c. & tire center iNspectioN ceNter
No oNe Likes A Dirty Dipstick!
“Ego Alert!” it rang. “24,902 Miles: Distance around the Earth at the equator. 24,904 Miles: Distance I have run since April 5, 1986.” But in this case, Hilpert’s not just downplaying his lap around the world’s waistline — he’s being honest. By comparison, Mark Covert’s 45-year, daily streak totaled 159,644 miles — more than half the distance to the moon — and was worthy of a full-on gloat in the Guinness Book of World Records. Still, on the Outer Banks, where just wearing shoes smacks of overachieving — and the most celebrated runs are to the ABC store — you can’t let these little victories blaze by without some recognition. We rang the 66-year-old former museum curator and professor to see what prompted him to circle the planet one day at a time. — Dan Taylor MILEPOST: What’s the scoop here, Bruce? We never pegged you as one of those crazy marathon people. BRUCE HILPERT: I’m not. I ran one marathon in 1990. I usually just run four to six miles every other day. But when I started in 1986, my daughter gave me a daily log. Once I hit 20,000 miles, I said, “Huh? I wonder what the mileage is around the equator?” So, I looked it up. I’ve been counting ever since. And it still took me another six or seven years to get there. A serious runner would have done this probably three times in the past 30 years. So, this is basically the definition of “slow and steady wins the race.” Pretty much. Mixed with being a little obsessive-compulsive. I can also show you every fill-up on my VW bus since 1982. [Laughs] But I’ve never been athletic. The only sport I enjoy is surfing. I don’t really get much pleasure from running to be honest. Why do it then? I started to reduce the stress of my new job. I was a museum curator and professor at Arizona State University. I enjoyed teaching and museum work, but the fundraising became very, very stressful. It was a great relief to come home, put the headphones on, go outdoors, and take my mind off work
“
for an hour or two. Now I do it to stay healthy. So, while running hasn’t brought me pleasure, it’s brought me a great deal of satisfaction.
“I can also show you every fillup on my VW bus.”
LocALLy owNeD & operAteD Full Service Oil change & lube • Full brake Service Tire SaleS & repairS • STereO & SaTelliTe radiO inSTallaTiOnS AND much more! MP 6 on the ByPass - KDh • 252-449-4095 • CoastalFastlube.Com
Are you going to get one of those white stickers for your van that says “24,094”? No! I don’t do stickers, really. The only sticker on my car says, “Art’s Place.” What’s the next record?
I don’t know. I’m really not a “record guy.” Actually, I went to the doctor the other day and my heartbeat was 56 beats per minute. Back before I started running, it was in the low 80s. I guess that’s a record. And I’m not a raging alcoholic, but I drink beer most days. There’s about 100 calories in the light lagers I drink; you run off 100 calories a mile. Now, I keep track of both — and I run as many miles in a month as I drink beers. I guess that’s kind of a record, too. Maybe you need a sticker with how many beers you’ve drunk. [Laughs] No. That would block too much of the windshield. milepost 15
upfront soundcheck
Good luck spotifying your crew in this crowd. Photo: Cory Godwin
getactive startingpoint roadmap
WORDS WITH TANS gokite Modern definitions for timeless beach traditions
bel l s a n d w h i s t l e s ob x . c om 3 7 0 1 n . c r o at a n h i g h w a y , k i t t y h a w k
milepost
“Sharing economy.” “Gig work.” “Crowdsourcing.” Our modern world has lots of post-millennial phrases for folks combining forces to make it through life. Beach peeps? We’ve been doing it for years, we just never had the right words to describe our communal habits. ’Til now. Here’s a few new high-tech terms to define summer’s old-school hustles:
graphiccontent YouCube: Getting a million followers
ChairBnB: The understanding that an empty beach chair is available for short-term occupation for whatever period its owner is away.
gosurf
“Alice is on a walk, she won’t mind if I sit down for a little ChairBnB.”
outthere
Groupon: The tendency for any smallwave sandbar to draw more surf-hungry consumers all summer long, producing an increasingly greedy lineup as demand rises and supply diminishes.
gohunt
“Blackman was total groupon conditions, today. I couldn’t get a wave to myself.”
rearview
Gryft/Tüber: Two starkly conflicting definitions of “ride sharing” in the water, depending on perspective: Gryft occurs when you’re surfing a wave and one or more persons drops in front of you; Tüber is when someone is up and riding, and you take off for a last-minute “party wave.”
“Nice gryft move, dude. I was totally making it around that section ’til you swindled me.” “Sorry. You looked deep so figured I’d grab a little tüber at the end.” milepost
16
and friends by being the one person who remembers to bring ice.
“YouCubed? Really? Mind if I put a few things in your cooler?” CraftSourcing: Sniffing out the contents of multiple surrounding coolers until you find a beer style you like better.
“Hey, any of y’all got an IPA? Or even a Modelo? Dan only brought Coors Light, and I’m trying to craftsource something with flavor.” YoBeerMe: The exact opposite of craftsourcing (i.e. when you’re too lazy and thirsty to go digging, so you wait for someone to reach for their cooler first.)
“Dan! While you’re up! YoBeerMe!” Task-Grommet: The longstanding tradition of making your kids do all the menial labor.
“Be a good little task-grommet and haul these cans and bottles up to the recycling bin before we leave.”
HERE COMES THE SAND: ENCORE EDITION Yes, you’ve heard it before. (Especially since we printed a prospective schedule for summer’s beach nourishment just last issue.) But, like sand, coastal engineering projects have a way of shifting. In some cases, they even appear in entirely new places — such as the recently announced work in Southern Shores and Buxton. While Southern Shores’ status is still entirely TBD, Dare County announced Hatteras Island would start seeing pipes and piles around May 21, stating: “Equipment and pipes will be stored near the south end of the project area at the decommissioned US Coast Guard Base. The starting point for the project, where the offshore pipes connect with the onshore pipes, will be located at the oceanfront approximately 1000 feet north of the northern boundary of the village of Buxton. The whole project is expected to be completed within 90 days under normal conditions — approximately 55 days for the project area north of the starting point and approximately 35 days for the southern portion.” The key phrase is always “under normal conditions.” With that in mind, we offer the following new, improved — but still entirely subject to change so don’t yell at us when we do this again next issue — timeline for 2017.
Buxton: Start Date: May 21, 2017 End Date: Aug. 19, 2017 Duration: 90 days
Town of Kitty Hawk: Start Date: Late June 2017 End Date: Late Aug. 2017 Duration: 60 days
Town of Duck: Start Date: Late May 2017 End Date: Late July 2017 Duration: 60 days
Town of Kill Devil Hills: Start Date: Early Aug. 2017 End Date: Early-to-mid Sept. 2017 Duration: 35-45 days
Southern Shores: TBD The above schedule is as of April 25. For constant updates on the project’s progress and what to expect from town to town, keep an eye on www.morebeachtolove.com. Fumble: The classic pick-up maneuver of intentionally missing a football/Frisbee so it lands next to a cute chick, giving her the chance to notice you and maybe initiate a conversation. (Or not.)
“I thought that fumble might get her to talk to me, but she didn’t even look up from her phone.”
Kickshitter Campaign: Paying your dog’s poop forward by rapidly kicking sand over whatever puddle of saltwater pile remains before nobody notices. (Meanwhile the whole beach is watching and complaining as you do it.)
“That guy thinks he’s helping with his Kickshitter Campaign, but someone’s just gonna step in it later.” milepost 17
Family friendly for 44 years. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner 365 days a year.
Winner! Winner! Crab Cake Dinner! Awarded 2017 Taste Of The Beach People’s Choice
252-441-6530 • MP 6.75 Kill Devil Hills NC • jollyrogerobx.com • email: info@jollyrogerobx.net • Like us on facebook!
milepost
18
upfront soundcheck getactive startingpoint roadmap gokite milepost graphiccontent gosurf outthere gohunt rearview
milepost 19
questionauthority upfront soundcheck getactive
HASHTAG TRASHBAG Litterati founder Jeff Kirschner describes how a single smart phone can help end beach litter.
startingpoint roadmap gokite milepost
Litter is not an easy thing to document. Especially on a place like the Outer Banks. Wind blows wrappers from bypass to beach road. Seas swallow native fishing lines and spit up foreign balloons. Even on the days when the sand is pristine, there’s no way of knowing if it started that way — or if some Good Samaritan just picked it clean. Until now.
graphiccontent
Thanks to a new app called Litterati, all you need is an iPhone. Upload the image of that pile of butts — or lonely straw wrapper — and the back-end does the rest: from recording what you found, to where and when, to exactly what it looks like, right down to the logo, whether it’s a filter fuming Camel or a sauce pack pimping Taco Bell.” And for an emotional pick-up, flip through the feed for an endless stream of evidence that you’re not the only do-gooder on the planet.
gosurf
outthere
“We’re really focusing on two things,” says Litterati founder, Jeff Kirschner. “Collecting data — because that’s how we solve today’s problems, by first understanding them — and building a community. Because while there’s an intrinsic reward for cleaning our individual neighborhoods, it can also feel overwhelming. This technology takes that isolated act and makes it both social and shareable, and that changes that feeling of being overwhelmed to one of empowerment.”
gohunt
The Waterfront Shops • Duck
252-255-0600
rearview
Sometimes even victory. In fact, Kirschner’s idea actually helped stop Big Tobacco from snuffing out San Francisco’s cigarette tax. With beach stroll season upon us, an Android version in the works — and a local plastic bag ban under attack — we asked Kirschner to discuss how shooting your trash pile can help kill litter for good. — Matt Walker milepost
20
Beach Trash Barbie is a long way from Malibu. Photo: Daniel Pullen
MILEPOST: How’d this app start? JEFF KIRSCHNER: Well, Northern California prides itself on being ecologically progressive, and yet everywhere you look, there’s litter. I started uploading photographs to my Instagram account — a Snickers wrapper, a cigarette, a bottle cap — and adding the hashtag, “litterati.” Other people started doing it, too. And I noticed two things happening: one was litter became artistic; and it became approachable. Then I realized each photo tells a story — telling us what, where and when. So, I put together a Google map and started plotting points where I and others were picking up litter. My Instagram account became Litterati. And now, one cigarette in Northern California has turned into nearly 500,000 pieces in 113 countries and just over 10,000 users. That may sound like a lot, but we have much more to do. Still, it’s working. Didn’t San Francisco use your app to defend their cigarette tax to pay for trash pick-up? Defend it and double it. Before us, the city visually spot-checked litter using pencils and clipboards. People literally walked around
going, “That’s a cigarette butt, that’s not.” That’s what created the tax. That’s what led to Big Tobacco saying, “Prove it. Show we’re responsible for the percentage of litter you’re saying we are.” So, we did a 32site project with the city’s Department of Environment. And it worked. It’s funny you say that. We’ve had state legislators try to repeal an Outer Banks plastic bag ban using data from an annual Beach Sweep where volunteers fill data cards. An ongoing collection from everyday users sounds much more accurate. Absolutely. Because you’re not dealing with the problem of correlating and uploading those data cards, where there’s tons of room for user error. The moment that photo’s snapped, it’s saved and stored in the cloud. Geotags are automatically placed on every photograph, to seven or eight decimal points. And there’s a time stamp, to the second. You don’t even need to have a data card. You carry your phone with you every single place you go. We even document the sub-packaging of that brand to make it really clear what’s the root cause of the problem. For example, in my TED Talk, I discussed fast food sauce packets — and I don’t mention the brand, but it’s very clear, since we show a Chihuahua wearing a sombrero. And what’s cool about the photo, is you’re not necessarily calling out the brand — the litter’s the target — but it’s hard for them to say, “We don’t bear some responsibility.” That’s exactly right. And maybe you start to inspire those people to collaborate in a way that aligns everyone’s interests with the environment. What about causes? Your site says plastic is the number one trash item. Here it’s cigarette butts. Well, that’s because so many things are made out of plastic. It’s so prolific. But cigarettes live by their own rules. Because,
“
“Because of technology, we no longer need to wait on the powers that be. We can take matters into our own hands.” other than cigarette butts, when was the last time you saw somebody throw something on the ground? Yet, at the same time, there’s tons of coffee cups, candy wrappers, gum wrappers, and potato chip bags. So, my opinion is the problem is more complex than people tossing things. You’re dealing with system infrastructure issues, as well, whether that is poorly designed trashcans or trash trucks or people just forgetting and leaving things. But if we think we have a shot at starting to rectify the problem, we had better understand it first. Is this the future of environmentalism? When the EPA gets weaker or Keystone leaks, people will shoot photos of spills and impacts? I think we’re at a point now where, because of technology, we no longer need to wait on the powers that be. We can take matters into our own hands and be part of the solution. And I think Litterati is a good example. Because this is a global pandemic that impacts our economy, it affects the environment, it degrades communities, kills wildlife, and is now poisoning the food system. And I can very quickly start to make a difference. Not just clean up but gather data. And if you pick up a bottle cap on the Outer Banks and I pick up one in Oakland, traditionally, those are two separate acts. But now you and I both know each other exist, in addition to all these other thousands — and hopefully, one day, millions — of people, and we’re all contributing to the same greater good.
To download the app — or look at data — go to www.litterati.org. And to hear Jeff Kirschner speak for himself, find his TED Talk at www.ted.com. The preceding interview was edited for space, flow and clarity. For the full conversation — including the definition of “extended user responsibility” and to encourage companies to police themselves — go to www.outerbanksmilepost.com.
M ak e M e m ories !
Discover the Other Side of the Outer Banks! Sail the Albemarle Sound
aboard the 41 foot Movin’On for afternoon and sunset cruises. Couples, families, groups.
Reservations by calling: 1-877-359-8447 Visit our website: sailingouterbanks.com • obxsail.com milepost 21
Fresh food. Salt air.
LIVE MUSIC on thE
hULa DECk!
RUNDOWN CAFE
Tropical drinks, ocean views and 20 years of island cuisine MP1 • Beach Road • Kitty Hawk • 252-255-0026
www.rundowncafe.com
milepost
22
Everything you need to know to enjoy the hot season. (Or simply survive it.)
Technicolor dream coast. Photo: Hank Skenck
milepost 23
Summer moves at a blistering pace.
Find better waves with the most trusted name in Surf Forecasting. Access our network of live HD surf cams, daily surf reports, storm alerts, and expert long-range forecasts from our team of on-site meteorologists. CHOOSE FROM HD CAMS AT TOP SURF LOCATIONS
AVALON PIER
C
"Thanks to the Surfline app and cams, I can make sure I'm driving to the best area to surf, without wasting time checking the zones that are smaller." — Brett Barley
M
Y
M
Y
RODANTHE
Y
MY
K
AVON PIER
FRISCO PIER
Use the link below to start your 15-day free trial. discover.surfline.com/obx-surf milepost
24
Photo: Matt Lusk
CAPE HATTERAS
Between work, traffic, work, and more work, you can go from June to Labor Day in the blink of a green traffic light — with nothing to show for it but a pained expression. So, lest you forget to have a good time, we compiled an alphabetical collection of fun facts, instructional interviews and inspirational essays to remind us all just how good we really got it. So, remember to savor a few, hot seconds before the season evaporates. You might just get out with a smile on your face.
a
a
The difference is clear. Photo: Matt Lusk
/ at lan tic is for •
•
It all starts here. Arresting. Awe-inspiring.
Occasionally ass-kicking, this expansive piece of aquatic real-estate isn’t just the whole motivation for folks being on the Outer Banks — it’s the only reason we’re able to be here at all. From John White’s failed attempts at creating a colony, to the piracy and fishing trades that ultimately took hold, to today’s modern tourist industry — all would’ve been certifiably impossible without this massive, mostly benevolent body of water. The irony? What we see as the rusty old anchor that fixes our community to its earliest moments, is actually shiny and new — at least on a geologic scale. (Of the world’s seven sibling seas, ours is the baby sister — born a mere 180 million years ago.) So why does she feel so old and tired to some people? Every summer, carloads of inlanders drive 12 whole hours — just to spend the whole week soaking in chlorine instead of saline. (“Same thing,” they say.) Long-time locals drive down the beach road on a daily basis for entire decades — too busy to stop for a quick saltwater bath. (“Too crowded,” they whine.) What a waste. You can’t pull fish or beach glass from a cement pond. There’s always a less busy access within a few miles. And nothing — nothing — beats a totally empty Pea Island. So, if you’re visiting, max out every hour you can in Mother Ocean’s embrace. Or at least put a pinkie toe in a tidal pool. And if you live here, don’t take Mother Ocean for granted. No matter how jammed-up your day, a ten-minute dip can do wonders for your daily psyche. Even better, make this the summer you rekindle that tired relationship. Do something different. Step up on a paddleboard to see what’s swimming below. Climb a lighthouse and ogle the sexy curve of her surface. Take a plane ride and peer down at her plunging depths. Find some way to see an old friend with fresh eyes. You’ve got nothing to lose but your sense of complacency. — C. White milepost 25
b
/
is for bi•ki•ni sea• son
Strapping young lasses. Photo: Chris Bickford
milepost
26
Some say Memorial Day.
Others, the solstice. But if you want summer’s real start date, it’s the second that first skimpy swimsuit sets the sand afire, turning heads and raising eyebrows. (And possibly a few other body parts we won’t mention here.) But while bikinis may cause brainless, physical reflexes in men, for women, selecting the right suit is always a conscious effort — and often cause for mental anguish. “Buying a bikini is purely psychological,” says Jill Bennett, owner of Birthday Suits. “Because you’re standing there practically naked in front of a stranger. But I tell every customer, ‘After thirty years, I’m like a doctor. I’ve seen everything; you cannot shock me.’” Unless of course, you want to. We asked the swimsuit shrink to size-up current trends, from fit to fashion, so every girl leaves the changing room with total confidence, and gives any beach the ultimate body buzz. LITTLE DIFFERENCES: “The one real difference over the years is in materials. We have a lot of four-way stretch, quick dry and SPF 50 fabrics — recycled plastic and chlorine-resistant. It’s gotten very tech. Otherwise, bikinis don’t really change — they just get smaller. We used to call the tiny bottoms, ‘Brazilian cut.’ Now it’s called ‘cheeky.’ And cheeky’s gone crazy in just a couple of seasons. Two years ago, it was a few random girls asking for them, and all the moms said, ‘No way.’ By the end of last summer, even moms were buying them, and the teens said, ‘No way!’ [Laughs]”
OPEN DAILY
11:30AM - 2AM
FUNCTION — OR FASHION? “I’d say function and fashion have collided. We see a lot of athletic looks now, because women are more active now. They don’t just tie on a string bikini and lay on a beach towel. Yoga, paddle boarding, surfing — all that’s translated into high-neck tops or crisscross ties in back. And that’s also swimwear you can put with shorts or beach pants or sarongs and wear out — or walk off the beach, put on a wrap and go straight to a restaurant.” WHAT’S HOT: “It’s a real tribal, global year. Festive prints that feel like South America and Morocco. Ruffled, off-the-shoulder tops with that Old Havana vibe. The big switch-up is the one-piece. That whole high-legged, plunging neckline, Pamela Anderson look is back! We’ve also seen a desire to go back to matching tops and bottoms. The mismatched look is still quite popular — and practical, because customers can buy a new top or bottom based on what they want or need. But just like any trend, people do one thing for a while, then they want to do the exact opposite.” BIG MISTAKE: “Most women buy too big. Part of it is a lack of confidence. They don’t want to buy something too small, but the larger suit looks baggy. And it only gets baggier once it gets wet. So, if you’re between a 10 and 12, buy the 10. The 12’s not gonna get any smaller, but the 10 will get bigger.” THREE’S A CROWD: “We don’t mind if husbands and partners come along. A few men are surprisingly fashion-forward, but most really don’t care — all we ask for is a positive attitude. Don’t say, ‘Oh that looks horrible.’ And stick to shopping with just one girlfriend, because one girlfriend is usually honest. If it’s two, then they never agree. Three? That’s the kiss of death. [Laughs]” INFORMATION IS POWER: “Every woman has an issue. Even the skinny girls. They’re either really busty and self-conscious, or hippy and self-conscious, or they don’t like their thighs or their stomach. Just be honest with the store so they can find solutions. What do you want to camouflage? What do you want to emphasize? Ruffles can hide a larger bust — or emphasize a smaller bust. A high-waisted bikini is an excellent solution for covering stretch marks. Plus, that retro 50s look is big right now. So know your figure. That’s key. Then be willing to try something totally different. Because there’s a lot of newness out there. And you may not have a perfect body — but there is always a perfect suit.” — Linda Barrett
PIZZA
Til 2 am Fresh Local Seafood • Burgers • Salads Sandwiches • Wings • Kids Menu
OUTDOOR PATIO
20 CRAFT BEERS ON TAP 100 BOTTLED CHOICES WINE & MARTINI LISTS 20 TV’S • MLB PACKAGE • Pool Table • Pinball • Golden Tee MP 12 ON THE BEACH ROAD 252-255-5825 • LUCKY12TAVERN.COM
milepost 27
We had a wonderful “experience utilizing the
services of Advanced Tree. Their professionalism and knowledge is superb.
“
- Carl V. Curnutte, III, Executive Director, Elizabethan Gardens
We specialize in: • Tree & shrub fertilization • Insect & disease management • Technical tree removal • Hazardous tree assessment • Tree cavity treatment • Landscaping services
• Tree pruning • 7” Bucket truck • Cabling & bracing • Lot clearing • View enhancement • Stump grinding • Tree preservation
FULLY LICENSED AND INSURED REFERENCES AVAILABLE. FREE ESTIMATES
www.advtree.com
252.449.4148 milepost
28
24 Hour Emergency
252.202.8585
Advanced Tree, PO Box 2444 Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
Advanced Tree is a proud member of:
c
Wild in the streets. Photos: Ben Gallop
/crit ters is for •
Every year, they invade.
the midway point on the Atlantic Flyway. In fact, in May 2016, an international collaborative Cruising our beaches. Crossing our roads. They research network called the Motus Wildlife Tracking can be friendly — or shy. Cute — or gross. But the System (Motus is Latin for “movement”) installed a coolest ones are usually big and hairy. “Summer is a great time to see animals,” says Dr. tower that tracks migrations via “nano-tags,” which Becky Harrison, a refuge biologist with the US Fish & scan 365 days a year, following animals up to ten Wildlife Service in the Alligator River and Pea Island miles away. Once linked with other Motus stations, National Wildlife Refuges. “Because many creatures the results track cross-country journeys for not just birds, but bugs and bats. breed in the spring and raise young in summer. “Last March, a team of USFWS biologists Alligators and freshwater turtles sun themselves. Black bears look for mates. Flowering plants attract conducted surveys,” says Harrison. “Six different bat species were observed, including the first pollinating insects.” documented northern long-eared bat.” Like humans, many animals come to lie in the Go smaller, you’ll see butterflies, bees, and sand. From May to September, sea turtles show up hummingbirds setting yards aflutter. All summer, to lay eggs. In fact, last year saw 41 nests on Pea Island alone. And while it’s moms who crawl up, it’s these pollinators keep gardens buzzing — and keep other bugs well fed. Fat, yellow-and-black mostly males who crawl out. writing spiders hang huge webs from porches and “Sea turtles have temperature-dependent branches, catching flies, wasps, and grasshoppers. sex determination,” Harrison explains. “Cooler temperatures produce more males. Our beaches are Don’t worry, they’re not dangerous. (Just be careful at the northern end of the loggerhead’s distribution, walking between trees after dark.) By day, you may cross paths with slithering so we produce a large portion of the males.” visitors sunning themselves, such as eastern garter Coastlines are also synonymous with scurrying snakes, corn snakes and black rat snakes. Luckily, plovers and sandpipers, but the sound can get only three local snakes are venomous. equally busy with birds. Ibises, herons and egrets “The copperhead, the cottonmouth and the stand in shallow water to snatch prey. Osprey and eagles nest in nearby trees. And that’s only a handful canebrake rattlesnake,” says Harrison. of the 400 avian species that pass over Pea Island — So how do you tell? There are no absolutes. A Alligator River & Pea Island National Wildlife Refuges puts wildlife in your path via canoe and tram tours, bird walks and red wolf “howlings.” Call 252-216-9464 for reservations and pricing.
Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education in Corolla has acres of strollable land, an indoor aquarium plus classes on fishing, crabbing, and sea turtle volunteer training at NCwildlife.org/OBX.
hognose snake may flatten its head and rattle to mimic a viper. So, when in doubt, just stay away. (And look first before reaching into any pool filters.) Come dusk, head west to Alligator River, where black bears come out to forage, making them reliable photo ops for nature tours. Other favorites include red wolf “howlings” and paddle options, where you can watch ospreys soar, and perhaps spot the occasional alligator or bald eagle — plus beavers, muskrats and the nasty-looking nutria. “The nutria was introduced from South America for recreational fur trapping,” Harrison explains. “They’ve become quite a nuisance species.” Or, wait long enough and some critter will come to you. Yellow-bellied sliders or snapping turtles often wander through lawns — or stop in the road. Be sure to move them toward the direction they’re heading; and be wary of snapping turtles, which are highly aggressive. (A good trick is to find a long stick and, if possible, a bucket or large container for safe carrying.) And nocturnal scavengers like raccoons, opossums, foxes, and muskrats will quickly find any food source. So cleanup after cookouts, secure that trash lid, keep pet food indoors — and never, ever feed them. Otherwise, you’ll never get rid of them. And nobody likes a guest that won’t leave. — Shannon Sutton NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island offers a rotating variety of outdoor programs, tanks of underwater creatures — and guaranteed otter, gator, snake and shark sightings. More at NCaquariums.com. milepost 29
Cultural Series
Upcoming Events
Surf & Sounds Chamber Music Series August 22-26, 2017
Southern Shores, Duck & Manteo
Visit bryanculturalseries.org For Date, Time & Venue
Dorothy Papadakos
“Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde”
Silent Movie with Organ Accompaniment
Sunday, October 15, 2017 At 7:00pm All Saints Episcopal Church Southern Shores, NC Tickets $15 & will be Available June 1, 2017
Bryan Cultural Series Invitational Art Show
October 2017 Glen Eure’s Ghost Fleet Gallery Nags Head, NC
Tickets & information available online at bryanculturalseries.org Our endowment managed by the
milepost
30
Pageantry.
Color. Majesty. These are the words that Lebame Houston — Roanoke Island Historical Association’s long-time historian — uses to describe what she also calls the “fairy tale” of our enduring fascination with Queen Elizabeth I. “She’s England’s most memorable monarch,” says Lebame. “And yet, she’s still an enigma — no one really knows what she thought.” This year, The Lost Colony — the nation’s longest-running outdoor drama — celebrates its 80th anniversary season. But even though the play is ostensibly about the New World’s failed first colonists, it’s Elizabeth who often steals the show. As Lebame points out, Elizabeth usually only has two short scenes in the drama: an initial garden scene and a chamber scene (both of which move the story along, but aren’t necessarily crucial to the overall narrative). “You could cut those scenes and still have a play,” Lebame says thoughtfully. “But Elizabeth was one of the most educated people of her time, regardless of gender. She was a woman in a man’s world who figured out how to get her way. The play might not be about her, but we’re attracted to that concept of royalty.” According to Lebame, 30 women (not including understudies) have assumed the role of Elizabeth over the past 80 years — which, as she also points out, is a decade longer than the actual queen lived. Notable names include Tony Award winner Colleen Dewhurst — aka “The Queen of Broadway” — and Order of the British Empire recipient Lynn Redgrave. (Both Dewhurst and Redgrave were weeklong guests in 1984 and 2006, respectively.) But if you’re looking for noteworthy reigns, several women top the list, starting with Lillian Prince, who held the role for seven years, from 1947-1953. (Unheard of at the time.) The honor of longest consecutive Elizabeth is a tenyear tie between Mary Wood Long (1954-1963) and Barbara Hird (1986-1995). Both furthered Elizabeth’s popularity with their notable stage presence and by being widely accessible within the local community. And the greatest nonconsecutive run goes to actress Nancy Kaye Knowles, who played the part from 1969 to 1972, then returned from 1977 to 1984 — totaling an impressive 12 years. Still, Marjalene Thomas gets the award for overall upward mobility. The Roanoke Island native only played Elizabeth for two years (1967-1968), but her service to the play spanned decades, beginning in 1938, at the age of 11, as a flower girl in the queen’s garden scene. She eventually became the first local to ever play Eleanor Dare, which she continued for six years before she was promoted again to queen. By the end of her career, Thomas had played every female role possible besides Agona — effectively fulfilling Paul Green’s initial vision that The Lost Colony would provide local talent the opportunity to graduate from nonspeaking to principal characters. The current monarch (so to speak) is 29-year-old Emily Asbury, who returns for her third season this summer. Emily grew up visiting the Outer Banks, so she was aware of the drama, but she didn’t actually see it until she was 16. “I loved it,” Asbury says. “It made an impression on me — especially Elizabeth’s role.” When she sent in a videotaped audition from her home in New York 11 years later, she was offered the role of queen within a week, even though, as Asbury wryly notes, she’s “technically too young.” Like Lebame, Asbury clearly enjoys debating the differences between Elizabeth’s role as a historical figure — which allows for at least the possibility of seeing her as a protagonist — versus Elizabeth the character, where she is decidedly not the leading lady. (“In my mind, the most important thing is that she has a backbone.”) And she welcomes all the challenging aspects of playing such a powerful character. “You’re really only performing for about 20 minutes — and that’s being generous,” Asbury adds with a laugh. “But you have to be at 200 percent for those full 20 minutes, because there’s not a second you’re not being observed. She’s simply the shiniest, largest thing on the stage — and everyone’s eyes are on her.” — Amelia Boldaji
Emily Asbury gives audiences the royal treatment. Photo: Delena Gray Ostrander
d /
is for
dra•ma queens
milepost 31
Serving Local Seafood, Natural Proteins, Gourmet Burgers and Pizzas Gluten Free, Vegetarian & Vegan Dishes ECLECTIC WINES, COCKTAILS, MICRO BREWS & IMPORTS ON TAP 207 Queen Elizabeth Avenue, Suite 5, Manteo 252-473-4800 AvenueGrilleOBX.com
Leave the dog days of summer at the dock. Photo: Daniel Pullen
e
is for
eas•y es•capes
/
Crazy traffic.
Island
Acupuncture & Massage Therapy
relief for StreSS & Pain
Cheryl Blankenship, Lac. Tracie Rosso, LMBT • Megan Howell, LMBT • Jamie Mundy, LMBT Licensed Acupuncturist • Licensed Massage Therapists
Kitty HawK 252.449.8122
IslandAcupunctureOBX.com islandacupunctureobx@gmail.com
Beads & supplies ~ local art & craft
Workshops & Classes: Make your oWn JeWelry!
MP 11 1/4 • Nags Head • Pirate Quay Shoppes • 252.441.2992
Nutty schedules. Come August, all you can think of is loosening the straps on the summertime straightjacket. But work won’t let you bail for more than 24 hours. Driving inland means more interstate madness. Besides, you don’t really want to leave the beach to begin with. Is there no way to stop the insanity? “Ocracoke is an awesome day trip,” says Hatteras resident and former Wedding Association president, Kate Pullen. “But you have to do it right. And that means doing it early.” Why? First, there’s the wait. By 10am, you’re sure to be stuck in line for at least an hour. (By noon it’s more like two to three.) Second is the heat. (Who wants to spend three hours sizzling in a hot SUV?) Third is just to make the most of the day. “The point is to go over and enjoy something different,” says Pullen. “An 8am ferry puts you in Ocracoke proper by 9:30 or 10:00am. That gives people all morning to walk around and enjoy the village.” Hear that? Walk around and enjoy the village. After all, the whole point of the island is to go slow. So, the second you finish driving 13 miles into town, park the car and just cruise. Wanna pick up the pace just a little? Rent a bike, golf cart or pedal cab and breeze the streets. Take a peek at the lighthouse. Post up someplace for pints and watch some dude jam steel drums. You still got time to hit the seashore for a casual dip. (Or just pack a cooler and hang for the day.) Just remember a change of clothes for the ride back, road snacks and drinks for the kids — and be ready to leave by mid-afternoon. Because if you think Hatteras gridlock gets ridiculous, you should see the return-trip traffic. “What happens is most day trippers leave Hatteras around mid-morning, then they all come back starting late afternoon,” Pullen explains. “But if you leave at 3pm, you’re in Hatteras again by 5pm.” Perfect time for a relaxing dinner and drive up NC 12, complete with the craziest sunset cruising Pea Island — and a lunatic moonrise as you crest Bonner Bridge. — Lenore Walters
NC DOT Ferry Schedule /
Since 1988!
milepost
32
Cost: Free • Length: 60 min.
Hatteras: Departs from 5am to midnight, Mon.-Sun. Ocracoke: Departs from 5am to midnight, Mon.-Sat. (4:30am-12:30am, Sun.) Learn more at www.ncdot.gov.
It’s your dish in a box. Photo: Daniel Pullen
f is for
/
fresh fish
Ordering seafood takes faith. Faith that the restaurant pulls its fish from
a dock and not a freezer. Faith that the chef’s cooking it properly. Faith that your server knows what the hell she or he is talking about. And what’s the foundation of all that faith? “Trust,” says Sam McGann, chef and co-owner of the Blue Point in Duck. “We trust our purveyors to supply us with fresh local seafood. And we’re fortunate that our customers trust us to deliver quality dishes.” Sounds easy. Especially in summer, when calmer seas and warmer temps provide a range of popular species: mahi and tuna, cobia and wahoo, shrimp and crab. But that’s also when tourist crowds increase demand. So how do you know your wahoo came from Wanchese and not West Florida? Again: it’s trust. And what’s the foundation of trust? “Communication,” McGann answers. “There are a lot of variables in that whole process from the fisherman to the plate. That’s why I communicate with my seafood sources on a daily basis.” And so should everyone. We all know at least one lifetime waiter or waterman. Use them to keep tabs on what’s tasty. Even better, go do your own research. Start with your grocery’s seafood department. (If they’re selling it fresh there, other outlets surely have access, too.) Then go directly to a specialty store for the latest cuts. Look for counters brimming with ice — and sparsely stocked trays. “That doesn’t mean they’re running out,” says McGann. “It means they’re cutting fish fresh behind orders. So ask if there’s more. And always ask, ‘What are the fishermen catching right now?’” Then stay curious when you head to a restaurant. Talk about the specials. (They should be crafted around recent catches.) Pick the server’s brain for personal favorites. And be prepared for an answer you don’t want to hear — hopefully followed by a tastier alternative. “At some point, we must say goodbye to soft shells,” says McGann. “But that’s when we start getting all that delicious lump crab meat. Every species has its peak season. Whatever the fisherman’s catching, that’s what we’re hoping you’ll try.” Especially if it’s something you never heard of. In fact, the best specials are often short-lived surprises. “Tile fish is a great example,” McGann says. “It’s a white-fleshed fish, similar in texture to grouper, and it’s sporadic, so it’s almost certainly local. But there’s always an opportunity for our customers to enjoy something different. They just have to be a little openminded.” And that brings us to the most important quality of all: flexibility. After all, if a good chef must bend his menu, good customers should be willing to try something new. Something recently caught. Creatively cooked. Tasted for the very first time. And that’s as fresh as a seafood dish gets. — Matt Walker
OLD FISH: “Shad roe is a taste the older generation grew up with, that we’ve been introducing to new customers in winter. And bluefish is another winter species people have badmouthed as oily or fishy for years, but if you eat it fresh and in season, it has a wonderful texture and flavor profile.” NEW FISH: “Lionfish is an invasive species the state’s trying to combat by building a demand for. I haven’t served any, but sheepshead is another tasty wreck fish that’s certainly worth looking for. The name’s not an easy sell, but neither was ‘mahi’ when we still called it dolphin and people thought they were eating Flipper.” RAISED FISH: “This is touchy for me because I’m so committed to local fishermen. But I do believe in the sustainability of a farm-raised product — I just want to know the quality is there. We use a farm-raised trout from high on the mountains outside of Asheville, run by the same family for the past 50 years. I’ve seen the process, I’ve met the people. And I know that I can keep it on the menu year-round.” BLOW FISH: “In the 80s, we called blow toads ‘chicken of the sea.’ The new term is sugar toads. They’re small. About the size of a meaty chicken wing. And they’re delicious. I buttermilk them with some Tabasco, cornmeal them, fry them, and serve them with some form of southern tartar. I call them ‘chicken on the stick.’” — Sam McGann milepost 33
L E S S O N S • R E N TA L S • S A L E S — WIDEST SELECTION O F K AYA K S & G E A R ON THE OUTER BANKS
g Black belts.
Grate flavor. Photo: Matt Lusk
is for
grill marks
/
Black diamonds. For thrill-seekers, dark symbols signify a level of confident expertise. When it comes to cooking over open flame, nothing says “I kick ass” like stamping a set of tasty black hashtags on either side. “Those grill marks show searing,” says Andy Blankenbaker, Kill Devil Grill’s Kung Fu master of flame-broiled food. “Searing shows flavor — and that’s why grilling is so good.” But before any student can conquer the mountain, they must learn the basics. We asked Sensei Blankenbaker for some proven methods to get maximum flavor from every chop. FUEL: • Charcoal adds flavor — but also carcinogens. (And takes more time.) • Gas is convenient — unless you run out. (Keep a spare tank handy.)
TEAM ANGLER RYAN RHODES
ALL NEW MIRAGEDRIVE 180 FORWARD-REVERSE SYSTEM
VEGGIES: • Cut ’em thick. Thin veggies can overcook. (Or fall through the slats.) • Coat ’em light. Too much oil can cause a flare-up or grill fire. • Char ’em quick — then move off the heat so they don’t burn. • Baste ’em late. If you’re brushing on a marinade, wait until your product is already 75 percent cooked so the veggies can caramelize and develop color and flavor. PROTEINS: • Let meat sit out 30 minutes before cooking. By reaching room temperature, the cut will conduct heat more evenly. (Particularly important for larger cuts.) • Brush your protein with oil, so it doesn’t stick. • Be mindful of thickness. Thin cuts can dry out quickly. And keep the thickest part of the protein over the highest heat; the goal is to have even heat distribution from tail to tip so that the item cooks evenly. • Be wary of fat content. Fatty items like salmon and ribeye can cause flareups. Do not leave unattended. • Start chicken skin-side down. Charring fat releases flavor; when you flip the bird, the skin won’t pull off — and the crispy top keeps the moisture in. MAKING MARKS: • Be sure the grill surface is hot. Black marks take real heat. • Place protein at a 45-degree angle for a quarter of the cooking time, then rotate in the opposite direction for another quarter. Flip and repeat.
KHSURF.COM • 252.441.6800
milepost
34
COROLLA • DUCK • NAGS HEAD • RODANTHE
SERVING: • A little rest is good. Five minutes lets juices collect; too long can cause meat to overcook. — Fran Marler
Of course, I’d see him first. That one. With the eager stare. So overt
Hello, is it you they’re looking for...? Photo: Patrick Ruddy
h
is for
/
heart break• ers
and distended — so see-thru — I pinch my pants to make sure they’re still there. Phew! They are. Though just barely. Sure, they look ratty, but I can feel the shadow of the highend denim they once were. Tailor-made, relaxed-fit turned homemade, shredded haute couture. And my shirt hangs free and soft like fresh linens floating on a clothesline — a subtle nod to my silhouette. I look good, but, better yet, I look like I don’t give a damn. Carefree confidence: the perfect ruse. I need a drink. My elbows unconsciously make first contact with the bar, and I lean forward with interest. Then I check myself, remembering dinnertime etiquette, and engage my forearms in tangent with the edge of the rail. I’m not an animal. I casually beckon the bartender and order something clear and ambiguous. Time to scan the room. I stand up straight but not too straight, then gently roll my neck up and over, stretching left — Who? What? Where? — then hair flip right, for more mental notes: There’s Mr. Aloof locked in the ceiling fan’s cosmic hypnosis. His single-pointed fixation is admirable, even semi-charming, but confusing. Surely too much of a challenge. Beside him is Shy Guy, watching the whole room and hiding from it at the same time. Seeing and hearing every swig and conversation. He catches my voyeurism and rapidly, naturally, narrowly averts just as teetering Drunk Skunk bumps in and blunders my research. His attempts at clever compliments only come off as primal grunts and rude gesticulations. No need to engage. Eye contact is Pandora’s box with this type. Ignore. Ignore. Ignore. He’ll peter himself out. If only there was some sort of distraction… Perfect. A macho display blows through the bar. Two Hammer Heads, trading chest-pokes and insults — peacock feathers in full bloom — and then, just like that, they’re friends again. (At least until the next round of shots.) Meanwhile, Obviously Nervous Kid tries playing it cool next barstool over. “No one ever asks for my ID, but I’ll take it as a compliment,” he says as he orders his first legal beer. And then, full stop. Over the trill of giggles and the clink-clink of cheers, in the calm spot between the jockeying ripples of hugs and high fives, glowing in the red haze of ambient late-night lighting: Mr. You. Gaze direct yet not invasive. Honest and somehow still enigmatic. A flash of fire strikes quick as lightning. Pupils meet. Irises widen. A one-sided smirk raises and roses my cheeks. Then, I blink and re-focus, reverting my expression to carefully crafted, icy indifference. As if on cue, my drink arrives. In toast, I raise my glass but not my eyes, steal a sly, surreptitious swig, and pivot, walking outside and leaving a trail of breadcrumbs. — Laura Gomez-Nichols milepost 35
Make your own Tye Dyes Shirts, dresses, socks, towels, sheets and more WINE & DYE NIGHT - BYOB • Fun For All Ages and Abilities Birthday Parties, Groups up to 25, Reunions, Teams and Events
1800 S Virginia Dare Trail Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 252-255-0614 Open Year Round 9AM-9PM WINE & DYE NIGHT - BYOB Wed. and Sat. 8:30 - 10:30 pm
345 South Witchduck Road Virginia Beach, VA 23462 757-490-3937 Open Year Round 11am-7pm WINE & DYE NIGHT - BYOB Wed. and Fri. 7:30 - 9:30 pm
F O L LOW U S O N FAC E B O O K
Great F Excellen ood. Relaxed t Service. Atmosphe re.
Prime Rib Friday
Live Music
Neighborhood BAR & GRILLE ( 2 5 2 ) 2 6 1 - 2 2 4 3 S A N D T R A P TAV E R N O B X . C O M 3 0 0 W. E C K N E R , K I T T Y H AW K - L O C AT E D AT S E A S C A P E G O L F L I N K S
milepost
36
Happy Hour 3-6 Daily
Ryan Waddell’s knuckles say, “FOOL PRüF.” (So does the rest of his work.) Photo: Chris Bickford
No saltwater for two weeks. No direct sunlight. And no sweating. Perhaps the beach ain’t the best place for a new tattoo. But it is the perfect opportunity to brainstorm fresh ideas. Every access opens the door to a museum of brightly painted flesh, where you’re sure to see at least one mindblowing work of art— plus a whole bunch of gross body graffiti that’ll make you think twice. And that’s a good thing. “Spontaneous tattoos are always a bad idea — especially for first-timers,” says Nags Head artist and human mural, Josh Everett. “If you’re already a collector who’s heavily inked? Fine. You know what you’re getting into. Everyone else should think long and hard. These are permanent decisions, after all.” What’s he know? As the former owner of MacDougal St. Tattoo Company in New York’s West Village, Everett got tattoos from, and gave them to, some of the best in the biz. Here’s a few of his rules to make sure your time in the chair stings for just a few hours — instead of your whole life.
1. Do not assume your tattoo artist knows how to spell. He probably doesn’t. 2. Make sure that the Chinese character on your back means “good luck” and not “kick me.”
i/
3. Names are a jinx. If you want your girlfriend or husband to leave you, get a tattoo with their name. The only exceptions are loved ones and pets — and only if they’re deceased. 4. Tribal designs when you have no affiliation to any real tribe are generally bad form. But if you must go tribal, cover the whole arm — and only if you got the physique of a warrior and not a 98-pound weakling. 5. Any tattoo can be bad. But portraits done poorly are exceptionally tough to look at. (Especially baby portraits.) 6. Advertising some company’s logo only weakens your personal brand. (Band logos get a pass because music moves people — and the band’s probably broke.)
is for
ink
7. Don’t get a funny tattoo if you don’t like being laughed at. 8. Never trust a tattoo artist without any bad tattoos. If their work’s perfect, they came up easy. They haven’t suffered. And you can’t achieve greatness without sacrifice. 9. All tattoos hurt, but ribs are particularly painful. 10. No tattoo’s more painful than the one you get removed. milepost 37
milepost
38
Ready for launch. (Or lunch.) Photo: Daniel Pullen
j
is for
/ jel•ly•fish
You could also say “G” is for “gelatinous globes.” Or, even better, “S” is for
“Splashing Stomolophus,” since that’s how this species of cnidarian spends most of its summer. With comparatively hard surfaces and no real stinging potential, these huge jellyfish are custom-built to hurl at siblings and friends, making their missile-inspired moniker even more apt. “Cannonball jellyfish really is the perfect name,” says Patrick J. Geer, Chief of Marine Fisheries for Georgia’s Department of National Resources. “First, because they’re so big — up to ten inches in diameter — and because their flesh is so meaty instead of being a gelatinous ooze. Plus, there’s no real sting. You would literally have to rub them all over your skin in sensitive areas to notice.” But they’re more than marine missiles for immature wargames. Ecologically, these bulbous undersea buoys serve a variety of purposes, including being the primary source of food for critters big and small. Sea turtles chomp ‘em down for a chewy snack. And juvenile butterfish and spadefish treat them like traveling seafood buffets, trailing along and picking off bites when the mood strikes. Meanwhile, spider crabs enjoy a “commensal relationship” with the massive meal tickets, often hitching rides on the bottom and scavenging free dinners. “Almost every cannonball jellyfish has at least one spider crab,” says Geer. “They settle inside the bell during larval stage. And spider crabs typically live on the seafloor — they’re benthic animals — so it would be interesting to see what size they abandon the jellyfish.”
Over the centuries, humans developed a hankering for the floating food source. In Japan and China, seasoned strips called kurage end up in salads and soups — even ice cream. It’s particularly popular for weddings and holidays. And here? “If you’ve eaten a lot of sushi or Chinese food, you’ve had jellyfish,” says Geer. “And in any Asian market you’ll see bags of it. But the bulk of demand is still overseas.” It’s such a huge market, Georgia fishermen began harvesting them commercially in the late 90s. Today, it’s the state’s third largest fishery behind crabs and shrimp, hauling in bulk numbers of the bulbous biomass — numbers so huge, it boggles the mind. “They can catch as much as 140,000 pounds on a two-day trip,” says Geer. “I’ve seen 10,000 pounds in a five-minute trawl.” Don’t hitch up your waders just yet. First, the Stomolophus population off our coast isn’t thick enough to support such hauls. Furthermore, while the volume is high, the price is low — about five cents per pound. Finally, prepping the product for shipping requires a patented dehydration method that’s super efficient — it cuts drying times from 30 days to fewer than five — but not all that pleasant to taste. “They process them in these big vats of alum sulfate,” says Geer. “So each bag of it has 9690 grams of sodium — that’s like 404 percent of your daily recommendation. I tried the end product once, and it took like four Big Gulps to get the flavor out of my mouth.” [Laughs] Suddenly, a face-full of saltwater don’t sound so bad. — Matt Walker milepost 39
UPS and DOWNS
milepost
40
rearview
gohunt
outthere
gosurf
graphiccontent
Summer’s an endless jumble of good and bad times all intersecting. Long beach days — that lead to bad sunburns. Bumper-to-bumper traffic — broken up by a few cute bikinis. Sweet smells. Tantalizing tastes. Horrifying visions you’ll never unsee. Next time you turn over to tan your cheeks, or come to a screeching halt on the bypass, take a second to ponder this puzzle. And always remember to fill up on happy memories — and erase every frustration.
ACROSS 1. Orange species of snack 6. Hop up and grab one 7. No-swimming surrender 10. Bikini bottom feeder 12. Six-foot sunblock 16. Booby trap 17. Look but don’t touch 19. Watering hole for waveriders 20. Painful Portuguese 21. Stone-cold necessity 22. Dry off, doze on 24. Shades your eyes 28. Crawling King Snake of Congestion 33. Abs or ales 34. Kills your season 35. Inflatable arm bands 36. Liquor-laced, left hook 37. Saharan footsteps 38. Patriotic pyrotechnics 39. Check-out time 40. Piled-up palaces 41. Multi-generational madhouse 42. Flying equine footwear
Illustrations by
DOWN 2. A chill treat 3. Don’t tread on me 4. Soar in formation 5. Soundside showboats 8. Spooky crustacean 9. Foamy foot-savers 10. Titillating body borders 11. Ice bath for brews 13. Brings the noize 14. Watery whistleblower 15. Reapply regularly 18. Floating fish fry 19. The best for your stick 23. Kiss of life 25. Speedo slur 26. Prime real estate for Pontiacs 27. Sasquatch sweater vest 29. Shorebreak suckout 30. Bird poop bombadier 31. Portable spot for your posterior 32. Pulp fiction milepost 41
Outer Banks Dining Casual
photo: John Livingston
Located In Historic Lifesaving Station #6
is for
Call us this Summer for Catering or Personal Chef Services!
Open Year Round 3848 Virginia Dare Trail MP 4 on the Beach Road in Kitty Hawk 252-261-3171 blackpelican.com
InteractIve trIvIa
milepost
/ kar•ma
Milepost’s locally approved, no B.S., guaranteed tip guide for primo service and a happier afterlife Bartender: $1 per drink; 25% per tab; 30% if you’re cheap, snobby or just plain wasted.
Lunch & Dinner Drinks Magnificent Ocean Views
{
k
Feed the piggy. Photo: N. Niccilo
42
Cabbie: 20% — or a buck a mile. (Whichever is greater.) Delivery: 15%; $5 min. (Yes: even if it’s “just a pizza.”) Ice Cream: $1 per cone.
}
Karaoke: $5 per song; $20 if you hog the mic all night. Masseuse: 20%; plus $100 for every “happy ending” wisecrack. Register: Spare change up to $2 — but only for retailers with local street cred (e.g. seafood stores, veggie stands, head shops, etc.) Takeout: 15% for restaurant; 20% if it’s a walk-up food stand. Tour Guide/Surf Lesson: $5 min. per attendee per hour; $10 bonus for every bald eagle/dolphin sighting or whiney kid. Troubadour: $5 per hour per set-of-ears; $5 per 3-minute request; $10 if you sing along; $20 if you don’t clap. Wait staff: 20% for standard service; 25-30% for top-notch. If that sounds excessive, tip 50% every time. (You’ve got a lifetime of catching up to do.)
Balls of steel?
l/ is for
leap of faith
Freefalls in courage. Photo: Sven Jseppi
Not me. More like rusted aluminum. Although I have had my share of confrontations with true fear. Fought a bull in Costa Rica. Got sucked out to sea in Indonesia. Calmly talked a thug or two out of shooting me in the face… I like to think I don’t scare easily. Then again, I’m afraid of motorcycles, terrified of spiders, and absolutely petrified of mimes. Most of all, I have a profound fear of dying due to my own incompetence. (I can hear the eulogy now: He was a nice guy, for a friggin’ idiot.) Which makes parachuting the perfect thrill-seeking activity for me. Because if you go splat your first time, it’s not even your fault. Not like that’s gonna happen. According to the United States Parachute Association, tandem skydiving averages a minuscule 0.002 student fatalities per 1,000 tandem jumps. Still, the seven-minute safety film you’re required to watch may cause a few jitters prior to tumbling from 9,000+ feet, as the big-bearded narrator assures: “There is no such thing as a perfect parachute system or packer, a perfect airplane or pilot, a perfect parachute setter or instructor, or, for that matter, a perfect student.” Bingo. Faulty all the way around. This is clearly my jam. From there, the caveats roll off the announcers’ lips like boulders crushing bugs that’re already contemplating suicide: Malfunctions. Defects. Careless. Negligent. Serious Injury. Death. He also warns that my unflappably upbeat jumpmaster might need to touch anatomy that may otherwise seem inappropriate, and touch he does. He has to. Crammed with another tandem team like gum balls in a dispenser, a little straddling and pelvic contact is only natural. (Maybe even a bonus, if you’re into that sort of thing.) “Hands on the harness, head back, hips forward, arms crossed, knees together, and ready, set, arch, like you’re doing a gainer….” The instructions seem so remedial. I even giggle — just a little. The climb through the clouds is equally innocuous. I even yawn — just a little. Then they open the door. And that’s when the proverbial poo gets real — the roar of the wind drowns out the plane’s engines, the terrestrial world too far away to even comprehend. Now, I’m scared. I even tinkle — just a little. But at this point, screaming “No!” just sounds like, “Go!” or… “Whooooaaaaa!.....” And then we’re dropping — nay, flying — at a face-flapping 120mph. I can’t offer a blow-by-blow of the indescribable thrill of that free fall, because like any high, it doesn’t last long enough — about 30 seconds. But it’s every bit as intoxicating as it’s cracked up to be. What I hadn’t bargained for, however, is the resplendent view I get of this fingernail of sand we live on, growing grander and clearer with every ecstatic “Yew!” In fact, when my bare feet, quivering with adrenaline, kiss the ground in Manteo, I can’t imagine skydiving anywhere else but here. Not over the mountains. Not above the heartland. And certainly no big cities… Don’t wanna risk running into any mimes. — Matt Pruett milepost 43
m
/mer•ma is for
Great Brew Great Chew Historic Manteo Waterfront Dining! 252.473.MOON milepost
44
dr lo ink Ca l!
In mythology, watery females pulled drowning victims to undersea graves. On our
aids
The life they save may be your own. Photo: Julie Dreelin
modern beaches, they’re more likely to save lives. “I’d say most lifeguard services on the Outer Banks are probably around 60 percent men, 40 percent women,” says Chad Motz, Ocean Rescue Captain for the town of Nags Head. “So, it’s not half-and-half, but it’s a lot more balanced than, say, the fire or police departments.” And it’s certainly more balanced than 40 years ago. In the 1970s, a woman working in ocean rescue? That was a rare thing. In 1979, Mary Watson was one of three female summer lifeguards. When the other two left early, she was the last woman standing. Then again, the whole system was different back then. Services were privately run, leaving operators to hire for personal reasons. “I was a very good pool swimmer, but I didn’t know much about swimming in the ocean,” Watson recalls. “There really wasn’t any training.” Nor was there a physical test. But there may have been physical reasons. (The service’s owner had a reputation as a “ladies’ man,” so the fact that Watson was young and female may have had something to do with her being hired.) But she never felt singled out. In fact, she came back again in 1980. The pay was terrible — $10 per day — although there were tips, and lifeguards could also earn some side money by renting equipment. But the rewards were priceless. And Watson looks back on the two years as some of her favorites. “I was dirt poor, but it was one of the best times of my life,” she says. “My co-workers were totally great. We were very much a fraternal group.” “Fraternal” being the key word. But times were changing. In the early 1980s, glass ceilings were shattering in offices and industries everywhere. Public perceptions about gender norms were evolving. Partially with the help of government policy. Mirek Dabrowski, Ocean Rescue Supervisor for Duck/Southern Shores and the National Park Service, began his career in Assateague in 1979. When he moved to the Outer Banks in 1983 to work at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the federal government took the lead in changing attitudes.
“They had integrated the beach I was on,” he said. “Out of 20 guards, four were women. But I don’t think girls at that time thought about being a lifeguard. It’s more of a societal change.” The real catalyst for ocean rescue came from college swimming pools. In 1972, the federal government passed Title IX of the Education Amendments Act. The law said if any educational institution wanted federal money, they couldn’t discriminate against anyone on the basis of their sex, and that included athletics. One of the effects of Title IX was to upgrade women’s collegiate sports, such as swimming. By the 1990s, strong female swimmers were hitting the beach like most college kids. Lifeguarding looked like a cool summer job. Unfortunately, not every service was welcoming. “I became a lifeguard in Bethany Beach in 1999,” says Nags Head’s Beth McKinney, who swam for Seton Hall, a Division I school. “I loved my job, loved competing. But my boss was not a fan of women in lifeguarding. He thought it was a negative against men. There were only three women on our whole staff, and there were 35 people. He made it very difficult to come back the next year. Told me I would never make it in lifeguarding.” Instead, McKinney made it in lifeguarding here. Since 2000, she’s been a part of Nags Head Ocean Rescue. She still works each summer and competes in annual events. (And oftentimes wins.) By then, all the Outer Banks towns had their own ocean rescue services. Once integrated into the fire department, standards were applied, and applied equally: swim 500 meters in ten minutes and run an eight-minute mile. That’s how it was for Sylvia Wolff, who arrived in 2000 and went on to be Corolla Ocean Rescue’s supervisor from 2005-2015. And that’s how it remains. “Within my staff, and within the circle of the Outer Banks, it’s not the gender that supervisors see,” she says. “It’s the work ethic.” As a result, we’ve got some of the best lifeguards in the business. Every July, the Nags Head Ocean Rescue team consistently ranks in the top three at the South Atlantic Regional Lifeguard Championships — posting back-toback victories in the Small Beach division the past two years. And often it’s the ladies who take first place in key divisions and push the team to the top. “Regionally and nationally, our women typically do better than the guys do,” says Motz. “So even the years where we don’t send as many women to compete, they still pull their share of the weight.” — Kip Tabb milepost 45
n / is for
next round’s on you…
Break a liver. Photo: Chris Bickford
milepost
46
Barry Price isn’t a detective, but he’s played one on TV. He’s also been a priest,
a politician — even stood in for Richard Gere during Nights in Rodanthe. (No gerbil jokes, please.) But when the model/actor isn’t channeling characters, he’s mixing drinks in the finest local establishments. In fact, Expert Bartender may be Barry’s greatest role to date. Over the past 20 years, his mix of chiseled good looks, humble charm and hometown appeal has helped turn burgeoning watering holes into bonafide blockbusters, from Ocean Boulevard to the Brewing Station, Captain George’s to his current gig at Rooster’s Southern Kitchen. “It’s hard to get locals to change their habits,” says the 54-year-old cantina kingpin. “So, I’m grateful to every long-time customer who makes time to see me. Besides, I enjoy the work. There’s an electricity to it. It’s kind of like being on stage every night.” That means every customer plays a part. We asked Barry what makes for a quality performance, so you don’t get booed the next time you order.
ur p Yo -Sto op! h e On bit S Ha
Cigars • Beer • Hippy Wear Tobacco Accessories • Incense The Outer Banks ONLY Authorized Payment Center – Pay Your Bills Here! MP 4.5 Jordan Plaza • Kitty Hawk • (252) 480-1600
THE CRAFT: “A lot of our craft beers are from North Carolina. In summer, I recommend a really good Hefeweizen. They can get some citrus flavors — sometimes we’ll add an orange slice. Mother Earth Weeping Willow is a great Belgian Wit. Or a blonde ale is always nice and light, too. We carry a Lost Colony Blonde made right here in Manteo. And you can’t go wrong with a Kölsch. White Street, out of Wake Forest, is super crispy.” HERO COCKTAIL: “To me, the classic summer drink starts with rum. It tastes like being on vacation. We make an Ocean Blue Martini, which is Cruzan Blue Very Lemonade rum, Blue Curaçao, splash of lime, and 7-Up. Or the classic rum punch is super tasty. Mix a flavored rum with a dark rum, add a little bit of pineapple juice, ginger ale, a splash of sour, and maybe a drop of grenadine. The dark rums I like are Myers, Goslings and Flor De Cana. Kill Devil Rum is the local, light favorite. We add a slice of orange and a float of Bacardi 151 on top. One sip and you’re in the tropics.” BIG SHOTS: “Go back 15 years, it was all chilled Jäger and Goldschläger. Now Fireball is huge. Huge. But all shots are good — because they’re easy! Especially late night. The worst is when six people come up at last call, the bar’s jammed, and they’re like: ‘We want three Lemon Drops, two Sex on the Beaches and one Slippery Nipple!’ No! Just get six of one thing, dude. [Laughs] It’ll make things faster for us, you and everyone else.” VINTAGE ROLES: “White wines go with summertime. Chardonnay. Sauvignon Blanc. Pinot Grigio is a little grassier, more tart. Or, Sanctuary Vineyards in Currituck makes a light, dry blend called Wild Pony White. I like Prosecco, which is a light sparkling wine. And Moscato is a great summer wine. It’s a little sweeter, slightly less alcohol, and really popular right now.” POP STARS: “Cocktails are definitely fad-driven. Four or five years ago, mojitos were big. Now it’s bourbon drinks: Manhattans, Old Fashioneds, Sidecars. I make a mean Old Fashioned, which is muddled orange and cherry with bourbon and soda. Sidecar is brandy, tripel sec or Cointreau, sour mix, and a sugar rim. Really simple but good. But the best thing is to ask before you order a round. Just because you like liquor doesn’t mean everybody else does.” CHEERS ALL AROUND: “Splitting tabs is a buzz kill, and you’re out to have a good time. So, if you come in with two or three people, pay for the first round, and let your friends get the next ones. That’s etiquette. Or grab the whole tab one night and let someone else pick it up the next time. And everybody walks out on a tab at some point. It happens. Don’t beat yourself up. Just expect the place to add a 20 percent gratuity, which is totally fair — and totally appreciated.” — Mitch Kaufmann
BRANDI MISS LMBT NC#5124
(252) 305-3330 4425 N Croatan Hwy Kitty Hawk, NC By Appointment Only
frm islns af o e d e q r un
Reclaimed Boatwood teak FuRnituRe Bali HandicRaFts local outeR Banks aRt The Island Attic #Islandattic
stone mosaic PotteRy GaRden decoR JewelRy TheIslandAttic.com (252)261-0422 milepost 47
o /
Get ready for the slackest season in recent memory. Photo: Daniel Pullen
is for
o•r•v access
Stuck, deflated and desperate for help. It’s not
just a description of being buried up to your chassis on some empty stretch of sand, it’s a metaphor for the whole beach access issue down south. At least it used to be. Then, in 2014, Congress ordered the park service to revisit Cape Hatteras’ ORV restrictions — just as Outer Banks Group received a new superintendent. Would David Hallac be able to balance the desires of beachdriving enthusiasts and threatened species? More importantly, could he beat the 2017 deadline? Well, as Hallac reports: “What we have now is a full recalibration of the plan. And in the end, we were able to provide some measureable changes in terms of overall beach access — both for our vehicle users and folks who enjoy non-motorized recreation — while protecting
all the special resources of the seashore. So, it really ended up being a win-win.” In terms of adding access miles, it was a blow out. In 2013 and 2014, out of 28 possible miles of ORV beach, an average of 17-20 miles was open between May and August. In 2016, the first summer to follow the new rules, that number was more than 25. All without compromising a single plover or turtle. So how did they do it? By adjusting buffers and taking a more flexible approach to each day, each issue — and, in some cases, each nest. “The closures that were providing the most trouble in summer were turtles,” says Hallac. “So, we implemented corridors where people could walk and drive in front of the nest, then we would rake those areas completely flat at the end of the day. So, one turtle nest no longer blocks a mile — or two miles or three miles.”
2.4 million Approximate number of recreational visits in 2016 — the highest since 2003 36,432 Total number of annual passes sold in 2016 — the most since implementation $50/$120 Cost of 7-day/annual ORV permits, respectively, in 2012 $50/$120 Cost of 10-day/annual ORV permits, respectively, in 2017 28% Number of passes printed at home — twice as much as 2015 $2.5 million Dollars generated from ORV permits in 2016 $1.1 million Dollars spent on ramps, roads and other access projects in 2015/2016
Other upgrades included extending the morning hours, adding four ramps and roads — like a fourmile inter-dunal road between Buxton and Frisco, and a half-mile bypass to reach Cape Point — and a more logical permit system. (Weekly permits now last ten days instead of seven, the same as a temporary fishing license; annual passes are good for a full year from purchase.) Plus, a new printat-home option’s making for easier purchase and greater sales, which means even more revenue for improvements. It all makes for more ways to roam free — and a more open philosophy toward beach access in general. “That’s our goal,” says Hallac. “Protecting the species and resources is never optional — for many reasons. That being said, we want to use all the flexibilities we have to make sure folks get out there and enjoy the seashore.” — Sandy Rutz
5 Number of access projects including new ramps at 25, 32, 48, and 63 4 Length in miles of inter-dunal road connecting Buxton to Frisco 6am Time the beach opens to vehicles between May and July (6:30am between Aug.–Sept.) 4 Weeks added to seasonal ORV route in front of the villages (Oct. 15-Apr. 14) 3.5 Additional miles added to seasonal and year-round ORV routes 47 Number of turtle nests where driving corridors were implemented in 2016 0 Number of turtle casualties as a result 17.7 Estimated average number of miles open to ORVs, May-Sept. in 2013 25.6 Estimated average number of miles open to ORVs, May-Sept. in 2016
For the latest rules and regulations, daily updates on potential beach closures, or to purchase permits, go to www.nps.gov/caha. milepost
48
p
Sunburn upon reading. Photo: Hans Downserblaüs
is for
/page-turn• ers
“Fabio’s long, sandy locks fell...
from his ponytail, coating his shoulders like fiberglass insulation floating off the studs of his latest remodel. He gripped Gisele’s torso like a pair of Vise-Grips, reached for his toolbelt and… and…” Stop! You can’t really be sprawled out on a towel reading that trash? Not when there’s a stack of fine books hitting Outer Banks shelves this summer. We asked two favorite, local bibliophiles — Buxton Village Books’ Gee Gee Rosell and Jamie Anderson of Duck’s Cottage and Downtown Manteo Booksellers — to suggest five fresh finds you’ll be proud to be caught reading in public.
Outer Banks Shipwrecks/Mary Ellen Riddle. “Long-time Outer Banks writer and education curator for the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, Mary Ellen Riddle, combines years of research experience and historic imagery to breathe life into tales of disaster — and survival — from 500 years of lost vessels, turning isolated incidents into a cohesive timeline of coastal events and technological evolution.” — Jamie Anderson
Creative Burgers (80/20 Hereford ground chuck) oysters • loCal tuna • Creative salads sandwiCHes • Boardwalk Fries • wings veggie Burgers • daily speCials • kids Menu
Strange Alchemy/Gwenda Bond. “This is a wonderful Young Adult novel set mostly in Manteo, connecting a modern-day whodunnit to the famous Lost Colony mystery. Sadly, it fell out of print a few years back, but a new publisher plans to re-release the book this August. It’s a great read for teens and adults, and has a little bit of a paranormal aspect to it.” — JA Seaspell/Bronwyn Williams. “Bronwyn Williams is the pen name of Hatteras Island sisters, Mary Williams and Dixie Burrus Browning. From 1988 to 2003, they published 15 novels. Seaspell is the first re-issue in a series. It follows a new teacher in a new life on a remote, 1850s island where the Cape Hatteras Light is fueled by kerosene, the accent sounds like another language, and the lack of electricity makes the night sky light up like a planetarium.” — Gee Gee Rosell Murder at Ocracoke/Joe Ellis. “Joe Ellis has written three Outer Banks mysteries: Murder at Whalehead, Murder at Hatteras, and Murder on the Outer Banks. The locations are fact, the stories are fiction. His fourth book sees a dark shadow fall upon Ocracoke Island as investors long to get their greedy hands on its protected shores, while a murderer lurks in the nearby woods. Will a violent death stop the exploitation of the island?” — GGR Living at Water’s Edge/Barbara Garrity-Blake and Karen Willis Amspacher. “Full of photographs and colorful stories of Outer Banks life, this spectacular book travels the Outer Banks’ National Scenic byway, exploring the cultural and scenic history of the communities lining the Pamlico and Core Sounds. For visitors, it’s a great introduction to a contemporary vacation paradise. For locals, it’s a well-written reminder of our home’s rich heritage.” — GGR
Full Bar H CraFt CoCktails H 10 Brews on tap SeRviNg MoNDay THRougH SaTuRDay 11:30 - 10PM CloSeD oN SuNDayS MP 5.5 | Seagate North Plaza | Kill Devil Hills 252-255-1980 | TwoRoadsTavern.com | milepost 49
Morning of the turf. Photo: Chris Bickford
q is for
milepost
50
/ quiv•er•ing
“It’s not the arrow — it’s the archer.” Whoever said that clearly never tried to surf knee-high
slop on a big-wave gun. Or charge head-high shorebreak on a 10-foot log. That’s why smart surfers keep a whole spectrum of foamy flyers in the garage, ready to pierce the strongest of hurricane swells, or skirt the weakest onshore ripples — and still challenge themselves to a good time. “Summer, I’ll ride just about everything,” says top amateur surfer, Nohea Futrell. “Longboards, shortboards, skimboards, soft boards. My friends and I all show up with two or three different boards — maybe a mask and fins to swim out to the wreck — then spend all day swapping around.” We asked the young ripper to bust out his favorite sticks and tricks for keeping sharp in the dullest conditions.
BEATER BOARD: “On the far left is my Beater. It’s my go-to for anything waisthigh and under. I have the 54-inch Pro Model, which comes with two fins — but I don’t put ’em in because I like to spin it around. Harder to surf, but that makes any maneuver you pull more fun. And when it’s glassy, it flies.” THE STUMP: “The Stump’s closer to an actual board. Little kids love ’em because they’re soft — but it’s also an amazing tube-rider when the waves are beefy. Tons of volume, so it paddles easy. And it holds amazingly well. When I can’t tell how heavy it really is, and I don’t want to break my board — or myself — I ride this.”
Turn your phone
off
anD StaRt
Roaming
ocRacokE
iSLanD
BZ: “This BZ is the ultimate beginner board. It’s 7’2” and super floaty. My older brother learned to surf on this thing in the sound — that’s how easy it is to ride. And that’s why you see people teaching lessons on them all summer long.” SKIMBOARD: “Anytime it’s totally flat or breaking right on the beach, I go skimming. My friends and I line up and take turns, laughing and trying new stuff. Some years, it feels like I ride this more than anything else.” SMALL-WAVE SHORTBOARD: “This 5’9” with the blue fade is the first epoxy shortboard I’ve ever had, and I really like it — especially when it’s small, like two-to-three feet. It’s super flat for lots of speed, and super light, so it’s really good for airs.” GO-TO SHORTBOARDS: “I love bigger boards. Transitions are better. I don’t have to hop so much. They just go smoother. And the bigger the board, the more board that goes above the lip. Judges like that. These are both 5’11”. The white one is a new swallowtail that works in everything. Then, when the waves get really top-to-bottom, like hurricane swells, I ride the one with black rails. It has more volume for paddling and a really sharp tail for making drops. I’ve gotten some of my best waves on the Outer Banks riding this board.” WETTIES & FINS: “Tops are great for morning sessions when the air’s cold or breezy. But the spring suit is essential for when the water’s upwelling but the beach is hot. Normally, I ride large fins. I like the control. But in my small-wave boards, I find medium fins give a little extra release.” LONGBOARD: “This is the board I won the ESA Easterns on two years ago. It’s a 9’0” swallowtail, with three fins and a sharp tail — so it’s really maneuverable. I got one from outside Jennette’s Pier and cranked four big carves to the beach. I also have an epoxy 9’0” for long, small waves. It’s more about stability; it’s flatter with a longer middle fin and it holds well through the flat sections, so you can hang ten.” SKATEBOARD/ MASK & FINS /THE WOMPER: “My parents don’t like me skating because I always get hurt [laughs], but summertime flat spells make it essential. Usually, I go hit the bowl at Aviation Park or YMCA. The Womper is a 16-inch bodyboard — sort of like a hand plane — perfect for messing around on big, messy shorebreak. And on super clear, flat days, you need a mask and fins. You can swim out to the wrecks, see cool fish and get some exercise. Nothing’s worse than sitting on the beach doing nothing.” — George Glass
look for the
RED BULLSEYE Island Carts’ self-guided tours are a great way to explore this off-the-beaten-path island village. Cruise the quiet tree lined streets at your own, easy pace. Visit Ocracoke Island Carts for a true island adventure.
Open Daily at 8 a.m.
252-928-0090
www.OcracokeIslandGolfCarts.com “Proud Sponsor of the Ocracoke Community Park Golf Cart Raffle”
milepost 51
FURNITURE
|
DECOR
|
GIFTS
|
DESIGN
Stylish home decor in every style at amazing prices!
Best prices on the beach!
Assistance with planning, colors & materials
Coastal accents & timeless finds
FLEXIBLE
Budget Options GLOBAL
Imports
OUTLET PRICES
CUSTOM
House Packages VOLUME
Discounts
Featuring many American brands
Largest OBX warehouse
PROFESSIONAL
Largest in-stock inventory on the Outer Banks!
Design Services FREE DELIVERY
& Installation
owned Locally 1 9 since 19
252.441.6728 MP 8.5 on Bypass Kill Devil Hills
exotichomeinteriors.com milepost
52
Look for the fish mural on the building
r
The first time I soared in a hang glider was about 22 years ago. The trip
above Jockey’s Ridge lasted 15 or 20 seconds, which is why, somewhere, in some forgotten box, I have my Hang Gliding Hang One Rating. I haven’t flown much since that time, and I suspect that if Francis Rogallo was still with us, he would be disappointed. Not in me — that wasn’t his personality. Just disappointed that I wasn’t still flying, because, you see, Francis Rogallo loved flight — loved the beauty of it, the possibilities, the science — but mostly he loved the idea that anyone could fly. And he believed all humans should be able to slip the surly bonds of Earth. Francis Rogallo, who lived in Southern Shores, made hang gliding possible —and paragliding and modern parachutes and stunt kites and kiteboarding — all of it because, in 1948, Mr. Rogallo and his wife, Gertrude, patented a flexible wing. He called it a parawing. No one calls it that now. It’s the Rogallo wing, and that is a fitting tribute to the genius of a man who spent his professional career as a NASA engineer. “I have 24 or 25 patents — all of them aeronautical,” Rogallo once told me. Some of his ideas are ubiquitous, if not as well known. Rogallo holds the first patent on slotted wing flaps, which have made modern high-speed flight possible. Others still remain fantasy. Like the flying car that never seemed to get to the drawing board. It likely would have been a Rogallo wing — lightweight, easy to pack and relatively simple to control, but able to lift an automobile into thin air. “Once you got out of town,” he had said, imagining his car, “you would spread your wings and fly to wherever you wanted to go.” That doesn’t surprise his daughter, Carol Sparks, who still lives in Southern Shores. “That’s right. That was his dream.” Dreamer? Genius? Sure. But still human. He and Gertrude raised three girls and a boy, often with a sense of humor. Carol launches into the story of her sister Fran returning home from a date. “When they came home, the boy came in,” Carol recalls. “After a long while Mother and Daddy decided it was time for him to leave. So, Dad took his trumpet and went to the top of the stairs and played taps. Fran said she never saw anybody shoot out of the house as fast as that boy did.” Then again, some ideas didn’t work quite as well as others… “I was a test dummy for his wings,” Carol says. “One time, the wind was coming off the ocean and onto the sand dunes in front of our cottage. He got me up there and couldn’t get me down.” Her mother was a witness. “After that, a 100-pound dummy was built.” That was Rogallo’s way: come up with an idea. Test it. Succeed or adjust — there were no failures, just new ways to find solutions. Then come up with another idea. And another. His mind kept imagining the next concept, the next problem to be solved. “He still was always thinking until the day he died,” Carol said. “Something would come out and he would say, ‘Oh I thought of that.’ And he had.” Back when I interviewed him, that’s what I remember…that he was always thinking…always dreaming beyond what you or I may think is possible. “I thought it was very interesting to see man go to the moon and back,” he said. Then he added, and I remember a huge, beaming smile. “Mars. That would be an interesting thing to do.” — Kip Tabb
The 35th Annual Rogallo Kite Festival returns to Jockey’s Ridge with competitions and demos, June 11-12.
The 39th Annual Wright Kite Festival features more flexiblewing action at Wright Bros.’ Memorial, July 14-15.
is for
/ ro • gal • lo
Deep thoughts, high hopes. Photo: Aycock Brown/Outer Banks History Center
milepost 53
Who’ll be the hot band to chill with between May and September? Our call is SensiTrails, an upstart
Live Wood Grill • Natural Meats • USDA PRIME Beef • The Freshest Seafood Award Winning Wine List • Great Kids Menu • Live Music
1/2 price wine bottles Every Sunday
ROAD TO MUSTANG Free Live Concerts on the Deck Every Wednesday Starting June 7
host the perfect event Visit us Online for Info
TIMBUCK II • COROLLA • 252.453.4336 RESERVATIONS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
GRILLROOMOBX.COM milepost
54
reggae trio dripping with original, catchy rhythms and feelgood vibes that are so sweet — so cool — they’re the musical equivalent of a big, fat cone. (Of ice cream, that is.) Fitting, since that’s frontman Kyle Rising’s whole reason for being here. “My first job was working at Scammell’s Corner,” says the 20-year-old guitar player and frontman. “Then, last year, I was as The Spot. So, I guess you could say I’m a professional ice cream scooper.” [Laughs] At least he used to be. Then he met Rachel Dickerson. The 24-year-old Southern Shores musician grew up playing drums in high school and a host of local start-up acts. (She also plays bass, guitar and piano.) But for all the variety and vibrancy of our tiny music scene — a town where you can catch jazz, country, prog rock or punk — her favorite style was the one musical form that’s never really caught fire. “I was always into reggae,” says Dickerson, “but nobody my age really wanted to play it. So Kyle and I clicked right away.” Last fall, they brought on 18-year-old Eli Colletti. With an average age of just 21 and barely two years in action, SensiTrails are arguably the youngest act on the beach. But the band is already playing beyond their years. On the road, they’ve opened for national acts like Collie Budz. Locally, they’ve packed clubs and played festivals. And, musically, their song-writing and stage presence are surprisingly mature. The rhythms run on swaggering bass, gritty-bright guitar riffs and syrupy delays. When not swapping lyrics or adding harmonies, Dickerson sizzles the high-hat and pops the snare. Meanwhile, Rising works the crowd with wiry energy and random shout-outs, filling all that mellow vibe with a sense of urgency that flows right into their first EP, Prohibition. It’s only five songs, but it’s infectious. A semi-cruisy, always-smiley collection that runs the full range of rootsy messaging. Rebel music. (“I will cut the strings of this puppetry.”) Legalization. (“You can’t put out my flame.”) Plus, straight-up party tracks, like “Dirty Couch,” a clever salute to that most classic of nightlife traditions: leaving the bar latenight but not making it home. “That’s one I wrote on the Outer Banks,” laughs Rising. “But most songs are just whatever comes to mind. Political stuff from the news. Relationships. Or good times I’ve had. Just the stuff we feel every day.” And they’re gonna be feeling it all summer long, doling out dips and dollops of sweet island flavor for every taste — poppy bubble gum, deep, rich chocolate, sour-diesel citrus. And if your summer starts to turn the slightest bit cruel, they’ll lift your mood from the very first lick. — Leo Gibson
+BONUS TRACKS
s
/ sw
+ The Running Club. Watch local favorites Sean Olds, Harry Harrison and Josh Martier combo-up all summer long, then download their CD of originals, Matthew, at: therunningclub.bandcamp.com.
Colletti, Rising and Dickerson: rub-a-dub style. Photo: Chris Bickford
s
is for
weet sum•mer sounds + Canon. Wanna hear how Hound Dogs’ Martier and Harrison spent the offseason? Check out this freshly released, full-length garage-rock masterpiece by their primary project, the Tills, at: thetills.bandcamp.com.
+ Soundside Live Sunset Concert Series. Three free, festive Thursdays of local, regional and national touring bands at Nags Head’s Soundside Event Site, May 25, June 1 and June 8. More at: www.outerbanks.org.
+ First Annual OBX Summer Send Off. Say “see ya” to the peak season, Wed., Aug. 23, with an all-day party at Roanoke Island Festival Park, starring JJ Grey and Mofro plus more top talent. More at: www.roanokeisland.com. milepost 55
See what happens when you forget your wettie? Brett Barley works the fiberglass catwalk. Photo: Daniel Pullen
t /
milepost
56
is for
trunk•ing it?
The beach looks like a tropical paradise. Crowded shoreline. Brilliant sun. Hot-pink umbrellas
from here to the horizon. You race across the burning sand, drop the cooler and dive headfirst into what looks like bathwater conditions — only to dash out shivering and screaming obscenities. So how does the Atlantic turn arctic overnight in the middle of August? Don’t say voodoo. Or climate change. And definitely do not call it the Labrador Current. “That’s a common misconception,” says Mike Muglia, Research Associate for Skyco’s Coastal Studies Institute. “But if you look at a map, the Labrador Current is all the way up in the Labrador Sea. We have a bunch of different water masses that converge offshore.” And that’s exactly why researchers from CSI, Woods Hole and elsewhere will be spending the summer studying water exchange off Cape Hatteras. We asked Muglia to describe just what keeps our water temps so fluid.
Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner NagsHeadCafe.com
252.441.1141 • 3948 S Virginia Dare Trail • Nags Head, NC
So if it’s not Labrador Current dropping water temps, what is it? “Well, the common name is ‘upwelling’ — but the cause is called ‘Ekman transport.’ Whenever the wind blows south for a long enough period, it pushes all the warmer surface water west to east, allowing cooler seawater from below to replace it. And in summertime, when the wind is predominantly south or southwest, a strong blow can drop the sea temp in less than 24 hours.” Then why does the North Side of Oregon Inlet suddenly freeze while the stretch from Pea Island to Frisco stays comparatively warm? “That’s because of the currents north and south of Cape Hatteras. On average, the water on the shelf south of Hatteras is flowing south to north, so its water is warmer and saltier. We call that the South Atlantic Bight. It may get cooler, but only a few degrees. The water on the Mid-Atlantic Bight — the shelf north of Cape Hatteras — flows north to south on average. That water is fresher and cooler. So when it drops, it really drops.” Even in August, when the water feels like it’s 80? “Well, the surface water may hit 78 degrees. But that’s just because the sun heats it up and creates a thermocline. All that cold water is still waiting underneath. Ask anyone who dives the towers offshore. Twenty feet down, you’ll hit 55-degree water. You need a heavy wetsuit and boots and gloves. Give the wind time to blow south — say 15 hours or more — the top layer pushes east, that colder, deeper water fills in, and the nearshore temps drop 20 degrees.”
auto & marine supplies
KDH - 252.715.1707 Grandy - 252.453.6161 obxcarquest.com
Then how come it warms up so fast? “Because once the wind stops, the top layer of water starts moving back. Sometimes you can literally see a line of blue just off the beach. A little onshore wind and that warm water comes right back in.” That’s not the Gulf Stream moving closer? “No. That’s the other big misconception: that the Gulf Stream and Labrador Current somehow collide right next to the coast. Does some water from these big currents filter in? Yes. Of course. None of this is absolute. There’s all kinds of stuff that’s mixing and meeting. But that’s what makes Cape Hatteras such an interesting place to study.” So how can we prepare for the next polar plunge? “Best you can do is watch for a period of extended southerly winds. And keep a fullsuit and booties in the car. [Laughs]” — Matt Walker
In Home Appointments Available
Now offering MeditatioN Classes! Find out more at: OuterBanksMeditation.com
252.639.0623 Tim Buck II Corolla obxmassagetherapy.com milepost 57
h c t a m a made in s! Hattera
u
Orange is the new Blackberry. Photo: L. Dub
/un plug is for •
s!
&
r 32 yea
The Village Conery
Bet you thought we’d say “umbrella.” But what good is sunshade on this glorious beach
18 years!
pizza • calzones • italian dinners subs • wraps • salads • burgers appetizers • wine • tap & bottled beer ice cream • yogurt • sundaes italian ice and soft serve
lisa’s pizzeria
village conery
252.987.2525 rodanthe, NC www.lisaspizzeria.net
26204 Monitor Lane salvo, NC
milepost
58
day, when you’re already hiding under a towel? Hunched over, heads down, tapping a screen instead of getting a tan. Why? Don’t say work. Not only do you need a vacation, your vacation needs you. According to a Kansas State University study, “Employees can have difficulty mentally distancing themselves…due to increasing use of communication technologies…However, psychological detachment…is important for employee recovery and health.” Or relationship issues. The UK’s Brunel University showed that “continuing online contact with an ex-romantic partner…may disrupt emotional recovery.” Truth is: you’re hooked. In fact, not only are more researchers showing cell phone addiction is real, the American Psychology Association says the mere presence of a cell phone “can be similarly distracting and have negative consequences in a social interaction.” The good news? There’s no better habit-breaker than the beach. Lots of healthy activites to keep your brain busy. Plus, the people you care about most — your friends and family — are all within shouting distance. So, leave the damn device in the car in case of emergency, then head out for some real hands-free roaming. The next great biz idea might strike on a walk between piers. Your future bride, groom or beach-week booty-call could be playing Kadima. Even better: just relax. Crack a cold beer and savor each sip. Space out on the shoreline. Watch sand crabs scurry at the slightest shadow. Or just look up at the cloudless blue sky — and let your mind go completely blank. — Bob Wright
v /
The longer you live here, the more you hate traffic. Even those
who once commuted for hours in city gridlock will soon bitterly complain about waiting five minutes to turn left. For seasoned locals, avoiding bad holidays and weekends becomes as much a finely-honed science as weathering hurricanes: we know when to shop, when to go north, when to go south, and when to stay home. That makes monitoring conditions just as important as we head into this period of heightened activity.
LONG-TERM forecast: With gas prices predicted to climb, AAA reports more than 60 percent of U.S. residents say they’ll travel closer to home — including beaches and national parks. That’s a good thing for those of us who depend on tourist dollars (translation: everyone). But it also means more cranky drivers. And about those gas prices: AAA says to expect about a 75-cent jump over last year’s per-gallon price — peaking at a national average of about $2.70 a gallon. ACTIVE DEVELOPMENTS: Bonner Bridge: The $246-million replacement project over Oregon Inlet is still driving pilings on a daily basis. Until June 15, no lane closures are allowed after 3pm on Friday and before 7am on Monday. No daytime lane closures are allowed between June 15 and Sept. 15. (Short nighttime closures for up to 30 minutes may occur occasionally for deliveries with advance notice.) Still, expect slow going as everyone ogles the ongoing construction. Pea Island: On NC 12 north of Rodanthe, the $14.3-million replacement for the temporary “Lego bridge” keeps crawling forward. Lane closures will also stick to night hours after June 15. Expect 25mph speed limits to continue until the new bridge opens — currently set for July 11, 2017.
is for
ve hic u lar vol•ume •
Objects in mirror are crankier than they appear. Photo: Daniel Pullen
•
•
Alligator River: Structural repairs, electrical and mechanical rehabilitation, and deck improvements on US 64’s Alligator River bridge began this spring and will continue through Sept. 2019. The $16.7-million project will require the 57-year-old swing bridge to shut down twice — but not until 2018. Lane closures will be allowed, except on weekends between May 1 and Sept. 30. CURRENTLY STALLED: The planned construction of a $145-million bridge at S-Turns in Rodanthe, scheduled to begin in Jan. 2018, remained stuck in courts at press-time. Likewise, Colington Road’s hotly contested widening/flattening/bike path project is likely to be pushed past Nov. 2018. Expect the usual disruptions (surface flooding, rubbernecking) but no planned closures. BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES: No solution is ready to alleviate traffic at the Southern Shores/Duck Road/U.S. 158 intersection, except an officer may direct vehicles at peak times. Time island evacuations for weekdays; hunker down during weekends. CURRENT DATA: NCDOT has a surprising number of traffic cams, from Powells Point to Alligator River. Monitor https://tims. ncdot.gov/tims/ for live peeks at the hot spots, plus warnings about closures and “incidents.” It might save you an hour. It might not. But at least you get a screen to scream at. — Catherine Kozak milepost 59
what’s your passion?
w/
is for
walk this way
We tried to warn you. Photo: Alex Lex
How to cross the Beach Road in four easy steps
Step 1: DANIEL PULLEN PHOTOGRAPHY
Health and wellness... Arts and culture... A favorite charity, park, or historic site... Scholarships for young people... Or the Outer Banks in general...
Step 2:
Stop and wait. Once your traveling companions catch up, approach the edge of the white rectangles so cars can see you. (Especially if you’re particularly cute.) DO NOT step into traffic.
Step 3:
Look both ways. Make sure all approaching drivers are indeed stopping and not texting friends or squinting at house-numbers. When in doubt, establish eye contact or wait for a hand signal (e.g. wave, thumbs-up, shaka or the international sign for “scootchyscootchy.”)
Step 4:
Have they stopped? Good. Now haul ass. You’re blocking traffic.
Whatever your charitable passion, we can help you plan your giving, leave a legacy, and establish a perpetual endowment to support the cause or nonprofit that inspires you most. It’s easier (and less expensive) than you think.
For more information
Lorelei Costa 252.261.8839 www.obcf.org milepost
60
Find the crosswalk. It’s the series of white rectangles underneath the tall yellow sign with a big, fat arrow and an overweight stick figure doing the twist.
x
No summer day is typical.
At least not at the Outer Banks Hospital, where volume surges with vacation traffic — especially in the emergency room. “We can see as many as 1600 more patients in summer than we do in winter,” says Outer Banks Hospital Marketing Manager Wendy Kelly. Not per season — per month. That’s about 53 more ER visits per day, right around 2.25 more per hour. (Which explains why the nursing staff also increases by about 35 percent.) And though most injuries are minor, a broken wrist is never considered a medical emergency — until it’s your wrist. So, under the heading of “Who knew a beach vacation could be so dangerous?” here are a few painful facts to keep you on your toes (and off crutches): BOARDS: Skimboarding seems to be especially hard on kids, particularly their wrists and forearms. (The board stops — the rider doesn’t — and hands go out to break the fall, followed by a broken or sprained wrist.) Encourage beginning skimmers to start slow and low, and be prepared to “run out of” any mishaps. BEAT-DOWNS: The two big adult injuries are: 1) Shoulder dislocations when a strong wave throws a swimmer into the sand; and 2) Neck injuries from diving into shallow water — pools or ocean. What do they share? “A lot of these accidents are alcohol-related,” Kelly says.
/ x-rays is for
SNAGS: Fish hook injuries are ubiquitous. Hooks get lodged into feet, cheeks, hands, legs — probably no part of the human anatomy is immune. Cast, duck and dress accordingly. BURNS: The most preventable injury of all — and yet every summer people walk barefoot up Jockey’s Ridge or onto the beach on the most blistering days. On a cloudless afternoon in August, the temperature of the sand at Jockey’s Ridge can reach 130 degrees — which can cause a second-degree burn in about 30 seconds. A pair of flip-flops is worth a gallon of aloe. TRIPS: Monday’s the busiest day for ER activity. The slowest days are the weekends, when the biggest menace isn’t beach shenanigans, the bypass or bike path — it’s falling down, as folks trip while moving suitcases and gear from the car to the house, or slip on recently cleaned interior stairs. So watch your step. You came for a tan — not traction. — Kip Tabb
Brain sprain. Photo: Chris Bickford
Outer Banks Hospital operates Urgent Care centers at the Marketplace in Southern Shores and in Nags Head, across from the hospital. (Both facilities offer care for minor injuries.) Sentara Urgent Care is in Kitty Hawk, just south of the Aycock Brown Welcome Center. Down south, Hatteras Island Medical Center is open all week.
with
us
We rent:
Automobiles Golf Carts Vintage VW Buggies Special Occasion Cars 4x4 Jeeps & Suburbans Reservations Required Recommended 48 hrs in Advance
CALL NOW OR BOOK ONLINE! IslandCruisersINC.com
252-987-2097 26248 hwy 12, Salvo, nc 27972 milepost 61
y
Jack Kerouac loved mad Neal Cassady. That flash-in-the-pan hero of the beat scene, Famous for getting kicks and never growing up. A man who never stopped burn, burn, burning. The bold embodiment of our summertime spirit, Where sunny days lead to sexy nights to dawn’s rebirth. An explosive barrage of never-ending neon moments, screaming: Hot! Hot! Hot!
is for
Pop! Pop! Pop! Leaving you all-at-once stoked, restless and semi-spent.
/
“yel•low ro•man can•dles...”
But if you stop, you’ll think. And if you think, you’ll stop. So don’t. Blaze on to the last bang, Absorbing every bright second, ’Til the nerves on the ends of your sparkly little fingers cry: No more! Then stick that tired butt in the sand. Drown the wick, And quick! Light another… — C. White Corolla: Currituck Heritage Park’s 25th annual July 4 celebration cranks up the party at noon, with live music at 5pm and pyrotechnics at 9pm. TOWN: Fireworks fly over Avalon Pier, in KDH, and Nags Head Pier starting ’round 9pm. Hatteras: Avon Pier is the hot spot for flying colors after dark, plus loud music at Koru Beach Klub.
And everybody goes “Awww…” Photo: Daniel Pullen
milepost
62
Manteo: Roanoke Island Festival Park features an afternoon celebration of military bands and massive ka-booms come nightfall.
z is for
Coat them in colors, not chemicals. Photo: L. Dub
/ZnO
Everything you know about sunscreen is wrong. At least, that’s what I thought to
myself as I was happily banishing a technicolor pile of bottles from my house, much to my family’s general confusion and dismay. The purge came after reading the consumer guides on the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) website. EWG rates sunscreens from one to ten — one being the best, and ten being “scientists haven’t quite managed to prove this product causes cancer, but they’re uncomfortably suspicious that it does.” I had a nice variety of major brands just lying around (all about half-full): Banana Boat, Coppertone, Palmer’s, Aveeno. Yet, nothing in my collection rated any better than a five, thanks to a range of potentially toxic chemicals, like oxybenzone and avobenzone. “Oxybenzone is actually a drug,” says Dr. Jeff Pokorny, a local plastic surgeon who developed his own brand, BanxBlock, in 2013. “If it’s absorbed into your skin, you can test your urine five days later and it’s in there.” BanxBlock scores a two on the EMG scale because it’s mineral-based. Mineral sunscreens, made from zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, work by covering the surface of your skin, creating a layer that blocks out UVA and UVB rays. Chemical-based sunscreens work by absorbing into your skin to block rays. Chemical sunscreens also have an unfortunate tendency to claim they’re broad spectrum, but short-change you on the amount of UVA protection. UVB is the one that causes sunburn, so you might think you don’t need to reapply if you’re not burning, but you’re still soaking up all those harmful UVA rays. They’re also totally allowed to put “water resistant” on the label as long as just the UVB protectants stay on (even if the UVA part washes right off). With mineral sunscreen, things are a little more idiot-proof. You’ve got protection from both kinds of rays as long as you’re not burning. You’re also not fighting skin cancer by absorbing toxins. “It really hit home when I was pregnant,” says Erin Price, who makes Beach Babes sunblock. “Everything I put on my body went straight to my baby.” Price isn’t a doctor. She has no formal medical training at all. In fact, Beach Babes has a grand total of three ingredients — the key being zinc oxide. Even so, its scores an EWG ranking of one — about seven times better than anything made by Banana Boat. So, if mineral is superior, why is basically every tube you see in a grocery store full of chemicals? Meg Errickson, a certified aromatherapist and creator of Nags Head Apothecary Little Ripper Solar Screen (another number one on EWG), has a pretty simple answer: “What they’re putting in bottles costs pennies in comparison.” If you want to know how your sunscreen stash rates, go to EWG.org. Or head straight to your local surf shop or beach store and support one of our locally made brands. They come in tubes, tins — everything but aerosol or pumps, which tend to stick to the wind more than the skin. And as Dr. Pokorny points out, “It’s not a good idea to inhale sunscreen.” We couldn’t agree more. — Katrina Mae Leuzinger
Waterfront. Polished. Casual. Panoramic Soundside Views
LOCAL FISH • CRAB STUFFED SHRIMP • SEA SCALLOPS CRAB CAKES • WOOD ROASTED CHICKEN HAND ROLLED RAVIOLI • STEAKS, STUFFED PORK CHOPS OLD WORLD WOOD FIRED PIZZA 10 Craft Beers On Tap Weekly Changing Wines by the Glass Located in North Duck across from the Sanderling Resort 1564 Duck Road - Duck, NC 252-715-2220 | papercanoeobx.com Reservations Suggested
rd alkboa e h c r u o iv Check fish & creat . u ly for dai s to our men n additio milepost 63
milepost
64
fooddrink Flowers adds one more personal touch. Photo: Ryan Moser
endnotes
Or, in the case of Mike Dehus, your deer.
questionauthority
soundcheck getactive
SPECIAL DELIVERY startingpoint
Personal chefs cook customized dinners right in your kitchen.
roadmap gokite
“I have customers I will cater to for a meal,” says personal chef, Lynn Flowers. “Others, I provide breakfast, lunch and dinner for seven days a week. Either way, it’s a great way to enjoy your space and feed your people without all the stress.”
milepost
A born foodie, Flowers grew up in Pennsylvania cooking large dinners with her mom and grandmother. Later, she trained under Master French Chef Claude Aubert in Pittsburgh. In 1994 she moved to the Outer Banks, helping anchor some of our best local kitchens, like the Colington Café and Ocean Boulevard, where cooking a hundred dinners barely raises a sweat. Before long, some customers decided they wanted their favorite specials to come to them.
Of course, Flowers always checks in advance for likes, dislikes and allergies — then sources only fresh, seasonal ingredients. If necessary, she’ll go all the way to Virginia. (So she’s basically her own Sysco truck, too.) And, of course, the final product is always spot-on, and perfectly served, startto-finish, to the customer’s specs.
“It really sparks creativity and allows me to pull together everything I’ve learned to create my own menus,” says Dehus. “Meanwhile, the owner and guests are free to facilitate business deals or enjoy a nice meal.”
gosurf
The only thing she doesn’t do is pick the wine.
gohunt
“It was a cannabis farm in California,” he laughs. “Every morning I would wake up at 5am to AC/DC blaring, get my supplies from a cooler, and proceed to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for a bunch of farmers.” All he had was a prep table, a grill and a yurt. But he learned to make tasty food in Spartan conditions. Now, he sometimes finds himself en route to the Bahamas to prepare five-star cuisine on a private yacht. But as long as its duck season, he’s in the kitchen at Dew’s Island, where the night’s special was flying that morning and new ideas are born each day.
“Some might want to splurge while others like to eat clean,” she says. “You have to really learn what people like so you can customize your menus accordingly.”
outthere
Like Flowers, Dehus first cut his culinary teeth at a local favorite, The Red Drum in Nags Head. In 2005, he found a way to match his joy for cooking with his love for the outdoors, feeding a clientele that was hard-working — and often hungry.
Sixteen years later, she basically does. Except the location changes each night. All summer, she’ll drive to different addresses, a few hours in advance, hauling coolers, pans, vases, and centerpieces. Sometimes she brings her own plates and napkins — whatever it takes to create the right atmosphere, right down to hand-written menus in flowing script.
graphiccontent
“I started getting requests from clients asking that I host private parties and baby showers,” Flowers shares with a glow. “In 2001, I went full-time. But the thought of going private was hard, because it was always my goal to have my own restaurant.”
“
Maybe it’s the next step in foodie evolution…or the easy way to fine-dine a family of 50.
“Working for the hunt club is like cooking for a family,” says Mike, who runs the kitchen at Dew’s Island, a private duck hunting club on the Currituck Sound. “In a restaurant, you prepare the same thing day in and day out for high volumes of guests, while here I get to experiment with lots of wild game, like venison, antelope and fowl for small parties.”
upfront
Every vacation has its traditions. For many families, it’s a nice beach. The perfect house. And a big night out at a favorite restaurant. But some find they can enjoy it all at once: great food, in a fancy home, while someone else does all the work. For them, dining in is the new dining out.
established restaurants, all willing to bring a personalized cooking performance to your door.
“Wine’s tough,” she explains. “Everyone has a different taste and budget, so I prefer to send them what I’m cooking so they can choose what they want to spend.” It’s no wonder the idea is catching on. A quick Google search brings up a range of options, from realty companies to
In a world where food allergies abound — and Amazon delivers everything from cookware to caviar — maybe customized, in-home cuisine is the next logical step in foodie evolution. Or, maybe it’s just the easiest way to finedine a family of 50. Either way, the chefs get to put a life of learning into a handful of dishes for a welcoming audience. And they never know whose scallops they might be searing. “You meet all sorts of interesting people,” Flowers says. “One day, this woman pulls me aside and says, ‘You do know my husband is a famous food critic.’ I had no idea. And I’d been cooking for this family for four years!” He clearly had no complaints. — Fran Marler milepost 65
artisticlicense Self-portrait of the artist with his method — and his muse. Photo: Alex Lex
fooddrink endnotes questionauthority upfront soundcheck
THE ILLUSIONIST getactive Digital magic just comes natural to Alex Lex.
Alex Lex sits at the kitchen table in his KDH A-frame. Right now, it all looks pretty plain. Just a bowl of bananas. Some placemats. A couple coffee mugs. But if he cracks his laptop, the entire scene turns surreal. The cups fly. The fruit levitates. So does his computer, where Alex himself sits typing away at the hovering keyboard, sporting the sly, sideways expression every good magician must master along with his latest trick — the one that says, “See what I’m doing here?” And more importantly, “Do you believe it?”
startingpoint roadmap gokite
milepost
“That’s the best compliment for me,” says the 27-year-old native of Moldova. “When someone sees one of my photos and asks, ‘Is that real?’” Sometimes, Lex even surprises himself. After all, this isn’t even his real job. By day, he is a roofer. By night, he’s a DJ. And by training? He’s an accountant. In fact, he holds degrees in economics and business administration. He got them both growing up in Eastern Europe, where he also earned acclaim as
a young soccer talent and burgeoning DJ and music producer. (One song from 2012 — “New Life” — floated up the European charts like one of the aforementioned mugs, clocking nearly 500,000 YouTube views at last count.) You’d think college-grad meets top-athlete meets mix-master would be the very definition of success for any young bachelor. But in Moldova, even the most talented millennials want something more. Mainly to leave town. “I did not see a future there,” he explains in semi-broken English — his fourth language after Russian, Romanian and Ukrainian. (He also knows Italian from studying abroad, and Spanish from banging nails around the Outer Banks.) “In Moldova, I make maybe $200 a week, even with degree. Here I can make $200 a day. That’s why you can find Moldova people all over the world.”
graphiccontent gosurf
milepost
66
outthere
Like many students, Lex made his way here. He started flipping burgers. Then switched
to hammering shingles — and spinning digital singles under the name DJ Lex. Four years later, he’s packing Longboards each Sunday in summer, mostly with his fellow Europeans, who flock there for Lex’s flaring mix of specialized dance tunes. But he wasn’t always so popular. First, he had to build a following. “When I start having parties, I need flyers,” he remembers. “I see people doing cool stuff on the Internet. And in winter, I don’t DJ. I was bored. So I say, ‘Let me download the Photoshop.’” After a few months, he unveiled his first creation on Facebook: a snow-white image of KDH in winter — except with a 12-foot polar bear prowling down the bypass. You might say it was the shot that roared. “I think everyone in Kill Devil Hills must have this picture,” he laughs. “It got 1000 shares. Then I say, ‘Damn. Maybe I am good at this.’” So he kept creating, building a following
with each fresh post. Some are simple sight-gags. (Hollywood-inspired signs that say “Collyington,” or a glitzy “Welcome to Nags Head” marquis ala Las Vegas.) Others juxtapose local landmarks with pop culture references. (Like Forrest Gump riding a park bench by Jennette’s Pier, or a bat signal flying over Wright Brothers memorial.) One removes the black barber stripes from Buxton’s lighthouse to leave a Dali appeal. If there’s a common theme to all this wacky surrealism, it’s incongruity: combining Outer Banks settings with out-of-place subject matter. But while the goal is always to entertain — maybe even elicit a laugh — the reaction is sometimes the opposite. “I had some photographers message me saying, ‘Hey, that’s my photo!’” Lex says. “And one lady, she get really mad. I put a whale on the sand near her house and she say, ‘You jerk! You make me run outside and look! I was so scared!’” But each mistake is a learning opportunity. Now, he’ll shoot his own local backdrops and search for non-copyrighted images. He also cranks up the crazy factor. Instead of putting humpbacks on the beach, he makes them breach from a flooded bypass. And you’re less likely to see a lightning storm at sea and more likely to see a meteor shower over the sound. Or an F-5 tornado touching down at Jockey’s Ridge. Disasters so ridiculously huge and catastrophic — so digitally enhanced — that no one could possibly believe them. Right? Wrong. During Hermine, his Facebook depiction of a waterspout swirling off Avalon Pier elicited queries from newspapers in Boston and New York within the first hour, followed shortly by National Geographic. “I say, ‘No! Is fake!’” Lex says. “But then some lady post same photo saying she took it, and she got 50,000 shares. I didn’t sleep for a couple days. Because that picture got too viral.” “It’s hard,” he continues, “because some people say, ‘Great Photoshop work!’ And then some say, ‘You’re a troublemaker looking for attention.’ I don’t take it personal. A lot of people just don’t get it, I guess.”
“
Then again, a lot of people do. In the past year, he’s begun to get requests for special projects. Christmas cards. Logos. Flyers. Ads. Most recently, he’s focused on farout portraits that insert a person into fantasy situations. Bathroom reflections with two different faces — at the sink, stands a lady, make-up free; in the mirror she looks like a model — or a couple shots where the reflection shows a new addition to the family.
“I didn’t sleep for a couple days. that picture got too viral.”
And while summer’s non-stop schedule of roofing and DJing keeps Lex spinning in circles, in the offseason, he’ll spend his days hunting down ideas to create a portfolio of concepts he can reproduce for future clients. Armed with his own personal model — his girlfriend, Oksana — he’ll load up the car and cruise the beach looking for ideas. “She’s like, ‘Not again!’” he laughs. “But I say, maybe I post them and people will want to do the same. That’s how I make these pictures.”
Casual Ambiance Cutting Edge Coastal Cuisine
Chef’s on Call - Catering - Lunch - Dinner In life, sometimes desire meets opportunity, that’s when the magic happens. Welcome to mine! - Chef Wes
Alex clicks a folder and reveals another series of shots. These start with a girl standing on the beach, looking lost. Next she’s wearing a pair of angel’s wings. Then she’s leaning over a local pier — juxtaposed with a reverse image peering out over the Hong Kong skyline. Another shows a balloon lifting her off the beach toward a misty horizon. So is that his dream? That, one day, he’ll make pictures so magical they carry him to new heights and new places far, far away? “People say that all the time,” Lex admits. “’You have degree! You speak six languages! What are you doing on the roof!?’ I say, ‘What I can do.’ Maybe in the future, I have some small office and do photos. But now I just keep improving. In everything: improve, improve, improve. Because the more I learn, the more I realize I know nothing.” — Matt Walker
photo - Tom Sloate
1197 Duck Road Duck, NC • 252-261-8646 4444 Carlisle Pike, Camp Hill, PA • 717-525-9772 www.RedSkyCafe.com milepost 67
PANINI PRESSED SANDWICHES BREAKFAST SERVED ALL DAY Best selection of one-Piece swimsuits & swim seParates on the Beach! 2000 S. Croatan Hwy. Kill Devil Hills • 441-5338 Scarborough Lane Shoppes, Duck • 261-7297 Monteray Plaza, Corolla (next to Food Lion) • 453-4862
COFFEE
FULL ESPRESSO BAR
SMOOTHIES
COFFEE DELI PUB
$4 CRAFT BEER ON DRAFT BOTTLED BEER & WINE
3022 S Croatan Hwy Nags Head MP 11.25 in Pirate’s Quay
GET TOGETHER
OPEN DAILY AT 7 AM
MEETING SPACE + LOUNGE AREA
Birthday-Suits.com
252-715-1880
www.waveridersobx.com
Wine, Food and Fun on the Roanoke Sound
Save the date...
FIRST ANNUAL WINE & CULINARY FESTIVAL
GRAND TASTING SEPTEMBER 30, 2017
Sip a wide variety of wines, indulge in delightful culinary experiences, and enjoy live entertainment with the picturesque Roanoke Sound behind you. This festival will be held at The Waterside Theatre in Fort Raleigh National Park, home of The Lost Colony. The Lost Colony is pleased to partner with The Virginia Dare Winery for this premiere event.
www.tlcwinefest.com milepost
68
THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED IN PART BY THE OUTER BANKS VISITORS BUREAU.
soundcheck
“
getactive
campaign and picks out color swatches for a new guitar case. Does 3-D renderings of new guitar pedals for engineers to show to potential buyers. And works on compelling documentaries, like “The Pursuit of Tone” (which can be seen on the Audience channel on DirecTV and AT&T U-Verse), and two web series shows.
“It’s this beautiful juxtaposition of technology and real people.”
Striking chords. Photo: William Ray Lynch
startingpoint roadmap gokite
“We have a really small, very ambitious team,” Crutchfield says. “So it’s a really large range of print, web, product design, creative direction. Just the quantity alone I feel really proud of.”
milepost
DREAM GIG
Jamie Crutchfield dials up the volume on Music Man’s mind-blowing guitars.
graphiccontent
For the first time in the lengthy conversation, Jamie Crutchfield’s carefree laughter is tinged with unease. She hasn’t made it back to the Outer Banks in nearly two years, a longer absence than usual.
gosurf
outthere
“Whoops,” Crutchfield says after doing the math. “My mom is mad at me. I don’t get back enough because there’s always stuff going on.” Stuff, in this case, refers to working for Ernie Ball and Music Man, one of the world’s most recognized guitar and bass manufacturers. Run by Sterling Ball and his sons, Scott and Brian, this small, San Luis Obispo, CA shop has a long history and huge impact — spanning 43 years and shipping to more than 135 countries — with custom models credited to the likes of John Petrucci, Steve Lukather, Steve Morse, and St. Vincent. (Past sponsored players include Eddie Van Halen and Keith Richards.)
gohunt
rearview
Musicians communicate powerful emotions through their instruments. Crutchfield communicates powerful emotions with her words and visuals. The Nags Head native got her start as co-editor of Manteo’s award-winning high school newspaper, Sound to Sea. In 2004, she went to UNC Wilmington to study journalism. But any thought of a traditional career path disintegrated alongside print journalism’s great decline. She taught English in Thailand, traveled to New Zealand, then settled in California, where she applied a natural talent for art toward website and graphic design classes at the local community college. After two years freelancing and running her own graphic design business, she stumbled on a job opening to do in-house marketing and design for Music Man. It was the perfect fit. Because even though she wasn’t playing live, she was already living the lifestyle.
Any serious player recognizes Music Man’s innovative designs and handcraftsmanship. And every player’s plucked some Ernie Ball strings. It sounds like a dream gig for a guitarist. Just one problem: Jamie Crutchfield doesn’t play. Two years ago, she didn’t know a humbucker from a headstock.
“My boyfriend is a touring and recording professional musician,” she explains. (Dylan Nicholson is guitarist and vocalist for the two-man band The Turkey Buzzards.) “I’m going to shows all the time, I have a house where I host people from out of town who are touring. There’s these things laying around my house, capos and picks and cords. I have an eclectic style, and the music industry embraces my personality and who I am.”
“When you think about it, it is kind of wild,” Crutchfield says with a laugh. “Can you imagine trying to be on a marketing team and you’re trying to sell surfboards to surfers, but you don’t surf? Weird, right? That’s essentially what I do.”
Then they let her express that personality in a number of ways to promote both Music Man and Ernie Ball’s brands. She is part of a 12-person marketing team that handles the websites and all digital media. Designs ads for a print
Some projects turn out more special than others. When singer/songwriter/guitarist Annie Clark — better known to the world as St. Vincent — launched her signature model last year, Crutchfield went into marketing overdrive. She drafted concepts for the print and digital advertising campaigns, staged Hollywood studio shoots, and directed behind-thescenes videos. “We had 50 people working down there,” she says. “I’ve done small-set work before, but learning from my marketing executives about how to run a show that large was a cool career experience.” “And when you walk around the factory, there are all these machines custom-engineered by this amazing, talented staff,” she continues. “So it’s this beautiful juxtaposition of technology and machinery and real people doing real work, and the combination of the two make these beautiful tools for people to play music on and touch other people.” Sounds glamorous. But anything that precious takes long hours and plenty of pressure to produce. That’s why, every chance she gets, Crutchfield is outside. Hiking during lunch. Hitting the road for a weekend camping trip in her Volkswagen van. Visiting Big Sur and Yosemite. Even laying in the grass, sipping a coffee and soaking up Vitamin D while conducting a phone interview. And while Crutchfield’s visits back to the Outer Banks may be few and far between, her Morro Bay home basks in the quaint splendor of a coastal fishing village. “It’s definitely not the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles at all,” Crutchfield explains. “It’s very working class, a lot of fishermen and older people. A lot of my friends that have come out here have said, ‘Wow, you’ve found the Nags Head of California.’ ” It’s not exactly home, but it’s close. — Steve Hanf milepost 69
OYSTER BAR & WINE BAR CAFÉ
Coastal Provisions Oyster Bar & Wine Bar Café
milepost
70
gosurf outthere gohunt
ON THE BLINK
rearview
ThE
Elizabethan Gardens
In 1914, Florence Lawrence, A silent film star, Invented the “blinker.” A mechanical signal arm for her car, When she pressed a button It would raise and lower a flag on her rear bumper And tell other drivers which way she was going Without saying a word. (Some people drive like it is none of our business Where they are going.) In 1929, Oscar J. Simler Patented the electric turn signal. But it was not until 1938 that Buick first offered The “Flash-Way Directional Signal.” A turn signal is no more than a relay that switches off and on And it has remained unimproved For more than six decades. And mostly unused. It is a $200 fine for failure to use your signal And $500 if it causes an accident.
SummEr FuN 11-12pm FREE with admission M
Backyard Birds
T
Fun with Frogs
W Butterflies Th Helpful Bugs
Jun 26 - Aug 17, 2017
FOr KIDS!! Mention Ad for $1 Off Admission! 1411 National Park Dr. | Manteo, NC 27954
OPEN DAILY 252-473-3234 elizabethangardens.org
North Carolina G.S. 20-154(a): “a driver before starting, stopping or turning from a direct line shall first see that such a maneuver can be made safely and whoever the operator of any vehicle may be affected by such movement shall give a signal as required.” You need to signal 100 feet before your turn And 200 feet if traveling more than 45 MPH. (Cutting in front of me, slamming your brakes and flicking your blinker does not count!) If there is one place that may qualify For improper blinker use it is The middle turning lane. That virtual no man’s land Where two face each other Might as well be skulls and crossbones. Last summer, I saw a lady Leave the Nags Head liquor store Head north through French Fry Alley Driving the entire time in the middle lane. I do not recall if she used her blinker. But for those who do, Please turn at some point in the next five miles. You have me in suspense, Literally sitting On the edge of my seat. — Michael O’Brien
OVER 100
VARIETIES OF
JERKY!
POPCORN, HOT SAUCES, AND MORE... MP 4.5 • 3809 N. Croatan Hwy
Kitty Hawk, NC.
www.ObxJerky.com
FREE SAMPLES LOCALLY OWNED
Free meat stick with Ad
Limit 1 coupon per customer, no reprints. Exp. 10/1/17.
milepost 71
PERFORMANCES BY
JJ GREY AND MOFRO
OBX CUISINE ARTISAN VENDORS WORLD CLASS MUSIC ON THE ROANOKE SOUND
AND MORE!
endnotes Eighty seasons and we still want encores. Celebrate eight decades of The Lost Colony with special pre-show talks by Ira David Wood, William Ivey Long and others, May 27Aug. 19. (Guest list TBA.) Former cast and crewmates converge for Alumni Reunion Weekend, June 30-July 2. And don’t forget Dare Nights, where two nonperishable items for food banks and a local ID get you in the door, June 2, 9 & 15. Find details on shows, speakers and special Backstage Tours and Character Dinners at www.thelostcolony.org. • Need a miracle? The Grateful Dead come back to life at Craving’s Tap Shack in Duck via VB’s Last Fair Deal — plus two other trippy tribute acts — for Shakedown Saturday (May 27) and two installments of One More Sunday Night ( July 2 & Aug. 6). Find Bearded Face Productions on Facebook for updates. • Currituck’s Memorial Day Beach Blast pre-games summer’s start, May 28, with a free Sun. party at Historic Corolla Park. From 12-5pm, enjoy shows by Blackwater Rhythm & Blues Band and Aquarium Big Band — plus plenty of food and beer vendors. (Beach chairs recommended; coolers prohibited.) Full details at www.visitcurrituck.com. • Duck’s Wave Pizza Cafe says Hello! Summerfest, May 28, featuring local artists, a Hooked Surfboards raffle, plus live tunes by Sean Olds and The Ramble, 3-8pm. Come back all summer for 6-9pm shows by Matt Wentz and Joey LaFountaine (Mon.), The Wingtips (Tues.) and the Dome Tops (Fri.). Full sched at www. thewavepizza.com. • Creativity reigns supreme when Island Art Shows return to Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Center, May 29, 10am-5pm, with 20+ local artists, crafts, photos, jewelry — live tunes and food. Free admission means more spending dough for a special piece or raffle tix, which support causes like OBX SPCA and Island Meals. Busy? Come back for seconds and thirds, July 6 & Aug. 31. More details at www.facebook. com/spinfinitedesigns. • These colors don’t run, but joggers do, thanks to two Memorial Day races, May 29. In Avon, the 6th Annual Shore Break 5k & Tide Pool Fun Run dashes through Kinnakeet Shores to help fund the Hatteras Island Youth Education Fund. More at www.hatterasyouth.com. • And Manteo makes sweating sweeter with Roanoke Island Running Company’s 6th Annual Cupcake 5k & Memorial Day Cookout, where cupcake stations help runners burn extra calories (then pack on even more with a post-finish BBQ.) Find details on Facebook. • Every Wed. is a chance to scream five-letter words at Cape Hatteras Anglers Club’s Bingo Night, where proceeds support scholarship awards and local non-profits. Games start at 7pm, with cash prizes, free coffee — and free spaces. More at www.capehatterasanglersclub.org. • For guaranteed good times, bop over to Nags Head’s Soundside Live Sunset Concert Series, where local and regional acts cover a full range of styles: June 1, strings together rock-blues maestros Cris Jacobs, Selwyn Birchwood and
questionauthority upfront
soundcheck getactive
startingpoint roadmap
R E M M U S O T YE SAY GOORDOBCKIN’ PART Y WITH A
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23 2:30 - 10:00 PM ROANOKE ISLAND FESTIVAL PARK MANTEO
gokite
milepost
graphiccontent gosurf outthere
A BEARDED FACE PRODUCTION BENEFITTING THE MUSTANG OUTREACH PROGRAM
gohunt
Mustang Outreach Program is a tax deductible charity under section 501c(3) of the Internal Revenue Tax Code. For more information contact Mustang Outreach Program at mustangoutreachprogram@gmail.com
rearview milepost
72
Having fun’s no obstacle at Jennette’s Pier’s Storm the Beach, June 4. Photo: Cory Godwin
BENEFITTING THE ROGALLO FOUNDATION Ruth Wyand; June 8 is a multi-instrumental buffet of jammy Marco Benevento, funky Ripe, and bluegrassy Fireside Collective. Plus, there’s cirque shenanigans by Imagine Circus, cold bevvies from Mother Earth Brewing and Sanctuary Vineyards, local food, and artisan vendors. A portion of proceeds helps the Mustang Outreach Program. Parking: $10 per vehicle. 4-9pm. More at www.soundsidelive.com. • First Friday rocks Downtown Manteo every month with smiling faces, late shopping and outdoor music — plus 6pm opening receptions for all new Dare County Arts Council exhibits. On June 2, meet Gyotaku fish-print guru, Pete Erickson. Plus, the 2nd Annual Rug Show and Sale runs June 2-16. (PS: June 2 is also the official cutoff to submit clips for fall’s Surfalorus Film Festival; or pay extra and file your flick by June 23. Full details on the festival and criteria at www.surfalorus.com.) • Spend every Sat. morning buying fruit, veggies and artwork at Manteo’s Farmer’s Market — except June 3. That’s when the 41st Annual Dare Day Festival commemorates our cool waterfront community with arts, crafts and family entertainment, like Hogway Speedway Racing Pigs, the Anything that Floats but a Boat Race, and a Raingutter Regatta — plus an 11am show by The Original Rhondels and a sunset performance by North Tower Band. More at www.townofmanteo.com. • Float down to Avon, June 3-4, for the HICF Paddle Palooza at OceanAir Sports, where two days of paddleboard races for all abilities and ages — plus downwinders, SUP yoga, BBQ, and live music — stack up to help the Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation. Find full details on Facebook. • And the world’s most progressive kiteboarders converge on Rodanthe’s Real Watersports, June 3-9, for the Wind Voyager Triple-S Invitational. By day, the Slider Park stays action-packed; by night, the backyard goes bonkers with live concerts and events like June 8’s Sunset Swim Charity Fashion Show to help the Hatteras Island Youth Education Fund. And June 9, Mix Master Mike returns to show off his spin-tricks. More at www.realwatersports.com. • Is your boat shipshape? Find out June 3, as the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary offers free inspections at Southern Shores Marina. For a check-up in your driveway or dock, call 252261-9762. • Get the whole family hooked on a healthy pursuit when the 7th Annual Family Fishing Tournament comes to Jennette’s Pier, June 3. From 7am-1pm, nephews net, grandmas gaff and everyone reels for a chance at big fish awards. More at www.jennettespier. net. • On June 4, Storm the Beach returns for a crash course in challenging obstacles, like the Swamp Scum and Sandfiddler Crawl — all connected by sandy races from 1-5 miles. Teams and individuals push, hop and swing toward the finish line, then hang out for a raging party. More at www.stormthebeach.org. • Jogging junkies can keep the high going with June 7’s National Running Day event at Southern Shores. Plus, the OBX Running Company keeps 5k’s kicking from north to south, June-Aug., including: Corolla’s Lighthouse 5k Race Series (twice a month starting May 31); Nags Head’s Beach Race Series, starting June 29. And Avon’s Hatteras 5k Race Series, every Mon., July 10-Aug. 14. More at www. theobxrunningcompany.com. • Or lace up for a marathon of live music by The Running Club, where Sean Olds, Harry Harrison and Josh Martier kick it every Sun. at Art’s Place in Kitty Hawk and Mon. at Duck’s Sweet T’s, plus many more miles of TBA shows. Chase ’em on Facebook. • Mimi’s Tiki Hut at Blue Water Grill in Pirate’s Cove works out the jams, 6-9pm, with a weekly line-up Mon.-Sun., featuring BC, Gypsy Souls, Pressure, Ashley Robins, SoulOne, Rotating Musicians, and Bobby & the Jolly’s. Updates at www. bluewatergrillobx.com/tiki-bar. • In Kitty Hawk, Rundown Café’s Hula Deck starts shaking with local artists at 6pm, Wed.-Sun., Memorial Day to Labor Day. More at www. rundowncafe.com. • The Outer Banks Brewing Station pours endless, intoxicating sounds from near and far, like Adwela and the Uprising ( June 3), The Wailers ( June 22), Lucero ( July 3), and Hackensaw Boys (Aug. 11). And be sure to sample the locally crafted styles, like: The Mums ( June 1); The Hot Signals ( June 8); Zack Mexico ( June 10); The Ramble ( June 15 & Aug. 3); Frozen Head and the Squirrels ( June 24); Sensi Trails ( July 4); and Formula ( July 13). For a full summer sched. go to www.obbrewing.com. • Sometimes one
OCT 28 2 0 1 7
A C E L E B R AT I O N O F FLIGHT AND BEER
K E G F LY I N G C O M P ET I T I O N • C R A FT B E E R GA R D E N • L I V E M U S I C K I D S ZO N E • LO CA L F O O D V E N D O R S . . . A N D M O R E ! PRESENTED BY:
O BX B R E W TAG . C O M milepost 73
endnotes show just ain’t enough. Head to Kelly’s, where national acts lock down whole weekends, including King Django ( June 11-12), The Clarks ( July 5-6), and Signal Fire ( July 21-22). And Aug. goes from shaggy (The Rhondels, Aug. 6) to reggae (Collie Buddz, Aug. 16) to jammy (Keller Williams, Aug. 19). Find the latest calendar at www.kellysrestaurant.com. • Duck Town Green rocks every Thurs. with free shows in a full range of styles, 6-8:30pm: South Hill Banks ( June 22); Urban Soil ( June 29); USAF Heritage of America Band & The Blue Aces ( July 6); The Ramble ( July 13); Seph Custer & The Papa Tom Band ( July 20); Dark Water Rising ( July 27); Dead 27s (Aug. 3); Mercy Creek (Aug. 10); The Trongone Band (Aug. 17); and doby (Aug. 24). Tune into www.townofduck.com for details. • Ready to unplug? Let Sanctuary Vineyards’ Acoustic Sunsets wine you down every Thurs.: Street Legal ( June 8); Aquarium ( June 15 & July 13); Bobby Plough and Friends ( June 22); Gypsea Souls ( June 29 & Aug. 10); Sean Olds ( July 6); Frozen Head and The Squirrels ( July 20 & Aug. 17); Sensi Trails ( July 27); Mercy Creek (Aug. 3); and Squid Kids (Aug. 24.). Savor the full band bouquet at www.sanctuaryvineyard.com. • Bonzer Shack’s evening acoustic acts fill the backyard starting mid-June. The Full Moon Parties howl with 11pm shows by Electric Mayhem ( June 9) and The Mums (Aug. 9) — plus hula hooping, fire juggling and body painting. June 24 sees Sublime covers by 40 Oz. To Freedom. And July 4 features musical fireworks by Zack Mexico and Two Slices. Slide over to www.bonzershack.com for the latest. • Avon’s Music By The Beach series gets krazy at Koru Beach Klub with top regional acts and a range of top-notch tribute bands, including: The Stranger ( June 8); Rumours: The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute Show ( June 22); Hackensaw Boys ( June 29); Bryan Mayer ( July 4); Band of Oz ( July 13); On the Border ( July 20); Bruce in the USA ( July 27); Talking Dreads (Aug. 3); and Chairmen of the Board (Aug. 10). Komplete
questionauthority upfront
soundcheck getactive
startingpoint roadmap gokite milepost
Pick up your favorite Awful Arthur’s logo apparel, resort wear, fashion jewelry, coastal decor, gourmet snacks, beach toys, groceries, gift cards, beer & wine.
graphiccontent
• Prescription Filling • Prescription Counseling • Compounding • Immunizations • Veterinary Medications
outthere $
FAMOUS
T-shirt or sweatshirt milepost
74
• Blood Pressure Checks • Healthy Visits/Med Checks • Medication Therapy • Management (MTM) • Over the Counter Products
We can transfer your prescriptions from any pharmacy or call your doctor!*
awfularthursobx.com • 252.449.2220
rearviewKill Devil Hills • MP 6 • Beach Road • Across From Avalon Pier
Not valid with any other offer.
Dr. Thomas McGrady Rph
We are a full service pharmacy aimed at providing an extraordinary customer experience. Our goal is to aid in the health and wellness of every customer.
we offeR:
gosurf
3WORLD OFF gohunt
kalendar at www.koruvillage.com. • Kick back at Manteo’s Bluegrass Island Trading Co. for free Pickin’ on the Porch Summer Concerts by Darin & Brooke Aldridge ( June 9), A Deeper Shade of Blue ( July 14), Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road (Aug. 11), and Presley Barker (Aug. 25). 6pm. Full deets on Facebook. • Or simply stick a seashell to your ear and celebrate World Oceans Day, June 8, when the Roanoke Island NC Aquarium features sea-themed conservation programming throughout the day. More at www. ncaquariums.com. • Wanna learn more about the impacts of marine debris? Catch up with the NC Coastal Federation every Thurs. thru July 27 — at either Jennette’s Pier or Jockey’s Ridge — to learn how everyday choices can reduce ocean plastic. Find times and locations at www. nccoast.org/ events. • You can always commune with nature at Alligator River and Pea Island Wildlife Refuges. For a special connection, try a tram, van or canoe tour every Tues.-Fri., step up for a free Island Bird Walk (Wed., 8-9:30am), or connect your toddler with the Pre-School Young Naturalist Program (Fri., 10-11am). For deets, prices and registration, call 252-216-9464. • Get starstruck — and a good stair climb — when Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Full Moon Tours returns June 9, July 9, Aug. 7, & Sept. 6. Tix go fast. Register at www.recreation.gov right now, then return three days prior to each tour date and be ready to click “purchase” by 10am. • Or climb Corolla’s Currituck Beach Lighthouse any old day and gaze down on the ground. $10 gets you in the door. (You gotta haul yourself up the steps.) Open 9am-5pm. More at www.currituckbeachlight.com. • What’s the Best Day Ever? For kids with special needs, it’s spending June 10 — or Aug. 26-27 — at Jennette’s Pier, tandem surfing, bodyboarding, SUPing, kayaking, and tackling beach courses. Would-be participants and volunteers sign-up at www.bestdayfoundation.org. • Celebrate three decades of flying colors — and the endless contributions of the flexible wing — when the 35th Annual
*Certain restrictions apply by law. Call for details!
1187 Duck Road ∙ Duck, NC 27949 ∙ 252 -715 - 0170
Rogallo Kite Festival comes to Jockey’s Ridge, June 10-11. Watch 30- to 100-foot kites soar Wednesday at Historic Corolla Park, June 14-Sept. 13, where Sanctuary Vineyards, above the dunes at Jockey’s Ridge State Park, and bring your own rig to ripple along. Plus, Vineyards on the Scuppernong and the Weeping Radish Brewery serve local libations witness world-class stunt kite flying in the 2nd Annual Revolution Kite East Coast paired with live music. $15 buys a souvenir glass and featured samples. Free for nonInvitational. More at www.kittyhawk.com. • Or sip drinkers. More at www.visticurrituck.com. • Drop the Earl Grey with an established author at Elizabethan pint and grab a paddle, when the Bic One Design Ticket to ride? Twist and shout? Do both at the Gardens when Downtown Books co-hosts series brings free, family-friendly SUP races to various Soundside FunFair, June 15-18. Photo: Cory Godwin Teatime with Lisa Wingate for 100 lucky fans, June waterfront locales: Kitty Hawk Kites in Manteo 11, 2-4pm. (Registration required.) And come back ( June 15 & Aug. 31) and Duck ( July 6); The June 26-Aug. 17, 11am-noon., for kid-friendly nature Sanderling ( July 20); Whalebone Water Sports lessons, like Backyard Birds (Mon.), Fun with Frogs (Aug. 10); and Waves Village Water Sports (Aug. (Tues.), Butterflies! (Wed.), and Helpful Bugs 17). Brief, pre-race clinics make it a great series for (Thurs.). Get seating limits, prices and more events at beginners and experts alike. More at www.kittyhawk. www.elizabethangardens.org. • Craft beer meets com. • Scurry over to Jennette’s Pier for June 15’s crafty people out behind Outer Banks Brewing Sunrise 5k & Little Crab Crawl, featuring breakfast, Station for Brew & Arts, every Mon., June 12-Aug. refreshments, and a good, ol’ fashioned beach run 28. From 4-8pm sip suds and see works by local under a glorious dawn. Find full details at www. photogs, jewelers and painters, like Christina obxrunningcompany.com. • Fire up the Ferris wheel, Deneka, Stacy Midgett, Mark Slagle, Margaret June 15-18, when Nags Head hosts the 2nd Annual Miller and more. Every week changes, but they all Soundside FunFair: A Summer Kick-Off to benefit raise funds for causes/organizations like OBX Children & Youth Partnership for Dare County. Children-at-Play and Surfing for Autism. Go to Come out, 5pm-11pm, for deep-fried flavors and Facebook for frequent updates. • Every Tues., from super-sick rides (and probably a puking kid or two). June 13- Aug. 9, the Duck Amphitheater rotates 10am presentations by the NC Aquarium Find ’em on Facebook. • Then it’s back in the water for another round of stand-up and The Lost Colony for Children’s Interactive Theater. ( July 4 excluded.) And health paddleboarding as June 17’s SUPtastic sends racers speeding around Roanoke Island nuts can get active early with Yoga on the Green (Tues.) and Fitness on the Green (Wed.), Festival Park, with 3- and 6-mile course options to challenge every level. More at www. 7:30am, thru Sept. 6. www.townofduck.com. • Wine your way up to Whalehead kittyhawk.com. • On June 17, salute the sport of kings — and say farewell to a local legend
Make the most of your investment. Mary Ann 24 years
John 19 years
Kevin 13 years
Mike Kelly your host Glenda 31 years Vicki 23 years Contact us today! Our staff can design a personalized and flexible property management plan that will help you get the most out of your property’s potential.
Kat 20 years
Savor Your Memories.
252-441-4116 RENTALS & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
joelambjr.com
252-261-4444
Jamie 6 years
Call us Tonight... Mom’s on Vacation. Menus available online:
kellysrestaurant.com
Join us for dinner, seating nightly 4:30 until 10pm 2316 S.Croatan Hwy • MP10.5 on the 158 bypass in Nags Head, NC 27959 milepost 75
endnotes — when Surfrider’s International Surfing Day event returns to Bonnett St. for a bittersweet celebration. At 4pm, enjoy the usual traditions of beach clean-ups, BBQ, beers, Boar’s Head — and hopefully some barrels, followed by a 6pm paddle-out ceremony in memory of photographer, shaper and friend, Mickey “2M” McCarthy. Find parking details and updates on Facebook. • And Hatteras Island’s 5th Annual Rock the Cape is going stronger — and longer — with a week full of arts, crafts, music, and self-guided gallery tours, June 17-24. On Thurs., June 22, 35+ artists will rally for the free Rock The Cape Art Show at Hatteras Realty in Avon from 10am-6pm, then head over to Koru Beach Klub to watch Fleetwood Mac impressionists, Rumours. For concert pricing and other deets go to www. darearts.org or call 252-473-5558. • Is your kid the next Picasso? Find out by sticking ’em in one of KDH Cooperative Gallery’s Summer Classes: Splat, Splash, Dip, Stroke teaches ages 5-10 to paint, draw, collage, and craft in watery themes ( June 19-23); Artsy Smartsy is a multi-media smorgasbord for ages 8-11 ( July 10-14); Papers, Scissors, Rock! is a collage course for ages 5-10 (Aug. 7-11); and Terrific Teens & Tweens Studio brings a modern approach to drawing and painting, June 27-Aug. 1. Get prices and register at 252-441-9888. • See trained experts — and twisted trees — when the 16th Annual Under the Oaks Arts Festival returns to Corolla Heritage Park, June 20-21, decorating the Whalehead’s front lawn with quality work, tasty food concessions and a silent art auction. Learn more at www.visitcurrituck.com. • Here’s one flickin’ way to keep the fam busy. Head to Duck’s Movies on the Green, where a new film plays every Tues. at dusk, including: Pete’s Dragon ( June 20); The Secret Life of Pets ( June 27); Fox and the Hound ( July 11); Lilo and Stitch ( July 18); Finding Dory ( July 23); Wizard of Oz (Aug. 2); Free Willy (Aug. 8); and The Little Mermaid (Aug. 15). Or take the kids to a free OBXtreme Magic Show and they might disappear, every Wed., June 29-Aug. 2 (9:30am & 11am), and Aug. 9 & 16 (9:30am). Get movie times and details on magic show ticketing at
questionauthority upfront
soundcheck getactive
startingpoint roadmap
www.townofduck.com. • Why wouldn’t you attend the Jennette’s Pier Blood Drive on June 20? Give up a pint — you get a pier pass. (And the added benefit of not being a prick.) More at www.jennettespier.net. • For 47 years, the Nags Head Surf Fishing Club’s brought free angling to all young bloods via its Fritz Boyden Youth Tourney. On June 21, from 7am-1pm, kids can fish any ocean pier, from Avalon Pier to Outer Banks Fishing Pier, for a shot at cool prizes in two age divisions: 4-to-9 and 10-to-16. Find ’em on Facebook. • Breeze into summer, June 21, by embarking on Colington Yacht Club’s George Kendall Summer Solstice Sail. Or you’re free to join the fleet on any Wednesday Sail, all summer at 6pm. No boat? Ask your favorite captain for permission to come aboard. Learn more at www. colingtonyachtclub.com. • Like tunes with a message? Come out to Roanoke Island Festival Park, June 21, for Christian pop duo For King & Country and guests, We Are Messenger. Vendors and food and beverages will be available — no coolers or outside food. Score tickets and parking details at www.hisgen.org. • Then it’s time to mix jogging and hogging when June 22’s Sunset 5k and Carolina Pig Pickin’ fills the sand ’round Jennette’s Pier, with low-rise sneakers and High Cotton BBQ, 6:30-9pm. More at www.obxrunningcompany.com. • Surf piglets gobble waves, grunt for prizes — and squeal at the chance at a Puerto Rico surf trip — when the East Coast Grom Surf Tour comes to Jennette’s Pier, June 24. Full deets and registration at www.eastcoastgrom.surfsignup.com. • Who doesn’t love a good lecture? On June 25, CSI’s free Science on the Sound Series continues with NOAA archaeologist, Joe Hoyt’s presentation: Battle of the Atlantic 2016 — The Discovery of the U-576 and the Shipwrecks of the KS-520 Convoy, 6pm. Or watch the livestream at www.coastalstudiesinstitute.org.• And the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum’s Salty Dawgs Lecture Series simply refuses to shut up, as a range of experts speak every Tues. at 2pm: Marc Corbett talks Shipwrecks ( June 27); JR Shanty Co. sings Contemporary Songs of the Sea ( July 11 & 25); Eve Turek preaches mindful
gokite milepost graphiccontent Real Estate Sales
Property Management gosurf
Vacation & Long Term Rentals Maintenance Services
outthere gohunt
rearview
milepost
76
Unequaled Panoramic Waterfront & Deck Dining Serving Lunch & Dinner Live Music On The Deck
252-441-2637 Sound Front Nags Head, NC MP 15.5
Kitty Hawk for an afternoon of independent thinking and drinking — and possibly a sparkler Nature Photography ( July 18); Jim Bunch unpuzzles the Enigma Machine (Aug. 1); Sharon Peele Kennedy jaws over Seafood Outer Banks Style (Aug. 15); and Terry Kirby or two. Just be sure to make your stand near Avalon Pier or Nags Head Pier before the pyrotechnics fire ’round 9pm. (For a commanding view, climb Hathaway spits out Sand: Hold a Mountain in Your Hand up Jockey’s Ridge.) • And on Hatteras, you can pick patriotic (Aug. 22.) Get the full word at www.graveyardoftheatlantic. pig all day at Rodanthe’s Good Winds restaurant (more at com. • From June 29-Aug. 31, every Thurs. at Whalehead is a www.kittyhawk.com), before heading to Avon Pier; bombs Day at the Park, where outdoor activities abound — and a burst the air at 9pm, while country rebel Bryan Mayer rocks 3pm Joan’s Way Tour gives kids an inside scoop on the the whole free world. Doors open at 7pm. More at www. historic hunting lodge. $5. Tour is limited to 30 children, so koruvilllage.com. • And on Roanoke Island, watch Island reserve in advance. More at www.visitcurrituck.com. • And Farm’s Independence Day 1850 blow out our nation’s Elizabethan Gardens spends July propagating planting tips candles with musket fire, games and a reading of the on topics like Woody Shrubs ( July 1), Dead Heading Summer Annuals ( July 8), and Vegetable Gardens ( July 15). Declaration, 10am-4pm. $8. Ages 5 and under are free. 10am-12pm. Limited to a dirty dozen participants. Get pricing (More at www.theislandfarm.com.) Then head over to and deets at www.elizabethangardens.org. • Then it’s time to Roanoke Island Festival Park, where the afternoon rumbles watch the sky bloom and boom with blazing colors for July 4. with military bands — and the rockets glow red come nightfall. The 25th Annual Festival of Fireworks in Corolla Heritage More at www.roanokeisland.com. • Don’t fizzle out yet! Fill up Park offers an afternoon of food vendors, cornhole on more fun, July 5, when the Outer Banks Beer Mile turns competition, watermelon eating contest, and children’s games. the Brew Pub’s backyard into a duathlon of dashing and Admission and parking are free; event starts at 12pm. Music drinking. More at www.theobxrunningcompany.com. • Chug begins at 5pm; the rockets fire at dusk. More at www. over to Downtown Manteo, July 7, for more First Friday visitcurrituck.com. • In Duck, the 13th Annual 4th of July festivities. At 6pm, Dare County Arts Council reveals Jenna Now tweet this: Jenna Saunders is DCAC’s Parade and Community Celebration marches through town Saunders’ Mixed Media. Outside, Frozen Head and the featured artist for First Friday in Manteo, July 7. at 9am, before heading over to Duck Town Park for Squirrels exposes the crowd to their ballsy combo of surf refreshments, tunes by Just Playin’ Dixieland, and the instrumentals and alt-rock. More at www.darearts.org. • On awarding of parade trophies. More at www.townofduck.com. • In town, you can run like a July 13, blaze up to Duck Town Green, where the town celebrates 35 years of the Duck redcoat with KDH’s 6th Annual Freedom 5k at 7:30am. After, go invade Art’s Place in Fire Dept. with a four-alarm party and music by The Ramble. Find all the hot details at
We Are The PArTy!
Delivery & Set Up
252-480-3535 metrorentalobx.com milepost 77
endnotes www.townofduck.com. • Feet up! July 14 is Shark Awareness Day at Roanoke Island’s NC Town of Manteo Youth Fishing Tournament lets kids age 4-17 fish for free. Register at Aquarium, where educational activities and games take a bite out of bad stereotypes and 8am at the Roanoke Island Maritime Museum. Angling starts at 8:15am; awards at shed light on this apex predator’s important role in ocean ecosystems. More at www. 11:45am, with a cookout to follow. More at www.townofmanteo.com. • And Aug. 12’s ncaquariums.com. • The Wright Brothers Memorial is a frenzy of activity, July 15-16, when SUPtastic challenges stand-up paddlers to an 8-mile, open water race behind Waves the 39th Annual Wright Kite Festival fills the sky with stunt flyers, kite making and lessons. Village Water Sports — then provides prizes and lunch at Good Winds. More at www. More at www.kittyhawk.com. • And hundreds of the coast’s best skimboarders take to the air kittyhawk.com. • Surfing For Autism gives kids on the spectrum some time in the sun, Aug. — and shred up the shorebreak — when the Outer Banks Skim Jam returns to KDH, July 12. Find out how to volunteer at www.surfingforautism.com. And come out to Trio on July 15-16. Stay tuned to www.skimusa.org for updates. • July 21 rains wahines when Roxy Beach 22, where a silent auction raises cash for an excellent cause. • Aug. 12-13, women fight fish Day descends upon Real Watersports for surf and kite lessons, beach yoga, the and party hard to beat cancer when the 28th Annual Alice Kelly Fishing Tournament SUPSquatch, and more. Find an hourly forecast at www.realwatersports.com. • Glow nuts at returns to Pirate’s Cove. And then, the 34th Annual Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament Waves Village Water Sports picks up the slack, Aug. 14-19, with Resort, July 25, as they light up the five days of chasing billfish and sound with NOCQUA kayak and boogying down. Full details at paddleboard demos and a free www.pcbgt.com. • Everyone’s a movie on a floating inflatable captain, a matey or a scurvy dog, screen. Enlighten yourself at www. Aug. 16-17, when the OBX Pirate kittyhawk.com. • Sport fishing Festival invades Jockey’s Ridge makes kids smarter when the 14th Crossing with a realistic 18th Annual Carolina Boat Builders century encampment, Scallywag Tournament comes to Pirate’s School and the occasional cannon Cove, July 26-29. This annual fire. More at www.kittyhawk.com. • event’s raised nearly $450,000 in Stagger over to the Manteo college money for local students Waterfront, Aug. 16-17, 10amfrom maritime families. Sign up or 5pm, for New World Festival of support at www.dcbbf.org. • Come the Arts’ crew of colorful creators. July 29, the Roanoke Island Find the shuttle bus at College of Maritime Museum hosts the 15th The Albemarle, and they’ll draw Annual One Design Regatta for a straight line to 75+ painters, Optimist, 420, Sunfish, Topaz photogs and potters showing their UNO, and Topaz ARGO sailboats. wares — and vying for awards. Registration begins at 10am. Races More at www.darearts.org. • Come start at noon. $20 per boat; Aug. 18, The Lost Colony and the National Park Service will join includes one dinner and one forces to celebrate the 429th t-shirt. For intro or an entry form, birthday of our country’s first call 252-475-1750. • Then work anchor baby. From 10am-1pm, the those arms when July 29’s 24th Virginia Dare Faire fills the Annual Surfrider Paddle Race JJ Grey & Mofro kick out the jams — and kick out the season — when the First Annual Outer Banks Summer Send-Off grounds of the Fort Raleigh draws watermen of all disciplines to hits Roanoke Island Festival Park, Aug. 23. Photo: Joshua Timmermans National Park Site. That evening, duke it out and raise scholarship Virginia Dare Night continues the long-celebrated tradition of forcing local infants to act. dollars for local seniors. More at outerbanks.surfrider.org. • Festival Park is your stairway to More at www.thelostcolony.org. • And on Aug. 18, adults pay just $4.29 (plus tax) to see musical heaven when Zoso: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience resurrects four rock Elizabethan Gardens and enjoy Dare-inspired activities in the Queen’s Rose Garden. For gods, July 29. $20, plus tax and fees. Get deets on parking and all the rules at www. complete activities, call 252-473-3234 or visit www.elizabethangardens.org. • Meanwhile, roanokeisland.com. • On Aug. 2, Duck Town Hall’s Rotating Art Show opens Creating fresh young surf talents converge on Jennette’s Pier, Aug. 18-19, as the Rip Curl Grom Without Limits by Anne Parsons. From 5-7pm you can meet the photographer, or come Search puts them through heats to find out who’s hottest — and possibly blast them onto back any Mon.-Fri., thru Oct. 26. More at www.townofduck.com. • Spit seeds, savor sweetness and save lives, Aug. 3, when the 11th Annual OBX Watermelon Festival returns the national stage. 7am. More at www.ripcurl.com. • On Aug. 19, celebrate National Aviation Day — plus Orville Wright’s 146th birthday and the 90th Anniversary of the to Kitty Hawk Kites in Nags Head, bringing games, food, fruit, and prizes — all to support First Flight Society — with a free pass into Wright Bros. National Memorial for exhibits, the Outer Banks Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Coalition. More at www.kittyhawk.com. storytellers and an expanded flyover. More at www.firstflight.org. • Fly into the rager zone at • Then slap your way over to Manteo, Aug. 4, where another First Friday brings feel-good tunes by the Flip Flop Five in front of Dare County Arts Council — and Ed Obermeyer’s Roanoke Island Festival, Aug. 23, when the First Annual Outer Banks Summer Send Off Painting Exhibit brightens the wall inside. 6pm. More at www.darearts.org. • On Aug. 6, put brings three visiting bands — including JJ Grey & Mofro — plus local eateries and artisan vendors. Full deets at www.obxsummersendoff.com. • Then say “aloha” to the summer for one foot in front of the other to help the Outer Banks Relief Foundation when the 16th reals when the WRV Outer Banks Pro lands at Jennette’s Pier, Aug. 30-Sept. 3, with top Annual Sandbar 5k busts a move on the beach in front of Black Pelican at 7:30am. More surfing pros and nightly parties — including Sept. 3’s Pacifico Concert Series Show at the at www.outerbanksrelieffoundation.com. • Grease your way into five day days of fun times Bonzer Shack, where Blurky’s Quirky Friends, 3 Amigos, Zack Mexico, and a secret and firing tunes when Real Watersports hosts Slickstock music week, Aug. 7-11. Stay guest put a fork in the season. Heats and deets at www.wrvobxpro.com. tuned to www.realwaterports.com for lineups and times. • On Aug. 12, the 4th Annual
questionauthority upfront
soundcheck getactive
startingpoint roadmap gokite
milepost
graphiccontent gosurf
outthere gohunt
rearview
milepost
78
Day or Night
– It’s All Good at Mamas!
World Famous FIsh TACOs Lunch &Dinner Specials No Outer Banks Visit Is Complete Without A Trip To Mama Kwans!
Milepost 9.5 • Highway 158 in KDH • 252.441.7889 • MamaKwans.com
Lunch: 11:30 am • Dinner: 4:00 pm • Tiki Bar: 11:30 am – Until • Call for Closing Times!
Captain Grit Cake
– OutdOOr SeatinG –
Summer @ the Shack! Follow the Fun on Facebook!
Live Music
every night 6-9 PM (Weather Permitting)
r Open Fo ner!
Lunch &
din
Fresh Seafood • Land Grub • Burgers • Wings • Surf Snacks MP9 on the Beach Rd. • Kill Devil Hills • BonzerShack.com • 252.480.1010
milepost 79
EvEnts @ thE OutEr Banks BrEwing statiOn
SUMMER 2017 SERviNg lUNCH & diNNER daily
LIVE MUSIC iN tHE
5:30-8:30 PM EvERy NigHt Thur 6/22
Mon 7/3
SaT 8/5
eveRy Wed NighT
Thirsty Ladies Thursday’s Night Live! LoCAL bANds WiTh dj bRuCe dANCe /hiP hoP LAdies No CoveR!
TAke The sTAge @ 10:00 PM
UNCH
SUNd Bloo ay ‘til
dy M 3P Speci ary & Mim M als Al l Day osa !
Family-Friendly
EvEry Fri night:
DJ Dance
B ar BR tender's
Madness
night
Pirate Ship & Games For adults & kids
reggae legendS! American Country Punk Rock MeMPhis, TN
LADY MOON & THE ECLIPSE CoSMiC Soul | Brooklyn, ny
Fri 8/11 String Band ClaSSiCo / Punk / BluegraSS / From C-Ville, Va
SaT 8/26
Innovative Beer Ska / Soul / Punk Wash DC
&
Dining Menus
Outer Banks Brewing Station Come Experience our Difference.
located at Milepost 8.5 on the Bypass in kill Devil hills
America' s first wind powered brew pub
all Show timeS 10:30 PM ‘til 2 aM (Unless otherwise indicated) All shows 21 & up w/ id at the door
The outer banks brewing station is dedicated to bringing the best local, regional and national music, of all shapes, colors, sizes and genres into a comfortable, energized, acoustically extraordinary space. milepost
80