Outer Banks Milepost Issue 2.3

Issue 2.3

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startingpoint Slippery when wet. Photo: Chris Bickford

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the walk-in closed. In other words, Vinnie wasn’t just quick; he was good. Too good.

Which is why I was so happy the day he finally quit.

“

releases about cereal varnish or high fructose corn syrup.

Each Saturday the bus pans grew lighter.

The piles of thawing shrimp lost another ten pounds.

Then one day, the whole kitchen felt different as This was exactly 20 I came through falls ago. I’d arrived the back. Maybe on the beach just after it was because Labor Day, freshly Vinnie’s scooter graduated but fully helmet wasn’t clueless. I had no job, hanging over the no place to stay and mop bucket and no real worries about the boom box life ahead. I found all was playing Jimmy three pretty quick. Back Buffet instead of then, the tourist season Motley Crue. Before the screen door could started losing its wheels slam, I heard: “Grab an apron and get back by early October, here. You’re starting on prep.” scattering economic casualties back over the Turns out Vinnie’s metal band had decided bridge, and I was lining to lace up their leather pants, hit the road up to be the next. and howl for the big time. Part of me felt Which is pretty much guilty — apparently, nobody told these what my new boss said bullet boys that glam rock had dried up the day he hired me to like yesterday’s eyeliner — but even more wash dishes. of me felt joyful. The type of pure relief I imagine only comes from a governor’s “I can use you for pardon, miracle cure or some other stroke of a month. After unforeseen salvation. that, Vinnie does Over the next 18 months, I’d go from the everything.” dish-pit to the floor, meeting the people It didn’t take long and savoring the friendships that would to start pondering my not-so-permanent ultimately draw me home for good. In fact, vacation. Each successive Saturday the bus looking back, I can trace nearly every major pans grew lighter. The piles of thawing milestone from faxing my first published shrimp in the sink lost another ten pounds. article to meeting my wife to the fact that Standing there, peeling semi-frozen shells Vinnie bounced before I did. I can only hope with numbing fingers, I shivered at the wherever he is, whatever he’s doing — be thought of skulking back to the frat house it running a microphone or a microwave — or even worse, my mom’s house — — that Vinnie’s still rocking. Because when where I’d start applying for PR jobs in some he walked, he didn’t just help me make it godforsaken farm state, lashing myself to through winter. He helped save my soul. a Griswoldian future pumping out press — Matt Walker

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VINNIE WAS A outthere METAL HEAD. He was also the fastest prep cook west of the bypass. Equally deadly with blade, blender or butane torch, under his steady hand, the night’s filets piled high in seconds, expertly balanced and perfectly weighed.

Each evening’s salad count stayed tighter than food service film on chilled glass. And he always came to work more fired-up than a fresh crème brulee, shaking his bottle-blond hairdo to a headbanger’s soundtrack and letting out “Yee-oows!” every time he kicked

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Thank you for reading Outer Banks Milepost. We hope you’ve enjoyed it. If not — before chucking this issue in the nearest dumpster — please consider one of the following equally satisfying ways of expressing your disgust: Use it as grill parchment and leave it to burn. Wrap up a pint glass — then bust it in half. Or simply add it to 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. Or light us up on Facebook with your opinions and ideas. We promise to find some way to re-purpose them. milepost

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7/25/13

11:36 AM

roadmap “So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being.” — Franz Kafka

Expert forecasters that live and work on the Outer Banks Mark Willis Chief Meteorologist

“Come and ride the Flavor wave. In any year, on any given day.” — Flavor Flav

Issue 2.3 Fall 2013

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Cover: Café Olé.

Photography: Chris Bickford

Kurt Korte Lead Forecaster

Reader You Brushes & Ink Marcia Cline, Carolina Coto, Fay Davis Edwards, Travis Fowler, Dawn Gray, Chris Kemp, Ben Miller, Ben Morris, Daniel Pullen, Charlotte Quinn, Stephen Templeton Lensfolk Matt Artz, Chris Bickford, Russell Blackwood, Michelle Conner, Amy Dixon, Lori Douglas, Julie Dreelin, Tom Dugan/ESM, Bryan Elkus, Lauren Feeney, Chris Hannant, Bryan Harvey, Matt Lusk, Mickey McCarthy, Brooke Mayo, Dick Meseroll/ESM, Rob Nelson, Crystal Polston, Daniel Pullen, Ryan Rhodes, Terry Rowell, Tom Sloate, DJ Struntz, Aimee Thibodeau, Laurin Walker

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03 StartingPoint Almost chopped.

28 Feast Your Eyes 48 FoodDrink Check our head-turning take on your favorite interiors.

06 UpFront

Spice girls and jerky boys.

50 SoundCheck

Bitter protests, savage storms 32 Graphic Content Muskrat love. and Em’s at your service.

More dumb ideas for your 53 ArtisticLicense smart phone.

15 GetActive Her pane’s your pleasure.

The smaller the election, the 38 Tales from the bigger your vote.

Kitchen 54 RearView We’re gonna scare the One last round of shots.

17 FirstPerson Hellman’s out of you.

Get the dish on celebrity diets.

57 OutThere 45 GoFast Try it, you’ll like it.

18 Question When life gives you lemons…

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Authority

Backstage at Festival Park.

20 Last Suppers

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A portrait of life inside the food biz.

46 GoFish

This seafood’s not gonna catch itself.

58 EndNotes

Speed-dating autumn.

“Swordfish”

by Ben Morris www.bellsandwhistlesobx.com “I like painting big. After college I made sets in Wilmington. Now I do mostly murals and large-scale pieces for our wedding business. It can be challenging. In school, the teacher would hand out a postcard and say, ‘Paint this — but you can only use rollers.’ But that teaches you to replicate stuff, because the color you see is never the color you lay down. It’s multiple colors, layered up like glazes. You learn how to see through the painting so you’re not scratching your head the whole time. But I’m pretty confident about looking at something and nailing it. Like “Swordfish.” I saw a picture of the boat in dry dock and liked the angle. The color of the hull. But I made the sky my own. Just bright, fun, freehand strokes. I call that my camo-style.” — Ben Morris

editor@outerbanksmilepost.com • sales@outerbanksmilepost.com 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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SWEET getactive LIBERTY?

of political, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds but were singular in their feeling that recent legislation was an attack on education, women’s rights and the poor. By mid-July more than 800 were arrested for refusing to leave the building while bills were being debated.

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It wasn’t just protesters; the press was forced to wait in the hall during the arrests.

This chilling breech of trust is what I found unacceptable. Regardless of political view, everyone has a right to participate in the process. After checking the building rules, I strongly felt that both the arrests and the conditions of release were unconstitutional.

So, on July 8, I boxed up my cupcakes — donned an apron decorated with political jokes — and headed for Raleigh.

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One woman’s journey to defend her civil rights — and why it left a bitter aftertaste.

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Photo: Al Drago/The News & Observer

“You’re the only person I know who could start a cupcake war.”

year’s crop of proposed legislation was mindboggling as bill after bill combined unrelated objectives. Game fish status with Oregon That’s what a friend said when I told her I was Inlet dredging. Tax deductions with election heading to Raleigh for my birthday. But while laws. Most famously, the House tacked aborI carried birthday cupcakes and expected a tion regulations onto a piece of motorcycle crowd, this was no celebration. It was a stand safety legislation. for my personal beliefs — and the civil rights of every American.

Whatever the issue — unregulated fracking, cutting unemployment, tolling ferries, supAs a member of a governmental affairs com- pressing voters — none of it bodes well for the mittee, for years I’ve reviewed and reported Outer Banks, the state, or the political process on bills in the General Assembly. But this in general. And others share that view.

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Barber was referring to the “Moral Mondays” protests that the NAACP led as part of a very broad-based coalition. Beginning in April, people gathered weekly in front of the Legislative Building before some entered the building. They were from a wide range

“But how can we say we are pro-life and then deny children basic necessities like food, medical treatment and education?” she queried.

Pictures of earlier Mondays showed a sea of older, mostly white, protesters so the number

a divisio Coverag n of e inC.

gosurf WE cARRY ALL SUNbRELLA FAbRIcS!

“We are taking back our Bible and our Constitution,” said Rev. William Barber, president of the state chapter of the NAACP. “We are the Conservative Christians and they need to actually read the Constitution.”

Signs and t-shirts dotted the landscape of Halifax Mall, covering issues from allowing fracking to reducing mental health services.

As I shared bites and thoughts, it was hard to see the rally as a “Democratic stunt” or just a “bunch of left-wingers.” About half of those interviewed were unaffiliated voters. Some identified themselves as pro-life Republicans.

When I asked a woman in a pink shirt if she supported abortion, she firmly replied no.

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“

It’s not about right or left. It’s about right and wrong.

of minorities and younger people surprised me.

Many were college age or appeared to be young professionals.

None would risk entering the building. They worried an arrest might cost them a student loan or job.

Each time they’d say something nice like, “You should just leave. I don’t want to arrest you.”

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He finally said that I could enter for “legal” reasons and dismissed us. But his written release conditions still state that I can’t enter the building.

used to keep the public from expressing their discontent. Why? Because our Constitution guarantees those rights.

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My apron was covered with jokes. But the largest says: “It’s not about right or left, it’s about right and wrong.” It’s wrong for citizens to be banned from the process. It’s wrong to keep the press out of the room. (It’s doubly wrong that press complies so willingly.) And it’s even more wrong when fear tactics are

In the end, I was the 64th person to go to jail that day. (My official charge was second-degree trespass and refusing to obey an order from an officer.) By the time you read this, the total arrested since April may break 1000. The Wake County court system is already so overloaded, my arraignment won’t be until late November.

My trial date might be late winter or early spring. But the General Assembly reconvenes in January so until then I’ll keep busy. I want to build more muscle in my civil rights, so I plan on continuing to exercise them… a lot. And I’ve lots of cupcakes to make.

— Sandy Semans

And I’d reply, “I don’t want you to arrest me, but this is a public building and I can’t give up my civil rights.”

Finally, once all the official protestors were arrested, they came for me. Weaver, accompanied by other officers, ordered me to turn around to be handcuffed. I did so in silence.

At that point, while the officers remained courteous, the process became less friendly.

Patted down at the Legislative Building, at the jail, I was spread-eagled against the wall so a female officer could make sure there was nothing hidden in my bra. They removed the cuffs before placing us in a holding cell but shackled us to walk down a long hallway to see the magistrate.

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“Checking off a box on a job application that indicates I’ve been arrested could be a deal breaker for me,” explained a young man with a toddler perched on his shoulder. “I can’t take that chance.”

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I’m not looking for work. Nor trouble. But to me, protecting the Constitution is as important as protesting legislation. And what better way to be civilly disobedient than handing out cupcakes while standing firm?

About 150 people entered the rotunda while dozens of police stood around its perimeter.

Two officers warily eyed my egg cartons but laughed when they saw I wasn’t armed with eggs. I refrained from chanting or singing, so police could see that I wasn’t one of the protesters. When the call came to leave or face arrest, I went to the wall farthest from the group.

Lined up two by two, they handcuffed us to a chain that ran the length of the line.

Each intimidating step seemed less about security and more about sending a message: “You’re in big trouble this time — next time will be worse.” But in case we missed it, after reading our charges in groups, the magistrate asked everyone to promise not to enter the Legislative Building until after our court dates.

When an officer told me that I had to leave, I respectfully declined, saying I had a right to be in the building. A few minutes later, General Assembly Police Chief Jeff Weaver told me I should go. Then a second officer. And a third.

“I’m sorry,” I told him. “I can’t make that promise because I will not issue a restraining order against myself or voluntarily give up my civil rights — and I haven’t been found guilty of anything.”

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soundcheck getactive startingpoint

TWO FOR THE RECORD BOOKS Nobody saw the 1933 Hurricane Season coming — which is why we remember it 80 years later.

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Chicamacomico and Gull Shoals Coast Guard stations used a Lyle Gun to shoot a line to the ship and, with the help of a breeches buoy, rescued eight crewmembers and the captain’s wife. The ship ended up on the beach where it became an iconic symbol of the Graveyard of the Atlantic and made big news inland. But, as The Landmark further noted, “landlubbers see romance in men daring the sea to save others” while local lifesavers “go about [their work] as much as an inland farmer would curry his horse.”

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Four-masted flotsam. The Aug. 23 storm rocked the Outer Banks, tossing the G.A. Kohler upon the beach. Photo: Outer Banks History Center

Meanwhile, the crew of the Bodie Island Life-saving Station retreated to the safety of

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Out at sea, the luxury passenger ship Morro Castle — bound for New York from Havana — was incapacitated off Cape Hatteras.

When water began to creep into passengers’ cabins, cruisers assembled in the ship’s lounge. With the orchestra seasick, 22-yearold Gwendolyn Taylor of Philadelphia, a pretty blonde songstress, took it upon herself to entertain her shipmates and distract them from their perilous situation by playing the piano and singing for hours.

“I played and sang cheerful things,” she later

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One can hardly fathom what it was like aboard the G.A. Kohler.

Moored off of Chicamacomico, the hurricane’s 90-mph winds dragged the four-masted schooner and its two anchors to just north of Avon. Once the weather subsided, surfmen from the

Get

the lighthouse after the station’s foundation was undermined by encroaching waves. At least one more local lifesaver was caught off guard. Maxie Berry of Pea Island Station’s famous all-black crew left his home on Roanoke Island with his 14-year-old son, Zion. They were in a 24-foot boat en route to Pea Island when the storm hit. The pair managed to keep the vessel afloat and washed ashore near Rodanthe, where they took shelter at the home of Zene Midgett.

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Barely three weeks later, they’d be working overtime when a second storm passed over the Outer Banks on September 16.

The Meriden Daily Journal printed that, in Rodanthe, “high seas swept through houses for three days and Surfman M.L. O’Neal and Fred O’Neal… were injured during the long fight to prevent loss of life.”

Get happy!

outthere •

The first snuck up on the northern beaches on August 23.

Elizabeth City’s Braxton Dawson left his Nags Head cottage to get some gas and returned to find ocean water lapping at the back door. Advised to leave, locals had to lead the man along old, sand roads just to reach the Wright Memorial Bridge once the Beach Road — only two years old — had washed away in several places. That night, Statesville, NC’s The Landmark reported that, in Nags Head, “Oceanside cottagers packed Leroy’s Seaside Inn [where]… The inn’s own power plant furnished lights which were kept burning through the night. No one slept.”

Get up!

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Thank You...

In today’s modern age, news crews and satellites keep tabs on a tropical system from the moment it forms to the second it fizzles. But imagine being struck blindly with hurricane force — then getting sucker-punched again in a matter of weeks. Such was the case in 1933 when two storms hit the Outer Banks inside of a month.

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told reporters. “I think some of the women wanted to hear hymns, but I thought they needed jazz more.”

It would be some time before Outer Bankers felt like dancing. When the weather cleared, a new inlet had formed on Hatteras Island near the Creeds Hill Lifesaving Station; another broke through north of Kitty Hawk. A breach in the Manteo-Nags Head causeway separated Roanoke Island from the beaches. Manteo’s Dare County Courthouse suffered enough damage in the roof and cupola (which was later removed) that water funneled into the building. And on Hatteras Island, fishermen lost nets, fish houses, icehouses and homes, leaving them with no place to stay or way to make a living.

Still, with just one drowning casualty, the human toll on the Outer Banks was minimal compared to coastal communities further south. Down in Carteret County, houses collapsed or were washed away, leaving

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For more on the 1933 storm season — and other gripping 1930s events, from presidential visits to Depression dance crazes — visit the Outer Banks History Center’s “Decade of Determination” exhibit, on display through October 14. More info at www.outerbankshistory.net.

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All told, 21 people lost their lives in North Carolina — and over 1000 buildings were destroyed — making the September storm among the deadliest ever. And when the water receded, the 1933 season left an indelible mark on our state’s history. — Sarah Downing

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All told, 21 people lost their lives and 1,000 buildings were destroyed.

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families to cling to wreckage and to one another.

The community of Merrimon reported that the water rose 16 feet. Children were swept from their parents’ arms. Some families rode out the storm on rooftops, the only points remaining above the tide.

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upfront

FLAVOR SAVER soundcheck getactive

Wes Stepp wants you to get fit by flexing your taste muscles.

“The fountain of youth is what you put in your body.”

While working out with World Natural Bodybuilding Champion Levi Burge, Stepp decided to enter a competition for himself.

At that point, he committed to doing everything just like his trainer. Until he saw Burge eat.

startingpoint

Sounds more like a fitness instructor than a fancy chef. The truth? Wes Stepp is a bit of both. And while you’re not likely to find his Red Sky Café handing out calorie-counters with every entrée, you will see Stepp espousing his “Tastefully Fit” philosophy from tables to town halls, promising big results to anyone who’s willing to make the effort.

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“He was walking around the Sports Club eating boiled chicken and bags of spinach,” Stepp laughs. “I’m a chef. I can’t do that for ten minutes, much less twelve weeks.”

“People work really hard in the gym but So he borrowed Burge’s low-fat parameters don’t make gains,” Stepp says. “Nutrition is 80 of lean meats, brown rice, plenty of percent of making the gains.” vegetables, then flexed some flavor muscle.

Instead of bland, boiled Perdue, he panIt was a gym where he first saw the light. seared pork tenderloin in a dark coffee rub.

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Butterless sweet potatoes became southwest seared mahi. All told, he created about 130 recipes that anyone can make — if they’re willing to learn to lose the fat.

“

“Once I got the nutrition part, I got in the best shape of my life.”

“I did all sorts of boot camps and Tough Mudders,” says the lifelong workout buff. “I’d “I had to re-teach myself how to cook without always get injured butters, oils and fats,” admits Stepp, spritzing or burn out, and a hot pan with Pam. “If I do eat steak, it’s lean then I’d quit. But — like London broil. And I don’t marinate in once I got the oil; I use spices. There’s no limits on spices.” nutrition part of it, I got in the best Or the number of meals. Most diets tell you shape of my life.” to eat less. Some, like Atkins, say to kill carbs.

But bodybuilders do neither. Instead, they Leading up to his first bodybuilding eat as much healthy food as they want to competition, Stepp went from 195 to 170 pounds in two weeks; his waist went from 35 stimulate their metabolism, then use those inches to 30 inches. Before his second event calories to burn fat and increase muscle. this summer, Stepp trained 18 weeks, and What works for bench-pressing barbells dropped from 207 to 180 pounds. His waist will also transfer into to any normal exercise went from 37 to 31 inches. routine, from a Stairmaster to the swimming pool. And if you are the type who likes to The hardest part? Staying with it. Even when push your limits, Stepp says you’ll be even the food tastes good, sticking to a diet’s not more ready. easy. That’s why Stepp plans ahead. Twice a

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week, he pre-cooks his protein so it’s ready.

For a starch, he suggests microwaveable packages of Uncle Ben’s brown rice. And his freezer stays full of easy-to-nuke veggies, so it’s as quick to hit the house as it is the drivethru. He also recommends keeping a food journal to track everything you eat — what works, what doesn’t — and teaming up with a partner or trainer to work toward a goal.

tools to make meals that are healthy — and tasty — without going so far you fall off the wagon.

Goodbye, Happy Meal.

Hello, healthy meal. This low-fat pork plate took just 30 minutes to make at home. Photo: LWW

And if you do?

“This is like a compass…it shows “Having Levi was key,” says Stepp. “Because of you the way to get where you want to him, I was accountable. He kept me honest.” go,” he says. “You can always go back Now he wants Tastefully Fit to do the same to the compass.” for others. Last year, he teamed up with Burge and registered nurse Diane Fischer — Corinne Saunders to develop a guideline of recipes and nutritional tips that are easy to follow. Over Look for more the past year, they’ve spoken to audiences Tastefully Fit seminars at the Outer Banks Hospital, Kilmarlic Golf this fall, or see one Club, Outer Banks Beach Club, Town of Kill firsthand on The Devil Hills and Town of Nags Head. This fall, Town of Kill Devil he’ll offer 12-week Tastefully Fit programs.

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A seasonal tally of recent events and their potential impacts startingpoint

R.I.P. CURRENTS Between the beach and the road, it was a bad summer to be a tourist. It started in June when a sweeping sea took the lives of visitors in Duck, Frisco and Ocracoke. Then, in July, a snoozing driver struck a pair of Pennsylvania pedestrians on a Corolla bike path. All painful reminders that tragedy doesn’t take a vacation. - 3

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TROJAN HORSES? What kind of sicko promotes using contraceptives on mustangs? Well, Walter B. Jones for one, as his bill to protect Corolla wild’s horses passed the House for the second time. Measures to keep the herd genetically viable include stopping inbreeding, maintaining a

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proper herd-size and introducing a few frisky fillies from the Shackleford population. Now if we can only get the Senate to pony up and pass it. +2 ORV BILL GETS UNSTUCK Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, advocates for loosening access restrictions inside Cape Hatteras Seashore found some much-needed traction this June, as an amended version of Senate Bill 486 made it out of committee. The legislation doesn’t fully overturn the Park Service’s ORV plan, but it does force the Department of Interior to review buffers and corridors, improving the chances for more free and open beaches. +3

THIS DEAL SUCKS Smell that? It’s the stench of a crappy bargain for coastal residents, as Raleigh voted this summer to push the Fed to open our waters to offshore drilling — potentially impacting billions of tourism dollars — even though current federal law won’t allow NC to share in the revenue. In other words Big Oil gets the profits; the Fed gets its cut. And the state? We get all the risk. -3 PAGING MR. DARWIN Maybe the summer traffic proved too much. Maybe he just saw a really big fish. Whatever the motive, an unidentified driver parked and leaped off the Washington Baum Bridge in June, plunging 82 feet into the sound below. Even more impressive, he survived, begging the question: is this the evolution of a new tourist attraction? And just how much do those Acapulco divers make? +2 BAUM’S AWAY! The last 22 acres of KDH’s Baum Tract is set to be wiped off the map — at least in its current wooded form — as the town considers a low-impact multi-use park with options from kayak launches to campsites to pavilions to Frisbee

golf. Biz interests scream, “More concerts and wedding space!”

Critics cry, “What about more green space?” Commissioners say, “Let’s talk more in September.” Look for them to plan an attack by year’s end. +/- 0 LET THEM EAT SAND? Better tighten those belts. In July, NC rejected federal funding for unemployment insurance, cutting the maximum benefits from $535 to $350 — and the max number of weeks from 26 to 20 — in what the state calls a “long-term approach to sustainable job growth.” Short-term, it’s cold news for the coming winter, as those checks do more than feed families — they help float the economy in the slowest of seasons. -4 BETTER LATE THAN NEVER It took 250 years, but Hatteras Island’s “Hotel De’Afrique“ finally got national props for helping end slavery, as it was officially added to the Underground Railroad Network in July. Once Union forces conquered Hatteras in 1861, fugitive slaves flocked there for refuge, making a small group of shacks NC’s first-ever ‘freedmen’s colony.’ They washed away long ago, but the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum marked the site with a monument. And now history buffs everywhere know where to find it. +2

THE YOUNG MAN AND THE SEA “A white marlin, a blue marlin and a sailfish land on a boat…” Too bad the joke’s on poor Will Kilpatrick. The 13-year-old angler caught all three fish — on his first offshore trip no less — only to find out he can’t receive a highly prized “Grand Slam” award from the International Game Fish Association because a mate set one of the hooks. (Hey, even rods and reels have rules.) But there is a happy ending as NC’s Grand Slam club said, “Come on in.”

Somewhere, Hemingway is smiling. +2 PRESS ONE FOR BEER, TWO FOR PLYWOOD… Will you hang up some shudders? Or speed-dial off the beach?

That’s what state emergency officials hoped to find out as they called coastal residents to ask about their hurricane evacuation habits — or lack there of. As one official noted, “We need to understand [people’s] attitudes so we can tell them where to go and what is the best route.” (And they don’t just mean the closest ABC store.) +1 TOTAL: +4 For detailed reports on many of these stories and breaking local news on a daily basis — plus page after page of local discussion — visit www. outerbanksvoice.com and www.islandfreepress.org.

BATS#!T COMMENT OF THE MONTH! “Just got through converting my Suburban to run on Hippie tears, as it will be in plentiful supply... so for you left-wing/FSA types, I’d start packing the tie dyes into the microbus and head for the People’s Republic of California.”

— SpinyNorman, “A full frontal assault on the voting rights of North Carolinians,” IslandFreePress.org

graphiccontent gosurf overlooking the currituck sound from the waterfront shops in duck

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Open

Live Music

(in season) For Dinner Every Nite Lunch Tuesday—Sunday Outdoor Bar Open Every Nite

(in season) Sunday Brunch in the Bar Thursday, Friday, Saturday Evenings in the Yard

www.thebluepoint.com

252.261.8090

$5 Bloodies & Mimosas Saturday & Sunday Lunch

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upfront

getactive

SMALL ELECTIONS, BIG CONSEQUENCES startingpoint This fall, your vote carries major weight — it also may require more effort.

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at the flower field

The Holidays are Coming...

Will you need a helping hand?

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Hey Em,

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What gives with the people eating out these days? It seems like every season, they get ruder. Some don’t even say “please” or “thank you.” Even worse, it’s usually the guy who expects all the attention who shows zero respect. Look: I know what a plate of food costs, so I can understand wanting excellent service. But to me that means using good manners on both sides of the table. Am I expecting too much? Or has the waiting game turned into a losing proposition?

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Bells & Whistles offers full service holiday decoratingwith your goodies or ours.

“

You’ll always get more flies with honey, Honey.

Sincerely, Bossed Around in Buxton

Contact us to find out about our holiday specials and packages.

gokite

Hello Babs,

252.441.9310 • info@bellsandwhistlesobx.com www.bellsandwhistlesobx.com

milepost

I certainly don’t think you are expecting too much! Being a good server or bartender requires a unique set of skills — mental organization, graceful speed, a keen memory, friendly attitude, and quick wit. And it’s a unique kind of stress to suddenly have tables full of people, all needing something from you at the same time. Keeping service seamless under such conditions is an intense ballet … and 98% of the effort is invisible to the public. That’s why I believe a food service job should be a rite of passage for every American.

gratification — with a little bit of just being on vacation and losing your mind thrown in. Has it gotten worse? It’s hard to say. But it has always been part of the job. And it always will be. So if you really can’t take another bossy customer, then perhaps it’s time take a breather.

Because you only make money when your people are happy. And you can’t keep them happy if you’re miserable.

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ONLY

24.99

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Beer, Oysters & Steamed Shrimp

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outthere

Let me also say that as someone who has travelled extensively, the Outer Banks is the one place where I consistently get good service. Granted, being local has its benefits, but watching other tables, it’s clear how many of our servers — whether at the casual, laid-back eateries or the fine-dining establishments — are professionals who take their jobs seriously. Our food is prepared correctly, wait staff is prompt, and mistakes are few. But they do happen. And some people just don’t handle mistakes very well.

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Available in the Ocean view lounge

fridayS Starting Sept 20th

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Sadly, I think it is an issue that has deep roots in our society’s need for instant

Live Music Friday Nights 6-9PM • Oceanview Lounge milepost

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There are no presidential attack ads to rile up voters this fall. No Congressional spitting contests. Even our county commissioners can cool their flip-flops. But just because Nov.5’s ballot is all town mayors and commissioners doesn’t mean there’s no major action. In fact, there are more municipal candidates than ever, as five of the six towns in Dare County have contested nonpartisan contests — and 28 humans are battling for just 15 seats:

But the bottom line is this: patron or plate-jockey, there’s never any need to be rude. If a table’s testy, keep serving them smiles. (You’ll always get more flies with honey, Honey.) Likewise, if you’re a customer with high standards — or a potential complaint — polite conversation always yields better results than barking orders. So does common sense. If you’re so exhausted and kidcrazy that you can’t eat out without venting your vacation frustrations — then maybe it’s a good night to order a pizza at home. Save the family-friendly night for when you’re actually feeling “family-friendly.” And if you do end up in one of our restaurants… Tip 20%.

Because they deserve it.

Auntie Em

Deliciously Yours,

Got a life question for Auntie Em? Concentrate very, very hard and maybe she’ll pick up on your brainwaves. Or just send an email to em@outerbanksmilepost.com

gokite

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They can’t get much worse: In 2009, the last municipal election, only 2,498 voters of the 14,208 registered in Dare County cast a ballot. That’s 17.58% of the electorate. The highest number of voters was 1,168, for a mayoral contest in Southern Shores. The lowest number, 57, was for an uncontested mayoral race in Manteo. (For comparison, in the 2012 general election there were 28,230 registered voters in Dare, and 18,153 cast their ballots — a 64.30% turnout.)

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• Three candidates are seeking to replace Nags With smaller Head Mayor turnouts, every Getting one of these stickers just got harder.

Bob Oakes, vote weighs more. who is not But there’s an even seeking re-election bigger reason to be politically motivated • Four are looking to succeed retiring Mayor this fall. State legislators recently passed a Hal Denny in Southern Shores controversial law that makes it harder for • Four are vying for two seats on the Nags citizens to cast a ballot. Among the changes, Head Board of Commissioners voters must present a government-issued • Four are competing for three seats on the photo ID (no College IDs); same-day voter Manteo Board of Commissioners registration has been eliminated on Election • Two are going head to head in the Manteo Day; updates in voter registration must be mayoral race made 25 days or more before the election; • Four are looking to fill two seats on the Kill and instead of 17 days of early voting there’s Devil Hills Board of Commissioners only 10 days — giving you one less week to • Seven are competing for five seats on the procrastinate.

Duck Town Council So don’t slack. Make sure you have the And at least one woman hopes all the above will proper ID. Update your voter info right now. get more people to the polls.

Secure a ride to the polls a week early. Then do your homework on intended policies “The municipal elections are normally very small of these would-be powerbrokers. Because when there’s not a contest,” says Melva Garrison, while local candidates don’t generate major director of the Dare County Board of Elections. headlines, local decisions hit closest to home.

— Catherine Kozak “I’m hopeful that it will bring the numbers up.”

gosurf

Enjoy our World Famous Seafood Buffet featuring over 70 buffet items.

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A Dare County resident who is qualified to register to vote may register in-person and vote from 19 to three days before Election Day at one of these One-Stop sites: Dare Co. BOE Office, 954 Marshall C Collins Dr, Manteo; Baum Center, 300 Mustian Street; KDH. Call 252-475-5630 with any questions about registration, absentee ballots and other election matters. milepost 15

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ROCK STAR TREATMENT

THE ORIGINAL

Before he owned Corolla’s Route 12 restaurant, Mark Grizzard gave celebrities royal service.

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Since the 60’s

The restaurant was Nick’s Fishmarket, Maui — a “who’s who” place inside a luxury resort right on the ocean. As captain, I handled the tableside service and made sure the VIPs were catered to, respected and — occasionally — protected. I once even had to stand guard over Arnold Schwarzenegger’s table. I felt silly protecting Mr. Universe and Maria Shriver, but I had to or they’d get bothered constantly. I remember Pierce Brosnan walked in right after his first Bond movie; you’ve never seen so many kids run at once.

gogolf

Rentals • Lessons Boards • Wetsuits Surfwear • Sunglasses Sunblock • Sandals T-Shirts

We had celebrities at least once a week. And we made sure we treated them like celebrities.

My tux cost $900. I had a $120 wine key. The beluga caviar came on a fish platter with gold scales and a bottle of Stoli chilled inside a huge block of ice. We had one dessert where I’d pour a flaming alcoholic concoction from glass to glass. I did that for Tyra Banks once and she must’ve been wearing a ton of hairspray because she basically ducked and covered.

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There were plenty of pro athletes, too. Rodney Peete. Mark Rippen. John Elway and Mike Shanahan came in after the Broncos won their second Super Bowl. I waited on both Sugar Ray Leonard and Mike Tyson. Tyson was nice. But he’s easily the most intimidating person I’ve ever seen. And he could eat. He ordered three smoked salmon appetizers. He kept saying, “More slammin, please.” Needless to say, I didn’t correct him.

Old Nags Head Cottage Row MP 13.5 Beach Rd. Nags Head 252-441-7349

fooddrink

Wave

The rock stars were just like you’d expect. Lisa Loeb wore her glasses.

Steven Tyler was casual and loose, throwing his leg over the armchair.

Slash smoked Marlboros and drank Jack-and-Cokes. Courtney Love walked in wasted — and left wasted. Prince was odd. He talked so quiet you could barely hear him. No one could take his picture. And he refused to let his lips touch any glass — he’d order a $100 bottle of wine and drink out of a straw. But as finicky as he was, he’d go to some local club that evening, walk up on stage and kick out the jams with whoever was playing. That was impressive.

endnotes

PIZZA CAFÉ on the boardwalk

252.255.0375

Really, I think most celebrities just wanted to be normal. To have John Travolta and Kelly Preston ask politely to repeat the specials; or to watch James Hetfield from Metallica take family pictures by the koi pond; or to overhear Dr. Dre and his wife discuss getting braces for their daughter — those are the coolest memories for me. And Kevin Spacey was just awesome. He invited my wife and I to sit down for dinner one night, and we ended up hanging out for a week. The next time he was on Maui, he called up out of nowhere — “I’m comin’ over!” — and we all went to a bar and drank pina coladas.

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eat in . take out . delivery www.thewavepizza.com

osprey landing shops 1190 duck rd.

upfront

Of course, this all happened ten years ago. I think the most famous person I’ve seen at Route 12 is Dennis Anderson, the Grave Digger! [laughs] But I don’t know if that level of service would work here. We really put on a show. It was fun. And, golly, I made a lot of money.

I bought a house on Maui when I was 25… all from waiting tables.

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Photo: Chris Bickford milepost 17

Looking Toward FaLL...

...and Closing out summer storewide

sale!

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

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questionauthority

STAGE NEXT upfront

Blues Traveler puts the “fun” in crowdfunding.

Photo: LWW

One article estimated the park generated $6 to $7 million for the town annually. Is part of your argument — yes, we get state money, but we generate more? And are people buying it?

Look: it’s a tough economy. And I don’t want anyone to feel bad for Roanoke Island Festival Park because a lot of people out there are trying hard to make a living. And people can say this is not a worthy way to spend the funds. But we also have 27 public acres and a boardwalk to maintain — I think of us as the Central Park of Manteo — and there’s no ticket fee for that. And we’re committed to doing it in the most efficient way possible. But, having said that, I think the state supporting educational opportunities and preserving our history is worthy.

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When it comes to Roanoke Island Festival Park, the local community roars with opinions. Executive Director Kim Sawyer addresses their requests, concerns — and what’s in store for the facility’s future.

getactive

“Living History.” That’s what gets top billing on Roanoke Island Festival Park’s welcome sign.

What gets the most attention? Live music. No wonder. While people must pay to see the facility’s 16th century costumed interpreters, board the Elizabeth II or get hands-on with American Indian Town’s educational displays, the sound stage is wide open and impossible to miss. So, when the budget crunch hit the state facility big-time this year, critics and fans alike roared for more concerts and events. But as Executive Director Kim Sawyer notes: “It’s not like those old movies where Judy Garland says to Mickey Rooney, ‘Hey! Let’s get on Broadway!’ And, boom, they’re on Broadway. People need to learn the steps to get there.

And as much as people love concerts, that’s not all we do.” Sawyer sat down with us to discuss just how the park plans to maximize their assets — from bands to Boy Scouts to blushing brides — and what that means for the park’s future and fundamental purpose.

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So, long term, what has the most revenue potential?

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That remains to be seen. And don’t let me mislead you: last year we did two weddings. This year, we have eight. But we’re already booking weddings and blocking off concert dates for 2014. We had an issue a couple of months ago where someone wanted a wedding and we were talking about a concert on the same day. And that’s the kind of problem we want to have.

MILEPOST: At first, the Governor’s budget eliminated all funding for the park.

You ended up with $450,000 from the state for two years; and you’re requesting $325,000 from your 501(c)(3), Friends of Elizabeth II. But that’s still basically half of what you used to get. What’s the plan?

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KIM SAWYER: Well, we knew that our appropriation was scheduled to be cut, so we had a five-year plan in place. And we’ve come up with three areas to focus on: one is the Boy Scout and Girl Scout overnights, which fit great into our educational programming. Another is weddings. And, of course, the concerts. So we’re planting the seeds in all those areas this summer so we can look back and say, “What have we learned? And what can we do better?”

Concerts is what most people seem to focus on. Mainly you hear, “What a great venue.” And then, “Why is it sitting empty?” What are the speed bumps?

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For me, it’s been about finding that good fit. My original vision was a Roanoke Island Festival Park concert series. But we knew we were facing budget cuts, and it’s like, “Is it a wise decision to invest thousands of dollars into bands?” Because the band gets paid whether you sell one ticket or a thousand. So for that space, I think our big opportunity is rental income, which is why we’ve been promoting to the promoters. That’s how we got Straight No Chaser; they saw one of our ads, said “It’s a beautiful site,” and it fit into their routing.

Or Blues Traveler — what a great opportunity for Brew Thru to promote their business. Or what Cory’s [Hemilright] done with the Bluegrass Festival. For us, renting the facility means we’re not putting out the large amounts of money that you do when you bring in a band, plus the rider, catering, security or those kinds of things. Because there’s risk — and then there’s calculated risk.

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outthere gohunt

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You’re in the business of running a park; they’re in the business of staging concerts.

Exactly. But we’ve also found that brides like our stage.

And we’re starting to get the fact that weddings are like a

“

“We’re certainly not acting like a group that’s getting ready to close the doors. That’s not how I plan my day.”

As a state entity, do you feel weird about competing with the private sector? show. [laughs] Because we have lighting and the sound, and I think we’re lucky to have that as an add-on. And one of the cool things about the weddings we’ve discovered that I didn’t anticipate — particularly if it’s a local family — is it’s a way for them to connect with us for fundraising, which is something we haven’t done a lot of here. So the state is encouraging everything to be more entrepreneurial. I just don’t want people to forget our core mission or the educational assets, which I think are the heart and soul of the park, whether it’s for tourists or school groups. The first English speaking America is here. And when I go to speak to legislators, I remind them, “This is your history. And this was 22 years before Jamestown.”

I don’t know what their funding situation is, but I doubt the Governor of Virginia would say let’s defund Jamestown.

Well, remember: the first proposed cuts came from the previous administration. So really it’s like any business: how do we do more with less? What are you going to do to increase revenue?

And how are you going to trim the fat? We increased the ticket price from $8 to $10 two years ago. But the art gallery used to have nine months of free art shows. And we’d get some percentage of sales, but we realized there was better opportunity for rental space there. So we cut down to the three shows we felt were the closest to the community: the Mollie Fearing Show, the Dare County School Show, and then the quilt show. I also haven’t rehired any permanent staff in over a year and I credit them for having the attitude of, “Okay, we’re going to do what it takes because we support what we do here.” So we’re always looking at other opportunities where we can bring in money or be more efficient. But having said that, I certainly think we’re appropriation-worthy. This is a state site, the facility itself has been here about 16 years, the ship — the Elizabeth II — will turn 30 on November 22. And we feel like we’ve been good stewards of the state funds. And I think we have an impact on the community that a lot of Manteo’s business people are probably aware of because they have an opportunity to see it.

I think the consumer benefits because they just have other options. And it’s another opportunity for a wedding planner or florist to pick up more business. But everybody’s doing weddings, everybody’s doing concerts. [laughs] Duck and downtown Manteo are doing music for free. Windmill Point is doing events. I’ve heard rumors about Kill Devil Hills having a pavilion. And they’re all doing it to support their local businesses. Which is great. I can either choose to spend my day wondering what other people are doing or I can choose to spend my day on, “Here’s our game plan; here’s what we’re doing.” And if you’re going to be charging for something that someone else does for free, that just encourages you to make it a much more special experience. And that just makes our core mission more unique.

What’s the best-case scenario? Worst-case scenario? Is there a case where you’d have to shutter up?

Well, we’re certainly not acting like a group that’s getting ready to close the doors. And that’s certainly not how I plan my day. For me, short-term, the plan is to use these two years as a growth period: are there more and different things we can do in marketing? Let’s investigate that. Do we find that the concert area is an opportunity for increased income? Let’s do that. Because whoever the legislators are, we’re going to have to be able to tell our story and say, “Here’s what we did well and here’s where we need help.” I do think we’ll always be in a place where we will need some kind of appropriation. And as long as this is state property, I think it’s appropriate we should get something. I just hope five years from now that we are known as a really great historical attraction that also has great concerts and is a great wedding venue and is also great for scouts.

As opposed to, there’s a great concert place, and — by the way — it’s also a historical attraction.

— Matt Walker Ed note: The preceding interview was edited for space, flow and clarity. To read the entire discussion — from what volunteers do to what happened with Widespread Panic — go to www.outerbanksmilepost.com. milepost 19

OUR AD WITH

LAST SUPPERS Sacrifice. Revelations. Redemption.

Joy. Thirteen faithful foodies describe why restaurants remain their pride and passion.

2012 EDITION

Return To Refrigerator From Premises • Please Please Do Not Remove

Kwan Gray Co-Owner Mama Kwan’s

Bryan Whitehurst Executive Chef 1587

Lance Marler Line Cook Kill Devil Grill

Rusty Midgett Chef/Owner Rusty’s Surf & Turf

Photography by Chris Bickford Art by Ben Morris milepost

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Rob Robinson Chef/Owner Bad Bean Taqueria; Bad Bean Baja Grill

Lisa Ortega Chef/Co-Owner Ortega’z Southwestern Grill & Wine Bar

Eric Reece Co-Owner Outer Banks Brewing Station

Mike Dianna Owner Mike Dianna’s Grill Room

Becky Miller Pastry Chef/ Food Buyer Kelly’s Restaurant & Tavern

Josephine Caggese Co-Owner Josephine’s Sicilian Kitchen

Michael Montiel Proprietor/ Owner Rundown Café

Lynette Sumner Founder Aqua

Bob Sanders Co-Owner Tortuga’s Lie

If it’s true that “on the eighth day, God created the Outer Banks,” then that must be the same day he created cool indie restaurants. Not only do we have a bounty of transcendent dining choices, our island is filled with faithful foodies who’ve devoted their lives to this culinary communion. It can be heaven. (Take a bite.) It can be hell. (Feel the burn of a broken Hobart.) Most days, it’s a bit of both. We sat down with 13 dining disciples and peppered them with questions — in the purgatorial pit of early July, no less — just to get a sense of what works, what doesn’t and why they continue to make it their passion. Pull up a chair. Break some bread. Sip some wine. And receive the gift that is life in a restaurant. milepost 21

What was the last thing you ate?

A PB&J. Uncrustable. At the restaurant, you’re not gonna eat a three-course meal standing up. Most of the time it’s, “Drop me some chicken tenders.” — Kwan Gray Roasted chicken and white rice. My mother in law’s in town. When Marcelo [Ortega] and I went to say hello after work, she pulled it out of the oven. But two nights this week we ordered pizza for the staff because we wanted to close and clean and not cook anymore. — Lisa Ortega A cupcake from my daughter’s birthday at midnight. It was homemade. And it was fantastic. — Mike Dianna

What’s the last thing you’d ever

What’s the last recipe someone asked you for?

want to eat?

(And did you give it to them?)

Durian. It’s like a breadfruit with thorns. Tastes sweet but smells awful. I had it in Thailand

Our meat sauce. But I don’t give it out. I say, “One day I might need a favor, and then I’ll give you my sauce recipe” [laughs], like The Godfather. — Josephine Caggese

mixed with vanilla, rice and condensed milk. Every time I tried to swallow, I gagged.

— Bryan Whitehurst Liver and glands. There’s a lot of nutritional value, but they’re also a waste dump. I used to be a teacher. The more physiology you know, the pickier you get. — Lynette Sumner Sea urchin. I know a lot of people think it’s a delicacy. But I’ve eaten it a million ways and it still tastes like gnawing on a rock at low tide. — Rob Robinson Coconut [laughs]. And I just made a German chocolate cake. But I don’t taste a lot of my food. I’d rather ask the wait staff what something needs, and then I wing it from there.

— Becky Miller

I don’t mind telling anybody anything. Because cooking is a talent. A touch. Some people can sear a scallop, others can’t.

So I say, “Here it is, have at it.” And the brewing recipes just take care of themselves because of our volume: “Take 500 pounds of this, add 58 pounds of that…” — Eric Reece

What’s the last meal that taught you something?

religious experience?

wanted to steal?

The Inn at little Washington. We sat at the chef ’s table. Patrick O’Connell was cooking. Their sommelier was on point. And I was right there in the kitchen all during the service. I felt like a queen. — Lynette Sumner

Philadelphia, 1998. A place in Chinatown did this insane salt-and-pepper squid with this light, crispy batter. I tried and tried but I couldn’t perfect it. So, I added a Mexican twist using corn meal and different peppers. Now it’s my Scorpion Bay Calamari. — Rusty Midgett

Don’t leave pineapple and chicken on a skewer overnight. The bromelain in the pineapple turns the chicken to mush.

— Bryan Whitehurst

I haven’t dined out in months. But we’ve been getting these dry-aged strips from Chicago — think Rocky when you see the carcasses hanging. It’s very time-consuming and not very cost-effective, but it was probably one of the best steaks I’ve ever had. And I didn’t cook it, which was the nice thing. [laughs] — Mike Dianna In downtown San Diego, I got a piece of toro — the fatty part of the tuna — that was the most buttery, smoothest sushi I’ve ever tasted. I always talk about that one piece of fish. — Kwan Gray Miso butterfish on Maui. It’s small and so delicate. They pull the little filets off and roast them, so they curl up.

And they keep lacquering it with the glaze until it almost candies. — Michael Montiel Clams out of Hatteras Inlet. Lightly steamed with a little white wine, lemon and butter. I worked with a chef who put a different beurre blanc on all his fish: lemon caper beurre blanc, basil beurre blanc, tarragon… whatever. Finally, I was like, “Why?” He said, “God made lemon and butter to go on fish.” — Rusty Midgett “Communion.” — Bob Sanders

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People give out recipes, but there’s always one less something. Mike [Kelly] made me put the sweet potato crème brulee in the Taste of the Beach guide. But don’t try it, because I think I left off a couple of eggs. — Becky Miller

What’s the last recipe you

What’s the last meal that tasted like a

milepost

My seafood chowder. I have the recipe in my computer in bulk format and for six to eight people. And I tell you what: when you print that thing out, it creates some serious good will. — Mike Dianna

I steal my restaurant recipes from home. We just implemented shrimp burgers. Similar to a crab cake. No filler, no gimmicks. One-third you puree, one-third you rough chop and the rest you leave whole. Put down a little oil and throw it on the flat top. Serve it up with some roasted red pepper aioli — lettuce, tomato, a little lemon zest and away you go. — Lance Marler We took our fish tacos from a place in Southern California: crispy fish, spicy sauce, slaw and greens. I was like, “Chef, don’t try to make it better. Just do that.” So we totally stole it. And it blows up. — Lynette Sumner Maybe not a recipe, but every time I cross the bridge, something makes me jealous. Like, “Why didn’t we do this?!” Whether it’s the presentation of a salad or the way they painted the drainpipe.

Everything is fodder for a restaurateur. My phone’s filled with pictures of food and bathrooms.

— Eric Reece

My father came in from Sicily and yelled at me because our meatballs were too hard. So we went in the restaurant and mixed them by hand, then put them in the blender for a shorter period of time. Now you can cut ‘em with a fork.

— Josephine Caggese Friday night, a piece of tuna fell in the pan, splashed up and took the skin off two fingers. I guess it taught me to be more careful when I’m weeded. — Mike Dianna Every time I cook fish. Because there’s so many types and they all need to be cooked properly. One might need to be roasted, another seared. Some fry better than others. One needs to be cooked medium rare and no more. Others might need to be cooked all the way through — but not dried out — so you cut it differently. You learn to be a better chef by just cooking seafood. — Rob Robinson The honey habanero barbecue sauce Richard [Welch] makes. For weeks, the whole kitchen was eating this burger with barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese and bacon. Finally, I said, “Maybe we should put it on the menu.” I learned to always listen to other people. If there’s something they’re enjoying — or something they’re not — then change things up. Just because you’ve got a good thing going doesn’t mean you’re perfect. — Bob Sanders

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MORE THAN A BODY SHOP! Collision Repairs Glass Replacements Mechanic Repairs Oil Changes Brake Service • Tires Alignments up to 18,000 lbs Body Repair: (252) 441-8050

Service Repairs: (252) 441-8051

1202 Swan Street • Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948

What’s the last piece of equipment you

When’s the last time you improvised?

When’s the last time you messed up

could live without?

If I don’t have buttermilk, I’ll use milk and a tablespoon of vinegar. It doesn’t get as thick, but it works.

— Becky Miller

an order?

A fish turner. It’s a super-thin, flexible spatula with little slats and a razor-sharp edge, so you can be delicate but forceful at the same time. It’s like the Porsche of spatulas. — Rob Robinson Tongs. I use ‘em to stir things, flip stuff, cut food, catch plates. They’re like my third arm — and they’re 21-inches long. They’ll reach out there for ya. — Lance Marler Chef ’s knife. I cut all the fish and meat. I’m not a control freak, but my filet is $20 a pound once you clean it. One bad cut, you’re losing money. — Bryan Whitehurst Computer. It’s point of sales, it’s marketing, it’s the world now. Someone in Ohio sees what you’re cooking on Facebook and says, “See you next week for some of that!” — Bob Sanders Knife is your right hand. Towel is your left hand. Every chef is the same. Unless it’s tongs in your right hand — or you’re left handed. — Rusty Midgett

Last November the whole beach lost power. But my car has an outlet. So I started the car, turned on the lights up front, put out some candles and kept rolling. — Josephine Caggese Fourth of July at 8pm. Fireworks started at 9pm. If I had realistically quoted a half-hour wait, we never would’ve gotten out of the kitchen. So I embellished. I told everyone the wait was 90 minutes so we could finish that turn and still watch the show. — Lisa Ortega All the recipes at Mama’s are improvised from the original Korean recipes. Like the Hawaiian pork plate is a version of Bulgogi — which is usually beef — but Kevin [Cherry] wanted pork so we twisted it up. We do that a lot. But what’s funny is I’ve never eaten the pork plate at Mama’s. Not once. I still make it the way my aunts made it. — Kwan Gray

All the time! Because you get hit with so many people at once. And these days everyone wants to make their own menu. They say, “I’m allergic to gluten. To garlic. To tomatoes. To onions.” And, of course, you want to give them what they want. But guys are used to cranking out stuff a certain way. And every little change increases the odds that we’re going to screw something up down the line. — Eric Reece I don’t know about an order, but I tripped up the stairs clearing plates. My whole body flew. [laughs] It was busy, too. But everyone was gracious. They helped me pick up. I brushed off my pride and kept rockin.’ — Lynette Sumner Every Friday it seems lately. I order all the food for Kelly’s: produce, meat, dry storage, freezer… I just put up 250 cases for this weekend and now I realize I forgot spring mix. So tomorrow will be the third Saturday I’ll be meeting a truck. — Becky Miller

All the time. There’s no place for a seven-top. The band doesn’t show so you call around for a DJ. Or someone orders a drink called “The Croatian Teabagger,” so you say, “What color is it? What’s it taste like?” You have to constantly rig everything to get through the night. That’s the whole nature of the business right there. — Eric Reece

Creating a positive personalized experience for EVERY client.

252-261-2809 P.O. Box 482, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949 www.sykesobx.com • sykes482@centurylink.net

Since 1979

DUCK SCARBOROUGH LANE SHOPPES COROLLA TIM BUCK II SHOPS PH 252-441-6235 WEB TARHEELTRADING.COM

When’s the last time you wanted to quit?

When was the last time you felt angry?

Nervous?

When I made 3000 desserts by myself for a fundraiser. That’s when you think, “Why did I do this?” But then only 25 came back. When you see how much people enjoy it, that makes it worth it.

— Becky Miller

The last time someone asked me to split a check item-by-item. I’m happy to split a check evenly — 2, 3, 5, whatever — but I feel like if you don’t want to spend an extra dollar or two on the friend you’re breaking bread with, then you should go ahead and sit by yourself.

— Josephine Caggese

Every day at 5pm. I think, “What did I forget? What am I gonna screw up?” Being a chef/owner, you take failure so much more seriously than when it’s not your place. But one of my dad’s best friends since childhood owns Pop’s in Buxton. Before I opened he asked me: “What are you gonna call it?” I said, “This or that.” He said, “I didn’t make a dime in this business until I put my name on the building.” The next day it was “Rusty’s Surf & Turf.” — Rusty Midgett

Guilty?

Proud?

Right now. I yelled at someone last night who was working hard for me. I woke up thinking about it. I don’t lose my temper like I used to, but someone argued with me and I snapped back. And as the owner and leader of the kitchen I needed to handle that situation better.

Communication is so important. I got some good advice from an old boss years ago: “If you have 40 employees, you need to be able to speak 40 different languages.” — Mike Dianna

When Matt [Payne] and I won Taste of the Beach for the second year in a row. Just doing something creative and seeing you’re not the only one who thought it was good. People don’t even have to say anything. You can tell by the way they close their eyes or smile real big. It’s not the daily BS of running a restaurant that keeps you cooking. It’s getting that reaction. Where else can you get that kind of instant gratification? — Rob Robinson

Last Saturday. As soon as I got home, the phone rings: “The hood fan stopped working.” If that happens, you can’t cook. The whole place fills with smoke. So we’re sitting closed on a very large day. And no one can get there to fix it because it’s 3:30pm and traffic’s insane. So I put my tools in my backpack and bike to work. My chain came off four times. I’m on the side of the road. Cussing. Sweating. But I got there.

My bartender and I climbed on the roof and got it working. And an hour later we were laughing about it.

— Michael Montiel The ticket read, “19 fish tacos: 10 black, 9 regular.” That’s when I stopped cooking and started expediting.

— Kwan Gray

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What was the last good decision you made?

The last bad decision?

What was the last silly question you had

I hope putting that screen-in porch on the side of Tortuga’s. Every place has a certain mystique so you have to be real careful what you change. You don’t want to mess with the juju. [laughs] — Bob Sanders

Having those five beers after work. We had some great music last night but, man, I’m exhausted. I probably should’ve come home and gone to sleep. — Mike Dianna

to answer?

Our kitchen expansion was key. We were at max capacity, and we’re up again this year. So that requires more product coming in and going out. And really, the restaurant business is always about flow and jibe. If people start tripping over everything and it’s a mess, then they start getting angry and annoyed and you get a higher turnover and it’s just depressing to be at work. But if there’s a system, then they’re happy. And that makes the whole place flow better. — Eric Reece

Trying to change one small thing in a recipe that’s worked really well for us. It went back to the old way real quick. — Rob Robinson Buying an ice machine that was too small. We’re literally running to the store every day. But it looked bigger in the picture. Sort of like those Kmart pools that show tons of people playing — then you roll it home and the water comes up to your shins [laughs]. — Lisa Ortega

Not driving home last night after drinking five beers after work. — Mike Dianna

“Which is hotter: mild or medium?” — Rob Robinson “Y’all got a bathroom, right?” — Bob Sanders “Can we take the cheese out of the cheese ravioli?” — Mike Dianna “Are the snow crabs local?” — Rusty Midgett “Can we sit by the ocean?” And you start to explain it’s actually the sound… but you don’t.

— Lynette Sumner

no-obligation consultation!

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outerbanksolive.com On the Bypass in KDH - MP 6 Plaza

252-715-3531 26

Two years ago. The economy was so bad. And then Irene came through. We had more than four feet of water damage and no flood insurance. We lost two coolers, tables, chairs — everything in the front of the house. Luckily the kitchen is raised a bit, or we wouldn’t have made it. — Lisa Ortega

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milepost

When was the last time you worried

A few years into the business we stayed open for winter and five or six other restaurants decided to do the same thing. And it was a really lean winter. But we adjusted and found our niche, and now everyone knows when to close and when to stay open. It’s nice around here because a lot of people grew up in the business together. Especially along that strip from Blue Moon to Lucky 12 to Red Drum to Food Dudes.

So we help each other. It’s a real healthy competition. — Bob Sanders I don’t think there’s any restaurateur down here who hasn’t been in that position. In Corolla you’ve got three months to really make it. A storm in the middle of summer can devastate you for a couple of years.

Losing one week is like losing a month. That would kill most people. — Mike Dianna Hurricane Sandy really bombed us. Between the ocean, the storms, the economy and the normal dayto-day of balancing the books, it’s super challenging. It’s a paradox, because my friends and family see the parking lot overflowing and can’t find a spot — walk inside and the tables are slammed — and they think I’m driving a Brinks truck to the bank every day. It’s the opposite. We have to be that busy just to make it.

But with all that, we’re blessed. And we look back on the landscape of the 20 years we’ve been open and go, “Look how far we’ve come.” — Michael Montiel

Guy Fieri. That was amazing. So many people see that show. I talked to someone last night who said they watched it on a plane flying to London.— Lisa Ortega Celebrities aren’t allowed in. [laughs] Pok was our last celebrity. Every time he comes in, the whole place is like, “Pok!” — Josephine Caggese

What’s the last thing people should

I’m horrible about this because I don’t have a TV. But the pitcher guy from that show “Bound and Down”?

[Danny McBride of Eastbound and Down]. He came in on his birthday. — Eric Reece

remember about the restaurant business?

Al Roker. You know how it is during hurricane season. And Tyler Hansbrough. He was the center for the Tarheels. Now he plays in the NBA. — Kwan Gray

Be carfeful what you wish for? [laughs] — kwan gray

This past fall we had Bethany Hamilton come in the side door and start snapping photos of us. That was weird. And as soon as she sat down, people engulfed her asking for autographs. — Lance Marler Sonja Sohn from The Wire. — Lynette Sumner

It’s all about people, both the customers and the employees. That’s what makes everything work: people moving in concert. Like an organ. Or a multitude of organs. You’ve got the bar, you’ve got the wait staff, you’ve got the host, you’ve got the kitchen — and when all those things are popping it’s wondrous. It’s a palpable vibe. But when it starts to go out of control, it’s pure misery. Because you’re powerless. Like being stuck on a wave where you know you are going to eat it — and you know the beat-down is gonna last for hours. — Eric Reece

Remember when the NFL had it’s lockout for 100-some days? My bartender goes: “I swear that’s De Maurice Smith.” He was the lawyer for the players association and was on ESPN every day. I waited to see his name on the credit card before I thanked him. He said, “Why?” I said, “Well, for coming in and spending money — but also for saving the whole damn season!” [laughs] — Mike Dianna

You ever see the movie Waiting? [laughs] No, it’s not like that, but it is crazy. Everyone brings in their good stuff, their problems. Someone’s hooking up with someone else. I only have four or five employees so it’s not so nutty. But if I had 15 or 20 it’d be wild. It’d be a reality show. — Bryan Whitehurst

The little dude from The Weather Channel [ Jim Cantore]. He signed a menu cover. — Rusty Midgett

Every restaurant is kind of a family. You have to love it — the food and the people. And if you do love it, then it’s all worth it. — Lisa Ortega

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We took a visual temp of some local eateries — then cranked the dial a few hundred degrees.

Sight is the ultimate appetizer. Sure, your tongue does the tasting, but your eyes set the table. Just consider the amount of time and effort chefs spend getting a “just so” angle on your asparagus. But what about all the visual delights a restaurant serves before you even sit down? We set out with a credit card and iPhone to create a panoramic sampler of different Outer Banks atmospheres — then gilded them with goofy riddles. See if your peepers can digest this combo of brainteaser and palate test. milepost

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Answers: Bob’s Grill, The Pit Boardrider’s Grill, Thai Room.

Hop i n.

Shop. . .

Have f u n!

Fall S (sta w

Three local legends, Speak three different languages: Hot food, chill times and foreign spice.

The first’s a proper name who grills, The surfing hole serves party thrills, And the room ties up bags with extra rice.

One says, “hangout,” Another, “get the hell out,” Just make sure you order first.

Go bob for burgers Buck-up for a taco Or eat a fortune for dessert. milepost 31

APP P L AT T E R

ButtMe. Perfect for social butterflies who “don’t smoke,” ButtMe scans the room for tobacco users before they ever walk outside.

Also has a polygraph app to determine which ones are lying when they say, “Sorry, I’ve only got one left.”

Cash for cocktails is so passé. Just charge your cell phone, or even better, a friend’s.

The latest app trend isn’t fried calamari. Or fish bites. Or even a rare piece of seared tuna. It’s a phone app… that can order an app.

Or a beer. Or a whole round of cocktails.

graphiccontent

It’s called “BuzzMe.” Just sign up with your credit card, place an order at any participating restaurant and text your friend to pick it up. As the press release notes: “Now, when you say, ‘Let me buy you a drink to celebrate,’ you don’t even need to be there to do it. Just Buzz them. The uses are endless.”

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rearview

gohunt

outthere

gosurf

And perilous. Because, not only can you virtually “Cheers” a pal who’s miles up the beach — they can endlessly pester you for “Just one more round.” Imagine being hit up by every broke drunk you know. Every single night.

All winter long.

StopMe. Crossing yellow lines and running red lights is so analog. StopMe monitors your speech for classic drunk driving expressions before you even reach for the keys: phrases like “One more can’t hurt”, “I told you I’m fine!” or “Can you put this in a to-go cup?”

Then it locks you out of your own vehicle.

(Or flattens the tires on your Scooter.)

TazeMe. One too many JagerBombs got you feeling belligerent? TazeMe monitors anger levels on both you and the room, and then delivers 50,000 volts before anyone cocks their elbow. Secondary feature allows friends to digitally drop you if three or more text the word “taze” to your phone. Works well with…

CabMe. No longer do you have to panhandle strangers at 2am. CabMe will automatically call your whole contact list — and keep on calling them — until they collectively text the total fare plus tip.

Even better, it erases all records so you can continue to pretend you blacked out and not pay them back.

ForgiveMe. You’re home safe. But before you pass out, let ForgiveMe blast a heartfelt apology to every person who dealt with your antics the previous night. You’ll feel better. They’ll feel worse. And you’ll wake up to a fresh round of digital free drinks via BuzzMe. And the circle goes round…

BailMe. Who needs three phone calls? BailMe notifies your best buddies — or, if necessary — the nearest bondsmen to start pooling some cash. Leaving you more pressing tasks like making a shiv, defending your breakfast and clenching your cheeks.

BustMe/BookMe. Talking to officers can only get you in trouble. BustMe digitally delivers all your pertinent info straight to a trooper’s laptop without saying a word. Meanwhile, BookMe alerts the county clerk’s office to ready a bunk, getting you through Manteo as painlessly as possible. (Or, in the case of a bigmouth who can’t keep quiet, lets them know to lose your paperwork in advance.)

BounceMe. By now you’re either unconscious or curled up in a ball deflecting head blows.

BounceMe automatically sends the GPS location of whatever piece of tile you’re occupying to security — and the cops — so they can pull you off the floor through an angry mob and shove you into a waiting patrol car.

And you thought “sexting” was a double-edged sword.

At press time, no local venues had signed up for the service.

Still, we thought we’d suggest a few more potential technological breakthroughs that can make (or ruin) a night on the town.

32

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The real cookin’ happens before 10pm...

Join us for dinner and enjoy a fresh menu selection and the best in Southern hospitality.

An Outer Banks tradition since 1965!

Specializing in large parties.

MP 8.5 Beach Road • Kill Devil Hills • obxportocall.com • Reservations (252) 441-7484

These rooms no public man can visit But every patron must.

It’s the FINAL STOP for crafty pints And jolly feasts.

(Say ta-ta to those tapas.)

Standing you might meet a mermaid, Toast a rock star Or some pin-ups.

Just don’t Tap your feet, Or crowd the stall.

Because peeps might get suspicious.

Answers: Jolly Roger, Metropolis, Outer Banks Brewing Station

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Patriotism.

Local pride.

Would you care to step outside?

Slurp a MILKshake on hot sand?

Add A sunset to your pato stand?

Or decapitate cervezas at high tide?

One sells boats — but has no dock.

Two play music — JUST one rocks.

And FOLKS PILE UP OR park askew.

For fried fish, cold beer, Fresh sounds, old peers.

And just to see a pretty view.

In life, sometime s de sire Meets opportunity.

That’s when the Magic happens.

Welcome to Mine!

- Chef Wes

Chef’s on Call ~ Catering ~ lunCh ~ Dinner Casual ambianCe & Cutting edge Coastal Cuisine 252-261-8646 | 1197 DuCk roaD DuCk, nC | reDskyCafe.Com

Answers: John’s Drive In, Coastal Cantina, and Fish Head’s milepost

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ife ooff a he llife TThe restaurant restaurant is worker worker is with fraught fraught with terrors. terrors.

Illus

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by Ch ris

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Demented customers. Psychotic chefs. Dinner rushes that never end. We asked a few lifelong survivors to saw-off their scariest experiences, then patched together a Frankenstein’s monster of the most bizarre tales. The type you only hear on the slowest of nights around the glow of a heat lamp. Grab a sharp knife and run for the walk-in. The graveyard shift begins now…

I like Dr. Jay I like Dr. Jay because his staff because he keeps is so friendly his thermometers warm

Across from Barefoot Bernies

A Taste of the Islands

(252) 715 -1407

FEATURING Fresh Local Seafood Steamers • Sandwiches Burgers • Pasta & More Daily Specials

C ar ib bean Style!

Let Us roll You on e!

SUSHI!

Every Wednesday at 6pm

Located on the Beach Road, Milepost 11 in Nags Head • 441-RAWW • www.tortugaslie.com milepost

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ELL-TALE HE TTELL-TALE TTHE SMILE SMILE It was a table of four. Four ladies to be exact. A mom, twin daughters and their grandmother. The mom was pretty.

Natural. Coy. Like a grown-up Kirsten Dunst.

I was young — still in college, in fact — but not so green I couldn’t flirt with a cute cougar, especially if tips were involved.

What I failed to realize, however, was that the real cougar was sitting right beside her, on the prowl and poised to pounce.

“’E-lo, luv!” she purred in a thick English accent. “My, you are a cute one.”

With her dark-blue pea coat, thick glasses and an afro of permanent gray, she looked like a mix of Austin Powers, Mrs. Doubtfire and something that might step off the train from Hogwarts. Wrinkles folded down her face from forehead to chin. And a witchy twinkle in her eye sparkled

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with romantic menace as she opened her lips to reveal a smile that can only be called gruesome.

Huge planks of teeth circled her mouth like a circular pile of fallen dominoes — or a busted pack of old, rotting Chiclets that were hurriedly stuffed back in the box — reeking like some unholy hole filled with decomposing tombstones.

“Pardon me, ma’am?” I asked, holding my breath as I looked directly at the cumulative damage of living eight decades without ever brushing.

“I said you’re quite the strapping lad,” the mouth replied in slow motion, vapors shimmering out like a fuming volcano.

“What time does your shift finish?”

Of course, I laughed.

Part of the job is to keep tables happy. And maybe a more devious part of me thought that the surest way to the MILF was through her mom.

Whatever the motivation, I played along.

“Why wait? Meet me by the hostess stand in 10 minutes.”

She giggled. I winked.

And so it continued throughout the service. Every time I filled a drink or grabbed a plate, she dropped a new pick-up line, which I’d tug and twist right back on her.

“Have a girlfriend?” she’d thrust.

“Nothing steady,” I’d parry.

“Work out, do ya?” she’d growl, patting my leg.

“I’ll need to,” I’d meow. “If I want to keep up with you.”

I was paralyzed with shock and halitosis.

ABLE 1133 TTABLE

“Hello, sir.

What’ll it be?”

He didn’t stir.

“Sun-struck, huh? How ‘bout a nice, cool drink to start?”

Nothing.

With each exchange, we got a little bawdier and a little louder, so by dessert the tables nearby started giggling along at our ridiculous farce.

Even the girls sat tittering in little matching dresses, ignoring their kiddie menus and still-cellophaned crayons. Granny’s antics were more entertaining than some tic-tac-toe stalemate. But they were mere innocents — yea, so were we all! — for none could foresee what horrors awaited.

“No worries.

Take your time, I’ll come back...”

That’s when he grabbed my arm.

Looking up with pursed lips and squinty eyes, absolutely every neuron in his head was working hard to try and expel the

“Come closer, dear,” the ancient woman whispered as I stretched over her shoulder to drop the tab. “I have a little secret for you.”

Politely, I crouched down to listen. But as I bent my ear her way, she grabbed my head with two hands, twisted my neck and proceeded to smash her face into mine with such excessive wetness and pressure, it felt like kissing a firehose.

A firehose filled with an ashtray of Dunhills, centuries of stale Earl Grey and endless breadsticks.

I can’t say how long the kiss lasted. Five seconds? Seven?

Ten?! Time ceases to matter in such moments of crisis. All I remember is thinking, “This can’t be happening.” Yet, as much I panicked internally, I could not physically break free. I was paralyzed with shock and halitosis.

In the end it was the granddaughters who saved me from the witch’s spell. Not by screaming “Ewww!” or “Grandma, please stop! You’re chewing his face off!” But by laughing so hysterically, milk began spewing out of both of their nostrils, covering the table in four raging torrents.

Seizing the opportunity to escape, I raced to find a dishrag — and a Tic-Tac. By the time I returned, they were gone. All that remained were echoes of laughter, a healthy gratuity, and a giant mess, which I proceeded to mop, red-faced with lipstick and no small amount of embarrassment. The stains of which I still wear to this day… — Ray Cadbury

I always get nervous when I see an older man sitting alone.

That’s not to say only weirdos dine solo. In fact, some of your more pleasant one-on-one conversations happen because some silver-haired charmer pays you a compliment — says you’re the spitting image of some country singer from before your time — and you’ll have something fun to Google between shifts. Or you might get some obnoxious letch and spend the next hour deflecting flirtatious jabs, awkward questions and dirty jokes. One never knows. But even the most perfect gentleman can become a tactless perv when he

thinks no one’s watching, so I was doubly scared last winter when my hostess said, “One-top. Table 13.”

next few syllables.

Table 13 was the least accessible spot in the whole restaurant. Tucked in the back corner behind a headhigh partition, hidden from most of the dining room, it’s where we sat all the troublemakers: bratty kids, ex-boyfriends and obvious drunks.

Sunburned, glassy-eyed and barely upright, this guy was clearly the latter, but given my other options, I actually felt kind of lucky. I took a breath, found my perky place then walked over with an extra-large glass of water.

“Peet… Zuh!”

“Pghhaghghzzz…” Pardon?

Retrieving my hand, subtly wiping the flecks of spit that had flown onto my forearms, I racked my brain — checked the special board twice — and reaffirmed that among all of our many items, we did not offer pizza. In fact, pizza was one of the only things our ADD-addled chef had never attempted.

“Sorry, sir. Something else?”

But I was too late. Whatever valiant

brain cell controlled human speech had finally given up on this one.

Instead, he grunted, dropped a halfopen hand on the menu, then tilted his head back and began guzzling water.

Summoning my superior waitressing powers, I cross-coordinated the approximate consonants with his longest finger and returned ten minutes later with a taco plate and iced tea. Then I left him alone to eat. Or drool uncontrollably.

Whatever. We were empty, and as far as I was concerned, what happens in Section A, stays in Section A. Still, I couldn’t shake that uneasy feeling.

My fears only mounted once I returned to check on him. His sweet tea was tipped over, his placemat flung to the floor. Instead of tilting back, he slumped over, his head resting atop a beer belly skid-marked with greasy meat. A pile of ground beef and toppings lay in his lap, gathered in the folds of his khakis.

This. Was. Not. Good.

might prove useful: a fellow waitress who once worked at a hospital in case the man required medical help, and two kitchen toughs with prison records. Just in case we needed to dispose of a body.

“This man’s barely breathing!” the nurse said, taking his pulse.

“Call 911!”

I watched the clock, wondering which screaming siren would show up first — the ambulance or my boss. Suddenly, two busboys began flinging tables to clear the way for two medics.

They boarded the man on a stretcher then wheeled him out to the vehicle and peeled off — just as my boss pulled into the parking lot. She climbed out of the car, watched it burn rubber, then shrugged as she pulled on a dirty apron over her gorgeous new ‘do and went straight back to the kitchen.

Table 13 is where we sat all the troublemakers: bratty kids, exboyfriends and obvious drunks.

Now, normally I’d have run straight for the boss, but — as bad luck would have it — she’d picked that day for her first break from work in over six months. For a type-A, hands-on restaurant owner, skipping out for two hours to get your hair done is a very big step. A lot was riding on the next 30 minutes (mainly my job), so I ran to find the three other employees I thought

Breathing a sigh of relief, I walked out for a smoke break where the police officer on duty was still writing a report. He could tell I was shaken.

“Don’t blame yourself, kid,” he said, shaking his head as he scrawled on a notepad.

“Guy did the exact same thing yesterday right across the street. Passed out in a pizza.”

— Nora Saphron

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THE DUNES THE DUNES HAVE EYES HAVE EYES

Sometimes I wonder when the fear struck for real. Was it when three pairs of headlights hit the house at 1am? The sound of tires skidding into the driveway? The rumble of boots shaking the staircase?

I’d argue it was probably the moment they cracked the front door and saw two eyes staring back, burning with rage. I know those eyes well. They are the eyes of a Hatteras Island woman scorned. They are the eyes of my wife.

This is her story, really. Twenty years ago, she was part owner and chef at a place in Buxton. Back when all Hatteras food came fried or broiled by the basket, they served gourmet California cuisine on white tablecloth.

One night during the peak of summer, a family of 20 walked in — with no reservations, of course. And, of course — since there were kids — they all wanted their meals to be served at the same time. The kitchen was slammed, but there were tables open, so the missus obliged — giving fair warning they’d have to wait a bit.

The grumbling began instantly. Maybe it had to do with the fact that this was before Hatteras served liquor by the drink, and they were already half-crocked. Or maybe they just had no clue what an order that size does to a tiny staff. But the waitress worked hard at keeping them happy, smiling big with each refill of ice water and crackers. And in less than an hour — voila! — 20 plates sat on the table, all piping hot. Which was exactly the moment the party leader stood up and said, “Come on, kids. We’re leaving.”

Now, perhaps back home, a 20-top can hole up in some holler, never to be seen again. But it doesn’t take a licensed surveyor to delineate the not-so-subtle topographical differences between the hills of ol’ Virginny and the skinny flats of coastal Carolina. And while a bunch of similarly stilted houses may look like perfect camouflage to the untrained deer hunter, this was Hatteras: a tiny fishing village where every local knows all the rentals — and every rental has a number.

“Go ahead, leave,” she said.

“But I will find you.”

Seconds after the dinner rush ended, the hunt began as the waitress hopped in her car and began creeping the streets. When she ran out of pavement in Buxton, she pushed north into Avon. With every road, every driveway, she became more determined. Until, there it was — gathered at the base of a rundown four-bedroom, rockin’ with music — a jumble of pick-ups and station wagons, each bumper boasting “Wild, Wonderful West Virginia.” She burned rubber to find the nearest payphone. Ten minutes later, my wife was hammering that rental door, hotter and more abrasive than fresh grill brick on a burning flat-top.

I’m not sure what those people expected to see when they turned the knob. I’m pretty sure they didn’t expect to find my wife waving a receipt. And I’m certain they hadn’t counted on a pair of sworn deputies standing behind her. Otherwise, they’d have thought twice before letting that steamer-sized cloud of marijuana smoke puff out onto the porch.

“You can make her happy,” the two officers said through the haze, “or we can all go see the magistrate.”

Every pocket and purse emptied onto the counter at once: Wads of bills. Wrinkled singles. Loose change. And as my wife added it all up, they winced at the total: $374.21.

“Well?” the officer asked. “You want to swear a warrant?”

Now, normally, the customer is always right — until they’re wrong. And this time they were wrong to the tune of more than $400.

My wife let them squirm a bit before showing some mercy.

Still, my wife stayed polite. She even offered to box up the food. But they refused.

Furthermore, they threatened to tell the whole world what a terrible experience they had.

Little did they realize, the terrible experience was coming for them.

“Go ahead, leave,” she said as they walked out single-file. “But I will find you.”

Of course, what she didn’t tell them was that she’d already written down every one of their West Virginia plate numbers.

“No, I’m happy,” she said, leaving the shamed cretins to crawl back inside as she tipped out the waitress and stepped down the stairs.

Nobody ever saw those people again. But don’t go thinking this is some happy ending.

Because somewhere in the hills of Appalachia, those 15 kids have grown up, probably with progeny of their own. An entire mutant colony of dine-anddashers the likes of which the world has never witnessed. And they could all storm your favorite place at any second. — Russell Blackwood

Family Owned & Operated for Over 25 Years!

DAWN DAWN OF THE… OF THE… DUUUUDE DUUUUDE

If I had been a normal-functioning human being at the time — much less a hardworking family man on vacation — I would’ve run out the door screaming. Maybe even come back with a double-barrel shotgun to send these walking corpses back to their unnatural tombs. But being on the other side of things — you know, the dead side — I simply didn’t care. I didn’t care about the A.L.E. or health inspectors or paystubs or becoming a productive member of the local economy. All I cared about was chasing a feverish impulse to stuff my face with enough calories to fuel the following day’s wave hunt — then limping into work afterwards, hands outstretched and mouth agape, moaning in famished agony amidst a charred landscape of grease and slime and resin, fast food and free beer.

Did I ever tell you about the time I spent as a zombie?

It was the Summer of 1995 — a season cemented in the annals of Outer Banks surf lore due to a runaway train of tropical swell events: nine named storms in two months alone. I think it was sometime around Hurricane Chantal’s fifth straight serving of standup barrels when my brain activity ceased altogether. Girls, parties, bills, college — the whole future in general all disappeared into a cavernous vortex of creative compromise vindicated by a primal thirst for waves. I was just like the reanimated dead, wandering the decaying Earth with macabre intentions. Only this was a tropical summer, not a nuclear winter. And it wasn’t warm human flesh I required for sustenance; it was cold sandwich meat.

The owner of this KDH sub shop was a nice man, but if he wasn’t naive then he was certainly overwhelmed by the legion of human vermin he employed. Some, like me, were victims of the Surf Apocalypse. Others were teenage metal heads, reckless party girls and assorted ne’er-dowells — a brainless horde who signed up to run his shop... right into the ground.

Every day, more work went into maintaining the stereo volume than the food quality.

Pests were a problem: cockroaches, centipedes, worms and flies of all sorts.

But a zombie can’t control the insects just like he can’t control a food order. All he

It was a brainless horde who signed up to run his shop... right into the ground.

But I wasn’t entirely without decency. Once I even talked the oven guy out of dropping a dead mouse into the deep fryer: “Duuude, c’mon… Use the hot plate instead.”

Somehow, no arrests were made that summer. No lawsuits were filed. Nobody got sick or so much as slapped. Nobody got paid, either, but that wasn’t the point.

Zombies don’t require currency. can do is groan through the torment. And put up a bug zapper.

(Ours was located right above the carryout boxes.)

Like those bugs, the staff remained perpetually fried. Shifts typically began an hour late, after a mandatory trip to the walk-in for some exotic, combustible plant matter. The fry cook would hallucinate so badly he couldn’t feel the hot grease splattering his boney arms any more than he could decipher the tickets in front of him. The pizza chef would get so blasted he’d stop making pies altogether, lift cash from the register, walk down the street to 7-11 and buy frozen ones to microwave. Between visits to the beer cooler, the counter girl would see two of every customer and couldn’t repeat an order back without bursting into hysterics. But she was hot (for a dead chick) so she never got reprimanded. Come to think of it, none of us did.

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And every once in a while, I really miss that kind of death.

— Matt Pruett

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But I’ve gotten much better. I’m no longer a zombie.

Now I’m just like you — a customer. The only difference is whenever I stare into the dead eyes of a summertime sub-slinger, I have a little more compassion, a little more patience. Because I know from experience: the dead don’t just die. Something has to kill them.

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Not long after, the place closed its doors.

Permanently. And this army of undead-underachievers probably had everything to do with it. They were ugly and smelly and stupid and slow and lazy and unreliable as hell.

They were zombies. And I was one of them.

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endnotes

ENLIGHTEN UP Cold comfort.

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Master Cleanse and the Lemonade Diet. No, it’s not a bad prog-rock band in skinny jeans.

But it is a fast path to wearing a pair — perhaps even changing your life. Or so a Wilmington pal told me this spring.

“I feel better than I have in years!” he piped down the phone with Richard Simmons enthusiasm. “You should try. It’s easy!”

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44

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“I’m Starving!”

MP 4.5 Kitty Hawk (252) 715-1604 milepost

At least in theory. For 10 days you swallow nothing but water, lemon juice, syrup and Cayenne pepper — plus a few laxatives and a daily saltwater flush. Beyonce claims it’ll give you a beach-ready body. Swamis swear it kills toxins and frees the mind. All I know is my ‘Nother Beer and Burrito diet wasn’t getting me in any bikinis. So I accepted his challenge. “What’s the worst that could happen?” I whistled, as I emptied the fridge and grabbed a notepad to document my journey of mental and intestinal enlightenment. Here’s what I learned:

No, you’re not. You just think you are. Sure, your stomach might rumble, but it’s really the brain sending messages.

Usually on a pre-set biological clock. Breakfasttime.

Lunchtime. Dinnertime. Miss by a few minutes and the alarm starts ringing. But you’ve actually got 24 hours

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It’s amazing how much time a single dinner can consume.

Just debating which pizza to order can chew up half an hour.

You can learn a lot about life by starving your body.

before “starvation response” can use up your body’s sugar stores. Enter “the solution”: 2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, a shake or two of Cayenne Pepper and 8 oz. of water.

Feelin’ hungry?

Have a glass.

Energy down?

Chug another. My first day, I drank ten, but by Day 4 I was down to six or seven. As my mind powered past all those daily triggers, my body stopped demanding to eat. In fact, since finishing the cleanse, I’ve noticed just a glass or two of water will silence my grumbling belly between meals.

I spend way too much time thinking about food.

“What’s for lunch?” “Who’s doing Taco Night?” Those thoughts used to define my daily routine — until I had every meal planned for the next 240 hours. Breaking that pattern made me realize how much I think about eating. It also made me want to eat less. Still, I had cravings. Not for substance, but for variety. Something spicy, sweet, savory… anything other than liquid.

By Day 6, I was considering chewing the laxatives just for the crunch. I also grew painfully aware of how bombarded we get by food commercials. Television, websites, DJ’s, airplanes… If a banner wasn’t waving “AUCE” in my face then the radio was “bringing saucy back.” The biggest surprise?

My thirst for beer totally evaporated. Even after the most stressful day. Apparently, if I can’t “run for the border” then I’d rather not “head for the mountains” either.

It’s not just the eating I enjoy; it’s the process.

It’s amazing how much time a single dinner can consume. Shopping for ingredients, prepping and cooking, cleaning up afterward. Just debating which pizza to order can chew up half an hour. With no meals to plan, I had an extra half-day of free time — time I sadly wasted because my energy levels couldn’t keep up. Mowing the lawn felt like running a marathon. A sunny day sapped my strength in seconds.

And nighttime was basically ruined. No more evening suppers with neighbors. No last-minute barhops with surprise visitors.

I could tempt fate but instead I holed up.

On Day 7, I slept 11 hours for the first time since college. Partially because I was tired, but mostly because I had nothing to do between work shifts.

Timing is everything.

“This was a horrible idea. I’m stuck here not doing [BLEEP] because I don’t have any [BLEEPING] energy. And no, I am not angry because I am hungry. I am angry because this [BLEEPING] diet has basically stolen 10 days of summer.”

I left that voicemail for my friend around Day 8. I censored the vulgarities but stand by the message: if you’re gonna hog-tie your eating habits, wait for winter. Because it’s not just your taste buds that suffer — it’s your lifestyle. I missed soft shells and scallops at a buddy’s beach party. Freshly speared sheepshead at a 40th birthday.

And who knows how many tons of tuna, BBQ and homegrown veggies. After a surf in Rodanthe I felt so drained, I cheated by drinking a Whole Foods apple, kale and beet drink so I wouldn’t drive off the bridge. After that point I just stayed home.

But it wasn’t all bad. Two days since cleansing, my thoughts are clearer. My wallet’s fatter. My bodyweight’s down more than 15 pounds. And I’m no longer eating for eating’s sake. And that’s when food really tastes good. Even something as simple as my first meal back: a salad, a banana and a glass of tea.

No sugar. No lemon. — K.K. Davidson milepost 45

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fooddrink AN ISSUE WITH LIMITS

Recreational fishermen reel in the glory; commercial fishermen catch the heat.

One morning in Nags Head, I watched four young fishermen sweat in the sunrise. Hours earlier, in a centuries-old tradition, they’d set a gill net from the beach with the help of a dory boat. Now it was time to haul in the catch to sort for sale at a nearby fish house. Eventually, they’d make their way to a local restaurant. As a small crowd gathered to watch, some looked distressed at the flopping tangle of bluefish, puppy drum, butterfish and horseshoe crabs. A few even began throwing fish back into the ocean. Meanwhile, one cross lady kept repeating: “I can’t believe ya’ll are doing this. This is so sad.”

endnotes

That afternoon, I watched the sport-fishing boats unload their haul at a local marina. This time the crowds were bigger. So were the piles of tuna and mahi. But there were no complaints. Just cheers, applause and plenty of photos. But why? Both endeavors kill fish in bulk. Both do it for money. Yet, the sportfishermen come in feeling like heroes while the commercial guys get painted as villains.

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upfront

It’s just this bias that keeps legislation like May’s “Gamefish Bill “surfacing year after year. Backed by the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), HB 983 aimed to give red drum, spotted sea trout and estuarine

“

Instead of boosting fish stocks, the CCA wants to maximize dollars.

striped bass “game-fish” status, which would ban commercial fishermen from selling those species to fish houses and restaurants. And while the public face of the issue was to “enhance a public trust resource for the citizens of North Carolina (and other states) that would help end over-fishing”, the real motivation was much less noble.

With each species worth millions more in tackle, gas and other charter-related revenue, the CCA believes that “maintaining a commercial fishery for a few harvesters... reduces the potential economic benefits that could be realized by managing the fishery for solely recreational purposes.” After all, they argue: “Only 149 commercial anglers had at least $2,000 per year in landings in 2012. This suggests that very few, if any, commercial fishermen are dependent on harvests of these three species.”

Instead of boosting fish stocks, the CCA wants to maximize dollars.

But it’s not just the commercial captain who stands to suffer. As Captain Ernie Foster, owner of the Albatross Fleet, wrote to the North Carolina General Assembly in April, those species would become “the exclusive domain of those… who have the time and economic resources to… travel to the coast and have the physical ability to be a successful angler… Simply put, if you do not catch your own fish, you do not eat them.”

That explains why 300 local fishermen, seafood dealers and restaurant owners — along with Dare County leaders and NC’s Division of Marine Fisheries — voiced their opposition at a May hearing. As Allison Willis, owner of Mr. Big Seafood in Core Sound, stated, “Our customers want wild caught seafood. The demand is higher than the supply.”

Which leads to the next great irony. While many assume that commercial fishermen catch more than their share, for the past 10 years at least half the sea trout and red drum landings were by recreational fishermen and charter captains. Last year, that number was 75 percent. The recreational haul is bigger than ever, yet the CCA says they want even more — even if commercial fishermen need it worse.

“Spread throughout the year, the commercial landings may not look important in terms of income,” notes John Hadley, Socioeconomics Program Manager for N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. “But seasonally they are. Some commercial fishermen concentrate on spotted sea trout in December — and that can make up a large portion of their landings for the month.”

The Gamefish Bill never made it out of committee, yet it will likely surface again in some form or another. With the increased popularity of both recreational fishing and local seafood, figuring out a common good might require some compromise; perhaps a less cynical view as to the true value of a fish. For now, fall is a great time to enjoy seafood on the Outer Banks, as a variety of awesome options await: black sea bass, blue crabs, oysters, clams, flounder, mackerel, shrimp and yellow-fin tuna. Every time you order something, just remember who caught it. Not just to feed their family, but so we can all enjoy a tasty and healthy treasure without catching it ourselves.

On the beach that morning, there was some bycatch in the net. The puppy drum were sold to the fish house for restaurants. The horseshoe crabs would become conch bait or go to biomedical companies to keep toxins out of hospital shots. The law says you can’t sell stripers in summer, so the boys offered the two in the net up to the crowd — including the woman who was reading them the riot act.

Of, course, she took the biggest one.

— Ashley Bahen

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HERE’S THE RUB endnotes

Why you should knock the dust off your spice cabinet.

Flavor. It can be a singular sensation that lasts a second. Or a culinary moment that burns in your memory, transporting you back to a timeless vacation or just a really good restaurant.

And when it comes to bottling a favorite experience — or conducting a home trial to create new ones — few tools offer the tasty potential of a good spice rub.

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“While traveling in Jamaica years ago, I was invited by a family up to their home in the hills,” says Nancy Aycock, owner of OBX Foods. “They taught me how to make wet and dry jerk and cook the food over an open fire. I immediately fell in love with the hot, spicy and sweet flavors. As soon as I got home I began to experiment.”

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A pinch, a smidge and quite a few spice clouds later, Aycock placed third in the 1998 Fiery Foods Challenge held by Chili Pepper Magazine in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She now sells her jerk seasoning in seafood markets and retail shops across the Outer Banks.

Nice rack. Photo: Tom Sloate

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It’s a fitting tribute to a tradition born of trial-anderror. During the 15th century, the Arawak Indians of the West Indies used spices and scotch bonnet peppers for preservation. (Experts believe the word “jerk” comes from Charqui, the Spanish term for “dried meat.”)

They relished the savory results, and today, the tradition is more than the heart of Caribbean cooking, it’s the very concept

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BIKES | KAYAKS SURFBOARDS

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behind all “rubs” — a method of coating foods with the right mix of spices and herbs before cooking to consistently create specific flavors.

Wanna make Cajun seafood like Paul Prudhomme? Pour on a pile of his “Redfish Magic.” Wish your ribeye was just like JK’s?

Shake it down with “Cowboy Blend.” But rubs aren’t just a shortcut to carbon copying a favorite chef; they’re an opportunity for emboldened food snobs to have adventures at home. After all, the only difference between filet mignon and steak au poivre is a thick jacket of pepper. Add a few more spices, and you’ve got your own signature style.

“My advice for a basic rub would be salt, pepper, garlic, seasoning salt and brown sugar,” says David Boutilier of Saltydawg Smokehouse in Point Harbor. “It’s good on beef, pork and poultry.”

ingredients depending on what’s available.

“In Jamaica they have access to ramps to use in their wet rub,” notes Tortuga’s Lie’s Richard Welch. “Here, we use scallions because that’s what’s readily available.”

They also retain the necessary moisture.

(Welch recommends letting processed scallions sit in the fridge for three or four days so the water can leech out.) While dry rubs work great for fast cooking on high heat, by adding a liquid — be it fruit juice, beer, honey or oil — wet rubs offer even more combinations when time’s no object. Smothering a cut of meat with the right mix of spices — plus some fresh herbs, veggies and olive oil — then letting it sit a few hours, can make for surprisingly precise matches that are perfect for slow-roasting.

“

Carbon copy a favorite chef; or create your own culinary adventures at home.

The trick to a successful jerk rub is remembering the key components: hot, spicy and sweet.

For a traditional dry rub? Try mixing some scotch bonnet peppers — or whatever hot pepper you have access to — thyme, onion, garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and pepper. Paprika’s also a popular base. The one seasoning that ties them all together? Salt.

Not only does it add a crust and help retain moisture, it works with the widest variety of seasonings.

“Salt’s the most common denominator,” says Jim Douglas of Chili Peppers, who’s spent the past 20 years perfecting mouth-watering creations like his bacon cure and habanero hot salt. “I like to use peppers in all my rubs. The beauty lies in the different types of flavors they lend. The wonderful thing about salt is that it really provides a balance for food.”

You’ll want to wear gloves when handling peppers because the naturally occurring capsaicin can burn your skin. And keep track of your measurements so you can repeat winning experiments. But from there, it’s up to you. In fact, many chefs combine rubs or improvise

“Veggies can hold up really well with any herb mixture,” says Alison Byrd, who started Fieldhand Sams in 2009 with her brother, Kendall. “Basil is a great place to start with chicken, citrus flavors with fish and the earthiness of mushrooms really complement the flavor of beef.”

Every year, the duo develops a new blend like “Veggie Viagra,” “Kiss My Fish” citrus rub, and the spicy “Brainy-ak.” And while each release honors their father by donating one percent of proceeds to Alzheimer’s research, it’s also a tribute to the guests and friends who help taste-test and contribute ideas.

“Let your friends offer pointers,” she suggests. “We write our recipes and then invite folks over to try them out.”

Whether you are using dehydrated honey to bring out the sweetness of corn or smothering your pork butt with coffee and brown sugar, each meal offers a new way to toy around with new tastes. Each time you discover a world of new experiences, flavors — even cultures — without traveling farther than the depths of your pantry.

— Fran Marler milepost 49

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It’s the platypus of musical instruments. Has pedals like a piano but picks like a banjo.

Slides like a dobro but plugs in like an organ. And sounds like… well, it sounds like just about anything you can think of: from a broken heart sobbing in high falsetto to the heavy tug of a freight train’s air horn to a syrupy cascade of psychedelic wind chimes. And it’s just that hybrid of versatility that allows this mighty instrument to complement any musical genre from jazz to Jimi Hendrix to its most quintessential styles of western swing and country. Or what folks used to call “country.”

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“It used to be if it wasn’t ‘fiddle and steel’ it wasn’t country,” says 58-year-old Powell’s Point player Bobby “Muskrat” Reames. “Now, Nashville plays more rock ‘n roll. So what people hear on records today, they got no idea what can really be done on that thing.”

That “thing” is a pedal steel guitar. Born from the same slack-key Hawaiian tradition that produced the dobro, the right five fingers pick the strings while the left hand delicately balances a metal bar over the fretboard, blending notes back and forth. Only this latest evolution is as much a mechanical wonder as a musical instrument.

Take Muskrat’s custom set-up: Besides the twin, 10-string necks, it has 10 foot pedals, 7 knee pedals — which move up and down, left or right — and a total of 42 pulls that raise or lower up to three strings each to stretch the tones even further. Combine all those numbers and motions, and you give each guitarist infinite potential and his whole unique stamp.

SUN, THIS FALL FOR

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Bobby “Muskrat” Reames is the hottest pedal steel guitarist in Eastern NC — so why’s he play it so cool?

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Y A ECATPEAHW G AT TERAS TO t he V illa s at

WHY ISN’T THIS MAN getactive SMILING?

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“I can play stuff that would take a normal guitar player another three fingers,” says Muskrat, pointing to the candy-red axe built in 1982. “Or I can play a whole song using only my feet and knees. But every guitar is set up different. There’s still changes I want to make — and there’s well over 7000 gigs on that guitar.”

gosurf

And that’s just 30 years out of Muskrat’s four-decade career.

Growing up in Virginia Beach, his father took him to see all the traveling country greats. He already played guitar, bass and drums, but once the pedal steel caught his ear, he converted — even modifying his regular six-string before he got his first real sit-down rig as a teenager.

outthere

“We took a family vacation to Nashville,” he recalls. “Every day, I went to Little Roy Wiggins’ music store downtown, where he let me play this one guitar. The day before we left, I went in and it was gone. But my dad had this strange look.

And that’s when Roy walked up with a case in his hand.”

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A month later, an underage Muskrat was playing regular Saturday night gigs in Norfolk. After graduating from high school in 1973, he joined up with Hampton Roads’ biggest country band, Carolina Charlie and the Heavy Cowboys.

rearview

Two 10-string necks, ten foot pedals, seven knee pedals.

Combine all those numbers, you give each guitarist his own unique stamp.

That’s where he got the nickname “Muskrat” — a snide gift from a military officer who didn’t like his shaggy hair. He also earned his stripes as the hottest steel player around.

“I don’t remember Rat ever not being good,” recalls fellow Tidewater native, Charlie Austin, a pro fiddler and Grand Ole Opry vet who recently moved here from Branson. “When I first met him, he hadn’t had a night off in a year and a half. His fingers definitely didn’t get rusty.”

Muskrat took his own shot at cracking Nashville in the early ‘90s. By day he worked at Sears; by night he worked the local music circles. Over the next ten years, he got to perform on-stage at both the Opry and the Ryman Auditorium, and alongside his biggest country heroes — names like Billy Walker, Charlie Louvin and Asleep at the Wheel. He also worked plenty of showcases — special club concerts where would-be country superstars performed in hopes of catching the ear of record execs.

“I made $20 a night plus tips,” says Muskrat. “I worked over two years for Dierks Bentley that way. Then, in 2004, I had to move back to North Carolina to help take care of my mother-in-law who had terminal cancer. A week before I left, Dierks got his record deal. Six months later, he had the #1 country song in the nation.”

Rather than grow bitter over his close call with the big time, Reames dwells on the good times. He treasures the Nashville friendships he made while swapping licks with the world’s best steel players. And he still returns every year to pick up new tricks and show off a few of his own.

“Rat’s always been very humble and quiet,”

Man of steel. Photo: Chris Bickford

says Austin. “He lets his playing do the talking for him. But if you can stand up with the people in Nashville, you’re good.

I’d imagine he gets the first phone call anywhere in the region.”

Truth is, his phone never stops ringing.

There’s frequent country gigs with Elizabeth City’s Out in the Cold and Chesapeake’s Dave Cynar. On Sundays he’ll play worship services at Tidewater churches. Locally, he’s an almost constant presence at the Outer Banks Jubilee in Kitty Hawk. When not handling the dobro for the Drifting Sands Bluegrass Band, he’ll plug in and reproduce Nashville classics, note-for-note, night after night. (He’ll even whip out a punch-list of ‘60s pop standards for the variety show.) But cheating hearts or

gospel standards, church pews or honkytonks — he never overpowers the headliner with high-flying stuntwork. Instead he listens to the lyrics and echoes the emotion, adding the perfect touch of sorrow or sizzle or just plain silence.

“If they sing something about crying, I’ll do a little crying lick,” he explains. “Or if it’s something about thunder, you make thunder. You don’t ever play over the words.

That’s what separates a professional from an amateur. But when a ride comes up at a certain song, if it’s the right song… I go crazy.”

And that’s when Muskrat’s machine springs into action. His right fingers flurry with lightning dexterity. The left hand carries the

bar back and forth in a hovering blur. The feet and knees rock and sway, creating a little box step beneath the strings, which expand and contract. Inhaling and exhaling to breathe life into each lick. The rest of his body? Pure stone from the bust up. Even his face is a statue, except for the almost imperceptible tick that tugs his upper lip, twitching in time, without ever making so much as a grin.

“Sometimes people ask, ‘Why don’t you smile?’” he laughs. “But when you’re using both feet, both knees and both hands, sometimes it’s hard to smile.”

Maybe so. But it’s sure easy to feel the joy.

— Leo Gibson

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Weddings, Receptions & Events... Oh My! CEREMONY VENUES

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• Outdoor Pavilion Stage & • Pavilion Lawn and Stage Lawn on the Roanoke Sound • Dockside at the Elizabeth II ship • Aboard the docked Elizabeth II • Inside Mall and Event Room a 16th century representative ship

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the premier boutique shopping experience on the outer banks.

Yard of glass. Photo: Chris Hannant

PANE MEETS PAINT soundcheck Rebeccah Rogers’ picture windows provide breathtaking views.

Rebeccah Rogers wouldn’t call herself an artist. She has no formal training. And no real plans to paint for a living. However, in the five years since she hung her first pieces in area art galleries and dining rooms, Rogers’ style has become a signature of Outer Banks expression.

Breaking waves. Perching birds. A field of fiery flowers. All of them on a canvas of clear glass and vintage frames, bubbling in brilliant acrylic from one pane to the next.

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Shopping, Dining and Spectacular Soundviews.

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“In my twenties I did these little tattoo-like drawings, but I thought everybody could do that,” says the humble massage therapist. “One night, I saw that a client had some windows in his front yard and I was like, ‘What are you going to do with those?’ He said, ‘You can have ‘em.’ And that’s how it began. It was like something just got unlocked.”

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It soon overflowed. There are stacks of the old wooden windows tucked into nooks and crannies around her home, nestled on a lush and quiet Kitty Hawk cul de sac. They come from demolished beach cottages, old barns, friends with discerning eyes for treasure among trash and even Craigslist. Among the cache, wedged in at the very end of a stack outside, is Rogers’ very first piece: a big six-paner, each square of glass brightly covered with a different color, a flower or some other figure. It’s rudimentary compared to her current work — and some of the paint is flecking off and peeling in places — but she still keeps it nearby as a

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“I look at it now and think ‘Wow… I’ve come a long way!’” she says. “I don’t think you’re ever too old to try anything new.

It doesn’t mean it will always work out, but there shouldn’t be a timeline on figuring out what you want to do.”

“

For her, art’s not so much about the subject it captures, but the atmosphere it creates.

After all, she was already 38 when she strolled into the Morning View coffee house and inquired about hanging a piece. They agreed. It sold. She hung more. They sold, too. Before long, people were calling and commissioning work. Art galleries. Local benefits.

Private collectors. It was all so new for a beginner.

And she reacted accordingly.

“At first, I was very guarded,” says Rogers. “I didn’t know how much I could produce or if I really wanted to pursue this because I had so much else on my plate. Time is a big factor and my ideas have to come to me. That’s one thing that I find difficult; I don’t want to just crank out paintings like a factory.”

On the contrary, great care and attention goes into each step. The windows are collected and stored, then washed — about eight at a time — to be finally sanded and sealed. Next, she creates a multidimensional effect by layering paint on both sides of the glass, depicting the natural beauty of our coastal environment, be it piers or pelicans. And while Rogers identifies herself as a wife and mother, a massage therapist and an artist — in that order — she’s not about to let her creative side disappear.

“You never know how long people are going to dig your stuff,” she admits. “I’m going with it for as long as it lasts.”

If anything, the combination of familiar beauty and gritty décor is opening more doors. One day, she might be filling an order for decorative boutiques like Duck’s Island Attic. Or she’ll stock up galleries like Avon’s Studio 12 or Seagreen Gallery in Nags Head. (Where she was a top seller this summer.) And, of course, she keeps feeding the walls of our favorite eateries, from Blue Moon to Woody’s, where customers can peek up between bites for a visual taste of surreal scenery. And though she’s yet to paint a single piece of food — she got her first request to serve up a tuna steak this summer — Rogers isn’t surprised at the connection. For her, art’s not so much about the subject it captures, but the atmosphere it creates.

“Food is very social,” she suggests. “And it may be subconscious, but if you go into a place and you like what’s on the wall, you’re really going to enjoy your surroundings and feel good. And if I can share something that I enjoy with people — and they enjoy it, too — I’m all over it.”

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Saturday night sun stroke at Goombay’s.

Photo: Mickey McCarthy

On the Outer Banks, you’re never far from a fresh round of shots.

Especially if you’re holding a camera.

Bars of sand. Sandy bars. Here on the Outer Banks, we got both. Usually within a few hundred yards of the other. In fact, it’s safe to say that beachside or soundside — even dockside — you’re never more than a couple staggering steps from another cool drink, hot meal or perhaps even a warm body. We asked our shooters to send us potent images from their favorite ports of call. Here’s what poured out of their glasses:

Free refills at the Nags Head Pier — but only while supplies last. Photo: Bryan Harvey milepost

In the fraternity of Art’s, paddle shots take on a whole new meaning.

Broughton Aycock assumes the position. Photo: Chris Bickford

Poor Richard’s resin bartop perfectly preserves this ‘50s flyer. (And you thought local elitism was some modern discovery.) Photo: Crystal Polston milepost 55

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– Food Oddities –

rearview Fiddle Heads, the kind you eat, not the kind you carve or play, but steam Or grill them too, or sauté in oil for a tasty alternative to broccoli or collards.

Fulfilling.

Timpano (The Drum), an edible form of percussion, with pasta and meat in the shape of a cake Sliced like one too, and served on your plate revealing its layered strata of goodness.

So filling.

Duck tongues, minus the quack, make for a tasty tidbit when seasoned

with cilantro Sautéed with neck meat and peppers then spooned into taco shells with queso.

Stop spilling.

Ceviche, to cook with citrus not heat, is becoming a popular choice. Fish

take to this well Cut into cubes and soaked in lime juice then served with some ancho for fire.

No grilling.

Offal, it seems, may not really be awful, as most would have previously

thought From livers and gizzards and hearts and the spleen the trend from within is growing.

Just chilling.

Some even eat two parts of a Rooster and I don’t mean his legs or his wings The testes it seems are like tofu in a sausage skin, but I’ll pass on the pecker parts.

This is killing.

And speaking of nads, people really go nuts for the balls of a Bull, there’s a mouthful Our penchant for the original sack lunch creates bovine eunuchs with soprano “moos”.

Just baffling.

Black Pudding; neither black, nor pudding, but blood, oats and meat that

is boiled, then chilled Another oddity that begs the question, asked also of raw oysters, who went first?

That was daring.

Just give me shell dwellers that swim in the sea, the shrimp, mighty lobster and clam The Outer Banks Blue

Crab just steamed, cracked and picked, with drawn butter, yes please.

I am willing.

— Paul Evans

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Celebrating Our lOCal Fishermen & seaFOOd heritage

endnotes Forget fall colors. Autumn’s true hues are blue, green and white as the ocean swirls with activity. Post up at Jennette’s Pier, Aug. 29-Sept. 2, when the WRV Outer Banks Pro Presented by Hurley and Pacifico baits the hottest East Coast surfers with $30k in prize money. Then comes a week of all-amateur action, as the ESA Eastern Surfing Championships plays hooky, Sept. 15-21. And witness the biggest paddle battle of all when the Eastern Surf Kayak Association’s Tournament of Champions rolls through Oct. 3-6.

Go to www.jennettespier.net for updates. • Wanna spend your Labor Day working on kiteboarding skills? Check out Kitty Hawk Kites’ 2013 Kite Weekend, Aug. 30-Sept. 2, where two-hour clinics cover everything from first jumps to handle passes. $100 sign-up fee; call 252-987-2297. • And spend six days before the mast with the world’s best windsurfers when the 2013 Hatteras Wave Jam brings the American Windsurfing Tour back to town, Sept. 16-Sept. 21. Check out www.americanwindsurfingtour.com for details. • Even flowers feel the aloha this time of year. On Sept. 6, Elizabethan Gardens and Ace Hardware team up to host an Elizabethan Luau, decking out the grounds in Tiki torches, poo-poo platters, Polynesian drinks and a healthy shake of shaka. Tix are $65, tables of ten are $1,000. For info call 252-473-3234 or visit www.elizabethangardens.org. • Feelin’ the rainbow love? Maybe it’s time you came out for OBX Pridefest, Sept. 13-15. Romantically inclined? Take in a sunset cruise on the Crystal Dawn Fri. night. Got kids? Join in Sat. afternoon’s family-friendly music festival with dunking booths and carnival fare at First Colony Inn. Feelin’ frisky? Get loose with the grown-ups at one of Pamlico Jack’s night-time cabaret shows or dance parties. A 3-day weekend Pride Pass is $75 at www.obxpridefest.com. Proceeds benefit the Outer Banks Relief Foundation. • Everybody’s hooking up this fall — especially the fishermen. That’s good news for comps like the Oregon Inlet Billfish Round Up on Sept.

11-14. Last year, anglers reeled in $42,000, the Shriners gaffed $12,000 and 52 billfish got released. Get info at www.oregoninletbillfishroundup.com. • You’re gonna need a smaller boat for the 2nd Annual Kitty Hawk Surf Co. Kayak Fishing Tournament on Sept. 21.

It’s inshore. It’s ocean. And it’s on. More at www.khsurf.com. • Or just have fun standing in the swash zone: the Hatteras Village Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament strikes Sept. 5-7 (www.hatterasonmymind.com); the 63rd Annual Nags Head Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament lines ’em up Oct. 9-11 (www.nagsheadsurffishingclub.org); and on Nov. 6-9, the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament pops a few hundred rods (www.capehatterasanglersclub.org). • The NC Beach Buggy Association is revved up for angling events like the Capital City 4-Wheelers 24-hour Annual Tournament (Oct. 19-20) and Avon’s NCBBA 5th Annual Red Drum Tournament (Oct. 23-26). Plus, Operation Beach Respect happens twice — Sept. 21 and Nov. 16 — at all open ramps, 9am-12pm. More at www.ncbbaonline.com. • Wanna see how the real pros do it? Be in Hatteras Village on Sept.

21 when Day at the Docks Don’t turn your back on the ocean.

Check out Outer Banks Seafood celebrates the island’s watermen Fest on Oct. 19. heritage with cooking demos, kids activities, artist booths, music — plus skills tests like the Concrete Marlin, Mullet Toss and a Survival Suit Race. Get the full sched. at www. hatterasonmymind.com. • Still ain’t got your fill of fishing culture? On Oct. 19, make your way to Windmill Point’s Outer Banks Event Site as the 2nd Annual Outer Banks Seafood Festival salutes commercial fishing’s impact — and the golden joys of a deep fryer — with food vendors, exhibits, storytelling and live music

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soundcheck

Oct. 19, 2013 • 11am - 6pm

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$3 Admission* Includes: Pig out when Currituck Heritage Park hosts Wine’n Swine, Sept 5. Photo: Crystal Polston

by Molasses Creek, Old Enough to Know Better, The Crowd, Aquarium and Mojo Collins. (Admission is $3; stock up on $1 “Sea Bucks” to buy food and beverages.) And for a true AUCE experience, come out for the Friday Night Seafood Festival Party on Oct. 18, where The Dunes Restaurant rolls out steamers, chowders, sushi — plus beer, wine and all your favorite battered fare. Adults $50; Ages 4-12: $15. VIP tables of 8 for $750. More at www.outerbanksseafoodfestival.org. • Stuff yourself with even more foodstuffs when Wine n’ Swine squeals into Corolla’s Currituck Heritage Park — aka The Whalehead Club — on Sept. 5, 11am-7pm. Go hog wild on BBQ, wine, craft beer, arts, music and kids activities.

Admission is free; more at www.wineandswineobx.com. • The Whalehead lawn party never stops rockin’. Come back, Oct. 6, from 12-4pm, for Heritage Day’s collection of Currituck culture with performance by the CCHS Marching Knights and Currituck County Chorus — plus antique cars, kite flying demos, artisan booths and kid-friendly antics. (Free admission for Currituck residents and homeowners; non-residents pay $10 for lunch and tour.) Then see cars from antique to superfreak at the Corolla Car Show on Oct. 20. And Wed. Wine Festivals flow weekly from Aug. 28-Oct. 9. $20 buys a souvenir glass to sample all featured wines; free admission for kids and non-drinking adults. Full list of activities at www. visitwhalehead.com. • Meanwhile, across the sound in Jarvisburg, Sanctuary Vineyards is pouring two delectable events. On Sept. 28, it’s the Currituck Food & Wine Festival, which promises good grub, tasty grapes, live music — plus traditional hay rides and a most non-traditional Great Currituck Grape Stomp. And circle back on Nov. 30, when they mix in bushels of steamed oysters and crabs to produce The Great Curri-Shuck. Tix and details at www.sanctuaryvineyards.com. • And on Sept. 27, the NC Coastal Federation wants you to “peel, eat and meet” at 128 Grenville Street in Manteo for the 2nd Annual Fish Fry and Shrimp Boil from 4:30-7pm. More at www.nccoast.org. • For every food fest, there’s a fall fitness test. Burn off the first batch of calories while raising money for mammograms with the 4th Annual All Out Pink Road Race at the Elizabethan Gardens on Sept. 14. More info at www.outerbanksbootcamps.com. • Triple your workout on Sept. 21-22 when the Outer Banks Triathlon posts up three divisions: Sprint, Olympic and Half. All the sweaty details are at www.obxse.org. • Then lap back around on Oct. 13 for the inaugural Outer Banks Duathlon presented by Runcations, which squeezes two 5ks and a 23-mile Pea Island bike ride between a pair of epic kick-off and post-race parties. Jog over to www.runcations.com for more. • After all that you’ll have no problem finishing Nov. 8-10’s Gateway Bank Outer

Live Entertainment • Kids’ Activities Arts & Crafts • Cooking Demos “Fish School” Educational Programs “Fish Tales” Storytelling Programs Marine Life and Boat Exhibits

*Children Under Age 12 FREE when accompanied with adult

Seafood:

Purchase “SeaBucks” ($1) to Redeem at 20+ Festival Restaurant Vendors or for Festival Merchandise

FESTIVAL PARTy Friday, October 18, 2013 6:30pm to 10:30pm A Ticketed Event

Photography by Ray Matthews

Outer Banks Event Site • MP 16 • 6800 S. Croatan Hwy. • Nags Head, NC Tickets Available Online & At Select OBX Businesses • OuterBanksSeafoodFestival.org For Festival Updates Visit Our Facebook Page! • Proceeds Assist OBSF Grants, Scholarships & Charities This project is funded in part by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau.

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endnotes Banks Marathon — or at least the Southern Fried Half Marathon. Or the Fun Run, 5k or 8k Challenges. (Aw, hell, just drink beer and cheer like everyone else on Bay Drive.)

Courses and costs at www.obxse.org. • For a display of true strength and valor, check out the End of Summer Beach Bash for the Wounded Warriors, Sept. 19-23. This week-long event of diving, fishing, surfing, music and more is designed to give back to the brave men and women who’ve fought and sacrificed for our country. For info on how to help, contact Jason Sheremeta at jason.sheremeta@ncaquariums.com. • Or, if you’re just plain lardy, they always need something heavy and motionless to hold down kites at the 27th Annual Outer Banks Stunt Kite Competition on Sept. 28-29. Two days of competitive kite flying, team performances — plus demos and lessons — at the Wright Bros. Memorial. More at www. kittyhawk.com. • Exercise your artistic side on Sept. 28 when Artrageous Art Extravaganza comes to KDH’s Rec Park, 10am-3pm, with hands-on activities, live music, food and more.

Proceeds benefit art education programming in local schools, cultural arts programs in our community and the Dare County Arts Council Artrageous Scholarship Fund. For more visit www.darearts.org. • Then give your brain a workout when legendary presidential biographer David McCullough waxes historical at First Flight High School on Sept. 29.

McCullough is a two-time winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, as well as a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. He also has a real boss tattoo of John Adams on his bicep. (Okay, we made that up.)

True details and $15 tix at www.BryanCulturalSeries.org. • Eat! Drink! Rescue! On Sept. 12, join Manteo’s Full Moon Café and Brewery and the SPCA for Pints for Pups. Dine outdoors with your dog and receive 10% off food — plus every guzzled glass of their palatepleasing ale donates a dollar. More at www.obxspca.org. • Got a soft spot for critters?

Consider holding a SPCA Restaurant/Retail Share Day. Your business generously offers a percentage of profits; they schedule to be onsite with info, swag and a few adoptable animals. To participate just call 252-475-5620. • Need help? Got some to offer? Check out www.obxcommongood.org for a calendar stocked with ways to find or lend support, from GriefShare — which meets select Saturdays for those who’ve lost family — to Hospice and Home Health Volunteer Training at the Baum Center on Sept. 11, and Fessenden Center on Sept. 18 — to the Outer Banks Cancer Support Group, which gathers at KDH Library the first Tues. of every month. • On Sept. 28, the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce will toast the end of the high season with Summeritaville at Avon’s Koru Beach Klub. Party runs 4-10pm with performances by local musician Jeremy Russell, Mesmerizing Arts Fire Dancers, and Greenville’s The Main Event Band. Tix are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Ages 12-16: $5. (More info at www. outerbankschamber.com.)

And come back to Koru on Oct. 31 for a Halloween Masquerade Ball with rockin’ tunes TBD. (If you’re not scared.) • The dunes are alive with the sound of music — really deep sounds if you’re seeing Scotty McCreery. The baritoned American Idol champ and NC native knocks the bottom-end out of Roanoke Island Festival Park on Sept 1. Tix are $25 advance (plus fees); $30 at the door. More at www.roanokeisland.com. • And Oct. 4-6, it’s three days of twang-and-dang when the Outer Banks Bluegrass Festival returns to Festival Park, with featured acts such as Rhonda Vincent, The Grascals, Doyle Lawson, the Roys and NuBlue — plus local faves like Banjo Island and Drifting Sands. And don’t miss Fri. night’s Boomgrass! — a fearsome fireworks elixir that’s sure to blow-up like a busted still. $35 per day; $75 for a 3-day pass. Tix and deets at www.bluegrassisland.com. • A week later, giddy-up to Corolla for the 2nd Annual Mustang Music Festival on Oct. 11-12. This year’s rockin’ rodeo rounds up a diverse herd of musical thoroughbreds — Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, George Porter Jr. and the Runnin’ Pardners, Orgone and Bonerama — plus local faves Zack Mexico, Formula and Asheville/Outer Banks hybrid The Critters. $35 per day; $55 weekend passes. ($60 at gate.) Proceeds support the Corolla Wild Horse Fund.

Get tix, lodging and shuttle info at www.mustangmusicfestival.com. • Then, Oct. 13, dip into Duck Town Park for the 7th Annual Duck Jazz Festival. This year’s free event features headliner The Delfeayo Marsalis Octet, plus Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers and Peter Lamb & The Wolves. Attendees can bring chairs, food, coolers, blankets — but no umbrellas or tents. (Gates open at 10am; show starts at 11am.) And enjoy more familyfriendly outdoor fun with two Fri. night movies to support Children at Play: Hotel

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SEPTEMBEr 13 - 15, 2013 Tickets available online Proceeds to benefit the outer Banks relief Foundation.

Pridefest

www.obxpridefest.com nags Head, nC

MAny MorE EvEn TS!

• Pridefest Music Festival is free, family friendly and open to the public, Saturday, Sept. 14 - 11 to 4pm at First Colony Inn Featuring - Red Letter Day, Zen Monkeys, High Tide, Mama’s Black Sheep, Ffelt, Darkes & Graham Outten

• Esther Williams Drag Surfing School and Tea Dance on the Beach with Farmdog Surf School • Dance Parties, DJs, Cabaret Shows and Drag Brunch at Pamlico Jack’s (adults only) • Dare County High Schools Gay/Straight Alliance Pool Party, Sunday Sept 15 at 3:00pm, First Colony swimming pool.

A teen-only event (no alcohol allowed) SPONSORED BY

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Transylvania on Oct. 4 and Princess & The Frog on Oct. 11. 7pm start time. More at www. townofduck.com. • Outer Banks Forum for the Lively Arts is importing tons of top-notch talent, from tights (Richmond Ballet; Sept. 7) to Irish Tenors (Ronan Tynan; Oct. 5) to ten centuries of musical styles sung by twelve males (Chanticleer; Nov. 2). All shows are at First Flight High School. $25 for adults; $12 for students. Times and details at www. outerbanksforum.org. • Of course, the beach club scene never cools down. On Aug. 31, The Pit serves Chamomile and Whiskey — plus local openers Betty on Patrol — while EuroNight will pulse-and-glow every Sun. through Sept. • Goombay’s is firing up a fiveband blaze of Hound Dogs (Sept. 1), Blues of Richmond (Sept. 7), Sol Element (Sept.

14), The Wet Boys (Sept. 21) and Zack Mexico (Sept. 28). • Port O’Call hosts a Hampton Roads double header with Hey, Hey Hooligan Band on Sept. 6 and Freedom Hawk, Sept.

7. • Outer Banks Brewing Station offers a mix of Americana and Mali when Toubab Krewe plays Sept. 13; then it’s a zoot-suit riot of swing, ska and 90s nostalgia with the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies on Oct. 19. • Real Watersports is pushing the Sky Blue Summer Concert Series well into the shoulder season. Look for free shows Mon., Thurs., and select Fri. nights thru the end of Oct., with musicians like Broughton Aycock, Jack Jr., Excellent Nosh, Hal Lester and Mojo Collins. Find the full sched. at www.realwatersports. com. (And to see Mojo’s visual talents, check out his art show at Mom’s Sweet Shop on Oct. 3.) • And Lucky 12 swaps DJs for replays every Thurs. night thanks to the NFL Network — just one of several pro and college cable packages that bulge across 16 screens for you football nuts. • The fall’s most swinging sports events are charity golf tourneys. First to the tee is the Kitty Hawk Rotary Club Duck Woods Pro–Am on Mon., Sept. 23. Teams are a mixed bag of amateurs and pros, and the Sun. night pre-event is full of raffles, silent-auctions and other fundraisers. All proceeds benefit local charities. To enter or sponsor, call Mike Wiegand at 252-573-0127. • What do you do with $310,000? You add to it, then give it to the Outer Banks Community Foundation. At least if you’re the 20th Anniversary Kelly Hospitality Charity Golf Tournament, which takes over Nags Head Golf Links on Oct. 21. Cost is just $150 a player — or $600 per team — which includes a guest for the after party at Pamlico Jack’s. Sign up at www.kellysrestaurant.com. • And on Oct. 28, the 7th Annual Paul Shaver Memorial Golf Tournament at Seascape Golf Links raises money for area charities — while paying tribute to the larger-than-life Outer Banks restaurateur and businessman. Just $400 per team; fee includes golf, lunch, beverages, tee shirt and a prizefilled Black Pelican Stampede to Corolla for the Critters and more post-rager. Call 252Mustang Fest music, Oct. 11-12.

261-3171 to reserve your spot. • Sick of walking around pulling balls out of sand traps? Hit the beach and pick up cig butts. It’s all part of NC Big Sweep/ Trashfest on Oct. 12, where you spend the morning gathering trash, then take it to the Outer Banks Brewing Station for a free party from 12-4pm.

Go to outerbanks. surfrider.org for a list of places to grab bags and data cards.

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endnotes don’t want to miss the 21st Annual Parade of Homes, Oct. 10-13; it’s the sharpest A Portrait of Bideford depicts Manteo’s twin English town of Devon. Oct. 4 features collection of new, green and large-scale remodeled homes from Corolla to Nags Head. More multiple talents battling for the Beach Book cover and a range of Wings Over Water artists at www.obhomebuilders.org. • On Oct. 14-20, the 3rd Annual Manx on the Banx blows — plus Douglas Hoover’s captivating canvasses of coastal NC. And Nov. 1 weaves together the roof off beach-driving culture by collecting dune buggy enthusiasts from every corner of exhibits by Outer Banks Fiber Guild with Pocosin Arts Metals Guild. (And if you’re more the country — including the “Father of the Fiberglass Dune Buggy” Bruce Meyers — for of a word nerd, listen up for poems and prose at DCAC’s Literary Open Mic, held the seminars, parties and polish-fests. More second Thurs. of every month at Glenn at www.manxonthebanx.com. • Help Eure’s Ghost Fleet Gallery.) More at give sea life a break on Columbus Day www.darearts.org. • Free money! That’s weekend when the Network for right, Nov. 1 is the next Grant Endangered Sea Turtles holds their Application Deadline for the Outer Second Annual White Elephant Sale, Banks Community Foundation, which Oct. 13-14. For more info or to donate makes quarterly grants to qualified nongently used items, go to www. profits, religious institutions, and nestonline.org. • The nature loving government agencies from Corolla to continues at the Alligator River Ocracoke. For more info or to apply Wildlife Refuge with two free Red online, visit www.obcf.org. • Wait. It Wolf Howlings on Oct. 12 and Nov. feels like we’re forgetting something.

16. Tram Tours will keep on chugging What is it? What was it? Duh! Election from 9am-noon the second Sat. of each Day! Sure, it’s all town races, but local month for just $7. And there’s a free decisions hit closest to home. So don’t Young Naturalist Program at the flake on Nov. 5. • Early bird gets the Visitor Center in Manteo every Fri. best sea glass. Or the coolest Call 252-475-4180 for times and Christmas wreath. Or the sweetest details. • And Oct. 22-27, feather-fans preserves. Whatever your taste, the 5th flock for the Wings Over Water Annual Manns Harbor Holiday Craft Wildlife Festival and more than 85 Show will help kick start holiday programs, including birding trips, kayak shopping, Nov. 8-9. For deets call 252and canoe tours, and art and 619-7487. • And Outer Banks photography workshops. More at www.

Entrepreneurs is hosting their wingsoverwater.org. • You could fill a Holiday Bazaar at Duck Woods casket with all the ways to enjoy Country Club in Southern Shores, on Halloween on Roanoke Island. Start Sat. Nov. 16, 9am-5pm. Show with PsychoPath: Haunted Trails, applications and updates are available where Lost Colony’s Waterside at www.obeholidaybazaar.com. • Shall Theatre lets you wander backstage for we shag now or shag later? Let’s do a scary, self-guided thrill. Every Fri. and both. Start by going to OBX Shag Club Sat. night in Oct.; dark to 11pm. More meetings at Kelly’s every Mon. at at www.thelostcolony.org. • On Oct. 6:30pm. Then come back on Nov. 16 25-26, creep back through the for the Annual Harvest Dance and centuries with Island Farm’s Evening fundraiser for local charity. Cut a rug Lantern Tours of Victorian Death over to www.obxshagclub.com for Rituals. See how Victorian culture details. • Family fun doesn’t stop at Douglas Hoover serves a sampler of coastal tastes at the Dare County Arts Council, Oct. 4-30. mourned the loss of a loved one then Thanksgiving. Visit Island Farm on Nov. travel by lantern light to the family graveyard. Too much? You can also make corn-husk 22-23 as they interpret fall food traditions and share how 1850s Roanoke Island families dollies and take ox-drawn pumpkin patch rides to pick out a future jack-o-lantern, every Sat. prepared for winter. Activities include: hearth cooking, food preservation, candle making, in Oct. Times, prices and details at www.theislandfarm.com. • And NC Aquarium’s Trick or corn shucking and ox-drawn wagon rides. Bring a nonperishable food item for the Roanoke Treat Under the Sea returns, Oct. 29-30. Tix sell fast, so buy yours online starting Oct. 1.

Island Food Pantry and receive $1 off admission. More at www.theislandfarm.com • Put on Or — even better — visit the aquarium that day and take part in the goriest event of all: an a penguin suit. Try on a turtleneck. Just leave the fur at home for Nov. 22’s Wags & American Red Cross Blood Drive. More at www.ncaquariums.com. • And Kitty Hawk’s Whiskers Gala, where animal lovers of all stripes gather at the NC Aquarium for a fancy Outer Banks Jubilee will scare the Hee-Haw outta you when they transform the auditorium feast of music, dancing, live auctions and more. Proceeds benefit Outer Banks SPCA, into a Haunted House, Oct. 21-31. (Buck up, pickers-and-grinners: it’s still bluegrass, Feline Hope and Coastal Humane Society. For more trot over to www. country and variety shows for the rest of the season.) Get the full fall schedule and pricing at obxwagsandwhiskers.com. • “Man, that’s one full-rigged beauty!” Easy, big fella. We’re talking www.outerbanksjubilee.com. • But what about First Friday? Don’t worry, Manteo still kicks about a ship. But she sure is impressive. See for yourself on Nov. 22 when Roanoke Island off the first weekend of every month by dancing in the streets. Bands play. Vendors and Festival Park hosts The 30th Anniversary Commemoration of the Christening and restaurants stay open late. And there’s opening receptions for Dare County Arts Council’s Launching of the Elizabeth II. Can’t make the party? Visit the gallery, Nov. 1-Dec. 31, and monthly exhibits from 6-8pm. Sept. 6 showcases Carolina Coto’s brilliant brushwork, while learn the full story of this classic, local lady.

Open Year Round • Serving Lunch & Dinner

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Milepost 9.5 • Highway 158 in KDH • 252.441.7889 • MamaKwans.com CROS

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Jam on with Live Acoustic entertainment nightly thru Labor Day and every weekend thru Fall!

Slide into Fall with the Shack’s “Slider Night” returning every Thursdays in Sept.

Fall out! Look for “Papa Quags” and other Shack craziness this fall!

MP9 on the Beach Rd. • Kill Devil Hills • Hang 10, Drop In, Call 480-1010 milepost 63

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