North Beach Sun Spring 2016

mills & moonshine FREE!

the legacy of buffalo city

NORTHBEACHSUN.COM

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Grand Opening April 1!

the beach’s new coffeehouse

All Ice Cream, Coffee, Muffins & Pastries are just one dollar all day on Grand Opening Day. Please join us for a Ribbon Cutting at 4pm. 50% of proceeds to go to Heron Pond Montessori School

Start your day off the right way at the brand new Big Buck's Homemade Ice Cream and Coffeehouse in beautiful downtown Manteo. Piping hot espresso, freshly baked muffins and the cheeriest staff around will brighten your morning and fill your belly!

And, as always, you can satisfy your most indulgent cravings with their fresh, homemade daily ice cream.

With dozens of ice cream flavors, banana splits, creamy fudge and handcrafted Belgian chocolate there's a sweet treat at Big Buck's Homemade Ice Cream to suit everyone's tastes.

From Corolla to Manteo, your favorite place for dessert is just around the corner. Stop in and see why Big Buck's Homemade Ice Cream Shop is the "Best of the Beach"!

Our new location!

106A Sir Walter Raleigh St. Manteo 252-423-3400

Waterfront Shops Manteo 252-423-3118

Buccaneer’s Walk Kitty Hawk 252-715-0779

Timbuck II Corolla 252-453-3188

bigbucksicecream.com • distinctdelights.com 2

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for updates, store hours, specials, and more.

The Coffeehouse & Big Buck’s Homemade Ice Cream Piping hot coffee and espresso, teas, fresh baked muffins, croissants and pastries. Big Buck’s Homemade Ice Cream and frozen yogurt, handmade Belgian chocolates and fudge, nuts, taffy and ice cream cakes.

106A Sir Walter Raleigh Street 252-423-3400 • bigbucksicecream.com N PARKI

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Red Drum Pottery

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Specializing in hand made pottery, relief tiles, ornaments, original paintings and hand made jewelry. We’re always creating something new!

207 Queen Elizabeth Avenue 252-473-4747

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A Southern family-owned shop with fine art, books, gourmet kitchen goods, and high design gifts for ladies, gentlemen, children, and dogs.

105 Fernando Street 252.475.9764 • samandwinston.com

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A very independent bookstore with an abundant selection of local titles, kid’s books, cookbooks, best-sellers, cards, Chakra candles and more!

105 Sir Walter Raleigh Street 252-473-1056 • duckscottage.com

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Fresh local seafood, prime meats, fowl, game and vegetarian dishes.

405 Queen Elizabeth Avenue 252-473-1587 • 1587.com

ELIZABETHAN GARDENS

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Charlotte’s

Full service ladies’ boutique specializing in fashions that are traditional with a contemporary flair.

103A Fernando Street 252-473-3078 • shopcharlottes.com

Roanoke Island Running Company

Running shoes, apparel, nutrition and hydration products, post run pampering products and more!

Magnolia Lane 252-305-8343

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FIRST FRIDAYS

UPCOMING EVENTS

First Friday of every month, 6-8pm Stroll the streets of Manteo enjoying food, live music at Avenue Grille, local art, and more. Starts April 1.

MANTEO FUN RUNS

Roanoke Island Running Company hosts "fun runs" every Tuesday (2 Miler) and Thursday (3 Miler) - Open to both runners and walkers, starting at 5:30 at their store.

Fun for all ages and free!

EASTER EGGSTRAVAGANZA

Saturday, March 26 Elizabethan Garden’s annual Easter Egg hunt includes contests, musical acts, dancers, and a special visit from Sir Walter “Peter” Wabbit.

SUZANNE TATE BOOK SIGNING

Friday, April 1 Local legend Suzanne Tate will be signing copies of her newest children’s book, Speedy Ghost Crab from 5-8pm at Downtown Books.

THE COFFEEHOUSE & BIG BUCK’S HOMEMADE ICE CREAM GRAND OPENING

Friday, April 1 All ice cream, coffee, muffins & pastries are just $1 all day on Grand Opening day. Join them for a ribbon cutting at 4pm. 50% of proceeds to go to Heron Pond Montessori School.

SHORE STORIES

Tuesday, April 5 at 6:30pm Showing at Avenue Grille, Shore Stories is a new compilation of six short films that shed light on the Federal government’s proposal to open the Atlantic to offshore drilling in the next five years.

Visit nccoast.org for more details.

FARMER’S MARKET

Saturdays 8am - 12pm Local vendors can be found at Creef Davis Park on the waterfront. Begins May 7.

RELAY FOR LIFE

Saturday, May 7 The all-day relay event fundraiser for the American Cancer Society takes place at Roanoke Island Festival Park.

2ND ANNUAL RUN FOR THE ROSES CELEBRATION Saturday, May 7 Celebrate the Kentucky Derby and Mothers Day weekend with Sam & Winston and Charlotte’s. Pick the winning horse in the Kentucky Derby and receive $50 gift certificate. Lowcountry Produce tastings and CACAO chocolates.

SCIENCE ON THE SOUND

Thursday, May 19 A joint presentation on the Battle of the Atlantic from author Bill Geroux and the Coastal Studies Institute. Starts 6pm at CSI in Wanchese.

CUPCAKE 5K

Sunday, May 29 This annual race raises money to support cancer research and features cupcake stations along the route. Sold out in 2015.

Irresistable luxuries for you and your home.

Linens by Bella Notte, clothing by CP Shades, and more!

Magnolia Lane 252-473-5141

Sisters Boutique & Gifts

Generational goods for women of every age and shape.

207 Queen Elizabeth Avenue 252-305-8582 • sistersboutiqueofmanteo.com

Big Buck’s Homemade Ice Cream 57 ice cream varieties, frozen yogurt, smoothies, shakes, sundaes, handmade Belgian chocolates, fudge, Italian espresso bar. We cater weddings.

207 Queen Elizabeth Avenue 252-423-3118 • bigbucksicecream.com

Avenue Waterfront Grille

Local seafood, all natural proteins, specialty burgers & gourmet pizzas. Craft beers, hand selected wines, OBX inspired cocktails.

207 Queen Elizabeth Avenue 252-473-4800 • avenuegrilleobx.com

Sleeping In, Ltd.

The boutique with “a little touch of a lot of things.” Chic Apparel, Jack Rogers Shoes, Sleepwear and Fine Linens.

101B Fernando Street 252-475-1971 • Like us on Facebook NORTHBEACHSUN.COM

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Gotta feed the whole farm?

Pigman‛s

Picnics To-Go AFFORDABLE PACKAGES FOR 8, 12, OR 16 PEOPLE

ONLY

2106 N. Virginia Dare Trail KDH • MP 6 • Beach Road Across From Avalon Pier 252.441.5955 awfularthursobx.com

OUR FAMOUS PRIME RIB DINNER Fridays•Starting at 5pm

Open Daily Lunch & Dinner

Live Music in our Oceanview Lounge Fridays 6-9pm

Put a little Spring in your closet!

Fashion for the Fun of It!

252-441-6803

Open 10-6 Mon-Sat. 252-261-6810 • Like us!

OPEN 7 Days a Week from 11am til 9pm!

Milepost 9.5 • 1606 S. Croatan Hwy, KILL DEVIL HILLS www.pigman.com

$15.99

The HOT PINK Building at the 4.5 MP in Kitty Hawk

Tandem Skydive

Over the Outer Banks!

www.skydiveobx.com • 252-678-JUMP(5867) 4

NORTH BEACH SUN SPRING 2016

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BUT FIRST...

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SPRING EVENTS CALENDAR

feature 10 ghost town

The forgotten story of Dare County’s Buffalo City

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lifestyle 14 mindful movement

Kids yoga on the Outer Banks 16 b.s. in parenting

I wanna tech you up

food & beverage 18 amanda’s kitchen

Cooking with Kill Devil Rum and Betty Crocker

R1 REAL ESTATE outdoors 19 off the beaten track

Roughing it with the red wolves 22 desperate times, desperate measures

Why the U.S. Navy mined the Outer Banks 24 board banter

Shaper, coffee roaster and mom Ashley Linnekin

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arts & entertainment 26 flowing

A night of cocktails and creativity 28 bringing monsters to life

The papier-mache creations of Carol Willett

community 30 This town’s got heart

The Hearts of Dare fundraiser 32 keeping locals connected

Facebook groups for Outer Bankers

everything else under the sun 34 obx insta-love!

about the cover: Buffalo City residents pose on the steps of the Dareforest store.

Photo courtesy of the Outer Banks History Center. this page: Photos top to bottom courtesy of Jesse Fernandez, Outer Banks History Center, K. Wilkins Photography and Julie Dreelin’s Beach Productions.

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HAND TOSSED STONE OVEN PIZZAS, CALZONES & STROMBOLIS

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ZA ANY PIZ YOU WHEN N MENTIO THIS AD

Art Director Dave Rollins

Writers Cathy Baldwin Amelia Boldaji Dawn Church Lindsey Beasley Dianna Jesse Fernandez Amanda McDanel Kip Tabb Michelle Wagner

Graphic Design Adam Baldwin

COPY EDITOR Michelle Wagner

Publishers Adam & Cathy Baldwin EDITOR Cathy Baldwin

NEW YORK PIZZA 252-715-3145 • DELIVERY AVAILABLE! OPEN DAILY 11AM - LATE NIGHT 710 S. VA. DARE TRAIL, KDH (MP 8.5 BEACH ROAD)

Menu available on Facebook. Please Like us.

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NORTH BEACH SUN SPRING 2016

Photography Julie Dreelin’s Beach Productions K. Wilkins Photography Sales Manager Helen Furr Account Executives Sue Goodrich Tori Peters Distribution Bob & Glen Baldwin

NORTH BEACH SUN 115 West Meadowlark St. Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 252.449.4444 phone 252.715.1303 fax The North Beach Sun is published quarterly by Access Media Group. All works contained herein are the property of the North Beach Sun and/or its contributors.

Opinions, responses, and inquiries are always welcome. You can email us directly at editor@northbeachsun.com or sound off at NORTHBEACHSUN.COM.

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BUT FIRST...

Seen this little fella lately?

He’s made quite a name for himself on the Outer Banks, even spawning his own hashtag, #duckdeercow. He’s known as a piebald deer because of his unique coloring which, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, occurs in approximately one out of every 1,000 deer. Photo by Krista Barkley.

From the Publisher Driving my kids to school the other day, I was blasting “The Reflex” by Duran Duran and singing along. From the

backseat, my eight-year-old son asked, “Mom, is this classic rock?” I thought for a moment—could this really be “classic” rock?—and nodded yes. “Cool,” he said. “I like this old-timey music.” And wham, just like that, I realized I’d turned into my mom jamming out to Three Dog Night driving me to elementary school.

I turned 40 this winter—a milestone birthday, as I’ve been frequently reminded. They say that age is just a number, and getting older is certainly better than the alternative. All in all, I’ve been pretty happy with my life so far. I have a great husband, two healthy kids and a job that doesn’t feel like one (except at deadlines… then it’s WORK, I tell you!). This deadline was particularly brutal. Five days before we went to press, I woke up with a fever and spots on my throat. Strep throat.

My husband said 40 hit me like a ton of bricks, which made me want to hit him with a ton of bricks. And then I remembered that getting sick always makes me a little testy, so I settled down.

Between getting sick, being on deadline and officially arriving at mid-life, I’ve been a little emotional and introspective.

I came to the realization that I’ve now lived on the Outer Banks for more than half of my life. I love it here. I got married here (on Coquina Beach in Nags Head, to be exact), built my house here in Kill Devil Hills and had my two children at the Outer Banks Hospital. And while I’ll never be a “local” in the eyes of the native purists, this place runs like saltwater through my veins.

Like an old friend, I feel like I know the Outer Banks through and through. But even after 21 years of living here, I’m still finding out new things all the time. I had never heard of Dare County’s now-defunct moonshine town Buffalo City until somewhat recently (page 10). Nor did I know anything

Saving the World One Straw at a Time The Outer Banks Brewing Station is well known for its tasty craft brews, but it’s their straw policy that garnered the attention of the Plastic Ocean Project. The OBBS is attempting to curb single-use plastics in the restaurant by only offering straws upon request. The Plastic Ocean Project in conjunction with the Surfrider Cape Fear Chapter and Wrightsville Beach Keep it Clean named the Outer Banks Brewing Station the first OBX business to be an “Ocean Friendly Establishment.”

OUTER BANKERS

RULE! Our population may be small this time of year, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a big impact on the world around us. Here are a few notable people and businesses making waves well beyond the Outer Banks.

Going “Fore” the Masters Eleven-year-old Katherine Schuster is making a name for herself in the golf world. This winter she took first place at the Pinehurst Junior Shootout at Pinehurst #5 in Pinehurst, NC and at the Grandover Country Club in Greensboro. She also took first place in the Tarheel Youth Golf Association at the Pinewild Country Club in Pinehurst.

Katherine says she hopes to qualify for the Drive, Chip and Putt Competition at the 2017 Masters, and judging by her performance last year in which she placed first in putting and third overall in the nation, the future looks pretty bright for this young golf star.

Bringing Home the Gold The First Flight High School Wrestling team brought home a win at the 2A State Championship in Greensboro. Sophomore Jeremiah Derby and Seniors Carlos Martinez and Connor Hughes were awarded the gold in their weight classes. Kyle Cortez placed third, and Arien Leigh had a fourth-place finish. Way to go, Nighthawks!

about the 2,000 plus mines dropped in the Atlantic around Cape Hatteras during World War II to protect the United States from German U-boats (page 22). I thought I knew all of the major historical highlights of our area. Wrong! The Outer Banks isn’t just the birthplace of flight, ya’ll; it was the home to Grade A moonshine-makers and the front line during the Battle of the Atlantic!

For such a tiny strip of sand, we sure do have an awful lot of character (and characters, for that matter!) and a fascinating, colorful past. I can only hope that one day, maybe forty or so years from now, I can look back on my life and describe it the same way.

May this issue bring you even closer to your own old friend, the Outer Banks, and find you in good health. Happy reading and enjoy the journey, my friends—it goes by quickly.

-Cathy Baldwin

Yo Ho and a Bottle of…

The boys from Outer Banks Distilling are on FIRE! After winning regional medals for their rums in the fall, they took their product to the national stage at the American Craft Spirit Association in Chicago and came back as big winners.

Their silver rum was awarded the Silver Medal in the Silver Rum Category and their pecan and honey rum brought home the Bronze Medal in the Distilled Spirits Specialty Category.

Cheers!

In Vino Veritas Rum isn’t the only local drink making headlines. Sanctuary Vineyards in Jarvisburg was awarded the “2015 Wine Grower of Excellence Award” by the North Carolina Winegrowers Association. Sanctuary’s 10 acres of grapes are carefully tended to by John Wright, a seventh-generation Outer Banker. Stop by the tasting room and sample the many varietals including Syrah, Tempranillo, Viognier, Norton and Muscadine.

It was THIS Big Fin Again Sportfishing charter out of Teach’s Lair in Hatteras broke a 40-year-old North Carolina White Marlin State Record this past November. Captain Kenny Koci, Mate Derek Nelson and crew brought in a 138-pound white marlin, besting the old record by 20 pounds. Tight lines, Fin Again!

NORTHBEACHSUN.COM

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Events Spring 2016

Fly into Spring & Easter Eggstravaganza March 25 – 26

Calendar

Get more info on events at

northbeachsun.com Ghosts of the Lost Colony March – April

Take an interactive, historical ghost tour through the grounds of the Waterside Theatre and the Fort Raleigh National Park guided

by Trevor Janzen, Founder of “Astral Plane Investigations.” thelostcolony.org

Easter Egg-Stravaganza March 25

Join the Easter Bunny for an Easter egg hunt in Historic Corolla Park. Sponsored by Brindley Beach. visitcurrituck.com

Welcome spring with a Kite Festival at Jockey’s Ridge and two days of Easter egg hunts. Bring your camera to get photos of the Easter Bunny himself! kittyhawk.com 3rd Annual Duck Merchants Association Easter Egg Hunt March 26

Visit participating businesses to collect eggs containing candy, treats, and coupons. doducknc.com Easter Eggstravaganza March 26

Hunt for over 10,000 eggs on the Great Lawn of the Elizabethan Gardens during this fun, familyfriendly Easter tradition. elizabethangardens.org Dare County High Schools’ Annual Art Show March 28 – April 28

MP 6 Plaza • Highway 158, KDH • 252.449.8229 • ChipsWineMarket.com NOW OPEN IN THE WATERFRONT SHOPS IN DUCK!

NEW LOCATION!

6th Annual Outdoors Day March 30

4007 North Croatan Highway • Kitty Hawk BeachFoodPantry.org • 252-261-2756

FULL SERVICE SALON

Get outside with the folks from the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education in Corolla and learn about our unique coastal environment. visitcurrituck.com First Friday Starts April 1

AFFORDABLE STYLING FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY Home of the $11.00 Hair Cut

Artwork from students attending First Flight, Manteo and Cape Hatteras High Schools will be on display in the Event Room at Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo. roanokeisland.com

Foils, Highlights, Hair Wraps & Much More!

Located in “Downtown” Kitty Hawk

252-261-3003 Drop-By’s Welcome!

MP MP 4.5 4.5 •• DUNES DUNES SHOPS SHOPS KITTY KITTY HAWK HAWK

Call to reserve yours today!

Downtown Manteo comes alive on the first Friday of each month from 6–8 PM. On April 1, author Suzanne Tate will be signing copies of her latest book Speedy Ghost Crab at Downtown Books. duckscottage.com Book Launch Party April 1

Celebrate the paperback launch party of local author Michelle Young-Stone’s novel Above Us Only Sky at Waveriders Coffee & Deli in Nags Head from 6-8 PM. duckscottage.com Shore Stories April 5

View Shore Stories, a compilation of six short films that shed light on the Federal government’s proposal to open the Atlantic to offshore drilling, at Avenue Grille in Manteo. nccoast.org 8

NORTH BEACH SUN SPRING 2016

Weeping Radish 30th Anniversary Weekend Celebration April 8-9

Enjoy a farm to fork anniversary dinner Friday evening and come back on Saturday the 30th Anniversary party with live music, brewery tours and more. weepingradish.com Hope Floats Benefit Celebration April 10

Enjoy food, music and a silent auction during this kid-friendly benefit that raises money for Swim Safe Forever and Food for Thought at Aqua Restaurant in Duck from 3-8 PM. 252-261-9700 Free Entrance Days to the National Parks April 16 – 24

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, all parks that charge admission fees will be free of charge. nps.gov Outer Banks Bike Week April 16 – 24

Rev up your engines for a week of poker runs, bike shows, bikini contests, tattoo contests, live music, guided tours and more. outerbankshd.com Woofstock April 16

Peace, love and pets! Celebrate your four-legged friends on this day of fun at Elizabethan Gardens with pet photos, doggie daiquiris, paw print painting, make-yourown dog collar and more. elizabethangardens.org Flying Pirate Half Marathon & First Flight 5K April 16 – 17

Run 13.1 miles through the Outer Banks in this fun, pirate-themed half marathon that culminates in a Pirate Jamboree in Nags Head. flyingpiratehalfmarathon.com Comedy Tonight Fundraiser April 16

Laugh the night away with comedian Nate Burgatze in this fundraiser for The Lost Colony production catered by Kelly’s Restaurant. thelostcolony.org First Colony Foundation: Archeological Dig “Project Dogwood” April 17 – 23

The dig, in honor of the National Park Service centennial, will focus on the site adjacent to the earthen fort at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. nps.gov

Picasso at the Lapin Agile – Theatre of Dare April 22 – May 1

This absurdist comedy, written

by Steve Martin, places Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso together in a Parisian café, just before both men change the world in their respective ways. theatreofdareobx.com Kill Devil Hills Historic Landmarks Open House April 22

Tour historic homes while learning about the history, architecture and culture of the Outer Banks.

252-449-5318 Southern Shores Historic Flat Top Cottage Tour April 23

Take a ticketed tour of flat top cottages in Southern Shores.

Proceeds benefit the Flat Top Preservation Fund.

252-261-8839 Outer Banks Duathlon April 30

This run-bike-run event takes participants through South Nags Head and south to Bodie Island Light and Oregon Inlet. Visit the website for additional features and course map details. runcations.com 8th Annual Duck & Wine Festival April 30

This chef cook-off challenge uses duck as the main dish. Proceeds benefit the Currituck-Dare Community Foundation. duckandwine.com Hatteras Storytelling Festival May 6 – 7

Enjoy two days of “yarn-tellin, foot tappin’—Hatteras style” through this annual storytelling festival in Hatteras Village. hatterasyarns.org Manteo Farmer’s Market Starts May 7

Buy fresh, local fruits and veggies at this farmer’s market every Saturday in downtown Manteo.

Couture by the Shore Presented by TowneBank May 7

Enjoy lunch, a silent auction and a fashion show with the theme “Nashville to Nags Head” put on by local boutiques at Kelly’s Restaurant to raise money for the Outer Banks Relief Foundation. outerbanksrelieffoundation.com

Relay for Life Dare County May 7

Locals walk together to raise awareness and money to fight cancer at Roanoke Island Festival Park. relayforlife.org/darecountync 33rd Annual Yuengling Nags Head Woods 5K Run May 7

Wind your way through the beautiful Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve for the Yuengling Nags Head Woods 5K and the Village Realty Fun Run. nagsheadwoods5krun.org Enchantment by the Sea, Sanctuary’s Prom for Grown-Ups May 7

Relive your high school dance at Sanctuary Vineyards in Jarvisburg with a three-course meal, drinks, live music from Old Enough to Know Better and awards for Best Dressed and Best Dancer. sanctuaryvineyards.com Kidsfest May 13

Children and Youth Partnership for Dare County sponsor this free, family-friendly event at Roanoke Island Festival Park that includes face-painting, bubbles, arts and crafts, music and more for children ages five and under. darekids.org 44th Annual Hang Gliding Spectacular May 13 – 16

This is the longest running hang gliding competition in the world.

Watch professional hang gliders compete in this free and fun event at Jockey’s Ridge. kittyhawk.com 14th Annual Coastal Gardening Festival May 14

Shop for plants, garden art and handcrafted goods from over 50 vendors at 300 Mustian Street in Kill Devil Hills.

252-473-4290 Science on the Sound May 19

Learn more about the deadly Battle of the Atlantic from author Bill Geroux at the Coastal Studies Institute in Wanchese. csi.northcarolina.edu EVP Beach Volleyball Tour: Outer Banks Pro Am, Amateur, Coed and Juniors May 21

Watch or play in the Extreme Volleyball Professionals’ Outer Banks Pro-Am at Jennette’s Pier as the pros compete for a $3,500 purse. evptour.com

what’s happening this spring at aqua...

5th Annual Mustang Spring Jam May 22

Jam on with Buddha Council, Major and the Monbacks, the People’s Blues of Richmond and more at Mike Dianna’s Grill Room in Corolla. Proceeds benefit the Corolla Wild Horse Fund and the Mustang Outreach Program. mustangmusicfestival.com The Virginia Symphony May 26

Listen to one of the nation’s leading symphony orchestras, the Virginia Symphony, perform at First Flight High School.

Presented by Outer Banks Forum for the Lively Arts. outerbanksforum.org The Lost Colony May 27 – August 20

This fascinating outdoor historical drama—the longest running of its kind in the United States—brings to life the mystery of the first English colonists that happened right here on the Outer Banks. thelostcolony.org

WATERFRONT DINING

COASTAL CUISINE • WINE • BEER • SPIRITS WHERE THE BOARDWALK ENDS & THE FUN BEGINS

local hangout

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amazing sunsets

happy hour daily

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Run a Muck in Currituck May 28

Join runners at Sanctuary Vineyards for a day of obstacles, mud and wine! Proceeds benefit the North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #89 and Currituck Family YMCA. visitcurrituck.com Cupcake 5K May 29

This annual race that features cupcake stations along the route raises money to support cancer research. roanokeislandrun.com

TEACHING THE WORLD TO FLY SINCE 1974

EXPERIENCE MORE HANG GLIDING • SUP • KAYAKING • KITEBOARDING • SURFING • JET SKIS • PARASAILING • HORSE TOURS • AERO TOURS • JETPAK & FLYBOARD

Memorial Day Beach Blast May 29

Jam out to beach music by Blackwater Rhythm & Blues Band, DJ Harvey Taylor and Aquarium Big Band on the grounds of Historic Corolla Park. visitcurrituck.com Shallowbag Shag Beach Music Festival May 30

Spend Memorial Day at the Shallowbag Shag at Roanoke Island Festival Park dancing to today’s top beach music artists, including Jim Quick and Coastline, The Embers, The Tams and Band of Oz. obxshag.com

$5 OFF

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NORTHBEACHSUN.COM

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feature

Ghost Town

By Amelia Boldaji

Buffalo City photos courtesy of the Outer Banks History Center.

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NORTH BEACH SUN SPRING 2016

The Forgotten Story of Dare County’s Buffalo City

It’s not something you’ll read in a textbook or see on the big screen, documentary-style — at least, not yet. But the story of Buffalo City, once the largest community in Dare County around the turn of the 19th century, is a colorful one of a mill town and moonshiners that continues to live on. Even now, more than a half a century later, former residents and their descendants still gather every September at the East Lake United Methodist Church for an annual “Homecoming” that celebrates the vanished town just 19 miles west of Manteo.

These collective memories are our lifeline to the past because today Buffalo City is a ghost town. And unlike many other ghost towns spread out across the country, almost nothing visible remains of this once-thriving community — unless, of course, you know what you’re looking for.

Like the physical reality of the now heavily forested area where Buffalo City once stood and prospered, there’s always more to the story than what first appears on the surface.

A Logging Boomtown The town of Buffalo City sprang up a few decades after the Civil War ended when Buffalo City Mills, a timber and mill company from Buffalo, NY, purchased more than 100,000 acres on the Dare County mainland and set up operations in 1888. The laborers the company brought down south with them, including a number of African Americans and Russian immigrants, were tasked with building a town in the middle of nowhere from the ground up.

Though Buffalo City’s remote location might seem like an odd choice for a major logging operation, it also sat alongside the north bank of Milltail Creek. For those unfamiliar with Milltail, the creek feeds directly into Alligator River, which separates Dare and Tyrell counties and empties into the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway’s Albemarle Sound. This made Buffalo City a prime spot for shipping timber to locations up and down the Eastern Seaboard.

Early on, the mill specialized in harvesting prized juniper wood, which was used to produce shingles that still adorn some of the old oceanfront Nags Head houses. Buffalo City Mills quickly became the biggest logging operation in northeastern North Carolina. Overall, it was a heyday of epic proportions for Buffalo City, resulting in dozens of virtually identical residential houses for company laborers that were built out of scrap lumber.

The town also included a hotel, a schoolhouse, and a country store, which was the only place where workers could spend the aluminum, company-manufactured money known as “pluck” in order to meet their basic family needs.

but even at its peak when a reported 3,000 people lived in the town, life in Buffalo City also meant being able to do without conveniences such as electricity and plumbing. Residents also endured seasonal extremes and wildlife that included virulent insects, alligators and bears — not to mention the soft, swamplike ground the town and its roads were built on largely by using wood and sawdust from the mill as foundational fillers.

There was also no real way in or out of the area except by boat.

In the face of these hardships, Buffalo City’s residents managed to survive by forming an intensely tight-knit community. Together, they looked out for each other, and they also created a moral code all their own.

“There’s no telling how many bodies are buried out there,” says neighboring East Lake native Alvin Ambrose as he describes several ways justice was meted out by community members when they felt the situation warranted it — including whippings and, at least in one instance, the punishment of death by fire. It may not have been the Wild West exactly in Buffalo City, but that frontier spirit was alive and well from beginning to end.

Buffalo City Mills remained in the area for almost two decades before the company decided it had exhausted the premium timber the area had to offer. After that, the large amount of acreage that made up the viable logging area in and around Buffalo City changed hands several times in the coming decades — going first to Dare Lumber Company (when an official attempt was made to change the town’s name to Daresville, though it never stuck), then the three local Duvall brothers (Claude, John, and Ephraim), and finally to the Black Bear Lumber Company. Black Bear Lumber promised to revive and expand the eastern North Carolina timber industry in the 1940s, but soon found that it could no longer make good on that promise, effectively signaling the end of logging in Buffalo City.

In the midst of this whirlwind, there Moonshine Capital of the U.S.A. were several changes to the dynamics of Though it’s tempting to think of logBuffalo City’s logging business — most ging and bootlegging as two distinct innotably in terms of technology. While dustries that operated during different timber was originally set afloat down eras of Buffalo City’s history, the truth is Milltail Creek to the mill, where the logs that they overlapped. Logging was still a were then transported on barges, evensource of income in Buffalo City — albetually it became more expedient to move it a dwindling one as quality timber bethe timber to the transcame increasingly scarce port station by train.

— when residents began Historians agree that producing moonshine in more than 100 miles order to make ends meet.

With their isolated of train tracks were Bootleg liquor has location, access to laid by hand on the a long tradition in the natural waterways, Dare County mainland American South that and the dense canopy during the early 1900s, both preand post-dates that concealed them including a track that Prohibition, and this is from outsiders, Buffalo ran through the middle especially true in North City turned out to of downtown Buffalo Carolina. Although the be the ideal spot for City and eventually 18th Amendment, which lucrative, large-scale branched off into the banned the manufacture, bootleg operations. woods with extra spur transportation, and sale of tracks for areas where alcohol nationwide didn’t choice timber was go into effect until 1920, discovered.

North Carolina was the Buffalo City had also established its first southern state to pass a referendum shape by this point: On either side of banning alcohol 12 years earlier on May main street and the central track stood 26, 1908. North Carolina was also one of a few rows of red-painted houses for the four states that refused to ratify the 21st white residents, while two rows of whiteAmendment ending Prohibition in 1933, washed houses for African-American and and remained a legally dry state until 1937. other immigrant residents were erected Along with many others across the slightly farther west. nation, Buffalo City residents soon realAccording to many, however, these ized the economic advantages to the unracial distinctions hardly mattered at the derside of Prohibition. With their isolattime. Business might have been booming, ed location, access to natural waterways,

Continued NORTHBEACHSUN.COM

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WILL CROCKETT

Clockwise from above: A crude map of East Lake and Buffalo City from 1900; Orville Wright on the deck of the Hattie Creef, which brought sugar from Elizabeth City to supply Buffalo City’s many stills; newspapers tracked the many legal tangles in East Lake.

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and the dense canopy that concealed them from outsiders, Buffalo City turned out to be EAS the ideal LAK T spot for lucrative, large-scale bootE leg operations.

And large scale was exactly what they went for. Particularly after nationwide Prohibition, it wasn’t long before making moonshine became a virtual community pastime in Buffalo City. It wasn’t your run-ofthe-mill homemade whiskey either; this was the good stuff. Though Buffalo City manufacturers made some whiskey with corn, it was their smoother rye version that put them on the map. Known more generally as East Lake whiskey, demand was high for this carefully crafted liquor, particularly in big cities such as Washington, D.C. and New York, where some speakeasies were rumored to have kept specially branded East Lake whiskey cocktails on their menus, while other rival distributors were said to have slapped fake East Lake labels on their bottles in order to improve sales.

Though no exact amounts are recorded, it’s fair to say that massive quantities of the increasingly popular, quality East Lake moonshine were made in Buffalo City over the years. In order to get the liquor over to Norfolk or Elizabeth City for further distribution, the whiskey was often transferred to five-gallon jugs that were sealed with waxed corks and tied onto trotlines that trailed behind boats in the water. If federal revenuers showed up, the lines were cut so that the jugs could sink to the bottom of the creek and be retrieved at a more opportune time.

As all this suggests, there were some risks involved. The sentence for being caught bootlegging then was a year and a day in federal prison, and revenuers were constantly watching the traffic around Buffalo City. The revenuers were at a disadvantage, however, since most of them had to come into the area by water, and local residents not only had highly organized lookouts, but they also sometimes strung thread across the creek.

A broken thread meant that revenuers were on their way, which could give moonshiners time to prepare for a raid.

The people of Buffalo City quickly became used to employing a high level of subterfuge. According to one story, the largest shipment of East Lake moonshine actually left the area on August 18, 1937, the night that President Franklin D. Roosevelt attended a showing of The Lost Colony on Roanoke Island to commemorate the 350th anniversary of Virginia Dare’s birth. While most of the available officers were busy with presidential security concerns, Buffalo City bootleggers had planned ahead in order to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Prohibition’s federal repeal and the development of airplane surveillance eventually contributed to the decline of moonshine production in the area — but the legacy of Buffalo City’s bootleg past continues to live on. The East Lake Holiness Church was

built on moonshine kegs in the 1930s (which the preacher often said was the best way to get the devil under your feet), while the old Dare County administrative building located on Manteo’s Budleigh Street was reportedly funded with moonshine money. East Lake moonshine is even mentioned as being “the best there is” in the 2012 movie Lawless, which was adapted from Matt Bondurant’s acclaimed historical novel about Prohibition, The Wettest County in the World.

“Nobody around here makes moonshine anymore,” says Alvin Ambrose with a sly smile. “Well, not that we know of, of course.”

The End of the Road With few remaining job opportunities and the advent of World War II, families slowly began moving away from Buffalo City to areas such as East Lake, Manns Harbor, Elizabeth City, and Norfolk. Eventually there was no one left.

Today, Buffalo City is part of the 152,000acre Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.

If you follow U.S. Highway 64 over the Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge that spans the waterway between Roanoke Island and Manns Harbor, you only have to drive a few more miles before you’ll encounter a small left-hand turnoff for Buffalo City Road — the only real remaining marker for the old town of Buffalo City.

There are few other indicators of the town that time has forgotten, and the now dead-end Buffalo City Road is widely known as “a road to nowhere.” Yet if you venture into the overgrown mass of scrawny pines and gum swamp trees found there, some remnants of Buffalo City and its past inhabitants remain. While this isn’t a trek for the faint of heart as the ground easily gives way underneath your feet and thorny vines attempt to block your progress through the undergrowth, you’ll eventually encounter a number of loose rusting wires, half-buried rail beds, and partial brick structures that are hard to identify. Almost all the old wooden houses and buildings have completely crumbled and rotted away.

“The area’s still deteriorating,” says Cory Hemilright, Manns Harbor native and owner of Manteo’s Bluegrass Island store where he’s created a permanent exhibit that pays tribute to Buffalo City’s past. “At some point it will all be lost.”

In a conversation with Cory and former Buffalo City resident Myra Ambrose, whose family members were the final ones to live in the town, both remark on the fact that many other artifacts must remain out there at the bottom of Milltail Creek and in the swampland that appears to be swallowing the last physical traces of Buffalo City whole. “When you think you’ve heard it all, there are more memories, more pieces of history,” Cory says. It’s a telling statement that speaks volumes about just how much of Buffalo City’s story continues to remain untold — at least, that is, for now.

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13

Lifestyle

Mindful Movement

Kids Yoga on the Outer Banks

Photos by Julie Dreelin’s Beach Productions Story by Lindsey Beasley Dianna

During one of our rare snowstorms, I found myself giggling so hard in the downward dog position that my cheeks hurt and a warm tear of laughter rolled down my face and spilled right onto my mat. The element of fun and play essen-

children in this fast-paced world some new tools to cope with the stressors that come along with it.

With the mottos “Move to learn to grow” and “Every kid is groovy,” Greville says he chose the word groovy because the term is unable to be specifically defined. It’s neither good nor bad, and that is the essence of the space he intends to tial to Greville Henwood’s Groovy Kids Yoga teacher training create in a Groovy Kids class. “The mission of Groovy Kids program that I was a student in was clearly not reserved for Yoga is to empower, guide, encourage, support and love our children alone. kids evolving into responsible and self-aware adults by teachAny apprehension at trying my hand at something new ing them the art of yoga,” says Greville. was soon laid to rest and replaced with laughter, learning and Unlike many traditional classes, Groovy Kids veers away enough movement to keep any outside thoughts away. And from a competitive model or perspective. There are no since bringing Groovy Kids into my own home, I’ve corrections to poses, watched all three of my children take self-imno good or bad poses, posed yoga time outs, sometimes closing their or “right way” to be in a If a child isn’t participating eyes and assuming a resting pose in the middle pose. Instead, the emduring a portion of the of a sibling moment or a difficult assignment. phasis is on positivity, It’s a pretty amazing thing to watch them be class, the issue isn’t forced. empowerment and fun in able to tune out chaos, tune into themselves a space that is safe physThe child joins in eventually, and emerge with a sense of calm and clarity. In ically, emotionally and giving in to their curious talking with yoga teachers who have worked psychologically. Greville’s with children and witnessed positive transfornature and desire to imitate. classes offer fast-paced mations, their passion shines through in a conmovements and creative tagious fashion. ways to keep children’s A California resident, Henwood recently attention and get them led a teacher training at Duck’s Village Yoga in into the poses without using technical terms. He also Groovy Kids Yoga, a program he developed in 2004. He plans coaxes stillness in between the play. to lead a second training here in August.

There is no pressure inside a Groovy Kids class; he says, He has been leading teacher training programs glob- “Everything is okay within reason.” If a child isn’t participating ally since 2006, spanning four continents and teaching in during a portion of the class, the issue isn’t forced. The child schools, studios, and homes around the world. Many of joins in eventually, giving in to their curious nature and dethe participants in the training work with children in differ- sire to imitate. “The healing in a kid yoga class takes place not ent capacities, but all wanted to give our technology-laden when they express themselves with words, but when they 14

NORTH BEACH SUN SPRING 2016

use their whole being to express themselves,” he says.

Village Yoga co-owner Jess Moody explains why Greville felt like the perfect fit for kids yoga teacher training: “We chose him because he’s very unique, very experienced, deep-rooted in the international yoga community and he has experience with special populations. And ultimately we share similar values.”

Jess says those values include a non-dogmatic philosophy that is open and creative, where the only rule is to be yourself, learn who you are and how you want to exist in the world, doing it from a place of bravery and creativity. “He’s teaching kids yoga with the same founding root values and founding principles as we teach adult yoga,” says Jess.

Village Yoga, run by Jessica Moody and Katie Kennis, recently expanded their space and relocated to the Duck’s Waterfront shops. Their new location features two sideby-side studio spaces where they will offer children’s yoga classes concurrently with adult classes, and their grand reopening during the weekend of April 15 is the studio’s introduction of kids yoga to their community. The pair, both with advanced training certification, have been teaching children through private group classes, mainly a summer tourist crowd accustomed to having access to kids yoga in their own communities.

Not to be confined to just one community, Jess and Katie have been raising funds and making annual trips to teach yoga at Homes of Hope, a group of orphanages throughout India which house girls of all ages rescued from sex slavery, domestic violence and life threatening hunger and poverty. “It’s the ripple effect, and that to me is huge. We’re giving them tools that they can take anywhere. They might only come through a kids yoga class once, but they can take that to the parts of their lives that are difficult and terrifying for them,” says Jess.

a Modern Approach to an “Ultimately, they are the future. We might not have control over certain things in our life, but we can choose how to be seen as examples for children. When we practice ourselves, take those tools and pass them to next generation, that makes for a brighter future for people who respect themselves and others, recreating the way that the future is going to look like,” says Jess.

To the south, The Studio also offers yoga opportunities for children.

Located in Pirates’ Quay shopping center in Nags Head, Samantha Lock opened The Studio in January of 2015. Its children’s program is what she calls The Studio’s “heart center.”

Samantha is the founder and director of the nonprofit kids’ running organization Go Far, and previously the executive director for Dare County’s after-school programs. While thrilled to get hundreds of kids moving, she still noticed a profound need for more than just movement, observing children constantly plugged into their phones and technology. “We’re going to explode as a society. There’s no way we can survive with kids going at this fast pace,” she says. What Samantha offers children at The Studio is more than just teaching yoga, but mindfulness, respect and a foundation of treating one another with kindness.

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Left and above: Kids and adults stretch out during Groovy Kids Yoga training in Duck.

Working with guidance counselors and administrators, she brought yoga instructor Anne Howard to teach children at Manteo Elementary School. It has since been replaced with Zumba, but she is still hopeful that yoga may one day make its way back into the schools.

“I’ve been studying children and writing curriculum in the public school system for 20 years, and the first thing I noticed was a lack of mindfulness. I hoped that yoga would be an outlet for kids. There’s more to it than just being physically active; second has got to be teaching kids loving kindness, calming techniques and movement all in one package,” Samantha observes.

The Studio offers an after-school program called Karma Kids, Mommy and Me classes for those with infants and toddlers, kid classes and summer camp opportunities, as well as multiple events and classes open to the community in various public locations.

Yoga’s benefits on children are receiving attention in the mainstream media and becoming more well known among the public. Yoga has been shown to reduce stress, correct posture, improve immunity, enhance strength, balance, flexibility and promote self-confidence.

With locations on both the southern and northern Outer Banks that offer children’s programs, our local community is finally able to reap the many benefits. From this writer’s perspective, yoga does indeed appear to be changing the way our children see the world for the better.

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b.s. in parenting

of “Justify My Love” before I could make it stop. Live and learn, people, live and learn.

What I cannot and don’t care to understand is the appeal of watching videos of people playing as opposed to actually playing yourself. Watching people play Minecraft is perhaps the most perplexing of them all to me. The names Jen, Pat and Dan TDM are infamous in my house, loved by the children, loathed by me. If you’re not familiar and want to know what I’m talking about, torture yourself with 30 seconds of this, I dare you. Jen, a Minecraft gamer famous on YouTube, was the inspiration for my “No YouTube before my coffee in the morning or when I’m generally irritable or stressed or even just breathing” rule.

Generally speaking, I don’t hate. But Jen, I may have a little bit of hate in my heart for you. Your voice is like nails on a chalkboard, a hideous sound my children may actually never hear first-hand. Dan TDM? Just stop it already.

Hearing you prattle on, I can actually feel the lot of us getting dumber, British accent or not. For a time, my nephew spoke with a British accent in random spurts. This was particularly confusing to his South African mother and New Jerseyen father, until they realized it was courtesy of a mild obsession with Dan TDM. OK, I may have slipped into rant territory there for a minute, but I’m unplugging you, YouTube gamer people.

When the children protest, in my best imitation of Jen’s voice, I say, “Leave a message at the beep, kids.”

I Wanna Tech You Up

Lindsey Beasley Dianna is a fulltime mom to three who currently resides in Kitty Hawk. She’d like to be a writer when she grows up.

By Lindsey Beasley Dianna

It’s by Color Me Badd (kind of), and now it’s in your head.

You’re welcome! Singing old school pop songs with inappropriate lyrics out loud around your children deserves its own story.

This isn’t going to be a rant about how technology is killing society and manners and probably baby pandas, too, turning us into a modern day zombie apocalypse society with the rotting being only slightly less literal.

No, I’m not going to try and fight the tide. I’m old enough to get the magical innocence of the old school rotary-dialed days of my youth, but young enough to embrace the many wonders of iPods, iPhones, computers, apps and more apps, YouTube, Google, Netflix, Minecraft and all that jazz.

In fact, I’m so evolved that I got my oldest children their own Apple IDs so that they can text me when they’re away from home if need be, and also so they can do this without accessing my own texts to my friends about how they won’t go the beep to sleep or other not-suitable-for-children tidbits. We have our share of tech-free time for sure, but there’s no doubt we are inundated with technology that poses new questions and quagmires for us daily.

So how do I determine what our rules should be? Advice on how to manage technology for kids is available in spades. And while I try to keep up with information I should be aware of as a parent, I put more stock in my ability to hawk-eye their habits and smell trouble a mile away than I do in the myriad of 16

NORTH BEACH SUN SPRING 2016

“helpful” information floating around.

I fear that my Internet safety chats are akin to a techier version of the only sex chat I recall from my mother: “Lindsey, you know about...dis-EAS-es…”

While I specifically recall her voice trailing off at the end and not another blessed word uttered by either party after that, it’s entirely possible there was more that I’ve blocked from memory.

My version of Internet safety with my kids went a little something like this: “So, you guys know that you never EVER give out any personal information to anyone on the computer—like ever. Right? Because some people are tricky out there, and not everyone is good, and there’s a really good chance that the kid who says he’s your age popping up on the chat feature of that Minecraft server is actually a scary, toothless 75-year-old man still living with his mother in Texas.”

With wide eyes they proceeded to ask me 99 follow up questions that I fumbled through, and, oh yes, this most definitely came back to me through one of my children’s in-school writing assignments. I can only imagine what in the world the teacher thinks is happening over here, but that’s nothing new for me.

Fast forward a few years later to where both children are doing school assignments on laptops, and we’ve graduated to the challenges of Google and YouTube. There was that time the kids were watching an early release trailer for the new Star Wars, but it turned out to be a gag featuring a naked woman.

Or the time I found “How to terrorize your sister” in the Google search history. Or when I tried to pull up a clip of Madonna for the kids and we all got an eyeful

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17

amanda’s kitchen

Kill Devil Rum Cake

How Betty Crocker Got Drunk The High/Low Theory

By Amanda McDanel

Cake

Cake Prep

1 cup chopped pecans

Sprinkle nuts over bottom of greased Bundt pan. In a mixer combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil and rum. Mix on high for 2 minutes. Pour batter over nuts.

(optional)

I love champagne. I love non-champagne

French fries! While our food budget has expanded champagne (because to truly be called champagne greatly since then and allows us to enjoy restaurant the wine must be from the Champagne region of meals cooked by people who wear aprons versus France, and everything else is really sparkling wine. visors, there is something to be said for those old Tomato, tamahto.) This sophisticated bubbly drink classics. You may call it nostalgia or comfort, but reminds me of that scene in Pretty Woman when the appreciation of those “dive” or “low” joints Julia Roberts is in the red dress and Richard Gere can truly be heightened when paired with consteps in with champagne and trasting “fancy” or “high” experiencstrawberries and whisks me, I es. Champagne and fried chicken, for mean, her away to a polo game… You may call it instance. Or kicking off New Year’s Ah, I digress. While it’s true nostalgia or comfort, Eve at a canned beer joint (Hi, Daryl!) that champagne is indeed deliand finishing it off with pork belly and cious with strawberries, do you but the appreciation duck confit prepared by Chef Sprinkle know what is mind-blowingly of those “dive” or at The Saltbox.

GREAT with champagne? Think “low” joints can In keeping with the High/Low pre-makeover Julia sitting on the truly be heightened theme, I took an old favorite recipe— street corner munching some one that calls for both boxed cake mix original recipe Kentucky Fried when paired with AND pudding mix (Prepackaged, proChicken when Richard Gere pulls contrasting “fancy” cessed ingredients? Sacra bleu!)— up in the limo, rolls down the or “high” experiences. and jazzed it up. I looked to the local window, and offers her a glass of fellas at Outer Banks Distilling to highbubbles. Champagne plus fried brow this downhome recipe. Not only chicken equals a match made in heaven. are they brewing delicious rum in small batches, Don’t believe me? You must try it for yourself. they are pumping out some specialty rums using You MUST. It’s that dichotomy of what I like to call local—as in grown on the property local—ingrethe “High/Low”. dients. While the original recipe for this cake simI was in graduate school when my husband and ply calls for dark rum, I urge you to pick up a bottle I started dating. I ate beans and rice six days a week of Kill Devil Rum with Pecans and Honey to expebecause even then I was not a ramen fan. On the rience the ultimate High/Low recipe. Not only will rare occasions we went out on a date, I was thrilled you be keeping it local and supporting the commuto be eating something that wasn’t beans and rice, nity, you’ll be crafting the perfect ending to your like pizza that hadn’t been frozen. Or a burger. With champagne and fried chicken dinner.

Free Your Toes! ®

1 box yellow cake mix 1 (3.75oz) box vanilla instant

4 eggs

Glaze

Cool cake in the pan and then invert onto serving plate. Prick top of cake with evenly spaced holes. Pour slightly cooled glaze over the top of the cake, using a pastry brush to glaze up the sides and over the top until absorbed.

1/2 cup butter

Glaze Prep

1/4 cup water

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in the water and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Stir in the rum. Let cool slightly before glazing the cake.

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outdoors

Off the

Beaten Track

Left: Canis Rufus, the red wolf. Above: the Sandy Ridge cabin where D.J. Sharp lived. Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

By Michelle Wagner

Finding Peace after a Year of Living with Wolves

For D.J. Sharp, the lure of the wilderness and the thought of howling red wolves were enough to drown out the voice inside his head – the one trying to convince him that it was a crazy idea to disappear into the woods for a year to care for one of the most endangered canids on earth.

Yes, it was a bit risky for him to walk away from the life he was accustomed to in Kill Devil Hills – his job, his home and any sense of security. Perhaps it was even a bit frivolous to turn his back on society in pursuit of the adventure that lay before him.

But the opportunity just seemed to appear for Sharp during the summer of 2009, courtesy of his aunt who was a rather obsessed red wolf or Canis Rufus enthusiast. And when the opportunity arose, Sharp didn’t hesitate.

In retrospect, not only does he not have any regrets but the 17 months spent alone on Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge opened the door on a whole new career and outlook on life. It also resulted in him authoring a book called The Refuge.

A Life Changes Course The story of how Sharp went from drywall contractor to caretaker of red wolves begins with a visit in 2009 from his Aunt Sidney, whom Sharp affectionately describes in his book as an energetic and free-spirited eccentric.

While on the Outer Banks, Aunt Sidney attended a red wolf educator’s seminar presented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and came back with some exciting news. A caretaker was needed, someone willing to live in a primitive cabin with no electricity or plumbing and assist field biologists as well as care for red wolves in a nearby holding facility. In exchange, they would have access to a four-wheel drive truck, cell phone and receive $100 for food per week.

Right away, Sharp’s interest was piqued. He made the phone call, left a message with the appropriate contact but then promptly put it out of his mind. That is until the phone rang a few days later. It wasn’t long before he was touring the Sandy Ridge facility and cabin tucked in the heart of the refuge and making arrangements to move in.

The next 17 months would mark a turning point in his life, leading him long after he left the refuge to a simpler, barebones existence that includes half of his time in the Florida Everglades as a tour guide. The other half is back at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, where he shares his love of its wild places with visitors as a kayak guide.

“My time spent in the cabin helped me to value the life I have while it is here,” Sharp says in reflection. “Being in that pristine wilderness area for that period of time taught me how to live in the moment. The worst day I had out there was a great day. And it’s been like that ever since. My whole lifestyle has changed.”

As for the wolves? Their howling is what he speaks of first.

Nobody really knows why the red wolves howl, says Sharp, but he grew accustomed to listening to them in the early morning or evening hours. “To sit back in the woods alone and hear them howl is life transforming. It’s a very haunting and unusual sound that fills the forest and seems to become part of the forest itself,” says Sharp. For the next 17 months, he too would become part of the forest.

At Home in the Woods Once moved in at Sandy Ridge, Sharp settled into a routine rather quickly during the first few months. Those routines, he wrote, would become a way of life for the next year or so.

“Enjoying the novelty of ‘working’ deep in the woods, I am a world away from the sound of traffic, commerce and human voices raised in urgent pursuit of progress,” he wrote in The Refuge, an account of his time at Sandy Ridge and published by Old Mountain Press in 2013.

“The gentle rustle of leaves, an occasional dead branch falling through the trees, drumming woodpeckers, the melody of songbirds, and my own footsteps combined to accentuate the reality of a world seemingly light years from the civilization of mankind.”

Aside from caring for the captive red wolves, Sharp says his daily interactions with wildlife, from black bears and the American Alligator to the bald eagle, toads, birds and snakes, were the most remarkable. And he did much of this from a kayak.

“There was nothing usual about the whole experience,” Sharp says three years later.

“To sit back in woods alone and hear them howl is life transforming.”

Living in the primitive cabin a stone’s throw from Sawyer Lake taught Sharp how little he actually needs in the way of material items and entertainment to be truly happy. The cabin, which hasn’t been inhabited since Sharp was there, is without electricity, running water, phone, or Internet access.

Equipped with a small refrigerator and a generator, Sharp relied on bottled water and rainwater he collected. In his down time, Sharp would whittle away the hours playing his guitar, writing in his journal or reading. “I read all kinds of books while I was there, mostly about nature. My favorite was A Sand County Almanac.

Continued > NORTHBEACHSUN.COM

19

“I never got lonely,” he recalls. “I did so much kayaking and practiced on the guitar.” Sharp also filmed a documentary for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service while on the refuge and practiced amateur still and video photography. Also in his free time, he volunteered as a diver at the Aquarium and held a program called “Scenes from Alligator River.”

Sharp says his favorite season on the refuge was late spring, when the bears were most active and the leaves began to bloom. “That’s when you see a lot of alligators and other reptiles. The summer birds arrive then as well.”

In his book, he paints a picture of a typical day turning into night. “When daylight faded into dusk, the lush sounds of summer gone, I could usually be found bundled up in my ragged red coat, sitting in my chair by the pond. The wolves often howl at this time of day, making me aware that I, myself, have taken refuge here in this place.”

He continued, “I am alone with the trees to reflect while the final rays of sun fade from the top of the tallest pines; but this refuge was not meant for me.”

captivity and lacking survival skills. Some were awaiting transport to a zoo, which Sharp also helped facilitate.

“Red wolves are very shy animals,” Sharp says. “They were smart enough to realize who I was, but only one seemed to respond to me in a completely different manner. That one was more playful, but he was the exception.”

Red wolves are typically afraid of people and Sharp recalls they’d often go limp when biologists would capture them. “It is actually one of the things that helps them to survive. They are not something to fear aside from the fact that they are wild animals and unpredictable. They don’t want anything to do with us.”

Smaller than grey wolves but double the size of coyotes, red wolves are difficult to domesticate even when raised by people from birth. They feed primarily on hoof animals but their diet also includes raccoon, nutria and even insects.

Coyotes are the red wolves biggest threat. “They could breed them out of extinction,” Sharp says.

While at Sandy Ridge, Sharp became intimately involved

Caring for the Canis Rufus The Red Wolf Recovery Program has a long history in eastern North Carolina and the presence of these endangered wolves in this corner of the country has made Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge internationally known. After being designated as an endangered species in 1967, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service quickly jumped in and initiated efforts to conserve the wolves.

Red wolves were first reintroduced into the region under the program in 1987.

As of today, more than 50 red wolves call their native habitat of eastern North Carolina home and almost 200 are maintained in captive breeding facilities across the country.

At any given time, the pen at Sandy Ridge could have anywhere from seven to 16 wolves, all there for different reasons – whether captured temporarily, sick, injured or born in

with the wolves he cared for, learning much about their complexity and behavior. His daily chores included cleaning their pens, feeding the wolves and administering medicine according to biologists’ orders. He would also record observations.

“Every time I asked a question, it brought answers that further demonstrated the complexities involved in saving the wolves,” Sharp said, referring to the political, management and biological issues that faced the recovery program.

“Reading between the lines, I realized that if not for the passionate individuals who dedicate themselves to the cause, it would be impossible (to save the species),” he wrote in The Refuge.

Sharp says the recovery program has come under fire lately. “There are those who love the wolves and those who are peculiarly opposed to it. And there is a lot of propaganda on the Internet that is anti-wolf.”

But thankfully, he adds, “The federal government mandates we save these animals. And the biologists out there are the rock stars of this story. They are very dedicated to what they do and it would never work without them. They are the ones who crawl through the cottonmouths and ticks to find the dens out there and keep this thing going.”

Moving Beyond Sandy Ridge Of leaving Sandy Ridge cabin and Alligator River Wildlife Refuge, Sharp says he definitely misses it and particularly did when he first left. “I would have just as soon lived out there for the rest of my life.”

But although he did leave the cabin, the lessons he learned during those 17 months stayed with him and Sharp has crafted his life around two wilderness areas and sharing some of the peace he finds in them with others.

“I would have just as soon lived out there for the rest of my life.”

Below: D.J. Sharp, author of The Refuge. Right: Red Wolf pups snuggled together for a rest. (Photos courtesy of D.J. Sharp.)

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NORTH BEACH SUN SPRING 2016

“If I can do that, I know I’ve given a good tour,” says Sharp of his work.

Several years later, Sharp would reflect on his time at Sandy Ridge in his book’s epilogue about his frequent walks to the top of Wright Brothers National Memorial.

“Eyes cast east, I am unable to fathom the seemingly eternal nature of the ocean, its shore dotted with colorful beach boxes…..And of course, I look to the west over the waters of the sound and recall the howling wolves, whose eternal moment I have come to share, and in which I find and take… refuge.”

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21

outdoors

The battles of World War II were much closer to home than Europe or the Pacific.

Beginning in January 1942, coastal North Carolina was the front line of one of the most deadly clashes of the conflict.

Desperate Times and Desperate Measures The Little Known Story of Why the U.S. Navy Mined the Outer Banks

By Kip Tabb

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NORTH BEACH SUN SPRING 2016

Almost 80 allied ships went to a watery grave that year between Corolla and Cape Lookout, sent to the bottom by packs of German U-Boats that roamed at will off the shores of the Outer Banks. The carnage was created by a perfect storm of circumstance.

U.S. High Command did not believe German U-boats had the range to reach the coast of North America, and even the most basic defensive measures were not taken. Coastal blackouts were not ordered until the second half of 1942, leaving ships sailing along the coast silhouetted against the shoreline. Although German surface ships were bottled up in port, concerned about German heavy cruisers and battleships, the decision was made to keep the Atlantic battle fleet in port at Hampton Roads. What little protection there was consisted of aging aircraft flown by untrained personnel from understaffed and widely scattered stations.

Perhaps most damaging though was the geography of Cape Hatteras and Diamond Shoals. Protruding into the Atlantic, these two regions created a shipping bottleneck as convoys headed south to begin their trek across the ocean to supply the beleaguered nation of Great Britain.

The Deadly Battle of the Atlantic ECU Maritime History candidate Mitch Freitas is just beginning to look at what happened in those early days of WWII. “Nobody talks about the Battle of the Atlantic,” he said. “It’s an incredible piece of history and nobody knows about it.”

The situation was grave. In March of 1942, an average of one ship a day was sunk off the coast of North Carolina. If England could not be supplied, it could not survive.

The U.S. Atlantic Command was desperate— Fleet Admiral Ernest King was trying everything. “At the beginning of the war, there was no uniformity to what we did,” Freitas said. “We threw everything but the kitchen sink at them (the U-boats).”

“Protecting” the Coast with 2,650 Mines In what he hoped would create a safe haven for allied ships as they passed the East Coast, Admiral King ordered the laying of several minefields along the Eastern Seaboard. One of those minefields arched from the point at Cape Hatteras to the south end of Ocracoke Island.

“Over 2,650 Mark VI contact mines were placed in an overlapping half-moon arrangement around Cape Hatteras with the intention of creating a ‘safe’ harbor,” Freitas wrote in a paper outlining his research. The Mark VI mine was a round mine with contact points that if touched by a ship would detonate the 300 pounds of TNT inside the chamber.

There is no evidence that any German submarine ever came in contact with a mine, or that it prevented any attack. Three allied ships, however, did wander into the minefield and were lost. The F.W. Abrams, Chilore and Keshena sunk during a one-month period between mid-June and mid-July of 1942.

By the second half of 1942, the U.S. Navy was finally figuring it out.

“Convoys were discovered and employed in WWI and were promptly forgotten about,” said Dr. Nathan Richards, head of the Maritime Heritage Program at the Coastal Studies Institute and Freitas’ adviser on the project. “When they instituted convoys, the Germans were much less successful.”

Other strategies were also beginning to have an effect on the success of the U-boats. The British, realizing that the Americans needed help in patrolling their coastline, loaned the Navy 23 trawlers with experienced crews. The converted fishing boats were used for anti-submarine patrols. The HMT Bedfordshire that was sunk on May 2, 1942 was among that fleet.

The Bedfordshire went to the bottom with no survivors. Four of the bodies from the shipwreck eventually washed ashore on Ocracoke Island and were buried in the village. The small cemetery where the bodies lay has been leased in perpetuity to the British government.

Air patrols were becoming more effective and the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard were actively seeking out and engaging the U-boats.

The USCG Cutter Icarus sank U-352 in late May of 1942.

Was Mining the Coast a Good Idea?

With American ingenuity, industrial might and manpower roaring into the conflict arena, historians who have studied the U.S. mining of the East Coast have questioned its effectiveness. Freitas is remaining neutral until he has access to more information.

“The dominant narrative of the minefield is that it was a failure,” he wrote.

Freitas’ work is meant to determine if the Hatteras Mine Field was truly a failure.

“I am not necessarily seeking to prove that things would have been better or worse, but that the current accepted narrative that the minefield was a failure does not take all of the information into account,” he said. “What I am attempting to do is compile that information and see if the narrative should remain how it is or be updated.”

He notes, as an example, that U-boat captains appear not to have known about the minefields, but that has not been confirmed.

The captains’ logs have not been fully examined. “One of the next steps in my thesis research is combing through the thankfully translated U-boat ship logs,” he said.

There is also work to be done to determine if the crews of allied ships understood the safe haven area along Hatteras Island. By the very nature of what a minefield is supposed to do, its location must be a secret.

“The United States Navy could ill afford to announce . . . the location or even the existence of the minefield, lest the element of surprise be destroyed. The divulgence of the location of the Cape Hatteras Minefield would . . . serve to open a major opportunity for the German U-boats to find a route inside the areas of safe anchorage,” Freitas observed in his written proposal.

The Hatteras Minefield was designed as a defensive measure, unlike the German attempts to mine the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay to disrupt allied shipping. “A possible comparison highlighting the . . . nature of the Cape Hatteras Minefields may be made in contrast to the offensive mining by the German U-boats in the Chesapeake Bay,” Freitas noted. The mining of the Chesapeake Bay by the Germans was successful in damaging and sinking a number of ships.

Are Mines Still Floating Off the Coast?

There is also the question about what has happened to the mines. The record shows that three of them were detonated— with catastrophic results to the ships that came in contact with them.

Naval records indicate almost 1,200 mines were retrieved, leaving more than 1,300 mines unaccounted for and those missing mines do show up from time to time.

“Mines are still washing up on shores up and down the coast from various different eras,” Freitas said.

“It was not uncommon for the mooring anchors of mines to snap in rough seas and be swept up by currents,” he explained.

“Also, the Mark VI mine was outfitted with a plug that was designed to rust out over an extended period of time, rendering the explosive safe. This did not always work.”

Filled with 300 pounds of TNT, the mines can still be lethal.

“They should not be approached,” he cautioned.

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NOAA’s official navigation chart illustrates the “Danger Area” where the Mark VI contact mines were placed (purple circle).

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NORTHBEACHSUN.COM

23

board banter

Coffee, Shaping and Motherhood

Morning View’s Ashley Linnekin balances it all

By Jesse Fernandez

Erik, Ashley, and baby Watkins Linnekin. Photo by Jesse Fernandez.

There are a few things you might expect from experienced coffee roaster and business owner and partner of Morning View Coffee House Ashley Linnekin.

First is that she has a passion for good coffee and helping her customers get a nice caffeine jumpstart to their days.

Second is that with the slogan “Coffee so fresh you’ll want to slap it,” she has a whimsical sense of humor.

What you might not expect from this young professional woman is that she also has a passion for shaping surfboards.

In the time-honored tradition of crafting surfboards, women in the industry have been the exception rather than the norm. Good thing no one told Ashley. From her humble beginnings boogie boarding in the shore break as a kid on summer vacation, to weekend Outer Banks surf trips during a stint at culinary school in Virginia Beach, this Richmond native always had the idea in the back of her mind to one day build her own board.

That day came in 2007 after buying an epoxy blank from Tim Nolte and shaping it on some sawhorses in her backyard.

Despite having limited tools and knowledge of the process, the board worked and she had achieved the goal of riding a board designed and built for herself. That fish design led to two more “sawhorse” boards and eventually prompted her to move her work into a small storage unit/factory with her good 24

NORTH BEACH SUN SPRING 2016

friend Ed Tupper. She says that the time spent at the shop between 2008 and 2009 was “a great learning period,” but the finishing process of fin installation, glassing and sanding was dirty and time consuming and better left to the pros. This led to her current relationship with the folks at Gale Force Glass, who have been doing her glass work ever since.

About the time she closed the storage unit and got her toe in the door at Gale Force Glass, Ashley had the opportunity to partner in the coffee shop, which to her was an easy decision.

Having years of experience working in a coffee shop roasting and a desire to implement her ideas of sustainability and blending, she rose to the challenge of going from employee to owner.

This success led to the normal progression of finding someone to share it with. In her case, it was a boy who surfed named Erik. Normally, a woman will do what women do when they want to attract a man. Be a flower to his bee, but in her mind she reasoned, “The best way to get to a surfer’s heart is through his surfboard quiver.” So she built him a brand new board. It worked. The two have been married since 2013 and Ashley says the board is still one of his favorites.

As a new mother to one-year-old Watkins, Ashley is navigating the challenge of work time versus family time. Thanks to Erik, she says it “works.” I got to witness this firsthand a few weeks ago at a local surf spot in Kitty Hawk. The couple took turns babysitting young Watkins on the beach and shredding the overhead offshore peaks out in the line-up.

Says Ashley, “Motherhood changed a lot of things. Since the birth of Watkins, I don’t freak out so much if I know the surf is up and I can’t get to it because I’m with him. I’m sure there will be time down the road to get everything done.”

As far as the future of “Crashley” surfboards (a nickname she acquired from her skateboard days), she says she doesn’t ever see herself doing it to make a living. It’s more of a passion and an outlet for creative energy along the lines of playing music or surfing. The truth is she has given away about half of the boards she’s built just for the feedback or to help people who might not be able to afford one. She says that even when she sells them, it’s mostly to just cover the cost of her time and the glass job, and maybe enough for the next blank.

From this writer’s point of view, anyone who can keep a busy lifestyle going as smoothly as Ashley should have no problems smoothing the bumps out of a 5’6” twinny. If you’re curious, pick up a cup of java at Morning View down in Nags Head and look for one of her Crashley boards, which are usually hanging up inside. If you’re lucky, you might run into Ashley and get a good surf story along with your cup of joe.

Jesse Fernandez is a surfboard shaper for WRV and six-time East Coast Surfing Champion.

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25

Arts & Entertainment

Photos by K. Wilkins Photography Story by Lindsey Beasley Dianna

A Night of Cocktails and Creativity

Staring at a blank canvas, I started laughing— first just a little and then a lot as I made eye contact with the other class participants. The lot of us paused and, hesitating with pencils in the air, wondered where in the world to begin creating our oil-on-canvas masterpieces. But when the wine (or a beverage of your choice) flows, so does the creativity and fun. Even the idea of a different kind of night free from other responsibilities was mildly intoxicating and allowed us to unwind and learn something about ourselves in the process.

Our ladies’ night out, appropriately called Ink and Drink, was hosted at Hang 12 Art Gallery, owned by Brad Price and located in the Seagate North shopping center in Kill Devil Hills. I was joined by my friends Cathy Baldwin, Kati Wilkins and Janell Downing for the wine and paint event. The chosen medium of the evening was oil paint, and our mission was to paint a pier and sunrise on canvas.

As we arrived, we took a look around the studio and grabbed an apron while Brad opened our bottle of champagne and put on some music. (At Hang 12 you are welcome bring your own food and drink, so we did!) I think the combination of the sound of the cork popping and the music was enough to get everyone a little more loose, excited and comfortable with delving into somewhat unknown territory. Working with oil paints can be intimidating to some, but any of it would have been new to me after let’s say 30 years, give or take.

After Brad showed us his finished product of a stunning pier in the ocean at sunrise, our mouths hung open waiting for a clue as to how we’d get there. He first demonstrated a pencil sketch, but it

Here are some of the artists offering classes at restaurants or studios on the Outer Banks. You can sign up as an individual, or reserve your space as a group for an event or just a fun night out!

Brad Price of Hang 12 Art Gallery Rooster’s Southern Kitchen, Waveriders Coffee & Deli Meghan Sadler of Local Color OBX Outer Banks Brewing Station, Cafe Lachine, OBX Trio, Agave Roja Mari Larose Basnight’s Lone Cedar Café, Dare County Arts Council Candace Owens of Canvas and Cork Sanctuary Vineyards

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NORTH BEACH SUN SPRING 2016

Emily Holmes of OBX Inks Chip’s Wine & Beer Market, Sea Ranch Gretchen Dibler of OBX Focal Point Artwork OBX DIY Donna Hollowell Deja New Jason Letourneau Focus252 Sandy Tipton Sandy’s Art Studio, Coinjock Marina Bonnie Covey Sandbar Dreams

seemed like an eternity before any of us were ready to mark up the blank white canvas with the first stroke.

Brad encouraged us to make things messier than usual and to go ahead and make mistakes. “The brush fixes everything,” Brad encouraged us, stressing that we could make it as simple or as complicated as we wanted it to be. He tried to instill a sense of confidence, emphasizing that the many layers of the process would allow us to alter things we wanted to change in future steps.

I observed many different habits and tendencies among us—all women with different personalities, backgrounds and approaches to life. I noticed that creating art in a social setting is much different than solitary work or more formally led classes because of the lighthearted and carefree approach.

The encompassing mood seemed to be mutually supportive with a hint of self-doubt. With frequent reminders to relax, Brad guided us step-by-step yet encouraged us to work at our own pace with whatever techniques we wished to try or that felt natural. The tendencies to overthink, judge oneself too harshly, and compare our works in progress with each other were common distractions we all experienced. When able to focus or let go of perfectionist tendencies, the process became more enjoyable and rewarding. The relaxed atmosphere, good company, music and addition of light snacks and cocktails to the mix seemed to be the perfect recipe for embracing our creative sides in a new way.

Bottom left: Cathy Baldwin, Janell Downing, Lindsey Beasley Dianna, Kati Wilkins, and Sharon Grogg show off their finished product after a night of Ink and Drink. Top right: Brad Price gives instruction to a class of budding artists.

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27

Arts & Entertainment

Monsters Bringing

to Life

The Papier-Mache Creations of Carol Willett

By Kip Tabb

Filled with whimsy and humor, Carol Willett’s art is a reflection of her off-kilter view of the world that is diametrically opposed to her life in government.

Beginning her professional career as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force and then moving to Central Intelligence Agency support operations, in the structured world in which she lived humor was not encouraged.

“For 35 years I had to brutally suppress my sense of humor,” she says. “It was inappropriate in my various careers.

I was very careful not to let it out because I invariably got in severe trouble whenever I did.”

The humor is apparent now—apparent in the cloth and papier-mache creations that fill local art galleries, the pages of her book Creatures of Imagination and the walls of her home.

There is the “Literary Snake,” wearing glasses and golden in color. Long and sinuous he rises above a book that he cradles in his coils. And her “Dragons Just Want to Have Fun” piece is complete with a big smile and lots of color.

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NORTH BEACH SUN SPRING 2016

Carol’s career in art began with dragons Pentagon to debrief the Joint and has since expanded beyond that. But right from Chiefs of Staff. “I didn’t want the beginning, her preferred medium has been papier and to do that,” she says. “You cloth-mache. “It’s a very forgiving media. It’s one that allows don’t get to do your own you to learn on your own,” she says. presentation. You’re just a Carol grew up on the West Coast, went to school at UC mouthpiece. That was not Santa Barbara for a couple of my aspiration.” years and then she says, “I suf“So I applied to the CIA… I think I fered temporary insanity be- “I understand why the creator set a new world record for processing cause I came back east. I went created so many things. out of the military. It took two days,” to Washington, D.C. to study she says. ” Russian and International The CIA entailed more travel. “Any Relations at American place the Air Force had not sent me, University.” She recalls how the CIA did.” And along the way she shocked she was of the differences in the cultures on the East noticed a common thread among almost all cultures.

Coast and West Coast.

“That’s when I first developed my fondness of dragons,” Air Force ROTC got her through college and when she she explains. “As I went from country to country, I was fascigraduated she joined the service as an intelligence officer. “I nated by the extent to which dragons are present in almost every world myth.” had a blast and I saw the world many times over,” she says.

Her tastes run toward the surrealistic—Hieronymus That came to an end when the Air Force wanted her at the

Creating is a blast.

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Bosch and Dr. Seuss. Although she had no formal training, she was inspired by Papier-Mache Monsters by Dan Reeder and decided to give art a try.

“The first one was named Dave and he was a monster,” she says. “Dave was in honor of all the monstrous monsters I’ve ever worked for. It was therapeutic.”

She followed that with a dragon for her son, Adam. Not far behind came six more dragons and then her first commission for the UPS store in Southern Shores. “Can you make us a UPS delivery elf?” they asked.

Working on her monsters has become a full-time job—although job is not the right word to describe what she does.

“I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t feel like a six-year-old on a sugar high Saturday morning with all day cartoons. This is so much fun,” Carol says.

And there seems to be no end to the possibilities. “I understand why the creator created so many things. Creating is a blast,” she says.

Her book, Creatures of Imagination which features her papier-mache monsters, is a natural outgrowth of her art and the joy that she finds in it.

“I don’t do production line. I only do one-of-a-kind of anything. And that makes me feel really good,” she notes. “But I would like to make more people happy. And I thought maybe if I put a book together that shares pictures of the critters, a lot more people can be happy for the same amount of effort.”

The book seems to have accomplished her goal; it is funny, the humor innocent yet wonderfully offbeat and the images of the sculptures will make readers smile every time they are seen.

It’s certainly a success for someone whose goal seems simple. “My purpose in life is to increase the net amount of joy in life,” she says.

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This town’s got heart

The two-day fundraiser included an OBX Storm Soccer tournament (photo courtesy of Dave Keller), and a dance party at the YMCA (photo courtesy of Jenna Gray).

Hearts of Dare

By Michelle Wagner

On an island where we often feel sheltered and safe, the loss of two local children this winter left the Outer Banks community with heavy hearts.

But as the Outer Banks grieved, it also responded in a way this community always does so well—it embraced those who needed it the most.

Brianna Blumenthal, 12, died on Thanksgiving Day from injuries she suffered on Nov. 23 when she was struck by an SUV while crossing Ocean Bay Boulevard on her bike at a crosswalk. Less than two months later on Jan. 13, Luke Sawyer and Hermillo Rosales Garcia were on their way to do what they loved—play soccer with friends on their OBX Storm team—when they were in a car accident in Currituck.

Sawyer died at the scene and Garcia suffered severe injuries.

From every corner of the Outer Banks and beyond came support for the families of the three children.

Donations to GoFundMe pages came pouring in, community events began popping up and groups such as the Bri Bri Foundation were forming.

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NORTH BEACH SUN SPRING 2016

The Hearts of Dare was no exception. The weekend-long fundraising event held in late February raised more than $20,000 and was one more way for community members to extend their hearts, a helping hand and a long hug to the families.

As a way to help his students and the community heal, Nags Head Elementary School physical education teacher and OBX Storm director of coaching Steve Smalley was moved to action, and Hearts of Dare was the result.

Blumenthal, a student at First Flight Middle School, attended Nags Head Elementary School and Sawyer was in third grade at the school. Garcia is also in third grade at NHES. The two-day event was sponsored by OBX Storm and in conjunction with NHES, the Ark Church and Outer Banks Family YMCA. “As their P.E. teacher, I get to see these kids a lot and I bond with them,” said Smalley, adding that as soon as he threw the idea out to OBX Storm and Nags Head Elementary School staff, Hearts of Dare took on a life of its own.

OBX Storm sponsored the event that kicked off on a Friday evening with two glow-in-the-dark dance parties at the YMCA where more than 200 elementary and middle school children attended. At the same time, the Ark Church held double roller-skating sessions that sold out with 150 children at each session.

“The whole purpose of the event was to raise money, but also for the community to be together,” Smalley explained.

“This event was as much a celebration of Luke and Brianna’s lives than anything. It allowed me to get closer to our soccer organization as well as the community, and everyone who came out I am sure felt the same way. It was a huge success.”

Both Blumenthal’s and Sawyer’s family attended the event. Jenna Gray, Blumenthal’s stepmom and a teacher at

Nags Head Elementary, played an integral role in organizing the event. She also spearheaded a bike safety poster contest among Dare County students. The posters, Gray said, will be made into signs and erected at various locations on the northern Outer Banks.

Gray said it was amazing to be part of such an incredible event and see so many residents rally behind the three families. “It’s been awe-inspiring and it’s so important to have the support during the healing process. I am just so proud to be part of this community.”

On Saturday, Smalley described a packed house inside and outside of Nags Head Elementary School. Breakfast and lunch was served and a bake sale and silent auction were also held. Smalley reported that local businesses donated nearly 200 items to the silent auction, including paintings, gift baskets, soccer lessons and a generator.

A raffle, face painting, a cake walk and photo booth were also part of the event.

The day included a memorial bike ride for Blumenthal and bike safety rodeo, along with a human foosball court built by OBX Storm players that Smalley said was a huge hit.

An OBX Storm soccer tournament and goal shooting competition were also held. Across the street at the YMCA, soccer pick-up games kept kids moving all day.

Smalley said the turnout for the events as well as the amount of volunteer help was remarkable. “The support was over the top. We never imagined we’d have so much help and I don’t think anyone expected it to be as big of a hit as it was.”

The money raised during the event will be donated to the Outer Banks Relief Foundation and earmarked for the families of the three children.

“We’ve had students here who have had a rough time with Luke’s passing,” Smalley said. “This gives them the opportunity to celebrate their lives.”

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community

There are plenty of places Outer Banks locals go to find out about the latest happenings, get advice, have a laugh or connect with like-minded people. It could be a coffee shop, happy hour at a favorite bar or a child’s sporting event.

In today’s tech world, specialized Facebook groups can’t be overlooked, and there are plenty of them that have an impressive following here on the Outer Banks. Before you start searching the walls of coffee shops for postings of what’s happening locally, connect with thousands of Outer Bankers who are sharing what they know with members of their favorite online groups.

Keeping Locals

Connected

By Michelle Wagner

GROUP

ADMIN

MEMBERS

PURPOSE

TYPICAL POST

OBX Locals

Dawn Church

Over 8,700

OBX Locals is a prime spot for locals to share ideas and happenings with an “emphasis on responsible development and preservation of the Outer Banks way of life.”

Information about news happening live like traffic accidents, fires, etc.; good places to meet people; housing sought or available; and general recommendations from locals.

OBX Musicians

Ellen Berg

Over 500

Local musicians can post upcoming events, jam sessions, photos and classes.

The latest happenings on the music and theatrical scene – a must for musicians and fans who don’t want to miss the show.

Outer Banks Vintage Scrapbook

Melody Leckie

Over 11,800

This group is all about the Outer Banks prior to 1995 and includes photo and video memories of the way the islands once were. Posts not concerning vintage Outer Banks will be removed.

Old photographs of cottages or landmarks that have been since razed as well as old family photos taken on the Outer Banks.

Oregon Inlet Idiots

Anonymous

Over 48,300

Oregon Inlet Idiots launched Memorial Day weekend 2011 after years of the administrators spending time at Oregon Inlet/Ramp 4 watching vehicles get stuck in the sand. “We started the page to educate others on the dos and don’ts of driving on the beach with a bit of humor thrown in,” said the administrators. The page has slowly morphed into an information page that focuses on beach access issues, local news, beautiful photos and more.

OBX Services and Opportunities

Larry and Cindy Chapman

Over 2,000

This group is for locals who want to market their small business and connect with consumers. Local events can also be posted as well as long-term housing that is for rent. Special sales and fun events are also welcome for posting on the group’s page.

Good Neighbors of the Outer Banks

Lindsey Beasley Dianna

Over 4,200

Good Neighbors of the Outer Banks began as a resource for people of the Outer Banks looking to assist their neighbors in posthurricane recovery and has grown to include a variety of helpingothers-in-need types of posts.

Neighbors helping neighbors – from recommendations of doctors, seamstresses or carpenters to notifications of early school dismissals, and upcoming fundraisers.

Outer Banks Yardsale

Jason Self

Over 5,000

Outer Banks Yardsale is a venue where members can list local items for sale.

Local items for sale that can range from fish tanks to puzzles, vehicles, toys and houses.

CLOSED

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PUBLIC

NORTH BEACH SUN SPRING 2016

Anything from the recent tracking of the infamous great white Mary Lee, videos of cool scenes on the beach or up-todate information on weather and beach closures.

Information or sales announcements by local small businesses.

A public or open Facebook group means that any Facebook user can find the group and join it. Even without joining, a user can see the posts of the group and list of members. A closed group is more private. Facebook users can still find the group’s listing in a Facebook search and see the list of members, but are unable to see posts in the group. A group admin must add you to the group in order to join.

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EVERYTHING ELSE UNDER THE

Sun

OBX Insta Love!

@maryschmader

@piaford42

@rrhotography

Mary Schmader is a surfer, sun lover and artist. This lovely girl posts artsy photos of her sweet beach life that will make you want to live it.

Pia Bell Ford is a real estate appraiser and mom in Kill Devil Hills that takes great sunset shots from her home in Colington Harbor and all around the OBX.

Ryan Rhodes’ feed is full of nature, fishing and some serious wave riding pics, including views from inside the barrel!

@hwy12commute

@island_life_252 You’ve been here, so you know the Outer Banks is a gorgeous place. We have bright sun, smooth sand, a deep blue ocean and in the summer plenty of tanned bods. Capturing the glory of the OBX on film has a long, wonderful history, but the trend these days is to put your favorite shot on Instagram. We’ve put together a short list of creative local Instagrammers to follow so you can keep up with the sun and fun all year round.

Zack Johnson lives in Kill Devil Hills and works on Hatteras Island. His daily drive on N.C. 12 has to be one of the most beautiful commutes in the country; thankfully he started taking pictures along the way.

By Dawn Church

Mikey Sabadic is a proud father, local fisherman and photographer who gets some of the best mug shots of fish I’ve ever seen.

@laine_edwards

@trixiesfineries

@boogiedaddy123

Laine Edwards is a local artist who takes breathtaking shots of her life on the beach and her little girl, Liv. She’s not afraid of shooting black and white, either.

Karen Rhodes is a sportfishing artist who also posts gorgeous photos of her beach glass finds. I love checking in to see what sweet treasures she’s discovered.

Evan Foster maintains a feed full of colorful and creative pics of the local surfing and skating scenes.

Hidden Outer Banks is the lovechild of longtime local Dawn Church. She reminds locals and visitors alike to explore the rich history and local color that exists beyond the bright lights of the Bypass. Find HOBX at hiddenouterbanks.com and facebook.com/hiddenouterbanks.

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