OUTER BANKS MILEPOST: ISSUE 14.4

old school old school

startingpoint roadmap

“LISTEN

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TO YOUR ELDERS.”

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The axiom conjures an image of wizardly, white-bearded men. Surrounded by doting youths, dispensing sweet nuggets of existential knowledge. As if the only way to gain insight is to add years. But I’d argue that wisdom is more about keen observation and learned experience than age. And from that perspective, anyone can be a sage.

Consider the work of Robert Dolan, who came to study the Outer Banks in 1959 at the age of 30; by 43, this coastal geologist knew more about how our barrier islands behave than the oldest of salts. So much so, that when Buxton’s original groins first started failing, the National Park Service asked him to submit a series of dune stabilization studies. In 1972, he warned:

“The barrier islands undergo continual change in position… Numerous structures, including motels, restaurants, beach cottages, park facilities, and the US Navy base at Cape Hatteras have been built... in the mistaken belief that [barrier dunes] would provide permanent protection from encroachment by the sea… However, as the barrier dunes continue to narrow, increased overwash and inlet formation can be forecast. Many of the structures which have been built near the beach will surely be lost.”

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“The private property along the ocean front between Buxton Inlet on the north and the US Naval facility and Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is periodically damaged or destroyed; Highway 12 is regularly flooded, buried, or washed away. This stretch of coastal area is a high hazard zone and should be avoided.”

Instead, we kept building. Now, modern Outer Bankers are bearing the brunt, from the people watching their precious property tumble into the sea, to the residents and volunteers left to clean up the aftermath, to the remaining homeowners worried about what’s to come next.

Unbelievable? Absolutely. Unforeseeable? Hardly. Photo: Daniel Pullen

Just six years later, another relatively young pair of scientists, Stan Riggs (38) and Orrin Pilkey (40), help sound an even louder alarm about the very same stretch in the book, From Currituck to Calabash: Living with North Carolina Barrier Islands.

And yet, were you to listen to the chatter, you’d hear comments like, “The beach was much bigger fifty years ago!” Or, “Nobody knew what would happen!” As if no decisionmaker or developer had heard of Riggs, Pilkey or Dolan.

But that’s water under the bridge. The real question now isn’t what did folks know when the houses were built? It’s what was the situation when they were last bought

and sold? And the quickest check of Dare’s own GIS map shows that many transactions occurred in the past decade, when the ocean was already regularly pouring across NC 12, and sandbags were more common than seashells.

“ I DON’T BLAME THE HOMES’ OWNERS. I BLAME COASTAL POLICIES.

I don’t blame the homes’ owners. I blame the coastal policies and attitudes that perpetuate a false sense of security — fueled by the usual human flaws of greed and naivete. Turns out nearly all the houses changed hands within a year of Buxton’s two failed nourishment attempts, during a brief, magic window when the beach looked relatively wide and stable. Furthermore, prior to July of 2024, NC’s real estate disclosure form didn’t include questions about flood risk.

Add a cheap sticker price for an oceanfront property — plenty of marquees screaming

“Life’s short, buy the beach house!” — and the urge to own a piece of paradise must be impossible to resist. And I can only imagine how watching that same piece of paradise be torn to pieces must be beyond heartbreaking.

But to pretend now that the tragedy in Buxton was somehow unforeseeable — or even preventable — isn’t accurate. Nor is it the answer if we want to protect future victims from the same fate.

The fact is that stretch of shoreline will always be a risky bet. So is building anywhere near the water on any barrier island. And if you think nourishment or hardened structures somehow guarantees your investment, I’d urge you to think of New Jersey, where dozens of groins line the beach, and yet September’s very same combo of nor’easter and king tides still wiped away many beaches’ recent, multimillion-dollar replenishment efforts. Others watched roads, houses and businesses get flooded with water — not from the ocean but from the bay side — a fate no amount of beach engineering could stop.

It’s a fate any local who remembers Irene can relate to; a fate another coastal scientist, CJ Schuberth, predicted way back in 1971:

“If man wishes to build his works on the fringes of such a battleground (the coast), he must understand that the rules of this ancient battle require the beach, the berm, and the dunes to shift constantly before the assault of the sea. If man tries to change these rules, he can only fail.”

That, dear friends, is “life on a sandbar.” The closer you are to the water, the more you stand in harm’s way. It’s a concept any toddler can grasp the second the shorebreak swamps their first sandcastle. So, if it continues to happen, it’s not because nobody told us. It’s because we refused to learn. — Matt Walker

Thank you for reading Outer Banks Milepost. We hope you enjoy it. If not — before chucking this issue into the nearest dumpster — please consider one of the following equally satisfying ways to express your disgust: wipe away your tears after reading the latest sea level rise forecasts — then refashion the pages into a coastal resident prayer book. Or just toss it on that 6-month pile of newspapers you’ve yet to recycle. (Trust us, you’ll feel better.) Then, send any and all feedback — positive, negative or just plain confused — to: editor@outerbanksmilepost.com. We promise to find some way to re-purpose them.

“I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger.” — The Faces “Every picture tells a story.” — Rod Stewart

Issue 14.4

Winter 2025/2026

Cover: “Hood Rat” Rob Rogers; Co-owner/Manager of The Big Kahuna, 1990 Photo: Drew C. Wilson

Reader You Brushes & Ink

Carnell Boyle, Jared Cera, George Cheeseman, Marcia Cline, Carolina Coto, Kim Cowen, Cloey Davis, Michael J. Davis, Fay Davis Edwards, Mary Edwards, Laine Edwards, Marc Felton, Janet Fenton, Travis Fowler, Adriana Gomez-Nichols, Amelia Kasten, Chris Kemp, Nathan Lawrenson, Dave Lekens, Tim Lusk, Elisa McVearry, James Melvin, Ben Miller, Dawn Moraga, Ben Morris, Holly Nettles, Stella Nettles, Rick Nilson, Barbara Noel, Holly Overton, Stuart Parks II, James Perry, Charlotte Quinn, Meg Rubino, Shirley Ruff, Amy Snowden, Noah Snyder, Rob Snyder, Janet Stapelman, Alyse Stewart, Willow Temple, Kenneth Templeton, Stephen Templeton, Shane Thomas, George Tsonev, CW, Christina Weisner, Chris Wheeler, John Wilson, Mark Wiseman, Bri Young, Mike Zafra Lensfolk

Nate Appel, Matt Artz, Nathan Beane, Chris Bickford, Russell Blackwood, Mike Booher, Don Bower, Aycock Brown, Mark Buckler, Jon Carter, Rich Coleman, Marc Corbett, Kim Cowen, Chris Creighton, Mere Crockett, Benny Crum, Jason Denson, Amy Dixon, Susan Dotterer Dixon, Lori Douglas, Julie Dreelin, Tom Dugan/ ESM, Roy Edlund, Bryan Elkus, Ben Gallop, Cory Godwin, Treveon Govan, Michael Halminski, Cody Hammer, Chris Hannant, Katie Harms, Bryan Harvey, David Alan Harvey, Ginger Harvey, Bob Hovey, Biff Jennings, Jenni Koontz, Daryl Law, Mike Leech, Anthony Leone, Jeff Lewis, Jared Lloyd, Matt Lusk, Ray Matthews, Brooke Mayo, Mickey McCarthy, Nic McLean, Roger Meekins, D. Victor Meekins, Richard L. Miller, Dick Meseroll/ESM, Ashley Milteer, David Molnar, Rachel Moser, Ryan Moser, Elizabeth Neal, Rob Nelson, Candace Owens, Anne Snape Parsons, Crystal Polston, Daniel Pullen, Cal Ramsey, Ryan Rhodes, Casey Robertson, Terry Rowell, Cyndi Goetcheus Sarfan, Katie Slater, Tom Sloate, Wes Snyder, David Thomas, Ed Tupper, Eve Turek, Chris Updegrave, Dan Waters, Kati Wilkins, Cyrus Welch, Jay Wickens, Cody Wright Penfolk

Ashley Bahen, Madeline Bailey, Sarah Downing, Ty Evans, Laura Gomez-Nichols, Jim Gould, Steve Hanf, Sam Harriss, Sarah Hyde, Catherine Kozak, Katrina Leuzinger Owens, Dan Lewis, Michelle Lewis, Terri Mackleberry, Fran Marler, Amanda McDanel, Maggie Miles, Matt Pruett, Mary Ellen Riddle, Peter Graves Roberts, Arabella Saunders, Corinne Saunders, Shannon Sutton, Kip Tabb, Brian Tress, Emmy Trivette, Kathleen Wasniewski, Hannah West, Clumpy White, Sharon Whitehurst, Natalie Wolfe, Michele Young-Stone

Pointing/Clicking

Jesse Davis

Sales Force

Laurin Walker

Big Mouth In Chief

Matt Walker

Blame It All On Suite P Inc. PO Box 7100 • KDH, NC 27948

Office: 252-441-6203 • Sales: 949-275-5115

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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“Ocean Friendships”

By James Melvin

www.melvinsstudio.com

Hate to say they told us so.

Breaking laws, busting myths, and partying big-time.

Vintage portraits make for timeless perspectives.

“We’ll give you a piece of our minds!”

Get hooked on History Fix.

Take the prawn-y challenge.

The Voices of Dare roar back to life.

the bountiful.

“Every April, the Glenn Eure Gallery hosts a self-portrait art show. Last year, I decided to draw upon the books that I illustrated for Suzanne Tate and honor all the ocean characters we did over the years — like Crabby and Nabby, Danny and Daisy Dolphin, Tammy Turtle, and Spunky Spot. Spunky’s my favorite, because he encourages kids to be free thinkers; to obey their elders and listen to their parents but not get stuck following the crowd. All the books have little life lessons to do the right thing — which is why they’re so popular. But I think another reason the books became so successful was because Suzanne and I were so close — and the stories came so naturally — the characters became like our friends. And then the people who buy the books over the years, they became our friends, too. And that’s the story behind the title: because all these years later, we’ve made so many friends through these books, it’s like an ocean.” — James Melvin

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TOUGH CHOICES?

Buxton beach woes renew debate over hardened structures.

First groin. First jetty. “The First.” Whatever you call it, this August, Dare County authorized a contract to assess, design and permit repair of the deteriorated southernmost groin in Buxton, one of three built in 1970 to protect the old Navy base. The work would be done in conjunction with an estimated $50 million beach nourishment project, planned for late summer 2026.

Everyone who knows Buxton knew the eroded beach was in rough shape, but they hoped that time and tide would be their friend. Instead, starting in mid-September, the ocean, roiled by offshore storms and king tides, knocked down 15 houses inside of two months — in some cases losing five in a matter of hours. With the diminished shoreline littered with debris, and lots of winter weather to come, local voices have cried for greater action to protect the beach from worse disasters — including the demise of NC 12 and the village’s commercial properties.

“The first jetty is just the start,” Buxton Civic Association president Heather Jennette said at the group’s October 8 meeting. “We need flexibility to repair or replace all three.”

But the only way to replace those groins is to change state law; a change that could possibly alter North Carolina’s natural shorelines forever.

Since 1985, North Carolina has not permitted permanent erosion-control structures such as seawalls, breakwaters, jetties, groins, rock revetments, or sandbags.

Commonly described as “hardened structures,” or “engineered beaches,” the barriers and sand traps are blamed for downstream erosion and narrowed shorelines, as well as cluttering beaches with unsightly structures that can hinder recreational enjoyment and alter natural habitats.

However, a grandfather clause allows repair of preexisting structures that suffer 50 percent or less in damages. In March, Dare County manager Bobby Outten reported that Coastal Science & Engineering (CSE), which is doing the nourishment and groin work in Buxton, had informed the manager that the southern, most-intact groin would meet the standard for the 50 percent rule.

But the county isn’t stopping there. Officials are also planning to ask the state legislature to enact an amendment to the shoreline bill that would permit Dare and Hyde counties to build hardened structures, such as the additional two north groins at the Buxton site.

“Our board doesn’t agree that hardened structures aren’t a good thing,” said Dare

County Board of Commissioners Chair Bob Woodard, in an October 9 interview. “You know, they’re all up and down from South Carolina all the way to Florida, and then from Virginia all the way up.”

But loosening the ban could have dire consequences.

While Reide Corbett, Executive Director of the Coastal Studies Institute, says he

Our mission is to provide hospitality, food, shelter & support services to homeless men & women on the Outer Banks during cold winter months.

appreciates that beach nourishment coupled with groins can address the alarming erosion in Buxton for the near term, he has deep concerns about Dare County ultimately making choices that could starve its uniquely high energy and dynamic beaches over time.

“The Outer Banks isn’t the same as a lot of other systems up and down the East Coast,” he says.

There’s plenty of scientific evidence that shows hardened structures not only don’t stop erosion, he adds, but that they create more energy, especially vertical structures like seawalls.

“It will diminish the size of your recreation beach, and you will ultimately lose that beach and end up with the debris field associated with those hardened structures in the long term,” Corbett says.

When thinking about the groins, Corbett says it’s worth remembering how poorly the steel walls performed before they were left to the elements: The structures failed to stop the loss of the beach.

“It may have slowed it, but it didn’t stop the erosion,” he says.

Like Rodanthe, another persistent and extreme hotspot on Hatteras Island’s north end, Buxton has been eroding about a half mile every 100 years. From the beginning of 1970, when the US Navy installed the three groins to stem severe beach erosion near the base — two north of the former site of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, and one to the south — the groins were a

constant headache. Shortly after they were built, they were significantly damaged by wave action and needed repairs.

By 1974, they required new sheet piling to fix the compromised sections. Additional repairs and reinforcements with other erosion-control measures continued until the Navy vacated the site and the lighthouse was finally moved inland in 1999, leaving the groins abandoned in the surf.

Today, the remains of the northern two are barely visible, with bits of metal shards sticking up from the sand, but the beat-up, jagged southern groin still stands above the water.

Contractors say that the $2-4 million project, which would be expected to take up to two months to complete, involves about 640 feet of repairs, with new steel sheet pile and rip rap scour protection installed within the original footprint.

Right now, Dare has permits prepared for repair of the first groin awaiting approval from the agencies, Woodard says, but “we haven’t been down that road yet” on whether the county will seek a conditional permit or exemption to replace the other two groins. If the state law is changed, would Dare proceed to build those groins, and possibly more?

“Yeah, absolutely,” the chairman says, adding that the county has spoken with some legislators about proposed legislation. “That doesn’t mean they’d be all over the place.”

At this point, it’s not known where more structures, if any, could end up. But New Jersey serves as a warning. While some say the Garden State is an example of groins being successful, the truth is more complex.

According to Jon K. Miller, a research professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, his state started using groins in the early 1900s to protect the railroads along the shorelines, and then in beach communities in northern New Jersey.

Soon, groins were being put “everywhere,” Miller says, because they were effective in holding sand “depending on which side of the groin you lived on.”

Groins extend out from the coastline, Miller explains. Typically, groins block the sand transport on one side, causing accretion on that side. Then on the other side, with the sand blocked, erosion can actually get worse.

“NORTH BUXTON HAS BEEN ERODING ABOUT A HALF MILE EVERY 100 YEARS.

“We didn’t have the tools to study how these things worked or didn’t work.”

Now we do. Miller says that, not only can modern groin fields be engineered to allow some sand passage, modeling tools can analyze past and present coastal processes and project future responses under different scenarios and data. The problem is decisionmakers don’t always consider all the options and their long-term impacts.

“Whether it’s retreat, whether it’s engineering, whether it’s elevating houses, let’s stop making more problems for ourselves down the line,” he says. “To me, the frustrating part is that on the planning side and in the development side, we tend to continue to do things that are questionable.”

Which is why Corbett and others want Dare and Hyde to think a bit more longterm before changing any legislation. How would a groin field impact the beach to the south? And what would changing the law set into motion? Are we just asking to help Buxton? Or are we opening a Pandora’s box, where future North Carolinians might see anything from breakwaters to artificial reefs to sea walls?

But in defense of his state, Miller says, initially no one thought of any downside to groins — they were easy to build and they did the job.

“Coastal engineering itself didn’t really exist until the 1940s and World War II,” he says.

“At least we need to step back and say, what are we trying to protect?” says Corbett. “And what is the timescale that we want to protect it in? Because, if what we’re trying to do is simply protect houses and structures over the next 10 to 15 years, then we don’t care about recreation, and we don’t care about tourism, and we don’t care what our beaches look like.”

—

Catherine Kozak

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SMILE-HIGH CLUB

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For decades, the Man Will Never Fly Memorial Society mixed myth, mirth and more than a few cocktails.

No doubt we live in a golden age of crazy conspiracy theories. But decades before “Birds Aren’t Real” skewered gullible skeptics by proposing that sparrows and gulls are just CIA drones, a gaggle of aviation nuts gathered on the Outer Banks to debunk the idea of manpowered flight.

Its name? The Man Will Never Fly Memorial Society (MWNFMS).

Formed by Dr. Ed North, a Pittsburgh physician; Miriam Rabb, travel editor; and Jack Aulis, a radioman and writer for the Virginian-Pilot, they first met on December 16, 1959 — the night prior to the annual December 17 celebration of the Wright Brothers’ legendary flight in modern-day Kill Devil Hills.

Were they stupid? No. Serious? Never! They were simply — as any visiting reporter or pilot might be in the middle of an Outer Banks winter 65 years ago — bored.

As North told the press shortly after its inaugural meeting: “Last year, only five people were here on the eve of the anniversary celebration. We figured if we got us a little organization going, we could have a good get together each year.”

It worked. Soon, a crew of fun-loving aviation fans — many of whom owned their own aircraft and flew them to the festivities gathered on December 16 for a bit of revelry and a bunch of beverages, most often at the Carolinian Hotel.

At the time of its founding, the group’s motto was “We soar the night before,” but that was later changed to “Birds fly. Men drink.” Additionally, the group claimed to host “The World’s Longest Cocktail Hour,” which began at 4pm on the day of their meeting and lasted until 10:35am on December 17, the time of the commemorative flyover at the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

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Larry Maddry, Jim Lee and Ed North: high times and hijinks at the ’79 gathering.

Photo: Aycock Brown/ Outer Banks History Center

In between, according to the official website, members waxed rhapsodic on how humankind had fostered false myths of flight, from the “nonsense of Cupid flying through the air” to that “bit of flummery about a flying stork that dropped babies.”

“Small wonder,” the site says, “that humankind...would believe that bicycle mechanics could move through the air like winged fowl. Accepting the challenge these myths have perpetuated...the Society has fought the hallucination of airplane flight with every weapon at its command — save sobriety.”

Fueled by fermented beverages and a love of poking fun, the party quickly grew.

Emily Dingler, archivist at the Outer Banks History Center, took a nosedive into the MWNFMS’ history for the State Archives blog, A History for All People. She reports that, at one point, there “were 500

members including news men and women, pilots, and those in the aviation industry.”

“

In fact, at the 10th annual gathering in 1969, the MWNFMS honored Colonel Chuck Yeager — the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound — who was in town as an honored guest for the 65th anniversary. Other regular attendees included beloved photographer Aycock Brown and legendary newspaperman Lawrence Maddry, as well as the Executive Director of The Air Force Association.

“THEY REMINDED ME OF A MONTY PYTHON SKETCH.”

Still, the MWNFMS maintained a varnish of formality via meeting traditions, such as an Anti-Aviation Award, which was given to persons or organizations who advanced the society’s philosophies. Recipients included the comic strip character Snoopy, who crashed several Sopwith Camels, and astronaut John Glenn, who the society claimed “gave up a career as a distinguished aviator by attending a MWNFMS meeting.”

In 2003, the MWNFMS’s fete celebrated the Centennial of Flight Celebration by premiering The Night Before Takeoff or A Carolina Carol: An Outer Banks Ferry Tale, penned especially for the occasion by Harry Herzer and Tom Filkins.

to the principle that two Wrights made a wrong at Kitty Hawk.”

But, if man can’t fly, how do they explain all the thousands of people traveling by air every day? Easy.

“Little do ‘plane’ passengers realize,” the site explains, “that they are merely boarding Greyhound buses with wings...and given the illusion of flight when cloud-like scenery is moved past their windows by stagehands in a very expensive theatrical performance.” — Sarah Downing

“I discovered a very interesting group of people that wanted to have a good time and come up with outlandish ideas of why man shall never fly,” Dingler says, “They reminded me of a Monty Python sketch.”

Sadly, within a few years, the Memorial Society appears to have flown off into the sunset; the website’s most recent meeting photographs are from 2007. (Just before social media might have legitimized their lunacy.) But the site remains live, “dedicated

Sources: “Man Will Never Fly Society is Organized,” The Coastland Times, Dec.18,1959; Correspondence to Man Will Never Fly Memorial Society membership, Nov. 23,1963 & Nov. 27,1967; Man Will Never Fly Memorial Society website www.manwillneverfly.com; Man Will Never Fly Memorial Society, Outer Banks History Center Ephemera Collection; “Birds Fly, Men Drink: A Look at the Man Shall Never Fly Memorial Society,” History For All the People, NCArchives, ncarchives. wpcomstaging.com.

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HISTORIC UPGRADE

The kitchen inside Island Farm’s 1850s-era home may not have a Vulcan stove — but it smokes the most modern rental machine when it comes to lasting influence. And now it’s got the documents to match its street cred, as the “Adam Dough Etheridge house” officially landed on the National Register of Historic Places this fall for “its significance to the early exploration and settlement of Roanoke Island” and “architecture that is associated with the exploration and settlement of Roanoke Island, from the 1700s until the Civil War.” And that’s the kind of “new listing” that’ll help keep it a top public attraction for decades to come.

LIFE IN THE SLOW LANE

Nine months after the closure of Manteo’s DMV office, Outer Bankers’ frustration

levels were starting to red-line. Luckily, a new location opened in Kitty Hawk this Sept., offering new registration, title transactions, fresh plates, renewals, and replacement tags to bring things back up to speed. Sort of. (We’d complain about the cramped parking and long lines, but there’s plenty of time for that while we wait in our car down the block...)

PAW PATROL?

Beat it, Chase! Hello, Sailer! In Sept. KDH announced they’d hired a new K-9 cop. But instead of sniffing bumpers for dimebags, this black lab does double duty: first, as a therapy dog who provides support for crime victims/witnesses and helps build trust between law enforcement and the public. Second — and most importantly — she’s one of just nine dogs in the state trained to detect the hidden electronic storage devices that are often used for internet crimes against children, human trafficking, and other offenses. Things like

hard drives, cell phones, SD cards, and hidden cameras. And that should give any bad guy some “paws.”

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

Add poor cell service to the list of Hatteras Island’s connectivity issues. After months of customers complaining about dropped calls, dead zones, slow data, and garbled voices, Verizon finally chimed in in Sept. to say they were working on upgrades — while also noting that radio interference was causing unforeseen problems. At press time, they’d made some improvements, but there still w... er... t... y in t ot to... wa...hjg s a i... afa... [dial tone]

THEY CHUTE! THEY SCORE!

Sorry if they kept you in suspense... In Sept., crowds gathered at Dare County’s regional airport to see if the owners of Skydive OBX would unofficially break the Guinness World Record for number of tandem skydives in one day. The husband-

and-wife team took their first leap of faith at 3:23am and kept jumping every seven minutes. Come 7:13pm, they’d completed 108 tandem jumps in under 16 hours — beating the 2011 record of 105. But the real winners were OBX Room In The Inn and the Outer Banks SPCA, which landed lots of donations.

CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

Once upon a time, we were all Outer Bankers first and foremost. Didn’t matter if you were a drunken surfer, a tee-totaling fisherman, or somewhere in-between. And it definitely didn’t matter who you voted for every four years. So, to see our community “go viral” because one angry woman snapped during a political protest — then watch so-called “friends” chew each other to pieces on social media after the fact — puts us on the verge of tears. Come on, people! Stop turning close neighbors into bitter enemies over national politics! Because, when the

next big one hits, the folks helping you put your life back together won’t live anywhere near 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. They’re gonna be just down the block. At least that’s the way it used to be. And the day that stops, we’ll all be in a much bigger mess.

PLANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!

The good news? After 15 years, Jennette’s Pier is fixin’ to re-plank all 1000 feet of weathered wood with a more durable composite, starting in Jan. The better news? It’s gonna work just as hard to keep as much of the structure open as possible until the job finishes this spring. The best news? While they can’t keep all the fish-shaped donor plaques, etched with names and community love, each heartfelt message will “live on...[in] new weatherresistant signage, to be permanently displayed on the exterior of the pier house and shade structures on the pier.” Now cue the Celine Dion!

NOT HERE, JETHRO!

The liquid gold in these parts ain’t black — it’s blue. And the potential funds from finding “Texas tea” off Hatteras don’t mean diddly when piled up against existing fishing and tourism revenues from good, ol’ fashioned saltwater. So, when rumors swirled that the Trump administration was fixin’ to open North Cackalacky to offshore drilling  — again! — we was ready to hoot ‘n holler from here to DC! Luckily, right at press time, Bloomberg reported that pushback from Southeastern states caused the fed to hold their fire for the whole Atlantic. So, it looks like we dodged another bullet. (At least for now.)

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

SMART-ASS COMMENT OF THE MONTH

“Note to self, do NOT go into the ocean the rest of 2025.”

— Charles

“Ninth

House Collapses on Cape Hatteras National Seashore,”

www.outerbanksvoice.com, Oct. 6, 2025

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WHADDYA RECKON?

We got questions — you got answers.

Gabrielle Sukeena, 21

Bright-eyed Barkeep Manteo

getactive startingpoint

“Makes me think of 90s toys like Lite Brites, light-up sneakers, and Silly Bands.”

roadmap

outthere gohunt gosurf

Tara Kidd, 48

Singing Shoptender Manteo

“Harley’s and tattoos.”

content

Shruti Patel, 38

Grounded Gourmand

Southern Shores

“Family values and coming together; people just seem so disconnected now.”

Shane Faison, 53

Proud Papa of Provisions

Duck

“Old school rap. [laughs] I can’t get into the new stuff my kids listen to.”

What’s your definition of “old school”?

Evan McQuigg, 17 Sneaker Pimp Columbia

“Nike Jordans and baggy jeans.”

Vicki Seeboth, 70 Sole Sister Jarvisburg

“Being able to go outside and not have to come home until the streetlights came on.”

Paul Giordano, 50 Plywood Proponent Aydlett

“Bones Brigade, launch ramps, backyard mini-ramps...basically 80s skateboarding before this place had parks.”

Jaime Herrera, 23

Preserver of Power Pop

Kill Devil Hills

“That rock band Green Day.”

Interviews and images by Tony Leone

DEAR SCABBY

Local advice from an OBgenXer who’s seen a thing or two — and has the scars to prove it.

Dear Scabby,

I’m a terrible gift giver, so I find the holidays particularly overwhelming. All that food, drink and family drama on Thanksgiving leaves me too exhausted to partake in any Black Friday sales — and I hate shopping online — so I end up cramming everything into one frantic dash up to some VB mall on Christmas Eve, where I spend way too much money trying to please way too many people. What am I to do? — Lally, Southern Shores

First thing you’ve gotta do is whittle down your gift list. Target the A-team only — your spouse, your children, your parents, any ride-or-dies that you haven’t tossed outta your orbit yet. Then, subtly observe your chosen few throughout the year. Really pay attention to their interests, their desires, the kinds of products that put a twinkle in their eye, the kinds of services that blow their hair back, and most importantly, what they don’t already have. “Thoughtfulness” is the magic word here.

Then, hit the local artisan markets with gusto. You already missed the summertime circuit. But no worries — all sorts of shows are currently up and running and going through the holidays, so there’s no reason at all to leave Dare County. Last December, after procrastinating my face off for weeks, I went to six markets — Wanchese, Manteo, Avon, KDH, Nags Head, and Duck — bought a little pottery here, a little sea salt there, some honey and jam, a couple beauty products, and a bit of jewelry. I covered my lady, my mom, and my four besties for like $350 bucks. I also caught a crazy consumer buzz while actively participating in a full-analog local love fest straight out of a Hallmark movie. And, yeah, in case you were wondering, my gifts killed.

Dear Scabby,

Why is it that, every time I come down here, all the locals treat me so well? I’ve been coming to the OBX for a long time, and I don’t think I’ve ever encountered someone who was rude. — Tim, Kent Island, MD

Ah, yes, many a philosopher has pondered the source of the Outer Banks’ trademark friendly vibe. Most people just chalk it up to good, old-fashioned North Cackalacky hospitality, but that’s pretty unimaginative — and highly improbable since so many longtime locals are actually “long-term transplants.” Some people cite the churches’ heavy influence on the community — like no one wants to be rude because it might bum God out. Others attribute it to the cumulative effect of all the drugs. And, I mean all the drugs — all the recreational street dope, all the prescription pharmaceuticals, all the household chemicals — from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s. They’ve perspired from the pores of generations upon generations of workers onto construction grounds and restaurant floors that’ve seeped into the water table and, ultimately, into the DNA of our wild, local offspring. So, maybe we’re not that nice at all. Maybe we’re just high as f#%k!

active startingpoint roadmap gokite milepost graphiccontent outthere gohunt rearview gosurf photofinish

But I have a slightly different theory. I like to think that we are haunted in perpetuity by the ghosts of our jolliest local legends. I’m talking about big-hearted, hard-laughing people who epitomized kindness and generosity, like Mickey McCarthy, Glenn Eure, Eddie Greene, Dixie Burrus, and Virginia Tillett — tremendous humans who poured their souls into this place via an unlimited supply of good deeds, paranormally transforming the whole community for the better. We don’t just carry their memory, we manifest their spirit. And the best way to honor those we’ve lost is to try to be a little more like them. (WW2MD?) If only to diffuse a single, ugly confrontation. Like smiling at some arrogant idiot who’s just begging to be flexed on.

Keep on scratchin’!

— Scabby

Protecting What we Love, Together

Volunteering on the Outer Banks helps make people more aware of, and connected to, the important work that nonprofits are doing within the community. By getting involved with local organizations, residents, visitors, and second homeowners come away with a deeper appreciation for the area and a greater sense of responsibility. Let‘s protect what we love, together.

The Volunteer OBX portal is your new online community hub for doing good. It makes it easy to quickly search, find and sign up for volunteer opportunities that match your interests and schedule. The portal also provides local Dare County nonprofits and community organizations with FREE tools to recruit, engage and retain volunteers — helping connect willing hands with the projects that need them most. Visit VolunteerOBX.com to learn more and to help build a stronger Outer Banks, one volunteer at a time.

Simon says?...

Guess this slice of local life — win free tix to the Bluegrass Island Nights Concert Series!

This cutting-edge tech steers local culture.

Looks dark blue — but it leans more aqua.

Sticks to foam — so it can slice right through it.

And carves faces without leaving a scar.

Think you’ve landed the correct guess? Submit your answer — along with a name and phone number — to editor@outerbanksmilepost.com by Jan. 19. We’ll stoke-out one lucky winner with a pair of free tix for three spring Bluegrass Island Nights concerts: Scythian on Mar. 15; Appalachian Road Show on Mar. 28; and The Brothers Comatose on Apr. 25. Learn more at www.bluegrassnights.com.

PS: Congrats to Debbie Newsome for coughing up the right answer to last rag’s puzzle: a dirty HVAC filter.

Heather Geoghegan,

Lindsey Salanga, lmbt #08105

Tracie Rosso, lmbt #02083

Everett, lmbt #20629

Photo Stan LeSteele

PARTY LIKE IT’S 2026!

Dare County aims to get festive for America’s big 2-5-0.

gohunt

Sestercentennial...Bisesquicentennial ...Semiquincentennial. Whatever you choose to call it, 2026 is a big year, as America celebrates her 250th birthday. And Dare County plans to party right alongside the rest of the nation. Not just on July 4 — when the rockets are sure to glare red, white, and blue — but all year long.

rearview

photofinish

In fact, the Dare County America 250 (A250) steering committee’s been brainstorming since January of 2024, tapping everyone from the National Park Service to Dare County Schools, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum to Dare Arts to the Pea Island Preservation Society, and plenty more.

“Seeing so much enthusiasm from so many members has been amazing,” says Dorothy Hester, public information director for Dare County and co-chair of the Dare A250 steering committee. “This is a passionate and talented group of people who are willing to roll up their sleeves to share the history of this place and celebrate it.”

Start with the latest invention from the county’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) team. Come January, their newest interactive map will boast 28 digital “pins” that mark real-life milestones and landmarks under the theme, Land of Beginnings Some are familiar — the first permanent settlers on Roanoke Island and Hatteras

Village (1700), Cape Hatteras Lighthouse’s inaugural glow (1870), the Wright Brothers’ first flight (1903). Others shine light on lesser-known stories — like the creation of the Outer Banks’ first African American beach in 1931.

The map is also a route through history, with each stop telling a piece of Dare County’s heritage and culture. You’ll find pins for hotels and restaurants, churches and lifesaving stations, pirate gatherings and piers, charter fishing outfits, bridges, flat-tops, and more. Heck, even surfing gets its due with a pin at Avalon Pier, near where Hawaiian visitors first showed locals how to ride waves in 1928.

But don’t just click on a screen — live it firsthand — as 13 physical locations will double as Passport Sites. Stop in, get your stamp, and piece together the whole story in a single weekend. Or, stretch it out over the entire year. Maybe longer.

“I believe the impact of the Dare A250 Map will go far beyond the anniversary year,” Hester says. ”It’ll stand as a permanent reminder of who we are, where we’ve been, and what we want to share with future generations.”

Looking to get festive with your fellow countryfolk? Head to Wright Brothers National Memorial on April 18 for the

“Red, white and yew!” America’s birthday candles are sure to stoke this July 4.

Photo: Mike Leech

marquee celebration: the Dare A250 Faire. While plans are still to be finalized, chief organizer Carl Curnutte promises a full-day party, complete with a kids’ area and a dog zone, food vendors, booths for nonprofits and businesses, a community art project, and musical performances — plus lots of ways to celebrate local history.

“We’ll have a jumbotron screen taking us back to the beginning of time — shifting sands, winds, Natives, the Lost Colony,” says Curnutte. “And we’ll close with a grand finale in the evening that tells the history of Dare County through the lens of A250.”

Attendees can also hear Dare County’s story straight from locals with deep family roots.

“A separate tent will have a small stage with rocking chairs where the storytellers will sit, and we’ll film them to be archived at the OBX History Center,” says Curnutte. “Each session will run about 30 to 40 minutes, covering topics tied to our heritage and culture, like the early days of fishing or boatbuilding.”

You can also expect the annual Kelly’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade to feel extra patriotic. And July 4 is sure to boom louder than ever. But organizers want to keep the party going all year long! That’s why they’re inviting businesses, non-profits and events to help amplify the A250 message.

“Maybe they’ll host an A250 tent at their event,” says Jeff Schwartzenberg, Community Engagement Manager at the OBX Visitors Bureau and co-chair of A250’s marketing and outreach subcommittee. “Maybe it’s a window cling that marks their establishment as an A250 partner. Rack cards could include the passport at restaurants, retail outlets, and our welcome centers.”

In return, they’ll get a boost on both the

county and state A250 websites. Note: not every event will make the cut — it has to carry historical significance and help residents and visitors better understand Dare County’s unique past.

“An event like the Seafood Festival is a good example,” Schwartzenberg notes. “It conveys the history of commercial fishing — but also the meaning of that history to Dare County.”

Even Dare County Schools are getting in on the fun by embedding the milestone into 2026’s curriculum.

“We want the schools to have autonomy, but we’ll give them some ideas and resources,” explains the district’s secondary education director, Denise Fallon, who chairs the Dare Schools A250 subcommittee.

“BUSINESSES, NONPROFITS AND EVENTS CAN HELP AMPLIFY THE A250 MESSAGE.

Band students will learn patriotic songs. Kids will write their own personal Declarations of Independence. They’ll enter essay and poetry contests, take part in scavenger hunts on campus that mirror the A250 passport program, and even build time capsules for the future.

“Our hope is that the kids realize how special this place is that they call home,” Fallon says. “Sometimes we think we’re sitting out here on the edge of America, disconnected on our island. We’re not. We want the kids to feel that connection. We had something to contribute then, and we have something now.” — Brian Tress

For more info, go to www.darea250.org, where you can start signing up for newsletters or volunteer to help. The full site — including the Dare A250 Map, Passport Program, and Faire details — will launch at the start of 2026, but event organizers can already apply for a chance to participate. Then keep circling back for an ever-growing calendar of events and ways to celebrate all year long.

old school old school

SIX LOCAL FIXTURES SHARE CLASSIC MEMORIES AND TIMELESS LESSONS.

PORTRAITS BY DREW C. WILSON

PORTRAITS BY DREW C. WILSON

Courtesy of the Outer Banks History Center

A LOT CAN HAPPEN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 80. ESPECIALLY ON THE OUTER BANKS.

After all, “back in the day,” just lasting the winter was a pretty big deal, while building a life was a massive accomplishment. So, when we saw these classic portraits of six longtime locals — entrepreneurs and restaurateurs; free-spirited creators, and hard-nosed journalists — it felt like the perfect chance to learn more: What was it like when you first got started? What do you wish you knew then? And what would you tell today’s young folks and new arrivals who are trying to carve their own niches? Some showed up as college kids and never went home — others sacrificed stuffy careers to follow fresh dreams. All are still here today doing what they love. And, more than anything, that’s what makes them the very picture of success.

lowe

russell lowe russell

“Stay positive. Because a positive attitude will take you a long way.”

I’m 21 in this photo. I’d just started bartending at the Atlantis. My brother Bryan, Eric Dreibelbis, Dave Roberts, and I were already making and selling hundreds of tie-dyes wholesale for places like Brew Thru and Awful Arthur’s. So, that summer we decided, “Let’s open a retail shop across the street from the bar.” Then we’d go there and party after we closed. I mean, some mornings people would walk in, and we’d just sweep all the beer cans off the counter — “We’re open!” That was the first Island Dyes.

But you keep running your head into the wall, eventually you start to go, “That hurts.” Once you get into your 30s, you start getting a little bit smarter. Then, you start having kids, and you have to get serious. Suddenly, the pendulum starts swinging the other way, and it’s all about work. By our 40s, Bryan and I had stores from Raleigh to Richmond to DC. We called it, “Taking the world over one little island at a time” — but it was really just more stress and more headaches. Now, at 58, I’m less worried about getting more, and more focused on enjoying what I have. Because I don’t want to be 60 f#%ing years old, at the top of the hill with all my damn nuts in the tree — then die of a heart attack.

I guess the key is balance. So, if I were to tell the younger me anything, it might be, “Stop bouncing off the walls — but still have some fun.” And that’s probably what I’d tell today’s younger generation, too. Because they all seem stressed out from the word “go.” And I know they’ve got so much more stacked against them — plus all the social media pressure. But it’s important to stay positive. Because a positive attitude will take you a long way.

It’s funny: people always underestimated us because we were “the troublemakers.” Even after we graduated from college, people would go, “How did those guys do that!?” But we all did okay for ourselves. And maybe it’s just dumb luck, but I’m proud to say I was able to make it on the Outer Banks enjoying what I do — instead of spending the past 30 years working nine-to-five for the man. And maybe I’m not the richest man in the world — but I’m definitely not sitting on the side of the street looking out of a cardboard box.

“My advice to anyone is to get involved.”

MARY HELEN GOODLOE-MURPHY MARY HELEN GOODLOE-MURPHY

I’m not sure if the people on Hatteras Island get more involved. But we do have a history of working together to solve problems. Think of when Hurricane Isabel opened an inlet between Frisco and Hatteras Village in 2003. People couldn’t do laundry. The water main was cut. Kids had to take a boat to get to school. And it was the working fishermen who came together to connect people and restarted the whole economy. Then a year later, the village started Day at the Docks to celebrate those fishermen. Because when you live on an island, nobody else is going to do it for you.

My husband Tom Murphy and I moved to Rodanthe from Delaware in 1986. We’d renovated and sold a 100-year-old house so we could live on the proceeds at first. I didn’t start reporting forThe Coastland Times for another four years, but Tom became a summertime DJ for the country station in Wanchese, and we both cleaned bathrooms at the KOA. It seems like everybody in Rodanthe worked at the KOA at some point.

But one of the first things we both did was join the Chicamacomico volunteer fire department. This photo is from around 1990. A request was made to build a four or five story building — which was massive then — and we didn’t have a ladder truck. So, we went to the Board of Commissioners and said, “If you allow this building, you will kill people, because we can’t get to the top floors.” Then we conducted a campaign — a positive campaign — to regulate building height.

The community project I’m personally most proud of is the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway. It runs from Whalebone Junction through Bodie, Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands, and Down East Carteret County. Well, when the state first proposed it in 2003, they left out Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo, because they didn’t think it was pretty enough. I said, “No! No! NO!” So, Dare County appointed a committee and made me Chair and told us to get federal designation for funding. Now we have sidewalks in five of the seven villages on Hatteras. And

for our first five years, we did free seedling distributions in all the villages. Twenty years later, there are trees in all these places where once there were none. It’s the perfect little metaphor: if you do lots of little things — if you put the work in early — you will manifest something beautiful.

But for me, the hard part isn’t “why join a cause?” but “how do I get out of it?” Because at 80, I don’t have the same energy. So, if I were to tell myself at this age anything, it would be to have an exit strategy. But the Byway just put in two grants for sidewalks in Frisco and Buxton — and I wrote neither one. And that’s a wonderful thing! Because that means we have another tier of people coming up to carry the torch. So, my advice to anyone here today is to get involved. You don’t have to volunteer to fight fires — but you can volunteer to file paperwork. Join a civic association or a non-profit. Show up at a town meeting. Get up! Stand up! Because that’s the way you get stuff done. And nobody else is going to do it for you.

JAMES MELVIN JAMES MELVIN

“Hang in there. Because if you stay with that dream, it will reveal itself.”

In 1981, my wife and I were looking for a new house in Fayetteville. One weekend, we joined some friends for a weekend fishing trip to Nags Head. We’d never even heard of Nags Head, but it was beautiful, and we caught a lot of fish — a ton of fish. I remember standing on a dune one sunny afternoon, just a gentle breeze blowing, and thinking, “God, this would be a wonderful place to live.” A couple of weeks later, we came down again — and that thought came again. So we went to a rental agency, then we went home and prayed about it. The next week our house in Fayetteville sold, and we got a call about a rental. It was like God was saying, “Go ahead. Move.” So we did.

At the time, I was in advertising sales. But once we moved here, I wanted to paint full time. About six months in, that clearly wasn’t working, so I got a job at the Elizabethan Inn manning the front desk. I remember vacuuming one night and thinking, “Did I really leave a secure profession at 33 to do this?” And that very next morning, I got a call from the Chalet Gift Shop asking me to come over and do portraits of her customers. And that reassured me. Later, a lot of the skills I learned at the Inn — like keeping records and paying sales tax — came in handy running my gallery. So, I didn’t realize it then, but it was almost part of a plan.

I think the best thing I did when I got here was to throw myself into the art scene. Because that’s how I met Suzanne Tate. She commissioned me to do paintings of the area and then sold them to different shops. And later, she asked me to illustrate all 40 of her children’s books. One thing we liked to do was dress up and give school presentations about writing and illustrating. Because a lot of kids, maybe they don’t really like school that much, but they’re good at drawing or writing or dancing — or whatever it is. And we were showing them that there’s a way to make a living doing this. It also helped me get out of my comfort zone.

And that’s what I would tell anyone: get out of your comfort zone. Because so many times we’re too scared to listen when our heart is saying, “You should be doing this!” And it took a lot of perseverance and encouragement from others — a lot of believing in myself and trusting in God — but I always believed that art was what I was born to do. So, hang in there. Because you’re gonna have bad days — but you’re gonna have good days, too. And if you stay with that dream, it will reveal itself. Like a flower, it just opens up...and opens up...until one day, you wake up and your dream’s in full bloom.

Feature continued on page 31.

mind of

e O u t e r Banker PICKLEBALL!

I hope the kids didn’t hear us. ...or my captain’slicense... ...or my driver’slicense?

Doeschasingsandbarsmakemeshallow? Why’dtheyhavetosuper-sizefrenchfryalley?

Insurance That plane lookskinda low. Overwash

Will my ex be there?

Maybe I’ll get myrealtor’slicense.... Hurricanesnamed“I”

What side is myliveron?

Was that a cop?

thought that’d be funnier.

DRIVES

EMOTIONS ANXIETIES RUMINATIONS SHITE FOR BRAINS?

Random thoughts and daily duties. Fading memories and funny musings. Biological drives and daily distractions. Nobody knows what wild crap swirls around the average Outer Banker’s brain at any given second. But here’s a few not-so-poignant nuggets that might occasionally fl oat to the surface.

MICHAEL STOKES MICHAEL STOKES

“One thing I’ve learned on the Outer Banks is the importance of personal relationships.”

Holy shit, look at these youngsters! In 1993, The Coast was doing a story on screen printers. That’s Robbie Snyder, me and Guy Grazetti. Guy and I were doing “Guy and Mike’s Excellent T-Shirts.” We split pretty soon after this photo — he started Graphic Attack, and I started Flying Fish — but it was super amicable. And it was a great time to start a screenprint business, because the beach was just booming! So many places wanted shirts — restaurants, surf shops, fire departments. I remember going on a surf trip to Costa Rica about this time and seeing, like, five of my designs. It was like, “Dang!” How cool is that?!” [laughs] But I never looked to be the biggest or the baddest — I just wanted to make a quality product. And to be on the Outer Banks doing what I love.

I first moved here in ’87. I was a sophomore at ODU majoring in Graphic Design. I came for the summer

and never left. The Outer Banks had so much soul. The bypass was two lanes, one traffic light, no cable, and everybody knew everybody. When I started working at Island Xpertees, Jim Douglas was the sales rep. I remember driving in his red convertible to see a client one day, and he’s like, “I’ve got the best idea. Have you ever seen those oval European bumper stickers?” And I’m like, “Yeah...” He’s like, “What do you think of ‘O-B-X’?” I was like, “Dude, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” [laughs] But, what did I know, right?

Of course it’s changed. Back then, we all used manual presses — our forearms looked like Popeye’s at the end of the summer — now everything’s computerized. And, of course, there are more people, more businesses, more competition. But one thing I’ve learned working on the Outer Banks is the importance of personal relationships. I mean, anybody can go online and

order some generic shit. But when you have a working relationship with somebody, it means something. Shit, I’ve had accounts since I started 30 years ago. And I’m still friends with all my competitors. And I think that speaks to the place, too.

I can’t imagine being that age trying to make it here now. So much more is stacked against you. Right here is about the time I was going from the carefree beach boy lifestyle to building a business and growing a family. We’d just bought our house for $87,000… [laughs] The beach box behind me just sold for $500,000! But it’s never going to get any easier, so I guess it all reduces back to my basic philosophy of “drop your shoulder, put your head down, and work your ass off.” But if I could go back in time and talk to this guy, I’d say, “When Jim Douglas comes to you with an idea, jump on board, dude!’” [laughs]

“Start small — because you’ve got to do it all in the beginning.”

CARLEN PEARL CARLEN PEARL

I was only 33 when we started the Colington Cafe. But I’d already worked in 18 restaurants. And managed two. Finally, after nearly 20 years working for other people, I said to my husband, Ken, “I’m opening a restaurant.” It took five years to find the right place. It’s where the Saltbox is now but, at the time, it was an old tackle shop with a deli inside. They still had fishing gear on the wall. [laughs] So my mom came in with all these French wreaths and dried flowers, and in three weeks, we converted it into a tiny bistro.

I was so naïve. I didn’t know about food costs or how to make a proper working menu. I’d never even cooked in a restaurant! And suddenly I was cooking lunch and dinner and prepping — working 80 hours a week. Our opening night, I had 35 people and I was pulling my hair out. [laughs] Now, we’ll cook for five times as many people in

a night! But I never even thought about the possibility of failure. And we’re fortunate that what we came up with — the Victorian house, the cozy dining rooms, the Frenchinspired cuisine — has appealed to people this long.

I remember Blue Point opened about the same time we did. I was so jealous, because they were so upscale. Especially for that era. Now, the Outer Banks has so many wonderful, creative restaurants. It’s unbelievable! What’s sad for me is losing places like Owen’s. It was such a landmark. When I worked there, Miss Owens — Clara Mae’s mom — would still be in the kitchen, making crabcakes in her wheelchair. Now I feel like that’s gonna be me! [laughs] Because I still go in almost every day — even if it’s just to answer the phone. So, you have to be careful, because a restaurant will consume you.

But I still love making people happy with food. And we’ve become so close with so many customers. But the thing that makes me most proud looking back is our staff over the years. Some people have been with us for 15, 20, 25 years. I love and appreciate them so much. They’re like family. Actually, one of our cooks is looking to move home and start his own restaurant. I said, “How many seats?” He said, “80.” I said, “Don’t do it! That’s too big!” And that’s what I’d tell anyone: start small — because you got to do it all in the beginning. And be your own chef — because that’s how you see every dish go out of the kitchen. Then be prepared to work 80 hours a week — or more. Then I’d say exactly what my dad told me in the beginning: “Just give people good food at a good price, and they’re gonna come.” And he was right.

LAURA LAURA MARTIER MARTIER

“Play from your own heart, and not from external factors.”

Dan and I moved here Memorial Day 1989. We’d just left Wisconsin by way of LA. I was pregnant with Lucy. Dan’s brother had bought Country Deli. So, we came here. Dan delivered for the deli — he even had a sandwich named after him, Danny’s Delight. [laughs] And I’d get a tuna salad with Havarti and a Snapple delivered to the beach every day. This place was so fun then. So...I don’t know...salty

We started playing music almost immediately. Dan jammed with the Wilder brothers. And then we both joined the Rarely Heard. But the B-Side was where we really built up a following. We did a pretty eclectic mix of, like, the BoDeans and REM, with some funk and R&B stuff, like Aretha Franklin. We’d pack out the Penguin Isle every Sunday. No stage, no chairs. Just people right up in our faces dancing and moving. But that was kind of our MO: we’d just move to places and take over. [laughs]

Even though I was a new mom, I still had a really fierce determination to have a music career. And I was only 26. But we’d been in bands in LA. And we’d already toured the country and played the Grand Old Opry. So, I really had my eye on “the prize.”

But what’s “the prize?” At the time, I wanted to be a huge star. But, as time went on, it became more about continuing to learn and grow and evolve and do new things. Writing music. Recording. Doing sound journeys. To constantly reinvent myself and not do the same thing over and over, year after year after year. And that’s what enabled me to have such a long career and not be bitter that I never played the Grammy’s. At least not yet. [laughs]

Now, at 61, I’m way more grounded in who I am Back then, I was energetic and dynamic — but I was kind

of all over the place. I feel more...myself, maybe? [laughs] And I’m still playing a lot, but I’m not doing anything that I don’t want to do, or that I’m not connected to as an artist. I think that would be the biggest difference. And that’s the advice I’d have for any musician. Or anyone, really. Start from an internal space and move out from there. Play from your own heart, and not from external factors.

What would I tell this girl here? Maybe to start learning an instrument and writing your own music. Because it took me many years to get serious with playing guitar and writing. And I do wonder about what might have been if I’d wrote more earlier. But, otherwise, I don’t know what I — or anyone else — could tell her. [laughs] God, look at her! She’s doing fine on her own! Just stay out of her way!

HOOKED ON HISTORY

Shea LaFountaine’s podcast on the past is positively addictive.

History has always moved Shea LaFountaine. Even as a child. Once, on a family trip to Tryon Palace in New Bern — North Carolina’s first capitol — she remembers visualizing the different lives of 18th century schoolgirls.

“Most seven-year-olds would be bored to tears,” she recalls. “I was moved to tears. But history has always been this visceral experience for me.”

Today, the 37-year-old helps make it a captivating experience for others via her podcast, “History Fix.”

Each week, LaFountaine sits down in front of her computer webcam, fires up a fancy studio microphone and records an account of some famous past event or figure. Come early Sunday morning, she’ll share the presentation on her website — as well as YouTube and all the major podcast platforms — for a growing fanbase of roughly 4,000 weekly listeners from across the world.

In fact, since March 2023, she’s produced more than 130 episodes on everything from natural disasters to ancient civilizations, Richard the III to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

No matter the topic, they all share a few common threads: reversing the stereotype that history is all memorizing facts and “stuffy portraits of old guys in powdered wigs”; and a commitment to updating the record for accuracy and equality, especially when it comes to historically excluded groups like women and people of color.

“Certain stories weren’t recorded, or they were recorded inaccurately,” LaFountaine says, “because they were recorded by someone who didn’t understand and weren’t part of that group.”

Perhaps most importantly, the podcasts all feature an engaging, approachable tone, best emphasized by the start of each episode, where she poses a

potential historical error or quandary, then launches the discussion with a cheeky, “Let’s fix that!”

“The name is kind of this dual meaning,” LaFountaine explains. “Like, if you’re a history fan, get your fix; but then it’s also like, let’s actually fix or correct these holes in the narrative.”

LaFountaine earned her bachelor’s degree in K-6 elementary education with a Spanish minor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — and later taught fourth grade for more than seven years. But she credits her fascination with the past in large part to her mom, a school speech therapist who regularly took her siblings and her to historical treasure troves, such as Roanoke Island Festival Park, the Wright Brothers National Memorial and area lighthouses.

“She instilled in us the love of learning,” LaFountaine says. “That really brought about my love of history.”

So, when she went looking for history podcasts to love and came away disappointed — “they were either way too boring or way too cringy” — she began recording her own. And while she left the classroom in 2021 to work as a curriculum developer for upper elementary school teachers, she’s never lost the love of imparting new knowledge — nor the contagious energy of an inspired educator.

“I think I do a good job of explaining things well but also keeping it moving, keeping it engaging,” she says. “It’s at a level where a 10-year-old can listen and understand and stay engaged. And I think that works for adults, too.”

One reviewer even called History Fix “the ‘Crime Junkie’ of history podcasts,” because LaFountaine digs deep in each episode to reveal past mistakes or ask thorny questions in a conversational style.

LaFountaine: happily living in the past.

Photo: Ed Tupper

Want to know why Magellan got credit for circumnavigating the globe — even though he died before the journey was complete? Try Episode 119. Curious about the conspiracy theories surrounding William Shakespeare’s massive volume of work — despite his limited education? Hark! Here comes Episode 130.

Often, she’ll look to past events and trends and tie them to modern times, whether it’s showing how “fake news” led to the French Revolution, or connecting centuries of social injustice to current problems.

“I don’t think a lot of people realize how much [the past] informs the present,” she says.

No matter the subject, they all take plenty of effort.

“ONE REVIEWER CALLED IT “THE ‘CRIME JUNKIE’ OF HISTORY PODCASTS.’”

LaFountaine dedicates the equivalent of two work shifts a week to the endeavor, researching and writing each new episode on Friday and recording and editing the final products on Saturday. And yet, after nearly three years, there’s no guarantees as to which topics will go big.

Her discussion of the infamous Khmer Rouge — “a violent group in Cambodia that came about after the Vietnam War... and honestly because of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War” — was a bloody big hit. But then so was her two-part series on the Lost Colony of Roanoke. And folks really lost their heads over her two-part series on the six wives of Henry VIII, a former king of England.

“Anything Tudor-related blows up,” she says. “They can’t get enough.”

She’s also covered social history, diving

into the story behind how products like coffee, rum and salt became household items — “this everyday thing that we don’t really think about but has a really rich history.” And she’s explored the history of drugs, like cannabis and LSD.

For the latter, she traced the substance’s wild journey from its accidental creation and ingestion to its testing at universities and rise in use among the anti-Vietnam War movement — as well as the “clandestine CIA experiments” using it, before the feds made it illegal.

“It’s ironic that it’s the government that’s actually using it in the unethical way, because it’s also the government that eventually bans it outright,” she says.

It’s that combo of investigative approach and variety of topics that keeps inspiring new fans and platforms. In fact, LaFountaine recently monetized her YouTube channel of over 7,000 subscribers and started recording video versions of podcasts, where she incorporates visual elements that she discusses. Meanwhile, a Patreon site lets subscribers access additional content, like “mini fixes.”

But it’s her Instagram page that really bustles, where more than 22,000 followers stand ready to discuss recent editions or send suggestions for episodes. Some even tell her how much her work means to them. She’s been pleased to hear from several high school history teachers who assign her podcasts in the classroom. One person said the podcast inspired them to return to school for a history degree.

“The responses that I get are what keep me going,” she says. “But the number one goal of the pod is to come at history from a really engaging angle: ‘I’m just going to tell you a really interesting story — and you’re going to love it.’” — Corinne Saunders

Find episodes, social media links and more at www.historyfixpodcast.com.

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One day, surfboard building is gonna look super weird. The “shaper” will order his kit online, all materials dropped at his front door the next day via Amazon drone. A machine will cut the blank, a TikTok influencer will advise him on the finishing touches, and a YouTube tutorial will walk him through the lamination process.

His mentor? ChatGPT. His customer? Some faceless stranger who slid into his DMs. His factory? A sterile, unattended 10’x10’ box — no empty beer cans or fanboy memorabilia or relics of human

SHAPE OFF THE OLD BLOCK

personality whatsoever. When he’s done, his “surfboard” will look the same, feel the same, and perform the same as every other surfboard, and would disintegrate in a month if it were made for the ocean instead of a wave pool — which of course, it is.

But today is not that day. Today, Josh Peterson is building a surfboard. With his own two hands. From materials sourced from actual friends. For a flesh-and-blood customer he met IRL. Maybe even a wildeyed devil’s advocate standing over his shoulder, yelling at him to do a better job.

When Walker became Wave Riding Vehicles’ factory manager, Peterson not only got set up with fresh foam blanks, but also key bits of time-tested wisdom. As soon as the kid graduated high school in 2015, WRV offered him a job at their Harbinger Quonset hut. Peterson would live here on the Outer Banks for the next two years, totally immersing himself in Dare County surf culture, absorbing knowledge and taking a fair amount of shit from some of the saltiest board-builders in the biz.

“I was a full factory bitch,” he laughs. “They had me buffing, polishing, bagging boards, busting out trays, sweeping up…But they also sent me out to the North Shore of Oahu to work at their retail store in Haleiwa. And it was there in Hawaii where I really learned how to shape a surfboard.”

The 19-year-old lived at Sunset Point, where he kept his head down, his mouth shut, and his eyes open. He surfed hard but worked even harder, and eventually crossed paths with North Shore shaping legend, Jeff Bushman.

“Going to Hawaii as an East Coaster was so intimidating,” Peterson says. “But Bushy and I just hit it off. The following winter I went back, and Bushy needed some help with glassing, polishing, sanding, and piece work. That’s where I learned the foundations of shaping. Bushy opening the door for me was a priceless experience; like a timewarp launching me ten years into the future.”

Peterson’s board-building journey began in Chesapeake, VA, where he’d rip apart old surfboards and reshape them into crude designs before taking them to his friend Austin Walker’s backyard shack to get them glassed.

“I just went for it,” admits the 29-year-old, from his latest temporary address in a Portuguese factory. “I didn’t know anything about templates. I just drew dots every three inches and brought ’em in at the nose and tail. I was literally connecting the dots for years.”

Peterson returned from that boardbuilding boot camp a seasoned grinder. Not only was he doing every step of surfboard production for WRV, he picked up work in New Jersey, where he spent a year doing piecework under esteemed shapers Ryan Lovelace and Rich Pavel. Then it was back to the Outer Banks, then Hawaii again, California, Florida, and Portugal.

“Traveling is key to staying busy yearround,” he says. “Whenever I show up somewhere, I never really know how much work I’ll have, but by the end of the trip, everyone’s like, ‘Can you do one more?’ And hopefully that carries over to the next shaping trip.”

Josh Peterson still makes surfboards the old-fashioned way — with humans, for humans.

Two things never go out of style: vintage looks and modern performance.

Photo: Vanessa Maestri

But WRV couldn’t have a star employee roaming the world, so at a spry 21 years old, Peterson moved on to work for Lovelace’s Trimcraft, which built their rep on building 100 percent handmade boards.

“Those guys helped me improve my own designs immensely, especially twin-fin fishes, which I always enjoyed riding,” Peterson says. “So basically, I got the bones from Bushy and the design ideas from Ryan and Rich. That mix of influences has been crucial for me, and most of my boards today are a 70/30 mix. They look and feel like fishes, but with more high-performance aspects.”

Two thousand boards later, Peterson’s committed to refining his own designs under the Peterson Surfcraft label, but he still powers out models and customs for Trimcraft while also working with local brands like Ghostship and WRV.

“PETERSON’S MADE A NAME FOR HIMSELF DOING MODERN TAKES ON CLASSIC DESIGNS.

But while Peterson’s made a name for himself doing modern takes on classic designs, what really sets him apart is his reputation for painstakingly recreating longforgotten antiques at invitational shaping competitions like the Florida Shape-Off at Surf Expo and the Icons of Foam at San Diego’s Boardroom Show. There, a handful of top shapers are tasked with recreating an honoree’s design — like the Holmesy Sidewinder or the Dick Catri balsa — sight unseen, under pressure, in front of a live audience of wizened elders and impressionable groupies.

“The shape-offs are important to me, because they show that there’s still people hand-shaping to exact dimensions,” he says. “It’s viable, it’s legitimate, and just as many magic boards come out by hand than off a machine.”

So far, Peterson’s been invited to three shape-offs and won two — not exactly

rookie results. And while he doesn’t necessarily enjoy the pressure of mowing foam under a microscope, he was kinda made for this stuff; in fact, it reminds him of those early days at WRV, where lifelong laminators like David Rohde would peer over his shoulder and either clap him on the back — or chew his ass out.

“I have such vivid memories of Uncle Rohde being so cool to me one minute, then calling me an idiot the next,” he laughs. “I’m so grateful for that. They taught me not to take things so personally when it comes to my work, and that there’s certain expectations to be met. It’s pretty rare for people of my generation to start at the bottom and get screamed at enough to really figure something out.”

Which is why he happily returns every fall to crank out freshies for his Harbinger homeys. In fact, one day he might even stick around for good.

“I only lived on the Outer Banks for a couple years,” Peterson admits, “but my heart’s still there. I think it’s the best surf community in the world. And after I’m done doing all this on-the-road shaping stuff, that’s probably where I’m gonna end up.”

Until then, it’s have planer, will travel. This winter, he’ll head back to Hawaii for five months. Once business slows down there, it’s back to the East Coast to fill orders for the bustling summertime season. Come August, it’s Europe, or maybe somewhere else.

With each stop, he’s facilitating connections, riding waves, making friends, taking orders, trading secrets. And probably giving a little more than he’s receiving.

“I’ve never really been a local anywhere, not in Virginia Beach, not on the Outer Banks, and certainly not on the North Shore, where the last thing they wanna see is another haole with long hair and a mustache,” Peterson admits. “But I always felt like if I could go somewhere, be helpful, and offer something that actually adds value to a community instead of just taking something from it, then maybe I’m doing my part to respect those old-school traditions.”

— Matt Pruett

WHO YOU CALLING “SHRIMP”?

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What really wins the flavor battle between fresh, frozen and imported? We asked two experts to put their palates on the line.

How would you like your shrimp tonight? Steamed with a dusting of Old Bay? Fried with a side of remoulade? Or maybe steeped in radioactive cesium-137, banned antibiotics and veterinary drug residues?

That last one sounds disgusting — but it’s not far from reality.

Recent recalls of radioactive Indonesian shrimp sold in major U.S. retail stores reveal a scary truth: imported, farm-raised shrimp is often produced in unsanitary conditions using banned chemicals, fungicides and antibiotics.

imported shrimp for illegal additives. The Alliance and Oceana have long warned consumers about imported shrimp’s links to health risks, environmental destruction and, in some cases, human trafficking and child labor.

Of course, here on the Outer Banks, fresh, local shrimp is always the top pick. It’s flavorful, healthy and sustainable, supporting not just shrimpers but also fish houses, processors, retailers, and the local economy. Next best? Frozen, local wildcaught shrimp — it’s no secret that shrimp freezes beautifully.

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And if you think the FDA is keeping you safe from contaminated shrimp, think again. According to the Southern Shrimp Alliance, the US screens less than 0.5 percent of

But what if it’s not available?

“The demand for shrimp is too high,” says former food service salesman Kelly Hogan. “There’s just not enough wild-caught

American shrimp for every consumer to eat. That’s like saying, ‘I only buy local gas.’ There’s just not enough to go around.”

Americans eat an average of five pounds of shrimp per person each year, and 90 percent of it is imported. So, chances are, we’ve all eaten more foreign shrimp than we’d care to admit. The good news? It doesn’t have to come from a foreign shrimp farm.

“There are plenty of good wild-caught options,” says Hogan. “No need to get the gnarly stuff.”

With that in mind, we wanted to see how shrimp alternatives compare to our beloved local catch. So, we set up a blind tasting with two local food pros to see which brawny prawn would win the flavor prize.

THE COMBATANTS

Fresh, Local Wild-Caught Shrimp: Caught the day before in Pamlico Sound.

Frozen, Wild-Caught USA Shrimp: Labeled “Product of USA,” available frozen from US Foods (East Coast or Gulf origin).

Frozen, Wild-Caught Imported Argentinian Red Shrimp: Purchased thawed from Harris Teeter.

THE JUDGES

Lynn Flowers — Long-time local and owner of Outer Banks Personal Chef, and perennial advocate for fresh, NC seafood. Motto: “I only eat local shrimp.”

Kelly Hogan — Former food-service sales pro with 26 years of knowledge and experience in food sourcing and safety. Motto: “I’ll try anything.”

For Flowers and Hogan, not seeing was believing.

Photo: Ryan Moser

THE SET-UP

We asked Bryan Whitehurst, co-owner of Greentail’s Seafood Market & Kitchen, a seasoned fisherman and trained chef with more than two decades of experience sourcing seafood, to serve ’em three ways: steamed, fried and pan-sautéed in a little butter, garlic and white wine (aka “scampi”). Each round featured all three types cooked identically. The tasters were blindfolded to prevent visual bias and recorded their impressions as they went along, scratching out notes on white butcher paper. No results were revealed until the very last bite.

So what did we learn?

THE RESULTS

Dish 1: Steamed

While you might picture “steamed and local” as a match made in heaven, the opening round basically sucker-punched our judges. Both found the freshly caught NC shrimp somewhat “mushy,” and the frozen domestic to be bland. Instead, it was the thawed Argentinian Red that had the best texture and flavor. But once we removed the blindfolds, the results made more sense. “Argentinian Reds are actually like a lobster type shrimp,” noted Kelly. “They’re large, sweet and caught wild in the ocean. That’s a super-important part.”

Dish 2: Fried

We won’t lie: Those us of watching from outside the ring were shocked to see our local favorite lose the “steamed” round. So, we were stoked to watch the freshly caught NC contender come back swinging out of the deep frier to dust the others, with Kelly calling it “by far the best,” and Lynn saying, “sweet, tight, just right.” What was more interesting? While both judges said the US wild-caught frozen was “still good,” the Argentinian Red (interestingly the favorite in the first round) had them crying foul, with comments like “not good at all” and “weird texture.” “I’m just glad we didn’t eat any pond-raised shrimp,” noted Flowers. “I was reading last night about all the pellets they feed them and how gross they are.”

Dish 3: Pan-Sautéed

It took some garlic, butter, wine, and a frying pan to produce our challenge’s only real toss-up: Hogan put NC fresh-and-local at the top of his scorecard (“the best”),

followed by US wild-caught frozen (“OK”), then Argentinian red (“too mushy.”) But while Flowers logged equally thumbs-down results for both Argentinian Red (“I spit that one out”) and fresh local (“odd texture”), she put the frozen US wild-caught as the “tastiest.” “Oh f#%k, are you serious?!,” she blurted when we peeled back her blindfold. “Why did I agree to do this?” [laughs]

THE TAKEAWAY

Needless to say, both judges were floored with the results. Not just because “fresh and local” didn’t dominate, but that there was so much variety between the various preps.

“I learned that my palate is not as snooty as I thought,” Flowers said, with a hearty laugh. “I’m humbled. But I learned that different varieties are better cooked certain ways.”

At the same time, they were relieved to discover that their favorites were still all wild-caught — none farm-raised or imported from questionable sources.

“Everything we tried was good quality,” noted Hogan. “Each had its own strengths depending on how it was cooked.”

Still, while Flowers concedes that frozen wild-caught shrimp can stand up to local when prepped certain ways, she’s not changing her buying habits.

“Local is what I base my business on; it’s just who I am,” she said. “If it’s not available either fresh or frozen, I’d rather buy another local seafood, like oysters or fish. But I can see how the Argentinian Red could be a good steamed option.”

And if you’re less picky or when you can’t find local, it’s nice to know that not every frozen import comes in a bag from Indonesia. In fact, Hogan saw the mixed result as a silver lining for seafood lovers everywhere — proof you don’t have to settle for farm-raised imports.

“We’re lucky here — we can get local shrimp,” he says. “But if that’s not available, go for USA wild-caught. After that, imported wild-caught. Always read the label and check the country of origin.”

And if it doesn’t say “wild-caught?”

“Keep looking.” — Terri Mackleberry

LATIN INSPIRED CUISINE

Tuesday

Steamed Bao Buns (different every week)

$2.50 12 oz Modelo & Tecate cans

Wednesday

The Havana is Back!

Our take on the Cuban sandwich served with garlic cilantro fries.

$2 off 16 oz Draft beer

Thursday

Empanadas (different every week)

$3 off house & featured margaritas

Fry-Day

Ceviche (different every week)

$2 off all glasses of wine

Saturday

$6 classic personal nachos

$6 bad bean bloody

Mimosa Buckets Beer/Wine THC Seltzers

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BLAST FROM THE PAST

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Picture this. You’re a college kid cruising through Currituck. Windows down — beach beckoning — reflexively roaming from one lame radio station to the next. Then, somewhere near Grandy, the signal picks up an infectious groove. And suddenly, you’re locked into a sizzling anthem to jam to all summer — possibly a whole new sound to change your life.

“The 90s were full of all this different stuff,” says long-time local DJ Lisa Brickhouse Davis. “Grunge, jam bands, indie — styles that the big rock stations either wouldn’t play or didn’t know what to do with. But 99.1 would. And it’s funny, because I’ve had people say to me, ‘Why do y’all play Dave Matthews or Sublime? That’s top 40!’ And it’s like, ‘Nope! That’s ours.’ Because you’d never heard of them until our station played them.’”

It wasn’t always that way. Prior to 1986, if you wanted to hear cutting-edge tracks in Northeastern NC, you had to dial in some Hampton Roads digits. Then came Jennifer Frost and Lilias Morrison — two eccentric, long-time locals with British accents and the bold vision to give the Outer Banks its own station. They called it the “Voices of Dare.”

At first, WVOD was mostly community news with some classical and blues — like a beach-centric NPR. But, by ’93, they began to incorporate more happening jams. At the same time, “Big Radio” had come up with a brand-new format that blended the most inventive bands of a bygone era with genre-defying upand-comers — plus a willingness to play deep cuts and longer tracks. They called it “Adult Album Alternative.” It turned out to be the perfect blend for a beach community booming with a bunch of new listeners with different tastes. And, in 1996, WVOD was reborn as “99.1 The Sound.”

“ “THE BEST PART OF OUR FORMAT IS WE CAN PLAY A SONG WHETHER IT’S 50 YEARS OLD OR FIVE DAYS OLD.”

Tune in, you might hear Bob Marley or Blues Traveler. Pink Floyd or Pixies. The latest sound from Seattle — or some Grateful Dead deep cut — plus whatever regional band might be packing the Atlantis, from Everything to DMB.

“Basically, the thought was, ‘Let’s pick music in this broad frame called adult album alternative,” says long-time program director, Matt Cooper. “Some alternative, some jam bands, some reggae — but let’s make it sound like the Outer Banks.”

With each passing year, they introduced new bands and a litany of favorite local DJs: the lively cadence of Davis; the deep baritone of John Harper; the surprisingly upbeat “Grumpy” Doug Dino. People who were plugged in to the ever-changing dynamics of both the broader music scene and our barrier islands.

“At one point, we had seven live air people,” Cooper remembers. “So, they could say, ‘Why aren’t we playing more of this?’ Or ‘Check this band out.’ They could also keep us dialed in to all the local happenings.”

And that’s how it went for more than 25 years. In fact, as recently as 2015, you might hear Cooper cue up a young, new act called Zack Mexico, then promote the upcoming rally against offshore drilling, then segue straight into Midnight Oil. But, along the way, the station also kept changing hands — a total of four different owners since 2002. The last company finally dropped the ball, and, in July 2024, the air went dead. And that might have been the end of this story, if it wasn’t for one former jock.

“After watching a station that had such an impact on this community for so long get run into the ground, I couldn’t sit on the sidelines and watch it go bye-bye forever,” says Davis.

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“on-air personality”? Sam Walker, Lisa Brickhouse Davis, Christian Benedi, Matt Cooper, James Burroughs and Janet Arnold, doing their best WRKP impression. Photo: Daniel Pullen

They couldn’t have found a better champion. Growing up in Coinjock, Davis would stay up late waiting for Virginia stations to play the newest New Wave. At ECU, she ruled the college radio waves, riding her broadcasting degree all the way to a station in Aspen. In 2003, she settled into 99.1’s Wanchese studio, where she might soundtrack a lazy afternoon drive or curate headbanging tracks for Saturday night’s “Hessian Session.”

“Music has always been a love and a passion,” Davis says. “I’m just not musically gifted. [laughs] That’s why I love radio. I may not be able to create music or be in a band, but I can definitely promote the talented people that make it happen.”

Davis found a team of partners who purchased the station in early 2025, and, as of this past July, 99.1 WVOD is back on the air in all its “Triple A” glory.

“Just in time to celebrate 40 years of WVOD in 2026,” Davis beams. “And our 30th year as ‘The Sound.’”

They’re not wasting any time getting the party started; tune in right now, and any given hour might bust open a piñata of ear-popping surprises. Fresh UK cuts by Wet Leg, Fontaines DC or Billy Idol. Mountain jams by Molly Tuttle or Jade Leg. Blazing guitar leads by Goose. Or classic opening riffs by Steely Dan or the Rolling Stones.

“That’s the best part of our format,” says Davis. “I can play punk rock or Americana. I can deep dive into albums. I can play a song whether it’s 50 years old or five days old.”

But she can’t do it alone. That’s why she’s got Christian Benedi back as program director, plus specialty shows, like Jazz with James Burroughs, Jeff White’s Coyote Café, and guest DJs like Cooper, Tad “The Night Jerk” Abbey, and John Mathews. Meanwhile, veteran news man Sam Walker will keep pressing local news and community issues.

“If anything, we’re going to be showcasing a lot more of what’s happening out there,” says Davis. “Whether it’s a non-profit benefit or a concert or an up-and-coming band. And we won’t just be reading a PSA; we’ll actually be out there getting involved.”

And they want listeners to get involved, too, by submitting requests and shout-outs. Local bands should push their MP3s. And they’d really appreciate the community’s support via a new feature called Rock for Repairs.

“Basically, it’s a crowdfunding campaign where folks can sponsor a rock-block,” says Davis. “It can be businesses, nonprofits, individuals, families — $20 to $2000. Every penny helps. Because we still have a lot of work to get the station back to 100 percent.”

First goal is to bring the tower back up to 50,000 watts of power, so they can blast tracks from Hatteras to New Bern to Chesapeake. But they’re not just living in the past. You can already surreptitiously listen on your smart phone via a brand-new app — or yell “Alexa, play 99.1 The Sound!” at the top of your lungs. Meanwhile, the website keeps broadcasting to fans around the world.

“You’d be surprised how many listeners stream us from out of the area,” Davis says. “People who visited or moved away and want to feel a part of the Outer Banks. And that’s the beautiful thing about music — especially radio — it has the ability to connect us all.” — Leo Gibson

Want to support WVOD? Or just stream the music? Dial your browser to www.991thesound.com.

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EVERY NOW AND THEN

A childhood by the ocean schooled me on how swift things shift and my transformations reflected waves rising with the tides,

sometimes I was behind the peak, sometimes too far in front, and every now and then, I was simply where I needed to be.

Those segments of a time swept away cannot be revisited and

the space where a home sat in my history is now a sliver of the sea, moments only live in memories that drift in and out of me

some very high and some low, pieces of the whole.

— Shannon Sutton

Art by Phyllis Wells

“’TWAS THE SEASON’S FIRST SNOW DAY AND ON THE BIG HILL...

Beach kids were chasing backcountry thrills! Tots scream, ‘Push me’ to proud moms and pops. Teens yell, ‘Watch this!’ — as they take their first drops. Sledding on boogies and boosting off kickers! Then it’s back to the house with an ass full of stickers.”

PHOTO: JON CARTER SHREDDER: NOAH CARTER

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What’s the bright idea? Find out Nov. 21-Dec. 30, when Elizabethan Gardens’ WinterLights illuminates the holidays with glowing displays, raging fires, hot cocoa and more on select Thurs.-Sun. nights. (6-9pm; weather dependent.) Short on “green”? Nov. 23’s Virginia Dare Night lets Dare, Currituck, and Ocracoke Island residents attend for free — provided they bring proof of residency and non-perishable donations for the Roanoke Island Food Pantry. (Tickets are limited; reserve online.) Find pricing and details at www. elizabethangardens.org. • Then grown-ups get lit for two great causes, Nov. 21-Dec. 31, with the return of the Misfit Bars of Christmas Inspired by the 60s stop-motion classic, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, 16 favorite watering holes — including Kill Devil Grill, Swells’a Brewing, Trio, Tap That, and Lost Colony Brewery’s Waterfront Beer Garden — adopt holiday décor saluting their favorite “misfit” while patrons stamp postcards to support Outer Banks Relief Foundation and Community Care Clinic of Dare. Get special menus, standalone events and a full list of participants at www.misfitsobx. com. • Nothing warms the heart like choosing a handmade gift — unless it’s a good holiday deed. Find out firsthand, Nov. 21, when Town of Manteo’s Merry Market collects grub and garb for the Manteo Police Department’s Food & Coat Drive. 5-8pm. Learn more at www.manteonc.gov. • Then head to KDH’s Aviation Park for Nov. 22’s First Flight Holiday Market. From 10am-2pm, roughly 50 regional vendors roll out everything from sweets and ceramics to photos and jewelry. Can’t make it? Circle back on Dec. 19 from 3-7pm to swoop up all your last-minute prezzies. Follow Facebook for details. • And you got three chances to crash the Soundside Holiday Market Series — Nov. 23, Nov. 30 & Dec. 14 — where the lawn is a Christmasy clatter of 70-plus vendors from 12-4pm — plus tasty food trucks, festive music and kids’ games, and selfies with celebs like Santa Claus, Buddy the Elf (13pm) and The Grinch (3-4pm). (PS: keep Dec. 7 & Dec. 20 on standby in case of weather delays.) Visit www.soundsidemarket.com for the latest. • Hallelujah! On Nov. 23, Dare County’s Youth Orchestra and the Outer Banks Messiah Chorus team up to perform Handel’s Messiah at St. Andrews by the Sea Episcopal Church. Technically free, but DCYO donations appreciated. Find updates on Facebook • How did 1850s Roanoke Islanders handle Thanksgiving feasts? Find out Nov. 25-26, when Island Farms’ Garden to Hearth shows how to preserve vegetables, smoke fish, make candles, and more. Plus, freshly harvested sweet potatoes and fall greens will be available for purchase. 9am-3pm. $11 for ages 4 and older. Get deets at www.obcinc.org. • On Nov. 26, chug on over to Outer Banks Brewing Station, where the Tipsy Turkey Beer Mile mixes 10 oz. drafts, 1/4-mile dashes and creative costumes to make for one hell of a holiday warm up. Late registration from 1010:45am; 11am start. Sign up at www.obxrunning.com • Then it’s off to the rest of the

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“Everything must glow!” when WinterLights returns to Elizabethan Gardens, Nov. 21-Dec. 30. Photo: Wes Snyder

Thanksgiving races on Nov. 27! Maybe start up at Whalehead, where the Thanksgiving Day 5K/1-Mile & Fun Run kicks off at 8am. (Same day sign-ups from 6:30-7:45am; more at www.obxrunning.com.) • Or bolt down to Avon, where the annual Surfin’ Turkey 5k & Puppy Drum Fun Run raises funds for the Hatteras Island Youth Education Fund. (8am start; sign up at www.hatterasyouth.com.) • And in-between, Nags Head’s Gobbler 5k & Fun Run waddles around town to support the Outer Banks Relief Foundation. 8am. (Register by Nov. 24 at www.barrierislandgroup.com.) • The bad news? Registration’s done for the Duck Turkey Trot 5K. The good news? You can still join the pack at Wed. eve’s Packet Pickup Party at the Duck Dive Bar, or the finish line after-party at Treehouse Coffee. Find times and deets at www.fftrackclub.org. • Then a full weekend of holiday fun awaits a ferry ride away at Ocracoke Island’s Turkey Trot (Nov. 27), Historic Home Tour and Parade of Boats (Nov. 28), and Holiday Gift Market (Nov. 29). More at www.visitocracokenc.com. • And a cornucopia of locally made, one-of-a-kind gifts spills into Cape Hatteras Secondary School when the Hatteras Island Arts & Craft Guild Holiday Show returns Nov. 28-29. 10am-3pm. Follow Facebook for updates. • Or stuff your ears with some tasty beach music when The Embers play a Black Friday concert at the Pioneer Theatre, Nov. 28. Boogie over to www.thepioneertheater.com for tix and deets. • Nags Head’s Kitty Hawk Kites is your holiday headquarters for family fun, Nov. 28-29, as Hangin’ With Santa lets kids test drive new toys and take selfies with St. Nick both Fri. (10am-2pm) and Sat. (1-4pm). Then come back Sat. eve when Kites With Lights decorates the sky over our favorite dune from 4-7pm; and the Jockey’s Ridge State Park Solar Christmas Tree sparks to life at 5pm. More at www.kittyhawk.com • And the whole beach glows with oversized displays — and maybe a few red noses — when the 12 Bars of Christmas magically transforms a dozen favorite taverns into tacky AF holiday bars. From Nov. 28-Dec. 31, various themed venues like the Christmas Vacation Station (aka the Brew Pub), Mama Klaus’, Jack Frost’s, Goombrrrs, and others — serve special dishes and drinks while patrons purchase and fill their passports, and proceeds support twelve local non-profits, like the Beach Food Pantry, Interfaith Community Outreach and Surfing for Autism. Find participants and special events at www.12barsofchristmas.com. • The holiday hijinks carry on in Corolla, Nov. 28-29, as Fri.’s 10th Annual Christmas Craft Village covers the Whalehead lawn with local vendors selling treasured items from crafts to baked goods from 11am-4pm. Then stroll over to the Corolla Village Holiday Market Fri. & Sat., where the holiday cheer continues with more artists, twinkling lights, carols by WEVS’ students, and more, from 4-8pm. Full details await at northernouterbanks.com. • Forget Christmas! Let’s talk about the Currituck Beach Lighthouse 150th Birthday Celebration! Start out Nov. 29 at Corolla’s Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, where the one-man show, “Augustin Fresnel: Through A New Lens,” explores how the inventor’s revolutionary tech changed maritime navigation. 4pm. On Nov. 30, enjoy a repeat performance at 11am, followed by a 2pm Nature Walk with the Corolla Wild Horse Fund. And Dec. 1 is the official all-day party with Free Climbs from 11am-4pm, followed by toasts, cake and sparklers. Remember: every donation supports another century-and-ahalf of preservation work. Even better, purchase a season pass! Learn more at www.obcinc. org. • On Nov. 29, shop ’til you drop — or ’til DJ Cowboy drops the bass — when the 13th Annual Outer Banks Entrepreneurs Holiday Bazaar fills Comfort Inn South with a head-spinning selection of 50+ vendors, plus plenty of door prizes and seasonal tunes. 9am-4pm. See Facebook for updates. • Or head to Nov. 29’s Dowdy Park Holiday Market, where crafters, bakers, artisans, and more do a brisk outdoor business from 9am12pm (with a repeat performance on Dec. 13). And come back that eve from 4-7pm, when the Nags Head Tree Lighting Ceremony warms up the season with cocoa, carols, Kris Kringle, and firepits. Follow their Facebook page for vendors and more. • “Less shopping, more shucking!” That’s Sanctuary Vineyards’ battle cry Nov. 29, when The Big Currishuck busts out all-you-can-eat steamed oysters, BBQ and sides — plus a non-stop supply of live tunes — all while sampling wines in a signature glass. 11:30am-4:30pm. Slurp up advance tix for $60 at www.sanctuaryvineyards.com. • Kids can pass the salt to St. Nick — while

The Outer Banks Restaurant Association’s

Photos: Edible Photography

endnotes

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peppering him with gift ideas and selfie requests — when they Dine With Santa at Blue Moon Beach Grill: Nov. 30 (12-2pm); Dec. 4 (5:30-7:30pm); Dec. 7 (12-2pm); Dec. 19 (5:30-7:30pm); and Dec. 21 (12-2pm). Reservations recommended, but walk-ins are welcome. Meanwhile, grown-ups can chillax with crafts and cabernets via two Design & Unwind Holiday Wreath Making Workshops: Nov. 30 (3pm) & Dec. 3 (5:30pm). $55. Rezzos required; food, beverages and gratuity not included. Get complete deets at www. bluemoonbeachgrill.com • Hungry for more Christmas camaraderie? And maybe some free takeout? Head to Dec. 2’s Hatteras Village Tree Lighting & Soup Dinner! Be at Hatteras Village Fire Dept. at 6pm to watch them spark the big tree, then skip over to the Community Building and snag soup, salad and dessert provided by the Hatteras Civic Association. Or get into the spirit on your own sweet time when the Holiday Trail Light Extravaganza spruces up Hatteras Village Park’s natural scenery with festive displays, Dec. 1-Jan. 4. For more info, email hatterasevents@yahoo.com • “Hark, the Nags Head anglers sing! Jennette’s Pier’s hours are shortening! From Dec. 1 ’til the end of Mar., you can only fish from morn ’til dark...” Or 9am-5pm, to be exact. (Ditto for sight-seeing.) Get the full score at www.jennettespier.net • Lose the rod, lace up your wheels, and join the Kill Devil Derby Brigade’s New Skater Nights at Aviation Park the first Tues. of every month. (That’s Dec. 2, Jan. 6, Feb. 3, & Mar. 3.) 6-8pm. 18+ only. No commitment required. Just bring skates, helmet, pads, and wrist guards. Some loaner gear is available in limited sizes. More info at www.killdevilderbybrigade.com. • Smile! On Dec. 5 & 6, the Baptist on a Mission Dental Van is rolling into Community Care Clinic of Dare’s Nags Head office to treat eligible residents’ teeth for reduced prices. (Call 252-261-3041 for details.) And don’t forget: many county residents and workers who lack insurance can get medical care every Mon.-Thurs., 9-4pm. Or, visit the Frisco Satellite Clinic the second and fourth Thurs.

of every month at the Dare County Department of Public Health. Check www.dareclinic. org for services and eligibility requirements. • Extra! Extra! NYC paperboys battle big publishers by breaking out into song when Cape Hatteras Secondary School Drama Department presents “Newsies: The Musical,” Dec. 5-7. (Fri. at 7pm; Sat. & Sun, 2pm & 7pm) Get advance tix at the Froggy Dog or the auditorium box office. Follow Facebook for updates. • And bird nerds yell “encore” for Wings Over Water, when the festival’s second act returns, Dec. 5-7, offering tours across six regional refuges to raise funds for the Coastal Wildlife Refuge Society. Find full descriptions at www.wingsoverwater.org. •

On Dec. 5 & 6, party like it’s 1849, when Island Farms’ Christmas Past shares old school traditions like candle making, ornament crafting, grapevine wreath making, and musket firing — plus fresh cider, sugar cookies and visits from an old-school Kris Kringle! 2-7pm. $11 for ages 4+. Learn more at www.obcinc. org. • The vintage vibes keep reverberating through Downtown Manteo at Dec. 5’s Tree Lighting Ceremony. From 6-8pm, the streets teem with warm carols, hot cocoa, festive cheer, and holiday music — such as the Tillett Sisters singing WWII-era harmonies behind Dare Arts. Come Sat., Dec. 6, the whole community gathers for the Manteo Christmas Parade’s procession of festooned floats, marching bands, holiday music, and more than a few emergency vehicles. See Facebook for updates.

• And if all that don’t give you the “warm and fuzzies,” be at the Pioneer Theatre, Dec. 6 (7pm) & Dec. 7 (2pm), when the Eric Mintel Jazz Quartet plays Vince Guaraldi’s songs from A Charlie Brown Christmas to ring out Dare Arts’ 50th Anniversary. Find tix at www.thepioneertheater.com. • Want to salute those who served this holiday season? Help the First Annual Wreaths of Honor project decorate Dare County veterans’ graves for the holidays on Dec. 6. Sign up or sponsor the program at www.darenc.gov/wreaths. • Or maybe spend your morning spit-shining sand, Dec. 6, when the NC Beach Buggy

Association hosts another Beach Clean Up at Ramp 23. 9am-12pm. Email Tom. Brueckner@ncbba.org for details. • Beach glass jewelry. Driftwood carvings. A cool coastal painting. Who knows what you’ll pick up at Swells’a Brewing on Dec. 6, when the 40th Annual Starvin’ Artist Party brings together top local creators and longtime fans for a collective showing of fresh works and community support. Keep tabs on Facebook for set times and participants. • The timeless traditions continue, Dec. 6, at the 15th Annual Duck Yuletide Celebration, where festivities include holiday treats, visits from Santa, a tree lighting, plus music by Sam on Sax and the First Flight High School Choir. (PS: for some dazzling mixed media displays, pop into Duck Town Hall during business hours to catch “Curious Currents” by Emily Holmes. Ends Jan. 22; find deets at www. ducknc.gov.) • Then, on Dec.6, get hooked on the Hammond B3

(5:30-7pm). Then Santa Visits KDH Library on Dec. 10 from 4:30-6:30pm. And come Dec. 12, chow down on pizza and spritz up a tree with Hatteras Holiday: An Old-Fashioned Christmas. (5-7pm.) Call your branch for details. • On Dec. 9, you can also find treats, movies and Santa at Aviation Park’s Wright Lights Illumination. 4-7pm. Follow Facebook for updates. • Heads up, nature lovers and science nerds! The next OBX Green Drinks will be Dec. 10 —that’s a Wed. — before returning to the usual “second Thurs.” for the rest of winter. (That’s Jan. 8, Feb 12. & Mar. 12.) But they’ll still provide the same trusty combo of engaging speakers and curious minds, while Waverider’s Coffee & Deli serves up tasty bevvies and grub. 6pm. Follow Facebook for updates. • Meddling kids make for holiday mayhem — and hilarious moments — when Theatre of Dare presents The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Based on a Young Adult best-seller,

“three jazzers jamming” when the Sam Fribush Organ Trio plays Hi-Vibe, Dec. 6.

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Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum’s Holidays on Hatteras, where kids can make ornaments and write letters to St. Nick — or just experience the analog fun of Victorian dollhouse displays and electric train sets. 12-5pm. (Go to www.graveyardoftheatlantic.com for more.) And come 2pm, the Hatteras Village Christmas Parade sends festive floats through the village, followed by hot chocolate and cookies as they crown the winning displays. (For more information, email hatterasevents@yahoo.com.) • Love a good light show? Dash over to Aviation Park the evening of Dec. 13, where the Holiday Hustle 5K & Elf Run mixes dazzling decorations with a jaw-dropping sunset. 4:30pm. Register at www.barrierislandgroup.com.

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Santa slings candy from a 4-stroke open sleigh at the Hatteras Village Parade on Dec. 13.

• Then it’s all about “boats and ho-ho-hos,” Dec. 13, as the Roanoke Island Yacht Club Holiday Flotilla does day-glo laps around Shallowbag Bay from 5:30-7:30pm (updates at www.roanokeislandyachtclub.com), while the Colington Yacht Club Holiday Boat Parade “decks the harbor” in floating LEDs at a TBD time. Learn more at www.colingtonyachtclub.com. • Looking for a way to lick winter boredom? The Outer Banks Stamp Club meets at Nags Head’s Grace Lutheran Church the second Sun. of every month — Dec. 14, Jan. 3, Feb. 8, & Mar. 8 — from 2:30-5pm. (PS: keep an eye out for their new display to support Outer Banks Health’s Thrive5 Project.) • On Dec. 17, pipsqueak thrill seekers chase peppermint prey at Dowdy Park’s Candy Cane Hunt. 5:306:30pm; open to ages 2-10. Follow Facebook for the latest. • But first, watch aviation pioneers get their annual props at Dec. 17’s 122nd Annual Celebration of the Wright

gokite milepost

Brothers’ First Flight! Just head to Wright Brothers National Monument at 9am for a full day of speeches, awards and educational programming — plus the ever-popular 10:35am flyover. Wallet feel light? No worries: admission is totally free! More at www. firstflight.org • That means the Candy Bomber must be buzzing about! At press time, details were still TBD, but expect this holiday tribute to Berlin Airlift hero Col. Gal Halverson to deliver chocolate bars to kids at Dare County Airport on one of the surrounding weekends. Watch the interwebs for a full itinerary. • On Dec. 18, get loopy on local spirits and regional cuisine at the Outer Banks Brewing Station’s Kill Devil Rum Pairing. (6pm.) And stick around, ’cause Trivia with Professor Jacob busts out brainteasers every Thurs. at 9:30pm. And don’t forget the other offseason antics happening each week, such as Sunday Brunch, Monday Lunch Box Specials, plus live bands or DJ every Fri. & Sat. Dig into www.obbrewing.com for deets. • All you want for Christmas is a break from the kids? Try Dec. 19’s Winter Wonderland at KDH Rec Park. From 6-10pm, ages 8-12 can make crafts, bake cookies and watch a holiday flick for only $5 a pop. But it’s limited to 20 tykes — and you gotta sign up by Dec. 15 — so you better register quick! Learn more at www.darenc.gov/winter • Salty bivalves, sick bands and a solid local turnout make for bushels of fun when the Shuck Hatteras Oyster Festival returns to Rodanthe KOA, Dec. 20. From 12pm-dark, artists and vendors cover the yard, live music fills the air, and everyone stuffs their bellies — with proceeds supporting the Chicamacomico Banks

OUTER BANKS FILM SOCIETY

Become A Member & Dare To See The World

Screening independent films, movie classics, documentaries, shorts, and world cinema.

WINTER 2026 FILM SCHEDULE

Jan 20: Lone Star

Feb. 3: Nickel Boys

Feb. 17: The Wedding Banquet

Feb. 24: Oscar® Nominated Documentary Shorts

Mar. 3: Oscar® Nominated Animated Shorts

Mar. 17: Between the Temples

Mar. 31: Member’s Selection

Presented by Jane Webster

SEASON

Films will be screened at 6:15pm on select Tuesdays at Dare Arts in Manteo, except for Feb. 24 which will be a public screening at The Pioneer Theater.

For more information or to purchase a membership, visit DareArts.org/filmsociety or scan the QR code.

Photo: Daniel Pullen

Fire & Rescue — making it everyone’s favorite winter rager. Keep tabs on Facebook for the lineup of music and arts. • And mountain jams make for merry memories, Dec. 20, when The Goodwin Brothers Christmas Show brings downhome melodies, 3-part harmonies and holiday spirit to Roanoke Island Festival Park. 7pm. Get tix and deets at www. bluegrassnights.com. • “Gimme Shelter” is more than just a song request — it’s a mission — on Dec. 21, when the Grateful Friends Benefit Concert plays Grace Lutheran Church to shore up Room in the Inn. 4pm. (Technically free, but every donation supports the cause.) Call 252-955-0706 with questions. • Then “Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy” on Dec. 22, when The Tams shag back into the Pioneer Theater with their timeless blend of beach music, smooth soul and R&B. Score tix and deets at www. bluegrassnights.com. • It’s gonna be one “Silent Night” if you don’t choose the right gift — like, pronto! Don’t worry: Dec. 24’s KDH Cooperative Gallery’s Annual Man Sale stands ready to help clueless dudes pick the perfect gift or art piece for that special someone. They’ll even wrap your present while you crack a cold one! 10am-2pm. More at www.obxlocalart.com. • Hear ye! Hear ye! On Dec. 27, celebrate the endeth of the holiday season at Roanoke Island Festival Park’s Twelfth Night Activity Day, where activities include black powder demos, carols on the Queen Elizabeth II, archery practice, scavenger hunts, and more. 9am-4pm. (PS: Be sure to pop inside the ticket office any Tues.-Sat., 9am-5pm, to catch their free traveling exhibit — Waves Break: Surfing in Northeastern North Carolina — before it kicks out at the end of the year.) Visit www.roanokeisland.com for a full calendar. • On Dec. 31, drop anchor at Downtown Manteo’s New Year’s Eve Party, where kids enjoy games and activities, adults dance to a DJ and live music, fireworks blast at 8pm, and the QEII lights up at midnight as we sail into 2026. 6pm-12am. See www. manteonc.gov for the latest. • Drydocked in Duck? Head to the Swells’a Duck Dive New

Year’s Party, where you can howl with the Yacht Dogs from 6-10pm and still catch a crazy Crab Pot Drop with Mark Copeland. Follow @duckdivebar for updates. • Or race into the New Year with Tortuga Lie’s 36th Annual Running of the Turtles! No need to sign up for this unofficial 5K, just arrive ’round 9:30-9:45pm, and be ready to bolt at 10pm. (Dress accordingly; head lamp or a flashlight recommended.) And heads up: the restaurant’s staying open all winter — except maybe on Wed. Stay on track by following their Facebook page. • Better run fast! You don’t wanna miss Outer Banks Brewing Station’s New Year’s Eve Party, where DJ Smilez starts spinning beats ’round 10:30pm, the balloons and champagne drop at midnight, and everybody boogies ’til the break of dawn. (Or at least 2am.) More at www.obbrewing.com. • You’ll have to wait ’til Jan. 3 to say, “Happy 40th birthday!” to the Frisco Native American Museum. (From Jan. 1-Mar. 31, they’re only open Sat. & Sun.,10am-5pm.) But stay tuned for details on celebratory events at www.nativeamericanmuseum.org. • Every Sat. in Jan. is a reason to celebrate at Sanctuary Vineyards Chowder & Chill(i), where hot bands, liquid food, and luscious wines flow to keep the winter mood sizzling. 12-3pm. Tix and deets at www.sanctuaryvineyards.com. • Drop a few buttons and snag some yarn — it’s all part of Dare County Libraries’ Craft Supply Swap, Jan. 6-10. Here’s how it works: donate your unwanted thread, stamps, paints, and other supplies at any location, Mon.-Thurs, 10am-3:30pm. Come Thurs. afternoon, a Donor Preview provides first dibs on free supplies from 4-5:30pm, before Fri. & Sat.’s Community Pick Up Days open things to the public. (Call your branch with any questions.) • Just when you thought the holidays were done, up pops Old Christmas! This year’s flashback to the Julian calendar takes place Jan. 10 at the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Center Expect an oyster roast, oyster shoots, live music — maybe a grudge match — before Old Buck busts down the door! Follow the digital grapevine for deets. • Then green thumbs get

ROANOKE ISLAND FESTIVAL

PARK - MANTEO, NC

LOBBY & CONCESSIONS OPEN AT 6PM

THEATER DOORS OPEN AT 6PM

CONCERT STARTS 7PM

UPCOMING CONCERTS

THE GOODWIN BROTHERS

CHRISTMAS SHOW

Saturday, December 20, 2025

SCYTHIAN

Sunday, March 15, 2026

Following the Kelly’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade!

APPALACHIAN ROAD SHOW

Saturday, March 28, 2026

THE BROTHERS COMATOSE

Saturday, April 25, 2026

a hand from local landscaping experts — live and on Zoom — when the Library Garden Series Winter 2026 returns to KDH Library: Jan. 14 & 28; Feb. 11 & 25; and March 11 & 25. 11am-12pm. Learn more at www.darenc.gov/enrichment. • Got a high school senior seeking to continue their education? Outer Banks Community Foundation Scholarship Workshops will be coming to all three libraries to help with the application process for dozens of shots at free dough from 4-year schools to boatbuilders to nursing and more. Have your student talk to their counselors, then apply between Jan. 9 & Mar. 2. Go to www. obcf.org for details. • Smart brides and grooms know to spend Jan. 16-18 scoping out the best in caterers, photogs, DJs, and venues at the 2026 Wedding Weekend Expo. March over to www. obxwa.com for all the specs on this 3-day affair, from Fri.’s Welcome Party to Sun.’s Self-Guided Tour. • Rather hear a married couple make beautiful music together? Be at First Flight High on Jan. 17, when the Outer Banks Forum for the Lively Arts’ “Broadway in Love” brings in a husband-and-wife team of former performers to share memories, humor, and songs from Wicked, The Sound of Music and more. 7pm. Get tix and deets on the season’s shows — including Feb. 21’s Forever Simon and Garfunkel: A Tribute — by visiting www.outerbanksforum.org

• Even better, watch real-life locals light up the stage — or see if you can steal the spotlight — when OBX Got Talent returns to the Pioneer Theater, Jan. 17, Feb. 21 & Mar. 21. Find times and details at www.thepioneertheater.com.

• From Feb. 6-28, visual artists get their turn to shine at Dare Arts’ 48th Frank Stick Memorial Arts Show — the area’s most prestigious juried exhibit. Come out to the opening night reception, from 6-8pm, you can meet the artists while checking out new mixed media works by Heidi Peelen. More at www.darearts.org. • Savor some quality time with salty folk and tasty seafood when the NC Coastal Federation’s Hatteras Island Oyster Roast returns to Oden’s Dock, Feb. 7, 1-4 pm. Just be sure to get your tix when they go online in early Jan. Crack into www.nccoast.org for the latest. • Then “be careful what you wish for” when Theater of Dare presents Into the Woods. This Tony award-winning musical by Steven Sondheim sets various Brothers Grimm characters off on a magical journey where not all the twists and turns have happy endings. Feb. 13, 14, 19, 20, & 21 at 7:30pm; Feb. 15 &22 at 2pm. (PS: wanna play a role? Auditions are Dec. 5 & 6 at 7pm.) Buy tix at www. theatreofdareobx.com. • Come Valentine’s Day, Prince Charmings and Cinderellas chase each other around Sanctuary Vineyeards — then post up for a romantic afterparty of chocolate and vino — at Feb. 14’s 9th Annual Love on the Run 5K. 9am-1pm; late registration from 7:30-8:45am. More at www.obxrunning.com. • And the good times keep rollin’ at Sanctuary Vineyards, Feb. 15, when the Cajun Occasion Mardi Gras Celebration mixes Dixieland music with creole cuisine for one spicy afternoon. 12pm. Scoop up tix at www.sanctuaryvineyards.com.• Are you an athlete or an artist of a certain age (i.e. 50+)? Wanna test your mettle? And maybe win a medal? Sign up for 38th Annual Dare County Senior Games & Silver Arts starting Feb. 17 — then be ready to rumble

Apr. 18-May 8. Deets at www.darenc.gov/seniorgames. • Then twinkly displays make for astronomical rewards on Hatteras Island at Feb. 21’s Starry Nights! Start at the Hatteras Village Community Building and Fire Station, where kids enjoy a portable planetarium plus space-themed snacks, crafts, and games from 1:30-4:30pm. Then head to the Civic Center from 5-6:30pm for soup and bread before hitting the beach for guided stargazing. Enlighten yourself further by emailing hatterasuninterrupted@gmail.com. • Why’s it gotta be about race? Find out Feb. 28, when Museum of the Albemarle celebrates our region’s diverse history of high-speed thrills with Race What You Bring: Racing in Northeastern North Carolina — a 3-year exhibit covering every kind of vehicle, from hobby cars to lawnmowers, greyhounds to surfboards. Learn more at www.museumofthealbemarle.com. • Headed that way? Make a pit stop along the Elizabeth City Trail, where inspired language and natural scenery intersect to create the Poetry On the Trail exhibit, including works by our staff scribe, Sarah Downing! Get the word at www. poetryonthetrail.org • Then it’s inland creators’ turn to invade, Mar. 6-28, when Dare Arts’ Vault Gallery features works by Pocosin Arts — with a special opening night reception from 6-8pm. (Stay tuned for more TBD First Friday events.) More at www.darearts.org. • On Mar. 6-7, fly south for the Hatteras Village Waterfowl Festival, where Fri. eve.’s Fin, Feather & Bourbon Social pairs small plates and local seafood. (Tix: $75) Come Sat., it’s a flockin’ freefor-all of decoy carvers, artists, live raptor demos, duck calling competitions, and more. Visit www. hatterasonmymind.com for the latest. • Can’t wait to start the St. Patty’s shenanigans? Line up behind the Outer Banks Brewing Station, Mar. 7, for the Outer Banks Beer Mile, where a mix of 10 oz. drafts, 1/4-mile sprints and emerald costumes make for one wild kick-off. 2pm start. Check in from 1-1:45pm. Learn more at www. obxrunning.com • Then bolt straight to Sanctuary Vineyards’ Leprechaun on Mar. 14, where live Celtic music, traditional Irish lunch, green wines, and local beer make for a hoppin’ good St. Patrick’s Party. 12-3pm. Skip over to www. sanctuaryvineyards.com for tix. • Take a break from the green beers for some gourmet food as Taste of the Beach takes place Mar. 1315, delivering specialized menus and pairings from Duck to Hatteras. Stay tuned to www. obxtasteofthebeach.com for a full menu of events. • Come Mar. 15, expect lots of red, white and blue floats to pour down the Beach Road, as Nags Head’s 35th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade helps Dare A250 celebrate our nation’s big bisesquicentennial. Festivities start at 1pm near Bladen St., then march north for a mile or so. Learn more — or register your float — at www.kellysobxcatering.com. • Then Celtic, Eastern European and Appalachian traditions converge inside Festival Park, Mar. 15, when Scythian plays at 7pm. More at www.bluegrassnights.com • And, finally, make this a historic year for your garden by heading to Colerain, Mar. 21, where the grand opening of Bertie County Seeds will feature heirloom seeds for veggies, herbs and flowers, plus food vendors and live music. 10am-6 pm. Find kernels of info at www.bertiecountyseeds.com. question

Sam Ray’s “Metamorphosis” won People’s Choice at the 2025 Frank Stick Memorial Arts Show. See new works evolve at Dare Arts’ most prestigious show, Feb. 6-28.