Dolphins Paul Jordan drives on Aidan Caricof. Photo by Casey Robertson
The 7th Annual Holiday Basketball Tournament starts today in the Ocracoke School gym. Lady Dolphins tip-off at 6 p.m., boys follow.
Games will be broadcast by WOVV’s “Voice of the Dolphins,” Bill Cole. 90.1 FM on the island and online atwovv.org. Dolphin games will also be broadcast tomorrow, times to be determined based on results today.
Here is the schedule:
Friday
3 p.m. Girls: Camden vs. First Flight 4:30 p.m. Boys: Camden vs. First Flight 6 p.m. Girls: Ocracoke vs. Gateway Christian Academy 7:30 p.m. Boys: Ocracoke vs. Gateway Christian Academy
8:45 Social gathering at the Community Center
Saturday
10 a.m. Girls consolation game 11:30 a.m. Boys consolation game 1 p.m. Girls championship game 2:30 p.m. Boys championship game
Dredge spoil sand is deposited at the north end of the island where fall hurricanes and storms breached the roadway. Dave Hallac, superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, said this recent sand deposit washed away four days later. Photo: C. Leinbach
The Ocracoke Waterways Commission is looking for a way to make the ferry ride between Hatteras and Ocracoke shorter.
At their Nov. 20 meeting, the N.C. Ferry Division agreed to survey areas of the current route that may lend themselves to dredging and possibly creating a shorter ride between the islands.
Deleting a minimum of 10 minutes would be necessary to bring the crossing time to about 45 minutes, said Harold Thomas, Ferry Division director, who attended the Nov. 20 meeting with Jed Dixon, deputy director, and several other state and federal officials.
“If we could take off 10 minutes, we could get another trip in,” Dixon said.
“That would get you back to what you’re used to,” Thomas added about the numbers of visitors.
Ernie Foster, a charter boat captain in Hatteras and a member of the Dare County Waterways Commission, who also attended the meeting, said this long route puts the whole area in jeopardy.
“We have common cause,” he said, noting the Coast Guard wants a shorter route as well in order to get out to the ocean faster for rescues. “A more viable route would benefit everyone.”
The idea of adding dredge sand to the end of Hatteras also was discussed, but the experts say no, said David Hallac, superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, who attended with Mark Dowdle, deputy superintendent.
Hallac noted that Dare County is spending $25 million to put 2.6 million cubic yards of sand along the Buxton beaches in a two-mile stretch from Canadian Hole area to the site of the first jetty.
“The life span of that project is up to 10 years,” he said, but how much sand would be needed to adequately shore up the end of Hatteras Island?
This slide in Dave Hallac’s presentation shows the eroding ends of Ocracoke and Hatteras islands.
Hallac gave a slide presentation that showed how the Hatteras inlet has continued to change. In 1846, Hatteras Inlet opened after having been almost closed since some time in the 1700s.
“These inlets are dynamic by nature,” he said, adding that the recent addition of dredge spoil sand to the north end of Ocracoke has washed away in a few days.
As for dumping sand at the end of Hatteras to help recreate a buffer, he said it’s iffy.
“Do you want to put sand in one of the fastest eroding parts of the Outer Banks?” he asked.
Jurisdiction and oversight of this waterway is under several different agencies: the federal Army Corps of Engineers and the state (including some environmental agencies), with the National Park Service having approval powers of where dredge spoil should go.
Jim Medlock of the Army Corps, who attended via conference call, outlined the limited jurisdiction the Army Corps has in the area, which is to the middle of the “gorge,” or the area in the middle of the inlet.
Dave Hallac, superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, explains the dynamic nature of ocean inlets to the Ocracoke Waterways Commission. Photo: C. Leinbach
“We’ve never had authorization from the gorge to the Ocracoke side,” he said. “Congress hasn’t made a change to our authorization for decades.”
Dredging by the Army Corps was authorized by a Congressional act in the 1930s, allowing the corps (with federal funds) to dredge from the Barney Slough at Hatteras out to the end of the island but no further.
Ironically, the current long route is not under anyone’s jurisdiction, Medlock said.
After Hurricane Irene in the fall of 2012 further shoaled the Hatteras Inlet, the historical short route became unnavigable for ferries, charter boats and the Coast Guard to get out to the ocean. Restoring the short route by dredging in the last few years has been unsuccessful.
In the winter of 2013, Hatteras charter boat captains found a natural channel farther west into the Pamlico Sound, which takes about an hour to navigate. That channel was officially sanctioned in 2014 and while it has maintained access between the islands, the longer crossing time has resulted in fewer vehicles with visitors being able to come to Ocracoke.
Concurrently, erosion of the south end of Hatteras and the north end of Ocracoke has widened the channel and eliminated the land buffer that has historically protected the inlet.
In this slide, the yellow lines show the historic ends of Hatteras and Ocracoke islands and the blue lines show the erosion of beach.A map from 1709 of the Outer Banks.
Double-crested Cormorants commute along the Ocracoke shore . Photo by Peter Vankevich
At the end of each year, Ocracoke and Portsmouth islands are among the thousands of areas that participate in the nationwide Christmas Bird Count from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5.
The resulting data becomes part of the longest wildlife census in the nation and can help track whether certain species are decreasing or increasing.
The larger paler Ipswich subspecies of the Savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) breeds on Sable Island, NS and can be seen on these counts as this one was on last year’s Ocracoke CBC. This year an alert was sent out to look for colored banded birds as part of a research project. Photo: Peter Vankevich
This year, the local counts will be held Saturday, Dec. 30, on Portsmouth and Sunday, Dec. 31, on Ocracoke.
Last year, 80 species were tallied on Ocracoke and 71 on Portsmouth. Northern Gannets, Brown Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants are regulars over the waters, and the Yellow-rumped (Myrtle race)Warbler is the most common land bird. Usually one or two Peregrine Falcons are reported.
The Portsmouth bird count will be over in time for participants to attend the Ocracoke Working Watermen’s Oyster Roast in the afternoon from 2 to 5 p.m.
The tallying ends with a pot luck dinner Dec. 31 to share in camaraderie and learn how many species were recorded including any rare birds for the region.
To participate, contact Peter Vankevich, 202 468-287, or email: petevankevich@gmail.com.
Heading back to Ocracoke after the 2016 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. Photo by Peter Vankevich
HATTERAS – The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division is now accepting applications for 2018 Vendor Priority Passes on the Hatteras Inlet route.
Under legislation passed by the General Assembly in 2016, applicants must pay a $150 fee for the pass and be verified as a provider of regular commercial services to Ocracoke Island. The pass holder must also make at least 24 trips to Ocracoke annually. Businesses with multiple vehicles only need to purchase one pass to cover all vehicles.
Applications can be found on the Ferry Division’s website hereor picked up in person at the Hatteras Ferry Terminal. Completed applications will take a minimum of one week for processing. Upon approval, the fees can be paid by cashier’s check or money order and the pass will be issued at the terminal.
The new legislation does not affect the Ocracoke resident priority passes, which are issued free to Ocracoke residents every three years.
A proposed rule change that would allow waterfowl hunting on Sunday in North Carolina has drawn together an odd alliance of conservationists, birdwatchers and a larger-than-expected number of hunting guides and owners of private hunting grounds.
While proponents say it would expand the economic impact of waterfowl hunting to people who miss out on hunting opportunities the other six days of the week, opponents say there are no benefits.
“Adding Sunday to the hunting week will be the last straw for the resource,” said Mike Johnson, a waterfowl management and hunting guide and former Dare County commissioner. “Ducks have wings and they will leave.”
Legislation passed by the General Assembly in June would allow the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to permit the hunting of ducks, geese and swans on Sunday, pending results of studies on economic, social and biological impacts.
Sixth District Rep. Beverly Boswell, R-Dare, co-sponsoredHouse Bill 559and voted for final passage in the House on June 29, while First District Sen. Bill Cook, R-Beaufort, voted against the measure the same day.
First District Rep. Bob Steinburg, R-Chowan, voted yes on an earlier version approved by the House, but missed the final vote due to an excused absence.
The commission is holding public meetings this week as part of a research project, according to Wildlife Resources Commission communications director Fairley W. Mahlum.
Mahlum noted that public hearings are held for proposed rules, that no rule changes are being currently proposed and they are only gathering information.
The hearing for northeastern North Carolina was today, Dec. 14, in the Tyrrell County Center/NC Cooperative Extension Building, 407 Martha St. in Columbia.
Other meetings will be held Tuesday in Graham, and Wednesday in Jacksonville and Hickory.
But opponents accuse the Wildlife Resource Commission of downplaying the rule change and the public hearings.
They claim the commission’s email press releases and website coverage of proposed deer and bear regulation changes have been far more extensive than their efforts to publicize the proposed waterfowl regulation changes.
“We are eager to get input from all outdoor enthusiasts,” said Mahlum. “We’ve been targeting Facebook ads among all types of outdoor enthusiasts, i.e., birders, kayakers, to try and get opinion from as many folks as possible.”
In fact, there is no information on the commission website about the format or content of the scheduled three-hour public hearings for waterfowl,andlinks to ancillary information are meager.
A commission staff member did tell a local public information officer that the meeting will consist of a short PowerPoint presentation followed by up to three minutes per person of public comment.
North Carolina hunters are already allowed to harvest deer, bear, upland game birds and other wild animals on Sunday.
Due to federal regulations protecting migratory birds, the state had to jump through several hurdles including comprehensive surveys of citizen attitudes towards lifting the ban.
Sunday hunting has been prohibited in the past for religious reasons, and 10 states from Connecticut to South Carolina ban or restrict Sunday hunting.
Proponents of the change claim that many waterfowl hunters who work the rest of the week are restricted to just Saturday, or even no days if they work Saturday, to enjoy the sport.
Those in favor also point to increased economic activity from weekend hunters compared to weekdays, boosting revenue in hunting-related businesses, as well as the fact that the vast majority of states allow Sunday hunting with no ill effects.
Waterfowl wintering at Lake Mattamuskeet attract hundreds of birdwatchers every year. Photo by USFWS
“Establishing Sunday hunting in North Carolina has been at the very top of our legislative priorities,” said John Devney, vice president of U.S. policy for Delta Waterfowl, a North Dakota-based duck hunting advocacy group. “Our members in the Tar Heel State strongly declared they wanted the prohibition lifted, and The Duck Hunters Organization is thrilled to have delivered for them.”
Chris Williams, a Garner, Wake County, resident and Delta Waterfowl senior regional director, was at the forefront of the effort, according to a press release from the group.
“Allowing duck hunting on Sundays will double the opportunities for working families, including their children,” Williams said. “North Carolina waterfowlers are especially indebted to Ches McDowell, policy chair of Delta’s state committee.”
McDowell is a Raleigh attorney as well as a member and lobbyist for Delta and several other hunting advocacy groups.
“Increasing hunter access is critical to reversing our declining numbers,” McDowell said. “I’m proud to be associated with Delta, because Delta fights for hunters. Who cares if you have ducks if you can’t hunt them?”
Opponents to Sunday hunting have included religious groups and leaders in the past, and many still cite religious reasons for maintaining such bans.
But others with secular arguments are also opposed to lifting the ban.
That includes members of the public who access forests and waterways on weekends to enjoy nature trails, bird watching, kayaking and other activities that might place them in close proximity to hunters.
These groups view Sunday as the one “safe” day they could enjoy their hobby without fear of becoming a victim of a hunting accident.
While they lost that battle relative to other animals and upland game birds, they feel waterways, impoundments and other public lands frequented by waterfowl were available on Sunday without worrying about conflicts with hunters.
Conservationists, hunting guides and hunting-ground owners believe that migratory bird populations are subject to more stress than other game, hence the strict federal protection of migratory birds.
They fear adding another weekend day of waterfowl hunting would cause significant damage to the local, state and even national waterfowl stocks, especially if “weekend warriors” from adjacent states have another weekend day to make a day trip to this part of the state’s significant waterfowl habitat.
Richard Hester, a guide from Hyde County, noted that if the state adopts the new rule, hunters would actually lose days because federal regulators would take away “compensatory days,” which allow for the hunting season to be spread farther across the calendar.
“In order to gain nine Sundays, when hunting is illegal between 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m, waterfowl hunters would lose seven weekdays and two Saturdays of all-day hunting,” Hester said in an email that has been circulated across northeastern North Carolina. “A net loss of one hunting day, and, depending on what the final time-frame results are, there is the potential for holiday losses as well.”
“I have been in the waterfowl management and guiding business for over 30 years,” Johnson said. “On the Atlantic-flyway, hunting has been on the decline for several years due to excess hunting pressure.”
He added that the quality of a duck hunt on public waters in North Carolina is at an all-time low.
At their April 24 meeting, the Dare County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution opposing the rule change, stating that Sunday waterfowl hunting “is not comparable to Sunday hunting for other games species due to their migratory nature.”
The resolution also cited loss of compensatory days and total hunting days, and also expresses concern over the impact on the resource from the anticipated increase in hunting activity on the weekend.
Opposition to Sunday hunting in Currituck County, which is still considered one of the premiere hunting grounds on the Atlantic Flyway, has also been almost unanimous.
Lifelong hunters and guides in Currituck unsuccessfully asked for a similar resolution from their county commissioners, but all echoed Johnson and Hester statements of opposition.
Johnson said the balance of waterfowl hunting is already precarious in northeastern North Carolina and a tipping point is always precariously close.
“They are imprint animals,” Johnson said. “This means when they leave to find another spot to winter they will not come back. In subsequent years they will winter in their new home. No more ducks, no more hunters, no more money and no more heritage.”
MANNS HARBOR – The North Carolina Ferry Division’s Cedar Island–Ocracoke and Swan Quarter-Ocracoke routes will run amended schedules on Sunday, Dec. 24, and Monday, Dec. 25. The schedules for both days will be as follows:
Ocracoke to Cedar Island: 1 and 4 p.m.
Cedar Island to Ocracoke: 1 and 4 p.m.
Ocracoke to Swan Quarter: 1:30 p.m.
Swan Quarter to Ocracoke: 4:30 p.m.
Both routes will resume their regular schedules on Tuesday, Dec. 26.
The Hatteras-Ocracoke routes also will run the amended following schedules:
Sunday, Dec. 24: Hatteras-Ocracoke:
From Hatteras: 5 a.m., 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, noon, 1 p.m., 2, 3, 4, 6, 9 and midnight.
From Ocracoke: 4:30 a.m., 6:30, 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, and 11:30, 12:30 p.m., 1:30, 2:30, 3:30,4:30, 5:30, 7:30 and 10:30.
Monday, Dec. 25: Hatteras-Ocracoke:
From Hatteras:5 a.m., 6, 8, 9 and 11, noon, 2 p.m., 3, 6, 9 and midnight.
From Ocracoke:4:30 a.m., 6:30, 7:30, 9:30 and 10:30, 12:30 p.m., 1:30, 3:30, 4:30, 7:30 and 10:30. The Cedar Island and Swan Quarter routes will run their regular schedules over the holidays.
John Simpson looks forward to decorating the Ocracoke lighthouse with Christmas wreaths each year.
The activity connects him to the iconic structure through his grandfather, Joseph Merritt Burrus, who was the second to last light keeper and the last one to serve under the U.S. Lighthouse Service, according to “Ocracoke Island Journal,” a blog by islander Philip Howard on the Village Craftsmen website.
Simpson, who was born in 1960 and a graduate of Ocracoke School, remembers his dad, Lawrence O. Simpson Jr., talking about how “Pops” Burrus would turn on the lighthouse each night during his tenure from 1929 to 1946.
“They made the lighthouse electric while he was working it,” he said. That was in 1929 when electricity replaced kerosene oil to fuel the beacon.
On Sunday (Dec. 10), Simpson was honored to do his part for the former family business and hoisted two large wreaths to the top of the 75-foot lighthouse and secured them.
“One faces the street and one faces the harbor,” Simpson said.
The Ocracoke Civic and Business Association provides the wreaths as well as garlands to decorate other community buildings, such as the Community Center. Chester Lynn, another islander who supplies island events with flowers through his Annabelle’s Flowers business on Back Road, supplied the large red bows.
When he returned to Ocracoke in 2013 after being away for many years, he sought the task of Christmas wreath installer.
“It was one of my main objectives after returning home,” he said after completing his task. “It’s quite a thing to keep the tradition going. How many lighthouses on the Outer Banks do you see with wreaths on them?”
The lighthouse is under the oversight of the National Park Service, and while visitors in the summer may look inside the tower when volunteers are present to monitor it, the condition of the spiral staircase prevents the general public climbing to the top.
“The metal spiral staircase, although sturdy and sound, is supported, not only by a central pillar, but also by horizontal steel rods anchored into the almost-two-century-old brick walls,” Howard’s blog says. “Vibrations from hundreds of people climbing the stairs would surely weaken the connections and hasten damage to the historic structure.”
Clyde Farrow was Ocracoke’s last lighthouse keeper from 1946-1954, after the Lighthouse Service was merged with the U.S. Coast Guard.
To read more about the Ocracoke lighthouse, see Howard’s blog here.
John Simpson is honored to place Christmas wreaths atop the Ocracoke lighthouse each year. Photo: C. LeinbachThe Ocracoke lighthouse is dressed up with wreaths for Christmas. Photo: C. LeinbachThe view inside the Ocracoke lighthouse. Photo: C. Leinbach
Although many details need to be worked out, a proposal to purchase the iconic Island Inn could have it fully in the community’s hands in 150 days.
The group, an ad hoc committee calling itself the “Island Inn Preservation Committee” on Thursday (Dec. 7) secured a $790,000 purchase agreement from Thomas Storrs, the inn’s owner, said Ocracoke Commissioner Tom Pahl on Friday during an interview on WOVV 90.1 FM.
The Ocracoke Preservation Society would become the owner and put up $150,000 from its “Save an Old House” revolving fund.
Before the 150 days are up in early May, the group will have to work out financing details and future plans, the vision for which includes retaining the original two-story, wood-frame structure and demolishing the two deteriorating wings.
The building could be a visitors’ center, a space for community meetings, provide much-needed public bathrooms and also “green” areas for picnicking and other outdoor activities, said Philip Howard, OPS outgoing president in a press release. Another possible use of the property could include the county’s EMS service in space behind the inn.
“I have property alongside (the Inn) and have been thinking a lot about it,” said John Giagu, owner of Island Golf Carts, an OCBA board member and one of the four ad hoc committee members.
After chatting in November with a few people about refurbishing the building into a multi-use place, Giagu said Pahl took the idea and ran with it.
Also on the committee are Ed Norvell, an island property owner who is a Salisbury attorney specializing in non-profit arts and preservation organizations and North Carolina land trusts and, and Hyde County Manager Bill Rich, who put up $10,000 of his own “earnest money” to secure the agreement.
In the ensuing 150 days, the group will negotiate additional agreements with adjoining property owners, the Occupancy Tax Board, the Tourism Development Authority, Hyde County and the OPS, Howard’s release said. Disposition of some of the lots across the street could also be a part of the sale, according to OPS documents.
If it goes as planned, the OPS would be the initial owner of record.
“Someone has to own it,” Giagu said. “The OPS is the perfect organization for that.”
Pahl, in the radio interview, said that the OPS does not want to be the long-term owner and down the road, would like for another entity to take it over.
“But (the OPS) wants to be involved in the preservation of the property,” Pahl said.
According to the press release, the members of the OPS executive committee in their monthly board meeting on Dec. 7 voted to “support the plan brought by the ad hoc committee … and … to work with the ad hoc committee toward accomplishing the goals presented.”
The original Island Inn building. Photo courtesy of Philip Howard
Eventually, the OPS would transfer the property, with conservation easements, to “another community entity” in the future, Howard’s release said.
The sale would not be final, nor funds committed, until those details of the project are established.
Giagu said the first priority would be retaining the original building that first housed the Odd Fellows Club.
The Island Inn has a long history on the island that Howard included in the press release.
James and Zilphia Howard sold the one-acre tract of land in 1900 to the trustees of “Ocracoke Lodge No. 194 Independent order of Odd Fellows” for use as a “lodge room or such other purpose as they may deem proper.”
The original 1901 structure housed the Odd Fellow’s Lodge on the second floor. Soon thereafter, two island schools were consolidated to create one public school which was held on the first floor.
Over the next 117 years the “Lodge,” as it came to be called, was added to and modified.
Over the years it variously served the island as a private home, inn, restaurant, coffee shop, WWII officers’ quarters and gift shop.
In the early to mid-20th century it was the center of community social life.
Islanders gathered there for Saturday night square dances accompanied by the music of fiddle, banjo, guitar and triangle.
“People come to Ocracoke because it feels different from the rest of the Outer Banks and it’s because of the historic value of the village,” Pahl said about the effort to retain this building. “We can lose it one building at a time, but eventually it will be gone if we don’t preserve these old buildings.”
The Inn has been empty and for sale for several months.
The condo units across the street are not part of the plan, nor is the pool.
Albemarle Commission Executive Director Cathy Davison congratulates Hyde County Manager Bill Rich. Photo courtesy of the Albemarle Commission.
By Richard Taylor
Hyde County Manager Bill Rich was surprised when he was named manager of the year by the Albemarle Commission at the organization’s awards banquet Nov. 7 in Currituck.
Based in Hertford and serving a 10-county area, the commission serves to improve lives and local governments.
“I was absolutely dumbfounded when it was announced,” Rich said at the Dec. 4 county commissioners meeting.
In her nomination form, Kris Noble, assistant county manager, listed Rich’s many accomplishments during his five-year tenure with the county, including his being the cornerstone of the N.C. DOT passenger ferry project to serve Ocracoke.
Rich developed that concept and considers it one of his greatest accomplishments, Noble said. He also is proud of the Hyde County Revolving Loan Fund he revamped. Rich grew that fund to new heights with the addition of Golden Leaf Foundationgrant funding, she said.
“His local government experience and out-of-the-box thinking will surely benefit the (school) in its endeavors to serve municipalities across the state,” Noble wrote. “Bill Rich is respected among his staff, his constituency, by local elected officials, and across the great state of North Carolina as a trustworthy and dedicated partner that cares about his community, Hyde County and the folks that live and even visit here.”
Cathy Davison, Albemarle Commission executive director, said in an interview that the committee reviewing the applicants noted how Rich has gone “above and beyond” in his advocacy for the region, especially during Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and this year’s power outage in late July.
“He’s been a good partner with the Albemarle Commission,” she said.
“It’s a nice note to go out on,” Rich added at the meeting as the commissioners learned that he will retire as county manager June 30.
However, he would continue to work for county as the county economic development officer as an independent contractor with no benefits and at half his current salary of $97,000.
Although the board agreed to the concept Rich’s plan at its Dec. 4 meeting and Noble as the new manager beginning July 1, a formal decision is pending. Her initial one-year contract is being negotiated, Rich said.
“We’ve been really blessed having him here for the last five years,” Noble said in an interview. “I’ve seen several managers come and go over the years, and it’s really good to have a homegrown person who understands both the agriculture interests on the mainland and commercial fishing on the island.”
In other business, the commissioners learned that the Ocracoke segment of the new Dare/Hyde/Tyrell emergency dispatch system is complete and went live Dec. 6.
“We’ve been working on this for three years,” Emergency Services Director Justin Gibbs said.
The new system — the first three-county system of its kind in the state — replaces an 800 MHz system which had coverage issues and would not allow all departments to talk to each other.
Gibbs said the new system came in under budget and puts all users and repeaters on one VHF frequency.
In other matters, the commissioners reappointed islander Liz Hotchkiss to a second five-year term on the Beaufort Hyde Martin (BHM) Regional Library board of trustees at Commissioner Tom Pahl’s request.
Sherry Stotesberry, formerly with Beaufort County Community College, was appointed Hyde’s new Veterans Service officer.
Tuesday, Dec. 12 Gaffer’s: Texas Hold ‘Em Poker, 7 pm
Wednesday, Dec. 13 Tourism Development Authority, Community Center, 2 to 4 p.m., Ocracoke Planning Advisory Committee meeting, Community Center, 4:30 p.m. Ocracoke Civic & Business Association Civic Affairs Committee meeting, Community Center 6 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 14 Ocracoke School Holiday Program, school gym. 7 pm Ocracoke Bar and Grille: Kate McNally, 7 pm
Friday, Dec. 15 Ocracoke School Holiday Basketball Tournament, featuring teams from Nags Head, Camden County and Gateway Christian Academy. 3:30 pm. All Dolphin tournament games will be broadcast on WOVV 90.1 FM and streamed live on wovv.org. Ocracoke Alive Concert with Finley Woolston and his Joyful Band of Singers. Ocracoke Methodist Church. 7:30 pm Gaffer’s: Martin County Ramblers, 8 pm
Saturday, Dec. 16 Ocracoke School Holiday Basketball Tournament, 10 am Ocracoke Oyster Co.: Martin Garrish and Lou Castro, 6 pm Ocracoke Bar & Grille: Kate McNally, 7 pm Gaffer’s: Martin County Ramblers, 8 pm
Shopping through the end of December
Island Ragpicker: open daily, 11 to 4 pm Island Artworks: Wednesday through Saturday, 11 am to 4 pm Mermaid’s Folly: open every day from 11 am to 4 pm Books to be Red: open daily 10 am to 5 pm Roxy’s Antiques in Spencer’s Market: Thursday through Saturday, 11 am 5 pm Ocracoke Garden Center: at shop until Dec. 10, then phone number on door for assistance. Village Thrift: Wed to Sat, 11 am to 4 pm until Dec. 31. Then Thurs to Saturday 1 to 4 pm; closed for a couple of weeks in January; open rest of the winter. Village Craftsmen: open every day 10 am to 5 pm, except Dec. 24 & 25. On Dec 31, open 10 am to 3 pm Captain’s Cargo: opened most days from 10 am to 5 pm. Please go to the Captain’s Landing office to gain entrance. Kitty Hawk Kites: open 9:30 am to 5:30 pm Dec. 16 to 31. Down Creek Gallery: Daily 11 am to 5 pm Ride the Wind: 10 to 5 daily through Dec. 31 and weekends throughout winter Variety Store and Community Store: open all year Ocracoke Station: open all year Pirates Chest, closed until Easter
FOOD & DRINK During the winter months: Eduardo’s: open 8 am to 3 pm and 4 to7 pm Open all year except for a winter break in February. Gaffer’s, open daily. NFL Every Sunday Special: 75 cent wings and Bloody Mary Bar. Ocracoke Bar & Grille: Open Daily from 4 to 6 p.m. On Sundays, opens at 11 a.m. for NFL Football with all you can eat Taco and Bratwurst Bar. Daily specials on oysters and shrimp. Ocracoke Station open daily at 6 am to 9 pm; breakfast and lunch from 6 am to 5 pm. Ocracoke Oyster Co. winter break from Feb. 13 to March 1. Jasons’s: re-opening on Valentine’s Day 1718 Brewing Co. Open weekends for most of the winter. Call 252-588-BEER for hours. Thai Moon and School Road Deli open dependent on business. The Magic Bean open all winter from 7 am to 4 pm Tuesday to Saturday. Zillie’s Island Pantry hours through Dec. 23: Monday to Thursday 4 to 7:30 pm; Friday 4 to 8 pm; Saturday 1 to 8 pm; Sunday 1 to 7:30 pm; Dec. 26 to 30: Noon to 8 pm.; Dec. 31: noon to 6 pm. Holiday Wine Tasting: Thursday, Dec. 28, 6 pm. Special Wine Dinner at the Berkley Manor Friday, Dec. 29, 6 pm. For details and reservations on all events, visit zillies.com, or call 252-928-9036.
Lodgings open all year: Bluff Shoal Motel: 252-928-4301 Captain’s Landing: 252-928-1999 Crews Inn B&B: 252-928-7011 Pony Island Motel: 252-928-4411 Sand Dollar Motel: Office hours 9am–7pm daily. 252-928-5571 Thurston House Inn: Open through December. 252-928-6037
