OUTER BANKS MILEPOST: ISSUE 10.2

wtf? free

Issue 10.2

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startingpoint roadmap WHAT THE F#@K DO WE HAVE HERE? It’s a bonafide “chill pill.” A first-of-itskind medical breakthrough, complete with a clipping path. So grab some scissors, cut it out and put a copy in your purse, pocket or wallet. Because we’re 100 percent positive you’re gonna need one this summer.

Probably sooner than you expect.

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We all are.

In one corner, you’ve got a tourism community crying “Uncle!” In the other, a visitor invasion screaming, “Outta the way, mofos, it’s memory-making time!”

Quite soon we’ll meet face-to-face.

Whether it’s through pleasant smiles or gritted teeth will be entirely up to how we choose to behave as civilized humans.

At press time, we’re officially 14 months into the pandemic. A bizarre mix of the most restrictive, people-stuck-indoors-goingbroke-while-businesses-fail-and-peopledie situation for much of the country, and simultaneously — surreally — a holy-smokes-where’d-thesepeople-come-from-we’re-doingJuly-numbers-in-January free-forall for the whole Outer Banks.

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And those two totally opposed worlds are about to collide in dramatic fashion.

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Meanwhile, the average visitor is pent up and ready to party like its 2019. Anxious to see every site, do every tour, hop every bar — or just eat dinner in a nice restaurant instead of their living room. And they’re paying a pretty penny to do it. (Airbnb price gouge anyone?)

Whatever it is — pull out our “chill pill” and imagine you’re kicked back on the beach, cold one in hand, not a care in the world.

And as you embrace your better mood, maybe try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes.

Consider that maybe your cranky hostess has worked three straight doubles and just got chewed out for refilling a Pepsi instead of iced tea. Or that the tour guide just spent two hours pointing out every pileated woodpecker — and got totally stiffed by the worst species of cheapskates.

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Local businesses used to utilizing the offseason for a much-needed recharge by traveling for a month — or at least slowing down for a minute — have had neither. Instead, they’ve been working non-stop since last May, many for the first time ever. Often with half the help and twice the headaches. And they’re only getting more overwhelmed with each passing shift.

Maybe it’s the 12-top that comes in five minutes before closing — then gripes that they’re sitting under the AC. Maybe it’s the hostess who huffs as she puts down the mop to push together three tables. Could be the family in the fast lane who can’t crack 35mph, the beach blanket Bluetooth booming “WAP,” the tour guide who halfheartedly mumbles, “I think it’s an osprey” at every bird.

“

“OUTTA THE WAY, MOFOS, IT’S MEMORYMAKING TIME!”

And that’s where this little helper comes into play. So make sure it’s handy for the next stressful moment when you’re ready to snap.

On the flip side, it could be that your customer’s beach week’s been a bit of a bust. Maybe their spouse has been shouting directions for seven hours straight.

They’ve got a bad back — and a busted hot tub. They’re ten grand in the hole. And we all know what Aunt Edna turns into after cocktail number three.

THE ORIGINAL Since the 60’s

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Better yet, pretend this pill is the miracle cure. The world’s first empathy-inducer and mood enhancer, capable of instilling both complete understanding and mind numbing bliss. Or, at the very least, think of it as a metaphor for every negative feeling. Then swallow it and smile without saying a word.

And in an hour or so, we promise you‘ll feel better. — Matt Walker

southern shores crossing Thank you for reading Outer Banks Milepost. We hope you enjoy it. If not — before chucking this issue in the nearest dumpster — please consider one of the following equally satisfying ways of expressing your disgust: take a black sharpie and graffiti each page of profanities; stuff the whole damn thing in your kid’s mouth the next time they scream, “F#@k!” Or simply toss it on that six-month stack of newspapers you’ve yet to recycle. (Trust us, you’ll feel better.) Then, send any and all feedback — positive, negative or just plain confused — to: editor@outerbanksmilepost.com. We promise to find some way to re-purpose them.

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“The unexamined life is not worth living.” — Socrates “Curses!” — Snidely Whiplash

Issue 10.2 Summer 2021 Cover: Over the Limit.

Photo: Daniel Pullen

Reader You Brushes & Ink Carnell Boyle, John Butler, George Cheeseman, Marcia Cline, Carolina Coto, Kim Cowen, Cloey Davis, Michael J. Davis, Fay Davis Edwards, Mary Edwards, Laine Edwards, Marc Felton, Travis Fowler, Adriana Gomez-Nichols, Amelia Kasten, Chris Kemp, Nathan Lawrenson, Dave Lekens, Alex Lex, Tim Lusk, Ben Miller, Dawn Moraga, Ben Morris, Holly Nettles, Rick Nilson, Holly Overton, Stuart Parks II, Charlotte Quinn, Willow Rea, Meg Rubino, Shirley Ruff, Noah Snyder, Janet Stapelman, Alyse Stewart, Kenneth Templeton, Stephen Templeton, George Tsonev, Bri Vuyovich, Christina Weisner, John Wilson, Mark Wiseman, Mike Zafra Lensfolk Nate Appel, Matt Artz, Chris Bickford, Russell Blackwood, Don Bower, Aycock Brown, Mark Buckler, Jon Carter, Garnette Coleman, Rich Coleman, Marc Corbett, Kim Cowen, Chris Creighton, Mere Crockett, Jason Denson, Amy Dixon, Susan Dotterer Dixon, Lori Douglas, Julie Dreelin, Tom Dugan/ESM, Roy Edlund, Bryan Elkus, Ben Gallop, Cory Godwin, Chris Hannant, Katie Harms, Bryan Harvey, David Alan Harvey, Ginger Harvey, Bob Hovey, Biff Jennings, Jenni Koontz, Mike Leech, Anthony Leone, Jeff Lewis, Jared Lloyd, Matt Lusk, Ray Matthews, Brooke Mayo, Mickey McCarthy, Nic McLean, Roger Meekins, D. Victor Meekins, Richard L. Miller, Dick Meseroll/ESM, David Molnar, Rachel Moser, Ryan Moser, Elizabeth Neal, Rob Nelson, Candace Owens, Anne Snape Parsons, Crystal Polston, Daniel Pullen, Ryan Rhodes, Terry Rowell, Cyndi Goetcheus Sarfan, Katie Slater, Tom Sloate, Wes Snyder, Aimee Thibodeau, Ed Tupper, Eve Turek, Chris Updegrave, Dan Waters, Kati Wilkins, Cyrus Welch, Jay Wickens Penfolk Ashley Bahen, Madeline Bailey, Sarah Downing, Laura Gomez-Nichols, Jim Gould, Steve Hanf, Dave Holton, Sarah Hyde, Catherine Kozak, Katrina Leuzinger, Hannah Lee Leidy, Dan Lewis, Terri Mackleberry, Fran Marler, Matt Pruett, Mary Ellen Riddle, Arabella Saunders, Corinne Saunders, Sandy Semans, Shannon Sutton, Kip Tabb, Hannah West, Clumpy White, Sharon Whitehurst, Natalie Wolfe, Michele Young-Stone Pointing/Clicking Jesse Davis Sales Force Laurin Walker Big Mouth In Chief Matt Walker Blame It All On Suite P Inc. PO Box 7100 • KDH, NC 27948 Office: 252-441-6203 • Sales: 949-275-5115 POP-UP

editor@outerbanksmilepost.com • sales@outerbanksmilepost.com

SHOP

Outer Banks Milepost is published quarterly (sorterly) by Suite P Inc. All contents are the property of Suite P Inc. and do not reflect the opinion of advertisers or distributors. Nor do their contents reflect that of the creative types (who would never, ever sell out). Comments, letters and submissions are usually welcome. Please include SASE for return delivery of all snail mail, however, Milepost and Suite P Inc. still aren’t responsible for any unsolicited materials. And don’t expect much else to move much faster than IST (Island Standard Time). Oh yeah: if you reprint a lick of this content you’re ripping us off. (Shame on you.) To discuss editorial ideas, find out about advertising or tell us we blew it – or just find out what the waves are doing – call 252-441-6203 or email: editor@outerbanksmilepost.com; sales@outerbanksmilepost.com.

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Sanctuary Vineyards in Jarvisburg 7005 Caratoke Hwy., Jarvisburg, NC 252-491-2387

www.outerbanksmilepost.com

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“Mujer Del Mar”

By Willow Rea www.wilowarestudio.com

03 StartingPoint

Your summer script is ready for pick-up.

06 UpFront Future hazards, vintage busts, and Billy flexes.

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20 GetActive Step up to sexual predators.

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22 QuestionAuthority Meet the man running our red light district.

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24 L ife Saver Every day, Daniel Pullen preserves a different piece of Hatteras Island.

Homemade Ice Cream Milkshakes Vegan Options Pints To Go & More.

MP 8.8 on the Beach Road, KDH

36 GraphicContent What’s in a silly name?

38 WTF? We answer seven of summer’s strangest head-scratchers.

54 FoodDrink Beach blanket bon appétit.

57 ArtisticLicense Jimmie Lee Brooks steps into a new role.

58 SoundCheck Long-lasting Formula.

61 OutThere Stop buggin.’

62 EndNotes Putting the “when” in WTF.

“Timeless is my favorite kind of thing to paint. Something where you have no idea when it took place. Like, this swimsuit style could be 1960 — or right now. I have all these old clothes that are in no condition to donate, so I’ve begun incorporating them into my art. The color print came from a couple yards of deadstock fabric my grandma gave me. The feel and the way it’s faded makes me want to say it’s much older than myself — but cut-up, they could be some new surf trunks. The lace is from a vintage shirt that I loved so much I wore it out; now it’s perfect for making waves, because it folds and the sheerness captures the layers of spray. And it’s not just the cloth. Even the canvas is a piece of repurposed wood. So it’s like time is moving but also staying still.” — Willow Rea

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upfront soundcheck WE’RE ALL DOOMED

Before you sentence the Outer Banks to a watery grave, you might wanna check your own hometown’s climate change forecast. getactive The Outer Banks made national news again on March 16. This time it was a New York Times piece framing Avon’s beach nourishment debate as a cautionary tale for America’s coastal communities — with requisite shots of sand-buried highway and sandbagged homes. About two weeks earlier, there was an article warning about how climate change threatens the 30-year mortgage. Unsurprisingly, it was illustrated by every photographers’ favorite Horrible Eroded Beachfront — Seagull Lane in South Nags Head.

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And so it goes. Every few months, some major news outlet does an “end is nigh” take on coastal towns, where some Outer Banks image is the poster child for foolhardy residents who refuse to “retreat” before it’s too late. As if only an idiot would choose to live so close to the edge of destruction. Rarely do they include context about the breadth of climate-related challenges that threaten every corner of America in years to come. Many of them densely populated places where the consequences are even more grave.

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Think New Jersey and Florida’s millions of beachside residents are gonna come out bone dry? And, as Grist magazine noted in a Nov. 2018 article analyzing the 4th National Climate Assessment, the Northeast will see the highest rise in temperature (3.6 degrees by 2035) and highest rate of ocean warming — where sea level rise will affect zillions of dollars of infrastructure in Boston and, yes, Manhattan. (Not mere billions like here in Dare County.)

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Why “retreat,” if you’re hopping out of the frying pan and into the fire — or just to a different frying pan?

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“Here’s the thing,” Grist says. “Not all regions in the US are going to experience climate change in the same way. Your backyard might suffer different climate consequences than my backyard.”

Since 1980, NOAA says, there have been 285 weather and climate billion-dollar disasters, totaling $1.875 trillion.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there were an “unprecedented” 22 disasters in 2020 that each cost $1 billion or more. Damages totaled $95 billion for all 22 events, which included hailstorms, drought/heatwave, a derecho, and other “severe weather,” like wildfires, tornados, and a record number of tropical storms and hurricanes.

Meanwhile, numerous scientific studies show that nearly every region in the U.S. will experience negative changes: shorter winters, less ice and snowpack, more mosquitoes and invasive and destructive species, altered animal migration and breeding patterns, more tropical diseases, more stress on farm crops, more algal blooms in waterways, more drought.

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GET OUTSIDE!

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In North Carolina alone, river towns already see increased flooding, and cities will soon feel like an oven. In Asheville, the risk of wildfires is increasing at the wildlands-urban interface.

And as the 4th National Climate Assessment says, “Over the next 80 years, the state can expect…increasingly hot nights, and more days with dangerous heat and extreme rainfall unless the global increase in heat-trapping gases is stopped.”

So where else to go? Not the West Coast. In California, the risk of earthquakes, tsunamis, and blizzards has been temporarily outweighed by severe drought, landslides and horrific wildfires.

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And in Washington State, there are at least five volcanoes with a “high” or “very high” threat of erupting: Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams. (And yes, climate change leads to increased volcanic activity. A study published in the journal Geology in Nov. 2017 says that pressure from glaciers help keeps the flow of magma below the earth’s surface.)

Kansas? Stay away, Toto. Tornado risk is increasing across the Midwest as the season is starting earlier than before, and twisters are occurring more frequently in the colder months; plus, changes in the jet stream favor more severe thunderstorms.

SINCE 1980, NOAA SAYS, THERE HAVE BEEN 285 BILLIONDOLLAR DISASTERS.

In the Southwest, warming trends have created an alarming streak of aridity, resulting in reduced flow in the major rivers, which could lead to not only “dust bowl” conditions, scientists warn, but also depletion of fresh water supplies and fried agricultural lands and forests.

Even day-to-day life will be more difficult due to “extreme heat,” with some cities likely to become unlivable by the end of the century. (In 2020, Phoenix had 29 days of extreme heat —112 degrees or more — with July and August being the two hottest months ever recorded in the city, according to the National Weather Service.)

Meanwhile, the Southeast can expect as many as 100 more warm nights — where sweltering heat and humidity will lessen the tolerance for heat during the day, according to Grist. As a result, billions of dollars in labor hours will be lost every summer. The warmer ocean will also mean more intense and longer-lasting tropical storms, heavier and more frequent rainstorms and changes in fisheries.

Why not head north for cooler climes? Even though 20 of the hottest years on record happened in the last 22 years, weather experts note that the warmer atmospheric conditions hold more moisture, which will eventually fall as rain or snow. (Remember 2010’s

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“Snowmageddon” and 2016’s “Snowzilla,” which hit the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast?)

The Midwest’s Arctic deep freeze in 2019 and Houston’s freak winter storm earlier this year can also be blamed on changes in the jet stream around the Arctic. And although studies are not yet definitive, scientists say there are indications that climate change has made avalanches more of a risk, likely because the snowpack is weakened by the fickleness of winter weather.

Even the places that get points for being resistant to climate change — such as Duluth, Minnesota and Buffalo, New York — have their own issues that make moving unrealistic.

Duluth, a port town on Lake Superior, is still transitioning from its industrial past. And Buffalo, on the other hand, is, well…Buffalo. And neither is prime real estate for a transplanted coastal town. (Not gonna open too many beach themed restaurants, or harvest too many bushels of blue crabs in either spot.)

That’s not to say that the Outer Banks doesn’t have issues. We’ve been terrorized by 110 mph winds and walls of water. Our yards are routinely flooded for months on end. The ocean regularly washes over our roads — and occasionally comes into our living rooms. And scientists — and the flood insurance folks — keep on telling us there’s worse to come.

“Increased flooding, largely due to sea level rise, will disrupt coastal and low-lying communities,” as last year’s North Carolina Climate Science Report summarizes. “By the end of the century, these areas will experience high tide flooding nearly every day and a substantial increase in the chance of flooding from coastal storms.”

But so will every other coastal state. And the interior ones will face their own severe threats.

The more you look, the more you realize there is no feasible escape. And if there was a cure-all location, what single place can house — much less employ — all of America’s climate refugees?

The fact is retreat looks easy enough on paper, but not when humans are entered into the equation. No community wants to leave behind their family and jobs — their very way of life.

And no magic fantasyland is going to provide the space or economic foundation to support an invasion of millions more people. Which is why no country can transplant their way out of a global crisis. The only chance we have is some collective response to a shared threat before we’re all doomed.

Otherwise, we all face the same fate: a few decades of ignoring the inevitable before throwing the dog in the car in a last-ditch attempt to flee floodwaters or wildfires or some other deadly disaster.

See ya in Duluth? — Catherine Kozak

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IRIE getactive GONE AWRY startingpoint How the Outer Banks Reggae Splash went bust.

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May 23, 1987. It was a classic, early summer day for the first-ever Outer Banks Reggae Splash. Sunny with light winds.

Perfect for music fans to enjoy irie tunes at Nags Head’s Outer Banks Coliseum — a former roller rink that occupied today’s Soundside Event Site near Milepost 16.

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Jamaica’s own The Itals headlined the festivities, along with fellow island rastas

Roots Radics, Baltimore’s Piece of Mind, and area favorites The Amateurs, from Greenville, NC. Advance tickets went for $10 at record stores, delis, and surf shops from here to the Triangle. This was not just an Outer Banks happening — it was a regional bash.

The Reggae Splash garnered a big turnout, and Splash goers were spirted and blithe.

Ginny Flowers, of Nags Head’s Cloud Nine bead shop, remembers the day well. She worked the event, selling T-shirts and handpainted dresses at the Bahama Bob’s booth.

“I made some Rasta designs and jewelry,” she recalls. “I remember really good reggae music, lots of happy people, and that the entire day smelled like salt breezes, Hawaiian Tropic…and a hint of marijuana.”

Seems harmless enough now. But cannabis was far from legal in any state three decades ago. And, as fate would have it, the

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“don’t worry ’bout a thing” naïveté of the crowd soon disappeared when the Nags Head Police Department and Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) officers began making arrests.

Dr. Sarah Forbes, owner of the Outer Banks Coliseum, appeared before the crowd at 1:30am and called off the show a half-hour early.

She cited “too much drinking” and “pot smoking and trouble in the parking lot.” The announcement was not appreciated, and the crowd of 800 or so met her words with a round of boos.

“Drugs were a problem we didn’t anticipate,” she later admitted.

Elle Kay (not her real name) was one such attendeeturned-arrestee. As such, she doesn’t remember much about the music.

“I wasn’t there for long before they carted me off,” the sassy hexagenerian explains.

The Splash had gotten underway that afternoon with children’s activities, and Kay had planned for a fun, full day with her friend “Debbie,” who brought her two younger siblings.

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“I had an old Volkswagen camper bus,” she recalls. “Debbie had her little brother and sister with her that day. I took the camper to pop the top and have a home base for the kids.”

But Kay didn’t need her keys to flee the scene.

“The starter had gone out [on the bus],” she continues. “My mechanic had hotwired it. I had the wiring under the dash.”

Kay left with a friend for a bit. While Debbie and others were sitting around a table, enjoying beers, ALE officers approached and asked for proof of age.

But when she started her trusty, rigged VW, an ALE officer stepped in front of the vehicle.

“Debbie was 20,” Kay recalls.

Kay faced felony possession charges and had to appear in superior court.

Adding to the trouble was the fact that Debbie had hand-rolled a tobacco cigarette. Law enforcement espied the papers and instigated probable cause to search the van.

Upon returning to the scene, Kay was anxiously greeted by a friend who reported the ominous news: “They’ve searched your bus, taken your keys, and they’re coming back for you.”

We could all use a little

“It took three years,” she said, “but I finally got it reduced to a misdemeanor.”

When the smoke cleared, 38 more arrestees would appear in court that summer for a range of transgressions: possession of marijuana; possession of paraphernalia; underage possession of beer or wine; possession of cocaine; driving after drinking while in possession of a provisional driver’s license; resisting,

beach time.

delaying and obstructing an officer; and possession of spirituous liquor on unlawful premise.

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WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARED, 38 MORE ARRESTEES WOULD APPEAR IN COURT.

Still, organizers remained indignant. Forbes asserted that a handful of troublemakers ruined it for all, and she was open for another fest the following year — but the Outer Banks Reggae Splash would ultimately go down as a one-and-done affair.

These counts were misdemeanors, and as such, jailtime was suspended, and most walked away with fines ranging from $20 to $100.

Even now, after all these years, the Reggae Splash lives on in local lore. Flowers says occasionally someone casually mentions holding a similar event sometime in the future, but the suggestion is met with “throat clearing, lots of staring at the table, sideways eyes, and ‘no comments.’”

— Sarah Downing

Others, however, were not as fortunate.

Two attendees found with psilocybin mushrooms were charged with felonies and had to appear in superior court. And one guy who was charged for obstructing an officer got ten days in the clink.

Sources: Interview with Elle Kay, 2.21.2021; Emails with Ginny Flowers, February & March, 2021; “39 Arrests Mar Reggae Splash,” Outer Banks Current, May, 1987; http://amateursreggae.blogspot.com/p/ blog-page_71.html Accessed 2.22.2021

Your Summer Story…

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upfront soundcheck getactive startingpoint roadmap gokite A cheering, jeering look at recent events and their potential milepost impacts.

BLOCKBUSTER TURNOUT “You like me! You really like me!”

Sorry, Sally. This year’s prize for “Most Appreciated Movie Fixture” goes to Manteo’s Pioneer Theatre.

When word broke that the beloved landmark needed financial help with fixing their 103-year-old movie projector, audiences reacted with trademark generosity by breaking their $10k GoFundMe goal in less than 24 hours, setting the stage for another century of independent cinema.

MAY/DECEMBER ROMANCE? Outer Bankers have always had a love-hate relationship with hurricanes. Prepare for it to last even longer in years to come. Thanks to a surge in spring storms over the past two decades, NOAA’s considering pushing the tropical season’s official start date

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forward from June 1 to May 15. No word how soon they’ll make the official change, but with forecasters calling for an “above active” 2021, this year’s tempestuous affair may outlast the November 30 cut-off, as well.

WHAT THE DUCK?!

So, let’s get this straight: a beach is private when oceanfront homeowners want to protect their “property rights”? But public when they want taxpayer money to protect their investment? That seems to be the conflicting narrative out of the federal government this spring. In April, an appeals court reversed 2020’s landmark ruling that said Town of Duck’s Sand Dollar Shores must find a way for non-residents to reach the beach. (And effectively killed all westto-east beach access as a result.) Then, two weeks later, FEMA approved more than $2 million in taxpayer funding for Duck’s future beach nourishment. The court says folks can theoretically walk in from Corolla

or Kitty Hawk. The fed says that funding is for “replacing” lost sand. But common sense says if homeowners want to keep the beach to themselves, they should pay for it themselves — every damn penny.

THE WRIGHT STUFF Aviation pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright are still getting credit for conquering gravity. When NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter completed the first powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet on Apr. 19, not only did it transport a piece of glider-wing muslin in tribute, they named the historic lift-off and landing spot “Wright Brothers Field.” Meanwhile, back here on Earth, the National Park Service used our Kill Devil Hills Monument to launch a new driverless shuttle. From now through July 16, passengers can help test pilot the program for nationwide use by booking a roundtrip voyage from the museum to the bronze First Flight sculpture and back.

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLUE If you thought wintertime license checks on Colington Road were a drag, wait ’til you see traffic later this summer. After years of hotly debated delays, the DOT announced they’ll finally start work improving the winding corridor as early as August, alleviating long-term problems, such as soundside flooding, while exacerbating short-term problems — like slow-ass drivers. They expect to finish within the year. ’Til then, expect plenty more orange cones to go along with those flashing blue lights.

GREEN WITH ENVY Surely, a few coastal town managers were jealous this April after the Department of Energy picked both Nags Head and Ocracoke to be among the 11 remote and island communities to participate in a nationwide project aimed at protecting at-risk local populations while achieving national clean energy solutions. In Nags

Head, the goal is to build resilience to severe weather events via various renewable energy sources and find ways for town services to function “off the grid” for up to 72 hours. In Ocracoke, they’ll explore electrifying the ferries and updating the grid infrastructure. Both put us ahead of the curve when it comes to a greener horizon.

SPECTER OF THINGS TO COME Still don’t believe in climate change? Then we invite you to recognize the “ghost forests” from your drives down HWY 64. They’re all those spectral stands of dead trees that occur due to saltwater inundation. And, according to a recent study by Duke University, Alligator River Wildlife Refuge has seen an 11 percent increase in ghost forests over the past 35 years, due to a combo of sea level rise and landfalling storms. That’s scary news for us, because once they die, there’s no coming back.

KILLER BUZZ Think you’re ready to party after 14 months? Try sleeping for 17 years, then waking up with one thing on your mind.

That’s what’s happening this June as billions of hibernating Brood X cicadas will emerge and call for mates — creating a deafening hum that can reach up to 100 decibels. They’ll get barely a month to breed before dying off and leaving their offspring to hide and sleep until 2038. That makes this summer both a rare opportunity to witness a one-in-a-million natural phenomenon — and a million opportunities to watch your house cat torture a defenseless bug.

For detailed reports on these stories and breaking local news on a daily basis — plus plenty of local discussion — visit www.outerbanksvoice.com, www. islandfreepress.org, www.obxtoday.com, and www.thecoastlandtimes.com.

SMART-ASS COMMENT OF THE MONTH “Here’s hoping Ingenuity’s helicopter flies for more than 12 seconds.”

— Travis,

“Historic Mars Helicopter mission carries Wright Bros. good luck charm,” Mar. 24, 2021, OuterBanksVoice.com.

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upfront

WHADDYA RECKON?

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We got questions — you got answers.

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Michael Johnson, 19 Mr. Pizza Guy Moyock “Why the f@#k does it take three hours to get home after working my shift in Duck?”

startingpoint roadmap gokite milepost FUN • FRESH • LOCAL

Randy Graham, 58 Pontoon Pirate Kill Devil Hills “Why the f@#k aren’t there term limits in Congress...on both sides?”

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Melissa Morrissey, 30 Biz Owner Kill Devil Hills “Why the f@#k is COVID still a thing?! Seriously, how is it still around at this point?”

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rearview Rob Nichols, 42 Realtor Kill Devil Hills “Why the f@#k can’t I find something to watch on any of my 800 streaming services?”

LIVE HARDWOOD GRILLED STEAKS AND SEAFOOD

“What’s got you saying, ‘WTF’?”

Kate Schlagle, 35 Retail/Restaurant Worker Nags Head “Why the f@#k do I have to teach a 50-year-old man manners?”

Panda Daniels, 37 Hair Stylist Kill Devil Hills “Why the f@#k do I have people question my business decisions after 17 years in the industry?”

William Foster, 25 Smoothie Operator Kill Devil Hills “Why the f@#k does everyone drive 20mph under the speed limit here?!”

David Decker, 62 Property Inspector Colington “How the f@#k did we get ourselves in this situation? And what the f@#k are we doing to get out?”

Interviews and images

by Tony Leone

BRUNCH • DINNER • TAKEOUT Timbuck II Shopping Village in Corolla Reservations recommended Click or call: GrillRoomOBX.com / 252.453.4336 milepost 13

Visit Duck’s favorite spot for shopping, dining, yoga…

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MADE YOU LOOK

Properly ID this local dive and win a dank adventure from Stoke Dispensary.

This ish offers a unique angle on a legendary watering hole. It’s a spot to hear live blues while seeing some spots. Check the breakers — and hit a jackpot. Walk the planks — or get a little twisted with some favorite old pirates. Appear to have a savvy answer? Send your response, name and contact info to editor@outerbanksmilepost. com by July 12. We’ll put all correct answers in a tip jar and randomly pull one winner who’ll choose their own liquid prize — a half-day pontoon rental, three hourly jet skis rentals, or a kayak tour for six — courtesy of the Stoke Dispensary. (PS: congrats to Andy Hudson for pegging last issue’s stumper: a nail gun coil.) milepost 15

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THE NPS MOBILE APP

Because sometimes your phone is the smartest one in the room.

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Why’s the lighthouse not open? What’s the COVID status? Where are the red flags flying today? We like to think we’re pretty bright, but when it comes to scoring up-to-date info, the average digital device leaves us looking like dunces. Here’s three new digital resources that’ll dial you in to the most current news, all summer long.

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PHArMACY God is the sunshine of our lives.

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Dr. Thomas McGrady Rph

If you’re looking for up-to-the minute info on any of America’s National Parks, nothing beats the new NPS Mobile App, which links to all 400+ locations in just one click — then optimizes each individual experience.

“Download it, leave your location services on, and it will automatically populate the parks you’re closest to,” says the Outer Banks Group’s Chief of Interpretation, Scott Babinowich. “You’ll get basic planning info like locations of visitor centers, hours of operation, fees where applicable — but then each park got to customize services to offer visitors something more.”

For the Seashore, that means being able to buy an ORV pass, book a campground, or access an Ocracoke ferry schedule. In Fort Raleigh or Wright Brothers, maybe it’s discovering the next scheduled interpretation or seeing a map of the grounds. Or just let your phone be your guide.

“We’re really excited about the new audio tours,” says Babinowich. “Your phone will say, ‘Walk to the lighthouse and click a button,’ and a ranger starts talking. It’s like having a GPSenabled park ranger with you.”

Plus, links to webcams and digital tours let you visit any park without leaving the house.

Or keep tapping the screen to learn about historic partners like the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum or Jockey’s Ridge.

“Because it’s not just the National Parks out here,” Babinowich explains. “There are a lot of other cool things to do.”

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OBX ALERTS

DARE COUNTY COVID WEBSITE

Wondering if it’s time to evacuate? Worried about soundside flooding? Just want to know when trash day’s delayed? Sign up for Dare County’s OBX Alerts, where you can receive customized updates, from future town meetings to county-wide catastrophes.

“The platform allows the user to go and create a complete profile and select which alerts they want to receive,” says Emergency Management Director, Drew Pearson. “There are 10 to 15 categories, depending on the municipality. But we’d encourage everyone to subscribe to ‘Dare County Emergency Alerts’ for safety reasons.”

First, create a profile. Find the “OBX Alerts” page on DareNC.com. Punch in your town, your categories — whether you want email or text — and you’ll get updates for any zip code. Hear if Downtown Manteo is underwater — or if NC 12 is buried in sand. And during the season, get daily reports on the potential for rip currents and other beach hazards.

“Every morning, subscribers get a link to the National Weather Service Beach Forecast page for that day’s conditions,” says Pearson. “And each town is able to send out alerts if they put up red flags during the day.”

For the beach forecast, just text “OBXBeachConditions” to 77295. Come June, any visitor can get emergency alerts texted, too. (See DareNC.com for details.) But for optimum results, Pearson encourages folks to complete a profile.

“The more people who register,” says Pearson, “the better we can target information to serve the community.”

When it comes to pandemics, the situation mutates as fast as the virus. That’s why the Dare County COVID page — Darenc. com/covid19 — remains the best source for reliable info on rules regarding crowd limits, social distancing, and face coverings.

“Anytime the state makes significant changes, we update the page to make sure we’re in line,” says Dare County Health & Human Services Communications Specialist, Kelly Nettnin.

They also post a weekly report and video on the current case load — both in Spanish and English — along with ways for folks to fight back, from where to get tested if you’re feeling sick to how to get vaccinated before it happens.

“You have to be a NC property owner or a resident to get a vaccine,” notes Nettnin.

“But the more people we can get vaccinated before more people come into the community [this summer], the better off our residents will be.”

There are even links to mental health services. Plus a FAQ page covering any number of concerns, such as, “What do I do if I get COVID on vacay?” Or, “Can I still have my wedding indoors?” But what about, “When will this all be over?”

“I hear that a lot,” says Nettnin. “Nobody can say, but we can help determine how much longer COVID’s an issue by getting vaccinated, remembering ‘the Ws’ and following all the recommendations. It really depends on us.”

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There’s not always safety in numbers.

Photo: Ed Tupper

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TO milepost CATCH A PREDATOR

Tropical Taste. Casual Place.

Hotline’s “Safe Bars” program has easy-to-follow graphiccontent steps for stopping sexual assaults.

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On average, in a normal year, Hotline documents as many as 60 sexual assaults. Most of those victims will meet their predator in bars, where the party atmosphere creates a target-rich environment for would-be rapists.

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“Alcohol does not cause sexual assault,” says Heather Chavez, Hotline’s Sexual Assault Advocate. “But perpetrators of sexual violence may use these environments to find people who may be vulnerable to sexual assault.”

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Here on the Outer Banks, the situation can be even worse — especially in summer — as perpetrators and victims are often here on vacation. That makes assailants much harder to track down after the fact. So, Chavez devised an idea to make risky settings safer: offer free training to bar staff on drug facilitated sexual assault (DFSA). Teach them what to look for, when to step in, and how to intervene safely.

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“Bar staff are in a unique position to make a difference,” says Chavez. “And getting our training lets customers know that this establishment cares about their safety.”

The program is called Safe Bars. In just 45 minutes, Hotline’s experts can educate bartenders, bouncers, waiters, and managers on what behaviors to look for in potential predators.

They’ll also break down all the common date rape drugs, what they look like, and how they affect a person who ingests them.

Still, the most common date rape drug is alcohol, and while predators will sometimes try to coax a person into drinking too much, more often they just look for someone who is already dangerously intoxicated.

“It would be nice if we could just go out as women and not be harassed,” says Outer Banks Brew Station’s Karen Loopman-Davis. “But if you know the signs, you can head off problems before they become problems.”

But keeping an innocent person from being assaulted isn’t solely the job of employees.

Here’s what anyone can do to recognize shady behavior and stop assaults before they happen:

Start by watching. Look for people buying more than one drink at a time. People who are giving alcohol to someone who wasn’t already drinking. People who are trying to get someone they didn’t arrive with to leave with them. People who clearly had too much, too fast. (If a patron came in sober and quickly progressed to stumbling and slurring, it might be because someone spiked their drink with a “date rape” drug.)

The next step is intervening. Sometimes all that’s needed to spook a would-be rapist is to strike up a conversation. (“It makes the person realize, ‘We know what’s going on, we see you,’” says Chavez.) Try talking to the intoxicated person or talk to their friends. “Ask how they are getting home, and call them a cab if they don’t have a ride,” Chavez suggests. “Ask if they’re okay. Tell their friends to keep an eye on them.”

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If need be, notify staff. Bartenders and bouncers can stop the supply of alcohol and take a more forceful tone. They can also assist by gathering information about the suspect via drivers licenses or credit cards in case the police need to be called later.

Gather evidence. Take a surreptitious photo with your cell phone, and make a note of the time, date, and clothing. Any drink that may have been drugged should be securely held until the police can test the contents.

“Trauma impairs your memory,” says Chavez. “If you have been drugged and intoxicated, it impairs your memory even more. That makes it even less likely you’ll report it.”

NIGHTLIFE IS LIKELY TO EXPLODE WITH PEOPLE — AND POTENTIAL RISKS.

While it’s understandable that a victim may not feel comfortable reporting their assault to the police, doing so can help ensure the same perpetrator doesn’t go on to target other victims. Victims who aren’t sure if they’re ready to talk to the police should call Hotline.

They’ll advise you of all your options — like making a report anonymously.

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“We don’t pressure victims to do anything; we’re just helping them to make the best informed decisions for themselves,” says Chavez. “But it’s important to note that if it’s been more than 72 hours, you can’t have any evidence collected, so timing is important.”

Of course, part of Hotline’s Safe Bars campaign is also educating patrons to make smart choices.

“We also leave behind flyers in bathrooms to raise awareness,” says Chavez. “Maybe someone will think twice before leaving with a stranger.”

DOLPHIN TOURS

Unfortunately, the Brew Station and Goombay’s are the only places who completed the training before Coronavirus shut down the beach last spring. However, Chavez is already restarting the program for interested parties. (Scheduling is flexible; every establishment gets a “Safe Bar” decal for their window, and a listing on Hotline’s website.)

Because of pent-up demand, nightlife this summer is likely to explode with people — and potential risks. That makes it more important than ever to make sure that every person who’s out partying makes it home safe.

And that’s everyone’s duty — on both sides of the bar. — Katrina Mae Leuzinger

Victims of sexual assault can call the Hotline Crisis Line anytime, 24/7, at 252-473-3366. For more on the Safe Bars program and how to prevent sexual assault, visit www.obhotline.org.

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questionauthority upfront SEEING RED Bent about summer traffic?

Let NCDOT’s soundcheck Jason Davidson explain how to go with the flow.

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“Why the f&* is this light still red?!” You’re not the first to ask that question. Especially in summertime.

Pick the right — or rather, the wrong — time to drive, you might catch every single one of these crimson eyesores. But there’s not some master plan keeping you from getting where you need to be. In fact, the master plan is designed to keep you moving.

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“Our Raleigh unit creates the master plan,” says Jason Davidson, Division Traffic Engineer for NC DOT Division One. “And it uses certain vehicle count thresholds, where it will switch from one master plan to the next to move traffic most efficiently. Then we have a team of guys at the beach, whose daily job is to keep it running.”

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MILEPOST: Down here, traffic is the number one complaint. Can you explain to us how the signals operate?

JASON DAVIDSON: On the Outer Banks, we use a “Loop Detection System” It works similar to an electric dog fence. Basically, there’s a wire buried in the asphalt that picks up the magnetic resistance from a vehicle, which places a call on the traffic signal. And that goes into its timing plan, which disperses traffic and allows it to go at specific times.

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They’re the ones climbing poles and changing bulbs. Fixing crosswalk buttons and tweaking timers. Twice a year they pore over everything, street triggers to circuits, just to keep cars moving. As we head into the high season, we asked Davidson to explain how the whole system works — and what folks can do to cruise more and curse less. — Matt Walker

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Aha! So does that mean I’m helping or hurting when I creep forward to trigger a light?

It really doesn’t make any difference, because the loop is about 40 feet long. A lot of folks say, “It felt like I moved forward and then the light tripped.” Well, basically your patience gave out just about when the signal was going to let you go anyway.

But that’s for your turn lanes, your side streets. For the main part of 158, we don’t have a loop at the stop bar because the traffic demand is high enough that [the pattern] knows it needs to go back and serve that phase. So, there are loops placed farther back that are picking up the queuing traffic, and not necessarily at the stop bar.

Then Raleigh will get the vehicle counts, set up the thresholds, and design and

change the plan to what’s needed. Because, typically, our main goal is to move as much traffic as possible on 158.

Do the 158 signals talk to each other in any way? How does that work?

We basically have four coordinated signal systems on the Outer Banks: Kitty Hawk and Southern Shores; Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head; the Manteo lights; and the intersections at Whalebone Junction. And when you get into each coordinated signal system, there is what we call a “master controller.” For example, in Kitty Hawk and Southern Shores, it’s the Welcome Center intersection, which has the heaviest volume.

That master controller is connected by fiber optics to all the signals in Kitty Hawk and Southern Shores. So as demand increases at any one of those signals, the master controller recognizes it, and it changes its timing plan to accommodate it and try to move the traffic more efficiently.

Does it also know what’s happening down the road? Is Eckner already thinking, “More cars are coming, make sure we’re green when they get here?”

Absolutely. And if everything is working 100 percent correct when you enter that signal system… Say you’re sitting at the light when you come off the bridge at the Chevrolet dealership. If that light turns green, when

May your summer drive be light on traffic and heavy on rainbows.

Photo: Cory Godwin

you start progressing, if you’re traveling the speed limit, you should be able to hit greens all the way around and keep right on going until you get to the Kill Devil Hills area.

And that’s how it works when everything is perfect — however often that happens.

So how come sometimes it feels like you hit every red light?

Some equipment issues could [disrupt flow]. Say, if [a sensor] malfunctions. It may think there’s a car there even though there isn’t. Or, if you’re exceeding the speed limit, you’re outrunning the timing — you’ll get to the next signal before it can turn green.

Conversely, if you travel slower than the speed limit, you’re falling behind. So it’s always best to drive the posted speed limit.

But congestion or vehicle breakdowns or an accident — something as simple as someone getting ticketed by police — could disrupt the flow at any moment.

And by speed limit, you mean 50 miles per hour. Not 55, 57 or 59…

That’s correct. The actual, posted speed limit. But each individual intersection has its own set of signal timing plans. And all of that is designed off the speed limit, the width of the intersection, the number of lanes, the amount of turning movement traffic — all of that’s taken into account to come up with the signal plan for that specific intersection.

Some people swear there are signals that move slower, or faster. Is that what we’re talking about now?

Absolutely. Because your bigger intersections — like at Colington Road — the distance across the intersection is a lot farther than, say, at 3rd Street. So it takes longer for vehicles to clear.

It feels like I sit forever at 3rd Street.

That could be depending on what the master controller is telling it to do at the time. If it’s got a lot of traffic demand in certain areas, it will keep the light green a little longer [on 158] to make sure the traffic moves past 3rd. But a lot of it is driver perception. Any time you’re stopped in traffic, time moves so much slower. We had a complaint where a guy called in and said, “I listened to all of AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ before the signal changed.” And we were definitely able to determine that if he listened to all four minutes and 20 seconds of that song, then something was going on.

And it was a detecting malfunction. But we do run a preventative maintenance program, and we go through the signal system from stem to stern twice a year to try and combat this as much as possible.

Is there more maintenance in summer because it’s switching more often? Or do you try to wait for winter when things are less busy?

Machines fail when they decide to fail. But intersections that are the closest to the ocean are always the most troublesome.

We constantly fight corrosion. Plus, the ones closest to the beach have more wind damage — winds shaking the arms, shaking the heads, sometimes wires will rub and lose connection. That’s why [most of the lights] have metal mast arms now.

I’ve seen video of those things just shimmying. They bounce like curb feelers.

Yeah. Our most recent snowstorm — I think it was January — the mast arm at Adams Lane was swaying up and down almost 6 feet. I saw the TikTok and Facebook videos on that. It was amazing to see something that was not designed to shake move that much.

We have ordered some aero-foils — like the spoiler on the back of a car — to stabilize the mast arms in the wind and prevent that from happening again.

That’s interesting. Has social media changed how you find out about stuff?

Do you see it on Facebook or TikTok before your phone rings?

Exactly. Or I’ll get a text message — somebody sees something on Facebook and shoots it to me. People having the ability to instantaneously post something has actually helped us to get out there and respond as quickly as possible.

What is your nightmare scenario then?

I don’t know that I have a nightmare scenario. Storm response is a big thing for us. And getting back into the county, we’ve got priority to get back in and do as much work as possible.

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But we can’t determine a malfunction until we have power back at the intersection after an emergency or a hurricane.

Luckily, we have a fantastic working relationship with Dominion Power and Tideland Electric Co-op.

“IN SUMMER, ANYTHING COULD DISRUPT THE FLOW AT ANY MOMENT.”

BREAKFAST BURRITOS

I guess if everything’s out, it’s not necessarily your responsibility.

If it’s blinking, it’s my problem. If it’s completely dark, it’s the power company’s problem. [Laughs] So what can folks do to avoid red lights this season?

Be patient. Drive the speed limit. Be courteous to other drivers out there.

Because your actions can kind of derail the whole machine and cause issues. If everyone drives responsibly, we can take care of the human factor, anyway.

It’s like the old Milo Spriggs updates — “Use your signal! Drive safe!” — I’m sure you remember those.

Oh yeah. [Laughs]. During summer, we try to listen out for potential issues, and he was on top of it as much anyone.

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LIFES Daniel Pullen preserves the day-to-day Down South.

SAVER

WHEN THE LIGHTHOUSE TOPPLES. And the road finally washes out for real. Once the last of the longtime residents grimly packs up and leaves, surrendering Hatteras Island to raw, natural forces. What will you miss most?

A legendary, striped landmark? A brilliant sunset? Puffy clouds?

Perfect waves? Or will it be the string of salty faces lined up at Cape Point? The grizzled dudes suiting up to paddle out at First Groin? The friendly smiles strolling through Conner’s? And all the other proud humans that call Hatteras home?

“Pretty sunsets and oceanscapes and lighthouses — they’re all part of this place,” says 44-year-old resident photographer, Daniel Pullen. “But there’s so much more to the community. A lot of times, I don’t even feel like I’m doing [Hatteras] justice, because there’s so many elements that haven’t been touched on.”

It wasn’t always that way. Growing up, watching an endless parade of out-of-town photogs pimp his beloved home to the masses — traveling lensmen who sold slick, summer postcards in local stores; surf mag staffers who introduced secret sandbars to an international audience — Pullen felt driven to capture Hatteras’ more authentic, natural self.

“Looking back, it’s kind of arrogant, but I remember thinking: ‘They’re only here for a few days or a month; I’m here all the time — I can do this better,” he says. “And I think that attitude sort of carried over into everything else. It’s like, ‘How can I make this look totally different?’”

What do you expect from a guy who’s literally descended from nine lighthouse keepers?

Armed with the natural eye of a gifted artist — and mentored by local legends like Michael Halminski, Russell Blackwood and Mickey McCarthy — Pullen quickly developed a reputation for getting unique takes on trademark views: pulled-back perspectives of spitting tubes; dusky silhouettes of a lit-up beacon. He also began shooting weddings and commercial work, earning a rep as Hatteras’ go-to local lensman. But the more time he put in, the more he realized he was missing stuff. That perfect surf days and pretty sunsets were only half the story. And that before every rainbow, there’s a storm.

“It’s like you already know what this place looks like when the weather’s good, because it’s everywhere. It’s on billboards. It’s in magazines,” he says. “But what does it look like during or after a storm? It’s just as beautiful, but in a different way.”

OFF TO WORK; AUGUST 2020. PHOTO: KATE PULLEN

And so Pullen began shooting the ocean washing over NC 12.

The pavement crumpling under the pressure. People pushing water out of their houses. He found drama in the moments between disasters, and his imagery took on a whole new direction — that of a documentarian driven to reflect not just the newsworthy events, but the day-to-day life. The ups. The downs.

The good. The bad. And the less obvious moments in-between, no matter how… mundane? milepost 25

The sea, the sound, and a world of possibilites in between.

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“If you go to Natural Art Surf Shop and talk to Carol and Scott Busbey, they have drawers full of pictures from 30 or 40 years ago. It’s cool to see photos of surfing The First [Groin]. But I’m more intrigued by the shot of people hanging out on the beach — the one guy wearing blue jeans, aviators and a black leather jacket — than another guy getting tubed. That’s why, whenever there’s waves, I make sure to spend at least five minutes in the parking lot taking photos. And the more I shoot, the more I find myself taking those kinds of images. It’s friends on rafts. It’s families playing. It’s guys checking the surf. Kids in hammocks. Couples riding ferries. In my head, it’s like, ‘What’s going to matter 20 years from now?’ I guess that means more to me.”

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Head North and Find Yourself in Corolla

Follow the Legends To Where the Road Ends

The Currituck Beach Lighthouse The Lighthouse towers over the Outer Banks landscape. For a small fee, Corolla visitors can climb all 220 steps up the winding iron staircase for a wide-open view of the Sound and the Atlantic Ocean.

Whalehead in Historic Corolla The Whalehead museum is a 1920s era Art Nouveau architectural masterpiece and is the centerpiece of Historic Corolla Park. Weekly and annual events are often held here, tours of the Whalehead museum offered daily.

OBX Center for Wildlife Education The Center for Wildlife Education houses exhibits on both natural and wildlife history and offers free educational programs.

The Currituck Maritime Museum The Outer Banks was built from the bows of humble, hand-made boats. The Maritime Museum, opening in June, tells the stories of Currituck’s boatbuilding forefathers, their remarkable craft, and their enduring legacy.

This Summer, many Outer Banks visitors are planning to take a day, head north and find their way here.

It is nice to know that awe-inspiring remote beaches, legendary wild horses and storied historical sites await you, where Highway 12 ends, in Corolla, NC.

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FRISCO PIER; JULY 2014

“I guess,” he responds. “But I think of it as more of an inside perspective of what’s going to be interesting in 20 years. And I think when you look up the definition of composition, it’s taking the mundane and making it something unique.”

Over the past decade, Pullen has produced stunning collections out of so-called standard fare. Some are published (limited edition books, such as Homesick and Mommicked celebrate the joys and challenges of daily survival). Some are still to come. (This year’s releases will include a print version of “The Independent Waterman Project,” a near decade-long look at commercial fishing, and “On Point,” which chronicles life at the Cape’s dynamic edges.) Each preserves an important aspect of

local culture before it fades into time, and, in some cases, disappears entirely. (RIP Frisco Pier.)

When Dorian whomped Ocracoke on September 6, 2019, Pullen saw a chance to show an island come back from catastrophe. He got special permission to document the recovery process. His goal was to shoot local efforts over the course of a year — from the day after it hit, to exactly 12 months later — only to be stymied by another disaster: COVID. “I devoted months of my life to going down there and photographing,” he laments. “And it’s literally dead in the water.”

The pandemic also threatened to kill his entire business.

As brides and grooms postponed their weddings, Pullen

snagged a job with ocean rescue — only to watch Hatteras go bonkers with visitors. All summer long he worked 16-hour days. Shooting one family in the morning, another in the evening, maybe saving a third in between.

Still, he made sure to snap moments of everyday islanders doing everyday stuff. And yet, when he looks back on the past year’s work, he still feels like it’s not good enough.

“I wish there was more of a story,” he says, self-critically.

“It’s a weird mish-mash of photos. There’s no thread.

Nothing holding it together.”

But that randomness serves as its own thread. Because that’s how life Down South rolls. Unscripted. Untethered.

A beach day here. A raging storm there. A stuck car or ferry ride in-between. It’s the same eclectic feel that makes milepost 29

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“I love Cape Point. It’s so dynamic. There’s wildlife, there’s landscapes, there’s people, there’s shells. And it changes so much from year-to-year — and month-to-month — because so many tons of sand gets shifted around. It can be big and wide with these huge ponds — or so narrow and eroded that it just squares off.

Sometimes it’s empty; sometimes it’s full of fishermen, literally standing shoulder-to-shoulder, back-to-back.

Sometimes, I might not go out there for three or four months because it’s too crowded, or it’s closed. But when I finally do, I’m blown away — like, ‘I need to shoot this place more.’ Not because I feel the need to get out there and shoot before it changes; more like, ‘I better get out there and shoot, because it’s always changing.’”

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the works of vintage photos from Aycock Brown or Victor Meekins so wonderful to revisit 50 years later — and will make Pullen’s work so compelling a half-century from today.

Scroll his social media feeds, you can find pictures dripping with natural drama. A blood moon that nearly broke the National Park Service website. Hurricane damage that illustrated Washington Post headlines. One disaster photo — a party room pool table surrounded by an invading sea — is one of Time Magazine’s “Top 100 Photos of 2020.” Ten others earned him the NC Press Association’s “Hugh Morton Photographer of the Year” award — their highest honor.

But the ones that get the most likes aren’t always the ones he likes most. Shots like the one of the local boys

checking the surf from above the parking lot port-a-potties.

A pair of tanned hands gripping a fishing rod. A grizzled fish cleaner kicking back between hauls. Or a woman taking a morning jog through ankle-deep water. Chances are the more abstract it seems, the more personal it is.

“Sometimes, I think, ‘You probably shouldn’t post this because people won’t get it,” he says. “But I don’t mind. It’s like two guys standing in a gallery looking at a painting. One dude might think, ‘This is the best thing I’ve ever seen.’ The other’s thinking, ‘This guy’s an idiot.’ That’s just art.”

It’s art for a very special audience. After all, anyone can enjoy glorious sunsets, raging seas and other acts of God — they’re inherently awesome. Acts of man? They usually take a little more context to fully appreciate.

Like recognizing that those local boys checking the surf, choose that perch to avoid crossing summertime’s burninghot sand. Or how that rod was part of a fallen angler’s seaside service. That the grizzled fish cleaner was also a beloved second-grade teacher. Or how that street always floods, but remains a favorite run of his wife and business partner, Kate. It’s the difference between impressing the largest possible audience — and preserving a once-in-alifetime frame for the purest of reasons. Between dazzling spectacle and pure honesty.

“I think that what speaks to so many people,” reflects Kate. “There’s not a picture that Daniel’s ever taken that wasn’t shot from a place of truth. There’s no ulterior motive besides, ‘I want to take this photo. This speaks to me.’ It really is that simple.” — Matt Walker milepost 33

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“Hatteras Island is such an easy place to shoot. Because there are no secrets. It’s so wide open and low, you can almost see 360 degrees. Everything’s so close — a fish house, the ferry, the skatepark, the lighthouse — that I can find something to shoot within a matter of minutes. It’s almost like lazy-man’s photography. Lots of times, I’ll just monitor the weather and hop in my car at the last second. I’ll head up to that elbow north of Buxton and wait for a storm front to cross. But I usually look for something to include in the photograph. A person. An object. Something so that there’s a story there. Other times, I go out with no direction at all. No goal beyond, ‘What’s the next moment I want to capture? What’s the next story I have to tell? How can I preserve this moment in this time?’”

milepost 35

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The clothes requiring the least fabric are always the most difficult to make.

And anyone who’s ever actually made a bikini knows why: combining those triangles, swatches and string into something that will fit a variety of body types — and stay put in swimming pools or breaking waves — is a serious challenge.

One that even the most skilled of seamstresses seem to steer clear of.

So why would not just one — but two — Outer Banks entrepreneurs launch their own swim lines?

“I have always loved summer fashion and swimwear,” says Sarah Emerson. “I wanted to start my own swimwear company ever since I moved to the beach.”

That was eight years ago. Like many, the Chesapeake, Virginia, native was fleeing a post-college, 9-to-5 accounting job for a life of summer restaurant work and winter world travel. She also began dipping her toe into the swim fashion sphere. After a few frustrating years researching manufacturing options for her designs, her grandmother bought her a sewing

followed in July 2017. Four years later, Williams sells two lines of swimwear: Sea Yarn, a collection of custom crocheted bathing suit tops and bottoms; and Sea Sewn, her line made with recycled fabrics.

More importantly?

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“I think it’s important to know what you want in life and manifest your desires,” Williams says. “I work hard every day to fulfill big goals and little goals. It’s so rewarding.”

Despite having two distinct businesses, Emerson and Williams share similar views on the process. Both describe designing swimwear as “fun” and making swimwear as super challenging. They say pattern making and scaling the patterns to different sizes is complicated, and cutting, sewing and finishing is time-consuming.

“A huge challenge in the beginning was teaching myself pattern making,” Emerson says.

“And with swimwear, it can be a complicated process!”

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own swimsuit? The Village Conery machine so she could make clothes for fun.

“That’s when I made my first bikini,” she says.

“I taught myself by reading sewing books, watching YouTube and a lot of trial and error.” In 2019, she launched Emersun Swim. Today she has clients all over the country.

“I usually sew around five days a week or more depending on the orders,” Emerson says. “When I am not sewing, I am working on marketing, social media, packaging orders.”

Likewise, local girl Brittani Williams began making bikinis while chasing the beach-loving lifestyle. After graduating from First Flight High School in 2012, she moved to Laguna Beach and traveled to Hawaii. She always knew she wanted a creative outlet, but couldn’t find the right idea. Until…

“I asked my mom one day if she could teach me to crochet,” Williams says. “It was just something mindless and therapeutic for me.”

When she made some crop tops for herself and posted them on Instagram, friends immediately asked to buy them. Then friends of friends wanted to place orders. An Etsy account

Williams agrees: “I feel like there’s still always going to be stuff to learn.”

That’s just making the suits. Since both businesses are one-woman shows, they also handle shipping, returns, accounting — and marketing — including feeding their Instagram platforms, which in turn bring customers to their websites. But as dreamy as those social media feeds look, securing, choosing and updating idyllic images means more hours of labor.

“I’m always working,” says Williams. “Even when I’m watching TV. I guess you could say I’m addicted to my job.”

The efforts are paying off, as both women routinely sell out collections.

Ironically, all that success means there’s not as much time on the beach in a bikini. And yet, when it comes to life choices, both feel they’ve found the perfect fit.

“When I get messages from the women who have ordered a suit, telling me how confident and comfortable they feel wearing it,” Emerson says, “it makes all the long hours and hard work so worth it.” — TERRI MACKLEBERRY

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It’s not tanned grandmas charging the whitewater on rubber mats. Or fierce toddlers tackling summer shorebreak on $20 styrofoam.

It’s a tight crew of top athletes piloting spaceage technology. A blend of gymnasts, matadors — possibly fish — doing crazy tricks no surfer could pull. Riding waves most would never consider.

“At the highest level, pro bodyboarding is throwing yourself over the ledge on heaving death-slabs,” says Colington resident and Association of Professional Bodyboarders North America president, Tony Leone. “And blasting as high off the lip as you can.”

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purses, big-name sponsors, and high-tech webcasts. Now? “The Pipeline livestream is basically Mike Stewart holding up his cellphone,” Leone deadpans.

What happened? It’s not a lack of sales.

(Latest figures broke $100 million dollars.) Or interest. (In places like Puerto Rico and Brazil,

is pro bo

It’s also a shell of its former self. Fifty years since Tom Morey first test drove four feet of packing foam in July of 1972 — inventing the globe’s most accessible surf sport in the process — bodyboarding’s “world tour” has shriveled to literally two events. That’s pre-pandemic. A steep drop from the early 90s, when legendary 9-time world champion Mike Stewart was commanding six figures to compete in dozens of global contests.

Even as recently as 2011, there were eight comps with world-class waves, million-dollar

bodyboarders outnumber stand-up surfers 10to-1.) But being popular in the water doesn’t always make you the coolest thing in the world — especially when the masses don’t get what you do.

“I guess it’s kind of a respect thing,” says local pro, Mike Zeiner. “And, sure, anyone can go ride a wave laying down. But doing a backflip on a bodyboard is no walk in the park.”

One place spongers have always had street cred? The Outer Banks. Our punchy sandbars produce spitting tubes and spring-coiled

Mike Zeiner’s office view.

Photo: Katie Harms

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sections on even small days. And when sandbars max out, it’s the “boogies” who go big.

So, when APB North America lost its leadership two years ago, it made sense for Leone to step in and charge.

“So many people were bitching online about how we were in a rut, but nobody was doing anything,” he says. “So I did.”

In 2019, Leone flew west to help run the World Bodyboarding Festival in Ocean Beach,

That’s how Zeiner went pro. The one-time stand-up surfer first embraced bodyboarding at the amateur level, watching local pros like Ryan Rhodes, Eric Drexler and Dan Cera. Soon he was traveling to New York to battle the world’s best — and winning local comps, like the Outer Banks Shootout.

“Those were tough heats,” says Zeiner.

“Because so many good riders come from around here.”

Does that mean a tour stop’s in our future? Not

odyboarding?

California. This year, he has permits approved for two more events — Puerto Escondido, Mexico, and Santa Cruz’s Steamer Lane — with ideas for potential ones in Puerto Rico and New Jersey. The prizes may be more free gear than hard cash, but right now the goal is more about creating a foundation by engaging the existing pro community, all while inspiring future competitors.

“We want to create a regional feeder system,” says Leone. “One that gets people competing again and sends them into bigger contests.”

anytime soon. But the veterans are still surfing hard. And a new generation is coming on strong.

(Twenty-five-year-old Noah Fiedler traveled to Gran Canaria to challenge top talents in 2019.)

And each time they surf, they help secure bodyboarding’s professional future.

“I just love being in the water,” says Zeiner. “But I’m also 34. The guys who’ll keep any sport alive are the 16- to 22-year-olds. They’re the next level. So if me being out there makes some young kid say, ‘I want to try that!,’ then I’ve done my job.” — MATT RYDER

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why the f*#k?

Seems a little bit strange, right?

Just as Currituck and Dare fall alphabetically next to one another in North Carolina’s list of counties, they fall together along the coast.

They’re connected by the two-lane ribbon of concrete — NC 12 — that winds its way through developments and dunes. Surely it would make things easier in times of natural disaster — say, evacuating for a hurricane or restricting access during a pandemic — if there was only one set of rules to follow.

population remains barely 500 people — that’s 200 fewer than Ocracoke.

But, although the Currituck Banks can only be accessed by vehicle driving through Dare County, a blend of history, heritage and hard numbers keep them surprisingly distinct.

And yet, it’s not as if Corolla feels fully part of Currituck, either. In 2019, a group of residents sued over visitor-driven taxes being diverted to the mainland. More recently, they’ve begun to cry for funding for beach nourishment.

“A long strip of county is very difficult for a variety of reasons,” muses Meghan Agresto, site manager of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse.

“We’re geographically isolated, more beach than rural.”

Indeed, Corolla has a barrier island heritage, while the Currituck mainland is more agrarian.

That’s because Currituck — the “mother county” — had over 200 years of history under its belt, raising militias and recording wills by the time Dare came into existence in 1870. At that time, the narrow sliver of sand south of the Virginia line was sparsely settled. Inhabitants made a living from the sea or from the abundant waterfowl that wintered-over on the Currituck Sound. But adding another county in the east would help the state balance power with a growing mountain region.

The 1870s also saw an influx of federal dollars with the construction of life-saving stations and the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, the last of

Perhaps that’s why, even now, the indigenous culture remains so distinct. The Water’s Edge Village School is the Outer Banks’ only charter school, a one-room structure that services kids from kindergarten to eighth grade. And don’t forget Carova, the Outer Banks’ last unpaved neighborhood. (Though it’s also busier than ever before.)

As an involved resident and community activist since 2005, Agresto has come to know firsthand the challenges of the quirky village.

She contends that the only way Corolla could join Dare County would be an annexation from an incorporated town — and that would be the village of Duck. However, Currituck Outer Bankers enjoy the freedom of living in an unincorporated area, and it is doubtful that Duck residents and officials want to be saddled with providing services for their northern neighbors.

Most importantly, it’s doubtful, too, that Currituck County would consider relinquishing its most prized piece of real-estate — and corresponding revenue stream.

According to the 2021 Currituck Travel and Tourism Strategy and Marketing Plan, in 2018, Currituck County tourism created direct spending of over $243 million — raising $12 million in occupancy tax. Compare that with

is corolla not in dare county?

North Carolina’s great seacoast lights. Small communities gradually clustered around these outposts. Down in Dare, roads and bridges started transforming beaches in the 1920s and 1930s, but Corolla remained relatively unchanged. It wasn’t until the opening of NC 12 north of Duck in the mid-1980s that a slew of vacation homes began to dot the dunes, as visitors came to discover this newly opened vacation destination.

County lines.

Photo: Cory Godwin

Still, while the summer may now see hundreds of thousands of visitors, Corolla’s year-round

agriculture’s much smaller $50 million impact — plus the property taxes of all those bigmoney coastal properties feeding county coffers — and you’ve got the most tangible reason for Currituck keeping hold of what some call an “an overseas colony to the mainland.”

“I don’t think Corolla will get pulled into Dare County,” Agresto says. “Would it be easier?

Probably. [But], no matter what, when I try to solve the question of geographic isolation, it’s hard for me to come up with one good solution.”

— SARAH DOWNING milepost 45

milepost 46

The air up there.

Photo: Marc Jorrens

what A hang glider? Almost. A plane? Kind of.

Technically, it’s an Airtime Aircraft Cygnet, which is sort of an ultralight on steroids. It looks and handles like a hang glider, although this one has a 100 hp engine, seating for two, and a pair of pontoons to put it in some of the Outer Banks hardest-to-reach spots.

“I’ll see a pod of dolphins, and if the ocean is really mellow, I’ll land a bit away,” says the aircraft’s owner, Marc Jorrens. “I’ll turn off the motor and they’ll just be swimming around the plane.”

The Cygnet’s family tree goes back to 1948, when Southern Shores NASA engineer Francis Rogallo and his wife, Gertrude, perfected a flexible wing that evolved into the modern hang glider. Even with a prop, it’s not a fast aircraft.

Sixty miles per hour is its rated maximum speed.

But the leisurely pace is part of its charm.

“You just need a sport pilot license,” says Jorrens. “It’s about 75 percent of a private license.”

Jorrens’ father was a pilot, so he’s had the flying bug ever since he was nine. He got serious, though, when his father had a skiing accident and lost much of the use of the left side of his body. Even more daunting, Jorrens’ father could only speak in phrases, which meant he couldn’t communicate with flight control at airports. The solution was building an ultralight aircraft and flying together.

the f*#k?

As the propellers rev up and the aircraft gains speed over Roanoke Sound, the wake from the pontoons starts splashing the cockpit. But once it’s free, it feels as though there is nothing between us and the earth and sky. No doors, no frame, no floor…just the graceful sweep of the wing above us and the thin frame that holds our seats in place.

There are no clouds; the air is smooth…a perfect day for flying. At 500 or 600 feet it’s noticeably

Brothers Monument. As we pass over, Jorrens broadcasts that he’s at 500 feet and flying east.

“I’m just announcing where I am,” he tells me.

“About every ten or 15 minutes, because I’m flying so slow.”

We’re only in the air for 30 minutes, though the Cygnet can fly safely for four hours. And when we come in for a landing, there is a moment of regret that the flight is over.

is this thing?

“That was back in ’83. I was 15, 16 years old,” Jorrens says.

cooler than at ground level. (Which explains why you rarely see Jorrens flying in winter.)

“Things happen so much slower,” Jorrens says.

“It’s easier to see things as you’re cruising around.”

Almost 40 years later, he’s still in the air. As a semi-retired software developer, he has time to put the Cygnet through its paces. And he doesn’t even need to go to the airport.

Over Buzzards Bay, at the foot of Run Hill, Jorrens points towards the woods: “I think I see some eagles down there.”

And because the Cygnet is only 700 pounds, it’s considered a sport aircraft, which means more people can learn how to operate it.

“The big thing is I can land on the water, especially on the sound,” says Jorrens. “I just need about eight inches of water.”

As he puts the aircraft into a descending turn, the eagles burst out of a tree, and with powerful sweeps of their wings, they head out to Roanoke Sound. Next, we head toward the Wright

But even when Jorrens isn’t in the air, his brain is. In fact, he’s already working on a specialized app.

“Most the apps out there, when the sun’s out and you’re wearing polarized sunglasses, you can’t see the screen,” he says. “So I made a really simple app with two big boxes of air speed, heading and bearing. I can just tap on it and see it. I’ve been tinkering to keep my mind going.”

— KIP TABB milepost 47

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t

(Outer Bankers consume shrimp, blue crabs and other arthropods by the bushel.) Or that it’s gross. (We also down dozens of slimy, raw oysters.) So what makes these sandy crustaceans so different?

In 1985, Hathaway joined the NC Aquarium, where she helped organize the annual Marsh and Sea Fest up until 1996. The fall event drew around 100 people to Roanoke Island for three days of foraging for a Plymouth Rock-style feast.

“I’m not going to say we can’t eat them,” says Terri Kirby Hathaway, the former education curator at the North Carolina Aquarium. “But how about we don’t?”

Experts in different fields led the gathering endeavors for blue crabs, fish, oysters, duck roots, fungi, grasses, and berries found on the

can’t you e

Hathaway would know.

She’s been cooking with underutilized flora and fauna on North Carolina’s coast for nearly fifty years. As a biology student at UNC Wilmington, she studied coastal vegetation — and ate more than a few species along the way.

Pod-like beach beans got thrown into stir fries, and sea lettuce and glasswort added salty heft to salads. She also discovered certain mollusks like coquina clams were easy to collect and offered a free substitute for fish and shrimp in soups and stocks.

“I was a poor college student, and it was the 70s,” Hathaway says. “We’d say, ‘Well, let’s just try it!’”

sound, beach or land in-between. They taught attendees sustainable collection practices and helped them discern edible items from poisonous ones. Everyone researched ways to cook their bounty or tried old recipes passed along from family and friends, making everything from eel aspic to earthworm cookies.

“People who knew they were coming would stock up over the year,” Hathaway recalls. “One guy would kill, skin, and freeze a rattlesnake that he’d bring to make rattlesnake salad.”

He’s no softie.

Photo: Wes Snyder

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the f*#k?

Still, no ghost crab cakes ever hit the table.

What gives?

“When you eat a blue crab, all that meat comes from their muscles,” Hathaway says. “Ghost crabs, though, are the fastest invertebrate on land. They need to stay lean. I’m sure someone — somewhere — could come up with a way to eat them, but I don’t think they’d enjoy it very much.”

(Don’t tell that seagull.)

similar to green beans. In their young state, the soft pods make a tasty addition to stir fried vegetables. As they age, they harden and dry out, but you can shell and boil them or roast them like peanuts.

For seasoning, try “glasswort.” This coastal succulent stores water and salt in its tissues. (“It’s very salty; I even put it in cheeseballs.”)

If your head’s stuck on protein, hit the shoreline and fill your bucket with two plentiful sources.

eat ghost crabs?

But if you still got a taste for adventure — or just want to scavenge a free meal — there are lots of local foraging options to consider. Sea lettuce is an iron- and nutrient-rich algae that emerges at low tide during the spring and summer and works like dried seaweed or nori.

“Add it to salads, crumble it into soups, popcorn, or bake into sea lettuce squares,” says Hathaway.

Hit the dunes and find some “beach beans.”

The trailing wild bean flowers contain seed pods

Mole crabs — aka sand fleas — are the little crustaceans fishermen use for bait, but these tiny surf dwellers also make a delicious chowder or deep-fried delicacy for any brave human.

And coquina clams are the little bivalves often seen burrowing beneath the sand after the tide tows a wave back to sea.

“You can use them to make seafood stocks by boiling them,” Hathaway says, “just like you would with shrimp shells.”

— HANNAH LEE LEIDY

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Docked, locked and loaded.

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OUTER BANKS ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS SHOP...SINCE 1967

Is it like spearfishing — or gigging?

Closer to hunting — or fishing?

“Good question,” says local charter captain, Chris Crockett. “The fishing aspects are there — things like water temperature, migration patterns. And we follow fishing regulations. But I’d say it’s feels more like hunting.”

Sure, you’re on a boat. But you’re not kicked back, lazily waiting for a tug on the line. You’re perched on the deck. Arrow nocked. Eyes wide.

Alert to the slightest surface ripple. And when something finally moves?

“We don’t wait for ’em to bite,” grins Crockett.

“We force-feed ’em an arrow.”

maybe aliens. Crockett’s skiff glows like a spaceship, turning the looming branches into ghastly tentacles as he nudges the boat into narrow channels that are barely a foot deep. As the hull pushes fish to the surface, he sights-out each shadowy target — “11 o’clock! 2:30!” — reminding clients to stay on their toes. Literally.

“A lot of the action happens near the boat,” he explains. “So I tell everybody to keep an eye on their feet.”

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In murky or grassy conditions, you might not see more than a tailfin — or just a mud plume. But if the water’s clear, you can see each shimmering

bowfishing?

It may be a more aggressive approach, but it’s hardly new. Jamestown’s John Smith described Native Americans using “arrows tied in a line [to] shoot at fish in the rivers” back in 1624. Four centuries later, the fundamentals remain — but with a more high-tech angle. Hunters fit boats with high-watt halogens. Arrows have forked prongs to grip fish flesh. Specialized bows feature line dispensers with reels to pull up to 300 pounds. And with nearly 50,000 fans in the US alone, any fish could be a potential target.

Go online, you can find vids of archers targeting tuna in the open Pacific. Ogle bikini babes bagging bass in Florida rivers. Watch competitors chase $25,000 in prize money — and eradicate invasive species at the same time.

“There’s a Missouri tournament where they shoot Asian Carp mid-flight as they hop from the water,” laughs Crockett.

Crockett usually opts for a stealthier approach: cruising marshy sound shorelines well after dark, as he targets mostly carp and gar.

“From a fishery standpoint, they are very unpressured,” says Crockett. “And I know a few people who eat the carp.”

But this isn’t about securing food — it’s about chasing adrenaline.

Cutting the shallow black waters of Kitty Hawk Bay, it feels more like hunting zombies — or

prize. Sometimes, the carp even coil up in a crowd like Koi in a restaurant’s pond. But even then, it’s never like shooting fish in a barrel.

“It’s a moving target, so you have to be fast,” says Crockett. “Just a snap of the string, really.

My worst clients are often longtime bowhunters who are used to really aiming. The people who’ve never picked up a bow are usually my better shooters.”

Some charters come home with a single fish — sometimes as many as 15. But even the misses are fun when you’re losing arrows as fast as you can. And the ones that find home are always a thrill.

“I once stuck a 40-pound carp at 50 feet,” Crockett beams. “He literally spun the boat around.”

Still, for all the blood on the deck and machismo in the air — with all the talk of “shooting fish in the face” — the take-home experience is surprisingly tranquil. Cruising back after midnight, the moon’s wearing a big halo. Orion’s belt buckle twinkles above the tree line. And as we pass an oak studded with roosting white herons, the natural rewards are starkly, brilliantly clear.

“What’s bowfishing?” says Crockett, watching all 100 birds take flight at once. “I guess it’s just one more way to enjoy where we live.”

— FLETCHER LOPEZ

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Wrecking crew.

Photo: Marc Corbett

who Nothing scares folks out of the ocean faster.

Yet, hop aboard the Lion’s Paw in Hatteras and you’ll find more than a few intrigued individuals paying good money with one goal in mind: meeting the ocean’s scariest apex predator faceto-face.

“At least 50 percent of our clients come specifically for the sharks,” says longtime mate and photographer, Marc Corbett. “And from all over the country. They’re just fascinating creatures, you know? You’re looking at this giant predator that’s swimming by you.”

It’s not as scary as it sounds. Most of the species on offshore wrecks are sand tigers — aka “ragged-tooths.” But while they may look menacing, they’re generally harmless.

“They have these big, jagged teeth; they look like they’re pointing out of their mouth in bizarre directions. They don’t really pay all that much attention to you — I mean, usually.”

Off our coast, the more popular shipwrecks can be teeming with them.

Shawn Harper, diving safety officer at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, says the sand tigers migrate with the warmer waters. The local population ranges from the Gulf of Maine to the Gulf of Mexico. Other common residents are nurse sharks — which “like to hide in the wreck

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and sleep”— and sandbar sharks, which stay farther away and higher in the water above the sunken hulks.

Screengrabs and photos go into a database.

The spot maps go into a computer program. And algorithms identify potential other sightings of the same shark, tracking their whereabouts and helping understand survival rates.

Still, sand tigers are of particular interest to North Carolina aquariums, because “they are a large and docile species that doesn’t need a lot of space,” says Harper.

Since its soft launch in 2018, researchers have identified more than 1,300 sharks, with 60 resighted — some multiple times. Harper, who heads the in-tank and offshore aquarium dive

“Shipwrecks are kind of unique in drawing marine life to them,” Harper says, calling them “oases in the ocean.”

Every shark documented helps keep that oasis intact. And every friendly encounter helps humans to be less fearful.

Just ask Gillian Donald. Before she became an aquarium diving safety technician, the California native was a dive guide off New Zealand. And

dives with sharks?

Sadly, Harper says they’re also “a species of concern,” with observed local decline. And populations east of South America and off Australia are “critically endangered.”

operations and works as a SCUBA instructor and underwater cameraman on the side, has contributed about 400 sharks to the project, alone.

As a result, Harper’s hoping to tap into divers’ innate fascination with these toothy critters to help ensure their survival with Spot A Shark USA. This citizen science program asks divers to photograph or video the sharks they encounter, then submit the images to SpotASharkUSA.com.

“What scientists learn about sand tigers can be used to help conserve them all over the world,” he says.

Scientists can then map each animal’s unique spot patterns.

But why? Well, because they’re a necessary part of the food chain. Sharks manage other species, keeping populations healthy by eliminating weak and sickly creatures and not allowing any one species to dominate the others.

“They basically hold their spots like freckles throughout their life,” he says.

Sand tigers, specifically, are crucial players in shipwrecks’ biodiversity.

yet she says she’s never felt threatened.

“Sometimes you get a visceral fear when you see a shark,” she says. “But it goes away almost as soon as it arrives. And, after that, it’s very peaceful to just kind of be floating in the water column with this amazing animal who’s just doing its thing.”

And if “its thing” means getting a little too close, whether in the dive tank or open ocean, Donald says the safety protocol remains the same.

“If a shark is swimming towards you, you just kind of drop down; hold still until it’s passed,” she says. “I always try to remember that it’s their home and I’m just visiting, so I don’t want to be a bad guest.” — CORINNE SAUNDERS milepost 53

fooddrink Billy’s routinely chalks up record tuna salad sales.

Photo: Chris Bickford

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getactiveIT TAKE OUTSIDE startingpoint

Five favorite cooler foods for a chill beach day.

SHADES ON. Sunscreen slathered. Heels up. Head back. Face extending toward the sky, as if to receive a long-awaited sun-kiss. Everything’s perfect for the season’s first beach day — until you reach into the cooler and find nothing but canned beer, melting cubes, and a soggy PB&J. Don’t let one rookie move ruin your season. We polled our foodie friends — and maybe fished around a few unguarded Igloos — to find the hottest cooler fodder from Corolla to Buxton, Nags Head to Colington.

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BILLY’S SEAFOOD TUNA SALAD If you grew up in the South, on any given weekend or family outing, a packed cooler meant some sort of cold salad lay in wait.

We’re talking good ole mayonnaise, pickle relish, celery — plus whatever canned protein could be found in the back of the pantry, be it chicken or tuna or salmon.

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But the beauty of beach living is the ability to say, “So long, Starkist. Hello fresh yellowfin.” And if anyone has the ingredients to make a mean Tuna Salad, it’s Mrs. Judy Beasley, owner of Billy’s Seafood in Colington — where, each day, local watermen unload their freshest catch to be put into cases. In fact, that’s how Judy’s salad came into being.

some salad with it, and set it out with a loaf of bread so that the fishermen could have some lunch,” says Judy. “It’s gotten to the point now that customers demand my tuna salad even more.”

THE BUTCHER BLOCK’S ITALIAN STALLION SANDWICH Should you find yourself in Corolla, the Butcher Block is a grab-and-go, carnivorecrazed, craft beer wonderland.

And tons of it — literally. Since 2015, Billy’s has sold 31,000 pounds of Judy’s simple yet delicious recipe, one pint container at a time. And it’s no wonder. While the ingredient list may be short, the items are fresh. So, she’s bound to break another record this year. — their 50th anniversary, in fact.

“My dad started this business in Conway, NC in 1954,” says owner, Johnny Davis.

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“In the beginning, I would just take any leftover tuna [from cutting steaks], make

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“With even more people on the beach,” Judy says, “I can’t seem to make it fast enough. We sold 60 pounds the first two days we were open.”

Better get yours before she’s fresh out.

Originally known as “Food Center,” Johnny renamed the business Butcher Block and brought it the beach. And after eight seasons in Corolla, he’s carved out a niche offering hand-cut steaks and homemade sausage, served-up in a super-cool atmosphere.

“It seems that, since we’ve added the deli and draft beer,” Johnny says, “we’ve evolved into a small-town, local hangout.”

At any given moment, you can find

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SINCE 2015, BILLY’S HAS SOLD 31,000 POUNDS OF TUNA SALAD.

customers milling about, frosty beer in hand as they wait for sandwiches, freshmade salads, and wraps. The place is kind of like “Cheers,” but with cold-cuts. And if you’re looking for one name that everyone asks for?

“Our Italian Stallion is by far the favorite sandwich,” says Johnny.

Cured meats piled high with banana peppers and veggies. Salty, savory and delicious. Pair that with a cold growler of beer to-go, and you’re ready to kick-it beachside all afternoon.

CAHOON’S SHRIMP SPRING ROLLS Enjoying the beach near Jennette’s Pier?

Hankering for something less traditional?

Cahoon’s Market will put a new twist on your favorite twang.

before the historic Ash Wednesday storm,” says Renee Cahoon. “We didn’t think the building would still be standing, but we’re now getting ready to celebrate our 60th year in business.”

“Our shrimp spring rolls blow out the door,” says Charlene Cahoon, who runs the deli.

“And the Southwest chicken salad sells itself.”

Along the way, they’ve added more amenities. Groceries. Tackle. Ten years ago, they tacked on a deli, where, Renee notes, “It’s important to us to make everything from scratch and get as much locally sourced products as possible.”

This Nags Head landmark began as a cottage court back in 1962. Since then, they’ve weathered all the changes of the Outer Banks tourist boom — not to mention every major weather event.

“My parents bought this property one week MISS HELEN’S FRIED CHICKEN But what about those days where you need a little something extra to cure what ails ya?

Hop into Nags Head’s Stop Quik — aka Mrs. Helen’s, aka “Biscuits and Porn” — where they’ll grease away the worst hangovers.

Which may explain the line that snakes its way around the store each morning.

“On an average day, we serve about 1000 people,” says owner John Grandy. “On a busy day, it’s around 1500 or more.”

And that’s breakfast and lunch only. What’s all the fuss about, you ask?

To start, the biscuit combos. Bacon, egg and cheese. Spicy fried chicken on a cheddar biscuit. Sweet potato biscuits with sausage.

If you can crave it, Stop Quik probably has it. Provided you get there before they run out — usually by 11am.

CONNER’S PIMENTO CHEESE And no trip south would be complete without a pit-stop at Conner’s in Buxton.

Once a campground store, the business has bloomed into a full-on supermarket where after 62 years their slogan is: “From PBR, to caviar, we’ve got it all!”

They have fresh-made fish dips. Sandwiches.

Snacks. And hordes of options from healthy — chef salad? — to less-so.

“You wouldn’t expect it,” says co-owner Travis Salyers, “but another old-school fan fave is our banana pudding.”

The shrimp’s out of Engelhard. The tuna hails from Wanchese. But it’s the family from Nags Head that keeps Cahoon’s in every cooler rotation.

the fine art of reuse MP 10.5 Beach Road Nags Head (252) 715-2426

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FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED SINCE 1987!

But that’s right about when they start pumping out plate lunches, like chicken and dumplings or pork loin over rice. All perfected over three decades and cooked to Miss Helen’s specs — rest her soul.

“My parents bought this business in ’78,” says John. “And they started the deli in ’91.

While my mom is no longer with us, her recipes haven’t changed a bit.”

That includes the number one cooler food — fried chicken. While the nudie magazines may sell t-shirts, the crispy birds are the real crowd pleaser, cooked golden-brown and served in gallon buckets (or smaller boxes).

Simply step up to the counter, place your order, grab some koozies — maybe some light reading material — and you’re set for the day.

Don’t forget the daily specials. Perhaps a chili dog makes your Monday? Or a taco salad to spice up Fridays? But there’s one family recipe they simply cannot make enough of.

“What we really sell the most of is our Pimento cheese,” Travis shares with a laugh.

Whether it’s the regular or the jalapeño variety, there’s just something so satisfying about that creamy, cheesy goodness. Ideal for lunchtime sandwiches while soaking up rays — or dipping crackers while dunking your toes. — Fran Marler

Beach. Read. Re eat.

Scan to learn more about these books and other 2021 summer releases!

103 Sir Walter Ralei h Street Downtown Manteo 252-473-105

Not Your Typical Tobacco Shop

Tobacco Accessories Local Sea Glass Jewelry

CIGARETTE CITY Import Cigars (My Father, Romeo & Juliet), RYO (American Spirit, Peter Stokkebye) Hippy/Gypsy Clothing (Bohemian, Wool Ponchos, Hobo Bags) Incense (Smudge, Palo Santo, Tibetan) • Cigarettes (Dunhill, Nat’s)

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IT’S A

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2000 South Croatan Hwy, Kill Devil Hills 441-5338 1171 Duck Rd., Duck Scarborough Lane Shoppes 261-7297 801 Ocean Trail, Corolla (next to Food Lion) Monteray Plaza 453-4862

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Personal Chef Services

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Call 252-441-4116

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Dinner Delivery • Personal Chef Services • Wedding Receptions & Special Occasion Catering

Menus available online: kellysobxcatering.com

PPE Masks used consistently, except when taking pictures

artisticlicense fooddrink STEP

BY STEP

Jimmy Lee Brooks lights up the stage.

Photo: Chris Bickford

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Part dancer, part actor, part jeweler, Jimmie Lee Brooks forges his own creative path.

No wonder the Colony has so many success stories — Terrence Mann’s, Andy Griffith’s and William Ivey Long’s among them.

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Brooks took advantage of various alumni workshops and connections to explore larger opportunities elsewhere for a few years. Nevertheless, a fulltime creative career proved elusive. Between auditions and choreography and acting gigs along the East Coast and in New York, Brooks was still supplementing with bartending, waiting tables, event design, and working at the YMCA.

questionauthority upfront soundcheck Forget NYC. You can make a full-time living in the arts right here on the Outer Banks. Just be prepared to diversify, put the day job/night job combo on repeat for months, and don’t even think about getting tired until Labor Day.

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Jimmie Lee Brooks III can show you how it’s done.

Known around Roanoke Island as Lee, Brooks spends his days at the anvil, forging away as a bench jeweler at Silver Bonsai Gallery. Summer evenings he’s gone by five, zipping up Highway 64 to Waterside Theatre to don the Elizabethan garb of an ensemble actor in The Lost Colony — now in its 84th season.

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While silversmithing is the year-round job and performing is the side gig, Brooks’ training reflects otherwise. He’s a career dancer and choreographer who fell into the jewelry business by chance. Mashing his talents together allowed him to flee the pace of New York City for the peace of Roanoke Island living. All thanks to taking a small role in a local drama.

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“The Lost Colony gives you a glimpse of where you can go in this industry if you’re willing to put the work into it,” he says.

As a “military brat,” Brooks grew up all over the place before landing at UNC Chapel Hill, where he majored in theater arts. He’d done some plays in high school, but it took joining the cast of A Chorus Line in college to recognize the possibilities.

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“That made me realize I could make a career in the arts,” he says.

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always inside where the weather is stable. They’ve never had to be backstage and watch a waterspout go down the sound right beside them.”

An audition with the Institute of Outdoor Drama landed him his first The Lost Colony role in the summer of 1998.

“I’d never really danced before, but a friend encouraged me to come to the dance call,” Brooks remembers.

He spent the summer as a loin-cloth-clad dancer and the understudy for Uppowoc, the production’s Native American medicine man. Choreographer Johnny Walker recognized Brooks’ talent and drive and offered to train him further after the summer.

So began a legendary Lost Colony career. Brooks came back to play Uppowoc seven more times. By 2010 and 2011 he was assistant choreographer, and from 2012 to 2015 he was the show’s choreographer. In 2015 he was both the choreographer and Uppowoc. This summer, his 16th season in the outdoor drama, he plays an ensemble character and is the understudy for Governor White.

“I attribute those first years at the Colony as going to a drama school instead of going to a school with a drama department,” Brooks says. “As small as the theater community is, there’s so much we can learn from everyone we come in contact with. There are people from all over the country and other countries, working together, rehearsing together, living together for the entire summer.”

THIS SUMMER, THE LOST COLONY VETERAN ACTOR CAN’T WAIT TO TACKLE A NEW CHARACTER.

For extra money in the summer of 2009, Brooks hit up Ben and Kathryn Stewart at Silver Bonsai Gallery for a job. He’d met them when teaching Lost Colony Theater Camp to their daughter Alyse and heard they hired actors from time to time.

“You’re artistic,” they said. “Have you ever made jewelry?”

“I’ve made hemp necklaces,” he replied. He got the job.

Brooks stayed on in Manteo that fall and, despite a lack of any formal training, soon became the Stewarts’ apprentice.

After six years of training, he now creates much of their silver jewelry, is starting to goldsmith and engrave, and forging the final link in a lifetime goal.

“I could finally say I was making my living full-time in the arts,” he says.

When he’s not working metal, he’s honing his stagecraft by performing with Theatre of Dare — and guiding future actors as the theater director at Manteo High School. This summer, after having portrayed Uppowoc for so many years, the 43-year-old Lost Colony veteran can’t wait to tackle a new character. And he embraces the production’s recent commitment to casting only Native Americans in Native American roles.

“I think it’s a great step in the right direction,” Brooks says.

Mainly, he says, the Colony taught him a strong work ethic.

So no more dancing and fighting in the loin cloth?

“Many actors don’t have any idea what it’s like to work outside in the grueling summer heat every night. They’re

“It’s the first time I’ll be performing completely clothed all summer long,” he laughs. — Terri Mackleberry milepost 57

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TIME + ENERGY = graphiccontent JAMS gosurf milepost

Two decades in, Formula’s cracked the code for outthere infectious grooves.

Road trips. Crazy fans. That one wideeyed hippy who couldn’t stop twirling, or a long, post-show stagger through an Indiana cornfield. If you wanna know what Formula pours into their jams, it’s not so much individual notes as collective experiences.

Shared memories of good times gathered at home and abroad — be it playing tunes, chasing concerts, or riding mountains — stockpiled over the past two decades, all beginning with a single, slapped together gig on December 31, 2000.

rocked the stage. (Goombays, Chilli’s, Kelly’s, Brew Pub.) Choose a cherished community event, they’ve provided the soundtrack.

(Artrageous, Dare Day, Shredfest, Rock the Cape.) They’ve kicked off our biggest ever musical events — Mustang Music Festival — and headlined the smallest of gritty, grand openings.

“Tommy Karole was looking for a band to play his New Year’s Party,” says bassist Jason Ribeiro. “Chris Whitehurst was like, ‘I know some guys.’ And twenty years later, we’re still here.”

Over the years, the lineup’s ebbed and flowed from three to five members; schedules fluxed from 50 gigs per season to barely a dozen. But they never stopped playing. (When the pandemic closed clubs, they staged pop-up shows on driveways.)

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The Waterfront Shops • Duck

252-255-0600

It’s that mix of spontaneous energy and DIY local spirit that’s defined them ever since.

Pick an iconic Outer Banks venue, Formula’s milepost 58

“I’m pretty sure we opened up the YMCA skatepark, too,” laughs drummer, Jayson “Mole” Hicks.

Today, it’s safe to say the original power trio of Mole on drums, Ribeiro on bass, and Matt

Hoggard on guitar, is holding strong. In fact, they’re tighter than ever.

“I remember hearing a story about how the Dave Brubeck quartet played together for so long they could say really complicated things to each other, just with the phrasing,” says Chris Sawin, who jumped on keyboard in 2018. “I see that with these guys. They launch into a song, and it takes me 20 seconds to catch up. [Laughs] It’s like they have a secret language.”

One that’s communicated entirely in spontaneous riffs, solid beats, and searing notes. Lots and lots of notes. Chances are you won’t even get a song title or “thanks for coming” between tunes. Just one infectious groove into the next, all gilded with pure power and subliminal accuracy.

“This is focused chaos, man,” says Ribeiro.

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THEY CUT STRANGE, NEW PATHS WITH EACH FRESH LICK.

band” stereotype. No songs that noodle on for half an hour. (The average tune runs roughly five minutes.) No trampolines or other silly gimmicks. And no happy singalongs or maudlin trudgers.

“People ask us, ‘Do you guys ever sing?” laughs Matt. “Yeah, we sing! The instruments are singing!”

Not that the lyrics don’t matter. They’re just not the focus. Most originals begin as a riff during practice. Once it’s polished, they find the words somewhere. Might be one of Mole’s poems. (“Time.”) A favorite festival. (“Indiana.”) An inspired idea. (“Light up that cone tonight….”) Might be nothing at all.

(Half the songs are pure instrumentals.) But while every song may not have a narrative, there is a musical story arc — complete with a beginning, middle, end, and, most importantly, a climax.

“There’s a cylinder we hit,” says Mole. “And when we hit it, you know. Even if we play a cover, we make it our own by hitting that next gear.”

Musical mind-melds come naturally to Mole, Hoggard and Ribeiro.

Photo: Chris Bickford Art: Kim Cowen

“We know where we’re going, but sometimes we go different routes.”

It starts with a rhythm section that ripples with tangible energy. (Pro tip: when the bass player’s boogeying, you know you’re in for a good time.) From there, Sawin puts down a plush carpet of groovy keys, punching the beat and emphasizing chord changes, leaving room for Matt Hoggard’s sharp, axe chops. Collectively, they cut strange, new paths with each fresh lick, before circling back to some TBD finish line — or dropping into totally unforeseen territory.

“We’ve got our trap doors,” says Mole.

“Certain ways into jams, certain ways out.

But we know where those trap doors are.”

It’s those random head-fakes that keeps the audience guessing, adding an x-factor to the music that steps beyond the traditional “jam

M ak e M e m ories !

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Sail the Albemarle Sound

aboard the 41 foot Movin’On for afternoon and sunset cruises. Couples, families, groups.

That’s what 20 years together will do for you. And yet, in all that time, they’ve never put down anything permanent. Crazy when you consider that Hoggard’s real gig is running sound. With live gigs on hold the past year, he spent the spring turning a spare bedroom into a studio so they can finally record.

“It’s time,” says Hoggard. “They’re good songs. We need to get them out there, if only just to say, ‘This is what we’ve done.’”

By fall, fans should be able buy a vinyl platter etched with musical memories.

Of course, that depends on the summer schedule. Already, they’ve got a regular Thursday night gig lined up at the Roadside in Duck. The goal is to add on as many as possible, then keep pushing the performance limits to draw a crowd — just to lose them every once in a while.

“My favorite is when some dude walks up to the stage with this look, like, ‘How’d they do that?!’” says Mole. “ I want to make people make that face.” — Leo Gibson

Reservations by calling: 1-877-359-8447 Visit our website: sailingouterbanks.com • obxsail.com milepost 59

presented by

2021 SEASON MAY 28-AUGUST 21, 2021

ROANOKE ISLAND, NC

WATERSIDE THEATRE

Performances Monday-Saturday at 8:30PM. Tickets start at $20.

For more information, please visit thelostcolony.org or call (252) 473-6000. milepost 60

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BROOD X

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Sometimes I just wanna stick my head in the dirt Bury my body down deep And not emerge for at least 17 years Or, even better, burrow far back in time

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Find a weathered piling Latch on

Crack my crusty shell A YOUNGER FRESHER Then emerge VERSION OF A younger fresher version of myself MYSELF… IN In a wilder, woolier time A WILDER, Before all the buzz WOOLIER TIME.

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But then I realize: Yesterday’s buzz was just as loud That I too heard the call But I did not hear it that way Because I — like the noise — was new And that the magic is still magic It is I who am no longer bug-eyed And you can’t cycle backwards. — C. White

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endnotes “WTF is up with events this summer?” We’re still not 100% sure, either. At press time, folks were still waiting to see if an official announcement would loosen restrictions on crowd sizes. We’ll have to see what the state says then — and how the COVID numbers play out.

In every case, be sure to double-check with any event to be sure they’re a go, and what social distancing rules may be in play. And keep tabs on the latest case-loads — even better, sign up to get vaccinated — at www.darenc.com/covid19. • If by “WTF?” you mean, “where’s the freshness?” then try an outdoor summer market, where you can find everything from organic veggies and meats to fresh baked goods to handcrafted arts to soaps and candles. Start with Nags Head’s Dowdy Park Farmer’s Market, which serves up cottage industry food and fare every Thurs., from May 27-Sept. 9. 9am-1pm. (Call 252-489-8551 or find the Dowdy Park Events page at www.nagsheadnc.gov.) • Starting May 29, you can make your way to Wanchese’s Secotan Market on Sat. mornings, 8am-12pm, for non-GMO eggs, tasty microgreens, sweet honey, local mushrooms, and more. Or pick up a generous gift, like jewelry, fiber arts, and other handmade items. Find the freshest details and a full list of purveyors at www.secotanmarket.com. • Shop early enough, you can score a second dose of deliciousness by sneaking over to the Town of Manteo’s Downtown Market. This decade-long tradition runs every Sat., 8am-12pm, May 29-Sept. 18, and features up to 50 vendors selling local pottery, organic produce, fresh flowers, and more. 8am-12pm. Follow the Downtown Market Facebook Page for the latest updates. • You don’t need deep pockets to grow your own goodness when the Elizabethan Gardens Spring Plant Sale returns May 29-30. From 9am-5pm, score deep discounts on greenhouse raised annuals and early season perennials, shrubs, and trees. Learn more at www.elizabethangardens.org. • Dig a pony? Trot over to Island Farm any Tues. or Thurs. and visit two rescued Corolla Wild Horses living on the historic homestead. From 9-11am, meet Rainbow and Grace and learn more about how these incredible “banker ponies” fit into early life on the Outer Banks. Free with general admission ($8 for ages 4 and up). Warning: this programming is subject to change if the weather or the mood of the horses turns foul. Call 252-473-6500 or email islandfarm@obcinc.org for the latest information. • Wrangle a wild fish — and compose a pretty picture — when the 4th Annual Frank & Fran’s Kayak Fishing Tournament returns to Hatteras Island, May 29-30. Prizes go to first and second place for each Speckled Sea Trout, Red Drum, and Bluefish — plus a “smallest catch” award for each species, as well. Sign up at the shop Fri., May 28. Find boundaries, prize money, and a full list

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presents of rules at hatteras-island.com/2020-kayak-tournamentregistration/. • Every species of sailor is invited to Colington Yacht Club’s Blessing of the Fleet on May 29.

From 11am-12:30pm, an Outer Banks Coast Guard Auxiliary boat will lead vessels from inside and outside the community on a parade, while a Coast Guard H60 helicopter flies overhead. For full instructions — plus details on other events, such as the Wed. Night Race Series, June 12’s Picnic and Cornhole Tournament, June 19’s George Kendall Summer Solstice Regatta, July 17’s Female Skippers Race, and Aug. 7’s Second Annual Colington Harbour Floating Poker Game — cruise over to www.colingtonyachtclub.com. • See how local shipwreck survivors made it from sandbar to shore when the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site & Museum performs its Breeches Buoy Apparatus Drill every Thurs. at 2pm, between Memorial Day and Labor Day (weather permitting). The weekly live demo shows how the Hatteras crews of yore used a cannon-fired Lyle Gun — and a stylish-yetfunctional, specialized floaty suit — to deliver passengers and crew to safety. For a full description, plus the latest on other tours and events, go to www.chicamacomico.org. • Wanna party like it’s 2001? Be at the Outer Banks Brewing Station’s 20th Birthday Party, June 1, as they celebrate two decades of serving craft beers, fine food, and fun times with shows by favorite local bands Formula and Zack Mexico. And every evening’s a reason to post up in the backyard, thanks to a brand new stage — and live tunes by longtime local players like Monty Hooker (Sun.), The Wilder Brothers (Mon.), Phil Watson (Tues.), Stephen Brown Band (Wed.), Natalie Wolfe (Thurs.), Graham Outten (Fri.), and Doc Perkins (Sat.). For updates and deets on other music and events, go to www. obbrewing.com or monitor their Facebook page. • Actually, the entire outdoor music scene was beginning to take shape as we headed to press. In Kitty Hawk, the Rundown Café’s backyard will star a rotating cast of top troubadours, Fri.-Sun., from now through Labor Day. (And they’ll even tack on a Thurs. show starting June 24.) 6-9pm. Specific bands are listed on their Facebook page, where they’ll also post weather cancellations when necessary. More at www.rundowncafe.com. • Do horns make you horny, baby? Catch Tommy V and the Boys — starring Ed Tupper, Dr. Tom, Dan Martier, and former Temptations saxophonist Dave Kreiselman — as they bump live tunes every Tues. at Roadside in Duck. And Formula will hold down Thurs. nights with an intricate web of highintensity rock jams. (Follow their Facebook page for updates.) • Bow-wow-wow, yippeeyo, yippee yay, the Yacht Dogs are in the house at the Roadside in Duck each Fri. evening, and at Art’s Place every other Sun. And you can catch them the other Suns. at Swell Brewery as soon as it opens — plus at least one Sat. per month at Avalon Pier. (Follow the venues’ social feeds for specific dates.) Or head to Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint for 7-10pm shows on June 5 & 26, July 17 and Aug. 14. • Jack Brown’s fenced-in backyard is off-the-chain all summer long, with weekly shows by Jonny Waters (Wed.) and Graham Outten (Thurs.), plus monthly appearances by blues legend Mojo Collins & Triple Vision ( June 25, July 24 & Aug. 21) and acoustic grooves by Soul One ( June 1, July 6, & Aug. 3), and bimonthly mindblowers by Harrison & Wentz ( June 14 & 28, July 12 & 26, Aug. 9 & 23.) All shows are 7-10pm, weather permitting. Keep tabs on their Facebook page for updates. • Luscious tunes light up Jarvisburg’s Sanctuary Vineyards’ Acoustic Sunsets every Thurs., as live players and latest vintages combine forces, 5:30-8:30pm. And every Sat., Truckin’ pairs top-notch music acts with tasty mobile food trucks from 12-3pm. Both events roll from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Tap into the winery’s Facebook page and Instagram feed for the latest. • Swing north to Nags Head Hammocks’ Duck location every Tues. afternoon for Sunset Live Music (4-7pm), plus a series of relaxing weekly events from now ’til Labor Day. Wed. puts Hammock Weaving on display (11am-3pm); The Best Bankers. Hometown Banking.

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endnotes Get updates and menu specials at www.jollyrogerobx.com. • Or take the time to learn an instrument with the help of Ascension Music Academy. Summer lessons and classes cover everything from straightforward favorites, like guitar, piano, flute, and voice, to less mainstream options, like lute, dulcimer and ukulele. Or if you’d rather live your dreams through your children, ask about the Kids Classes, which begin as young as 15 months.

Details at www.ncmusicteachers.com. • Fans of family-friendly art and music festivities, get ready to party: on Wed., June 2, the Dare County Arts Council’s Rock The Cape brings live acts and local artisans to Kitty Hawk Kites’ Waves Village Watersports Resort in Rodanthe. Visit www.darearts.org for a lineup of bands and vendors. • Work up a sweat the old-fashioned way when National Running Day kicks off the footrace season, June 2, at Southern Shores Crossing at 8am. From there, you can find weekly 8am dashes all over the beach, from Nags Head’s Sunrise 5k at Jennette’s Pier ( June 3, 10 & 17) to Corolla’s Lighthouse 5k (every Wed., June 9-Sept. 15), back to the Nags Head’s Village 5k (every Thurs., June 24-Aug.19) and down to the Run Hatteras 5k ( July 2-Aug. 20). Sign up and learn more at www.theobxrunningcompany.com. • Exercise your mind and body at Corolla’s Yoga in the Park every Thurs. from June 3-Sept. 2. Join instructor Rosie Sharkey at Whalehead at 7:30am for a free, all-levels, 60-min. class that includes guided meditation, calming breath work, and a series of seated and standing postures to make you feel like your most centered self. Please bring a yoga mat, beach towel or tapestry, plenty of water, and sun protection. (In case of inclement weather, classes will be canceled.) More at www.visitcurrituck.com. • “What comes around, goes around” comes to The Lost Colony Local Nights, June 4, 11 & 18. Dare County residents: bring your ID and two non-perishable donations to support local food pantries. In return, they feed you a free show. 8:30pm.

Reserve your tix in advance via 252-473-6000. And visit www.thelostcolony.org for

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suggested forms of ID and food donations. Don’t live here? Don’t sweat it. Tix to the 84th season of America’s favorite symphonic drama are just $20. (And free for kids 5 and under.)

• You can support Beach Food Pantry all summer long — especially on checkout day. Just drop any unopened nonperishable items at the following locations before leaving town: Brindley Beach in Kitty Hawk, Corolla and Duck; Carolina Designs in Duck; the Dare County Baum Center in Kill Devil Hills; Kill Devil Hills Library; Resort Realty in Nags Head; Southern Shores Realty; Sun Realty in KDH; and Twiddy & Company in Duck. Or take your stash straight to the pantry’s Kitty Hawk HQ at 4007 North Croatan Highway any Mon.-Fri. from 2-4pm. (You can also call/text them at 252-261-2756 or 202-352-2107 to coordinate a drop off.)

And if you’re a food insecure family, the Summer Food for Kids (SFK) program will start the second week of June and run 15 weeks. Call 252261-2756 to learn how to register. • Already devour all your beach reads? Boogie to Downtown Books in Manteo for an endless buffet of options, including the best local authors. In fact, visit June 4, you can meet our own Joe C. Ellis as he signs his latest mysteries Roanoke Island Murders and Singer in the Sound, the first two installments in a new series set on the Outer Banks, featuring private investigator Weston Wolf. Then come back on Fri., June 11 when John Rainey will be autographing his true crime novel, based on a ’67 tragedy, The Lost Colony Murder. Stay tuned to www.duckscottage.com for clues on future events. • You may have to find a free cheese plate elsewhere. Dare County Arts Council is still not hosting opening receptions as of press time, but that don’t mean you can’t feast your eyes on the latest, greatest local works. From June 4-26, roll into Downtown Manteo, where Phyllis Wells’ mixed media efforts fill the DCAC Vault Gallery, and Latrell Broughton serves up portrait and landscape photography upstairs in the DCAC Courtroom Gallery. Find all the details at www.darearts.org. • Celebrate a resilient island community’s comeback — and

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cheer on the survival of a favorite music event — when the Ocrafolk Festival returns to Ocracoke, June 4-6. Of course, this year will look a little different for safety reasons, including all-outdoor shows, reduced crowds and four-hour time-windows to allow for better social distancing. Get complete deets and tix at www. ocracokealive.org. And if you want to support recovery efforts year-round, donate to Outer Banks Community Foundation’s Dare County and Ocracoke Disaster Relief Funds, which are seriously depleted after distributing over $1.5 million for Hurricane Dorian relief. Learn more at www.obcf.org.

• Watch local surfers destroy local waves — and the competition — when the Eastern Surfing Association’s Outer Banks District kicks off their season, June 5, in Kitty Hawk. Come July 17 &18, they take on the pack from VB, when the Hands Across the Border event bombs down to Buxton. And round out the summer season with one more battle royale in town on Aug. 7. To keep up on details, or — even better — to jump in the water, go to obnc.surfsignup.com, where you can join the ESA and register for contests. • More of a soul surfer? Ride the spiritual wave with a virtual service by Kitty Hawk’s Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Outer Banks Sunday Service at 10:30am. Anyone who is interested can log in at www.uucob.org and select “What’s Happening” for news about the current week’s Zoom service. • For those who find inner peace by working outdoors, here’s your chance for some free enlightening. The Dare County Master Gardeners’ “Gardening in

the Arboretum” Summer Series offers wisdom on topics like planting for pollinators, composting at home, pruning, and so much more. Free and open to the public on select Weds., June through Sept. at the Outer Banks Arboretum & Teaching Garden. Call 252473-4290 with any questions. • Forget flowers. On June 11, Homegrown delivers a one-of-a-kind creative bouquet that gathers music, art, fashion, design, and culture. Head to the Dare County Head Start Center in Manteo at 6pm to see fresh designs from Mom’s Sweet Shop, Local As It Gets, KIIIND, Long Way Home, Ruckus, Wescott, and Starr Boutique strut the runway while local musicians Zack Mexico, Holden McOwen and Tshombe Selby rock the stage — plus live art, vendors and more.

Admission is free. Get the latest on this family-friendly event at www.darearts.org. • Wanna make the drive to Go big on Hatteras even more beautiful? On June 12, join NC pollinators with the Beach Buggy Association for an Operation Beach Dare County Master Gardeners, select Respect/Adopt a Highway event to clean 6 miles of Wed.’s, June-Sept.

NC 12. Start by meeting at 7:30am at Oregon Inlet Photo: Cory Godwin Ramp 4 in the new parking area. Get your bag and gloves, then walk both sides of the road from Marc Basnight Bridge to a half-mile north of Coquina Beach (or Ramp 2). A few hours later, both sides of the road will look prettier than ever.

(There’s a picnic to follow, to boot.) Learn more at www.ncbba.org. • Then make cleaning the coast a healthy habit by participating in the Surfrider Foundation-Outer Banks Chapter’s bimonthly beach cleanups. Just follow their Facebook page for dates, places and times. Even

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endnotes better, take responsibility for a favorite access by signing up to Adopt a Beach. All it takes is a willingness to sweep for litter six times a year — and $25. Proceeds go towards the Larry Gray Scholarship Fund to support local seniors’ college dreams. And if you want to get your hands dirty while showing off decorative skills, stay tuned for a family friendly sandcastle building contest sometime in June. Follow their Facebook feed for updates. • More of a last-minute do-gooder? Short on time? Then OBX 5-Minute Beach Cleanups are your new jam. Once a week, organizers post a location that needs a sweep — then they raffle off prizes to a crowd of participants. The schedule was still TBD at press time, but just follow @obx5minutebeachcleanup for the digital cattle call. • You don’t need a reason to beautify our natural bounties. Next time you hit Pea Island and Alligator River Wildlife Refuge, go home with some trash along with some memories. Consider it a DIY tour, as official programs remain suspended at press time. But! That might change in weeks to come, so keep tabs on their respective www.fws.gov pages for updates. And for latest details regarding the annual Crab Rodeo — or any guided interpretive program — call 252216-9464 or email alligatorriver@fws.gov. • The Town of Duck stretches the limits of technology this summer by taking two weekly workouts into the digital realm. Starting June 15, every Tues. morning, you’ll get Live Virtual Yoga with Village Yoga, while Live Dynamic Flow with OBX Fitness Collective begins Wed., June 16. Both start at 7:30am on the town’s Facebook page — at least until they’re allowed to take place in-person. For more announcements regarding the anticipated return of live events later this summer, stay tuned to www.townofduck.com. In the meantime, stop in Duck Town Hall for some real-life art, as “Fault Lines, Through Line” — a collaborative art exhibit by Lynne Scott Constantine and Suzanne Scott Constantine — hangs through July 28. • Dare County Arts Council’s Courthouse Speaker Series will use the internet to intertwine science, arts, and cultural awareness by asking scholars from a variety of

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disciplines to engage our local population and online audiences. Things kick off June 15, when National Association of Black Storytellers’ Elisha T. Minter describes life growing up in the Jim Crow south. On July 20, local professor, sculpturist, and River Cube inventor Christina Weisner will discuss how she fuses scientific curiosity with exploratory art. And come Aug., John McCord takes us inside the Coastal Studies Institutes’ groundbreaking research. All occur at 7pm on DCAC’s Facebook Page — the same place you can enjoy the Courthouse Sessions Virtual Concerts every Tues. at 8pm. (PS: cross your fingers for more in-person events, depending on Covid-19 guidelines and restrictions.) More at www. darearts.org. • Are you virtually over the virtual events? Get your hands on real live art while listening to real-life tunes — and sipping real-tasty libations — when Corolla Cork & Craft returns to Historic Corolla Park, every Wed., June 16-Sept.8. From 3-7pm, enjoy local wine and beer tastings and curated craft artisans — plus musical performances by artists like Mercy Creek and Phil Watson, and firing food trucks like Fork’Et Me Not — all in a breathtaking and peaceful soundside setting. Free with admission to Whalehead ($7 for ages 21-54; $5 for 55+) and includes a souvenir wine glass, a tour of the historic hunting club, and samples of featured local wines from Sanctuary Vineyards, Vineyards on the Scuppernong, Chatham Hill Winery, and beer from the Weeping Radish Farm Brewery. (Bring a photo ID if you’re interested in purchasing a ticket.) • The whole family can throw down — and toss bags — when the 2021 Corolla Cornhole Tournament lights up the Whalehead lawn every Wed. afternoon from 4:15-7pm, June 16-Sept. 8. This double elimination tournament is limited to 16 teams, so advance registration is highly recommended. (Please call 252-453-9040.) Sign-ups also take place from 3-4pm the day of the event. $20 per team. Grand prize sponsored by Brindley Beach Vacations. More at www.visitcurrituck.com. • Aeronautical lift rules the day when the 38th Annual Rogallo Kite Festival lands at Jockey’s Ridge, June 18-20. This annual tribute

to 25 participants.) Learn more, make reservations, and buy tix at now at www. to NASA scientist and inventor Francis Rogallo displays his ‘flexible wing’ in all its forms, elizabethangardens.org. (PS: Daily admissions to the gardens can be purchased online now, from acrobatic stunt kites to lofty gliders. (You also get to see billowing, 30-to-100-foot soft too; the timed-entry tickets allow people buy for the specific designs in the shapes of giant sea creatures and scuba divers.) window they plan to visit.) • Experience the symbiotic relationship Come fly a kite of your own, take part in free stunt kite lessons, kite between paintings, prints, photography, pottery, jewelry, coloring for the kiddos, or just sit back, relax and enjoy the woodworks, and more, when Whalehead’s Under the Oaks Art spectacular, technicolor display. Get the latest at www.kittyhawk.

Festival fills the ground with colorful, creative expression from com. • Ground yourself in agricultural skills at June 20’s Elizabethan 10am-5pm, June 22-23. In-between strolling stalls, enjoy local food Gardens Companion Planting Workshop. From 10am-12pm, trucks and a silent auction. And, on June 23, from 1-3pm, bring a learn how to improve the functionality of your landscaping by chair or a blanket to enjoy a concert from Ocracoke’s very own discovering each plant’s unique purpose, place, and time to Molasses Creek. More at www.visitcurrituck.com. • Starry, starry perform. The end goal? To leave you with ideas to simplify night gets a touch of pink when the Strawberry Moon rises on June maintenance and get the most from each growing season. Limited 24. It’s actually the first of three oddly named lunar displays — the to nine participants. Pre-register and learn more at www. others being July 24’s Buck Moon and Aug. 22’s Sturgeon Moon. elizabethangardens.org. • Wanna give your kids a lesson on the All are a great time to go on a Full Moon Climb at Bodie Island relationship between flora and fauna? Between June 21 and Aug. Lighthouse. Tickets will be available to purchase at www.

25, take them to Elizabethan Gardens, where nearly every recreation.gov — and go on sale three days prior. (Book yours fast weekday at 11am features an hour of educational, hands-on AF.) For the latest details, download National Park Service’s new activities on some cool animal: Backyard Birds (Mon.), Fun With mobile app at go.nps.gov/app. • Find a one-of-a-kind artist treasure Frogs (Tues.), Butterflies! (Wed.), and Helpful Bugs (Thurs.) at Glenn Eure’s Ghost Fleet Gallery through June 26, as they pair Afterwards, participants and their families can embark on a two ECU printmaking professors — Michael Egan (lithography) scavenger hunt tour of the gardens for a prize reward to extend the Bodie Island Lighthouse Full Moon Climbs put you and Heather Muise (color etchings) — for a rare exhibition of fun. Limited to 15 participants, and tickets must be purchased 24 face-to-face with lunar beauty. Photo: Mark Buckler “Small Color Narrative Prints.” And from July 1-20, not only can hours in advance of the date. (Outdoors only, so keep tabs on the folks enjoy Hanna Jubran’s Wall Sculptures, they can learn from weather.) And from June 23-Aug. 11, sign up for a 10am Wings n’ the noted artist in an outdoor Aluminum Casting Workshop. (Date TBD.) Call 252-441Wishes Butterfly Release to watch these beautiful bugs take their first flight inside the John White Butterfly Center. (This one requires 7-day advance ticket reservations; limited 6584 for information. • The arts of catching fish and shooting pictures combine forces when

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endnotes Kitty Hawk Surf Co.’s OBX Double Header Kayak Fishing Tournament runs June 26.

This catch-photo-release comp targeting Drum and Speckled Trout is a great warm-up event for Sept.’s annual Outer Banks Kayak Fishing Tournament. Find rules and registration at www.kittyhawk.com. • Better hop online now, if you’re looking to hook a ticket for Sept. 25’s 4th Annual Lost Colony Wine & Culinary Festival. This Roanoke Island favorite draws the world’s best vineyards — and the beaches’ top restaurants — for an afternoon of epicurean delights on and around the Waterside Theatre. It always sells out fast, so book your tix the second they drop on July 1. More at www.thelostcolony.org. • Shutterbugs can earn kudos — and cash — for entering the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum Photo Competition. Here’s how it works: any of the museum’s Facebook followers ages 18+ have until Sept. 15 to submit a maximum of three images taken within the past five years anywhere along the Outer Banks. A team of judges will select an assortment of images for display in the museum from Apr 1, 2022-Mar. 25, 2023. Then the photographer whose work is voted “best in show” by museum visitors will receive $100.

Complete rules and entry form are available online at www. graveyardoftheatlantic.com/photocontest. • Wish you could immerse yourself in Outer Banks history and culture from the comfort of home? Head to www. graveyardoftheatlantic.com to find videos, children’s maritime craft activities, the children’s newspaper Seaside News, and youth lessons and activities related to piracy, shipwrecks, the Civil War, and World War II – plus a traveling pirate exhibit. For those planning an in-person visit, download the scavenger hunt on the website and get a reward when you find all of the items in the museum gallery. Find more online — or follow the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum Facebook Page. • Chart a course for Downtown Manteo for a deep dive on two talented artists, July 2-31, as the Dare County Arts Council’s Vault Gallery showcases pottery by Kathleen Redman, and the Courtroom

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Gallery features watercolors by Russell Yerkes. (PS: cross your fingers COVID rules relax enough to allow an opening reception.) Stay tuned at www.darearts.org. • Either way, be sure to sneak next door to Downtown Books, July 2, as beloved local author Joseph Terrell will be autographing copies of his latest Harrison Weaver novel, The Souvenir Keeper. To solve the thrilling mystery of what other summer signings and events are lying in wait, head to www.duckscottage.com or follow their Facebook page. • Sadly, July 4’s traditional Jockey’s Ridge Killer Dunes Race is taking a breather this year. But Jockey’s Ridge State Park will still offer free weekly educational programs, including rangerguided nature hikes, outdoor children’s activities and games, and night hikes.

Pre-registration is required for some programs. Detailed information can be found on NCParks.gov and the Friends of Jockeys Ridge Facebook and Instagram pages. Or call 252-441-7132. (PS: stay tuned for a redesigned Dune Day sometime in Aug.) • Likewise, the Town of Duck Fourth of July Parade won’t be marching, but keep tabs on www.townofduck.com for other ways to celebrate the holiday. • But you can still celebrate life and liberty with a healthy jog when the Freedom 5k dashes around Kill Devil Hills Town Hall, July 4, beginning at 7:30am with a “fun run” and one-mile options to follow. (Sign up at www.theobxrunningcompany.com.) And come July 5, pursue some hoppiness behind the Outer Banks Brewing Station as the Independence Beer Mile pours a melting pot of 10-ounce pours between quarter-mile laps. Prizes go out to fastest male and female — and for most patriotic costume display.

Register at the website above, or sign up early from 10-11am. • Remember! No fireworks that flash, crash or bang are allowed in Dare County! (Not even Black Cats.) But luckily, at press time, nearly every community had some sort of pyrotechnic display ready to pop (provided COVID restrictions allow.) The Ocracoke Independence Day Celebration kicks things off with a fireworks show over Silver Lake, July 3. The fun continues July 4 with a sand

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10, let Elizabethan Gardens’ Organic & Biological Controls of Pests & Disease sculpture contest, a scavenger hunt, a traditional hometown parade, a square dance, and a Workshop show you how to create a healthier, pesticide-free landscape. From 10-11:30am, community beach bonfire. Check back for a detailed schedule of events at www. visitocracokenc.com. • And Avon Pier’s 4th of July Fireworks are back on track for 2021, in learn to identify problem pests and diseases while employing targeted solutions that can rid your landscape of common problems — such as introducing beneficial bugs, good bacteria, cooperation with the National Park Service. The 9pm show typically lasts about 20 useful fungi — all while limiting harsh sprays and minutes. Get there super early if you plan to park at the indiscriminately killing helpful organisms. Must register pier. Even better, walk, bike, or carpool to your closest online by Fri., July 2. Find pricing and details at www. beach access — it’ll be plenty visible, we promise. In all elizabethangardens.org. • The sky’s a field of fluttery cases, be sure to maintain social distancing guidelines. • colors, July 10-11, when the 42nd Annual Wright Kite Obviously, any COVID spikes could put a curveball on Festival blossoms over Wright Brothers National these fireballs, but expect the Kill Devil Hills Memorial. Gawk at the giant kites on display, or take a Independence Day Show to light up Avalon Pier few user-friendly options for a test spin via free stunt and sometime after dark. Or head down to Nags Head Pier power kite flying lessons — then let the kite-making for another dazzling display of bombs bursting in air. station turn your kid into the next Wilbur or Orville.

(Again: social distance is key; as is showing up early if Admission to the park is $10 for ages 16+, but you want beach access parking). For latest updates, participation in the festival is totally free. More at www. monitor your favorite local news source or the various kittyhawk.com. • Will high-performance athletes perform towns’ Facebook pages. • Ready for an encore? Got to low-flying stunts when the OBX Skim Jam lands at town a day late? On July 5, head to Historic Corolla Jennette’s Pier, July 17-18? Details were still TBD at Parks’ Independence Day Celebration. From 5-9pm, press time. (Stay tuned to skim-usa.org. for updates.) But enjoy free live music by the Black & Blue Experience, Jennette’s Pier’s shorebreak is rippier than ever when the OBX Skim Jam returns, July 17-18. Photo: Brandon Waterfield if you wanna join the competition, Kitty Hawk’s own juggling and stunts from Mark Lippard, a watermelon former top-5 in the world, Perry Pruitt, can show you eating contest, local food — plus a spectacular fireworks display. Event is free; so is parking (until they fill up). Dogs are permitted on leashes how it’s done. (Sign up for lessons and camps at www.obxskimcamps.com.) And to participate in some real heroics, come back to Jennette’s Pier on July 21and donate a pint — but no coolers, alcohol, or on-street parking. And plan to follow the latest state and local at the Blood Connection Blood Drive, 1-6pm. Details at www.thebloodconnection.org. • safety protocols on facial coverings, capacity, and social distancing requirements. More at The sound glows red — and blue…and green…and purple — when July 21’s Kitty Hawk www.visitcurrituck.com. • Think you got a green thumb? Well it ain’t green enough. On July

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endnotes Kites’ Light Up the Night returns to Waves Village Watersports. Come strap a Robinson. Follow www.darearts.org for updates — including changes to COVID rules that NOCQUA light onto the bottom of a stand-up paddleboard, surfboard, kayak, or any other could allow for an opening reception. • Big bills pay big money — and fund important nonfloating apparatus — or just enjoy yard games, family activities, and other light-up games and profits — when the Pirate’s Cove Tournament Week hosts three different fishing comps, toys. Starts at 8pm. Demo stand-up paddleboards are available, but be sure to reserve Aug. 7-14. Starts out with the 32nd Alice Kelly Memorial Ladies Only Billfish rentals in advance. Just call 1-877-FLY-THIS. And learn more at www.kittyhawk.com. • The Tournament, (sign up Aug. 7; fish on Aug. 8), followed by the 38th Pirates Cove Billfish inside of Duck Town Hall ripples with color, July 30-Oct. 27, when the Rotating Art Show Tournament (sign up Aug. 9; fish on Aug.10-13.) Plus the Sheep Dog Veterans Challenge features original works by Christina Forte and Meg Rubino. Come out to Aug. 4’s opening will celebrate our service members and first responders on Aug. 14. Of course there’s the reception to meet the artists and hear more usual opening ceremonies, awards nights, and about their creative processes. 5-7pm. Get the various festivities throughout — proceeds of which latest info at www.townofduck.com. • Could your go to support local causes. Find the latest sched.

Outer Banks non-profit use some more green? and purchase raffle tix at www.pcbgt.com. • Give Apply for an Outer Banks Community your little matey’s a taste of seafaring adventure — Enrichment Foundation Grant. Categories and some real local history — when Kitty Hawk include everything from saving animals to helping Kites Annual Pirate Festival invades Jockeys kids to preserving the environment. Get a full list Ridge Crossing. From Aug. 11-12, a Living of criteria at www.obcf.org, then get your app in History Pirate Encampment shows how 17th &

by July 30. • Save a few bucks — and celebrate 18th century buccaneers survived through demos one modern civilization’s golden achievements — on 18th century medical practices, weapons and when Wright Brothers Memorial drops the tactics, spinning, games, cooking, and blacksmith entry fee for two special occasions: Aug. 4 is the sword making. Then put the kids in a free anniversary of last year’s Great American Scallywag School, where classes include Talk like Outdoors Act, which increased funding for a Pirate, Sword Drills, History of Blackbeard, federal lands; and on Wed., Aug. 25, it’s the Musket Drills, and Shipboard Line Handling. But National Park Service’s 105th Birthday. More there is a limit of 20 students per class, so preat www.nps.gov. • Forget needing money. All you register at www.kittyhawk.com. • Dare County need is a love of art to enjoy Suzanne Scott Arts Council is hoping that a pardon by the Constantine’s exhibit at Glenn Eure’s Ghost Governor will allow for the type of crowd limits for Fleet Gallery, Aug 2-31. Titled “Hearts Rising,” Manteo to bring back the New World Festival of it consolidates work on paper, canvas and wood the Arts, Aug. 11-12. Either way, you can count on into a theme of women’s friendship, support and DCAC and Downtown Books to host a solidarity. Come out Aug. 15, 2-4pm, for an Conversation with Angel Khoury, Aug. 13, where opening reception where the artist and her wife, the local writer/historian will introduce her new Lynne Scott Constantine, will present a brief novel: Between Tides. Find times, details and tix at performance piece to accompany the exhibition. www.darearts.org.

• On Aug. 19, join the First Call 252-441-6584 with questions. • Think that’s Flight Society at Dare County Regional Airport sweet? On Aug. 5, check out Kitty Hawk Kites’ as they celebrate National Aviation Day with a full 14th Annual Watermelon Festival at Jockey’s day of events, including educational exhibits and Ridge Crossing, where games, food, face activities, plus a static airplane on display.

10ampainting, and arts and crafts activities help 4pm.

More at www.darenc.com/departments/ support the Outer Banks Bicycle and airport. • The Bryan Cultural Series has cleared Pedestrian Safety Coalition. Compete in classic the 7th Annual Surf and Sounds Chamber competitions like seed spitting and watermelon Enjoy the many “Faces of Eve,” when Michael J. Davis brings his stunning three-dimensional Music Series for landing, Aug. 22-29. If crowd limit portraits to Dare County Arts Council, Aug. 6-28. eating to win from a selection of awesome prizes. rules allow, look for this string quartet to perform in Enjoy lunch provided by Mulligan’s Raw Bar a number of venues.

If not, they’ll be streamed live on their Facebook page. Get details and and Grille and frozen treats from Jockey’s Ridge Creamery. (Get in for free, then purchase email notices with the latest updates by visiting www.bryanculturalseries.org. • Kick out of tix to compete or eat.) 10am-4pm. Pricing and more info at www.kittyhawk.com. • For more summer by watching hot surfing action when the WRV Outer Banks Pro returns to fruit-filled fun times, hop a ferry south to savor Aug. 6-7’s Ocracoke Fig Festival. Learn Jennette’s Pier on Labor Day Weekend. Specifics were still vague at press time but we’re about the island community’s fig history and culture while enjoying old-fashioned crafts and sure it’ll feature heats stacked with America’s hottest surfers — and a live webcast of all the games — plus plenty of fresh figs, fig preserves, fig-smoked BBQ, and other fig-tastic items.

Think you’re the figgiest mofo around? Prove it by entering the Fig Cake Bake-Off, where a action. Fingers crossed the social distancing rules will allow for some cool afterparties flowing panel of judges chooses the winners. Free samples for everyone after the contest. Find all the with ice-cold Pacifico. Find out more at www.wrvobxpro.com. • At press time, the OBX Arts & Craft Festival was still set for Sept. 8-9 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kitty Hawk. From tasty deets at www.visitocracokenc.com. • Then head back to Downtown Manteo anytime, 10am-5pm each day, you can peruse works by 25 local artists featuring painting, pottery, Aug. 6-28, to see Dare County Arts Council’s freshest exhibits. Start in the Vault Gallery, jewelry, photography, glass, fiber arts, collage, wood and more. Plus, a portion of artist fees where Michael J. Davis’ “Faces of Eve” showcases eyepopping portraits of females in his benefit two local charities, the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles and Beach Food trademark 3D format. Then head upstairs to the Courtroom Gallery for a tour-de-force Pantry. Get the latest updates on their Facebook page. group show by three Hatteras Islanders: Linda Browning, Rhonda Bates and Raphael

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1 2 0 2 F O S S A L C OBBS ! s r a e Y 0 2 r e t f A g Still Rulin Adam 2009

Most likely to throw dice behind school. Best eyes.

Amy 2016

Most likely to come to work in costume. Best high-five.

Aubrey 2001

Most likely to bring a pigeon to work. Best dressed.

Bethany 2006

Most likely to keep a secret.

Best smile.

Denise 2004

Most likely to survive WW3.

Class Prez.

Earl 2010

Most likely to skip Picture Day. Best hairdo.

Eric 2001

Most likely to push a broom.

Best Facial Hair

Jacob 2008

Most likely to win a Grammy.

Best hands.

Karen 2001

Most loopy for life.

Class mom.

Nathan aka Diesel 2016

Most likely to be heard anywhere in the building.

Most changed.

Tiffany 2013

Most likely to swing a club.

Best attitude.

Tina 2001

Most likely to compost.

Voted recycling queen.

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