North Beach Sun Real Estate Fall 2021

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2 | FA L L 2021

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N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 7

23

18 R E A L E S TAT E

FA L L 2 0 2 1 10 FROM THE DESK 13 BUT FIRST...

14 TOWN REPORT 16 BUSINESS BRIEFS 18 HOME SPOTLIGHT The sweet life in Kill Devil Hills 20 WELCOME TO THE BOOMTOWN Industry pros weigh in on the current building boom 23 TIME AFTER TIME Beach scenes from then and now 30 FOUR IF BY SEA Welcome y’all 32 SUN SALUTATIONS 34 FIVE FACTS Historic Corolla Village

34

ABOUT THE COVER: In 1963, legendary photographer Aycock Brown captured the scene of a surfing contest near Kitty Hawk Pier (photo courtesy of the Outer Banks History Center). This summer, photographer Elizabeth Neal shot the same location and vantage point. Comparing these two images proves the adage that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

ABOVE: Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Neal (left), Rachel Moser (top right) and Dave Rollins (lower right).

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N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 9

F R O M T H E DE S K

staff PUBLISHERS Adam & Cathy Baldwin EDITOR Amelia Boldaji Concrete gate posts still mark the former entrance to the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Photo by Ryan Moser.

ART DIRECTOR Dave Rollins GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Adam Baldwin Dylan Bush

The threads that bind past, present and future AFTER MORE THAN A YEAR OF HAVING TO MAKE INCALCULABLE ADJUSTMENTS

it can start to feel as though we’ve grown weary of talking about change. And that’s fair – going through a tremendous number of shifts in our day-to-day lives over a relatively short period can do that to the best of us.

But we’ve always spent a lot of time and energy talking about change here on the Outer Banks.

It’s the nature of our environment, after all, as one of our colleagues recently pointed out – in contrast to many other beautifully scenic areas, the sands here are always shifting, and over the course of any given season even the shape of our coastline can vary dramatically.

And there are other examples, too. Our year-round population has a tendency to increase regularly, a number of businesses invariably change ownership or location at some point, and even long-beloved landmarks can wind up making way for new developments over time.

Some of these changes can be harder than others to reconcile, and it’s important to remember that nostalgia can be an incredibly powerful emotion – sometimes to a fault.

While we were working on this issue, we spent a good amount of time researching old photographs of the Outer Banks – some from close to a century ago, and others as recent as the past few decades. Aside from marveling over the differences we recognized in each frame, we were also struck by just how familiar the images were.

Nearly every photograph we went through – no matter how old – featured at least one orienting object. A building that had been repurposed, a vista that had maintained its draw in a slightly new fashion, or a landmark that had prospered by evolving in an unexpected way. In the end, we realized that those images weren’t just historical ephemera, but rather lifelines to our past – proof of the threads that bind us both to the places we’ve been, and the circumstances we have yet to encounter.

Because the truth is that being too fixated on tallying changes only narrows our world, making it that much harder to appreciate the moment as it is now – a present that has just as many conceivable upsides as down, complete with all of its beautiful imperfections, and its virtually endless capacity for future joy.

As always, we hope you enjoy this issue as we celebrate the coming season – and all the others still on the horizon!

WORLDWIDE,

WRITERS Cathy Baldwin Amelia Boldaji Lexi Holian Catherine Kozak Hannah Lee Leidy Amanda McDanel PHOTOGRAPHERS Lori Douglas Cory Godwin Rachel Moser Ryan Moser Elizabeth Neal Outer Banks History Center SALES MANAGER Helen Furr ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Faith Turek

The North Beach Sun is published quarterly by Access Media Group. All works contained herein are the property of the North Beach Sun. The views expressed in the articles contained herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, editor or Access Media Group. The published material, advertisements, editorials and all other content is published in good faith. Access Media Group and North Beach Sun cannot guarantee and accepts no liability for any loss or damage of any kind caused by errors, omissions or the accuracy of claims made by advertisers.

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10 | FA L L 2021

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In 1983, Russell Langford reeled in this N.C. state record, 768-pound mako shark aboard the Carolinian with Captain Tony Tillett. (Photo courtesy of Russell Langford/ Jennette’s Pier.)

but first...

BY ANY MEASURE THERE ARE PLENTY OF FISH IN THE SEA – but how do they all measure up?

In order to keep marine populations healthy, size limits are often imposed for recreational catches, and calculating the length of a fish isn’t as straightforward as you might think. Some fish are regulated by their total length (including species such as snappers, groupers, flounder and red drum), some by their fork length (including cobia, mullet, bluefish and Spanish mackerel), while others are measured by their curved fork length or lower jaw fork length (think billfishes such as sailfish or marlins).

TOTAL LENGTH

Measured from the tip of a fish’s closed mouth to the farthest point of its compressed tail

FORK LENGTH Measured from the tip of a fish’s closed snout to the centermost point of its forked tail

CURVED FORK LENGTH

Measured by tracing a contoured line from the tip of a fish’s upper jaw to the middle of its forked tail

LOWER JAW FORK LENGTH Measured in a straight line from the tip of the fish’s lower jaw to the middle of its forked tail

MARLIN MADNESS OF THE 73 NORTH CAROLINA STATE SALTWATER RECORD

catches currently recognized by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, 28 of them were landed on the Outer Banks between the shores of Nags Head and the waters off Ocracoke Island. And while three of those local catches also hold World All Tackle Records, the most headline-grabbing catches invariably involve Atlantic blue marlins – one of the ocean’s most sought-after gamefishes for their sheer size, strength and agility.

The current N.C State Saltwater Record holder is a 1,228 lb. 8 oz. blue marlin caught off of Oregon Inlet in 2008.

For 34 years prior, the state (and then-world) record-holding blue marlin was caught in 1974 off of Oregon Inlet, which tipped the scales at 1,142 lbs. and was nearly 14-feet long.

The current world-record-holding Atlantic blue marlin weighed a whopping 1,402 lbs. and was caught off the coast of Brazil – though there are rumors that the world’s largest recorded blue marlin once made it to a Tokyo market weighing an astounding 2,438 lbs.

ON THE LINE

FISH TAGGING PROGRAMS help assess and manage local fish populations, and the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF) has tagged more than 350,000 fish since the late 1970s. The NCDMF currently tags five different species, including striped bass, red drum, spotted seatrout, southern flounder and cobia – and anglers who encounter a tagged fish can do their part by saving the tag along with other information such as the tag number, the total length of the fish, and both its catch date and location. For those fishing good Samaritans, the benefits don’t end there, however – anglers who catch a yellowtagged fish can receive $5 and a hat or other reward, while those who return a red tag can receive $100 for their efforts!

N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 13

town report COM PIL ED BY C ATH ERI N E KOZ A K

Kill Devil Hills

What’s happening in your town?

Here’s a report from all over the Outer Banks.

Currituck After serving in the post for just over two years, Currituck County Manager Ben Stikeleather submitted a letter of resignation on July 27 to the board of commissioners. Stikeleather served as county manager since July 1, 2019, after the retirement of former County Manager Dan Scanlon. He was first hired as Currituck’s assistant county manager in October 2018.

In other news, the Currituck Board of Commissioners voted on June 21 to approve a two-year agreement with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to take over the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, which is located in Historic Corolla Park. As part of the agreement, the county will assume ownership of the 15,000-square-foot building, and both entities will determine programming during the transition.

Duck In response to public concerns about traffic issues, the town of Duck has contracted with engineering consultants from the company VHB in order to conduct a traffic study. The study will evaluate the causes of traffic congestion and identify measures that can be taken to improve traffic flow and safety for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians. Initial data gathering for the study will begin during the week of August 23rd with involvement from the N.C. Department of Transportation, VHB, the town of Duck staff members and local volunteers.

14 | FA L L 2021

Southern Shores The struggle to mitigate seasonal traffic to the northern part of the Outer Banks that cuts through residential neighborhoods in Southern Shores has continued with some mixed success during this year’s summer season.

On July 15, the town announced changes to restrictions on roads with a history of heavy usage by visitors. In response to residents’ outcries about the traffic issues in their neighborhoods, the town has tried different ways to divert the vehicles, including local-traffic-only barricades and signs banning left turns.

The town has also been working with travel apps in order to mark key roads as closed in their routing.

Kitty Hawk A ceremony was held on July 15 to mark the official opening of a new trail off West Kitty Hawk Road that provides access to the Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve.

The connector trail, which was dedicated with a plaque in honor of outgoing Kitty Hawk Mayor Gary Perry, provides access to the 1.8-mile Birch Lane Trail in the reserve, according to a town newsletter.

Constructed by LSI Marine Construction, the project was 100% funded with grants received through the state of North Carolina and the Dare County Tourism Board.

This past July, the town of Kill Devil Hills launched its own farmers’ market for the local community. The First Flight Market kicked off its inaugural season on July 20, with town staff grilling complimentary hamburgers and hotdogs to celebrate the grand-opening. Held at Aviation Park, the town park across from the First Flight High School, more than 35 vendors participated, and the market will continue to be held every Tuesday through August 17.

Seasonal farmers’ markets have been a big hit in several other towns for a while now, including Nags Head’s Dowdy Park market which continues to be held every Thursday until September 9, and Manteo’s downtown Saturday markets at George Washington Creef Park, which will run until September 18.

Nags Head In the wake of the resignation of former Town Manager Cliff Ogburn last year, followed by his subsequent appointment to the same post in Southern Shores, Nags Head is still working on finding a replacement for the town manger position. Interim Manager Greg Sparks was appointed shortly after Ogburn’s departure to fill the position while a search was conducted for a permanent replacement. Several months later, Michael Silverman’s selection as the new town manager was announced at the Nags Head Board of Commissioners meeting on May 5, 2021.

On May 19, the town announced in a press release that Silverman had withdrawn his appointment without further explanation. He had been expected to start the job on July 1.

With interim Town Manager Greg Sparks’ term ending on May 31, Deputy Town Manager Andy Garman was appointed the new interim town manager. Mayor Cahoon also stated at a June 2 board

meeting that the Chapel Hill search company, Developmental Associates, Inc., has been re-engaged at no additional cost to find another town manager candidate.

Manteo Return visitors to the Manteo waterfront this summer were greeted with a newly landscaped area in which to stroll, rest or gather. In mid-May, the Manteo Town Common on Budleigh Street and Lord Essex Avenue replaced an aging building that once housed the Fort Raleigh Hotel with a green recreational space that’s open to the public.

The $732,000 project – of which the Dare County Tourism Board granted $222,000 – added 60 much-needed parking spaces to downtown Manteo.

Other amenities, including restroom facilities, are part of the projected additions during the second phase of the project.

Dare County After deciding that the county operation wasn’t able to adequately meet the needs of the community, Dare County commissioners agreed to sell Dare Home Health and Hospice to Adoration Home Health Care Virginia LLC for $2.9 million on July 21.

The agreement includes protections for Dare County’s current employees and requires the new agency to continue to provide the same level of health services as the Dare County provider. As part of this change, essential services cannot be denied because of financial policies, and any beneficiary of federal programs such as Medicare will be held to government anti-discrimination standards. If the terms of this agreement are not met going forward, the agency will revert back to Dare County.

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business briefs COMPILED BY C ATH ERI N E KOZ AK

Real Estate Changes Loom for The Marketplace Plans for a Marshalls department store at The Marketplace strip mall in Southern Shores were presented to the town planning board this past July.

The proposed 24,000-square-foot site would be built adjacent to the existing CVS Pharmacy, and would include plans to demolish and reconfigure a wing of the center’s existing shops, according to The Southern Shores Beacon.

The applicant, Southern Shores Owner LLC, is proposing to build a “junior box” Marshalls as well as another unnamed 6,000-square-foot retail outlet in that space.

Dare’s Number-Cruncher Adds Up Finance department awards aren’t often noted by the general public, but Dare County’s Finance Director David Clawson deserves a round of applause after his department recently won the government finance version of the Pulitzer – for the 30th year in a row.

This past August, a Dare County press release announced that its finance department has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting – the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financials – for its annual comprehensive financial report for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2020.

The Government Finance Officers Association created the honor in 1945 in order to encourage local governments to translate important financial data into reports that anyone could understand. “This is an amazing accomplishment that highlights the ongoing dedication that David and his staff display year after year,” said Dare County Board of Commissioners Chair Bob Woodard.

Immersed in Currituck’s Maritime Heritage A new self-interpretive museum featuring local vintage boats and photographs opened in July at Historic Corolla Park. Located near the Currituck Beach Lighthouse and the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, the 10,000-square-foot Currituck Maritime Museum highlights the county’s heritage through the stories of people who have lived and worked around its vast sound and ocean waters. The focus of its exhibits 16 | FA L L 2021

market snapshot

includes restored boats, fishing, lifesaving stations, lighthouses, the boat-building industry, decoy carving and weather, according to their website.

The free museum, which also offers hands-on exhibits, demonstrations and educational programs, is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Familiar Name to Lead Charitable Foundation Chris Sawin, who has served as executive director of the Dare County Arts Council since 2012, has accepted a new post as president and chief executive officer of the Outer Banks Community Foundation.

According to the June 2021 MLS Statistical Report from the Outer Banks Association of Realtors, overall sales in 2021 are up by 97% so far. Compared to 2020, residential unit sales increased 68%, from 1,016 units to 1,875. Lot and land sales also jumped by 170%, from 179 units in 2020 to 484 in 2021.

Inventory continues to be historically low as well, with residential inventory down 57% in comparison with last year – from 975 units to 424 units – and lot/land inventory plummeting 85%, from 722 units to 590 units.

Organized in 1982 to meet local needs on the Outer Banks, the foundation is a funding source that reaches all community service organizations on the barrier islands, including the arts, education, health, human services, the environment and historic preservation.

Sawin started work with the foundation August 1. He succeeds Lorelei Costa, who left the post in March to lead the Virginia-based Suffolk Center for the Cultural Arts.

In a Dare County Arts Council press release, Sawin was credited with creating new events and programs, connecting with more underserved areas, and establishing the council’s financial stability. Jessica Sands, the Arts Council’s former program director, will succeed Sawin as the council’s new executive director.

Funds Awarded for Black History Film Efforts to expand knowledge of black history on the Outer Banks got a boost recently with a $30,000 grant for the nonprofit Pea Island Preservation Society from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. The funds will go towards the production of a documentary about black surfmen at the Pea Island Lifesaving Station – the only all-black lifesaving station in the nation – while also telling the unique story of the interconnected black and white communities on the Outer Banks.

The Pea Island Preservation Society has enlightened the Outer Banks community as well as visitors about

the once seldom-told history of the Pea Island station and the important contributions of black people to the culture and the economy of the Outer Banks. According to a press release, the society is still working out details involving the film, but it has two years to produce the documentary.

In the meantime, the Pea Island Preservation Society conducts a free live educational program called, “Freedmen, Surfmen, Heroes,” at area schools and other public facilities. The group also operates both the Cookhouse Museum and the Herbert C. Collins Boathouse in Manteo, and it recently hosted an inaugural Juneteeth celebration on Roanoke Island.

New Event Center Proposed for The Soundside A conceptual plan for a 48,000-square-foot center at The Soundside event site in Nags Head has earned preliminary plaudits from Dare County officials. The proposed $17.6 million facility, which would include a 26,000-square-foot event hall, a 1,500-square-foot meeting room and a 2,800-square-foot catering kitchen, would be designed for flexible uses, such as concerts, music events and tournaments, while maintaining green space.

The Dare County Tourism Board gave its nod for the concept in July and the Dare County Board of Commissioners did the same at its August 2 meeting.

Additional actions from the town of Nags Head and permits from the state will be required in order for the concept to move forward.

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HOME SPOTLIGHT

The Sweet Life This beach bungalow remodel blends a clean modern design with classic coastal cool.

Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Neal Story by Lexi Holian

18 | FA L L 2021

TUCKED BEHIND MOM’S SWEET SHOP ON THE

NORTHERN END OF KILL DEVIL HILLS, is a charming

getaway dubbed “Stay at Mom’s.” Similar to its retail namesake, it’s a place where vintage style meets modern design, with exposed beams, a bright living area accented by a brick fireplace, and plenty of eclectic details that make the cottage feel like a home away from home – as long as your idea of home includes a short two-block walk to the beach.

Owners Jessica and Derik Wineland, who are also proprietors of the well-known retail and sweet shop, purchased the cottage last year when their east-side neighbors unexpectedly approached them with the

opportunity before listing it publicly. In coordination with Jessica’s brother, Nathan Neal of Cozy Kitchens, the couple redesigned the home – replacing vinyl siding with cedar shakes, changing traditional picket railings to ranch rails, and giving the beach box an inviting aesthetic similar to Mom’s.

“Cedar shakes are classic on the Outer Banks,” Jessica says. “And economically, they’re a great choice – they practically last forever. Our shop has cedar shakes, which were there when we bought it, and we wanted it all to tie together – but also it’s a really good design choice for a coastal area in general.”

The spacious decks came with the cottage, but the

The open living space inside the cottage dubbed “Stay at Mom’s” boasts exposed wooden ceiling beams and a brick fireplace (left page). The Winelands replaced the cottage’s original vinyl siding with cedar shakes and added a variety of finishing touches to their renovations, including floating shelves and some carefully selected décor (below).

real surprise for the new owners was the open living concept. Having never set foot in the space until last year, Jessica and Derik didn’t know what to expect from the 1970s home at first.

“I was truly picturing eight-foot ceilings and cypress paneling like you often see in some of the houses here,” Jessica says. “The height of the ceilings and the original beams completely took us by surprise.”

The open space led the Winelands to remove an extra entryway, which wasn’t needed with a nearby sliding glass door, and add a fireplace in order to make the space cozier during the winter. Popcorn ceilings were scraped and smoothed, and a block of cabinets

above the eat-in bar were removed to make the room more inviting.

“There were cabinets on the whole wall where the shelves are now, which initially made the space feel heavier,” says Jessica, who enjoys working on design projects. “Taking down any unneeded cabinetry and putting up floating shelves is one of my favorite things to do. That in itself just opened up the whole area.”

When it came to decorating the interior of the cottage with the intention of offering it as a rental, the Winelands mixed old with new while making other consciously thrifty decisions in terms of furnishings – including surfing-inspired artwork and a few beachy

family photos to make the house feel as welcoming as possible.

“We want to appeal to families,” Jessica says, “as well as young adult couples with friends or other family members who’d like to have a relaxing spot that feels both new and familiar – so we did a lot of the interior stuff ourselves together as a family.”

It took about four months to complete the project, and now that it’s finished, Jessica feels as though it fits right in with similar cottages on the Outer Banks.

“Some of the smaller homes are the cutest ones with the most charm,” she says. “And we’re lucky to have so many really unique places here at the beach.”

N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 19

WELCO M E T O T H E

boomtown

The Outer Banks has seen its share of building booms, but none quite like the current explosion of construction and renovation.

BY C ATH E RI N E KOZ A K

DURING A TIME OF NATIONWIDE DISRUPTION

when people have had to adjust to concepts of a “new normal,” the record number of people who suddenly saw the Outer Banks as a perfect shelter from the storm was still somewhat unexpected.

And as a result, those who build, renovate and sell those local “shelters” have never been busier.

“Once Covid came into play, and people figured they could work from home, it seemed like a lot of people wanted to move here, or retire earlier and move here,” says Vaughan Robinson, president of Outer Banks Home Builders Association.

Fortunately for the industry, homebuilding was deemed essential during Covid closures, so businesses didn’t miss a beat. Even 18 months since the pandemic shutdown, the record demand for all things real estate on the Outer Banks has barely slowed.

“It still seems pretty wide open,” Vaughan says.

“Summertime is usually when you get a little slower, but that hasn’t really happened this year.”

According to MLS reports from the Outer Banks Association of Realtors, property sales in 2020 totaled $1.57 billion, a 44-percent increase over the previous year.

Inventory of land and houses are also at record lows, while the first four months of 2021 showed that sales were still up 94 percent.

Vaughan, who owns Coastal Cottage Contracting in Kitty Hawk, has been in the homebuilding business for about 15 years, and he’s personally heard that nearly every local builder currently has enough work for at least a year. But he adds that there have also been some overall delays in getting certain supplies, the available labor is 2 0 | FA L L 2021

tight, and it can sometimes take longer to complete projects these days.

“There are just a lot of circumstances that seem to have converged and made it difficult,” Vaughan explains.

Shortages of one significant supply – wood – has recently hit homebuilders especially hard.

Lumber prices reached historic highs this past March and April, observes Jason Koller, the manager of Kellogg’s Supply Company in Manteo. Plywood and studs, for instance, more than tripled in cost at one point.

“It was really hard on contractors,” says Jason, who has been in the industry for 28 years.

Although prices have mostly stabilized now, some things continue to be hard to acquire – such as certain lengths of boards or bulkheads – while cabinets, windows, doors, components and plaster deliveries have all been affected by delays in manufacturing and shipping.

Lumber mills farther south have been especially impacted by labor shortages, Jason adds, as well as major cargo backups at some ports.

“We just don’t have the inventory we’re accustomed to having,” he says.

Despite spotty shortages, Vaughan feels as though local homebuilders have mostly managed to work with what they can get. One example of this is asphalt shingles, which have been difficult to get in a wide variety of colors, though manufacturers have still been able to offer the most sought-after hues.

Cedar and metal roofs have also experienced a price hike due to shortages, but Vaughan notes that working with those materials can largely be avoided unless a customer really has their heart set on one of them.

Other events such Texas’ deep freeze this past winter have affected the availability of things such as plastics and resin, supplies of which were initially disrupted entirely, and then backlogged.

“You just have to understand that when you’re going into it,” Vaughan says. “And then plan accordingly to try to get it worked out or get the order in early.”

With the housing inventory so limited, there’s also been a lot of interest in renovating existing houses.

Out-of-area homeowners’ renewed interest in making the Outer Banks a primary residence has meant that many family summer cottages or rental properties have been repurposed with that in mind.

Some of those renovations are perhaps more surprising than others. With many reverse floor plans in local houses (which feature open living spaces on the top floors), there’s been a surge in elevator installations to accommodate more year-round occupants, while tear-downs of older, smaller houses that sit on valuable property has also risen.

Though Vaughan notes that a smaller existing property might be perfectly livable with some retrofitting done by a skilled contractor, he’s also aware that many have been prioritizing the ability to settle in quickly.

“Once Covid came “Some people don’t into play, and want to wait,” Vaughan people figured concedes. “When everythey could work thing was shut down, they wanted to move and be from home, it here right then.” seemed like a lot Although looming of people wanted impacts from climate to move here, or change, especially sea retire earlier and level rise, is also often move here.” cited as a significant future challenge for the -Vaughan Robinson, homebuilding industry, President of the Vaughan feels as though Outer Banks Home local contractors have Builders Association things well in hand. Outer Banks builders are already required to meet coastal building codes that require houses to withstand winds of at least 130 miles per hour – and strict stormwater measures are mandated during the construction process as well.

Even if Governor Roy Cooper puts new regulations in place as part of a statewide climate initiative that’s expected to require more resilient building measures, Vaughan seems confident that the industry will adapt as necessary – although though the concept of “green” building, which is focused on sustainability and efficiency, hasn’t really taken off on the Outer Banks as it has in the western region of North Carolina.

For the most part, local customers continue to look for sleekly modern styles or classic designs that draw inspiration from older flat-tops or cedar-shake cottages, Vaughan notes, but that hasn’t necessarily resulted in much demand for green building practices, which can be costly.

“With some of the price increases, especially from Covid impacts, housing is already expensive,” he adds.

“It’s just a matter of what people want and what they’re willing to pay for.”

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TIME

TIME AFTER

BY AM E L IA B OL DA J I

c.1950

THOUGH WE DON’T ALWAYS NOTICE THE MOST DRAMATIC SHIFTS

during our daily lives, the times, they are a-changing.

Whether we look back nearly a century or a mere matter of decades, even the most familiar local spots have undergone transformations that highlight the Outer Banks’ extraordinarily dynamic nature – and its seemingly endless capacity for endurance.

N AG S HEAD PI E R When Nags Head Pier was first built in the late 1940s, it was originally called Mann’s Ocean Pier, and the two flat-topped concrete buildings located just south of the pier were known collectively as the Ocean Shores Recreation Center. While both buildings changed ownership several times over the years, the northern building later became the locally famous Foosball Palace, and the southernmost building was a series of nightclubs from the Twist Lounge to the Atlantis, until both buildings were demolished in the late 1990s – making way for a much busier stretch of oceanside development.

Then: Photo courtesy of the Outer Banks History Center/Roger Meekins; Now: Photo by Cory Godwin.

N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 23

1988 O REG ON IN L E T From the old Herbert C. Bonner Bridge to today’s Marc Basnight Bridge, there’s not much that hasn’t changed in this northwest-facing aerial view of Oregon Inlet – including the former Oregon Inlet Coast Guard station in the foreground, which was closed in 1988 due to threats of erosion. The new Coast Guard station eventually opened on the opposite side of the bridge in 1990, and extensive restoration of the old station’s main structure – complete with its lookout tower – was finished on Pea Island in 2008.

Then: Photo courtesy of the Outer Banks History Center/Jim Lee; Now: Photo by Rachel Moser.

TH E W H AL EH EAD C LU B First completed in 1925 by the wealthy northern-based Knight family as a private hunting retreat, the Whalehead Club changed hands several times after the 1940s – even serving briefly as a boys’ school, and later, as a rocket fuel testing site – before eventually being abandoned to the elements. In 1992, however, Currituck County acquired the building in order to restore it – and today the club boasts much of its original roaring ‘20s splendor in Historic Corolla Park.

Then: Photo courtesy of the Outer Banks History Center/Drew Wilson Collection; Now: Photo by Cory Godwin.

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1987

N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 25

QU E EN EL I ZAB ET H AVEN U E I N M AN T EO Renamed Queen Elizabeth Avenue in 1976, the bustling commercial road closest to the downtown Manteo docks was once known as Water Street. Much the same as today, a number of shops lined the waterfront, including the town’s original courthouse on the left side of the road. Though the old courthouse is now home to the Dare County Arts Council, it still features a 10,300-pound belfry, which was severely damaged during a hurricane in 1933, but restored in 2014.

Then: Photo courtesy of the Outer Banks History Center/Michael G. Tames; Now: Photo by Lori Douglas.

c.1931

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c.1930s

WR I G H T BR OTH ER S N AT I O N AL M EM O R I AL EN T RAN CE GAT E In conjunction with establishing a memorial to celebrate the Wright brothers’ 1903 achievements in flight, the United States Department of War constructed a grand entrance on the south side of the Kill Devil Hills site in 1932, complete with a small visitor contact station. Though the National Park Service later approved plans to move the entrance to the west side of the site, the original concrete gateposts – which were designed using ancient Egyptian motifs like the monument itself – are still located beside the trees along Colington Road. .

Then: Photo courtesy of the Outer Banks History Center/National Park Service Collection; Now: Photo by Ryan Moser.

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F OU R I F BY S E A

Welcome

By Amanda McDanel

Welcome Verb: To greet the arrival of (a person, guests, etc.) with pleasure or kindly courtesy.

Adjective: Received gladly into one’s presence or companionship.

Noun: A kindly greeting or reception, as to one whose arrival gives pleasure.

ACCORDING TO MIRIAM-WEBSTER, the word “welcome” can be defined in any of the above ways, but in the South, it has a whole other alternative meaning as well. A welcome in the south is an event. A welcome dinner. A welcome gift. A welcome parade or a motorcycle escort. Hell, we even have flags with pineapples on them (a sign of hospitality) to hang welcomingly from our wrap-around porches. It’s a gesture that says, “Hey, y’all!

We’re glad you’re here.”

While some other states might say, “Your crazy is showing, you may want to tuck that back in,” here in the South we highly recommend airing your crazy out on the porch in a rocking chair with a glass of sweet tea. And, in my house, the rocking chair is always ready, the tea (or wine) is always cold, and I’ll join you for a spell right after I’ve given you my own personal salutations.

When I used to work for North Carolina State University as an extension agent several years ago, I spent a lot of time traveling to rural counties all over

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Y’all

the waistband of her jeans whenever she bent over to pluck a juicy radish from the soil. I was so tickled with this nostalgia-laced discovery that I bought a pair of the largest size available to bring home – for a reason yet unknown – and tucked them into a drawer with my vintage pillowcases and aprons. You know, #thesoutherndrawer.

Later that year, I attended a conference where a co-worker talked about hanging an American flag outside her house whenever her daddy was due for a visit in order to welcome him home. Enthralled with the idea, I realized that I finally had the perfect answer for my impromptu roadside purchase. With my husband, Johnny, due home from a weeklong work trip that Friday, I immediately went home and scrawled “Welcome home, Johnny” on my pair of Dixie Belle underwear with a large black Sharpie. On the day of his homecoming, I strung that same two-foot-wide pair of skivvies across the front of our house, where it proudly flapped in the breeze for all our neighbors to see. Needless to say, the hilarity that ensued was legendary.

Featuring such repurposed garments has now become my personal way of welcoming any special visitor to my home. With many more trips to “said store” where I was known to frequently buy out most of their inventory, I became equipped with enough pairs to offer a variety of greetings and other gestures of goodwill to my visitors. eastern North Carolina. It allowed me to meet some Happy birthday? It’s covered. You made it? Got it. incredible people and introduced me to some excellent If you are a very special visitor, I’ll even sacrifice a pair regional foods, but because eastern N.C. is so vast and and personalize them just for you. “Welcome, Amy and sprawling, it often took me more than three hours to Dave!” has announced my best friends’ arrival for more reach a given destination. And, after miles and miles of than five years now, and it may actually be time to add fields and two-lane roads, my Yeti water bottle had the their nine and 11-year-old children. tendency to catch up with me, In short, you can consider so – above all – I discovered it my way of “rolling out the Featuring such repurposed red carpet” for my nearest and some lovely establishments with public restrooms on those rural dearest. garments has now become roads. From antique stores to A few years after that initial my personal way of feed-and-seeds, meat processing discovery, I visited one of the welcoming any special institutions to five-and-dimes, I East Coast’s largest flea markets visitor to my home. was an equal opportunity pee-er. with a friend. Among the many One such establishment treasures I found there, I met that quickly became my favorite a man in a pair of bib overalls felt completely frozen in time. Their shelves boasted selling five-XL underwear made from parachute material everything from original 1980s Caboodles to vintage adorned with lace. He informed me that his wife customStar Wars-branded Underoos still in their 1982 packaging made them, and that business was very, VERY good (bought them!) alongside a stark collection of men’s indeed. I promptly forked over $20 and happily skipped coveralls. To my delight, there was also a section of away with a four-foot-wide pair of purple underwear lady’s unmentionables that was conveniently stocked destined to welcome my next lucky visitors. I had officially with a particularly silky – and extremely large – brand of upped my hospitality game – while simultaneously making underpants called Dixie Belles. a lot of rural N.C. ladies happy that they could once again I hadn’t seen underwear like that since I toddled easily purchase lingerie at their local five-and-dime. behind my grandma in her garden, where I could reliably I am a good southern girl after all – though it might be catch a glimpse of oversized brims peeking out from time to think about installing a flagpole.

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sun salutations Beach Realty & Construction Beach Realty Recognizes Top Agents Beach Realty & Construction is pleased to announce the top four producing sales agents this year to date: Joanne Kepler from the Corolla office, Ilona Matteson from the Duck office, and Michelle Gardner and Jackson Dixon, both from the Kitty Hawk office. All four agents are experienced and consistent volume leaders. “These agents have very different styles, but they all offer their clients outstanding customer service, years of experience and a thorough knowledge of the Outer Banks real estate market,” says Sales Manager Beth Urch. Beach Realty & Construction is a full-service real estate company offering real estate sales, vacation rentals and new construction and remodeling. For more information, contact salesteam@beachrealtync.com or call (252) 261-3815.

Brindley Beach Vacations and Sales Brindley Beach Vacations and Sales Names Edith Rowe and Catherine Strachan Top Two Sales Agents, Year-to-Date Edith Rowe has won the Top Sales Agent Award for the past four years. This award is based on closed sales volume. She holds a broker’s license and has been in sales on the Outer Banks since 2000. In addition to a thorough knowledge of real estate and construction, Edith brings to the table a degree of local sales acumen and familiarity with the area found in few agents. Contact Edith at (252) 202-6165, toll free at (877) 642-3224 or at edithroweobx@gmail.com.

Catherine Strachan has worked on both the listing and selling side of several foreclosures and short-sale transactions, a valuable skill in today’s volatile market.

She is a designated Short-Sale and Foreclosure Resource Specialist, as well as a Resort and Second-Home Property Specialist, who also specializes in the vacation home market.

Contact Catherine at (252) 489-9540, toll free at (877) 642-3224 or by email at obxproperty@gmail.com.

Brindley Beach Vacations and Sales Welcomes Pamela Howard to the Sales Team Pamela Howard grew up on the historical Inner Banks plantation estate of her late-great-uncle Wolfman Jack, and spent summers on the Outer Banks. She specializes in representing buyers and sellers in real estate and investment properties on the Outer Banks and the Inner Banks of North Carolina. She also recently appeared on HGTV’s show How Close Can I Beach, in the episode “Sandcastle Dreams in Duck.” Pamela can be reached at (252) 331-3303 or at pamela.obxbroker@gmail.com.

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Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty John Leatherwood Earns Coldwell Banker International President’s Circle Award John Leatherwood, a sales associate with Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty, has earned the prestigious International President’s Circle award, a level achieved by only the top 8% of all sales associates worldwide. This award is based on adjusted gross commission income for 2020 and represents the seventh consecutive international award earned by Leatherwood. Team leader of the successful Sandman Team OBX, John can be reached at (252) 202-3834 or john@sandmanteamobx.com.

Debbie Shealey Earns Coldwell Banker International Diamond Society Award Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty congratulates Debbie Shealey on earning the Coldwell Banker International Diamond Society award. This award is based on adjusted gross commission income for 2020 and is awarded to the top 15% of all agents worldwide.

Debbie can be reached at dshealey@cbseaside.com or (252) 202-2224.

Crystal Clark Earns Coldwell Banker International Sterling Society Award Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty congratulates Crystal Clark on earning the International Sterling Society award. This award is based on adjusted gross commission income in 2020 and is awarded to the top 22% of all sales associates worldwide.

Clark can be reached at (252) 305-4514 or crystalsellsobx@gmail.com.

Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty Welcomes New Agent Jay Gabbert Jay Gabbert has joined Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty at the Kitty Hawk location. After running a successful plastics business in Charlotte for 17 years, Jay relocated to the Outer Banks several years ago.

He can be reached at jaygabbert@cbseaside.com or (252) 619-6961.

Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty Welcomes New Agent Dawn Young Dawn Young has joined Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty at the Elizabeth City and Kill Devil Hills locations. With a background in Fortune 500 companies managing debt, she was in charge of legal audits and risk management. Dawn has also been involved in mission work for the past 20 years and can be reached at (252) 421-1182 or dawnyoung@cbseaside.com.

SAGA Realty & Construction SAGA Realty & Construction Welcomes Julia Quinlan as Assistant Project Manager Julia Quinlan has more than 15 years of construction experience, including utility, hospitality renovation and marina construction. She has worked on job sites as well as coordinating projects from the office. A recent transplant from Wilmington, N.C., Julia enjoys coastal life, learning new skills and understanding all phases of construction.

SAGA Realty & Construction Welcomes Emily Heikens to the Asset Management Team Emily Heikens has lived on the Outer Banks for about six years, after moving here from Greenville, N.C. Emily went to school for fashion management and later earned her M.B.A. More recently, she was a general manager for a large retail chain on the Outer Banks where she worked in sales, customer service, marketing, retail management, operations management, product planning and purchasing.

SAGA Realty & Construction Welcomes Pam Heermann to the Team Pam Heermann, originally from Northern Virginia, recently fulfilled her dream of moving to the Outer Banks. She has a B.S. in interior design from Virginia Tech and has held a career in interior design, staging, remodeling and construction, most recently in the Richmond area. Pam’s goal is to help people create a home that enhances their lives and maximizes its potential.

Sun Realty Sun Realty Honors Agents of the Month for April, May and June Joe Staten was the top producer for the month of April.

Joe has years of experience with residential, commercial and business property, and he is ready to assist with all of the buying, selling or leasing opportunities his clients require. Contact Joe at the Sun Realty Duck office at (252) 261-4183.

Agents of the Month for May and June were Madonna and Michael VanCuren. The M&M Team has been Sun’s Agents of the Year 14 times and they pride themselves on old-fashioned hard work and customer service. You can reach the M&M Team at the Sun Realty Kill Devil Hills office at (252) 441-8011.

Twiddy Premier Sales Twiddy Celebrates Record-Breaking Realtors Ranked #9 overall within MLS and #3 in Corolla with over $36 million in sales this year, Ray Meiggs has set many new personal records, including the highest transaction in Outer Banks real estate history.

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Twiddy Premier Sales celebrates John Myer’s recordbreaking year as he’s ranked among the Top 50 Agents in the MLS with over $12 million in sales.

Twiddy Premier Sales gives kudos to Matt Preston, who is well over halfway to exceeding his 2020 sales. As a consistently top-ranked agent on the Outer Banks, his Top 30 spot is hard-earned and well-deserved.

N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 3 3

F I V E FACT S

Historic Corolla Village

By Hannah Lee Leidy

WEDGED BETWEEN HIGHWAY 12 AND THE CURRITUCK SOUND lies a little nugget of island life that draws its roots from the early stirrings of the 19th century. But this picturesque town isn’t just for show: It’s a working community with shops, offices, museums and galleries operating from largely turn-of-the-century buildings. This living, breathing glimpse into local history is also entirely free to explore – and priceless to remember.

1

Keeping the Lights On

Lighthouses get all the attention, but what about the people who’ve made them tick – or rather, flash? The establishment of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse in 1875 ushered in the area’s first substantial flurry of settlers and growth – and the lighthouse’s adjacent double keepers’ house has been home to numerous keepers, their families and other troubled souls at sea. In fact, a few years after the lighthouse began operating, the Metropolis famously shipwrecked off the nearby coast. While members of the Currituck Beach Lifesaving Station were able to rescue nearly half of the ship’s survivors – many of whom found a temporary safe haven in the modest keepers’ duplex – the wreck also became a pivotal event which spurred Congress to expand their construction of lifesaving stations along the Eastern Seaboard.

2

Schoolhouse Rock

Thanks to the new lighthouse and the local lifesaving station, the subsequent population boom on the northern Outer Banks brought not just strapping young men looking for work, but also a number of young families. The only catch was that there was no nearby public school, which meant that most of the area’s children initially attended informal learning groups. By the late 1800s, however, a small, chapel-like, schoolhouse opened in the heart of the village – which went on to become part of the unified Currituck County school system in 1905. Although the schoolhouse was closed in the late 1950s due to a lack of students, it reopened in 2012 as the Water’s Edge Village School, which continues to serve children from kindergarten through eighth grade.

3 4 | FA L L 2021

3

If You Plant It, It Will Grow

Lack of proper roads to many Outer Banks communities meant that outside food deliveries were often infrequent back in the day, so early northern area residents subsisted on what they could fish for, grow or hunt. Starting in the early 1800s, and presumably lasting well into the 1900s, almost every Corolla resident maintained a garden, where tomatoes, peppers, squash, herbs and indigenous flowers thrived in the sandy soil.

Today, a re-created plot at the center of town known as “A Village Garden” pays homage to those historic backyard tracts with raised beds that host herbs, butterfly bushes, vibrant flowers and other vegetables – including a few heirloom varieties that likely thrived in northern residents’ individual plots during the early 20th century.

4

Spirits of the Past

Curtis and Blanche Gray, Corolla’s postmaster and schoolteacher built a charming, gabled bungalow sometime between 1896 and 1918, making it one of the oldest original properties remaining in the village. While Mrs. Gray tragically died of influenza during the couple’s first few years in residence, it’s said that a warm, comforting presence still remains in an upstairs room of the building, which now homes the Corolla Wild Horse Fund. The Lewark family historically inhabited the bungalow next, during which time they added a smokehouse and outbuilding. Currently the Juice Jar and Bruce Lorenz Fine Photography respectively, Mr. Lewark originally established a workshop and storage space in the outbuilding, and relied on the smokehouse as a place to cure fish and game.

5

Back to the Beginning

The Callie Parker General Store was a two-story mercantile on the main village road, which served as both a shop and as gathering grounds during Corolla’s heyday in the early 1900s.

People relied on the store for various tools, clothes, pantry staples, candy and other knick-knacks, while the local menfolk held court on the generous front porch in the evenings. There, they reportedly whiled away long summer nights, swapping stories, discussing business and regaling each other with tales of earlier generations. Though the building later fell into some disrepair, Twiddy & Company purchased the site and constructed a replica of the store in its original footprint during the 1990s – which now functions as a popular retail spot known as Island Bookstore.

Scenes from around Historic Corolla Village, including the Corolla Wild Horse Fund (top), the Celebration Realty office (middle), and Corolla Village BBQ (bottom).

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