The Ocracoke Express pulls into Silver Lake harbor. Photo: C. Leinbach
HATTERAS – The Ocracoke Express passenger ferry between Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands resumed service today (Aug. 3) with the 1 p.m. departure from Hatteras.
The passenger-only ferry had been out of service since July 27 with mechanical issues. Passengers may once again make reservations for the Ocracoke Express online at www.ncferry.org or on the phone at 1-800-BY-FERRY.
Regular departures from Hatteras are at 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4:30 p.m., with departures from Ocracoke’s Silver Lake Harbor at 11 a.m., 3 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.
Passenger ferry service is a seasonal supplement to the vehicle ferries, which continue to take people between Hatteras and the north end of Ocracoke Island.
What is that thing? It’s a Tekniam wireless internet module atop the Pirates Chest in a pilot project for Ocracoke.
Text and photo by Connie Leinbach
Two power outages in the spring and another over the weekend that knocked out internet cell service and phone land lines got some locals rattled enough to rally.
The first two outages (reported online) resulted when fiber cables were accidentally cut during repairs in two different locations in Dare County. A lightning strike on the island caused the one over the weekend.
Ocracoke’s county commissioner Randal Mathews is among those who concerned about losing the ability to call 911 in these situations.
“The landline is our lifeline,” Mathews said, adding that fiber optic cables are buried several feet underground. “The fiber optic cable is buried deep enough so that pushing sand around or whatever is usually not an issue.”
But it was an issue as NCDOT workers severed these cables while moving sand around near Mirlo Beach after extended nor’easters in May overwashed NC 12.
After these events, Mathews and others investigated a new company that’s offering wireless service so that if fiber cables are accidentally severed, the island isn’t entirely without communication.
Wireless service from Tekniam, based in Lenexa, Kansas, is now in a trial stage in a small area of Ocracoke village. If the trials in this first phase are successful, Tekniam will be a third internet choice for islanders following CenturyLink and Starlink services.
In this pilot project, distribution modules have been installed in five businesses operating immediately adjacent Irvin Garrish Hwy., extending from the Community Center to Silver Lake Drive, and to the Back Rd. and Sunset Drive intersection.
These are hidden networks now during this trial phase, Mathews said, so it’s not open to the public.
The businesses in the trial are trying out this technology for their point of sales devices, he said. It’s not for video streaming.
Hyde County is using $100,000 it received from the American Recovery Program Act to match CenturyLink’s fiber expansion in Swan Quarter and Engelhard. But the rest of Hyde County mainland may not benefit because of the expense these companies incur to lay fiber cable through large distances.
Moreover, the companies can’t install new cable on Ocracoke because of the logistics involved in laying new underground cables throughout the village.
Because it is wireless, Tekniam’s new technology would be perfect for a small area like the village of Ocracoke.
“This is the pilot project for Tekniam,” Mathews said. “They want this to work so they can show it and demonstrate this technology.”
Hyde County Hotline, which helps domestic violence victims, has scheduled a gala fundraiser the evening of Nov. 4 in Martelle’s Feed House restaurant in Engelhard.
The event will include two live bands, Cooper Greer at 6 p.m. and Spare Change at 7:30 p.m. DJ Julio Morales will provide tunes between bands.
There will be a tent for a silent auction that open most of that day so that even if you can’t make it to the feature event you can purchase tickets online:
The group also is looking for donations of money and/or silent auction items.
To donate, contact their advocacy office at 252-925-2502, Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Hyde County Hotline, Inc. works to eliminate domestic abuse and sexual victimization and to provide safe shelter in Hyde County through the collaborative efforts of a compassionate community. They promote dignity, respect and safety at home resulting in safer communities.
The proceeds will assist those affected by DV, SA, and HT with comprehensive services, including court and medical advocacy, support counseling, safe shelter, job training, education assistance and other services as they begin their journey free from abuse.
The island’s Independence Day fireworks, launched from the end of the NPS parking lot on July 2, were suspended briefly when one misfired and landed in the marsh. OVFD firefighters, who are always on the scene for the fireworks, quickly extinguished the fire and the show went on. Photo by the OVFD
By Connie Leinbach
Chatter in July on an island Facebook page centered on several thefts, albeit minor, still annoyances to the property owners.
Yet these incidents were not reported to the Hyde County Sheriff’s Office.
“We don’t monitor Facebook,” said Capt. Joe Smith of the Ocracoke office. “If there’s a theft, they need to report it and we’re more than happy to take their report.”
Reporting for the period of June 16 to July 15, Smith said he responded to complaints one night in July that kids were yelling while driving around in a golf cart. There were reports of five bikes stolen (later found) that night and a flag off someone’s porch, also later found down the road, he said.
“I chased those kids all over the island that night and never found them,” he said.
The next night someone threw a liquor bottle through a car windshield and later, someone threw a full beer bottle at the back windshield of another car, he said.
Both windshields were broken and listed as damage to property. Smith thinks it was the visitor kids since the shenanigans stopped after that week.
Smith also reported the following: Three calls about dogs barking; 27 traffic stops, eight lost-and-found properties and five accidents.
Five “disturbances” involved arguments between neighbors or tourists at businesses and two parking complaints.
Smith said deputies are still having an issue with motorists exceeding the 20-mph island-wide speed limit.
While four noise disturbances of loud music at homes were called in, Smith said they have stopped responding to loud music calls.
“There’s nothing we can do,” he said about the lack of a noise control ordinance.
As for his first July 4 holiday on the island, Smith, who joined the force earlier this year, said the events went well.
“There appeared to be a large number of people on the island for the holiday and everything went well for our office with only a few minor calls,” he said, “which are to be expected with a large number of people.”
Although last month he reported that a fifth deputy would be hired, that fell through when the new person decided to find another position because he could not find housing.
“The housing situation is tough here,” he said. “When people find out the problems with housing they don’t want to come here.”
An update from Sundae Horn, the Ocracoke Fig Festival coordinator
New this year: A category just for pairing Ocracoke figs with Ocracoke seafood at the 9th Annual Ocracoke Fig Festival Aug. 4 to 6.
This year, there are four award categories:
Traditional Ocracoke Fig Cake Recipe (You can find the traditional recipe in local cookbooks, or at www.ocracokepreservation.org.
Traditional ingredients are limited to flour, sugar, oil/butter/margarine, eggs, pecans/walnuts, fig preserves, milk/buttermilk, vanilla and salt/spices. A sugar glaze or buttermilk frosting is also acceptable.
Innovative Dessert (Anything goes, as long as it’s sweet and figgy.)
Fig Kids (Anything goes, as long as it’s figgy – and the cook is 16 or under.)
NEW for 2022: Fish ‘n’ Figs (Creative pairings of Ocracoke figs and Ocracoke seafood)
Sundae Horn, Ocracoke Fig Festival coordinator. Photo: P. Vankevich
Enter in one or all categories; cakes are judged on Presentation, Traditional/Innovative Flavors, and “Figginess.”
No need to sign up ahead of time. Deliver your uncut Fig Cake entry to the Berkley Barn between 8 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 6. Fig Festival volunteers will get your information and assign a number to your cake for the blind judging. If you’d like to share your recipe, please bring a copy. All Bake-Off entries become the property of Ocracoke Fig Festival and will be served to festival attendees after the judging.
This year, the Fig Festival welcomes a special guest: restaurateur and 2022 James Beard Foundation “Best Chef in the Southeast” award-winner Chef Ricky Moore of Saltbox Seafood Joint in Durham. Chef Ricky will judge the Fish ‘n’ Figs category and join Ocracoke residents in judging the Traditional, Innovative, and Kids entries.
Fig cakes go on display at 11 a.m. and judging begins at 11:30 a.m.; winners are announced as soon as the judges make their choices. The audience is welcome to join in the Fig-For-All (the eating of the entries) after the Bake-Off is over.
The Fig Cake Bake-Off is the main event of the Fig Festival – a three-day celebration of Ocracoke’s love affair with sweet and delicious figs.
The fun begins Thursday afternoon with a Porch Talk at the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum at 1 p.m. Chester Lynn, Ocracoke’s fig expert, will give a presentation about the island’s many fig tree varieties, the fruit they bear, and how Ocracokers like to eat them.
Friday’s special event is a book signing with Chef Ricky at the OPS Museum from 3 to 5 pm. Bring your well-loved copy from home or buy one at the OPS Museum Gift Shop. Be in line by 4:30 to guarantee a chance to meet Ricky.
Enjoy performances by local musicians including Molasses Creek and Raygun Ruby. Beer, wine, and soft drinks will be available to purchase 3 to 11pm. Dive for the Oyster and Dig for the Clam when you join in the traditional Ocracoke Square Dance Friday evening.
The annual Fig Preserve Tasting Contest begins at 3 p.m. on Friday and offers festival-goers a chance to sample several varieties of fig preserves and vote for their favorites. (Tasting tickets are $3 each.) Anyone can enter Fig Preserves in the two categories: Traditional or Innovative (including combinations with other fruits). Drop off your entry at OPS Museum before 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5.
Saturday kicks off at 10 a.m. with vendor booths and a silent auction. Fig Cakes (and other entries) will go on display at 11 a.m.
Following the Bake-Off on Saturday, the Barn will be busy inside and out with vendor booths (selling all things fig-tastic), live music from local musicians, information from fig experts, crafts for kids, and a Q & A with Chef Ricky.
Beer, wine, and soft drinks will be available to purchase from 1 p.m. till midnight. Come out and enjoy a dance with the Ocracoke Rockers.
The Ocracoke Express passenger ferry has been suspended since July 27 due to a mechanical issue. Per the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), pre-paid passengers who made reservations are being notified and refunded.
“It seems to be an electronics issue with the water jets, which control the steering on the ferry,” said Tim Hass, NCDOT communications officer. “We are having a tech from the manufacturer, Thrushmaster, assist us with the repairs.”
At this time, there is not a timeline for when passenger ferry service will resume. The Ocracoke/Hatteras vehicular ferry is running its normal summer schedule with no interruptions.
Edgar Howard’s gravestone on Howard Street receives lots of coins. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
Originally published in August 2022
By Philip Howard
Historic Howard Street, a one-lane, unpaved road on Ocracoke, has a number of family cemeteries along it, and some of the graves date to the early 1800s.
Visitors to the island often visit the cemeteries to read the epitaphs to glean a bit of island history, and they have come into Village Craftsmen to ask about the significance of coins left on the headstones.
My parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great grandparents, as well as other more distant relatives, are buried across the street, and placing coins on tombstones is not a traditional local custom.
For millennia, human beings have decorated graves with flowers, shells, stones, feathers, candles and other items.
The modern practice of leaving coins on tombstones apparently has its origin with the military, and this can be seen on the graves at the British Cemetery.
According to posts shared on social media, different coins convey different messages.
Penny – A penny left at a gravesite means you visited there. It is simply a way to honor a departed service member.
Nickel – A nickel indicates you trained with the deceased.
Dime – A dime left on a tombstone means you served with the deceased person in his or her unit, company, ship, etc.
Quarter – A quarter indicates you were with the deceased when he or she died.
On nonmilitary headstones coins, especially pennies, are favored by those who wish to demonstrate that the deceased has not been forgotten.
Pebbles on gravestones: These stones signify that the deceased was visited, mourned for, respected, supported and honored by the presence of those who’ve visited their memorial.
The Hebrew word for pebble is also a word that means “bond.” Placing a stone on the headstone bonds the deceased with the visitors.
There is no official protocol for leaving coins on tombstones, and the practice has clearly extended beyond honoring just military members as, in some locations, family members have begun honoring their loved ones by placing coins on graves.
For many years Ocracoke islanders decorated graves with flowers and shells, but as mentioned, placing coins on tombstones is not a time-honored Ocracoke Island tradition.
Most of the people buried on Howard Street did not serve in the military.
Even those who did (including members of the U.S. Life Saving Service and U.S. Coast Guard) may not have military markers.
And most, if not all, of the coins seem to have been left by island visitors, not by local family members.
Coins on Howard Street family cemeteries are used to help clean and maintain the graves.
Perhaps visitors simply wish to honor the many generations of sturdy islanders who have lived on this beautiful barrier island and endured storms, hurricanes, shipwrecks, and isolation from the mainland.
The coins left at the British Cemetery are periodically collected and used to fund the annual memorial ceremony.
Coins and rocks left on the crosses at the British Cemetery are an old European tradition that says, “I was here and I remember.” Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
Coins adorn the top of the Bedfordshire memorial at the British Cemetery. Photo: C. Leinbach
The Hyde County Board of Commissioners will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 1, in the Government Services Center in Swan Quarter and by video at the Ocracoke Community Center.
The public is welcome to attend in person and the meeting will also be live-streamed on the Hyde County Public Information Facebook page.
EMPLOYEE/ VOLUNTEER/ FRIEND OF HYDE COUNTY………………………… Manager Noble
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Public comments are a time for the public to make comments to the county commissioners. Comments should be kept to three minutes or less and comments should be directed to the entire board and not to individual members, the staff or to other members of the public. Comments requesting assistance will typically be referred to the county manager for follow up or for board action at a future meeting.
ITEMS OF CONSIDERATION
Appointments
Clerk to the Hyde County Board of Commissioners…………………………………… Kris Cahoon Noble, Hyde County Manager
Swan Quarter Volunteer Fire Department Substation Contract…………………………. Kris Cahoon Noble & Jeffrey Stotesberry, Fire Chief Swan Quarter VFD
Leachville Bridge Replacement Community Impact Assessment……………………… Kris Cahoon Noble
Engelhard Sanitary District Force Main – Bid Tab Approval……………………………………….. Sara Teaster, Grant Administrator
Hyde County Health Department Master Fee Schedule FY 2023………………………………. Luana Gibbs, Health Director Hyde County
Approval For Pyrotechnics Class………………………………………………………………………….. Joey Williams, Chief Deputy Hyde County Sheriff’s Office
Statewide Mutual Aid Agreement…………………………………………………………………………. Joey Williams
Resilient Communities Project Budget Ordinance……………………………………………………… Sara Teaster
2022 Urgent Repair Program Project Budget Ordinance…………………………………………….. Sara Teaster
Purchase Order Amount Increase………………………………………………………………… Kris Cahoon Noble
NCACC Conference and Legislative Goals………………………………………………….. Kris Cahoon Noble
BUDGET MATTERS
1/23 – Health Department – Transferring funds from Patagonia Health to legal fees. Budget is not increased. No local appropriations required.
2/23 – Health Department – Transferring funds from Contract Wages to cover expenses for the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Program, per the Grant Deliverables. Budget is not increased. No local appropriations required.
MANAGMENT REPORTS
PUBLIC COMMENTS
ADJOURN
SUPPLEMENTALINFORMATION
Informational Items
NC Cooperative Extension Commissioner’s Report July 2022
Farms Under Threat 2040
Soil and Water Regional Newsletter
Letter Steinburg to Noble – Congratulations on GREAT Grant Award
Community Resource Day – Economic Improvement Council
Ocracoke figs–food, trees, preserves and more–will be on display Friday through Saturday during the Fig Festival at Berkley Barn and the Ocracoke Preservation Society, who is the sponsor. Above, fig trees for sale from Trudy Austin and John Simpson. Photo by Richard Taylor
Monday, Aug. 1 Hyde County Commissioners Meeting: Ocracoke Community Center and on Facebook at Hyde County Public Information, 6 pm
Fig Bread Class: Ocracoke Community Center, 9:30 a.m. to noon
Tuesday, Aug. 2 Ocracoke Preservation Society Porch Talk: Kids Kraft – Fig Painting, 1 pm
Thursday, Aug. 4 Ocracoke Decoy Carvers Guild: Ocracoke Community Center, 7-8 pm
The Breeze: Highway Miles, 9:30 pm
Ocracoke Oyster Company: Mike Norris, 7 pm
Bingo: Ocracoke Community Center. Doors open at 6 p.m.; games start at 6:30
Friday, Aug. 5
Ocracoke Fig Festival: Berkley Barn, 1 to 11 pm (See schedule below)
Ocracoke Oyster Company: Kate McNally, 7 pm
The Breeze: Gary Dudley & the Maxtones, 9:30 pm
Saturday, Aug. 6 Ocracoke Fig Festival: Berkley Barn, 9 am to 11 pm
Ocracoke Oyster Company: Brooke & Nick, 7 pm
The Breeze: Gary Dudley & the Maxtones, 9:30 pm
Sunday, Aug. 7 Ocracoke Oyster Company: Mike Norris, 7 pm
NPS Programs
Discovery Center hours open daily: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Ocracoke Lighthouse base open daily: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Twenty-minute talks are at 11 a.m. Monday to Thursday.
Shaping these Barrier Islands Monday to Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Wars, hurricanes, winds and ocean currents have all had impacts on the shores of Cape Hatteras.
Banker Ponies Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 9:30 a.m. at the pony pen.Meet the ponies who once roamed as a wild herd and learn about their living history on Ocracoke Island.
Bird Walk Every other Tuesday: Canceled: Aug. 2, Aug. 16 and 30, at 8:30 a.m. Meet winged residents of Ocracoke and those traveling the Atlantic Flyway. Binoculars are available. (60 minutes) Meet at the parking lot adjacent to the NPS Campground.
Mattamuskeet High School on the mainland is among the schools the Hyde County Board of Education oversees. Photo: C. Leinbach
Observer staff report
The Hyde County Commissioners voted Thursday night to fully fund the Hyde County Board of Education’s request for the 2022-2023 school year.
The commissioners voted 3-2 to approve an amendment to the budget to appropriate an additional $412,000 to the $1.3 million the Hyde County schools’ appropriation. The action restores a $400,000 cut from the county’s already-approved budget, which went into effect July 1.
Of the five county commissioners, Ben Simmons (Fairfield Township) and Shannon Swindell (Currituck Township) voted against it.
Hyde County Manager Kris Noble said the money would come out of the county’s fund balance, which is like a savings account for emergencies.
The vote concludes a mediation process that began on July 1 when Commissioner Chair Earl Pugh Jr. and Noble received a notice to reopen the funding of the schools via a mediation process.
A special meeting was convened at 8 a.m. July 4 for the two boards to approve a resolution authorizing their attorneys to recommend a mediator on whom both boards would agree, who was Benjamin G. Alford, a retired judge for the Second Division of the Superior Court.
The reduction to the education budget of $400,000 from the previous fiscal year was due to a current budget crisis, triggering the cut back, according to Noble.
In a meeting on June 6 between the Hyde County Commissioner Education Committee and the Board of Education, Noble said she explained the need to reduce funding and asked if the cut to the budget was acceptable.
Pugh, in the first open meeting on July 13, said that interim superintendent, Steven Blackstock, had said it could work. However, BOE Chair Angie Todd of Ocracoke clarified that Blackstock also said he couldn’t promise that amount would work without cutting services.
Pugh said that there was no further discussion between June 6 and the June 27 Hyde County budget approval meeting.
So, the commissioners were surprised on July 1 when they received the request to reopen the funding of the schools via a mediation process.
The amount of funding that Hyde County appropriates is roughly a little more than 20% of the overall education budget.
Most of the funds to administer the school are from the state Department of Public Instruction and from the federal government.
The BOE produced its FY 2021-2022 budget that ended on June 23 for the operation of Hyde County schools, which totaled $16.9 million.
The open meetings can be viewed on the Hyde County Public Information Facebook page.
