As the fall season ends, a host of skeletons are out and about in yards all around Ocracoke Island, and they played a big part in decorations this year.
Also, witches, ghosts and lots of pumpkins.
Judging for the Ocracoke Civic & Business Association Halloween Decorating Contest was held the evening of Oct. 26.
The judges, who are anonymous, said they had some tough deliberations.
“People did a good job,” said one judge. “There were a lot of strong contenders, and we thank everyone for their efforts.”
The following were the winners and honorable mentions:
An extensive rendition of skeletal activities on Ocracoke at Jerniman’s Campground is Best in Show. Photo: Ocracoke Observer staff
The ‘Dead and Breakfast Inn’ along Creek Road captures Best Theme. Photo: Ocracoke Observer staff
The Spookiest winner can be found at the end of Cemetery Road. Photo: Ocracoke Observer staff
Best Fall Theme. End of Lighthouse Road. Photo: Ocracoke Observer staff
The Most Original winner can be found along Lighthouse Road. Photo: Ocracoke Observer staff
The following were given honorable mentions.
Along Back Road. Photo: Ocracoke Observer staff
Along First Avenue. Photo: Ocracoke Observer staff
Along Trent Road. It acknowledges one of the owners’ recent fall from a ladder. Photo: Ocracoke Observer staff
Some of the staples in the Bread of Life Food Pantry on Ocracoke. Photo: P. Vankevich/Ocracoke Observer
When there is economic uncertainty, food banks emerge as essential lifelines, stepping in to provide crucial assistance when government aid is out of reach.
The anxiety surrounding a federal government shutdown is real and extremely stressful, especially among the many hardworking furloughed civil servants who are not receiving pay checks.
Also impacted are low-income families who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for their nutritional needs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) administered by the USDA.
Unless there is a drastic change in this toxic political climate both of these programs, which provide assistance to 42 million people, will not be funded beginning Nov. 1.
As political tensions mount, the two major parties engage in a blame game, each pointing fingers at the other.
Meanwhile, those who are most vulnerable are caught in this crossfire, facing the daunting challenge of securing necessities such as food, medical care and shelter.
In North Carolina, SNAP, known as Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), supports more than 600,000 households.
In Hyde County alone, 752 individuals depend on these benefits, according to Randal Mathews of Ocracoke and the chairman of the Hyde County Board of Commissioners.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) plays a pivotal role in ensuring the health and safety of all North Carolinians, noting that a significant portion of these recipients are children, seniors or adults with disabilities, and more than 80% are actively working.
Amidst these challenges, food banks nationwide are rising to the occasion, stepping in to bridge the gap even though many of them are running out of food.
They are recruiting volunteers to sort donations, pack food boxes and assist with distribution efforts. Collaborations with local businesses and fundraising efforts s are intensifying to ensure that food reaches those most in need.
On the Outer Banks, organizations such as Ocracoke’s Bread of Life Food Pantry, the Beach Food Pantry in Kill Devil Hills and the Albemarle Food Bank in Elizabeth City, each with their unique organizational roles, are preparing to meet the increasing demand.
Their missions are ensuring that families do not face hunger.
“Food pantries exist to fill the gaps with hyper-local, community-driven solutions,” said Elisabeth Silvertone, executive director of Beach Food Pantry. “We are called to love our neighbor and the people closest to you need your help first.”
Food banks do offer more than just sustenance. They provide hope and stability during uncertain times. For those facing food insecurity, these institutions are invaluable resources that help maintain dignity and well-being.
Silverhorne has a message for those needing assistance:
“It takes tremendous courage and humility to ask for help, but you are not alone. This is a moment in your life, not the sum total of it. Please don’t let stigma or worry that someone else needs it more than you stop you from reaching out. Leave those concerns to us. When your situation improves, you can always give back if you want to.”
By distributing nutritious food, including fresh produce and essential hygiene and cleaning staples, food banks often serve as the first line of defense against hunger when government support is lacking.
The Food Bank of the Albemarle is a regional Feeding America-affiliated food bank that serves 15 counties in northeast North Carolina.
They have expressed strong concern regarding the impact of the federal shutdown on families in their region with missed paychecks, furloughs, and economic uncertainty adding to the distress.
Brian Gray, the communications and volunteer manager, noted in response to an inquiry that the government shutdown could reduce federal food supplies at a time when more families are turning to food banks.
He added that while federal benefits are secured through October, a prolonged shutdown could affect both SNAP and WIC assistance.
Government-commodity food orders already placed will continue to arrive, but future orders remain uncertain, he said.
Compounding the food gap created by the state budget, the N.C. General Assembly’s decision to exclude a long-standing state appropriation for local food purchases from the continuing resolution budget is resulting in a loss of more than 800,000 meals.
The presence of food banks on the Outer Banks is critical to the health and well-being of these communities.
On Ocracoke, the Life Saving Church and the Ocracoke United Methodist Church have teamed up to bolster the Bread of Life Food Pantry and the Family Food program that prepares and delivers hot meals to people here on the island who need them.
We sometimes feel helpless in these fast-moving times, but if we speak up for hunger relief and share this message with friends, neighbors, and especially our elected officials—county, state, and federal—we will be better for it, stronger, and more united.
Food Bank of the Albemarle: 109 Tidewater Way, Elizabeth City, NC 27909 252 335-4035. http://www.afoodbank.org.
The Ocracoke Bread of Life Food Pantry: P.O. Box 68, Ocracoke, NC 27960 304-676-3308 and on Facebook.
Ocracoke School Beta House Haunted House, Ocracoke Community Library, 7 pm
Friday, Oct. 31: WOVV 90.1 FM: “What’s Happening on Ocracoke” interview with Kevin Duffus about his latest research on whatever happened to Blackbeard’s Head and his newest book, The Inventor Reginald Fessenden and the Origins of American Radio on North Carolina’s Outer Banks; He will be on the porch of Books to be Red at noon to greet people and sign books. Friday, Oct. 31, 11 am 90.1 FM and wovv.org
Berkley Barn grounds: Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree Brigands Bazaar vendor fair, 2-5 pm. See flyer below.
Berkley Barn: The Motley Tones perform, 7 pm
Berkley Barn: Old-fashioned scary movie, “The Mummy,” with Boris Karloff, 7:30 pm.
Ocracoke Oyster Company: Halloween costume Party with Raygun Ruby
Howard’s Pub: Halloween party with live music; 10% of gross sales will be donated to the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department.
Saturday, Nov. 1: Berkley Manor grounds: Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree, 9 am to 6 pm. See flyer below.
Hyde County Farm Days: Mattamuskeet School campus.
Ride the Wind Surf Shop: Spooky Hour with beer and spooky sales, 4 to 6 pm; Witches Paddle stand-up paddle event. Fee: Donation. Costumes encouraged, 6:30 pm. See flyers below.
MiniBar at Ocracoke Coffee: “The Black Beards,” John Lea, Adam Lavigne, Danny Bradley and Dave Tweedie perform sea chanteys, Irish songs and nautical-themed tunes. 5 to 7 pm.
1718 Brewing Ocracoke: Devils Night with Raygun Ruby and Kill Devil Rum pop-up bar, 7 pm. See flyer below.
Ocracoke Oyster Company: The Bawdy Beer Garden with the Motley Tones (adult oriented), 8 pm
Sunday, Nov. 2 Church services: Ocracoke United Methodist Church, 11 am
Ocracoke Life Saving Church, 11 am
Stella Maris Chapel: Sunday Mass time at 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Go to Masstimes.org and type in the zip code 27960 but refresh your browser for it to work properly.
The Ocracoke Express passenger ferry at dock in Silver Lake Harbor, Ocracoke.
Text and photo by Peter Vankevich
Despite several days of disruptions to the Hatteras Inlet ferry service this fall due to bad weather and related road closings, there was one bright spot for the Ferry Division this year.
During its 2025 season, the Ocracoke Express passenger ferry had more than 18,000 riders, achieving its highest ridership since 2022.
Now in its seventh year of operation This is the highest number since more than 25,000 people used the Ocracoke Express in 2022 and is a 13% increase in passengers compared to 2024.
The ferry accommodates up to 129 passengers and is a 65-minute Pamlico Sound ride between the Hatteras ferry dock and Ocracoke’s Silver Lake Harbor.
This service allows travelers to make a day trip to Ocracoke, bypassing the vehicle ferry lines to directly enter the heart of Ocracoke Village.
Passengers who book reservations online are allowed to load their bicycles or they can walk through the village, rent bikes, golf carts, or use Hyde County’s free Ocracoke Village Tram, which makes several stops near shops and restaurants.
“This service has been popular since its inception, and this year’s ridership indicates an upward trend,” said Jed Dixon, director of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division. “The Ocracoke Express offers the fastest and most convenient way for people to visit and enjoy everything Ocracoke has to offer.”
The Ocracoke Express runs from May to September, and the 2026 schedule will be announced next spring.
The National Weather Service upgraded its forecast Sunday afternoon on the low-pressure weather which is expected to impact eastern North Carolina from Monday through Wednesday.
A Coastal Flood Watch has been issued for Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands.
A Coastal Flood Advisory has been issued for the Northern Outer Banks, East Carteret, Pamlico, Beaufort, and Southern Craven Counties.
A High Surf Advisory has been issued for the Outer Banks from Duck to Cape Lookout.
The Gale Watch has been upgraded to a Gale Warning for all rivers, sounds, and coastal water.
The high winds with gusts in the mid-40 mph range and overwash on Ocracoke may shut down NC 12 north of the pony pasture and temporarily disrupt the Hatteras Inlet ferry service.
Southern Pamlico Sound and Neuse/Bay Rivers may experience elevated water levels due to the sustained strong northeast winds.
In addition, the Weather Service is cautioning that a second low pressure system will likely bring additional impacts to eastern- to mid-NC to late this week.
A lot of events are scheduled for the end of the week and the Observer will post postponements or cancelations if they are announced.
Most of us can’t read these words without hearing the chart-topping song “The Loco-Motion.” You probably know the song, but you might not know that the 16-year-old singer who made it famous was from Belhaven, Beaufort County.
Little Eva’s gravestone in Black Bottom Memorial Cemetery, Belhaven, Beaufort County. Photo by Stephanie Caplan
Little Eva (born Eva Narcissus Boyd) hit No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with “The Loco-Motion” in August of 1962.
Eleven years ago this month, she was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame for that feat.
“Little Eva was someone who never gave up on her dreams,” said Pat Saunders, branch manager of the Belhaven Public Library. “She made a lasting impression on the Town of Belhaven with her hit song, and she moved the hearts of a lot of people.”
Hers is a story of a quick rise to fame, minus the fortune.
Eva moved from Belhaven to New York City at a young age. While trying to break into the music business, she worked as a nanny for then-married songwriters Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
In a music industry twist of fate, King and Goffin asked their babysitter to record a demo of their new dance-driven song, “The Loco-Motion,” which was intended for another artist. But Eva’s demo was so good, record label Dimension decided to release it as a single, according to the NC Music Educators Association, and the song rose to No. 1.
“The Loco-Motion” demo catapulted the Belhaven unknown to stardom, although she never made meaningful money on the recording or subsequent performances.
Her reward for her success, recounted in several national news and music outlets, was a weekly salary of $50, an increase from her babysitting salary of $35 per week.
The “The Loco-Motion” had staying power. Twice, the song was the U.S. No.1 single, and once it hit No. 3 over the span of three decades, performed by three different artists/groups. Little Eva was first at No.1 in 1962; Grand Funk Railroad followed at No. 1 with its version in 1974; and Australian artist Kylie Minogue took “The Loco-Motion” to No. 3 in 1988.
Carole King and Little Eva, circa 1962. Photo courtesy of the Belhaven Public Library
Little Eva recorded a handful of other songs in the 1960s, including “Keep Your Hands Off My Baby” and “Let’s Turkey Trot.”
None matched the success of “The Loco-Motion.” Eva returned to a quiet life in Eastern North Carolina in 1971 without fortune. Toward the end of her life, she was making ends meet working in a restaurant in Kinston.
Eva died from cervical cancer in 2003 at the age of 59 and was laid to rest in her hometown. Initially her grave was marked with a simple white cross, and in 2008, that was replaced by a gravestone celebrating her stardom.
Her tombstone is an impressive gray stone etched with a charging locomotive and the words, “Singing with the Angels.”
You can visit Little Eva’s gravestone in Black Bottom Memorial Cemetery in Belhaven. The historically Black community cemetery is located along Old County Road and Pine Street at the northern edge of downtown.
“The Loco-Motion” is ranked No. 359 on Rolling Stone‘s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”
In 2016, the 1962 Little Eva version of “The Loco-Motion” on Dimension Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Ocracoke School Future Business Leaders of America club members, from right, Lilly, Ammy, Dulce, and their advisor, Joan O’Neal, present their club goals to the Ocracoke Civic & Business Association board meeting. Photo: C. Leinbach
Ocracoke School has set up a Future Business Leaders of America club to help students develop leadership, business and career skills.
This is the first time FBLA has been offered in Hyde County Schools and the first chapter for Ocracoke School.
So far, it has four members, said Joan O’Neal, who advises the club along with Gwen Austin.
Among the activities, club members attend meetings to learn about business topics, teamwork and professionalism.
The club participates in school and community service projects to encourage responsibility. Students prepare for competitions in areas such as public speaking, accounting, marketing and technology.
FBLA members can also serve as local officers to practice leadership and organizational skills.
“Island businesses are used to getting workers,” Austin said.
But this training goes beyond just being an employee.
“This (trains) the new future business owners,” O’Neal said.
This year’s group hopes to attend the Eastern Region competition at J.H. Rose High School in Greenville on Dec. 6.
The group attended the Oct. 21 meeting of the Ocracoke Civic & Business Association meeting to explain about their club. They said the events in the regional competition they would compete in at the Dec. 6 conference would be accounting, business communication, computer applications and business procedures.
Members who place in a competitive event are eligible to attend the state Leadership Conference in Greensboro next year.
The club is researching and planning to create an island cookbook as a future fundraiser to help fund these off-island activities.
They are looking for donors and sponsors to cover the costs of the Dec. 6 conference, which will cost about $1,000 for travel, hotels and other expenses, O’Neal said at the Oct. 21 meeting
Local business owners are encouraged to visit as guest speakers.
Anyone interested in donating, sponsoring or speaking is asked to contact O’Neal or Austin at the school, 252-928-3251. Sponsor checks can be made out to Ocracoke School with FBLA in the memo line and sent to the school: P.O. Box 189, Ocracoke, NC 27960.
Professional re-enactor Alex Foster portrays Lt. Robert Maynard during the recreation of Blackbeard’s Last Stand at 2:45 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at the NPS boat dock. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree is scheduled for Oct. 31 & Nov. 1, 2025, at the Berkley Manor grounds and barn. See details here.
By Kevin Duffus
Blackbeard’s head.
It is one of the handful of reasons why he became America’s most famous pirate soon after his death.
He was not notorious for how many years he plundered ships on the high seas; not for how successful or wealthy he was; not for how many wives and girlfriends he had. That fame came later.
Blackbeard became a household name in the 18th century for how he had been gruesomely decapitated in his final fight, how his headless corpse purportedly did laps around his sloop ADVENTURE after it was tossed overboard, and how his head was reported to have been impaled upon a pike staff and displayed to visitors at Hampton, Virginia.
Take away his unique nickname, his out-of-fashion beard, and his spectacular downfall here at Ocracoke and Blackbeard would have just been your run-of-the-mill, garden-variety pirate.
You know the story: After the battle on Nov. 22, 1718, Royal Navy lieutenant Robert Maynard snatched Blackbeard’s head by its hair and strung it up so that it would hang from the bowsprit of his sloop as a sort of “hood ornament” for shock value when he sailed into the pirate’s home port of Bath.
No doubt it worked.
You see, even though the notorious arch-pirate Blackbeard was dead, his severed head with its blood-caked beard and hair, taut leathery skin, and contemptuous frozen grin, was not done striking terror in the hearts of its beholders.
The sight may no longer have caused dread for his victims, but it did strike horror and grief for those who were once his friends, admirers and townsfolk.
Later it was said that his skull was turned into a silver-plated drinking cup used in secret rituals in an old house at Springer’s Point at Ocracoke or at the Raleigh Tavern at Williamsburg.
But how much of the story is true?
Find out at the Ocracoke Blackbeard Pirate Jamboree at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1, when I present my thoroughly researched program “Blackbeard’s Head” at the Berkley Barn.
The event showcases colonial life in the 1700s with a living history encampment and the Battle of Ocracoke on Friday, Oct. 31, and Saturday, Nov. 1, on the Berkley Manor grounds.
Editor’s note: Duffus also will do an interview on WOVV 90.1 FM Friday at 11:30 a.m. when he will talk about the festival and about the Fresnel light of the Hatteras Lighthouse and his new book The Inventor Reginald Fessenden and the Origins of American Radio on North Carolina’s Outer Banks,
He will sign this new book and “The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate,” at Books to be Red at noon.
This story was correct to say that Duffus will be at Books to be Red at noon on Oct. 31.
M/V Sea Level. Photo: P. Vankevich/Ocracoke Observer
By Connie Leinbach
The North Carolina legislature late Tuesday afternoon approved an additional $7 million for the Ferry Division.
Hyde County Manager Kris Noble told the news to the Ocracoke Civic & Business Association at their meeting Tuesday night.
In the newly passed Senate Bill 449, $3 million will go toward operations, which includes personnel and fuel, and $4 million for dry dock operations to overhaul the long-route ferry “Sea Level,” which will undergo a complete overhaul, Noble said.
The additional appropriation will allow the ferry division to continue its current level of service without reducing ferry runs and brings the Ferry Division’s total budget to about $70 million.
Gov. Josh Stein has to sign the bill for it to take effect. Tolls on the Hatteras Ferry, as was proposed in the Senate version of the overall budget back in June, are not a part of this appropriations bill.
The N.C. legislature still has not passed an overall budget because the chambers cannot agree on it, but has approved a continuing resolution for funding state operations the same as last year and has also passed some “mini” budgets, such as this one.
Noble said the Ferry Division informed her in September that its available budget of $62.2 million would not be sufficient to maintain the posted ferry schedules and was looking at significant reductions in ferry runs statewide.
“We begged them to hold off because we knew the General Assembly was coming back into session this week and we begged them to hold off until we were able to try to lobby for that money to be put into a mini budget,” she said.
The vote was to be taken Wednesday morning.
“But at about 5:30, Representative John Torbett texted me that they decided to push it through, and it’s done,” she said.
“This is a major win for Ocracoke and every ferry-served community in North Carolina,” said Justin LeBlanc, executive director of the Ocracoke Access Alliance. “We deeply appreciate the General Assembly’s commitment to the Ferry Division and to the coastal residents and visitors who depend on this essential service.”
This funding ensures the “Sea Level” will return to service next spring and that vital ferry routes will continue to operate at full strength.
“The state’s ferry network is not only a lifeline for residents but also a cornerstone of the coastal economy, supporting tourism, small businesses, and year-round access to jobs and services,” LeBlanc said.
Among the advocates for the additional funding, LeBlanc said, were Representatives Keith Kidwell and Senators Bobby Hanig and Norman Sanderson and Senate President Phil Berger.
The Hyde County commissioners at the Oct. 6 meeting approved a resolution supporting this additional funding.
“(Resolutions) go a long way in Raleigh,” she said, adding that other coastal counties also sent resolutions. LeBlanc met with the Speaker of the House Destin Hall’s staff twice.
“Every bill needs a champion,” she said, “and Rep. Ed Goodwin (a former director of the Ferry Division) was that champion for us and got that (additional funding) included in this bill.”
Noble said that she and Hyde County Commissioners Chair Randal Mathews met with Hyde County’s Congressional Representative Greg Murphy, who visited Ocracoke on Sept. 10 after visiting Buxton where several houses collapsed during Hurricane Erin’s passage along the Outer Banks.
She said he toured the sandbag area and met with some local business owners and LeBlanc.
“He’s very supportive of our efforts,” she said. “I work with his staff pretty much on a weekly basis and I get a 15-minute Zoom call with him once a month.”
The relationship is not at the point to make a “real ask, but we’re keeping him informed and engaged.”
As for the continuing overwash at the sandbag area at the north end of Ocracoke Island, Noble said that NCDOT is continuing to replace sandbags and are extending the bags south.
She said they are using a new type of sandbag that locks together and that will allow less seepage and provide better protection.
The county is actively seeking a mid-term solution of beach nourishment, she said, but needs funds to complete a study.
Because Ocracoke does not have beachfront housing, we have a different situation that is better suited for nourishment projects to last longer than in places where there’s beachfront development.
In a meeting with NCDOT, Noble learned that the agency typically does not seek beach nourishment except when it’s paired with a long-term solution, such as in the Rodanthe area where beach nourishment occurred while the jug handle bridge was being built.
The beach nourishment study would be used to apply for construction funding (for $200,000 to $500,000), she said.
OCBA chair Bob Chestnut noted that for businesses, it’s getting hard to plan.
If successful, the beach nourishment study could be done in a year, Noble said, and actual nourishment could begin two years from now.
She said she has identified some hazard mitigation funding she can apply to for the beach nourishment study.
Concurrently, the county, (as stated in its May 2024 resolution) will ask to partner with NCDOT to get to work on long-term roadway alternatives. The 2024 resolution is the road map, Noble said.
The resolution will be updated at the November 3 commissioners’ meeting to include the beach nourishment study and subsequent beach nourishment.
The resolution also will ask that the stabilization of South Dock study include the north end as all one transportation corridor. Now, the Ferry Division is looking at South Dock while NCDOT is looking at the sandbag area.
“It’d be hard to fund as one project,” Noble said, “but I want to encourage them to study it together because it will save a lot of money.”
The National Park Service’s 2021 environmental impact statement provided a streamlined framework for sediment management in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which includes beach nourishment, dune stabilization, emergency breach repair and habitat restoration.
“When we are able to move forward with beach nourishment that shouldn’t be a challenge,” she said.
As for dredging this winter in the Hatteras and Ocracoke inlets, Noble said Murphy’s office said the federal government shutdown should not affect that.
Ocracoke’s South Dock ferry terminal. Photo: P.Vankevich/Ocracoke Observer
The Island Inn Commons in fall. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
Oct. 30–This event has been canceled.
The Ocracoke Preservation Society invites all to a special Ocracoke ghost talk with Amy Howard and David Tweedie at the Island Inn Commons from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5.
The event is free and in appreciation for the community’s support of the Island Inn and Commons projects.
This event is being postponed from the original date of Oct. 29 due to inclement weather.
The historic Island Inn, which was built in 1903 as an Odd Fellows Lodge, has been undergoing renovation as a community space since the OPS purchased it in 2018 to save the property for community purposes.
Since then, the Commons area at the corner of Irvin Garrish Highway and Lighthouse Road has been improved and planted as a community green space.
