Sunday, June 21, 2026
Home Blog Page 134

The marathon woman of Ocracoke

0
Angie Todd, race director for the 2021 Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot and the Scallywag 5K/10K/half-marathon, always bestows medals on the runners. Photo: C. Leinbach

The Ocracoke Island Weekend Runfest 5K/10K/Half-marathon will be held April 23 & 24. Registration closes April 1. For details and to sign up, click here.

By Connie Leinbach

Angie Todd is looking to add the Six Star World Marathon Medal to her collection of marathon medals.

Angie, 43, owner of Angie’s Gym on Sand Dollar Road which opened in 2012, has been an exercise aficionado and guru since about 2009 when she decided to get in shape.

An epiphany experience with “turbo jam” led her into a new fitness regimen and then to teaching and to the establishment of her gym behind her house.

She ran her first half-marathon in 2012, then the second in 2014 when her husband, Andy, wanted to run one and she joined him.

“This is where I really got bit by the running bug,” she said.

She is on her way to earning the Six Star Medal bestowed by Abbott World Marathon Majors on runners who complete six world marathons – Chicago, New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Tokyo.

According to the Abbott website, Angie is among the five-star finishers, having run all but Tokyo.

Her first marathon (26.2 miles) was the Tobacco Road Marathon in Cary in 2016.  The Boston in 2018 was her fifth marathon, but her first World Major marathon.

She ran New York and Chicago in 2019 and ran Berlin and London last fall.

Angie Todd, left, awaits runners in the Scallywag 5K/10K race in November 2021. Islander Kitty Mitchell, right, helps monitor the finishers. Photo: C. Leinbach

Oh, and the Rome marathon, which isn’t part of the World Major Six but which had been rescheduled to the fall due to COVID-19. 

So that was three marathons in three weeks, Angie explained as she handed out medals to the 320-plus runners in Ocracoke’s Scallywag 5K/10K/half-marathon races Nov. 13 and 14, which also had been rescheduled. Then she ran the New York City marathon again early last November.

Brad Metcalf, 71, an island homeowner and triathlete who had just finished the 5K and was later named top runner in his 70-99 age bracket, was quizzing her about her marathon achievement.

“That’s crazy,” he said, as he cooled down. “Most don’t do four marathons in their lifetime let alone four in a month and under four hours each. She’s in the top 1 or 2% of the 1%.”

Angie later corrected Metcalf, however, and said the New York City marathon was three weeks after London. So, she actually ran four marathons in seven weeks.

Angie hadn’t planned to run three marathons in three weeks in Europe.

“COVID rescheduled everything,” she explained. “You never do three in a row with a week between each one. That’s not enough time to recover.”  

She had planned to train between each run.  “But I was in Rome and Berlin and London. So, I chose to sightsee instead,” she said.  

Angie ran the five world marathons in under four hours, clocking the 2019 Chicago marathon in 3:33.

“That was my fastest ever,” she said.

So far in her running career she’s run 14 marathons and hopes to repeat the Boston Marathon on April 18.

Brad Metcalf with his prize for his top 5K finish in his age group. Photo: C. Leinbach

Then the Scallywag 5K/10K half-marathon returns April 23 and 24 followed by the Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning.

To sign up for Runfest Weekend in April, online visit https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Ocracoke/OcracokeIsland10K5K.

When Angie trains for a marathon she runs 50 to 60 miles a week.

To get into these world marathons, which typically sport 30,000 runners, you must have fast run times, run for a charity or get chosen in a lottery.

“So, it’s hard,” she said.

She has already secured a spot for the sixth world marathon — Tokyo in 2023. Only Japanese natives may run this year because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

She hopes it will reopen internationally next year and after that, and after she logs 18 or 20 marathons, she will be done with marathons and will do half-marathons, which are 13.1 miles.

“That’s my favorite distance,” she said.

In addition to running her gym and her duties as race director for this yearly event that benefits Ocracoke’s community radio station WOVV 90.1 FM, Angie organizes the 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning.

Andy and her daughter, Catherine, also help her with the island races.

“She and Andy are my cheerleaders at the races I run,” she noted about her world travels.

Angie works fulltime at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) and recently was appointed chair of the Hyde County Board of Education.

Andy Todd, left, is one of Angie’s helpers for the Turkey Trot and the Scallywag races, all of which begin and end at 1718 Brewing Ocracoke. Photo: C. Leinbach
Angie Todd’s record on the Abbott World Marathon Majors website.

NPS seeks help catching perpetrators of vandalism at NPS restrooms

0
Example of vandalism at NPS restroom at the Ocracoke Discovery Center. NPS photo

Observer staff report

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore is seeking the Ocracoke community’s help in stanching recurring vandalism at the restrooms beside the Ocracoke Discovery Center.

Since last summer, law enforcement rangers discovered six separate acts of vandalism at the restrooms located across from the ferry docks in Ocracoke Village.

The Seashore now seeks tips from the public to help catch those responsible for the vandalism.

Dating back to Aug. 25, vandals have damaged handrails, toilets and door locks; ripped soap and toilet paper dispensers off walls; removed trash bags, soap, and toilet paper; thrown trash around the restrooms; and kicked in a restroom door and broke its frame.

In addition to these acts of vandalism, drug paraphernalia have been found inside the restrooms.

David Hallac, superintendent, National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, said in an interview that the first acts late last summer seemed related to the “Devious Licks” TikTok challenge in which students film themselves on the video app stealing and vandalizing items in public, particularly in schools.

“We don’t know that (the vandalism is) related to that, but certainly there are concerns that the vandalism was, or is, related to the TikTok challenge,” he said.

Hallac ruled out plans to install cameras at the bathrooms, which, basically, are left open all night.

“Do you really want a camera inside while you’re going to the bathroom?” he said. As for cameras at the entrances, “What if 10 people go in at night and the next morning we find vandalism. How do we know who did it? So that’s what makes it really hard.”

Hallac noted that this vandalism has prompted thoughts of possibly locking the restrooms at night.

“But that would be terrible to do because they’re serving as a primary restroom for most of the folks that are shopping in Ocracoke village, so we really don’t want to do that,” he said. “They’re also serving as restrooms for ferry passengers. The last thing you want to do in a case like this is penalize all of the upstanding folks that need to use the bathroom.”

Two of the restrooms that have been vandalized are behind the older bathrooms that are alongside the Discovery Center. The Park Service recently began renovating the older bathrooms, with an expected completion date at the beginning of May, but one of the doors to those was recently locked and the door kicked in.

“We appreciate the support of the Hyde County Sheriff’s Department and North Carolina Department of Transportation during the Seashore’s investigation of these crimes,” Hallac said. “While some of the acts of vandalism may seem minor, they cumulatively have led to a significant burden on maintenance staff and provide negative experiences for visitors to Ocracoke Island.”

Anyone with information that may help determine the individuals, circumstances and events that led to these acts of vandalism are asked to contact the National Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch (ISB). Call or text the ISB Tip Line at 888-653-0009 or submit a tip at www.nps.gov/isb.

The damaged restroom door frame caused by the door having been kicked in. NPS photo
These restrooms at the Ocracoke Discovery Center are undergoing renovation with an expected completion date of early May. Although two other bathrooms located behind these have been vandalized, these, too, have also been damaged. NPS photo

Frustrations mount as Hatteras Inlet dredging remains a waiting game

0
Current bucket-and-sand dredging north of Ocracoke Island. Photo: C. Leinbach

By Joy Crist of the Island Free Press. Reprinted by permission

There was little good news at the Dare County Waterways Commission meeting on Monday (March 14) as frustrations continued to simmer about the lack of immediate dredging and imminent solutions for the Hatteras Inlet.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers attempted a round of dredging in February, but was unsuccessful due to the shallow waters. “When the Merritt came in February, we originally tried going in there [to dredge], and we made a couple passes in the South Ferry Channel,” said Joen Petersen, the corps’ Chief of Floating Plan. “This tore up the rudder on the Merritt, so it had to go to the emergency shipyard.”

While a new survey of the South Ferry Channel will be ordered this week, at the moment, it is unlikely that there is enough water for the Merritt, the Corps’ sidecaster dredge, to be able to conduct dredging operations anytime soon.

“We can’t even get [on the hump] with the Merritt right now,” said Petersen. “We’ll, hopefully, get a new survey by Thursday, and, hopefully, get a new approach… [But] right now the water is not favorable to get in there and dredge, and conditions aren’t looking good to get in there and dredge this week.”

“People really need to be aware of the gravity of the situation, and how time-sensitive this opportunity for dredging is,” said Hatteras charter boat captain Brian Patteson at the meeting. “We’re where we were a year ago, and it’s a bad place to be. If we can’t get a channel in the next few weeks, it will be a serious financial hardship for [a lot of] people, on top of what they’ve already been through. We’ve been shut out down here for about two months, and it’s very disconcerting… Failure is not an option.”

Representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Ferry Division also said they were having issues getting through the inlet, and that it was causing interruptions or hardships to their operations.

“We are having trouble just like everyone else. We are not using the Hatteras Class ferries because of these issues,” said Catherine Peele, Planning and Development Manager for the NCDOT Ferry Division. “The point is that we need more dredging, and more room and better conditions.”

Bucket-and-sand dredging in Sloop Channel north of Ocracoke. Photo: C. Leinbach

Essentially, dredging is needed to make the channel deeper, but there is currently not enough depth to dredge, creating a seemingly insurmountable problem. However, the Waterways Commission brainstormed a potential short-term solution, and there are several long-term solutions in the works that will hopefully ease conditions by the summer.

For the short-term, commission members turned their attention to the ongoing bucket and barge dredging operation that is underway in the Sloop Channel north of Ocracoke Island. This is an emergency dredging project commissioned by the NCDOT to obtain more sand and rebuild the dunes on northern Ocracoke Island, while making this corner of the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry channel a little deeper.

Commission members hypothesized that if they could enlist the assistance of the bucket-and-barge dredge currently in Hatteras Inlet to “punch a hole” and open up a 50’ ft. wide and 300-400’ ft. long area, it could build a deep path that the Merritt could get through in order to dredge the South Ferry Channel.

Because this would require the contractor for the emergency dredging project to effectively take on a new project, even if it’s just for a short time, a permit modification would be required, and the NCDOT would need to give their permission, in addition to other factors that would make this temporary solution come to fruition.

“There are a lot of moving pieces,” said Ken Willson, the county’s consultant with Wilmington-based Coastal Protection Engineering. “The timing has to be right with the Merritt, the DOT has to be on board, and the contractor has to be able to get there, too, but it sure would be nice to be able to work this out to benefit the South Ferry Channel as well.”

Commission members are working with the contractor to see if the bucket-and-barge dredge will be able to work in the South Ferry Channel area, and are also discussing permitting and permissions with the associated agencies, including the NCDOT and Dare County.

“The fact of the matter is the [NCDOT] will get more sand cheaper if we can get that permit modification to allow them to work in the South Ferry Channel,” said Willson, referring to the sand needed to build the dunes along N.C. Highway 12 on northern Ocracoke Island.

For the long haul, the expected late June arrival of Dare County’s own dredge, Miss Katie, as well as the approval of the realignment of the Hatteras Ferry Channel, will likely make dredging easier in the future, assuming both projects are completed soon.

Much of mariners’ frustration in recent years has been directed at the fragmented regulatory status of the inlet’s passages – some federal, some state, some neither, some both. Realignment of the federal channel would help address these gaps. The Corps is in the process of adding language that will expand the areas included in the existing federal authorization, a long-sought revision that, until recently, was believed to be possible only through an act of Congress.

The approval of the realignment will also potentially allow dredging year-round, (unless revisions are made during the review process.) Locally, year-round dredging is a much-needed addition, as special permission is currently required to dredge outside of the approved window, which ends on March 31.

Rendition of the Miss Katie dredge

This realignment of Rollinson Channel that would include the South Ferry Channel and Sloop Channel in the federal authorization is still being reviewed by various agencies, and is currently being delayed by National Marine Fisheries Services, which told the Army Corps that they have concerns about how subaquatic vegetation is being addressed in the Environmental Assessment.

“I’m wondering if it’s important for the U.S. Coast Guard to access the ocean?” asked Commissioner Ernie Foster. “Allowing the Coast Guard to do their job may be [more important] than concerns about subaquatic vegetation.”

Per Petersen, despite the current delay, the Corps is “still trying to get this realignment squared away and signed in April.”

With the March 31 deadline to dredge on the horizon, Commissioner Natalie Kavanagh asked about being proactive and garnering permission to dredge outside the allowed window, in case the current conditions improved and April dredging was possible. Corps representatives said that, if needed, a release to dredge after March 31 would likely be able to be obtained within a week.

Meanwhile, as the commission explores the feasibility of enlisting the bucket-and-barge dredge for near-term dredging, and anticipates the arrival of Miss Katie and the approval of the channel realignment to provide long-term relief, safe navigation through Hatteras Inlet remains a waiting game.

“Brian [Patteson] has been taking his boat to Oregon Inlet, because he can’t get out of Hatteras,” said Chairman Steve “Creature” Coulter. “By the first of April, there will be a large fleet trying to run trips every day or every other day. We need to get something done, and we need to get it done quickly.”

“I know everyone is a little discouraged, as am I,” Coulter continued. “But maybe something will materialize with the bucket and barge dredging, or maybe we’ll get rid of some of this low tide we’re having right now, and that will help us out. We can hope.”

NPS seeks public comment on Ocracoke Light Station rehabilitation project environmental assessment

0
Ocracoke lighthouse
The National Park Service plans to rehab the Ocracoke lighthouse and Keeper’s Quarters and seeks public input. Photo: C. Leinbach

The National Park Service will hold two public meetings, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Monday, March 28, in the Berkley Barn, for public review and comment on an environmental assessment (EA) for the rehabilitation of the Ocracoke Light Station.

The same information and question-and-answer session will be presented at both meetings.

The public comment period ends April 13.

Last year, the NPS held a meeting to outline the repair needs of the lighthouse.

Buildings associated with the Ocracoke Light Station complex include the lighthouse, double keepers’ quarters, carpenter’s shop, store house, cisterns, privy, oil house and generator house. Built in 1823, the Ocracoke lighthouse is the oldest functioning lighthouse in North Carolina and the second oldest lighthouse still in service in the United States.

The Ocracoke Light Station rehabilitation project is needed because these historic structures were damaged from recent storms and, if the buildings are left as they are, it is expected that they will be damaged further by future storms.

In the wake of recent storm damage and in consideration of future impacts from climate change and sea level rise, the National Park Service proposes to sustainably rehabilitate the Ocracoke Light Station and mitigate reasonably foreseeable flooding impacts while continuing to provide visitor access.

The EA evaluates three alternatives:

Alternative A simply follows the current management plan to repair exterior and interior storm damage.

Alternative B proposes to elevate some of the structures at the Ocracoke Light Station and repair storm damage.

Alternative C proposes to remove the Double Keepers’ Quarters and replace it with a ghost structure, which would mimic the size, shape and location of the existing building.

Under all alternatives, the lighthouse would be rehabilitated, which would include the following actions:

–Removing the shotcrete from the exterior of the lighthouse and replacing it with a coating that will allow appropriate protection of the masonry and moisture control.
–Replacing damaged masonry, including replacing bricks and mortar.
–Repairing or replacing all windows with historically appropriate windows.
–Repairing leaks at the top lantern and repainting.
–Recoat interior masonry.
–Expose the original stone foundation.

The three alternatives and a summary of their potential impacts are listed in the Ocracoke Light Station Rehabilitation Project newsletter and EA at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/CAHA_ocracoke_lightstation.

Comments may be submitted electronically, the preferred method, or mailed to: Superintendent, Attn: Ocracoke Light Station, 1401 National Park Dr., Manteo, NC 27954.

Ocracoke events March 14 to 20

0
Spring is blooming on Ocracoke as seen in these camellias at the Magic Bean. Photo: C. Leinbach

Monday, March 14
Friends of the Library annual meeting with guest speakers Walt Wolfram and Jeffrey Reaser discussing the Ocracoke brogue. 7 pm. Ocracoke Community Center

Wednesday, March 16
Roanoke Island Animal Clinic sees patients in the Ocracoke Community Center. Call for appointments. 252-473-3117.

Thursday, March 17
St. Patty’s Day Celebration, performers Dusty Old Bones. 8pm The Breeze

Friday, March 18
Ocracoke Tourism Development Authority. 9 am. Ocracoke Community Center

North Carolina Shell Club meets at 7 pm in the Ocracoke Community Center Activities include a silent auction of various shells and speaker Ruth Fordon, talking about her work with the sea turtles on Ocracoke. Open to the public.

Saturday, March 19
North Carolina Shell Club meets at 7 pm in the Ocracoke Community Center.  Ed Schuller will talk on the revision of Hugh Porter’s “North Carolina Sea Shells.” Open to the public.

Sunday, March 20
Fundraising spaghetti dinner and bake sale at Jason’s Restaurant to benefit the family of Sonya Voitenko, a Ukrainian exchange student at Ocracoke School. 11 am to 2 pm.

Sociolinguist Walt Wolfram to speak at Friends of Library meeting Monday

0
Walt Wolfram, center, and Jeffrey Reaser, right, talk about the Ocracoke brogue to island students in a classroom in the Life Saving Church in 2020. Photo: C. Leinbach

Sociolinguist Walt Wolfram will be the guest speaker Monday night at 7 at the Friends of the Library annual meeting in the Ocracoke Community Center. He will be joined by fellow North Carolina State University professor Jeffrey Reaser.

Wolfram is the William C. Friday Distinguished University Professor at North Carolina State University where he also directs the North Carolina Language and Life Project. His area of expertise is the social and ethnic dialects of American English.

At Monday’s meeting, he will talk about “The Treasures of Ocracoke Speech.”

He was one of the early pioneers in the study of urban African-American English through his work in Detroit in 1969. Prior to his tenure at NC State, he taught at Georgetown University and the University of the District of Columbia. He was also the director of research at the Center for Applied Linguistics from 1980 to 1992.

Among his more than 20 books published are “Talking Tar Heel” and “Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks: The Story of the Ocracoke Brogue,” available for purchase at the OPS museum and other locales on the island.

OVFD fundraiser benefits Carteret families in mourning

0

By Peter Vankevich

Recently, the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department replaced its 25-plus year old cooker grill with a new one. The cooker has been used primarily for fundraising events and the new one got its first chance on March 6, unfortunately under sad circumstances.

 It was a barbecue dinner fundraiser to benefit the Carteret County families who lost members after a plane carrying eight people, including four East Carteret High School boys, crashed off the state’s coast on Feb. 13.

Fire Chief Albert O’Neal, who knows the families, spearheaded the fundraiser.

“The Down Easters are our friends and family, and we welcomed the opportunity to help them in need, which they have done for us on Ocracoke in the past,” he said. “The waters of Hurricane Dorian hadn’t even completely receded when they showed up with fuel, generators and water.”

Although scheduled to start at 1 p.m., folks started lining up as early as noon. By 1:15 p.m., all 200 plus of the $12 per plate dinners were sold out.

Many of the volunteer firefighters as well as community members helped. The chief and Brandon Jones fired up the grill at 3 a.m. that morning.

“It was a great turnout with both people showing up to help and those getting plates,” O’Neal said. “And the generosity of people was heartwarming. There were lots that didn’t want a plate, they just showed up to make a donation.”

With the many generous donations by those wishing to help the families, the OVFD raised $6,725. The proceeds will be sent to a family fund set up by the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center created with the approval of all of the Down East families involved.

From left, Chief Albert O’Neal, Jamie Jackson and Brandon Jones checking out the new cooker. Photo courtesy of the OVFD

Point of disclosure: Peter Vankevich is a firefighter for the OVFD.

Business workshops slated for Ocracoke

1
Martin Brossman will teach about social media March 24 and 25 in the Community Center. Photo: C. Leinbach

The Small Business Center at Beaufort County Community College will host two classes at the Ocracoke Community Center March 24 and 25 to provide marketing training to small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Martin Brossman, a leading authority on social technology, reputation enhancement and professional development, and who has taught many social media marketing classes for the Small Business Center, will teach both classes.

Classes are free, but they require pre-registration.

On March 24, Brossman will lead Mastering Google Business Resources for Greater Business Success from 2 to 5 p.m.

The class discusses maximizing all the free resources for business that Google has to offer, getting found on Google by the right customers, getting more business with Google Smart Ads. The class will also discuss gaining more business using YouTube and tracking and expanding a business’s success with Google Analytics. 

The following day, Friday, March 25, Brossman will lead Increasing Art Sales Through Strategic Marketing from 9 a.m. to noon. This class applies marketing basics to successfully reach, convince and close sales to customers. Participants will learn to establishing a plan-a quick look at goals and strategies and identify and get to know their target customers/audience.

They will also learn to choose the right social media channels to reach their customers, use hashtags to extend their reach, and optimize their website to be found online. The class will look at determining a pricing strategy, creating great content, storytelling to attracts buyers, and creating compelling images and video. 

To register, click the following links:

  1. Mastering Google Business Resources for Greater Business Success
  2. Increasing Art Sales Through Strategic Marketing

Or call 353-940-6375. 

Both workshops are co-sponsored by the Ocracoke Civic and Business Association. 

Cold front heading to Outer Banks this Saturday

0
Stormy sea. Photo: P. Vankevich

The National Weather Service out of Newport/Morehead City has warned that a cold front moving through the area on Saturday is expected to bring severe weather both ahead of and along it.

This front will have the potential to bring severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, strong winds and minor coastal flooding along the Outer Banks early Saturday morning through Saturday afternoon. Sustained winds will be mid-20 mph and gusts up to 50-plus.

Rainfall amounts should be less than one inch.

Saturday night will remain windy and temperatures will drop into the 30s, feeling colder with the wind chill factor.

Sunday will remain cold with temperatures in the upper 30s and low 40s and sunny with diminishing winds.

Ocracoke Island Waterfowl Festival set for April 23

0
Scene from the Ocracoke Island Waterfowl Festival in 2019. Photo: P. Vankevich

The fourth annual Ocracoke Island Waterfowl Festival, produced by the nonprofit Ocracoke Island Decoy Carvers Guild, is set to take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 23.

Like last year, it will be in the village at the Berkley Barn, adjacent to Ocracoke’s Silver Lake harbor and the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum.

This year’s featured carver is islander John Simpson. He chose the Northern Pintail, which nests in freshwater marshes and prairie potholes and throughout much of northern North America and winters in large numbers on the Outer Banks.

More than 24 exhibitors will be on hand to display and sell their carvings, artwork and other theme-related works. T-shirts, festival posters, raffles and other items will be on sale and BBQ and local other treats will be available. Young folks will have the opportunity to partake in a decoy painting class and the adults in a head carving competition.

Founded in January 2018, the Ocracoke Island Decoy Carvers Guild quickly organized the first waterfowl festival that April.

The festival started with a tradition to honor a featured carver who chooses a species to celebrate. Past featured carvers are Nathan Spencer (Ring-necked Duck), Dan Robinson (Redhead) and Dave O’Neal (Greater Scaup).

Simpson is one of the founders of the guild and current president. He is an artist who, in addition to waterfowl, also carves the many species of shore birds that appear on Ocracoke Island.

The founders of the guild developed a love for decoy carving from their family members and friends and want to continue Ocracoke’s long, rich tradition of this folk art.

1...133134135...513Page 134 of 513
© Ocracoke Observer 2026 All rights reserved.