The Hyde County government building in Swan Quarter.
The Hyde County Board of Commissioners will hold a special called meeting at 2 p.m. Monday (May 10) in the Hyde County Government Center, Multi-Use Room, Swan Quarter.
The meeting is to conduct the FY 21-22 Budget Workshop. At the May 3 Board of Commissioners meeting, Hyde County Manager Kris Noble proposed a $0.5 property tax increase, or $0.82 per $100 of assessed valuation up from the current rate of $0.77.
The Hyde County finance director will also present FY 20-21 budget revisions for approval.
Public viewing of the meeting will be available on the County’s Facebook page at Hyde County Public Information. A copy of the proposed budget can be viewed on the Hyde County website here.
KiNet-X Visibility Map and the four-stage Black Brant XII sounding rocket. Photo by NASA
From our news sources
A mission to explore energy transport in space using a NASA suborbital sounding rocket launching tonight (May 8) from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia may provide a brief light show for residents of the eastern United States and Bermuda.
The mission is scheduled for no earlier than 8:02 p.m. with a 40-minute launch window. Backup launch days run through May 16. The launch may be visible, weather permitting, in much of the eastern United States from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River.
A four-stage Black Brant XII rocket will be used for the mission that includes the release of barium vapor that will form two green-violet clouds that may be visible for about 30 seconds. The barium vapor is not harmful to the environment or public health.
The mission, called the KiNETic-scale energy and momentum transport eXperiment, or KiNet-X, is designed to study a very fundamental problem in space plasmas, namely: How are energy and momentum transported between different regions of space that are magnetically connected?
The vapor will be released approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds to around 10 minutes after launch at about 217 to 249 miles altitude over the Atlantic Ocean and 540 to 560 miles downrange from Wallops and just north of Bermuda.
Immediately after release of the vapor, the spherical clouds are a mixture of green and violet, but that phase only lasts about 30 seconds when the un-ionized component of the cloud has diffused away. After exposure to sunlight the vapor clouds quickly ionize and take on a violet color.
In general, the human eye does not see violet colors very well in darkness. The KiNET-X clouds will therefore be more difficult for the casual observer to see than some of the previous vapor missions launched from Wallops.
Live coverage of the mission will be available on the Wallops IBM video site (previously Ustream) beginning at 7:40 p.m. tonight. Launch status updates can be found on the Wallops Facebook and Twitter sites.
The NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will not be open for launch viewing.
Scenic Byways signage at Harker’s Island, Carteret County. Photo by John DeLucia
From our news services
The Outer Banks National Scenic Byway is one of eight national scenic byways to win a 2021 Community Byway Award from the National Scenic Byway Foundation.
The Outer Banks National Scenic Byway traverses three counties along the North Carolina coast. From the north, this coastal byway starts at Whalebone Junction and follows NC 12 south through Dare County’s Bodie and Hatteras islands. Travelers then catch a North Carolina Department of Transportation ferry to Ocracoke Island in Hyde County. From Ocracoke, the byway continues on NCDOT’s Cedar Island ferry and into Down East Carteret County. The byway ends at North River, for a total of 138 driving miles and 25 ferry-traveling miles.
Melinda Sutton of Ocracoke, who is the current chairperson of the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway Advisory Committee, has been involved with this project since 2011.
“This is so amazing that we received this beautification award after all the time we spent getting this project done. There are so many people who have been involved in this over the years,” she said. “It’s wonderful recognition for them and the entire Outer Banks region.”
Scenic Byways signs at the north end of Ocracoke. Photo: C. Leinbach
Through the years, the advisory committee has had representatives from Carteret, Hyde, and Dare counties as well as state and federal partners. The committee worked extensively to develop the byway’s graphic design logo under the guidance of David L. Dahlquist Associates, LLC and Breann Bye+Associates.
From 2013 through 2019, project participants gathered content and artwork for 18 byway kiosks at gateway locations and 21 individual community and village wayside interpretive exhibits now positioned throughout the three counties.
These interpretive components, installed in 2020 with the project management and engineering team of Albemarle & Associates, Ltd., highlight numerous historical, cultural and natural points of interest, such as four lighthouses, the Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout National Seashores, and village history, stories and recipes.
The Outer Banks National Scenic Byway Advisory Committee has partnered with the Federal Highway Administration, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the county governments of Dare, Hyde and Carteret, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and nearly 100 representatives of local communities and byway destinations on this project.
The National Scenic Byways Foundation sanctions the 184 byways across the United States to enhance the visitor experiences in their respective areas.
The foundation hosts the Byway Community Awards program every other year to recognize the successes of byways, affiliated communities, and leaders. The recognition includes national magazine articles, social media recognition, and the byway newsletter.
Other winners this year were A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Highway, All-American Road, Florida; Appalachian Byway of Ohio; Delaware River National Scenic Byway, New Jersey; Lincoln Highway Heritage National Scenic Byway, Iowa; Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic and Historic Byway, Colorado; Mohawk Towpath National Scenic Byway, New York; and the Ocoee Scenic Byway, Tennessee.
Scenic Byways signs at the Hatteras Ferry terminal, Dare County. Photo: C. Leinbach
Dr. Stephen Smith, dentist, and Jennifer Adkisson, dental assistant, work on a patient in the Baptists on Mission dental van. Photo by Julie Dolinger
By Connie Leinbach
The Baptists on Mission’s Dental Ministry van ventured back to Ocracoke island in April to render more free services to islanders.
Thanks to sponsorship by the Southwest Durham Rotary Club, this was the van’s second visit to the island after its first visit in November.
The Rotary club’s banner hung inside the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department during the two days of service. Photo: C. Leinbach
Retired dentists Dr. Stephen Smith of Morehead City and Dr. Jim Hoke of Chapel, along with other volunteer medical professionals, may return in November, said islander Jude Wheeler, who coordinated both visits.
Julie Dolinger, mobile dental ministry coordinator for the Baptists on Mission, said the following services were rendered with a value of $11,018: adult dental patients, 31; hygiene patients, 14; child hygiene patients, 2; bitewings, 55; Xrays,15; composite fillings, 29; extractions,14.
Among the island businesses who donated services were Blackbeard’s Lodge, the Castle, Helios Hideaway, Jason’s, Ocracoke Oyster Company, Oscar’s House and the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department where the van parked.
Smith was happy to check out the beach after two days of nonstop service.
“We had steady patients all day,” he said. “We’re glad to help. It’s just one of those things that needs to be done.”
Dental van personnel are, from left, Jude Wheeler, island liaison, Dr. Jim Hoke, dentist, Jennifer Adkisson, dental assistant, pink shirt), Dr. Steve Smith, dentist, Madison Register, dental assistant, Julie Dolinger, Baptists on Mission dental coordinator, Pamela Hicks, registered dental hygienist, Lee Phillips, van driver. Photo courtesy of Julie Dolinger
The Ocracoke Strong sign, that replaced the Variety Store sign after Hurricane Dorian, will be raffled as a fundraiser for the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department. Photo by Tommy Hutcherson
To catch up on Ocracoke news and much more, click here
OcracokeObserver staff report
For the second year in a row, the annual Firemen’s Ball is canceled due to COVID-19 concerns, but a special fundraising effort will conclude on what was to be this year’s event on May 29.
“We are confident that this is the right thing to do, our highest priority being the safety of everyone involved,” according to a press release by the sponsoring Ocracoke Fire Protection Association (OFPA).
In lieu of the ball, to raise some funds, the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department (OVFD) will raffle the chance to win one side of the two-sided “Ocracoke Strong” sign that was installed at the Variety Store two days after Hurricane Dorian inundated the island on Sept. 6, 2019.
Mandy Jones, a longtime Variety Store employee, hastily spray painted the signs since the hurricane had torn off the outside sign, said Tommy Hutcherson, Variety Store owner.
The two-sided sign served as a beacon of hope for months while the island recovered from the worst flooding to date.
“I’m keeping one and we’re raffling the other one,” Hutcherson said.
Tickets are $5 and can be purchased either at the Variety Store or with PayPal online at http://www.ocracokevfd.org. The drawing will be held Saturday, May 29.
The all-volunteer department received good news in March when Mike Causey, the state fire marshal, announced that after the annual inspection, the OVFD improved its fire district rating from a six to a five. A lower number is a better rating, and a five for an all-volunteer department is a coup for Ocracoke. (See editorial, page 15).
The importance of the OVFD goes beyond putting out structure fires and assisting in medevacs when medical helicopters arrive to transport patients to hospitals.
After the immediate Hurricane Dorian crisis, the fire house served as the command center until mid-November. The fire trucks were moved across the street and the bays were filled with much-needed items for residents.
The fire house is the location for voting and various meetings.
To finance all of this, the Firemen’s Ball, begun in 2006, has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years–about $70,000 in recent years.
In 2019, the ball moved from the Community Center to the Berkley Manor and took in a record of more than $100,000, so plans were underway to make that more spacious location permanent.
The cancellation disappointment is not just financial as it is one of the most popular festivities of the year for both islanders and visitors and includes a barbecue meal, silent and live auctions and dancing to music by the ball’s original founders–the Dune Dogs–and also the Ocracoke Rockers.
Many people and businesses donate a variety of classy items for both auctions and the volunteer firefighters serve as hosts chipping in to ensure the success of the event.
Part of the event’s folklore is the amount of money the cakes baked by Ruth Toth will fetch during the live auction.
She is fondly remembered by many as the proprietor of the former Atlantic Café and author of its eponymous cookbook.
Auctioneers/MCs Bill Cole and Philip Howard at the last event had their work cut out for them with the constant raising of the bidding paddles as the competition grew fierce for the 72 items that ranged from highly prized hand-carved duck decoys, stays at some of the island lodgings and even a week in Vail, Colorado, along with artwork, offshore fishing trips and gift certificates from island businesses.
But it was Toth’s cakes strategically placed at the end that kept the crowd from leaving early. Cheers arose as each paddle was raised and the bids increased.
Firemen’s Ball fans, seen here in 2019, will have to wait until May 28, 2022, for a chance to bid on one of the cakes by Ruth Toth, standing. Photo: C. Leinbach
By the last cry of “sold” by the auctioneer the three cakes raised a total of $4,200.
Two cancellations in a row of the Firemen’s Ball are a major financial setback.
Money from this yearly event brings in much needed funding to keep the OVFD running. To donate, go to the website: https://www.ocracokevfd.org/ or mail a check to the Ocracoke Fire Protection Association, P.O. Box 332, Ocracoke, NC 27960.
The Hyde County Board of Commissioners will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, May 3.
The Hyde County Board of Commissioners will hold their monthly meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, May 3, in the government services center in Swan Quarter and online.
Due to COVID-19 safety precautions, public attendance at Hyde County Board of Commissioners Meetings will be provided electronically. The meeting will be available to watch via Facebook Live or listen to via a phone dial-in for those without reliable internet access. Video of the meeting will also be posted to its website, http://www.hydecountync.gov as soon as possible following the meeting.
The commissioners are accepting public comments for all meetings and hearings via a web submission at https://forms.gle/qWzxU8EXfaQDahWp6 or by leaving a voicemail at 252-926-5288. Submissions must be received at least one hour prior to the start of the meeting for the first public comment period. Submissions submitted after that and prior to the second public comment period will be read or played during the second public comment period. Comments on Facebook are not considered public comments for the meeting as they are not always monitored.
The live stream will begin when the meeting is called to order. You do not need to be a Facebook member to view the live stream. Viewers can access the county’s Facebook page by going to the following website https://www.facebook.com/HydeCountyNC.
To use the dial-in option, call 605-562-0400 or 717-275-8940, enter the following access code 882 1001, and press #. These are not toll-free numbers but you are typically not charged for long-distance when using a cellular phone.
The agenda is below and background information is available on the Hyde County website here.
A basket of primitive duck decoys. Photo: Connie Leinbach
By Connie Leinbach
Duck decoys made on Ocracoke are some of the most unusual ever crafted.
That’s the assessment of Chase Luker of New Holland on mainland Hyde County. Luker was among two dozen decoy carvers and sellers at the Third annual Ocracoke Waterfowl Festival held April 17 in the Berkley Barn and grounds, sponsored by the Ocracoke Island Decoy Carvers Guild.
“We’ve been waiting to have something like this,” he said about the lack of festivals since the COVID-19 pandemic hit more than a year ago. “There are 500 active collectors and 50,000 interested in seeing them.” A hunter education coordinator for the N.C. Wildlife Commission, Luker noticed the duck hunting traditions of this part of the world when he moved to Hyde County 15 years ago.
“The best decoy makers today live on the coast of North Carolina,” he said.
And the old Ocracoke decoys were different from others.
With Jack Dudley’s book ‘Mattamuskeet & Ocracoke Waterfowl Heritage,’ Chase Luker shows how Ocracoke decoy carvers saw a bird shape in the crooks of cedar branches.
“The decoys here are other-worldy,” Luker said, pointing out pictures of primitive Ocracoke-made decoys in a book of decoys by Jack Dudley of Morehead City. “They don’t look like brants, but they look like decoys.” Dudley, a retired dentist, also has a Facebook page.
“He came here and did dental work in exchange for decoys,” Luker said. Old time carvers would find a forked branch of cedar and in it saw the bird they wanted to carve, he said. Or they carved decoys from old ship masts.
“See how rough they are,” Luker said, showing a curious visitor a rough-hewn decoy.
Among the purveyors was Tom Reed of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, a third-generation antique decoy dealer who owns American Sporting Classics.
“Tom is what I call one of the big hitters,” said islander John Simpson, president of the Ocracoke Decoy Carvers Guild which produces the festival. “He is nationally renowned for collecting and organizing decoy shows. He told me this is one of the best he’s been to for sales and also for just being community oriented.”
Reed featured antique decoys by Lem and Steve Ward of Crisfield, Maryland, who were two of the most prolific carvers on the East Coast. One of the brothers’ decoys was priced at $8,000.
Tom Reed shows the signature on an $8,000 decoy by Steve Ward of Crisfield, Maryland. Photo: C. Leinbach
The waterfowl festival was a morale-boosting success as it was the second public event on Ocracoke since the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world in early 2020, causing the island to be closed briefly last spring. All large events were canceled, including the OVFD Firemen’s Ball, Ocrafolk Festival, Blackbeard’s Pirates Jamboree and many other events.
Casey Arthur. Photo: P. Vankevich
“This was great for the community — we needed this,” said Vince O’Neal, one of the founding and current guild directors. “It was so nice to get out and see people.”
Casey Arthur of Stacy, Carteret County, was in his niche as he worked on his latest decoy between greeting visitors. A long-term member and director of the Core Sound Decoy Carvers Guild, he is a frequent visitor to Ocracoke and was an advisor in the formative stages of the Ocracoke guild.
“This is a wonderful event for both us carvers and those who love the art,” he said.
Inside the barn, this year’s featured carver William Nathan Spencer of Ocracoke took center stage. Not only is he skilled at making duck and goose decoys, but he also enjoys carving smaller-size shorebirds such as Sanderlings and Piping Plovers made from single piece of wood, which were popular with browsers and shoppers.
Featured carver Nathan Spencer with wife Janet. Photo: C. Leinbach
“More people showed up than I expected,” said Simpson about the event. “I thought maybe three or 400 would be a decent turnout. We didn’t do admissions, but we figured about 700 people.”
About 24 vendors set up their displays and many said this was one of their best sales events, Simpson said.
President of the Ocracoke Decoy Carvers Guild John Simpson. Photo: P. Vankevich
Proceeds from vendor fees, merchandise, baked goods, raffle ticket sales and baked goods “baked by the whole island” go back to the community in the form of scholarships, Simpson said.
Simpson will be the featured carver next year with his signature duck–a pintail.
As he observed the bustle of customers and vendors he mused about the lure of hand-carved decoys.
“It’s an everyman art,” he said about this folk art. “Carving comes from a different place, a personal place.”
Peter Vankevich contributed to this story.
Island carver Eddie O’Neal corners the festival. Photo: P. Vankevich
If one were to look at names of our birds of North America and get a chance to rename them, the Ring-necked Duck would be a top candidate. Watching one in a marsh, even with high-powered binoculars or even a spotting scope, the faint chestnut collar on its black neck is often impossible to see, which is why the above photo by Mary Parker Sonis is so remarkable.
But it caught the attention of 19th century biologists looking at dead specimens which provided the name. But what catches the attention of those observing them in their natural habitats is a black bill tip bordered by a prominent white band. Hence its informal name of “ringbill.”
The female, like many duck species, is brownish to be inconspicuous to would-be predators during nesting and also has a black bill tip and paler white band.
This diving duck is in the genus Aythya related to the Redhead, Greater and Lesser Scaup and nests in small, wooded ponds in boreal forests and prairie regions of the upper United States and throughout much of Canada.
From fall into early spring, they can be found, sometimes in large numbers, throughout North Carolina in waters with adequate subaquatic vegetation such as beaver ponds, lakes, and reservoirs with forested shorelines.
Best time to see: Early fall into winter.
Where: Possible in the sound and small ponds on the island; less likely in the ocean. The pond approaching the Hatteras ferry dock can be a possible location. This bird is not that common on Ocracoke. On the Outer Banks, Pea Island Wildlife Refuge is a better location to see them and the Mattamuskeet/Pungo lake areas on the mainland.
Listen: The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a variety of recordings. Soft-spoken, they make a series of short, high, grating barks or grunts. Females also make a high peeping call. Clickhereto listen.
Gov. Roy Cooper briefs the press on the latest COVID-19 trends.
As of today (April 30), the state of North Carolina will lift the outdoor mask mandate, but indoor masks are still required in the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
Gov. Roy Cooper said in an April 28 press briefing that the state’s metrics and key indicators remain stable that masks are still strongly recommended outdoors by N.C. Department of Health & Human Services in crowded areas and higher risk settings where social distancing is difficult.
The new capacity for indoor gatherings increases to 100 people, and to 200 people for outdoor gatherings.
A new executive order also relaxes parts of North Carolina’s mask mandate that has been in effect since last year. While masks are still required indoors, they no longer will be required outside, though they are still “strongly recommended” for crowded areas where social distancing isn’t possible.
Hyde County ranks among the top counties in the state for percentage of population vaccinated, said Misty Gibbs, Hyde County preparedness coordinator, with 48.2% of residents receiving first doses and 38.5% fully vaccinated.
Cooper said if at least two thirds of North Carolinian’s get vaccinated, more restrictions can be lifted. At this point, 39.2% percent of those 18 and up have been fully vaccinated. The free vaccines are now available in pharmacies and doctors’ offices.
“We have more work to do to beat back this pandemic,” Cooper said. “Let’s work hard in May and get as many people vaccinated as we can before summer gets here.”
The Hyde County Health Department announced today (April 30) that COVID-19 cases are going down again. The current numbers are listed below and there are no noticeable trends.
Total cases 681
Active 5
Recovered 668
Deaths 8
The Ocracoke Health Center has vaccines. Call them at 252-489-3622 to schedule an appointment, or the Hyde County Health Department on the mainland at 252-926-4200.
William Daniel “Bill” Gaskill Sr. of Ocracoke died April 27 at his home.
He was the husband of Alda Vann, at home.
Born Dec. 6, 1939, by one of the island midwives, he was a son of the late Thurston and Helen Gaskill.
Ever the optimist, he fought his battle with Merkel Cell Carcinoma with a positive attitude and a desire to beat it. He was blessed to have so many family members and friends supporting him and was surrounded by loved ones when he passed peacefully.
Bill grew up on Ocracoke fishing and hunting with his father and enjoyed being a part of Ocracoke’s mounted Boy Scout Troop 290. He joined the U.S. Coast Guard at the age of 17 and began a 20-year military career.
In 1962, he married the girl he had loved since he was a child. He always said the happiest day of his life was when he married Alda Vann O’Neal. Son Danny was born in 1963, followed by his daughter Doreen in 1966. When he retired in 1976, he brought his family back home to Ocracoke. He then worked for the NCDOT Ferry Division and then retired for a second time.
Never one to be idle he could often be found helping someone with a problem when he was not fishing, clamming, or enjoying the sunset. He was an amazingly smart person who could do everything from building a house to fixing a car.
He always took the time to enjoy the simple things, and always made time for helping friends, family, and sometimes strangers. If Bill Gaskill did not have the tool you needed, there is a good chance it did not exist. He would lend out his tools, and most of the time stop what he was doing to help. He will be missed by people of all ages and especially his family.
Bill was preceded in death by his brother Thurston Fuller Gaskill and son Danny Gaskill.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by daughter Doreen Gaskill Robinson; sister Annie Lou Gaskins; grandsons Ansley and Eldon Robinson; granddaughters Chrisi Gaskill and fiancé Charles Temple; and Katelyn Gaskill and husband Dustin Taylor.
A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 1, in the Ocracoke Community Cemetery. Everyone is welcome to attend.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the Ocracoke United Methodist Church, PO Box 278, Ocracoke NC, 27960.
The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the many people who helped in so many different ways during Bill’s illness.
Twiford Funeral Homes, Outer Banks is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences and memories may be shared at www.TwifordFH.com.
