Gas at Jerniman’s on Ocracoke is restricted until tanks are refilled. Photo: C. Leinbach
By Connie Leinbach
Restricting the sale of gas to emergency vehicles only quashed a panic run on gas purchases this week at Jerniman’s gas station.
Jerniman’s on Tuesday experienced long lines as people dashed to the gas station before co-owner Drew Batts asked customers to limit their purchases to five gallons.
But the run continued as island visitors thought that once they left the island there wouldn’t be gas available.
“We went through 4,500 gallons from Tuesday to Wednesday when I shut it down,” he said Thursday night.
A wave of panic buying across the state was set off earlier in the week by the temporary shutdown over the weekend of the Colonial Pipeline, which supplies much of the fuel for the East Coast, after learning it was the victim of a cybersecurity attack.
Colonial’s 5,500-mile gas pipeline in the eastern United States is a primary fuel pipeline for North Carolina. That shutdown led to fuel shortages throughout North Carolina, which Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday were “pretty much solely related to panic buying.”
As the pipeline began running again on Thursday, Cooper and other North Carolina officials urged patience while supplies get stabilized.
Batts on Wednesday put signs on the four pumps saying that gas was only for emergency vehicles. On Thursday, the station was quieter although vehicles intermittently rolled in and after seeing the signs on the pumps, rolled out.
Batts said that Beasley Enterprises out of Ahoskie brings 9,000 per visit, which is about every two weeks, and that Ocracoke is in the queue for another delivery, but he didn’t know when that would be.
“We’re waiting for confirmation,” he said.
Facebook posts on Thursday showed that gas is available on Hatteras in Buxton and Avon.
Batts said he hasn’t had any problems since he restricted the pumps.
“Everyone’s been great,” he said. “The tourists and locals did really well.”
As for diesel fuel, Batts said there’s plenty of that.
“There’s almost 4,000 gallons, but not that many diesel drivers,” he said.
Closed gas pumps at Jerniman’s on Ocracoke. Photo: C. Leinbach
Maren Donlon bats in the Hatteras tournament on May 8. Assistant Coach David Scott Esham coaches at first base.
Text and photos by Richard Taylor
For two perfect spring days last weekend, the excitement of Ocracoke Dolphin baseball before unmasked fans replaced memories of Hurricane Dorian, the loss of the main campus building and nearly a year of pandemic-necessitated remote learning, including the cancellation of almost all team athletic activities.
Middle School Coach Bill Cole put his eighth-grade son Nicholas on the mound against visiting Hatteras at the home game May 7.
Cole the younger held the hapless Hurricanes scoreless for five innings, with the Dolphins winning 14-0.
“I have five or six kids I’ve been working with and it was just his turn to pitch,” Cole said after the game. “He didn’t throw that many pitches. The game was called before we got to six innings (mercy rule), so he was able to finish it off.”
Nicholas Cole pitches a home field shutout against Hatteras May 7. Mau Guerrero defends at third base.
Cole praised his team’s work ethics and eagerness to play well.
“The kids all came prepared to play, followed directions well and had a very good day,” he said.
Nicholas’ impressive shutout was a perfect early Mother’s Day present for his mom, Ocracoke School Principal Leslie Cole.
“The most important thing through the (COVID-19) pandemic and everything is that the kids have an opportunity to play baseball again,” Bill Cole explained. “It’s great to see the fans coming out to support us and for everyone to enjoy outdoor activities again.”
Owing to pandemic restrictions, the team had only nine practices before their first game on May 5 when the squad beat the Hurricanes away in extra innings, 8-7.
“I typically like to have three to four weeks of practice, to do stretches and build up arm strength, to work on hitting and pitching and to get the kids into a good mental attitude,” Cole said.
That first game saw only nine players.
“And they played really hard,” he said. “We did some good things defensively.”
Cole praised infielder Danny Palacios-Badillo for a hard-hit, two-run scoring double and first baseman Uriel Guerrero for running down a Hatteras player between first and second. Both are eight-graders.
Dolphin middle school first-baseman Uriel Guerrero runs down a Hatteras player between first and second base.
John Kattenburg assists as a middle-school coach.
On Saturday, May 8, the Dolphin varsity squad played two games in the 2021 Cape Hatteras Sandlot Tournament in Buxton.
Powerhouse Bear Grass of Martin County crushed the Hurricanes in the morning opener, 18-3. The Dolphins then handed the host team another lopsided loss, 24-3 in the first afternoon game.
Walks, hits and Hatteras errors helped Ocracoke pile-up 14 runs in the third inning for a 23-5 win over the Hurricanes.
Freshman Maren Donlon, who moved up from middle school, contributed several hits to the varsity victory.
“Maren played awesome,” said head coach Jim McClain. “Having a female on a varsity team that’s typically male-dominated is great for the team. It’s also great for Maren.”
Noting that the team is playing better than ever, McClain was thrilled after the high-scoring victory over the Hurricanes.
“I don’t think this Ocracoke high school baseball program has ever had a victory over Hatteras,” he said. “We capitalized on all Hatteras’ mistakes and just had a big (third) inning.”
In the later championship game, Bear Grass pounded Ocracoke 11-1, but losing to the Bears did not bother McClain.
“Bear Grass is a dominant force, with a deep history of baseball,” he said. “They have a tremendous program. They’re always going to bring a game of a higher caliber, and that’s a good experience for us. We played a very good baseball game. Bear Grass just played a better game.”
Ocracoke had to change pitchers against Bear Grass several times as that game went on.
“What you saw with those pitching changes was governed by the state pitch count rules,” he said. “If a student athlete throws over a certain number of pitches in a day, then they are mandated to have a certain number of days rest.”
It’s all part of managing the team to have the best arms available.
Dylan Esham pitches against Bear Grass on May 8.
McClain singled out Chandler O’Neal for catching the two games against Hatteras and Bear Grass.
“That’s a hard day’s work and he made some tremendous plays with the shortstop Jackson Strange, especially with runners on first and third,” McClain said. “I have never seen those two kids throw a ball that hard and that well to make that out at home that ended one of the innings.”
Freshman Damon Esham carried most of the pitching responsibilities against Hatteras and his younger brother, Dylan, closed out that game pitching.
Following the game, Chandler O’Neal and the Esham brothers were named to the All-Tournament team. Senior Parker Gaskill won the John Jacobs Memorial Award (as voted on by coaches) — a ceremonial miniature wooden bat.
Senior Parker Gaskill receives the John Jacobs Memorial Award at the Hatteras game May 8.
McClain said his student athletes have learned to deal well with the rigors of traveling to away games.
“Kids on Ocracoke are unique,” he said. “When I first moved here and got involved in the baseball program, I was amazed that these kids would get on a bus at 10 in the morning, play a game at 5 in the afternoon and not get home until after midnight. They’re very used to it.”
On the bus, which McLain also drives, the team members further cement their bond.
“It adds a bit of camaraderie and esprit de corps to our group for having to take these extreme measures to play a competitive varsity sport here,” he said. “Every single player on this varsity team is a student athlete of high character. I’ve never had any issues with their behavior.”
The island has such well-developed school baseball programs because two recreation league teams feed players to the upper grades.
“We have over 70 kids playing baseball this spring on Ocracoke across high school, middle school and the two little league organizations,” he said. “That’s almost half of the entire student population.”
This dedicated coach somehow finds time to teach Ocracoke’s Little League 10- to 12-year-olds, the Oriels, in the Hatteras League. Local 8- to 10-year-old youngsters play as the Marlins. Their first games are Saturday (May 15) in Buxton.
Despite losing three seniors (Parker Gaskill, Dylan Esham and Christian Trejo), McLain is excited to have eight athletes moving up from middle school next spring.
“It’s going to be awesome,” he said.
The varsity Dolphins are 2-3 so far during this pandemic-shortened season. David Scott Esham and Jason Elicker assist McClain with coaching duties. Both teams practiced last spring but had no conference games due to the pandemic.
Dolphin coaches and players watch from the dugout at Hatteras.
Christian Trejo ducks from a wild pitch. against Bear Grass.
The scoreboard showing the victorious Dolphins against the Hatteras Hurricanes, but not the 14 runs in the third inning, only 4.
Dolphin middle school coaches John Kattenburg, left, and Bill Cole.
Damon Esham bats against Bear Grass at Hatteras.
Max Elicker bats against Hatteras at Hatteras with Parker Gaskill on deck.
Dolphin players Max Elicker, Jackson Strange and Christian Trejo.
This quilt of ‘Ocracoke Cracker’ blocks made by quilters all over the world and assembled by Lori Millsap of Winterville will be among 100 Millsap will bring to Ocracoke May 26 to give to islanders. Photo courtesy of Lori Millsap
“A quilt will warm your body and comfort your soul.”—Anonymous
By Kelley Shinn
Rebuilding after a natural disaster is akin to sewing a quilt—it isn’t a quick process. It’s one stitch at a time, and it takes a lot of stitches.
Lori Millsap of Winterville, Pitt County, knows this all too well. Having grown up in Tupelo, Mississippi, part of Tornado Alley, she knows first-hand the devastating effects of storms.
That’s why Lori and her husband Dennis will visit Ocracoke on Wednesday, May 26, and from 4 to 6 p.m. and will be at at the Community Square Docks to distribute 100 quilts made by quilters from all over the world for the Ocracoke community, first-come, first-served.
Dennis is retired from the U.S. Air Force. As military families do, they moved a lot before settling in eastern North Carolina in 2004.
In 1989, they were in South Carolina for Hurricane Hugo, with a newborn, one of two daughters. Dennis was a child in Biloxi, Mississippi, when Hurricane Camille blew through, and Dennis’ sister, in Slidell, Louisiana, lost everything in Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“It was natural for us to spend our ‘retirement’ volunteering with organizations that help after natural disasters,” Lori says.
Dennis is now a disaster-response event leader for Eight Days of Hope, a nonprofit dedicated to disaster rebuilds.
Because of Ocracoke’s unique situation as a small island reliant upon a ferry system, the large sweeping services that Eight Days of Hope offers wasn’t possible after Hurricane Dorian devastated the island on Sept. 6, 2019, but Lori couldn’t sit by and do nothing while watching the suffering of a place that is dear to her heart.
The couple spent their 20th anniversary on the island in 2006 and were so enamored with the village that they’ve been regular visitors ever since.
Lori decided to make it a personal mission to provide a source of comfort to the island that has given her and Dennis so much comfort over the years—and soon after, Quilts for Ocracoke got its own hashtag.
Lori has been quilting for 30 years, ever since, she says, “We were a young family stationed in Alaska. I was attending graduate school studying mathematics and statistics, parenting two small children, and 5,000 miles away from my family, so I thought I needed a new hobby! Ha!” Because of the travel associated with her husband’s career, Lori has had the opportunity to learn to quilt from teachers around the country and to participate in guilds in large quilting communities in Ohio, Mississippi, Alabama and North Carolina.
In 2011, she started a professional longarm quilting business which she named Island Time Quilting.
Lori Millsap on a ferry to Ocracoke in February 2020. Photo courtesy of Lori Millsap
She chose the name because she’d rather be on Ocracoke if she can’t be quilting. She says the two are pretty much tied for her affection.
After Dorian, Lori dusted off her “mostly neglected blog” and gave a shout to her “Instagram community of quiltmakers and taught them a little about Ocracoke.”
“I chose the Ocracoke Cracker Quilt Block, a pattern that originated on the island, as the block for quilters to make to support and send to island residents,” Lori says, “and I volunteered to make 200 quilts over the next 20 months (until May 2021, when my husband and I hope to celebrate our 35th anniversary on the island). Both recovery and quilting take time.”
Packages began to arrive at Island Time Quilting from all over the world, from England to Australia.
Blocks came from quilters across America, some of whom had wonderful memories of vacationing on the island and many of whom had never heard of Ocracoke before.
And North Carolina quilters really took care of their own.
The Alamance Piecemakers Guild sent two finished Cracker quilts each month in 2019 and 2020 and extra blocks for other quilts that Lori was assembling.
The Twin River Quilters in New Bern, still in recovery from Hurricane Florence in 2018, contributed over 500 blocks, and Lori’s own Greenville Quilters made blocks, finished quilts and provided support in many different ways.
Lori and Dennis first came to post-Dorian Ocracoke in February of 2020 to deliver 50 finished quilts, which she distributed door-to-door to islanders she’d heard about. They also helped a local family with a drywall project.
Once the pandemic hit, their best-laid plans of delivering more quilts fell to the side, but Lori says that now she is “delighted to deliver a little hope and joy to the island that I love so dearly.”
They have enough supplies to be able to make 75 more and hope to deliver those in time for the two-year anniversary of Dorian this September.
All are invited to come and greet Lori and Dennis, and if you haven’t received one already, get yourself a hug that lasts in the form of a quilt that will remind you on the darkest nights that you can get through hard things, one stitch at a time.
If you know of anyone who is elderly, or otherwise unable to make it to the docks that day, who could use an extra dose of joy, please email Lori at islandtimequilting@gmail.com, and special deliveries will happily be made.
To view some of the beautiful and generous donations, check out Lori’s blog at islandtimequilting.com, @islandtimequilting on Instagram, or #quiltsforocracoke on Instagram.
Long lines were at Jerniman’s, Ocracoke’s only gas station, on Tuesday. Photo by Richard Taylor
By Connie Leinbach
“Can you just get five gallons, sir?” Drew Batts, co-owner of Jerniman’s, asked a customer Tuesday evening following a day of long lines at the only gas station on Ocracoke.
A wave of panic buying across the state was set off by the temporary shutdown over the weekend of the Colonial Pipeline, which supplies much of the fuel for the East Coast, after learning it was the victim of a cybersecurity attack.
Colonial’s 5,500-mile gas pipeline in the eastern United States is a primary fuel pipeline for North Carolina.
Batts said the gas pumps will close from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. each day to help conserve the supply.
Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday declared a state of emergency suspending vehicle fuel regulations to ensure adequate fuel supplies throughout the state” as prices jumped to nearly $3 per gallon.
The per gallon price of regular unleaded at Jerniman’s is $3.09, but that has been the price for several weeks.
Around 7:30 this evening, Batts began asking customers to limit their purchases to five gallons or fewer so that there’s enough gas for islanders, too.
He said Beasley Enterprises in Ahoskie, which owns the pumps, made a delivery of 9,000 gallons today.
“And we’ve already gone through 2,000 gallons,” Batts said. “This gas has to last until next delivery,” but that won’t be for another two to three weeks.
Batts, on the Ocracoke Island Facebook page went further and said that if gas starts running low they may require everyone to show current fuel gauge and proof of residency to get any gas at all.
“Please understand we don’t want to do any of this…and I don’t want to prevent anyone from being able to travel or enjoy our island,” he wrote, “but when it’s gone, it’s going to be gone until at least the end of the month.”
A sign on a gas pump at Jerniman’s on Ocracoke. Photo: C. Leinbach
Hyde County Manager Kris Noble said that county emergency services and sheriff deputies have adequate fuel.
The Ocracoke post office clerk Melissa Sharber said that the mail truck has gas and that they do not expect a disruption of mail service.
According to Observer news sources, many stations on the Outer Banks were reporting they’ve run out and others are limiting how much you can purchase at one time.
Any shortages seen at individual gas stations are a result of people panic buying, not the Colonial Pipeline shutdown itself, Tiffany Wright, a spokesperson for AAA Carolinas, told The Asheville Citizen Times.
“People hear something and panic,” Wright said, according to the newspaper. “It’s still early, but what I will say is that we do have ample supply even though the Colonial Pipeline is responsible for 45% of the fuel going to the East Coast.”
According to a Tweet by the FBI on Monday, a cybercrime group called DarkSide is behind the attack. The group makes money by encrypting victims’ files and threatening to publish them online unless a ransom is paid.
The stacking lanes at South Dock have been eroded so badly they can’t be used. Vehicles have to line up along N.C. 12. Photo: C. Leinbach
By Connie Leinbach
The Ocracoke Waterways Commission’s meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 18, will focus on one agenda item–the proposal by the NC Department of Transportation Division 1 to submit a South Ferry Dock relocation proposal to the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).
The meeting will be held in the Ocracoke Community Center and will be open to the public with facial masks as required by the state. It will also be broadcast live via the Hyde County Facebook page.
The STIP program is NCDOT’s 10-year transportation plan, which is updated every two years. It prioritizes transportation projects according to region and each region is given an allocation from which to fund them.
Of concern to islanders and officials has been the continued erosion at the South Dock ferry basin at the north end of the island and overwash along the north end of N.C. 12.
One proposal, Option A in the feasibility study, for relocating South Dock to south of the Pony Pens would cost about $87 million.
The Waterways Commission last fall received an NCDOT feasibility study for moving South Dock to a spot about a mile south of the pony pens.
According to the study, for Option A, a ferry ramp would extend approximately 9,000 feet from the existing NC 12 easement and beyond a nearby sand reef into the Pamlico Sound, and would require minimal to no dredging for ferry vehicles. It would cost about $87 million.
In Option B, the ferry ramp would extend into the Sound approximately 5,000 feet from the existing NC 12 easement to a point inshore of the outer sand reef and would require channel dredging to accommodate ferry vessel operations. It would cost about $52 million.
Both propose that N.C. 12 would end there. However, ferry crossing time from Hatteras would be about 90 minutes.
Other ideas in the study suggested moving the road, building a bridge in the Pamlico Sound or building a causeway over the area.
Other possibilities for dealing with N.C. 12 overwash.
During the April 20 waterways meeting, Catherine Peele, planning and development manager for the Ferry Division, had said the Ferry Division would submit the proposal to move the South Dock to the STIP.
“We hope to review how and why NCDOT got to this decision, how the process unfolds from here, and how our community can voice our perspective(s) on this proposal,” said Justin LeBlanc, chair of the commission, in a press release about the meeting.
He said the meeting will start with a short overview presentation and NCDOT officials will be available remotely to answer questions.
The STIP’s Division 1 consists of Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell and Washington counties.
Kris Noble, Hyde County manager, reported at the April meeting that Hyde County was among 25 coastal counties to receive a Resilient Communities grant. This is a planning grant that will create a process where Hyde can identify hazards and risks to the community.
The proposals in the feasibility study are possible long-term solutions, Noble said at the meeting, adding that Dare County also received a Resilient Communities grant to deal with the road problems on Hatteras. Hyde is part of the newly formed N.C. 12 Task Force.
Eventually, Noble said, she will seek community input and consensus on a sustainable solution for the highway, but in the short term, NC Department of Transportation will continue to add sandbags and scoop the sand back onto the dunes as needed.
Dave Hallac, Cape Hatteras National Seashore superintendent, discusses preservation of the Ocracoke Light Station in the Berkley Barn. John Simpson is at left. Photo: C. Leinbach
By Connie Leinbach
The Ocracoke Light Station is the heartbeat of the island and should be preserved.
So said Mickey Hoggard via her neighbor Trudy Austin. Hoggard has lived most of her life in the house, built in the mid-1950s, adjacent to the lighthouse entrance.
Austin related Hoggard’s sentiment at a meeting held Thursday by David Hallac, Cape Hatteras National Seashore superintendent, to seek the community’s input about preserving the lighthouse complex.
“Hurricane Dorian forever changed a lot of things, but the lighthouse is the heartbeat of the community,” was Hoggard’s comment via Austin. “It’s the one constant thing we have.”
Austin added that during the Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944 — one of the most powerful storms to ever strike the eastern United States and which is frequently compared with Hurricane Dorian as to its intensity and damage to Ocracoke Island—the majority of islanders fled to the lighthouse for safety.
The lighthouse, built in 1823, and its environs, including the “double keepers” house, outbuildings and even the live oaks, are owned by the National Park Service, which calls it the Ocracoke Light Station.
The “double keepers” house, a duplex that can house two families, has not been repaired since Dorian surge waters flooded it on Sept. 6, 2019.
A virtual meeting will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. tonight (Monday, May 10).
Online Meeting Link (best option for viewing online presentation from computer or smartphone)
Audio only: 202-640-1187, 38403551# (best option for people with poor or no internet coverage)
Audio only attendees will not be able to view the presentation, therefore, all attendees are encouraged to use a computer or smartphone to connect via online meeting link.
The comment period for the project is open until May 28 online here.
Noting that the lighthouse was built in 1823, Hallac outlined the following preservation ideas:
Option 1 – Repair as is: Repair storm damage and preserve site as is. Option 2 – Repair and Elevate: Repair storm damage, replace existing shotcrete at lighthouse with historic parge coat, and elevate all structures, except the lighthouse. Option 3 – Rehabilitate to 1823 Site: Remove the Keeper’s Quarters 1929 Addition and restore/rehabilitate the Keeper’s Quarters using as many original features (e.g., bricks) from the house as possible; restore/rehabilitate the Light Station structures and site to the 1823-1854 Period of Interpretation; and elevate all structures, except the lighthouse. Restoration/rehabilitation to the 1823-1854 Period of Interpretation would include: • Replacing existing shotcrete at lighthouse with historic parge coat and exposing original stone foundation at lighthouse. • Replacing existing metal spiral stair case with historically accurate wood staircase. • Remove other structures except for the 1823 privy. Option 4 – Relocate: Relocate the lighthouse and the Keeper’s Quarters to a higher elevation, more storm- and flood- resistant location on Ocracoke Island.
The Ocracoke lighthouse and ‘double keepers’ quarters. Photo: C. Leinbach
“The primary challenge is sea level rise,” Hallac told the dozen islanders and dozen Seashore staff in the Berkley Barn where the meeting was held.
The lighthouse is two feet above sea level now and the entire property is considered a wetlands, he said.
John Simpson, whose grandfather, Joseph Merritt Burrus, was the second to last light keeper and the last one to serve under the U.S. Lighthouse Service, advocated for repairing the grounds and leaving them as they are now.
Elizabeth Dyer suggested making an 1823-style building “floodable,” as island homes were built 100 years ago, but elevating it only a few feet to both preserve the past and make the building resilient to encroaching waters.
Hallac noted that the white coating on the lighthouse itself needs to come off because it does not let the bricks underneath breathe. That leads to compromised mortar leading to further deterioration.
He said a decision on how to proceed would be at least a year down the road, preceded by an environmental assessment and another public meeting for the community.
“Whatever we do, it will be very expensive,” he said. “It’s always expensive to preserve historic structures.”
Simpson added that 2023 will be the 200th anniversary of the lighthouse. Hallac said he would confer with Simpson and the community about how to celebrate that.
Meeting attendees in the Berkley Barn. Photo: C. Leinbach
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
