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Don’t be ‘Gone fishing’ for the Nov. 5 election       

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For candidate info, click here.

This editorial was completed on Sept. 23 for the October print issue.

The weather is beautiful. Many consider October to be the nicest month of the year.

So far, Ocracoke, while getting overwash from distant storms and king tides, has not had a hint of the most recent large hurricanes that have devastated the United States, particularly western North Carolina and Florida, in the last few weeks.

But another high category storm may be brewing — not out in the ocean, but on the mainland.

Casting fishing lines, walking on the beach or sitting on a dune watching the shore life offer respite from the hubbub of our daily lives and from the incessant news cycles.

It would be nice to continue with these thoughts, but stones have been hurled into the political water that have had major detrimental ripple effects in our lives, and more ripples loom.

Many have a sense of dread regarding the Nov. 5 General Election and its aftermath.

People are increasingly fearful of expressing political opinions in the so-called social media and personal attacks and intimidation have sadly become the new normal.

How much of this is due to foreign social media influencers like Russia is being investigated, but there is no doubt that it is going on.

Our adversaries want to divide us and that online “Joe from Iowa” may very well be Ivan from Moscow. Artificial intelligence (AI) has become so advanced that not only can it manipulate an image, but it can also manipulate our views.

People getting their news from within their own perception bubble and through media variations of hate and fear is not promoting measured discourse.

Something has happened to our society, and it is not good.

We need to right this ship and restore our country to civility in our spirited political discourse. 

We can no longer rely on politicians to be the voice of common sense, provide thoughtful advice and reassurance that we have good leadership.

Yes, there are elected officials who serve out of a dedication to public service, but their voices too often are not heard or when they do express a view that does not fall in line with their political party’s affiliation, they are quickly threatened with primary opponents who will drive them out of office.

Political intimidation and violence have escalated in the last 10 years, and we are now seeing political assassination attempts.

On both sides, party leaders say we need to tamper down the rhetoric. A détente, if you will, and these will last maybe an hour or two and then the attacks resume.

Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and the late John McCain (R-Arizona) and have spoken up to call out lies that circulate in the media. Yet they, in turn, received attacks for saying so.

What has happened to us?

Why can’t national candidates discuss the inflation rate, the stock market, employment rates and affordable health care and housing instead of the culture wars nonsense they talk about?

Ten years ago, if a survey asked if one supported a candidate who called for jailing political opponents and shutting down the free press, the response would have been overwhelmingly “Absolutely not.” Sadly, that would not be the case today.

How can the average person help restore our nation to sanity?

One way is for people to take a “tough love” approach to their favored politicians.

If a politician lies or makes outrageous comments, contact that person and politely say that you are a supporter but will reconsider if this behavior continues. Politicians will listen and respond to criticism from their supporters far more than their detractors.

The November ballot is rather long with candidates, and we have provided some information on our local candidates for county commissioner, school board and sanitary district in our print issue. 

We will ask some of the candidates seeking statewide representation questions, and these answers, along with those of the local candidates, will be posted online.

There are plenty of nonpartisan sources that provide accurate candidate information. Do not rely solely on the paid advertisements that deluge the airways and the internet.

Numerous local, statewide and national offices have been decided by a few votes. So, don’t think that your vote doesn’t count.

Make sure now — not later — that you are properly registered. There are too many efforts going on to disenfranchise voters and possibly change the will of the voters.

Our ship needs to head into a beautiful, starry, autumn sky and not, as our enemies would have it, into “The Twilight Zone.”

Ocracoke events Oct. 14 to 20

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Fall surf fishing on Ocracoke. Photo: C. Leinbach

Tuesday, Oct. 15
Hyde County Health COVID-Flu shot clinic, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Community Center.

Last home Lady Dolphins volleyball games for both Middle School and Varsity vs. Mattamuskeet Lady Lakers. The Middle School game will start at 4pm. Varsity to follow.

A memorial service for Reggie O’Neal will be held at 1 p.m. in the Ocracoke United Methodist Church, 71 School Rd. The family will accept friends immediately following the service at a potluck in the rec hall. A small private graveside service will be held after.

OCBA meeting “Candidates Night,” featuring local candidates for office, 6 pm. Community Center

Wednesday, Oct. 16
Ocracoke Waterways Commission, 6:30 pm. Community Center

Friday, Oct. 18
What’s happening on Ocracoke: Award-winning veteran journalist Joy Crist, editor of the Island Free Press, will be the guest, 11:30 am, WOVV, 90.1 FM and online wovv.org
Ocracoke Oyster Company: Ray Murray, 7 pm

Saturday, Oct. 19
Working Waterman’s Festival, 9 am to 4 pm; fish fry noon to 2 pm; Ocracoke Preservation Society, 49 Water Plant Rd.

Sunday, Oct. 20
Church services:
Ocracoke United Methodist Church, 11 am
Ocracoke Life Saving Church, 11 am
Stella Maris Chapel, 3:30 pm

One ‘O’cocker’ way to resilience

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Alton Ballance shows how high the flood waters of Dorian came into the inn.

Text and photos by Connie Leinbach

When many Ocracoke residents chose to raise their houses after the historic flooding five years ago from Hurricane Dorian, island native Alton Ballance chose a different path to resilience.

Ballance, who is author of the iconic book about Ocracoke, “Ocracokers,” was a Hyde County commissioner for Ocracoke for eight years in the mid-1980s, has been a teacher, is a retired NCCAT staffer and is the owner of the Crews Inn, built in 1908.

Both the inn and his old Ocracoke home along Irvin Garrish Highway were flooded when Dorian brought a 7.4-foot storm surge, the highest yet on Ocracoke.

The Crews Inn, along Back Road, has been reopened for business since June 2021 after Ballance made major renovations to the first floor with a nod to resilience the O’cocker way. O’cocker is the moniker for natives whose families go back generations.

His response to the deluge was to take out the damaged drywall, replace it with washable beadboard, redo the floors and raise all the outlets up four feet.

From that outlet line to the floor there’s washable foam insulation instead of fiberglass, which is above that line.

When he removed the wet drywall, underneath he found beadboard, a popular Ocracoke wood style for walls.

“This is the old, original beadboard from 100 years ago,” he said, as he showed a visitor the renovations.

And like past islanders, he chose to salvage it, clean it, Kilz it, prime it and caulk it.

After rebuilding his own house in this way, he did this second year-long rebuild with the help of Clayton Gaskill and Clifton Garrish and others.

“One of my big things is I would not go back for it (the Dorian flood) not to have happened,” he said, “because so many good things happened. This place is so much better.”

The living room walls had never been insulated, he said. The studs were done with the lumber they had at the time, and they also weren’t regularly spaced.

“We were able to get in there and restud the walls and heavily insulate it,” he said.

They also rewired the building so that instead of one single outlet on the baseboard in the dining room from which he had to run an extension cord there now are seven high-up, upgraded outlets on three different circuits.

The house was original to Ike and Sue O’Neal. Their daughter, Lucille, married a man named Jesse Garrish and the couple ran the Community Store, Alton explained.

They had one son, Danny Garrish, two of whose daughters, Mandy Jones, who works at the Variety Store, and Melissa Garrish, who works at the post office, live on the island along with a son, Wayne Garrish who with his wife, Jennifer, are former owners of the Bluff Shoals Motel.

Alton Ballance shows how he refurbished his Crews Inn after the Hurricane Dorian flood. The raised electric outlets can be seen on the walls

After Lucille died, the children sold the house in 1985 to Alton’s brother, Kenny, who, with two other men, started the Crews Inn.

Alton and his crew rebuilt the floors, the planks of which originally had simply been nailed to the floor joists. They removed the planks, one piece of which was stamped Jesse Garrish, and installed subflooring.

“Then every one of these boards got put back and refinished,” he said. “We were able to save all of them.”

The upgraded bathrooms got waterproof flooring that many island homes have installed in the last five years.

“We even took time to build headboards out of leftover beadboard,” he said.

Resilience also means replacing massive sofas in the living room with furniture he can move himself.

Raising his home and the Crews Inn are not options.

“I like the level it’s on,” he said.

Moreover, the way old Ocracoke houses have multiple add-ons, though not impossible, his homes would not be easy to raise up.

A lot of old Ocracoke homes were built with a ground floor trap door to let the water in (and later out) so they wouldn’t float away, noted Tom Pahl, a building contractor and Ballance’s neighbor.

Alton is OK with how he is embracing resilience with a nod to the past.

“I have concerns,” he said. “Without old houses like mine and the inn, Ocracoke will lose its architectural history and look like other beach areas,” he said.

Ballance shows one of the headboards he made out of leftover bead board.

Reggie O’Neal: 1971 to 2024

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Reggie O’Neal. Photo courtesy of the family.

Reginald E. O’Neal Jr., 53, of Ocracoke, gained his heavenly wings on Thursday, October 10.

He passed peacefully in his sleep surrounded by his wife Kimberly M. O’Neal, friends and his loving pups after a long hard battle with serious health issues. “Rockin’ Regg” will be remembered as a quick-witted and fun-loving friend to all, a great son and brother, and a loving husband.

Born Aug. 13, 1971, on Ocracoke, Reggie was raised on the island where he fell in love with Kim in the late 1990s, and they married in 2003. He worked with the NCDOT-Ferry Division for 21 years before the onset of health issues forced him to end his career.

When not working, Reggie loved spending time with friends and family, traveling, cruising on his motorcycle, and pulling for the Tarheels.

Reggie is survived by his incredible, loving, and supportive wife Kim, and their beloved fur babies Sheldon, Ridley, and Kybble of their island home. Also surviving are his parents, Reginald E. O’Neal, Sr. and Elva S. O’Neal, his sister Regina O’Neal Boor and husband Justin C. Boor, and his very special niece Kinsley M. Boor all of Ocracoke, as well as numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, October 15, at the Ocracoke United Methodist Church, 71 School Rd.

The family will receive friends following the service. A private family graveside committal will be held in the Ocracoke Community Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Reggie may be made to the Ocracoke Health Center, the American Kidney Fund or the American Heart Association.

Twiford Funeral Homes, Outer Banks is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences and memories may be shared at www.TwifordFH.com.

Working Waterman’s festival Oct. 19

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The Ocracoke Working Waterman’s Festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, on the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum grounds, 49 Water Plant Rd.

Since they became the first inhabitants of the island, Ocracokers have made their living on the water, from piloting ships through the treacherous Ocracoke Inlet, to fishing, crabbing, clamming, oyster harvesting, duck hunting, and decoy carving, all of which continue today, handed down through the generations.

The festival will celebrate these traditions with exhibits with the watermen themselves, vendor booths and exhibits. There will also be porch talks starting at 10 a.m.

A silent auction will run from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., at which time winners will be announced (if anyone would like to donate, they can drop off items at the museum until the day of).

There will be a traditional Ocracoke fish fry from noon to 2 p.m. or until supplies run out, as well as a baked goods sale.

Proceeds from the silent auction, raffle, and fish fry directly benefit OPS and its Island Inn & Commons Project.

T-shirts and posters for the festival will also be available for purchase.

Outdoor artists to paint the island

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“Night Shift” 8×10 oil, by Ann Hair.

During the week of Oct. 6 to 13, you will see artists painting the Ocracoke landscapes, beaches, Silver Lake and historic architecture.

“Plein air” means they paint outside and not from photographs.

The artists travel to Ocracoke every October for a retreat, coming from Wilmington, Jacksonville and Norfolk to explore, paint and enjoy camaraderie, friendships and talents. This year’s artists include Ann Hair, Barbara Bear Jamison, Sue Bark and Jenny McKinnon Wright.

The artists will show and sell their work from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, at their rental house at 31 Creek Rd.

The artists will donate a portion of their sales revenues to an Ocracoke nonprofit.

Ocracoke events Oct. 7 to 13–updated

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A fall dawn on the Pamlico Sound from the Swan Quarter ferry. Photo: P. Vankevich

Monday, Oct. 7
Hyde County Commissioners, 6 pm. Community Center and on Facebook at Hyde County Public Information.

Tuesday, Oct. 8
Lady Dolphins volleyball vs Columbia . Middle School 4 p.m. varsity follows.
Ocracoke Oyster Company: Ray Murray, 7pm

Wednesday, Oct 9
Roanoke Island Animal Clinic will be at the Community Center. They hope to be on the 8 am ferry Please call 252-473-3117 or leave a message here if you are coming so they can bring your records
Island Trivia, 6-8 pm, 1718 Brewing Ocracoke. Proceeds to benefit Mercy Chefs efforts to feed victims of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina.

Thursday, Oct. 10
Ocracoke Planning Advisory Board, 5:30 to 7 pm. Ocracoke Community Center
Ocracoke Decoy Carvers Guild meeting, 7 pm. Ocracoke Community Center

Friday, Oct. 11
Varsity volleyball game versus Washington Montessori at 4 pm.
Outdoor artists show and sell their work from 3 to 6 p.m. at 31 Creek Rd.

Saturday, Oct. 12
Fried Fish fundraiser for John Simpson, 3 pm. Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department. $20/plate, plus a bake sale and raffle. See graphic below.

Celebration of Life for Gail Umphlett, Ocracoke Coffee Shop, Back Road, 3 pm

Sunday, Oct. 13
Church services:
Ocracoke United Methodist Church, 11 am
Ocracoke Life Saving Church, 11 am
Stella Maris Chapel, 3:30 pm

For Ocracoke on the eve of Earl

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This old live oak on the Ocracoke Preservation Society grounds has withstood the test of many storms. Photo: C. Leinbach

By Sarah Shellow

We mounted our bikes: hers, cotton-candy pink; mine, a scratched and dirty blue. She had on pedal pushers which showed her calves, tan and freckled and taut with effort. Her taffy strokes cut through the thick air. Left, right, left, right. How fast can you go on a one-speed?

We rode from the coffee shop down the narrow pavement which petered out in a dirt graveyard path lined with long grasses hissing with cicadas.

Her white toy poodle trotted next to her wheels. I kept my wheels a safe distance. She had just lost her other dog that morning. Put him to sleep, he was so sick. (I didn’t want to take any chances).

We arrived at her bungalow just as the air stilled in the last heat of the day. I saw her glide toward that tree, right foot in the right pedal, left leg arcing up and over the seat. For a moment, her thin ankles crossed, and she was floating. Then, both feet hit the ground with the lightest pat. We leaned the bikes against the old oak. The branches were fat arms reaching toward the house. The leaves were a sun umbrella that shaded quite nicely the small screened-in porch. We went inside and the screen door slapped shut.

She offered me sweet tea. We were neighbors, you know. My cottage was on the other side of the graveyard. I told her I felt comforted knowing the ancestors were nearby. She motioned for me to sit in a plastic rocking chair. Though the sun was warm through the screen, I think the oak was taking the brunt of it. We rocked back and forth, as slow as we had pedaled, the cicadas consuming the quiet space between us. 

She told me she’d been coming to the island for fifty years. Fifty, she said. She sipped her drink from a chipped tumbler. She told me she had raised her kids with the island children. Babies of the sea, she called them when they came back to the bungalow brown and blond and crusted with salt.

Sally had blonde hair herself, shorn close to her head with just a little bit of length for the breeze. She wore a polka-dotted blouse without sleeves. Her arms were thin and strong. She sat for quite some time before she spoke again. When she did, she looked down. “See that rope?” she asked. I did. It was coiled like a snake under the table. She pointed in another direction. “And that one?” she asked. I looked. Yes. I did. And that one and that one and that one? I looked and looked and looked. We were surrounded by coils of rope the thickness of a finger or an umbilical cord.
She rocked and rocked and smiled. She nodded, at the tree, I think. She told me when the hurricanes came, each rope was spoken for.

That one was Misty’s, she said laughing. She pointed to the old oak. She told me everyone had a special branch that was their own. When the winds came and the water rose, you were to pick up your rope and tie it around yourself as tight as you could manage. The first person ready was to find the ladder and prop it against the tree. There was a line to get up, of course. And when it was your turn, you lashed yourself to your branch. You sat in its crux, and you watched the water cover the roots, then the base, then part of the trunk. You hoped you were high enough. And you knew the tree was strong enough to hold your whole family like that in its massive basket of limbs.
It was just she and I surrounded by ropes. It was quiet.

Did you really have to do that? I asked. I mean, climb into that tree with your whole family?
No, she smiled. But we had fun with the drills.

It is hot. It is the cusp of September. The sky is clear today, almost an autumn blue. I am safe behind this computer typing a story that comes to me slowly, like eating taffy or riding a one-speed down an oyster-shell lane. I see the bungalow, a dirty cream. I see the bikes tossed on the lawn. I see the flapping screen porch door and the graveyard.
I wonder, will she lash herself to the old oak tonight? Will she pray that the sea takes note: not too high, not too fierce; my arms are strong, but tired; my legs are thin and getting old. 

“There’s never been a death on Ocracoke from a hurricane,” says Carol Pahl, who owns the antiques shop down the street.
I am counting on the oak.

Hurricane Earl forced an evacuation of the Outer Banks on Labor Day weekend 2010. 

Sarah Shelllow was a recent guest on WOVV, Ocracoke’s Village Voice. Photo: P. Vankevich

Sarah Shellow of Silver Spring, Md., was a visiting writing teacher on Ocracoke last year working with the high school seniors, holding creative writing workshops at the Ocracoke Community Library and working at Village Craftsmen in the summer.  She has returned to do the same this fall.

Distant hurricane may bring dangerous rip curents and overwash this weekend

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Although the weather forecast for the next several days calls for sunny days and pleasant temperatures, Hurricane Kirk, well out to sea, may cause havoc along the Outer Banks.

The National Weather Service has reported that Kirk on Thursday night grew into a Category 4 storm with winds in excess of 145 mph. It is expected to weaken over the next couple of days. The projected path is north/northeast towards Europe.

The swell from this hurricane will impact the Outer Banks beginning Sunday and last into the week.

Dangerous rip currents and high surf are expected along with the potential of more overwash and possible beach erosion.

An update will be forthcoming as more information is gathered.

Hyde County Schools receives $36 million to renovate Mattamuskeet School

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Mattamuskeet High School. Photo: C. Leinbach

From our news services

Hyde County Schools and the Hyde County Board of Commissioners have received a $36 million grant for the Mattamuskeet Rising project to revitalize the Mattamuskeet School campus.

The funding for Mattamuskeet Rising comes from the North Carolina Education Lottery and will be used to expand the school’s capabilities to as a hub for both students and the community, said Dr. Melanie Shaver, superintendent, in a press release.

“The comprehensive project includes upgrades to the school’s physical infrastructure, increased access to cutting-edge educational resources, and athletic facilities designed to foster economic, academic, and social development in now all of Hyde County as we recently opened a brand new campus for our school on Ocracoke Island,” she said.

Mattamuskeet School, situated on 44 acres along Highway 264, consists of 10 buildings dating back to the 1960s, with the most recent addition completed in 2024. This grant will consolidate the campus into three buildings; enhancing the safety and sense of community for our students and staff as well as protecting them from the elements.

Construction for the Mattamuskeet Rising Project is expected to begin in Spring 2025.

Shaver noted the assistance of several agencies, saying, “We are grateful to NCDPI, the NC General Assembly, and Superintendent Truitt for these funds to ensure that our facilities are in good repair, and a source of pride for our students, staff, and community. It was wonderful to partner with the Hyde County Board of Commissioners and our County Manager to provide the best for our community and students.”

Shaver said the Mattamuskeet Rising is more than just a building project; it’s a promise to our students, families, and the community. We are building a foundation for future success, where students can thrive in an environment designed for education, and a place for our community to unite.”

The Hyde County Manager Kris Cahoon Noble noted, “This investment is a testament to the strength of our partnership and the shared vision we have for the future of Hyde County.”

Current campus plan
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