North Beach Sun Spring 2025 by North Beach Sun

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To Thankfulness.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST THANKFUL FOR? From around about November through the early parts of a new year, this question tends to be paramount in our minds, as if gratitude – or the lack thereof –can fully encapsulate the days we’ve most recently left behind.

Within that same period of time, we also tend to gravitate toward thankfulness for large life events like graduations, nuptials, parenthood, first-time homeownership and far-flung travels, to name just a few. That’s no fluke – it’s completely understandable, reasonable even, to deem those landmark occasions and other luxuries most worthy of our appreciation. They’re gifts that keep on giving, so to speak, the benchmarks by which we commonly divvy up our lives into meaningful chapters.

They’re also, however, simply parts of the narratives we have a habit of creating for ourselves. And we can so easily get caught up in them – sometimes to the detriment of all other perspectives, side routes, and the incalculable contributing conditions that quite probably made those milestones possible in the first place. Any one story can multiply, endlessly, thwarting absolutes at each and every turn, rendering carefully agreed-upon facts archaic given enough new information, consideration and relative distance.

Does that mean nothing’s entirely truthful? Hardly. It does mean, however, that we’re not always poised to see truth from the exact same vantage point, and that our own personal notions of any said truths can shape-shift over time to include various exceptions to almost any given rule.

But such is life, and the quality of being human in a world that’s expansive enough to allow for that type of flexible thought and awareness. What matters most of all, perhaps, is that we’re here, that we’re consistently trying to understand how, exactly, we got here, and that we’re ultimately capable of actively changing our stories – for better and for worse – within a narrative frame that never stops evolving.

We are still here, after all, and a vast multitude of our stories are still in the process of unfolding –which may, actually, be the single greatest reason to occupy each and every moment as gratefully as possible, both now and well into the future.

But right now, here at the North Beach Sun, we’d also like to extend that thankfulness further to include you, our longtime readers and supporters. As our first publication of 2025, we’re reminded once again that you are our true village, and we couldn’t continue bringing all these exquisitely interwoven fragments to life without you.

As always, we hope you enjoy this issue!

STAFF

PUBLISHERS

Adam & Cathy Baldwin

PUBLISHERS

EDITOR

Adam & Cathy Baldwin

Amelia Boldaji

EDITOR

ART DIRECTOR

Amelia Boldaji

Dave Rollins

ART DIRECTOR

CONTRIBUTORS

Dave Rollins

Cathy Baldwin

Editor Publisher

Emmy Benton

CONTRIBUTORS

Cathy Baldwin

Amelia Boldaji

Cory Godwin

Amelia Boldaji

Steve Hanf

Cory Godwin

Steve Hanf

Catherine Kozak

Jessica Manack

Amanda McDanel

Maggie McNinch

Ryan Moser

Maggie McNinch

Elizabeth Neal

Ryan Moser

Outer Banks History Center

Elizabeth Neal

Arabella Saunders

Outer Banks History Center

Arabella Saunders

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Dylan Bush

SALES MANAGER

Helen Furr

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Faith Turek

DISTRIBUTOR

Clint Trice

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.

NORTH BEACH SUN 115 West Meadowlark St. Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948

NORTH BEACH SUN

252-449-4444

editor@northbeachsun.com

115 West Meadowlark St. Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 252-449-4444

editor@northbeachsun.com

A detail of an acrylic on paper painting by artist Todd Hale (2020).

BUT FIRST...

Size Matters

Coming to a Head

Sculpted in just 10 months with a chainsaw inside a Raleigh-area mall, an infamously known 25-foot-tall statue of Sir Walter Raleigh was touted as the world’s largest moveable wooden sculpture when it toured the state as part of NC’s Bicentennial Exhibit during the mid-1970s. Carved from a 500-year-old cypress tree found in Pitt County and weighing in around 15,000 pounds, the likeness did attract some faint praise, but plenty of others denounced it as plain “ugly” – and a few even dismissed it as an “abomination.”

Some say that the Manteo Woman’s Club raised money to install the statue on Roanoke Island after the bicentennial tour was complete – while others insist that the eyesore couldn’t be given away for free until Manteo finally took pity on it. Either way, the statue eventually resided at the end of Queen Elizabeth Street in downtown Manteo for about a decade before hungry woodpeckers and rot signaled the end of this muchphotographed curiosity by 1989.

In one more twist of fate, however, the statue was publicly dismantled and beheaded (ironic, since the real Sir Walter Raleigh was beheaded for treason under King James I in 1618), with a number of town officials calling dibs on the cypress extremities. The crown jewel of these decaying souvenirs was, of course, Raleigh’s nearly 400-pound head, which had been promised to a local woman as an accent piece in her garden. Alas, Raleigh’s countenance never made it to that final destination – on the short drive there, the head took a fatal tumble from the moving truck and was smashed to pieces.

Icon or eyesore? A controversially famous wooden statue of Sir Walter Raleigh graced Manteo’s downtown waterfront for nearly a decade during the ‘70s and ‘80s (pictured above, circa 1978) before it began to rot and was, eventually, beheaded (left-hand image, circa 1991; both images courtesy of the Outer Banks History Center, State Archives of NC).

The Long…

The phrase “from Murphy to Manteo” rightly invokes an image of U.S. Route 64, which spans the width of NC from the Tennessee border to Nags Head’s Whalebone Junction, making it the longest numbered route in the state

What some might not know is that the 604 mile stretch of Route 64 through NC actually extends even farther for another 1,677 miles (2,281 miles total) to its westernmost terminus in Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, traversing six states in total and serving several major cities, including Tulsa and Memphis.

Talk about a road trip.

…And the Short of It

While there’s actually a surprisingly large number of U.S. highways that are less than a mile long, NC Highway 400 takes the cake as the shortest primary highway in the Tar Heel State

But blink, and you might miss it.

Clocking in at merely 0.63 miles in length from its westernmost point where it intersects with U.S. Route 64, to its easternmost terminus on Roanoke Island Festival Park, Highway 400 was created in 1984 as part of plans to overhaul downtown Manteo into a destination point for the 400th anniversary celebrations of the first permanent English settlement attempts.

Pimp ClothingShrimp Co.

FLEECE COLLECTION

SPRING EVENTS

OUTER BANKS BIKE WEEK

April 19 – 27

RUNNING OF THE LEPRECHAUNS

March 15

Kick off St. Patrick’s Day festivities with this annual 5k and 10k race in Nags Head. obxse.com

34TH ANNUAL KELLY’S ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE

March 16

Grab your green to cheer on the longest-running St. Patrick’s Day parade in NC as it marches down Virginia Dare Trail in Nags Head.

BLACKBEARD’S REVENGE 100

March 22

Ultra-runners will love the challenge of this 100-mile, 100-kilometer and 100-mile relay race from Corolla to Hatteras. triviumracing.com

FIRST FRIDAY

April 4, May 2

Downtown Manteo comes alive on the first Friday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m. darearts.org

OUTER BANKS TASTE OF THE BEACH

April 4 – 6

Savor three days of this foodie festival that includes activities such as wine tastings, oyster tours, cookoffs and more. obxtasteofthebeach.com

FLYING PIRATE HALF MARATHON, 8K & 5K

April 11 – 13

Run 13.1 miles through the Outer Banks in this fun, pirate-themed half marathon that begins and ends at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. obxse.com

THE LOST COLONY WINE & CULINARY FESTIVAL

April 12

Sample wines from around the world at the 7th annual Grand Tasting, held on the grounds of The Lost Colony’s historic Waterside Theatre. tlcwinefest.com

FLY INTO SPRING KITE FESTIVAL

April 18 – 19

Celebrate National Kite Month and the start of spring with a kite festival featuring 30 to 100-foot kites at Jockey’s Ridge State Park. kittyhawk.com

EASTER EGGSTRAVAGANZA

April 19

Hunt for Easter eggs at the annual Jockey’s Ridge Crossing Easter Egg Hunt. Bring your camera to get photos of the Easter Bunny himself! kittyhawk.com

EASTERTIDE IN THE GARDENS

April 19

Follow a map of The Elizabethan Gardens’ paths to gather eggs at designated “egg stations,” meet the Easter Bunny and enjoy contests, games and vendors on the Great Lawn. elizabethangardens.org

Rev up your engines for a week of tours, contests, live music, vendor sites and more. outerbankshd.com

ESA MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL SURFING CHAMPIONSHIP

April 25 – 27

Watch surfers compete at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head in this Eastern Surfing Association regional contest. surfesa.org

OBX ROD AND CUSTOM FESTIVAL

May 2 - 3

Auto enthusiasts will love the chance to check out unique, custom hot rods at The Soundside event site in Nags Head. obxrc.com

21ST ANNUAL COASTAL GARDENING FESTIVAL

May 3

This event at the Thomas A. Baum Senior Center features plants grown by Dare Master Gardeners, garden art, handcrafted goods, children’s activities, educational displays and gardening information. (252) 475-9245

16TH ANNUAL KIDSFEST

May 9

The Children and Youth Partnership for Dare County sponsor this free, family-friendly event at Roanoke Island Festival Park that includes stomp rockets, bubble play, arts and crafts, music and more for children ages five and under. darekids.org

36TH ANNUAL ARTRAGEOUS KIDS ART FESTIVAL

May 10

This free community event with live music, activities and art vendors at Dowdy Park in Nags Head encourages children of all ages to explore their creative sides. darearts.org

COUTURE BY THE SHORE

May 10

Fashion and fundraising unite during this fast-paced musical fashion show and silent auction at Duck Woods Country Club. All proceeds benefit the Outer Banks Relief Foundation. obrf.org

53RD ANNUAL HANG GLIDING SPECTACULAR

May 15 – 18

Watch professional hang gliders compete in the longest-running hang gliding competition in the world during this free and fun event at Jockey’s Ridge. kittyhawk.com

DOWNTOWN MARKET

Saturdays from May 17 to September 13

Buy fresh local fruits, veggies and crafts at this farmers’ market every Saturday in downtown Manteo from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. manteonc.gov

2025 SEASON OF THE LOST COLONY

Beginning May 29

This longest-running outdoor historical drama brings to life the mystery of what happened to the first permanent English settlement attempt right here on the Outer Banks. thelostcolony.org

DARE DAY

June 7

Spend the day celebrating Manteo’s diverse history with music, crafts and food vendors. manteonc.gov

TOWN REPORT

COMPILED

CATHERINE KOZAK

Currituck County

At a January 27 meeting, the Currituck County Board of Commissioners joined its neighboring Outer Banks communities in voting to ban the release of helium balloons. Proponents of the ban have cited the debris risk to marine animals, as well as other animals such as cows or dogs, which can mistake deflated balloon material for food or become entangled. The approved resolution includes a $50 fine for the intentional mass release of balloons.

Duck

After acquiring three parcels of land in December known locally as the Herron property, the Duck Town Council voted 4-0 at its January 8 meeting to declare a house on one of the parcels as surplus and put it up for auction. The motion also approved creating a request for proposals to remove other outbuildings.

The properties are located at 101 and 103 Scarborough Lane and on 1165 Duck Road, with a two-bedroom, one-bathroom Cape Cod-style wooden house, estimated at 1,352 square feet, remaining on the 101 Scarborough Lane parcel. The house, one of the older homes in Duck, was listed for bidding on GovDeals, according to a January 31 post on the town’s website. The winning bidder must move the home at their own expense within 60 calendar days of the auction on February 28. Future use of the acquired properties will be discussed in upcoming town meetings.

Southern Shores

A culvert bridge on Juniper Trail was closed to all traffic on December 9, the town announced on its website. Contractor Smith-Rowe, LLC was hired in November to remove the existing structure and replace it with a cored slab bridge. The 210-day project is slated to be completed by July 2025. In the meantime, a route that bypasses the bridge area must be used by drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.

Kitty Hawk

Construction of a new sidewalk along the west side of U.S. Route 158 has been approved by the NC Department of Transportation, the town of Kitty Hawk announced in January. The collaborative effort is intended to improve safety for walkers and bicyclists, while promoting healthy activities for Kitty Hawk residents and visitors.

“This initiative will enhance pedestrian safety and improve connectivity throughout our beautiful town,” the town stated on social media. The project, supported by the Kitty Hawk Town Council and a grant from the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, is expected to start in the fall of 2025.

Kill Devil Hills

On December 9, Kill Devil Hills commissioners approved a new zoning ordinance that is intended to limit the size of large beachfront houses. The ordinance is the result of a years-long effort to address public concerns about the increasing numbers of event houses on the beach – some with two dozen or more bedrooms – with measures that include limits on density, bulk and parking for single-family residential dwellings.

What’s happening in your town? Here’s a report from all over the Outer Banks.

Nags Head

As proposed in a special-use permit/ site plan amendment, Nags Head commissioners have approved adding five more parcels of land to The Soundside event site on South Croatan Highway. The properties will be added to the town’s approved site plan for the designated public events site. No new buildings are currently being proposed.

The board also approved the construction of exterior infrastructure at the event site, including boardwalks, gazebos, boat slips and 10 pickleball courts. In addition, the board announced that a $500,000 grant has been received from the NC Land and Water Fund for the design and construction of a living shoreline by the event site at the Harvey Public Sound Access. Another $50,000 has been awarded through the Community Conservation Assistance Program toward the construction of a living shoreline project along the Nags Head-Manteo Causeway.

Manteo

At a December 4 meeting, the Manteo Board of Commissioners announced that the town has been chosen to participate in the spring semester of NC State University’s Coastal Dynamic Design Lab. Prior to this announcement, the board, along with the mayor and mayor pro tem, attended a two-day workshop called “Strategic Planning for Small Towns” held by the NC League of Municipalities. In addition to representatives from Manteo, staff from the NC State Coastal Dynamic Design Lab, and Robert Fox with Catalyst Design – who is working on development of the plan – also attended the workshop.

Commissioner Ruth Stetson, speaking in a “Meet Me in Manteo” video on the town website, said that working with the student and professional designers will inform the town in order to provide “an excellent plan reflective of the standards of this community, after receiving your input.”

Dare County

A statewide program focused on making affordable NC housing more accessible has selected Dare County as one of 22 counties chosen to participate. Led by the University of NC at Chapel Hill’s Carolina Across 100 initiative, the “Our State, Our Homes” program brings together experts and resources with community leaders to work on affordable housing challenges in the region. According to a press release, members of the Dare Community Housing Task Force began collaborating with teams from 14 communities representing the 22 counties in January in order to develop innovative, data-driven strategies to address housing issues. The 18-month initiative includes expert coaching and technical assistance, with the goal of helping communities establish actionable strategies to improve housing affordability.

Dare County also held a ribboncutting ceremony in February to celebrate the recent completion of the new Manteo Youth Center on Roanoke Island. Located at 101 N. Highway 64/264 in Manteo, the 4,000-square-foot center, which replaces the county’s former youth center on Roanoke Island, includes a multipurpose room for a variety of activities and events, a game room for recreational use, a classroom for educational programs, and a fully equipped kitchen. It also has an outdoor playground and 15 parking spaces. The 100-person capacity youth center is open to all residents of Dare County, and offers programs for children and teens, including after-school activities and daylong summer camps.

“It was meticulously designed and constructed to ensure that we created a safe, welcoming and modern space where the children within our Dare County community can go to learn, play, grow and explore,” Dare County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bob Woodard said in a statement.

MIXEDMESSAGES

FOR ARTIST TODD HALE, SEEING IS JUST THE FIRST STEP TO BELIEVING.

BY EMMY BENTON

TODD HALE IS AN ANTENNA. Or, at least, that’s how he describes himself as an artist.

“I think of the way I work as being like a receiver for tuning into beautiful, weird things,” says the Richmond, Virginia, native who divides his time between the Outer Banks and his hometown.

Todd moved to the Outer Banks after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in the mid-‘90s and has spent nearly every summer here since then. As a location close enough to family that he can go home when needed, but distant enough to give him a reset, he eventually took his first job out of art school working for a photographer in Duck.

“Next thing you know, I was at the beach living the lifestyle I’d always dreamt of,” Todd says. “I got super hooked very fast, like a lot of people do.”

He branched out over time into doing occasional family portraits before that, too, turned into a fulltime gig – which also became the perfect excuse to continue spending his summers in Nags Head. Now, he says, he’s shifted to doing more art production on the Outer Banks instead of exclusively photography, and he spends much of the winter months running his Richmond-based studio and art gallery – the aptly named Antenna – which he opened in 2019.

Regardless of where he is physically at any given moment, the Outer Banks still provides a creative space where Todd can feel as though he’s in the middle of nowhere – all while being surrounded by plenty of other people who also tend to march to the beat of their own drums, whether they’re year-round residents or just passing by on a week’s vacation.

“I can kind of be a ghost who floats and observes it all,” Todd says. “That’s special. I don’t know many places that are like that.”

The uniqueness of this environment has contributed not only to Todd’s actual art-making process, but also to his sources of inspiration. With an avid curiosity about the natural world that he developed at a young age, Todd likes to think in terms of capturing the essence of organic things rather than simply reproducing images with exact fidelity.

Largely abstract shapes and hues boldly populate many of his works in ways that make closer inspection all but necessary. In one image, a mix of blue and white brushstrokes swirl fluidly against a neon backdrop like an

Works pictured on this spread: Acrylic and paper collage on a 48”x48” wood panel with epoxy resin (2022, far left); acrylic and pastel collage on a 48”x60” wood panel (2022, top middle); acrylic on a 48”-diameter wood panel (2019, bottom middle); 44”-diameter mixed-media sculptural painting (2022, above).

“INSTEAD OF TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING SPECIFIC, I WANT IT TO SPARK YOU TO GO OFF SOMEWHERE ON YOUR OWN.”

- TODD HALE

amorphous creature straining toward the sun, while his collection of colorful tree trunk slices can, with time, reveal themselves as intricately crafted installments made using acrylics and lightweight polystyrene foam.

“Instead of trying to tell you something specific, I want it to spark you to go off somewhere on your own,” Todd explains.

Much of his work is accomplished with a mixed-media artist’s eye for combining mediums and wielding an array of tools in order to produce a host of startlingly original pieces. By utilizing everything from acrylics to watercolors and house paint – much of which he prefers to mix directly on a canvas before implementing various brushstrokes – Todd attempts to alter viewer’s preconceptions with textures and forms that require more than a passing glance to fully appreciate.

“Maybe these abstract things are kind of weird, but they’re not just weird for the sake of it,” Todd says of his affinity for trying to understand – and connect with – the myriad ways people process the world around them. “They can literally help condition you to be more empathetic and friendly and open.”

For Todd, abstract art is largely about giving things equal value without built-up hierarchies of importance. If an image doesn’t fit neatly into traditional ideas, then he believes that it makes people slower to judge and more accepting of the fact that different interpretations can coexist harmoniously.

In this vein, Todd also enjoys juxtaposing seemingly disparate images by physically cutting up his own paintings and rearranging them, or by mixing his sketches with digital media to create one-of-a-kind collages. He’s even begun experimenting recently with artificial intelligence to push the boundaries of his work further with original prompts that he then manipulates until he’s satisfied with the results.

Many of these AI-inspired pieces feature faceless or masked alien-like beings with vintage technology in ambiguously coastal settings – but he tries not to repeat his prompts or make them too specific so that even he can be surprised sometimes by the out-of-this-world places those computer-generated touches can take him.

Other digital media-assisted pieces are the products of some fairly regular internet sleuthing, such as a series of faceless portraits that Todd partially compiled with images he found online. One of these works features the witch from Sleeping Beauty with his own

original painting layered underneath and thin lasers radiating from the center. Kaleidoscopelike patterns flesh out the figure’s outline, as well as an assortment of vivid, eye-arresting pinks and golds.

Like most successful artists, Todd never waits around for inspiration to hit, and there’s an activeness about him that extends well beyond the studio when he’s talking about shattering his comfort zones in search of anything that will help him evolve his ever-growing body of work.

“I can’t really be the judge of my work because it’s so close to me, but I’m definitely persistent,” Todd adds with modesty. “Whether I produce good or bad work might be questionable – but whether I’ve really given it a good try is not.”

Works pictured on this spread: 44”-diameter mixedmedia sculptural painting (2023, far left); artist Todd Hale stands in front of one of his 80”x80” mixed-media sculptural paintings (2022, above left); 18”x24” acrylic on canvas (2019, above right); acrylic and paper collage on a 48”x60” wood panel (2022, bottom).

NORTH CAROLINA’S NO STRANGER TO SWEET WINES – as far back as 1524, Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano was musing about the bottling potential of this region’s native Scuppernong grapevines. But sampling something that sugary doesn’t always appeal to every palate, and as skies turn from snow to springtime showers, many wine enthusiasts find themselves in search of pairings that seem suitably light and fresh.

But true aficionados have to look no further than their local wine shop’s selection of Rieslings for their answer. Though the varietal has a reputation for sweetness that can sometimes cause it to be overlooked, the reality is that Rieslings come in an almost mind-boggling array of styles that run from dry to semi-dry before you get anywhere near the sweet stuff, and their often crisply fruity notes are balanced out with acidity to make them incredibly adaptable when it comes to serving them alongside this season’s culinary go-tos like fresh-tossed salads and delectable seafood dishes. So take a sip – or two. You might just meet your perfect match.

Pictured here: A variety of labels – but all the same varietal. Ranging from dry to sweet, Rieslings can pack a punch or settle in for a softer touch depending on the taste you’re after. “For my money, Riesling is the purest and most versatile of all white wines,” says TRiO Restaurant & Market owner, Kenny Hyman. “It’s a pure expression of place without hiding behind oak or any other means of altering a wine’s profile.” (Photo by Elizabeth Neal.)

St. Christopher Piesporter

Michelsberg Riesling Kabinett

Region: Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

Residual sugars: 40 grams per liter

Alcohol by volume: 8.5%

Style: An off-dry Riesling with plenty of refreshing lemon and lime acidity for added zest

Pairs well with: Just about any rich desert, smoked pork or any dish featuring chilis

Pierre Sparr

Grande Reserve Riesling

Region: Alsace, France

Residual sugars: 5.1 grams per liter

Alcohol by volume: 13%

Style: A light-bodied, relatively dry Riesling with crisp notes of apples and pears

Pairs well with: Lightly dressed or raw seafood, like oysters or a sushi platter

Weingut Stadt Krems

Steinterrassen Riesling

Region: Kremstal, Austria

Residual sugars: 4.4 grams per liter

Alcohol by volume: 12.5%

Style: A juicy dry-style Riesling with flavors ranging from white peach to papaya and passionfruit

Pairs well with: Seafood dishes, particularly white fish and shellfish like crab and lobster

Pacific Rim Dry Riesling

Region: Washington State, U.S.

Residual sugars: 3.6 grams per liter

Alcohol by volume: 12.5%

Style: A lush, dry Riesling with a versatile blend of tasty tropical fruit – and just a hint of spice

Pairs well with: Naturally sweet-tending vegetables like eggplant, or a cheese and charcuterie board

Pikes Hills & Valleys Riesling

Region: Clare Valley, South Australia

Residual sugars: 12.5 grams per liter

Alcohol by volume: 11.5%

Style: A medium-bodied, slightly off-dry Riesling that offers intense citrus aromas and a touch of sweet honey

Pairs well with: Any cream-based sauces, especially spicier ones like Thai curries

Over the MOOn

The many talents of Brian Chung, M.D.

Photos by Cory Godwin / Story by Steve Hanf

OLD SKATEBOARD DECKS line the stairwell of Brian Chung’s home in Southern Shores, a nod to his past life as a professional skateboarder who shredded as a kid in Atlanta and throughout college at the University of California, Berkeley.

Fishing rods, a framed citation for a prized sheepshead and various seascape-inspired artwork decorate his first-floor living space, a testament to an affinity for fishing that eventually brought him to the Outer Banks.

And in one corner of Brian’s living room, a long, narrow workstation highlights the spot where he marries his two passions by building custom fishing rods, many of which feature tailor-made grips crafted from old skateboard decks. It’s a unique bit of artistry from a man who also works as an emergency room physician at the Outer Banks Health hospital.

“There are a lot of guys here who are into fishing and who also skateboard,” Brian says. “It really meshes here – that’s what’s cool about this place.”

Brian has enjoyed both pursuits for much of his life. He was born in South Korea but moved to the Atlanta area at the age of two and grew up there. He started skateboarding at 11, did well in the National

Emergency room doctor, former pro skater and budding artisan Brian Chung drills small circular shapes (pictured bottom right) out of old skateboard decks before sanding them down into decorative fishing rod grips.

Skateboarding Association amateur circuit, and went on to pick up a few paid sponsorships.

Once he was at Berkeley, Brian switched from chemical engineering to pre-med, and eventually made his way back to Atlanta to attend the Morehouse School of Medicine. He was introduced to saltwater fishing during his residency in New York City, and over his 16-year stint as an emergency room doctor in Lexington, South Carolina, Brian fished every chance he got.

After reconnecting with an old skateboarding friend who lived on the Outer Banks, Brian visited the area for the first time in 2022 – and he was instantly hooked. Landing a nearly 12-pound sheepshead on one of his first trips to Oregon Inlet didn’t hurt, and neither did the fact that there was a hospital located right down the road. He took a chance by reaching out, discovered they needed someone in the emergency department, and made his move.

“This place is killer. A lot of people fish, obviously, but there’s also this huge board sport culture with surfers and a ton of skateboarders, too,” Brian says. “For me, it was perfect socially and perfect culturally – I love it.”

Brian started building fishing rods about 10 years ago as a side-hobby, but the inspiration for his latest set of work was born out of his friendship with local skate legend Mikey Weeks.

After admiring Mikey’s epoxy resin countertops and other creations, Brian remembers Mikey coming up with the idea to add a decorative touch to Brian’s rods by making colorful resin grips. That set the wheels turning as Brian wondered if he had any other visually interesting materials handy. Maybe even some repurposed skateboards?

A friend sent him a few old boards to experiment with, and after a little trial and error, Brian came up with a reliable method of drilling small circular holes out of the multilayered decks before gluing those coin-sized pieces together in stacks.

“Then I throw them on a lathe to sand them down, and bore out the center to fit the rod where I want the grip to sit,” Brian adds. “It’s timeconsuming stuff, but the grips come out looking pretty cool.”

He currently has about a dozen fishing rods he needs to build out, each of which take at least 12 hours to perfect – plus an additional three hours for those fitted with recycled skateboard grips. It’s all experimental, he adds, and he’s certainly not trying to make it big in the rod-building world. In fact, for all his accomplishments, Brian exudes an unassuming, easy-going nature, and he has plenty of praise to go around for the craftsmanship of longtime local rod builders like Ryan White.

Still, Brian enjoys what he’s been able to create, and he even had a local outfit create a logo for what he calls his Moon Rods. “My middle name is Moon, and the moon phases are significant in fishing,” he explains. “I’m not really trying to build a brand or anything, but I decided I needed to have a name for it.”

Like the skateboard grips, his logo looks great on the rods. A lot of it is aesthetic, Brian admits, but he also goes to great lengths to make sure that the end product’s ready for long days on the water. And although the work can sometimes go painstakingly slowly, it also provides a nice break from some of his more intense hospital shifts.

“It’s a form of meditation at times,” Brian says thoughtfully. “It can be somewhat repetitive putting the thread on the guides, but when you’re focused on that, then all your other worries and concerns – you can just put those to the side.”

Kitty Hawk Kites

Discover adventure and fun at Ki y Hawk Kites in Manteo! We o er kites, OBX apparel, unique gi s, and exciting outdoor activities such as parasailing, kayaking, dolphin tours, sailboat cruises, walking ghost tours and more! Call us at 1.877.FLY.THIS. Or visit online at ki yhawk.com!

307 Queen Elizabeth Street 1-877-FLY-THIS ki yhawk.com

Untucked

Untucked is the exclusive men's resort retailer on the Outer Banks, bringing fresh brands to traditional coastal a ire.

101 Budleigh Street, Suite E 252-423-3020

Silver Bonsai Gallery

As you enter the island, pop in and enjoy the Outer Banks’ premier gallery of ﬁne art, ﬁne cra , unique gi s, bonsai trees and home to our Modern Heirloom® goldsmithing studio.

Celebrating 25 years.

905 US Hwy 64 252-475-1413 silverbonsai.com

Charlotte’s

Full-service ladies’ boutique specializing in fashions that are traditional with a contemporary ﬂair. Seasonal makeup events with Trish McEvoy and designer trunk shows. Check website for details.

103A Fernando Street 252-473-3078 shopcharlo es.com

The Wheel House Lounge

Located within Outer Banks Distilling, we o er cra ed cocktails featuring Kill Devil Rum. Our bar, nestled within the distillery, is your destination for premium rum cocktails. Explore our distillery gi shop or grab a drink from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., excluding Sundays and Mondays.

510 Budleigh Street

252-423-3011 outerbanksdistilling.com

nest

Distinctive clothing by CP Shades, Frank & Eileen, Juliet Dunn, Wilt and other niche brands. Sophisticated accessories, jewelry and fragrances for you and your home.

Magnolia Lane 252-473-5141 nestobx.com

Sam & Winston

A family-owned lifestyle shop featuring home and garden goods, ﬁne art, books, jewelry, and high-design adornments for ladies, gentlemen, children, and pets.

108 Sir Walter Raleigh Street

252-475-9764 @shopsamandwinston

Poodles & Bob

Your destination for quality dog and cat supplies, healthy treats, durable toys, gi s, and a whole lot more! Now o ering pet grooming services at our sister store Poodles and Bob Spa!

101C Budleigh Street

200 Budleigh Street (Spa)

252-216-8799

poodlesandbob.com

Sleeping In, Ltd.

Apparel for her, including sleepwear. We o er jewelry, handbags, Thymes fragrances, gi s and home textiles.

101B Fernando Street

252-475-1971

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Town of Manteo

Join in the fun this fall with these fabulous town events: Downtown Market (every Saturday, starting May 17), Dare Day (June 7), and the One-Design Rega a (July 27).

407 Budleigh Street

252-473-2133

info@manteonc.gov

Laughing Lollipop

Take a walk down memory lane in this li le mom and pop sweet shop! Birthday parties, ice cream, throwback candies, chocolates, homemade co on candy, fun gummies, bulk candy and more!

101 Budleigh Street

252-473-2579

laughinglollipop.com

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The Tranquil House Inn & 1587 Restaurant & Lounge

Visit the 1587 Restaurant & Lounge, featuring locally sourced dishes that complement the breathtaking views of the bay, and enjoy all that downtown Manteo has to o er.

405 Queen Elizabeth Avenue

252-473-1404

tranquilhouseinn.com

Downtown Books

We’re an independent bookstore - of course we know how to put the right book in the right hands at the right time! Books for all ages. Come celebrate Independent Bookstore Day (Saturday, April 26), and First Friday Book Signings (April 4 and May 2).

103 Sir Walter Raleigh Street

252-473-1056

ducksco age.com

The Complete Set

BY AMANDA MCDANEL

I HAVE A FAVORITE SPOON. I’m not old enough yet to know whether it’s exclusively for soup or ice cream, but I know it’s my favorite. It’s wide and short and round with a tapered cylindrical handle and a good heft to it – much like my body is with age. The spoon feels good in my hand. It supplies ladylike bites to my mouth with poise and refinement, which is particularly useful when I shovel a Duggar family tater tot casserole into my mouth – though I’ve experienced a similar satisfaction when sampling the first taste of my grandpa’s homemade peach ice cream straight from the churn after hand cranking it for hours.

I’ve seen memes going around the internet that articulate a certain feeling my generation’s noticed of transitioning from being young and free and braless one minute to having a preferred stovetop burner the next. It’s true in ways I can’t be bothered to understand. Because here I am, in print, declaring that I do, indeed, have a favorite spoon. But the most interesting part of this story is that I have no idea exactly where the spoon came from.

As a young bride, I attempted to follow the traditional registry path while bucking the system at the same time: My “fine china” was understated white plates from Crate & Barrel (apparently still available today, 15-plus years later – how practical was I?), my flatware came from Amazon, while my daily dishware and specialty serving ware was from The Cottage Shop, which the manager, Susan, meticulously helped me pick out. In the years since, I’ve been through more than 25 assorted Fiestaware

pieces due to the hazards of hosting dinner parties and raising two young children with a dog underfoot.

I am also, now, almost 19 years into my marriage with a favorite spoon that doesn’t match any other utensils in our kitchen drawers. And those drawers aren’t bare: I have no less than eight complete sets of matching flatware (which I pull out for parties to set beside my eight side-notched Pottery Barn appetizer plates and my half-dozen cloth napkins that are still remarkably unmarred from years of Montessori school lunches).

There are other oddities too, now that I think about it: the flat, flimsy fork that may have been a stowaway from an elementary school cafeteria, the serving knife my friend Natalie bugged me about for almost two years after a slightly rowdy, late-night potluck, and a fruitedged plate I swore belonged to a girl named Emily, but she denied it, so it rode shotgun on the front passenger seat floorboard of my car for 10 months while I debated over the actual owner.

More still? Training chopsticks that were once tucked into my oldest daughter’s stocking, which I purchased from an International Mart in Newport News. A stainless-steel Snoopy fork that I clearly remember my grandmother using to spear a Vienna sausage, and that my youngest daughter now adores and must bring in her lunchbox. Every. Single. Day. Not to mention a set of five reusable “Idaho” cocktail picks that I’ve been known to plan an entire menu around only to watch guests quickly resort to scooping up appetizers with their fingers because there’s no reliable way to keep track of said picks.

While I have no idea where I (stole?) gathered this favorite spoon from, I have tried tossing or donating it multiple times. But every time I feel its weight and shape in my hands, I hesitate. It feels strange, not at all like any of the other spoons in the drawer, but also so very familiar. An object, maybe, that represents my age, my spirit, my body, and perhaps even the entire path of my life thus far. A tool to nourish the soul. A steadfast instrument. An object capable of providing comfort to someone of any size, shape, age, religious belief or political stance. Something ordinary, yet unique.

I recently succumbed to the “new year, new you” chatter by participating in a decluttering course that aimed to help me reclaim my time by organizing my life. I slowly worked through the steps until I reached our kitchen drawers, ruthlessly purging a mango cutter, a cherry pitter and a citrus peeler. But when I got to the mismatched silverware compartment, I cradled my lone, favorite spoon and had to pause once again.

Whether it was a fleeting sentimentality, a psychological attachment, or a deeply physical symbol of indescribable comfort, I decided near-instantly that the spoon was not something I had the ability to detach myself from. So back in the drawer it went.

Now, I wait for the day when one of my family members decides to reach for my quietly beloved spoon first. And I wonder: What will my reaction be? Will it be guided by a benevolent heart that sets it free as a symbol of love and growth, or will I snatch that spoon away from any potential interloper with the stern possessiveness of a mother who hasn’t quite managed to eat a solo meal in 14-plus years? The world, sadly, may never know.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

COMPILED BY CATHERINE KOZAK

Homeowners Insurance Rates to Go Up Less Than Proposed

In an agreement with the NC Rate Bureau announced in January, NC Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said that the average statewide base rate for homeowners’ insurance will increase by 7.5% in June 2025, and again by 7.5% in June 2026, rather than the originally proposed average 42.2% statewide increase in one year.

The negotiated agreement prohibits the NC Rate Bureau, which represents homeowners’ insurance companies in the state, from additional efforts to increase rates again before June 1, 2027, Causey said in a press release. Rate increases for coastal areas in Currituck, Dare and Hyde counties is 5.1% for 2025 and 4.8% for 2026. Mainland areas in Currituck, Dare, Hyde and Pamlico counties will see an increase of 2.8% for 2025 and 2.8% for 2026.

Supporting Healthcare for Workers

A partnership between the Outer Banks Restaurant Association (OBRA) and the Community Care Clinic of Dare was announced in January with the goal of making affordable healthcare more accessible to food service workers in Dare County. In a press release, OBRA said it established a dedicated fund that will provide a $250 discount for member restaurants participating in Employees 4 Care, a community clinic program that encourages local employers to donate toward the costs of their uninsured workers’ healthcare services.

“Our employees truly are our most important asset, and we want to make sure they stay happy, healthy and productive,” said OBRA President Andrea Sullivan. The nonprofit Community Care Clinic provides numerous healthcare services to low-income uninsured or underinsured residents regardless of their ability to pay.

Ranking Our Economic Health

The state’s annual economic distress ranking of its 100 counties, released by the NC Department of Commerce on December 2, revealed that Currituck County is ranked at 100, making it the least economically distressed of all of NC’s counties. Dare County, meanwhile, is ranked 79th, and Hyde is ranked at number 21.

Distress-level data is incorporated into a three-level system, first implemented in 2007, for county development tiers that determine state economic development funding opportunities, according to the commerce department’s website. Annual tier rankings are based on the year’s average unemployment rate, the median household income, the per capita adjusted property tax base, and the population percentage growth over the last 36 months.

Two Old Favorites Expand

Two popular Outer Banks food and beverage establishments are debuting expanded locations in 2025. Kill Devil Grill, which opened in 2002 on Virginia Dare Trail in Kill Devil Hills, has opened a sister eatery at the Outer Banks Mall in Nags Head named South of KDG Kitchen + Bar. Both the original and the new locations are owned by the Iconic Restaurant Group.

Front Porch Café owners Laura and Phil Wayland also announced that they acquired the former McDonald’s building located on U.S. Route 158 in Kitty Hawk. The new coffee shop, joining the cafe’s other locations in Manteo, Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills, is expected to open this spring, and it will be the first Front Porch to operate as a drive-through. Former owners Paul Manning and Susannah Sakal opened the original Front Porch Café in Kill Devil Hills in 1999.

New Team to Play Ball

A new collegiate baseball team has been established on the Outer Banks. Starting this summer, the Outer Banks Flying Dutchmen will join teams in the Old North State League (ONSL), a partner of The Players League. Based in NC, The Players League is player-owned and represents a “new and innovative take” on baseball inspired by the 19th-century professional baseball league, according to the ONSL website.

Real Estate MARKET SNAPSHOT

Real estate trends on the Outer Banks reflect the same overall slump in 2024 that is playing out nationwide. But there could be reason for optimism, said the Outer Banks Association of Realtors’ year-end December 2024 MLS Statistical Report.

“According to the National Association of Realtors, 30 year fixed-rate mortgages should stabilize around 6% in 2025,” the report stated, “and if they do, about 6.2 million households can once again be able to afford median-priced homes.”

Compared with the previous year, total home sales in 2024 dropped 3%, condominiums were down 16%, lot/land sales fell 21%, and median sales of condos were down 2%, the report said.

On the other hand, sale prices of single family detached homes were up by 2% and lots/land prices were up 5% in 2024, while lots/land inventory was up 9% and total residential inventory was up by 44%

Photo courtesy of Ryan Moser.

The newly renovated Manteo firehouse (pictured above) is now a private residence, complete with a downstairs garage featuring historical documents and photos related to the station’s past (bottom left) and a spacious twobedroom layout on the second level (bottom right).

Photos by Elizabeth Neal.

IN THE (FIRE) HOUSE

Brenda Shore and Dave Kaiser made the move to North Carolina by design – but they wound up on the Outer Banks specifically after coming across a real estate listing for the town of Manteo’s original fire station.

Completed by laborers with the federal Work Projects Administration (WPA) in 1941 – only two years after a devastating fire reduced most of downtown Manteo to rubble – the old firehouse on Budleigh Street seemed primed for restoration, featuring plenty of material to create the refurbished home of their dreams.

“The good news was that the place looked – from its basic structure – just like it did in 1941,” Brenda says of the couple’s first chance to inspect the site. “Ironically, that was also the bad news.”

With much to be done to make the space inhabitable, Brenda and Dave tackled the renovations while temporarily living nearby in a 300-square-foot RV parked at Beechland Campground. In collaboration with their contractor Paul Creef, they ambitiously replaced the building’s stairs, reworked all the plumbing, and had the electricity fully rewired. They also transformed the building’s top level into a two-bedroom living space, while the station’s bottom level was revamped into a sizeable garage and workspace for their shared hobby of restoring antique cars.

In keeping with their experience reviving antique automobiles, the couple repurposed as much material as possible from the station’s original building. The main exposed beam running through the upstairs loft is the same one that was installed in 1941. A collection of floating shelves, as well as the kitchen’s baker’s island and the garage’s wet bar, were crafted using wood taken from the station’s old attic rafters. They also restored the building’s exterior to mirror the original firehouse, forgoing the Tudor-style façade that was implemented in the early 1980s in favor of a fresh coat of white stucco and an understated hip roof.

The end result of the Budleigh Street property was exactly the industrial modern home Brenda and Dave had imagined. The couple moved in on New Year’s Day of 2024.

Last year, the couple was asked by the Manteo Preservation Trust to participate in the town’s annual Holiday Tour of Homes, which they

agreed to do since funds from tickets would be used to support the nonprofit trust’s ongoing local missions.

Several of their friends and family flew in to help as more than 600 people floated in and out of the space, admiring the couple’s vision alongside numerous framed photos and prints detailing the firehouse’s history – many of which came from a trip the couple made to research historical WPA documents related to the station at the National Archives.

During the open-house holiday tour, Brenda and Dave listened as visitors shared their own personal stories about the old firehouse. Some remembered precisely where they stood during a meeting when the station still doubled as the area’s town hall, while others recalled fathers, grandfathers and cousins who once worked in the garage that now displays an impressive collection of firehouse-related memorabilia, including lists of the firemen who served at the station during its early years.

With the fruits of their hard-won efforts on full display, Brenda and Dave were also able to reflect on the long journey they undertook together – and all the joy it brought them to restore such an important architectural symbol of Manteo’s multilayered past.

“It was an opportunity to bring not only the structure back, but also the story back,” Brenda explains.

Brenda Shore and Dave Kaiser (pictured above) worked hard to create the industrial modern home of their dreams, which showcases thoughtfully curated details like the garage’s reclaimed-wood wet bar (top right), an open-view section of the building’s original 16-inch-thick wall (middle left), and an exposed beam that was salvaged from the station’s build in 1941 (middle right). Photos by Elizabeth Neal.

Congratulations to our 2024 Coldwell Banker International Designation Award Winners!

We couldn’t be prouder of our incredible agents who’ve earned this prestigious recognition. Their ambition, dedication, and stellar sales performance are truly inspiring to all of our agents.

We are the best because our agents are the best!

Congratulations to all our winners on this well-deserved recognition! Congrats!

Super Symbols

FORGET BASICS like the birds and bees (North Carolina’s cardinals and honeybees, respectively); state symbols don’t have to be stuffy. When it comes to things the Tar Heel State treasures most, the title’s the ticket – and these are the official oddities that come out on top.

COMPILED BY AMELIA BOLDAJI

STATE SALAMANDER

Marbled Salamander

Wonder what’s slithering up the side of the new state driver’s license graphics? That, friends, is NC’s official state salamander – specifically of the marbled variety, no less. Not to be confused with NC’s other high-ranking amphibian, the Pine Barrens tree frog (state frog), both species of four-legged vertebrates achieved their formal status in 2013 thanks to a plucky campaign on their behalf that was led by Raleigh-area teenager Rachel Hopkins.

STATE MINERAL Gold

When 12-year-old Conrad Reed found a strangely shaped 17-pound nugget on his Cabarrus County family farm in 1799, he had no idea that he’d essentially precipitated the U.S.’s first true gold rush – in fact, the family reportedly used it as a doorstop for several years before taking it to a jeweler. From 1803 to 1828, however, NC was the nation’s only gold-producing state, and NC stayed above the curve until California got in the game in 1848.

STATE TREE Pine

Try to follow along here: While NC is sometimes known as the “land of the longleaf pine,” state legislators (perhaps wisely?) chose not to enter the debate over which pine exactly reigned supreme. With eight species of NC native pines to pick from, they instead refrained from designating any single species –which has left a little confusion for residents ever since the vague “pine” designation went on the books in 1963.

STATE FOLK ART

Whirligigs

Carolina Tartan

After Wilson County resident Vollis Simpson began crafting giant windmills he called “whirligigs” at the age of 65, it never occurred to him to call himself an artist – much less that his work would eventually populate a dedicated park and museum in his honor, along with a 2013 declaration that his whirligigs (specifically) would be adopted as the official folk art of NC. Just goes to show that it’s never too late to find your true calling.

In the 1700s a substantial wave of Scottish immigrants settled around NC’s Cape Fear River and into the Appalachian Mountains – the latter of which boasted land grants for veterans who fought with the colonies in the American Revolutionary War. In celebration of that heritage, a distinct pattern inspired by ribbons worn by King Charles II during his 1661 nuptial vows was designed in 1981, and adopted as NC’s official tartan 10 years later –with South Carolina following suit in 2002.

STATE ART MEDIUM Clay

Although red clay is plentiful in central NC, it was the rarer white clay deposits tucked away in the western NC mountains that first caught the attention of British manufacturers like Wedgwood during the 1700s. Dubbed “Cherokee Clay” by early speculators, the costs associated with shipping NC clay to England eventually squashed further international enterprises, but indigenous potters got their due when the medium was formally recognized by the state in 2013.

Move over Pepsi and Cheerwine – NC’s got milk! And quite a bit of it, actually. When the frothy beverage won the state title in 1987, NC was producing around 179 million gallons of milk each year, and the region’s primarily family-owned and operated dairy farms still churn out a respectable average of around 105 million gallons annually to this day. But we’re not wholly original – of the 30 U.S. states with a designated drink, 22 of them chose milk.

STATE DOG

Plott Hound

As the only officially recognized dog breed developed in NC, Plott hounds are strikingly proficient hunters that trace their ancestry back to German Hanoverian Scenthounds, which were primarily used to take down wild boar. After the Plott family immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1700s, they made their way to western NC where they bred these noble canines over several generations – and finally got their hat tip from the NC General Assembly in 1989.

STATE TARTAN

Center Stage

We asked an expert for foolproof tips on staging your home.

BY MAGGIE MCNINCH

WHETHER YOU’RE MOVING OUT

simply want to make the most of what you’ve got, professional home staging doesn’t have to be all about the dollar signs. For interior designer Leanne Cargill of the Outer Banks company, Site to Sea, there are certainly upsides for motivated sellers to use staging as a deliberate marketing strategy, but even long-term homeowners and renters can employ many of the same strategies for a quick spring refresh.

Don’t Add – Subtract!

The biggest obstacle that Leanne often sees is perhaps unsurprising: There’s just too much stuﬀ. Piles of knickknacks and overcrowded wall space can instantly make even a spacious room feel small and cluttered –and there’s a reason why virtually every spring-cleaning guideline suggests decluttering as a first line of attack.

Play Nice with Neutrals

Bold is brave – but it can also be a red flag. Colors matter, particularly in older homes, and specific paint colors like burgundies, deep purples, bright greens and yellows can tend to turn people off…especially in coastal areas. If you’re lucky enough to have water views, those colors can appear extra harsh, so try painting with a paler palette that accents the natural environment.

Think Happy Thoughts

No matter what, there’s likely something you still love about your home, and it might be time to capitalize on that. Maybe it’s your natural lighting, which you can emphasize by shifting furniture or other objects away from any windows. Or perhaps it’s your hardwood floors, which just need a bit of tidying to truly shine –however you look at it, seeing more of something that makes you smile is never a bad thing.

Try Tactile Touches

Look, and do touch, please! While too many decorative pillows and blankets can become overwhelming, a few tasteful ones in a variety of different textures can make a home feel cozy and welcoming – the sort of place you want to dive into and stay awhile. Beds are terrific focal points for this treatment, too, since having a soft sanctuary is the best recipe for sweet dreams.

Supercharge Your Senses

When Leanne works with clients during the annual Outer Banks Parade of Homes, she always remembers to tuck a diffuser in her bag of tools. To tempt homebuyers, she maintains, you should consider sweet scents like baking cookies, but for more temporary guests (or just yourself!) you should aim for something more subtle, like the whiff of a high-end resort.

Lastly, a Reminder

“It doesn’t have to be expensive,” Leanne adds. “You don’t have to remodel and get all new furniture. You can take what you have and make it beautiful.”

Rescue To the

Destroying old cars isn't just fun. It keeps the Kitty Hawk Fire Department ready to respond to emergencies on our roads.

by Cory Godwin Story by Steve Hanf

Asfirefighters converge on the crumpled car, tug on the misshapen doors and peer inside, they see someone trapped behind the wheel, unresponsive.

It’s time to get to work.

Soon, the sounds of shattering glass, groaning metal and snapping plastic fill the air as the firefighters pull out all the stops. There are some notable absences to this scene, however – no flashing lights or screaming sirens, no calls for help. And there are also some unusual additions, like pauses to talk about best practices and plenty of friendly banter.

That’s because this isn’t your typical accident scene: It’s a practice session for Kitty Hawk Fire & Rescue at its extrication training yard just down the road from Fire Station 13. The car in question was donated as scrap by a local resident and the “person” stuck inside is actually the department’s adult-sized “Rescue Randy” dummy.

While fire department crews across the Outer Banks are perhaps best known for putting out blazes and racing to oceanside emergencies, they also respond to all of the area’s car accidents. Though fender-benders are perhaps the most common incidents, some of the more serious crashes can lead to drivers and passengers either being trapped or pinned inside, which is why Kitty Hawk makes sure its firefighters are trained in extrication methods.

“We all have to be good at extrications,” Kitty Hawk Deputy Chief Jasper Rogers says. “If you’re going to ride on the firetruck and be an asset to us, you have to know how to go about it. We have a firefighter out here today, it’s his first year, and he’s doing great.”

That would be Emory Norred, who manhandles a giant hydraulic rescue tool known as the “jaws of life” into position under the watchful eyes of Chief Joe Case. For this training exercise, the test vehicle is upright and the hydraulic claw is being used to bend the side frame back in order to make prying the door off a bit easier.

Extricating comes with plenty of perils for the rescuers themselves. Vehicles on their sides or upside down must first be stabilized, for instance, to ensure they don’t tip over on the crew members as they work. Their powerful hydraulic jaw and the 10,000 pounds of pressure it packs per square inch can pin a firefighter’s hand, arm or body against a vehicle if the angle isn’t quite right, and there’s always the possibility that leaking fuel or electric batteries can ignite at a crash scene.

The list goes on, and that’s why they train, both locally and at special sessions where they can practice more atypical scenarios with school buses or other extra-large vehicles. When it comes to emergencies his department responds to, Chief Case classifies extrications as low frequency – but high risk.

“When we have stuff that we don’t do all the time, more can go wrong, which is why training is important,” Case says. “It’s important to be proficient for when it does happen.”

Deputy Chief Rogers explains that when crews report to an accident scene, the first thing they figure out is the condition of the people trapped inside the vehicle.

“If you’re in a pickle, and you need help right away, we’re going to make quick moves to get you out,” he says. “But if you’re okay, and you just can’t

Photos

From stabilizing a training vehicle to removing jammed doors and practicing the safe removal of a life-sized rescue dummy, firefighters with the Kitty Hawk station pull out all the stops when it comes to being prepared for any type of roadside emergency.

get free, that’s when we grab our cutters and spreaders and cut you out of the car.”

Oftentimes, the biggest challenge at an accident scene is stabilizing the vehicle so it’s safe to work on. The car being cut up during this particular training session was only used beforehand to practice stabilization techniques, which Rogers says he enjoys making as challenging as possible.

“Sometimes it gets silly because it’s like, ‘We’re never going to see this,’ and I say, ‘I know, but if you’re going to get out of this, you’re going to have to use your brain,’” Rogers explains. “That’s just going to give you another tool in your toolbox.”

The fact that every extrication is unique is what makes them so challenging – and it’s also why practice is so invaluable.

The training sessions happen regularly while Case and Rogers keep a close eye on their crews’ performances. Every time an official extrication takes place, the logistics of it are also scrutinized afterwards to see if there’s room for improvement –including a recent procedure that went slower than preferred. Once Rogers and Case dug into the “why” of that, however, they felt satisfied with the process – no extra training required.

“They were having difficulty with the hood. They wanted to secure the battery because the airbag hadn’t deployed in the steering wheel, and they didn’t want it exploding,” Rogers says of that particular scenario. “And the patient was stable, so they took care of that first. If the patient was in bad shape, they would have had to get straight in and run the risk. Sometimes you have to roll the dice to save the patient.”

The fact that every extrication is unique is what makes them so challenging – and it’s also why practice is so invaluable. To keep up with these needs, the department maintains a fleet of vehicles to train on. In the yard amid several cars in various stages of demolition and other equipment sits a Hyundai Sonata that’s virtually unrecognizable after being sliced and diced during several successive training sessions. It’s just about time for that one to be picked up by a towing company, which will sell it for scrap.

Some of the cars the department uses for training come directly from those same towing companies after an accident. In cases when an insurance company writes off a totaled vehicle and isn’t interested in spending the money to have it transported and junked, local towing companies often let the department borrow the vehicle for a while before removing the remains.

Other cars are donated by area residents who just want to give their dead vehicle one last spark of useful life. Sometimes they’ll even ask to see their car get beat up during a training session.

“We have an association that’s a 501(c)(3), so you can get a tax write-off,” Rogers adds. “It’s pretty easy to donate a car for the cause.”

And it’s certainly a worthy one. As with any first responder, firefighters would much rather spend their time training for the worst rather than see someone stuck in a volatile real-life situation out on the road. But when those calls do come, the training kicks in, and they spring into action – with all that friendly banter left back at the station.

But the training? That’s the fun part.

“Oh yeah, they love it. I mean, who doesn’t want to play with the jaws of life?” Rogers says with a laugh. “When we’re at the schools for fire prevention week, we always show kids the jaws of life because that’s one of the things they know about. They think of a fire department and they’re like, ‘Firefighters…and the jaws of life.’”

SUN SALUTATIONS

Beach Realty & Construction

Beach Realty Recognizes Ilona Matteson as 2024 Agent of the Year Beach Realty & Construction / Kitty Hawk Rentals names Ilona Matteson the 2024 Agent of the Year. This is the seventh time that Ilona has earned this coveted award since 2012. Her knowledge of the local market, industry trends and superior negotiating skills combine to offer her clients a comprehensive customer-focused experience. Along with her successful career in real estate sales, Ilona offers training and coaching to the sales team at Beach Realty & Construction. Call Ilona at (252) 619-5225 or ilonamatteson@gmail.com.

Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty

Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty Names Brook Sparks Agent of the Year

Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty is pleased to announce that Brook Sparks is the 2024 top-producing agent for the firm. Brook led the firm in total closed units and sales volume, along with being the top listing agent for the year. Brook also earned the prestigious 2024 Coldwell Banker International President’s Elite Award, ranking her in the top 2% of all Coldwell Banker agents worldwide and Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty’s only agent to achieve this status in 2024. “To receive the Agent of the Year Award is not just an incredible honor, it’s a reflection of the trust and dedication built with each client. This award is the tangible result of my commitment to raising the bar in an industry that is ever-evolving and changing,” Brook says. Brook can be reached at (252) 619-7082 or brooksparks@cbseaside.com.

VanderMyde Group Earns Team of the Year for the Eighth Consecutive Year

Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty is pleased to announce that the VanderMyde Group is the firm’s top-producing team for 2024. This award is based on 2024 production, and for the eighth year in a row, the team led in listings, closings and sales volume. The team also earned the 2024 Coldwell Banker International President’s Circle Award, ranking them in the top 11% of all medium-sized teams worldwide. The team consists of team leader Heather VanderMyde and team members Kiirsten Farr, Will Gregg, Trish Berruet, Kasey Rabar and team assistant Saksa Zivkovic. “I’m honored to accept the

Team of the Year Award for the eighth consecutive year. This incredible achievement is a testament to the hard work, dedication and passion of our amazing team,” says Heather. “Thank you to our clients for your trust and support, and to Coldwell Banker for this prestigious recognition.” Heather can be reached at (252) 202-2375 or hvandermyde@gmail.com.

Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty Names the Sakers Team the Team of the Year, Kitty Hawk Location

For the fourth year in a row, Heather Sakers along with team members Ann Taylor Lusk and Charles Gill, have earned the 2024 top-producing team award for the Kitty Hawk office. This award is based on closed sales volume for 2024. Heather Sakers was also the top-producing team member of all team members for the year, while the team earned the 2024 Coldwell Banker International President’s Circle Award, ranking them in the top 11% of all medium-sized teams worldwide. “My team and I made it a point in 2024 to have more in-depth conversations with our clients to get to the real heart of their goals and dreams, and we plan to continue that in 2025,” Heather says. Heather can be reached at (252) 599-6814 or heather@cbseaside.com.

Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty Names Melissa Morgan Agent of the Year, Kill Devil Hills Location

Melissa Morgan has earned the 2024 top-producing agent award for the Kill Devil Hills office. This is the second year in a row Melissa has earned this award, which is based on sales volume. Melissa has also earned the 2024 Coldwell Banker International Diamond Society Award, ranking her in the top 8% of all Coldwell Banker agents worldwide. “I am honored to receive this prestigious award. I am grateful to my clients, family and friends for their unwavering trust and support in my real estate journey on the Outer Banks. The most rewarding part of my job is seeing family and friends become clients – and clients become lifelong friends,” Melissa says. Melissa can be reached at (252) 202-5636 or melissa@cbseaside. com.

Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty Names Joanna Kane Agent of the Year, Elizabeth City Location

Joanna Kane is the 2024 top-producing agent for the Elizabeth City office. Joanna works both the Elizabeth City and Outer Banks market. She led in sales volume for the Elizabeth City office and was also the leader in closed units for the Kill Devil Hills office. Joanna is also the recipient of the Coldwell Banker International Sterling Award, ranking her in the top 12% of all Coldwell Banker agents worldwide. “I am so grateful to my clients for making 2024 such a successful year!” Joanna says. Joanna can be reached at (252) 333-9442 or joannakaneobx@gmail.com.

SUN SALUTATIONS

Joe Lamb, Jr.

Joe Lamb, Jr. Acknowledges Agents Shelley O’Grady and Bobby Williams

Outer Banks native Shelley O’Grady has more than a decade of real estate experience. With a focus on exceptional service and communication, she’s dedicated to helping clients achieve their buying or selling goals. Contact Shelley at shelley@joelambjr. com or (252) 261-7721.

With more than 40 years of Outer Banks experience, Bobby is your go-to expert for buying or selling property. His deep knowledge, transparency and strong negotiation skills ensure a seamless real estate experience. Contact Bobby at bwilliams@joelambjr. com or (252) 261-7721.

Southern Shores Realty

Southern Shores Realty Names Mike Ross Agent of the Year

For the 16th time, Mike Ross, associate broker for Southern Shores Realty, has earned the company’s Agent of the Year award. Mike has been an integral part of real estate on the Outer Banks since 1987, and feels that focus, commitment and dedication are the keys to achievement. Mike specializes in dealing with real estate needs on the Outer Banks, and is the recipient of many sales awards, a graduate of the Realtor Institute, and an accomplished multi-million-dollar producer year after year. Contact Mike, the 16-time Agent of the Year award recipient, today at (252) 261-2000.

Southern Shores Realty Names Rachel Neal Agent of the Month

Southern Shores Realty offers congratulations to Rachel Neal, the Agent of the Month for January 2025. Rachel’s passion and her unwavering commitment to excellence have made her a true asset to the Southern Shores Realty team. Give Southern Shores Realty a call at (252) 261-2000, or visit southernshores.net for more details.

Sun Realty

Sun Realty Announces Agents of the Month for the Fourth Quarter of 2024

Richard Hess earned the top spot in the company for the month of October. Richard made the Outer Banks his home more than 30 years ago, and he quickly became a leader in the real estate and business community. Richard will go the extra mile to help you achieve your goals of home ownership or investment. You can find Richard at the Sun Realty Kill Devil Hills office or call him directly at (252) 256-2112.

Earning Agent of the Month honors for November was Michelle Smith. Providing exceptional service to either buyers or sellers, Michelle goes above and beyond for each transaction. If you are considering moving to the Outer Banks area, she would be happy to connect with you and provide you details to help you become our neighbor! You can reach Michelle at (757) 286-8884.

December Agent of the Month honors went to Madonna and Michael VanCuren. The M&M Team believes that “When old fashioned service counts, count on us!” As Sun Realty’s Agent of the Year a whopping 17 times, whether buying or selling, the M&M Team is here for you. They attribute their success to old-fashioned hard work, a devotion to their profession, and unprecedented service to their customers. You can reach Michael and Madonna at (252) 202-6702.

Paul Sabadash Earns Agent of the Year, 2024

The Sun Realty Agent of the Year for 2024 was recently awarded to Paul Sabadash. Paul moved to the Outer Banks in 1988 and has been providing excellent results for buyers and sellers ever since. He works out of the Sun Realty Corolla office and primarily focuses on the northern beach areas. You can reach Paul at (252) 722-3120.

Twiddy & Company

Aaron Saunders Joins Twiddy & Company Premier Sales Team

The Twiddy & Company Premier Sales family warmly welcomes Aaron Saunders to the team. Aaron will be working out of the Corolla office, bringing his expertise and passion for real estate to help clients achieve their Outer Banks dreams. You can reach Aaron at asaunders@twiddy.com or (252) 599-0103.

Twiddy & Company Premier Sales Acknowledges Ashley Ladd

Ashley Ladd consistently goes above and beyond for her clients, whether they’re buying their dream home or selling their cherished property. With unmatched local knowledge, top-tier negotiation skills, and a commitment to delivering outstanding results, Ashley has built a reputation for excellence. Her passion for helping clients navigate the complexities of the market with ease is truly inspiring. Contact Ashley today at aladd@twiddy.com or (919) 592-7346.

Jason Summerton Achieves More than $29 Million in Sales in 2024

Twiddy & Company Premier Sales gives huge congratulations to Jason Summerton on yet another outstanding year. As the top-producing agent in the 4x4 area for an impressive 15th consecutive year, Jason has achieved more than $29 million in sales in 2024 alone. His unmatched expertise, dedication and ability to provide peace of mind to his clients – whether buying or selling – are what set him apart. Contact Jason today at jasonsummerton@twiddy.com or (252) 202-0105.