It was a tough going these last two weeks of March on Ocracoke.
Two coastal storm systems brought heavy rain, high winds and dangerous surf. The ferries had to suspend their service and NC12 at the north end of Ocracoke was shut down due to dangerous road conditions with severe overwash and sand on the road.
Two runs a day on each of the longer Pamlico Sound rounds were cut due to shoaling in Big Foot Slough. All of this hampered the movement of supplies and visitors during the Easter holiday, which came early this year. The end of March can typically still see stormy weather.
But NCDOT crews worked tirelessly, and the agency issued a surprise announcement Friday afternoon that NC12 on Ocracoke was open and Hatteras Inlet ferry service would resume. This was sooner than expected.
It got better. Saturday morning brought sunny skies and a nice breeze helped evaporate much of the water in the village’s standing puddles.
The morning pancake breakfast and Easter egg hunt at the Ocracoke United Methodist Church brought out the adults and kids who found 1,800 eggs in record time.
The Ocracoke Preservation Society’s 10th Annual Ocracoke Through Your Eyes silent Art Auction drew a crowd and Ocracoke Alive’s concert at the Deepwater Theater, featuring The Dancing Fleas, who had taught at the Ocracoke School for Arts Week, went on.
The next day, folks gathered at dawn at Lifeguard beach for the annual Easter Sunrise Service with Pastor Tim Lynch (Life Saving Church) and Logan Jackson (United Methodist Church) and music by Desiree Christa Adams.
Carolina wrens, Northern Mockingbirds and Eastern Towhees were singing up a storm – let us rephrase that — were singing the praises of a beautiful spring morning with hopes of attracting a mate.
Anyone traveling to and from the Hatteras ferry terminal would see that the Ocracoke NCDOT road crew was hard at work bolstering the battered sandbags on an Easter morning. These dry, sunny days with seasonably early spring temperatures and a pleasant breeze were uplifting.
Yes, it has been rough, but as the saying for March, “In like a lion, out like a lamb” came true, the lamb just barely made it out.
