My Outer Banks Home Winter 2017 by Three Dog Ink

Dare MedFlight saving lives in the sky

,tis the season for

page 4

Outer Banks Wedding Planning

Catching up with

page 37

Dewey Hemilright commercial fisherman, advocate, and educator

page 22

Guilt-free

Binge Watching localsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; choices for winter viewing

page 12

Lightning in a Bottle

local crafters of libations

Volunteer Vacations

kick back, relax & volunteer

Keeping the Beat

local youth music programs

Winter Home Improvement

off-season sprucing up

We build what we sell.

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what’s inside

CONTENTS

HOME MY OUTER BANKS

community

enjoying the coastal lifestyle

EDITOR

ART DIRECTOR Sue Colao

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kevin Groat

SALES ASSOCIATES

Marie Walker, Andi Hopkins

CONTRIBUTORS

feature

Dare MedFlight

Guilt-free Binge Watching

Keeping the Beat

16 on the cover

OBX Wedding Planning

A guide to your dream OBX wedding.

Lightning in a Bottle

Volunteer Vacations

Local crafters keep your glasses full.

Time to kick back, relax, and volunteer!

Winter is the perfect time to spruce up your home.

26 healthcare 30

Jane Fiedler

Integrative Medicine

It’s just what the doctor ordered.

DISTRIBUTION Jason Adams

PUBLISHED BY

Three Dog Ink Media, LLC 111 East Baltic Street • Nags Head, NC 27959 252.261.6490 • 252.261.5476 Fax E-MAIL info@threedogink.com

OUR WEBSITE

shopping 20

Holiday Shopping

Shop local to find that perfect gift this season.

corrections

Three Dog Ink welcomes comments and suggestions about errors that warrant correction. E-mail your corrections to editor@ threedogink.com.

weddings 37

SOCIAL MEDIA

myouterbankshome.com

OBX waterman shares bounty with community.

Home Improvement

PHOTOGRAPHY

Locals share their winter favorites.

Music programs that inspire area youth.

Beach Food Pantry, Chuck & Charlie, Crish Creighton, Dare MedFlight, Lori Douglas Photography, Dave Fairbank, freepik.com, Kevin Groat, istockphoto.com, Sarah Hallas, Andi Hopkins, Lost Colony Brewery & Cafe, Ryan Mason, Brooke Mayo Photography, outerbanks.com, Outer Banks Brewing Station, Outer Banks Distilling, Outer Banks SPCA, Daniel Pullen Photography, Sanctuary Vineyards, Shutterstock, Weeping Radish, Alvin Swilley, Michelle Wagner

entertainment 12

home

Kimberly Armstrong, Susan Selig Classen, Catherine Kozak, Dave Fairbank, Steve Hanf, Greg Smrdel, Michelle Wagner

Dedicated crew saves lives in the sky.

Catching Up With Dewey

PUBLISHER

Mary Ann Williams, Gene Williams Michelle Wagner

A calm, foggy Shallowbag Bay sunrise on the Manteo waterfront. By local Outer Banks photographer, Lori Douglas. obxphotographers.com

Three Dog Ink, LLC cannot and does not guarantee the correctness of all information furnished them, nor the complete absence of errors or omissions, hence, no responsibility for the same can be nor is assumed. Three Dog Ink, LLC cannot and will not be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services provided by the advertisers in this publication. Reproduction of any material from this publication is strictly forbidden without permission from the publisher.

Our feature image in “Shifting Sands of the Outer Banks” (Fall 2017), pg. 8, should have been credited to photographer Chad Koczera.

The corrected logo for Exotic Home Coastal Outlet should have been used in “Home Trends” (Fall 2017), pg. 23.

Saving Lives in the Air

On your darkest day, the tight-knit and highly trained crew of Dare MedFlight takes to the sky to save lives.

STORY BY

Steve Hanf PHOTOS COURTESY OF

Dare MedFlight

ales of laughter fill the hangar as the newest member of the Dare MedFlight program shares what got her hooked. “During basic training, one of the experienced paramedics showed me her helmet. Ever since then…” Abby Danaher says with a smile, her voice trailing off. “Bitten by the bug!” fellow paramedic Ashley Johnson chimes in exuberantly. A few years later, Danaher found herself wearing that helmet on a training ride with pilot Mike Hill. “It was my first time in a helicopter. I got to sit co-pilot,” Danaher beams with pride. “I didn’t get airsick, so that was a plus.” “She was smiling when she got out,” Hill adds with a grin of his own.

myouterbankshome.com | Winter 2017

For these teams of pilots, paramedics and mechanics, their good-natured banter shows a fun-loving camaraderie that stems from being on duty together 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But 30 minutes later on this mild fall afternoon, the jokes are jettisoned in an instant when the pager sounds: Can Dare MedFlight go? The team springs into action, and about 10 minutes later the helicopter departs Manteo’s airport for yet another mission. Plenty of air ambulances operate around the country – the Association of Air Medical Services estimates some 400,000 patient transports take place in helicopters each year in the U.S. But Dare MedFlight owns a unique niche within those stats. This is part of the Dare County Emergency Medical Services, envisioned by members of the Dare County Board of Commissioners back in 1986 and still supported by county government today.

“It’s that philosophy that we take care of the community,” EMS Chief Jennie Collins explains. “Not many municipal systems have this.” The reason to have MedFlight on the Outer Banks is obvious. With major trauma centers more than an hour away even in an ambulance with lights and sirens, that 30-minute helicopter flight to Norfolk can make all the difference. “Not just saving lives,” says Director of Operations and chief pilot Chad Jones. “Quality of life with strokes, heart attacks, other time-critical conditions.” Dare County got its first helicopter in 1975, primarily for law enforcement plus search and rescue. More than 10 years passed before a true medical helicopter was purchased. Today’s model is a state-of-the-art Airbus H145 with a range of some 400 miles and cruising speed of 150 mph, plus vital safety features. Safety is everything to Dare MedFlight. The helicopter is housed in the Duvall-Willoughby Hangar. Just outside the front door, a memorial garden pays tribute to pilot C.C. Duvall and paramedic Stephanie Willoughby, who were killed in a 1989 crash. After transporting a pediatric patient to Norfolk in daylight hours, the duo was returning at night and hit a newly constructed – and unlit – cell phone tower. “You never want to lose personnel in the line of duty and we’ll do everything humanly possibly to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Collins says. Chief Mechanic Howard Wilson and fellow mechanic Ted Shanks make sure of that. During the busy summer season, Dare MedFlight can fly three or four times a day, then go two to three days without a call. Pilots work 12-hour shifts and paramedics are on for 24 hours, averaging about two days in the helicopter and one day in an ambulance during a typical week. Each shift begins with a briefing in the hangar to discuss weather and maintenance concerns. When the pager goes off, crews quickly confirm weather and maintenance status, perform a risk assessment for the pilot, calculate weight and balance and get any final gear loaded. A 2005 Jeep Rubicon with about 1,200 miles on it – the dream vehicle of any motor pool firesale – cranks into four-wheel drive and tows the helicopter’s platform out of the hangar and onto the pad. The engines fire up, and after a final walkaround by the paramedics – who receive special flight training – the flight is underway. The entire process takes only 10 minutes. Collins says about 60 percent of all Dare County EMS hires mention an interest in joining MedFlight at some point. Only fulltime paramedics get to apply for a MedFlight assignment – no EMT basics or advanced EMTs. Each flight includes one pilot and two paramedics. “I kept moving up and it all fell into place,” Johnson says of her shift to MedFlight, adding that going airborne is not for everyone. “Some (co-workers) say, ‘Uh-uh, that’s not happening.’ But it’s really cool.” Still, Johnson possessed a few doubts when first considering the program: “‘You can’t guarantee me this thing’s not gonna fall out of the sky,’ ” she remembers thinking. Then she met the mechanics and pilots and realized “this is their baby.” They take care of the helicopter because the consequences of not doing so are too grave to consider. Air ambulances actually had dreadful safety records in the 1990s and 2000s, with high-profile crashes happening all too often. “The industry as a whole has come a long way,” says Wilson. “It had to make some changes. We don’t hesitate to take it out of service. I really love this job. I feel like I’m contributing my part by

Dare MedFlight is a state-of-the-art Airbus H145 with a range of approximately 400 miles and cruising speed of 150 miles per hour.

RYAN MASON

Dare MedFlight:

dare medflight FEATURE

Winter 2017 | myouterbankshome.com

dare medflight FEATURE

From Left to Right: The Dare MedFlight pilot crew includes Director of Operations/Chief Pilot Chad Jones, Pilot Andy Reed, Pilot Jay O’Hara, Pilot Mike Hill, Pilot Harold Kelley and Mechanic Ted Shanks. Not pictured is Director of Maintenance Howard Wilson.

trying to keep the helicopter safe and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” The crews never know when the next call is coming. Heroic Hollywood stuff like landing on the road at an accident scene happens rarely – maybe once a year – but there are about 15 LZs (that’s “landing zones” to you civilians) across Dare County where ambulances can transfer their patients to MedFlight, plus hospital-to-hospital trips. “Some of them, we’re just a good mode of transport,” Johnson says of the patients they treat. “Some of them we have to work to save the whole time.” Hill praised the paramedic crews: “I’m just the chauffeur,” he explains with a smile. “They do all the work – we just get ’em there. We need to focus on what’s going on up front. I don’t look back.” For Jones, that proves a little more challenging. Early in his career, he was a full-time paramedic and part-time pilot. The Manteo High School graduate got his EMT certification while still in school: “I could push narcotics before I could drink a beer. At 19, I was in the back of a helicopter,” he says. Eventually, he replaced long-time MedFlight pilot Milton Eaton, his mentor. Because of his background, it’s easier for Jones to process what he hears the paramedics talking about – and that’s not always a good thing. “I miss being a paramedic sometimes,” he admits. “I love to fly but I didn’t want to leave EMS. This is the two things I love.” It’s an odd job, really. Paramedics are folks people don’t ever want to see – until their life depends on them. “You see an ambulance, it might not be that bad,” Jones says. “You see this thing, it’s probably a pretty rough day.” Johnson recalls one trip when she was working on a heart attack victim who happened to be one of her former teachers. The next day, Johnson visited her and discovered the woman could not recall anything from the helicopter. “Nine times out of 10, it’s such a bad day for them, they don’t remember it,” Johnson says. Without Dare MedFlight around, those bad days might be final days for some folks. That thought is never far from the minds of the pilots, paramedics and mechanics who enjoy having a good time together – until it’s “go” time. “It’s a humbling experience,” Danaher says. “The community puts a lot of trust in us. That’s very special and it’s something we value highly.”

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³ Steve Hanf worked as a sportswriter for 13 years in North Carolina before finding a fun second career in the classroom. He currently advises the newspaper and yearbook programs at First Flight High School and loves his new life on the OBX.

myouterbankshome.com | Winter 2017

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home maintenance BETTER BUILT

B E AT T H E S P R I N G R U S H . . .

STORY BY

Kimberly Armstrong

Indoor Maintenance & Repair Checklist: ❏ Refrigerator:

Vacuum the vents and coils. Check the drain pan for excess water. If you feel uncomfortable doing this yourself, contact a service technician.

❏ Exhaust fans:

In the kitchen and bath. Make sure power is off before cleaning. Vacuum excessive dust and wipe the cover and fan clean with damp cloth.

❏ Hot water heater:

These typically have a life span of 10 - 15 years. Observe for rust, visible water or moisture. Listen for rumbling, loud cracks and pops. Determine if water is warm but not hot. If in doubt, contact a service professional.

Not convinced enough to shed your fleece blanket and fuzzy slippers? Consider the following: • When contractors are swamped with work during the busy spring season, it could mean higher rates and longer response times. Spring should be a time to enjoy the beautiful weather, to enjoy your kids’ soccer game, do some gardening and relax knowing your home is in tip-top shape. • Since you’ll be providing work for your contractor when his workload is light, you are likely to get excellent service and a faster turnaround. • For vacation property owners, your rental property is likely to be vacant, which will allow better access for making repairs and performing maintenance. • If problems arise while making repairs, you won’t be pressed for time and can take the necessary measures to have the work completed.

Painting in the winter offers visual stimulation. A new coat of paint can dramatically lift you from the winter doldrums. Crack open the windows to let in some crisp, clean air or use low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint to avoid breathing toxic fumes. Choose a totally unexpected shade for a feature wall. Paint is an inexpensive way to transform a room.

❏ Drains:

❏ Replace furniture:

Pour one cup of baking soda in and around each sink drain, then follow with a half cup of white vinegar. After about 30 minutes, follow up with a cup or two of boiling water.

❏ Sinks and tubs:

Check kitchen and bath grout and caulking. Discoloration could be hiding damage. When the waterproof seal is broken, structural damage and harmful molds can find a home.

❏ Drain hoses:

Inspect your clothes washer, dishwasher, and icemaker. If there are cracks or drips, replace the hose. You don’t want to come home to a flood!

❏ Add Insulation:

• You can get a head start on meeting with contractors to discuss and schedule spring projects. You’ll be at the top of their list when the weather breaks, when the first purple crocus blooms appear. •

❏ Smoke detectors:

Note: If you have vacation rental property and utilize a property management company, review your contract to determine what items are covered in their preventative maintenance and repair policy. So, what are you waiting for? Pause that Netflix binge-fest. Grab a clipboard, take a walk around your house, inside and out, noting all areas requiring attention. Recruit family members or friends for jobs that require assistance. Work safely and smartly.

❏ Interior Painting:

❏ Carpet/Flooring:

Venturing into the attic is best done when temperatures are cooler. Are the ceiling joists visible? If so, you need more insulation. Check with your home improvement store for the correct insulation for your particular situation. Sufficient insulation also keeps cool air from escaping in the summer.

You save time and money. Local businesses get much needed work. It’s a win-win!

Seal cracks and gaps in windows and doors with caulk or weather stripping. If possible, swap old, drafty windows for more energy-efficient models. Clean windows and screens, storing screens until warmer weather arrives.

❏ Clothes dryer vent:

Disconnect the vent pipe and vacuum lint out of the pipe and the vent outlet. Wipe lint off the exterior dryer vent to enable the flap to easily open and close. Bear in mind that vents clogged with dryer lint are a leading cause of house fires.

In winter, a quiet calm settles over the Outer Banks and the rhythm of life shifts to a slower pace. Shorter days and colder temperatures may tempt you to snuggle down for a long winter’s nap. But wait! There’s work to be done! The winter months are a great time for year-round and vacation rental property owners to tackle home maintenance and repairs. If you do, you’ll find yourself way ahead of the game come spring.

❏ Windows:

NASA

Begin Home Maintenance and Repair Now

The National Fire Department Association states smoke detectors should be replaced 10 years from the date of manufacture (can be found on the side). Test monthly and replace batteries when they begin to chirp, signaling they are running low.

Much like indoor painting, cool weather is the best time to change your carpet or rip it up and install new flooring throughout. Refinishing your floors or replacing old carpet can be the perfect winter projects. Be sure to do some research on the exciting new flooring products that are also waterproof. This especially applies to rental property. Check sofas, chairs, dining tables, beds, dressers, mattresses, etc., for signs of wear and tear and replace or repair if necessary. Consider going with a more updated style, always keeping in mind the comfort of your guests. If you have enjoyed a successful rental history, your furniture has likely endured quite a bit of use.

❏ De-clutter:

This is an ongoing battle. Winter is a great time to work on getting organized. Devote time each day to de-cluttering in general and organizing what you decide to keep. This applies to vacation property owners as well. A clutter-free environment is especially appealing to vacation guests.

❏ Redecorate:

Travelers choose their vacation homes based almost entirely on photos they view in real estate catalogs. This is a good time to get your property ready for its close-up. Spruce up your home inexpensively with colorful pillows, a uniquely textured throw, or a vibrant area rug. Rotate existing art and add unusual items of interest. Keep the décor current and inject a little whimsy here and there. Update light fixtures - installing lighting next to beds is a thoughtful touch. Replace shower curtains, towels, and bed linens. Catch items at reduced prices during “white sales.” Don’t forget to enhance outdoor spaces, too. A comfortable and well-maintained home will make guests feel welcome. And your repeat renters will be delighted to see all the improvements you’ve made.

❏ Fire extinguishers:

Ensure it is easily accessible. Check gauge for adequate pressure.

myouterbankshome.com | Winter 2017

Winter 2017 | myouterbankshome.com

home maintenance BETTER BUILT

SERVING THE OUTER BANKS

Don’t Forget Outdoor Items:

SINCE 1995

❏ Roof:

Inspect for missing, loose, or damaged shingles and leaks. Check the flashing around chimney and examine pipe collars around plumbing vents. Inspect skylights for leaks. Address a leaky roof as soon as possible. Water damage and chronic moisture ultimately cause rot and mold. Contact a roofing contractor if needed.

NC License # 77114

❏ Gutters:

Where gutters and downspouts don’t properly capture and carry away rainwater runoff, water damage can occur. Clear leaves, dirt, and pine needles from gutters and examine downspouts for damage or loose pieces. If you can work safely and comfortably from a ladder and your gutters aren’t too high, you can do the job yourself. Wear heavy work gloves to scoop out loose debris, and then blast gutters and downspouts with a high-pressure nozzle on a hose. If downspouts are too clogged to flush with the hose, use a plumber’s snake to clear them. If the job’s too much for you, hire someone. Make any necessary repairs to ensure your home is ready to handle spring showers.

❏ Crawl Space:

Check for standing water, compromised joists, mold, evidence of insects or other critters. Beware! There will be spiders.

❏ Air conditioner:

During a heat spell, a HVAC contractor may be as hard to find as a parking space at Jennette’s Pier. People get cranky when they’re overheated. You do not want that on your conscience. Help them keep their cool. Have an HVAC contractor service your system, replace filters, and check Freon levels. Additionally, installing window treatments such as curtains, shades, or blinds will diminish summer heat seeping through the windows.

❏ Have garden power tools serviced:

Take your lawnmower, trimmer, and other tools to get blades sharpened and fluids checked.

Use our handy checklist to help with all your home repair projects!

Winter is generally not thought of as the time to get down and dirty in the yard, but there’s no reason you can’t go ahead and prune some dormant trees and shrubs. It’s easier to see which branches need to be removed and it makes them less susceptible to diseases and insects. Caution: Know your shrubs – you don’t want to trim away next season’s blooms. As with other types of contractors and services, landscaping and lawn services are likely to be busy once summer arrives. If you have a big improvement project, use this time to meet with them, draw up a plan, and get on their schedule. You may intend to take on outdoor improvements such as building a fence, adding an outdoor shower, enclosing a screened porch, adding a deck or a fire pit. There’s no reason you can’t get some of the groundwork started. Thinking of installing an in-ground pool? Now is the time to meet with a contractor to share your plans. Your vacation guests will love it!

❏ Begin major improvements:

Starting a major home improvement project such as a remodel or room addition in the winter gives you breathing room. When doing major improvements, you will need lead-time because planning, design and permitting can take months. Bathrooms make great winter remodel projects. Replacing a faucet, re-grouting tile, and painting are all relatively easy for the do-it-yourselfer. But if you get more ambitious, i.e., replacing the tile floor or installing a new toilet, call in professional help.

myouterbankshome.com | Winter 2017

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and maintenance

❏ Landscaping:

❏ Begin outdoor projects:

• Siding Installation

• Power Washing

❏ Siding and trim:

Repair or replace cracked siding. If areas of trim work need painting, let the weather dictate whether to paint or not. On the Outer Banks, it’s not unheard of to have unseasonably warm temperatures in winter, causing us to revert to our summer uniform of shorts, T-shirt, and flip flops. Ideally, for exterior painting, the outside temperature should be 50 degrees or above. If the forecast indicates a few days of warm weather, you could very well wrap up your paint job and check it off your list.

• Rot Repair

• Exterior & Interior Painting

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Locally owned & operated for Routine maintenance and repairs are important to keep your home functioning and looking its best. Continue performing check-ups on the exterior, appliances, heating/cooling, plumbing, and electrical systems throughout the year. It’s also wise to keep records of maintenance and to file away receipts for tax-deductible expenses. The work is done and you have earned that winter nap! With visions of sunny beach days dancing in your head, you’ll rest easy knowing that all is well with your castle by the sea. ³ Kimberly Armstong is on a quest to determine why her ice maker randomly spews forth ice cubes that tumble to the floor like an avalanche.

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E H T N O

s ’ t a h ? W e b

“Narcos is the name of the show. It’s on Netflix – the third season just came out. It’s just interesting. It keeps you on your toes.” Thompson also came up with a couple of choices from the past. “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is like 8 to 10 years old. (It premiered on FX in 2005 and is still running.) It’s always hilarious. If I had to pick an old, old one it’d be Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Will Smith stars in it. (It aired on NBC from 1990-1996.) It’s funny as hell and relatable.”

RITE O V A F G N TCHI

GE W N I B N O N IGH I

LOCALS W

Taylor Thompson, Kitty Hawk

Kermit Skinner, Manteo Town Manager “The old show would be Seinfeld. (It ran on NBC from 1989-1998.) I would stream it on Netflix. It just never gets old. It’s so multilayered and no matter how many times I’ve seen an episode, I always find something to laugh about. For a new show, I’d say Veep. (It premiered on HBO in 2012.) It reminds me of what I do for a living. I really like Julia Louis-Dreyfus. To me, the show smacks of the absurdity and the reality of (the job) at the same time.”

STORY BY

Catherine Kozak

fter going full-bore all summer, few things sound nicer to Outer Bankers than settling into our sofas to enjoy some off-season relaxation. Sure, we love having the beach (mostly) to ourselves on a sunny, crisp day. And the cool weather and lighter crowds makes it a wonderful time of year to visit the beautiful parks and attractions we never have the time to see during the busy months. But when it’s one of those bone-chilling drizzly days with the northeast wind slapping at your windows, it’s the perfect chance to reward ourselves for all our hard work by catching up with all the latest shows we’ve missed during the year. Or maybe we just need to veg out for a few hours – or days – on old favorites such as Friends or re-watch all of the Harry Potter movies. Guilt-free bingewatching, whether through streaming, DVDs, or – yes it’s still possible – with old VHS tapes is surely one of the delights of the quiet months for us Outer Bankers. Here’s a sampling of what some locals look forward to watching on a cold, nasty Outer Banks day.

myouterbankshome.com | Winter 2017

Lee Nettles, Outer Banks Visitors Bureau Executive Director

“Hey, it’s predictable, but you can’t beat Game of Thrones for newshow binge. Rain day, snow day, whatever. And House of Cards kind of invented the concept, so they’d have to be on the list, too.” As for old shows? “Well, I’m proud to see my kids getting into Seinfeld. We must have done something right as parents.” But Nettles says his real weakness “goes back - way, way back - Star Trek. It debuted on September 8, 1966, just three days after I ‘debuted’ (was born). The original show only lasted three seasons, but it foretold the future…flip phones, video conferencing, automatic sliding doors. I’m waiting for somebody to figure out the teleporting thing and solve summer traffic. Binge long and prosper!”

Vivian Wyant, Duck

“On a cold winter day, I generally watch a lot of rom-com movies like The Walk of Shame (starring Elizabeth Banks and James Marsden), The Ugly Truth (starring Gerald Butler and Katherine Heigl), Love Actually (starring Hugh Grant and many others), and About Time (starring Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams.)” As far as a TV series, Wyant says, “I guess the closest thing to an old show is Supernatural (a fantasy horror broadcast at different times by The CW and The WB channel). It started in 2005 and it’s still going. It’s got fighting angels and demons and different supernatural monsters. It’s funny. There’s a lot of humor in it.” As for newer fare, Wyant says she has enjoyed “bits” of Outlander, a Starz series that is in its third season. “But I haven’t been able to keep up.” Wyant, at the time of her interview, was also set to start watching the second season of Stranger Things, a Netflix series with a retro sci-fi twist starring Winona Ryder that debuted Oct. 27.

Bill Swithers, Manteo

“I still watch the original old Star Trek. I stream them through Direct TV.” But Swithers admits he also has included a couple of newer shows to binge on during the winter down time: Rogue One, as well as The Force Awakens, the two latest Star Wars movies. Still, they’ve been added to rotation of the older Star Wars flicks. “There’s almost always some kind of Star Wars on the Direct TV channels,” he says. “When they re-did the effects on them and re-released them, that’s when I watched the series. Other than Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, those are the only series I make an effort to watch.”

Winter 2017 | myouterbankshome.com

Felipe Cantera, Nags Head

Stella Norman, Manteo

“I don’t really watch DVDs or stream shows. When I watch TV, I just watch sports. Sometimes, I like to watch The Discovery Channel. I just switch through about 10 channels because I’ve got a dish. Or I’ll watch the news – mostly Telemundo, Univision.” Cantera saves his off-season bingewatching for sports – practically all of them. “I watch football, soccer, basketball, baseball, football. For football, I like the Carolina Panthers; for baseball the Red Sox; and for basketball the Golden State Warriors.” But soccer is at the top of the list. His favorite? “All the Mexican teams.”

“I really like Empire. It’s come on the last few years on Starz. I enjoy the drama, the fun, the excitement – everything about it.” As for the old, she says, “Anything Stephen King. I really liked It (King’s horror movie released this summer.) But I still remember the old version.” (It was also a TV mini-series in 1990.) Norman says she loves King “anywhere – all of his books – anything. He’s just my favorite. I like all of his movies.”

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“My kids (ages 4 and 6) are currently binging on Puss ‘n’ Boots. We do watch Andy Griffith for our family night TV show. My husband and I still laugh. (The kids) think Otis is funny and they think moonshine is bad.” The family also enjoys watching Man with a Plan, a CBS series launched in 2016 starring Matt LeBlanc and Liza Snyder. “It’s a family sit-com,” Brodie says. “It’s about a family with kids. It was a funny show.” But when the kids are in bed, Brodie’s current favorite to binge watch on Netflix is the CBS criminal investigative action-drama NCIS that premiered in 2003 and is still going strong.

Jane Fiedler, Southern Shores

Jane Fiedler’s top choice for old favorites to binge watch is The Office. “It’s great comedic relief,” Jane says. “I like Jim the best because of all of his antics and pranks he plays.” As far as newer ones, her go-tos include Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy. “Those were just fantastic, but as far as current one, I am a big fan of Walking Dead. I’d be really good through an apocalypse.” ³ Catherine Kozak has worked as a writer and reporter on the Outer Banks since 1995. Her favorite binge-watch is BBC’s 1995 mini-series Pride and Prejudice.

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young musicians

The five-year-old Mustang program is essentially a School of Rock for kids from grade school through high school and the brainchild of local music promoter Mike Dianna. Both are non-profits that depend heavily on donations and volunteer efforts, and whose schedules mostly coincide with the academic year. Though practice timing and playlists vary widely, the aim is the same: to provide area youth with the opportunity to learn and to play music at a time when school systems often pare and cut fine arts and music budgets to save money. “I’m a music person,” says Stephanie Baker, the Mustang program’s executive director and mother of two children in the program. “I see what it does for my kids and other kids. When you see kids able to get up on stage and perform in front of people, it’s an amazing experience.” People involved with both organizations speak of the benefits of music instruction to mind and body. For example, a 2012 study by Kansas University music education and therapy professor Christopher Johnson and the Center for Public Partnerships and Research of 6,000 grade-school students in the Nashville area found that those who participated in music programs outperformed their peers who did not in multiple areas: grade-point average; standardized test scores; graduation rate; attendance and discipline referrals. Studies have also suggested a link between music training and what are called executive function skills – the ability to adjust to changing tasks quickly and efficiently. “Musical instruction complements an education,” says Michael O’Dell, president of the DCYO. “Whether they’re expected to be on a professional stage or just to enjoy themselves on their back porch, if we’ve introduced and exposed children to instruction, where they have the comfortability for others or just for themselves, then we’ve accomplished our goal, and we think it’s fantastic.”

MICHELLE WAGNER

young musicians

CHRIS CREIGHTON

COMMUNITY

STORY BY

Dave Fairbank

myouterbankshome.com | Winter 2017

MICHELLE WAGNER

Top: Cellist Lilly Scarborough practices with the Dare County Youth Orchestra in the First Flight High School chorus room. Middle Left: Emmy Trivette and Thomas Miller. Middle Right: John Buford, chorus and strings director, leads the young group who he says inspires him. Below: Mustang Outreach Program musicians work with Ruth Wyland.

DAVE FAIRBANK

Wyand offers tips and suggestions for a riff here, a measure there, but gives the musicians plenty of space to experiment. At one point, she even leaves the room for a few minutes during the hour-long session to allow the youngsters to play and to discuss the tunes without adult supervision. “It gives them a chance to bond,” Wyand says of the First Flight High School students. “Basically, I’m here to coach and fine-tune.” Twelve hours later, violinist Emmy Trivette and 13 of her schoolmates arrive at the First Flight High chorus room for a practice session. An hour before classes begin, Trivette and her friends shake off sleep and warm up on their violins, violas, cellos and bass. The students break off into smaller groups and rehearse parts of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 and several selections from “The Sound of Music” during the 35-minute session. “They’re very dedicated about what they do,” says high school chorus leader and strings director John Buford, who supervises the four-days-perweek, before-school practices. “In a lot of ways, they inspire me.”

The two sessions represent a pair of local music efforts, the Mustang Outreach Program and the Dare County Youth Orchestra. The classically-oriented Dare County Youth Orchestra (DCYO) is a public-private partnership with Dare County Schools, its mission to provide strings instruction to students throughout the county. It began in 2006 at First Flight Middle School, and has since expanded to include all county middle and high schools and most elementary schools.

MICHELLE WAGNER

n an early October evening in a makeshift Kitty Hawk second-floor studio, tenor saxophonist Alexandra Byers and four of her band mates work through their versions of the jazz standard “Birdland,” Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” and a funky number called “Arnge Drank,” all under the watchful eyes and ears of local blues master and teacher Ruth Wyand.

Top Photo: Musicians of the Mustang Outreach Program having fun together at the Mustang Spring Jam. Below: Violinists of the Dare County Youth Orchestra practice a piece outside of school hours.

O’Dell is an amiable gent who speaks passionately and precisely, and prefers to focus attention on others. He and his family moved to the Outer Banks in 2005 from West Virginia, where he grew up in a musical family but inherited none of their aptitude. “I can play the radio,” he jokes. Still, he loves music and listens to everything from Mozart and madrigals to bebop and hip hop. All four of his children came through the DCYO, which led him to become involved with the organization. “I’m not a natural performer, by any means,” says oldest daughter Katie O’Dell, who plays the violin and is 22. “But it’s something that I grew into and I grew to like. In middle school, I would have never dreamed of it. But by the end of high school, I was loving performing and being on stage and getting to show what we had accomplished, with all the time practicing. I liked the complicated runs and measures that you’d be doing, because you got to show everybody, ‘That actually sounds really good,’ as compared to when you were in middle school and it sounded horrible.”

Winter 2017 | myouterbankshome.com

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Trivette and Byers say they are grateful for the relationships they’ve formed within their respective groups, as well as the opportunity to practice and play outside the confines of school or private lessons. “Some of us are in the (First Flight) high school jazz band, so we play together a lot,” says Mac McClary, a keyboardist in Byers’ group. “But for students who don’t get an opportunity to play with other students, I think it’s great. As a young musician, it’s very important to be able to play with other people, learn how to play in a small group, how to improvise and everything that comes in with that.” Trivette, a sophomore, has played violin since she was six and has been with the DCYO for the past four years. She also swims competitively, so her days are full and begin early. “It’s been a good experience for me,” she says. “I didn’t know when I first started how it would work out, but it’s a good way for me to keep practicing when I wouldn’t always get the opportunity to do that.” From Buford’s perspective, he said, “There’s something about playing with your peers that provides a different focus. It really changes the game for them, from practicing and playing solo to a team sport, so to speak. Like we always say, ‘The more the merrier, in music.’” The Mustang program this year has approximately 30 students, divided into small bands according to age and skill level. Wyand and local musician Amanda Williams, half of the duo Gypsea Souls, donate their time as the primary teachers and band mentors. It costs $15 per week for elementary and middle school students ($364.50 for the entire 27-week schedule), $10 per week for high school students ($243 for 27 weeks). High School students receive a reduced rate because they’re required to volunteer and mentor younger students for several hours per month. Students may apply for scholarships based on the state’s guidelines for the National School Lunch Program. The DCYO has grown from a handful of middle school students to 150 throughout the county, with an annual budget of approximately $12,000. The group owns most of the instruments used by students, and Dare County Schools not only provide space, but also pay high school and middle school instructors, all of which help defray costs. The DCYO charges a $50 rental fee for instruments and $10 materials fee for middle and high school students. The school district also hosts the elementary school program, which began in 2015, however the DYCO pays those instructors. Elementary students pay $50 per semester.

myouterbankshome.com | Winter 2017

Top: The First Flight High School Jazz Band performs at the Duck Jazz Music Festival. Middle: Ruth Wyland prepares all levels of musicians with varying degrees of experience to perform on stage. Bottom: Two young musicians of the Mustang Outreach Program perform a duet at the annual Mustang Spring Jam.

Both programs regularly bring in outside talent to conduct workshops and seminars with students. DCYO’s past guests have included cellist Soo Bae and the chamber music group, PUBLIQuartet. Locally raised, Connecticut-based musician Becky Kessler of the indie duo Violent Mae, and People’s Blues of Richmond are among those who have worked with Mustang Outreach students. Local bands Static Attitude and Side Project were spawned by the Mustang program. Both played paying gigs around the area, including at the Outer Banks Brewing Station and Mike Dianna’s Grill Room. Outreach bands also were opening acts at Dianna’s annual Mustang Spring Jam and the larger Mustang Music Festival in the fall, a practice he hopes to continue when he revives the event next year. Mustang program bands will play at several showcases and coffee houses through the winter and spring. The group aims for a Battle of the Bands fundraiser next spring. The DCYO has performances scheduled throughout the winter and spring, among them Handel’s “Messiah” in late November and a workshop and performance with members of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra next April. “It really gives these kids the confidence to do so many things,” Baker says. “To watch a young kid get up on stage in front of so many other people and sing or play a song is inspiring. It lets them know that’s something they can do, and lets a lot of other kids know that maybe they can do it, too.”³ Dave Fairbank is a freelance writer living in Kill Devil Hills. Dave was a sports writer for 30 years at the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press prior to relocating to the Outer Banks.

DEBORAH SAWYER PHOTOGRAPHY

Above: Mustang Outreach Program graduates Grace Deichler and Sam Wills perform with the People’s Blues of Richmond as Ruth Wyand conducts a few local schoolchildren on back up vocals. Below: Oftentimes, members of the Mustang Outreach Program will form their own bands. This is one of them performing at the Mustang Spring Jam.

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dewey hemilright THE SEA LIFE

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CAPTAIN DEWEY HEMILRIGHT: Commercial Fisherman, Advocate, Educator

ewey Hemilright once saved a tiny kitten from the ferocious jaws of a shark. At least that’s the story he tells a group of wide-eyed schoolchildren. As Hemilright, a commercial fisherman, shoved off from Wanchese in his 42-foot boat Tar Baby, a stowaway was aboard. It wasn’t until the boat was miles out to sea that a curious kitten appeared. Hemilright attempted to capture it but the frisky kitty scampered away, leaping into the deep blue sea. Although Hemilright admits to not being a “cat person,” he wasn’t about to let the creature forfeit all nine of its lives at once. He grabbed a dip net, scooped up the kitten and deposited it safe and sound on deck. And the shark? “I just throw that in for dramatic effect,” Hemilright says with a mischievous grin. “But you should see the looks on the children’s faces.” 22

myouterbankshome.com | Winter 2017

Hemilright has visited classrooms in 10 states as a volunteer with Provider Pals, a nonprofit educational outreach program that connects grade school students with natural resource providers. A longline fisherman, Hemilright explains the technique of catching fish using a long mainline with branch lines spaced at intervals connected to baited circle hooks. He shares photos of Tar Baby and presents a lesson on how seafood winds up on their dinner plates. Locally, Hemilright volunteers with the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s outreach program, meeting with Dare County schoolchildren. It’s show-and-tell as shark jaws, a swordfish bill, fish hooks, and photos depicting a day in the life of a commercial fisherman are passed around for inspection. And they’re all ears when talk turns to harrowing encounters with sharks. Thirty-five years ago, Hemilright was in his teens and working at a Wanchese fish house. He soaked up the melodrama as the fishermen returned to the docks with catches of tuna, swordfish, Mahi, Spanish mackerel, or shrimp, depending on the season. Unloading and packing fish, he listened to the swashbuckling tales of life on the high seas and “the one that got away.” He imagined experiencing such adventures himself one day. At the age of 21, Hemilright finally got his chance. Venturing miles offshore, the ocean roiled. As did his stomach. “I was seasick the whole time,” he says. “I lost about 15 pounds those first few times out.” But catching swordfish was exhilarating and somewhat made up for the seasickness. From then on, he was, shall we say, “hooked.” All these years later, he still revels in the thrill of reeling in a swordfish. “They put up a good fight.” Heading out in the early morning darkness witnessing the deep violet sky meld into shades of pink, orange, and yellow takes some of the sting out of the early wake-up call. And just as no

SARAH HALLAS

STORY BY

Kimberly Armstrong

two sunrises are alike, no two days of fishing are alike. “That’s part of the attraction,” Hemilright says. Navigating anywhere from Cape Lookout, NC, to Norfolk Canyon, VA, he likes being his own boss. And he enjoys the peacefulness. “I can hear myself think.” At night, golden moonbeams ripple across the dark expanse of water. What does he hope for? “A good catch. Calm seas. Sometimes my brother, Chad, comes along and that’s good.” But it’s not always picturesque skies and frolicking dolphins. The weather can be unpredictable and the open sea can be intimidating. Problems can arise with the boat, the motor, the electronics, or the tackle. There is pressure to get a good catch because without a catch, there’s no paycheck. On one overnight trip, as Hemilright caught some shut-eye in the gently rocking Tar Baby, another boat collided into his. The jolt disabled his navigation system. Fortunately, he was able to radio other fishermen in the vicinity and they provided location coordinates, allowing him to return safely to port. Fishing is a highly regulated and complicated industry, and Hemilright brims with emotion as he shares his opinion about the often-cumbersome regulations. One way he deals with the frustration is by being an active participant in the process. He analyzes reports and findings and has become a respected spokesperson regarding fisheries policymaking and research. He welcomes a spirited debate. He currently serves as one of three voting delegates from North Carolina on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, is assigned to six Council advisory committees, and functions as South Atlantic Council liaison. He attends meetings between 30 and 60 days a year, traveling from New York to Florida. Hemilright has assisted research scientists by taking them out on Tar Baby to collect data on such topics as migratory and breeding behavior of certain fish species. Researchers have joined him on daily fishing trips to record information about the catch, to tag fish, and to study mortality rates. These encounters allow non-fishermen the opportunity to witness first-hand the burdensome impact of certain regulations. One cooperative research grant with which Hemilright was involved benefited Dare County in an unexpected way. For the study, he and two other fishermen caught a large amount of blueline tilefish. Because they received payment through the grant, the fish could not be sold. Hemilright dreaded the thought of the fish going to waste. Word got out and Etheridge Seafood Company and O’Neal’s Seafood Harvest stepped in to process, package, and freeze the fish, resulting in 750 pounds of fish fillets. In an extraordinary act of benevolence, the fish were donated to an extremely grateful Beach Food Pantry. And the good news continues as Hemilright humbly relates how he cooked 130 pounds. of the fillets, creating 225 meals for Bethany’s Table, a volunteer outreach service led by Bethany United Methodist Church in Wanchese. Hemilright admits that times are tough in the commercial fishing industry. Fishing is hard

SARAH HALLAS

Above: Dewey Hemilright heads out on the Tar Baby. Right: Hemilright shares his knowledge with local schoolchildren through the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s outreach program.

Winter 2017 | myouterbankshome.com

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Dewey Hemilright brings a waterman’s world to children of all ages. He often incorporates hands-on activities and captivating tales into his lessons to engage his audience. work, expensive, and even dangerous. “It’s not a 9 to 5 job.” Still, there are those who are drawn to this time-honored livelihood. Hemilright says he is committed to doing what he can to help fishing remain a viable way to earn a living. He is a voice for fishermen, an ombudsman of sorts. “I’m a ‘we’ person, not an ‘I’ person,” he says. For the past four years, Hemilright has spent six weeks in Alaska, fishing for sockeye salmon in the crystal-clear waters of Bristol Bay. Along with spectacular scenery (including Beluga whales), the average temperature is 60 degrees and there is 22 hours of daylight. “It allows me to experience another dimension of America’s commercial fishing industry.” Other fishing expeditions have taken him to Brazil and Costa Rica. But no matter how far Hemilright wanders, he is happy to return to the Outer

Banks, where he was born and raised. Where fellow fishermen offer unconditional support, where members of the community are eager to lend a helping hand. A place with unique beauty and easy access to the ocean and Gulf Stream. Where the most rewarding part of his job is providing fresh, sustainably-caught seafood to the Outer Banks and beyond. It is for those reasons, when asked to choose one word to describe himself, Hemilright needn’t cast around for an answer. “Appreciative,” he says. ³

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s the rain intensifies, the group of 15 huddles closer together under the shelter. Guests gaze at the giant gleaming tanks as they learn about the Outer Banks Brewing Station. They’re hanging on every word uttered by Will Holman, whose delivery is one part history lesson, one part stand-up comedy. “We’re all pirates and characters here,” Holman tells the crowd with a smile. Down the road in Manteo, three dozen people crowd into the tasting room at Outer Banks Distilling to learn about Kill Devil Rum from Matt Newsome. He explains the distillery’s slogan for its made-from-scratch rum – “from molasses to glasses” – and then without missing a beat tells the appreciative audience, “I’m very proud of it – came up with it myself.” When Newsome hands off the tour group, co-owner Scott Smith welcomes everyone into the steamy production room – summer is primetime tour season, after all. “Take as many pictures as you want and put ‘em all over Facebook and Instagram – that’s free advertising for us,” he says with a laugh. “We ask just one thing: Don’t touch any buttons or open any valves while you’re in here.” Cross the bridge into Currituck County and more characters await at Sanctuary Vineyards and the Weeping Radish Farm Brewery. At Weeping Radish, the tour is led by owner Uli Bennewitz, who crams three decades of stories about success, failure and politics into his hourlong spiel that – oh, yeah – also includes a few details about beer and how Weeping Radish started the microbrewery movement in North Carolina. “People talk about, ‘Wow, you were the first.’ From a business point of view,

myouterbankshome.com | Winter 2017

Weeping Radish’s Uli Bennewitz paved the way for the craft beer movement in North Carolina. More than 30 years later, he is still brewing up local favorites at this Currituck farm-to-table operation.

Harvest time on Sanctuary Vineyard’s 30 acres occurs in late summer. From that harvest, between 6,000 and 10,000 cases of wine are produced.

that’s really stupid,” Bennewitz says. “Let others jump all the hurdles. It always takes a couple of idiots to get it going so the successful ones can jump in.” From self-deprecating to simply outlandish, the folks who make beer, wine and rum on the Outer Banks are indeed characters who have a passion for their craft – and a passion for sharing that passion (and their beverages) with tourists and locals alike. Here are a few of their stories:

fore the four friends could start making rum, they needed money for their risky start-up – “Huge shoutout to TowneBank for giving us a chance!” Matt pipes in. The copper pot still took 13 months to come from Germany and when it arrived, all the pieces to the still were inside: “We assembled and installed it ourselves, only had three, four pieces left over,” Scott says with a laugh, then quickly adds: “Stupid joke. We’re proud that we know our equipment inside and out.” Adam Ball and Kelly Bray had basic experience from local breweries, while Matt and Scott knew the local scene after working for years as bartenders. The group took distilling classes at Michigan State University in advance of starting the first batch of Kill Devil Rum in February of 2015, and this quirky quartet has been mixing tons of molasses and water together ever since. A full day of production, which includes four still runs, can last from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. “Our goal is not to make as much rum as possible,” Scott says. “Our goal is to make the best rum possible.” Kill Devil Silver, the unique Kill Devil Pecan Rum with honey from Wanchese and pecans from Manns Harbor, and barrel-aged Kill Devil Gold can be purchased on site or in a growing number of states’ ABC stores. Outer Banks Distilling will have some five-year rums ready in 2020, and a special Blackbeard Reserve will be out in the fall of 2018 in time to mark the 300-year anniversary of the pirate’s death. Seems only appropriate that a couple of ECU Pirates should be in on the fun. “Me and Matt are both Pirates,” Kelly says with a smile. “Pirates making rum – that’s good for the resume.”

Kill Devil Rum

Weeping Radish Farm & Brewery

open a brewery. Folks at the ABC said it sounded like a wonderful idea, with one small problem: It was illegal. So began a remarkable six-month journey that saw Uli get a new law passed – “with zero attorney hours, it was true citizen-legislation,” he says proudly. He opened up shop in Manteo in 1986 and slowly, the craft beer movement caught on and then exploded. Uli, meanwhile, had his sights set on being a farm-to-table operation at the new location in Currituck: “What this building is all about is a celebration of craft. “Brewing is a craft, butchery is a craft…” Navigating bureaucracy, it turns out, also is a craft, and visitors get to sip three varieties of Weeping Radish beers while Uli speaks of the challenges he faced in opening a farm/restaurant/butchery/brewery. His perseverance has not gone unnoticed. In addition to having a beer named after him, Uli was part of a panel of immigrant brewers when the Smithsonian hosted a special event in October about food and beer. “It’s such an honor to be involved in this,” he says. The Black Radish is a hit during the winter months, while Corolla Gold is the summer treat. Beer is sold on the premises and at local grocery stores or – even better – poured from the tap at local restaurants. Kegs are only filled to order, so it’s incredibly fresh. “That’s our biggest selling point,” Uli says. “The demand for anything local is so strong.”

Outer Banks Distilling has found its home in the former Dare County Board of Education offices on Budleigh Street. Its popular Kill Devil Rum is made on site, and has the catchy slogan, “From molasses to glasses.”

When most people tour a distillery, they’re interested in sampling the end product. The entire experience, however, proves most fascinating. Why isn’t Kill Devil Rum made in Kill Devil Hills, whose name is credited to rum so strong it would kill the devil? Because Manteo has a sewer system – “It was a blessing in disguise,” adds Matt. “Manteo has really embraced us.” Be-

The farm, butchery and brewery in Jarvisburg is a legend. Earlier this year, Uli even had a beer made in his honor – the wonderfully clever “Yours Truli” – by the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild to celebrate 30 years of microbrewing. Uli already was running a farm when his brother called and suggested he

Sanctuary Vineyards Is it a coincidence that the Weeping Radish and Sanctuary Vineyards tours are on Wednesdays and just two hours apart throughout the summer months? Perhaps, but plenty of folks make the quick hop down U.S. 158 from the brew

Winter 2017 | myouterbankshome.com

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Will Holman of Outer Bank Brewing Station gives an entertaining and informative tour of the inner workings of the restaurant’s brewing facility. pub to the winery, where an open and airy sitting room and sampling room beckon. One of the first things folks learn at Sanctuary is the fact there’s more than one famous set of Wright brothers on the OBX. Seven generations of Wrights have farmed here, including Tommy and Jerry. On this day, Jerry ambles into the tasting room and regales guests with a tale about those “other” Wright brothers. “We’ve been here so long, since 1840, 1860,” says John Wright, Tommy’s son and the GM and vineyard manager, about conversations regarding Orville and Wilbur. “A lot of folks wouldn’t have known we were here until we starting putting our names on the wine.” These Wrights took flight with their vineyard in 2001 and now grow 13 grape varieties on some 30 acres. The goal is to produce 6,000 to 10,000 cases of wine per year, depending on the harvest, which takes place in late August/early September. “Harvest, then it ferments and ages, and in that time gap, hopefully what we’ve done before will carry us through,” tasting room manager and tour guide Elton Singletary says. With John Wright and winemaker Casey Matthews on the job, there’s little worry about that. Visitors and locals alike enjoy wines with names like Wild Pony White – the vineyard’s bestseller, which comes with an added bonus of $1 a bottle donated to the Corolla Wild Horse Fund – and Whalehead White, plus Shipwreck and Lightkeeper. Tours and tastings are free, and the tasting session is a lengthy one as visitors sample all that OBX history. “We found that any wines we put forward that didn’t have some regional Outer Banks branding to them do not do nearly as well,” John Wright explains. “We try to keep it local and fun.”

myouterbankshome.com | Winter 2017

Seemingly everyone knows about the wind turbine that stands 93 feet tall and gives the OBBS its claim to fame as “America’s first wind-powered brew pub.” So Will Holman doesn’t talk much about that on his tours. Instead, he shares how owners Eric Reece and Aubrey Davis got their idea for starting a brew pub while drinking (of course!) in Thailand with the Peace Corps. Then there’s the unique building that houses the Brewing Station. Yes, it’s designed to look like an old lifesaving station. But ... “We call it the beer church,” Holman says, drawing more laughs. Holman’s tour is short on scenery but long on information. An impossible number of tanks and hoses fill one room and a crowded storeroom houses giant bags of malt. Holman spends part of the tour passing around different styles of malt to smell and sample, comparing them to popular cereals, then tells how everything in the mash tank is stirred by hand with giant plastic paddles for 60 to 90 minutes. Brewing beer, it would seem, is not quite as glamorous as one might think. During the busy season, the Brewing Station will brew three times a week: “If you’re here July Fourth and you come back Labor Day, you’ll literally see a totally different beer menu,” Holman explains. “From tank to tap, you’re drinking beer that’s 14 days old.” LemonGrass Wheat Ale has become the Brewing Station’s most popular brew and is now sold across the state. And it’s a safe bet that most of the folks visiting with Holman – who worked 10 years as a bartender at OBBS before shifting to managing and “freestylin’” his tours – will be seeking that taste of the beach when they head home. “I don’t think I could do anything more cool on a rainy OBX day than see the brewery and finish it off with a little sipperdoodle,” he says.

LOST COLONY BREWERY

Lost Colony Brewery & Cafe owner, Paul Charron.

Friday, December 8 6:00-9:30 p.m.

Duck Woods Country Club, Southern Shores

Lost Colony Brewery & Cafe Manteo’s quaint downtown houses the Lost Colony Brewery and Cafe, where the only beers on tap are specialties such as Buxton Brown Ale, Kitty Hawk Blonde, Hatteras Red and Manteo Porter. Paul Charron started his dream of brewing beer at the former Full Moon Cafe in 2011 with 80-gallon pots. Now, a new facility in Stumpy Point cranks out more than 1,000 gallons of English ales being served in more than 60 restaurants from Corolla to Manteo at the height of the summer season. Deliveries are made in the “Beer Response Vehicle,” complete with flashing blue “emergency” lights. In the recurring “buy local” theme, all of Lost Colony’s English ales are made with English ingredients and then brewed fresh – “from the malthouse to your glass in less than a month,” Paul says. “Beer is a perishable. The closer you are to the brewery, the better it’s gonna taste.” How fresh? After unloading several kegs on his daily 22-minute drive from Stumpy Point, Paul points out that this batch of Kitty Hawk Blonde was made three days ago. Sales skyrocketed after Paul got rid of every other beer but his own at Lost Colony. At one point in 2012, demand for Kitty Hawk Blonde grew so much that some of it was brewed at Weeping Radish thanks to Uli lending a helping hand. So Paul is living the dream, right? Sort of. Shortly after he started working his tail off as both brewer and leader of everything else going on at the restaurant, a guy looking for work in the kitchen who had dreams of one day getting into brewing came looking for a job. Turns out that Owen Sullivan “stole” Paul’s job along the way. “It became his full-time job, and he is phenomenal,” Paul says, smiling, but perhaps a touch exasperated at what he did to himself. “I tell Owen, ‘You work five days a week, you’ve got weekends off – dude, you have MY job!’ ” It’s a tough job making high-quality beers, building kettles for your rum and growing grapes – but somebody’s gotta do it. The Outer Banks is lucky to have so many passionate people catching lightning in a bottle and making merriment for all to share. ³

For information & tickets: 252.261.2756 | BeachFoodPantry.org

All proceeds benefit the Beach Food Pantry

NO TREE TOO BIG • NO YARD TOO SMALL

Steve Hanf currently advises the newspaper and yearbook programs at First Flight High School and will not be talking about this story with his students.

Winter 2017 | myouterbankshome.com

integrative med HEALTHCARE

Integrative Medicine:

Balance

“There are as many yoga studios here as there are gas stations,” jokes Scott Lawlor. While he may not look like your typical yogi, Lawlor hasn’t missed more than three days since taking up the practice three years ago and doesn’t hide his enthusiasm. He gives a rough estimate of about seven studios from Nags Head to Duck. Classes, he says, have proliferated on the Outer Banks, and for good reason. Yoga has a long list of health benefits including improved flexibility, posture, focus and balance just to name a few. “I think the allure of yoga is that ‘ah’ speechless feeling you get,” says Lawlor, who became a certified instructor in February and after his first class, was hooked on teaching the practice. “It’s amazing what it does, how much better you feel mentally and physically. It’s incredible.” Lawlor teaches Vinyasa at both studios, but says he does a lot of improvising and caters each class to the students who attend. “I liken it to a jam session,” he says, but adds that yoga is all about “making the body still so the mind can be still, too.”

STORY BY

Michelle Wagner

Presence

hen Scott Lawlor first walked into a yoga studio three years ago, he was on three different medications to control his high blood pressure. Today, as he sits on the mat at The Well yoga co-op in Kill Devil Hills, that number has dwindled to just one. Lawlor, now an instructor who holds classes here and at Outer Banks Yoga in Kitty Hawk, describes yoga as a preparation for meditation. “People think that when you roll up the mat, yoga is over. But yoga begins when you roll up the mat. It prepares you to be still.”

myouterbankshome.com | Winter 2017

Fellowship trained in Integrative Medicine, Bowen takes a holistic approach with her patients, taking into account everything from social stressors and nutrition, to the mind-body-spirit connection, sleep, and connections with others. “Using practices like acupuncture, massage, mindfulness meditation, guided imagery and spiritual counseling as complements to allopathic medicine help us to achieve our optimal health,” Bowen says. And while the Outer Banks may be small in size, it’s big in its offerings of the approaches Bowen mentions.

Above: From left, Rosie Rankin and Shirley Parker of Outer Banks Inner Journey explain the Stress Activation Cycle as part of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program they offer. Right: Meg Errickson of Nags Head Apothecary mixes lavender and chamomile to make a soothing massage oil.

Mindfulness practices and meditation were something that always resonated with Shirley Parker. When she began to integrate the practices into her daily life years ago, she knew mindfulness was something she not only wanted to continue to practice, but also share with others. “Mindfulness refines our attention so that we connect more fully and directly to whatever is present,” says Parker, adding that the research speaks so clearly to its benefits. Parker and Rosie Rankin, of Outer Banks Inner Journey Center for Self-Care and Well-Being, are mental health and substance abuse counselors, and also trained to teach Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). The eight-week program they offer at their Nags Head office is the same one offered in 700 medical settings around the world, including Duke Center for Integrative Medicine and UNC Chapel Hill. “MBSR is one way to develop resiliency against stress,” explains Rankin, who adds that she and Parker also utilize the MBSR tools from the course within their counseling practice to help clients with stress, anxiety, depression and chronic pain. Since everyone encounters stress in daily life, the program is beneficial to anyone. First developed in a medical setting in the late 1970s by Dr. Jon Kabat Zinn, the course follows a structured protocol that includes mindfulness meditation, yoga and a daylong retreat. “MBSR moves us from reaction to response,” Parker concludes.

Essence

SHUTTERSTOCK

Just to the south in Nags Head, Shirley Parker and Rosie Rankin of Outer Banks Inner Journey offer guided mindful meditation and are also trained in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), an eight-week program they teach at their Nags Head practice. The first of its kind on the Outer Banks, the MBSR program is a comprehensive course offering experiences and skill development in stress reduction, interpersonal communication, meditation and yoga. It is designed to help participants manage stress, pain, anxiety and depression. “We tend to react to things automatically,” says Parker. “With MBSR, we learn how to respond in a way that inoculates us from the effects of stress.” Not far from their office, aromatherapist Meg Errickson mixes lavender and golden chamomile to form a massage oil that, if rubbed on your feet before bed, can help you to drift off to sleep easier. She relies on essential oils to heal a number of ailments and her two children, she points out, have never required antibiotics. And in Southern Shores, licensed acupuncturist Cheryl Blankenship says she has seen referrals steadily grow in the last 10 years. Physicians are seeing the difference the ancient practice is having on their patients. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, more than 30 percent of adults and 12 percent of children use health care approaches developed outside of mainstream Western medicine to either to complement conventional methods or as an alternative. Christina Bowen, MD, of Outer Banks Family Medicine in Southern Shores, isn’t surprised to see these complementary therapies, and others, grow in popularity as a way to enhance overall wellness. In fact, she’s one of their biggest cheerleaders.

Scott Lawlor executes the extended triangle pose at The Well in Kill Devil Hills.

If she had to pick, Meg Errickson says her favorite essential oils are cardamom and ginger. But her home-based business, Nags Head Apothecary, is filled with healing oils of all kinds and a mixture of scents floats in the air as Errickson works. A certified clinical aromatherapist, Errickson uses essential oils to make everything from anti-aging products, candles and lotion to chapstick, sunscreens and cough syrup. While she’s always been interested in essential oils, Errickson was eager to learn the knowledge behind it. That desire led her in 2013 to become certified through the East West School of Aromatic Studies. Aromatherapy, she said, can be used for a variety of ailments, helping to kill bacteria, prevent the body from going into deeper infection and aid in the recovery of a virus such as the common cold and tonsillitis. Scattered around her work area are bottles of every size holding the healing oils and her shelves are lines with books on natural health. Holistic aromatherapy, she says as she mixes and measures oils, “is practiced when the client and practitioner work together toward a balanced mind, body and spirit while taking into account physiological, psychological and environmental factors.”

Winter 2017 | myouterbankshome.com

integrative med HEALTHCARE

“What I see as becoming more mainstream than anything right now,” says Blankenship, “is the integrative approach that includes diet, lifestyle and a variety of mind body practices and approaches that create an optimal functioning body. For being as secluded as we are, I feel very fortunate to be a part of the integrative resources available locally. It’s one less thing we have to drive to Virginia for.” For Bowen, she says her patients are “super-receptive” to an integrative approach to health care, and are ready to make lifestyle changes. “It requires a certain level of intentionality, but life is a journey and we take small steps of intention as we work toward a goal.” So the next time the doctor hands you a prescription, it may not require going to the pharmacy, but instead be one for cardamom and ginger, an hour of meditation, a yoga class, or perhaps a visit to the acupuncturist and massage therapist. It may be just what the doctor ordered. ³

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The idea of Traditional Chinese Medicine, along with the ancient practice of inserting needles in the skin to stimulate specific points on the body, may still sound somewhat foreign to some. But on the Outer Banks, licensed acupuncturist Cheryl Blankenship has been instrumental in mainstreaming the practice – one that treats everything from chronic pain, fatigue and headaches to anxiety and insomnia. “Modern medicine has some challenges to treating chronic, difficult-to-treat diseases,” Blankenship says. With acupuncture, she adds, “we focus on the whole system.” Since opening Island Acupuncture in Southern Shores nearly 20 years ago, Blankenship’s practice has become well established in the medical community. Of acupuncture, she says, “There is not one particular point that performs a particular function. It is often the combination of points that produce an effect. In the same context, every human body is different and is going to respond differently to acupuncture as it does every pharmaceutical or manual therapy.”

TH E

Relief

DING GU

WORK HARD PLAY HARD Sign up for adult sports at the Y.

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Michelle Wagner has been living and writing on the Outer Banks for more than 15 years.

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outerbanksweddingguide.com

An increasing number of doctors in recent years are referring patients to acupuncturists. Above, Cheryl Blankenship of Island Acupuncture performs the holistic Chinese technique in her Southern Shores office.

Mindfulness Meditation:

Cultivating Stillness in a Hectic World We receive plenty of invitations in life. To parties, graduations, and weddings. But in a world that rarely slows down, there’s nothing quite like the invitation we receive when beginning a mindfulness meditation practice. It’s an invitation to be still. To focus on the breath and pay attention to what is happening at the present moment – within us and around us – without judgment. “The research speaks so clearly to the benefits of mindfulness, particularly mindful meditation,” says Shirley Parker. Parker and Rosie Rankin of Outer Banks Inner Journey offer guided meditation through their practice. The benefits she speaks of include higher brain functioning, lowered blood pressure and heart rate; increased awareness, attention and focus; increased feelings of connection and well being; and lowered anxiety levels, just to name a few. Parker and Rankin’s guided meditation often centers around the teachings of world-renowned meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg, which focus on cultivating three key skills: Concentration, mindfulness itself, and loving kindness. “Each of these three skills can be complementary to medical treatment for problems with attention, anxiety and depression, and stress, and they can be alternative as well,” Rankin said. Concentration, Parker said, steadies and focuses attention so that we can let go of distractions. Mindfulness helps us connect with whatever is present and loving kindness, she said, can be best described as “compassionate

awareness that opens our attention and makes it more inclusive. It transforms how we treat ourselves, our families and others.” Practicing loving kindness, Rankin says, “helps us recognize that simply living with gratitude makes all the difference in the world in regard to how we treat ourselves and others. And one of the biggest lessons from mindfulness is that in order to offer loving kindness toward others, we have to be able to offer it to ourselves.” According to Emma Seppala, Ph.D., loving kindness meditation has been proven to increase empathy and compassion, decrease chronic pain and migraines, increase positive emotions and social connection and curbs the tendency to self criticize. Their offerings include a variety of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction practices, meditations on thoughts and emotions, mindful movement and stress-relieving visualization. Sometimes, particularly with stress and anxiety, we can become out of balance which may require seeking professional help, Rankin said. “However, there are wonderful things like attending a mindfulness practice, yoga class or other forms of alternative care that will offer you the opportunity to recognize it and release it.” And one more benefit to having these meditation skills is that they can be carried with us back into our busy lives. As Salzberg writes, meditation is “the ultimate mobile device,” one that can be used “anywhere, anytime, unobtrusively.”

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volunteering

Top: Mike Waters, volunteer group organizer from Appalachian State University, cheerfully opts for the heavy hauling of mulch through Nags Head Woods. Below: Students spread nearly a mile or more of mulch on the trails throughout Nags Head Woods.

KEVIN GROAT

“It seems a lot of the time it’s a family wanting to do something worthwhile together – a group project that brings them closer,” Tate explains. Theresa Armendarez adds, “It’s usually a one-time thing for families on vacation and it ultimately helps teach kids to be responsible adults.” The activities vary from organization to organization. “At the SPCA, volunteers can spend time taking dogs out for a walk around the property,” Tate explains. “They may also choose to sign up for our field trip or sleepover programs in which they can give a shelter dog an awesome day at the beach, a walk around downtown Manteo, the Elizabethan Gardens, or wherever they’re spending the day.” Tate continues, “We love this program because the dogs get extra socialization and enrichment from volunteers, and the volunteers can share what they’ve learned about the dog during their outing. Then our staff members can take that information to help the dog find the right family.” “Often vacationing volunteers are involved in their own local shelter, so they enjoy meeting our animals and learning about our programs while they’re on vacation. They share their ideas and experiences with us and vice versa. It can be a great learning opportunity for all involved.” Over at the Beach Pantry, located at milepost 4 in Kitty Hawk, volunteers are typically stocking or putting food items on shelves or in freezers. “Usually we’ll see volunteers about five times per summer,” Armendarez said.

KEVIN GROAT

COMMUNITY

KEVIN GROAT

Students from Appalachian State University participate in mission trips every year during their semester breaks.

On Vacation?

myouterbankshome.com | Winter 2017

it’s a family wanting to

Greg Smrdel

Time To Volunteer!

ou work hard all year. You look forward to your week at the beach. If you’re lucky, maybe two. You save for it. You spend countless hours planning your trip, deciding what activities you’ll do. Parasailing? Jet skiing? Charter a boat and go deep-sea fishing? If you are like my wife, you start putting together your checklist of what to bring several weeks early. You even start your packing a week early. Sunblock. Check! Sunglasses. Check! Cellphone charger. Check! Work schedule? Wait! Wha?!?!? Yes, some vacationers actually come to the Outer Banks and mix in volunteer work with their leisure activities and relaxing days on the beach. “We get out-of-town volunteers quite frequently,” says Melissa Tate, former growth and community outreach coordinator of the Outer Banks SPCA. “Typically it’s a family or a couple visiting for the week. Many of the volunteers are from Pennsylvania, Virginia and western North Carolina. This year, we even had

“It seems a lot of the time

STORY BY

a family from Sweden come volunteer.” The Outer Banks SPCA, located on Roanoke Island, is not the only organization that benefits from vacationing volunteers. Beach Food Pantry Executive Director Theresa Armendarez says her organization also gets help from out-of-towners. “Visitors tend to find us through the Pantry’s website and are people that just want to give back,” she said. Though volunteers most often donate their time to the Pantry, Armendarez is also quick to point out that volunteering comes in many different shapes andsizes. “Oftentimes, at the end of their vacation, tourists will stop by the Pantry to drop off unused food.” Curious about the typical person that each organization sees as a volunteer, My Outer Banks Home asked both Tate and Armendarez why they thought vacationers, who one would assume are down on the beach recharging their batteries from everyday life, would take the time to help out. Interestingly enough, their answers were quite similar.

do something worthwhile together – a group project that brings them closer.” #adventureswithpercy OUTER BANK SPCA

And it’s not just individuals or families who volunteer, but also college groups as well. Both the SCPA and the Beach Food Pantry sees these types of groups regularly, as does the Nags Head Woods Preserve. According to Conservation Coordinator Jennifer Gilbreath, “There isn’t much in terms of individual volunteering, but during the spring and fall break, college groups are a huge asset.” Armendarez agrees that the college students who come down and spend their time helping out energize the entire staff. She also points to the Girl Scouts and other youth groups as being valuable to the pantry’s volunteer base. Kirk Oldham, Campus Minister of the Raleigh Wesley Foundation, a United Methodist Campus Ministry comprised of mostly NC State students, made a trip to the Outer Banks and the Beach Pantry this past September with his group. “I remember it quite well. It was my birthday and the students and I had a great weekend trip for a retreat that we also made into a service project. We spent a couple of hours cleaning out refrigerators,

Above Left: Dog lover Melissa Tate, smiles with “Percy.” Above: A group of volunteers have fun entertaining a shelter dog.

Winter 2017 | myouterbankshome.com

volunteering COMMUNITY

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Above: A family volunteering at the Beach Food Pantry. Below: College students from the Raleigh Wesley Foundation teamed up to help tackle hunger at the Beach Food Pantry.

For more information

Lorelei Costa 252.261.8839 • www.obcf.org

BEACH FOOD PANTRY

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restocking shelves and weighed and sorted a new food delivery.” Oldham continues, “We’ve made other mission trips in the past, following a couple of hurricanes, but this trip really helped us bond as a group and we will definitely be back again to help out the pantry.” So if you are moved to volunteer during your next vacation on the Outer Banks, please consider spending some time giving back. If not as a whole family, then perhaps for just an hour or so by yourself. You may find that it is not only the perfect way to give back to the community you love to vacation in, but also a great way to meet and mingle with the local crowd. ³ Greg Smrdel is a stand-up comic who now looks at vacation differently.

myouterbankshome.com | Winter 2017

STORY BY

Susan Selig Classen

formal hometown wedding is the only way to go for some couples. Acknowledging family culture and traditions in a church or in their own backyard is the wedding they have always imagined. But for other couples, a destination wedding allows them to celebrate their own personal style, ease family stress, and take a vacation all at the same time. How do couples plan an OBX wedding from a distance? Often the marrying couple has been vacationing on the Outer Banks for many summers and already has favorite restaurants, rental homes, and wedding sites in mind. Newcomers need not fear, however. Today’s technology makes it a cinch to plan from a distance.

DANIEL PULLEN PHOTOGRAPHY

Winter 2017 | myouterbankshome.com

OBX WEDDINGS

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ebecca, who is planning a spring OBX wedding says, “Vendors from most places that are considered destination sites will be familiar with conducting business via Skype, FaceTime, email, etc. I hired my DJ, photographer, officiant and bakery for the cake without ever seeing them. I went off reviews online. I checked WeddingWire, Yelp, Google, and any examples of their work I could find to make sure I was comfortable with my choices. The only thing I wanted to check out and book in person was the venue.” Everyone has their pet concern that requires an in-person meeting. For one bride, it will be the venue, for another it will be wanting to taste some of the caterer’s samples. Caitlyn who is worried about personalizing the vows says, “The only vendor I’m kind of concerned about not meeting is the officiant.” Consider this. In a small community such as the Outer Banks, our cadre of wedding professionals is an even smaller subset of the local population. They have witnessed each other under the most stressful of circumstances, and they know which ones are reliable, distinctive and who make customers happy. Ask them who they would hire if their own daughter or son were getting married. Nancy, an officiant echoes that advice and says, “Once you find one vendor, ask for recommendations. I’m frequently the first one booked and I recommend venues, florists, photographers, musicians/DJs, etc. who I know will perform well.” While you should certainly consider recommendations, as well as consult preferred vendor lists, don’t let these take the place of the research you need to do to be sure the vendor is the right match for you.

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Winter 2017 | myouterbankshome.com

OBX WEDDINGS

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Bridezillas are not born. They are created. A formal wedding can mean conflicting family traditions in competing hometowns. Plus, at a typical wedding, the couple is trying to see everyone while hosting three or four events over a two-day weekend. Destination weddings are on vacation time. Couples are usually needed onsite a few days early to fill out vendor paperwork and get marriage licenses (see An OBX Wedding Checklist pg. 43) so by the time your big day arrives, you’ve had a few days of playtime with far-flung friends and family in smaller get togethers. Want a surefire way to cut the guest list and costs down to something manageable? A destination wedding guarantees that folks who are there to celebrate are your closest family and friends. No one is there because they feel obligated. And the ones who do show up are ready to have fun! The Outer Banks is filled with honeymoon-happy resorts ready to make your time here a dream vacation for all guests. According to The Knot, more than 50 percent of all couples end up spending more than what they budgeted for a wedding. Combine that with the average cost of a U.S. wedding in 2016 was $35,329 and it all adds up to a great argument to have a destination wedding. Meghan, a recent OBX bride from New Jersey, says her mother was confused about the destination wedding concept. “Mom was concerned about the distance. The no church thing. But our planner did such a good job setting the stage for a beach wedding, that now, even my toughest critics have not stopped talking about our wedding.”

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Winter 2017 | myouterbankshome.com

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Kevin Groat

FREE DESIGN CONSULTATION • FREE DELIVERY FROM HATTERAS TO CAROVA • WHOLE HOUSE PACKAGES

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NAGS HEAD: Outer Banks Mall • 252.480.9200

| KITTY HAWK: 5301 N. Croatan Hwy • 252.715.3450