Portsmouth Island’s ethereal beauty is captured in infrared photographs by Peter Aaslestad on view in the Ocracoke Preservation Society museum.
Photographs of Portsmouth Island in the infrared spectrum are on view through the summer at the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum, and summer program have begun.
The images are by Peter Aaslestad, an architect from in Staunton, Va., who visited the island in 2014 to capture the conditions of the historic structures for a report commissioned by the Park Service.
While on Portsmouth, Aaslestad was struck by the shared beauty of the remaining buildings born of this harsh landscape and the incredible calm of the remote setting.
Infrared light is not in the natural visual spectrum for humans. It creates a ghostly sort of image of things that seems to go deeper into their essence. Water in particular is “seen” by infrared as a heavier presence. Living plant life is reflected as white, more transitory and ethereal.
In addition, the museum has begun its summer programs of museum walk-throughs Mondays and Fridays; Porch Talks on Tuesdays and Thursdays; and Children’s Crafts on Wednesdays.
Sherry Simonne O’Neal, 78, of Ocracoke, died on June 3 at her home.
A native of Ocracoke, she was the daughter of the late Herbert O’Neal Sr., and Katie A. O’Neal. Sherry was retired from the National Park Service and a member of Ocracoke United Methodist Church.
Sherry is survived by a nephew, Edward C. O’Neal, Jr. of Washington, Beaufort County; three nieces, Mary Anna Paul of Washington, Beaufort County, Donna Sue Beck of Delco, and Gloria Formy’eubal of Riegelwood;
A sister-in-law, Shirley Clayter O’Neal of Delco; four great-nieces, Carman O’Neal, Tina Snapp, Dawn Bordeaux and Amber Wilkins; four great-nephews, James Paul, John Paul, Scott Beck and Charles Formy’eubal;
Six great-great-nieces; six great-great-nephews; and four special friends, Alice Rosazza of Florida, Alton and Kenny Ballance both of Ocracoke, and Harry Clarke of Swan Quarter.
Along with her parents, Sherry was preceded in death by four brothers, Herbert O’Neal, Jr., Edward O’Neal, Sr.,Donald O’Neal and Bradford T. (Doody) O’Neal.
A funeral will be held at 1 pm on Friday (June 10) at Ocracoke United Methodist Church with Rev. Richard Bryant and Rev. Ivey Belch officiating.
Private burial will take place at the Ocracoke Community Cemetery.
Twiford Funeral Home, Hatteras, is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences may be expressed atwww.twifordfh.com.
David Tweedie, left, executive director of Ocracoke Alive, and Desiree Christa Ricker, assistant executive director, talk about their new comedy revue about Blackbeard. Photo: C. Leinbach
Ocracoke continues to celebrate the golden age of piracy.
While Ocracoke Alive has put Julie Howard’s musical play “A Tale of Blackbeard” on hiatus, islanders and visitors will still be able to get their summer Blackbeard fix in a new revue at the Deepwater Theater.
The show “Blackbeard, an Historical, Hysterical Account,” is a mash-up of history and myth, and will be on the boards Mondays at 7:30 p.m. now (begun June 6) to Aug. 24, (except July 4), said performer David Tweedie.
“It will be like a family-friendly Monty Python meets Blackbeard history,” said Tweedie, who also is the fiddler for island contemporary folk band Molasses Creek.
“It’s a story of what we do know about Blackbeard versus the myths,” said Desiree Christa Ricker, co-writer of the show and Ocracoke Alive’s assistant executive director.
She is enjoying researching the history and dispelling myths.
“Once the facts are discovered, it’s just as exciting as the fiction,” she said.
While few facts are truly known about Blackbeard’s life, the two are using research by North Carolina historian Kevin Duffus, who has written extensively on Blackbeard.
“It will be part song-and-dance, limericks, silly commercials and game show,” Tweedie said.
The group expects to run this revue again next year and revive “A Tale of Blackbeard” in 2018, which will be the year of the 300th anniversary of Blackbeard’s demise here off Springer’s Point Nov. 22, 1718.
“The Blackbeard play is wonderful, but it requires a lot of momentum from a lot of cast members,” Tweedie said about the play that was revived in 2014 and 2015 after a 20-year hiatus. “We needed to take a break for a year or two.”
In addition to Tweedie and Ricker, cast members include Peyton Piquard and Gary Mitchell.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for kids, and are available at the door, by calling 252-921-0260, or online at www.ocracokealive.org.
A percentage of tickets sales from Deepwater Theater shows support Ocracoke Alive’s student and community programming throughout the year.
Editor’s note: Other Blackbeard activities include Teach’s Hole Blackbeard Exhibit and Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree Oct. 28 to 30.
The Hyde County Services Center in Swan Quarter. Photo: P. Vankevich
By Connie Leinbach
For the fourth year in a row, Hyde County Manager Bill Rich has proposed a budget with no tax increase.
The budget of more than $12.5 million was passed at the June 6 county commissioners meeting at 6 p.m.
Rich explained that the total expenditures are $15,250,616, but $2,694,936 are state- and federally-mandated expenses for the Departments of Social Services and Health that the county has no control over.
The county’s overall tax base valuation has “dropped tremendously this year,” Rich said. “(The tax valuation)dropped by $56 million to below a billion dollars for the first time ever.”
Hyde County Manager Bill Rich
That equals about $333,000 the county is not collecting in taxes. Rich also noted that when residents turn 65, they can apply for a discount on their property taxes, which further reduces the total collected.
Another budget challenge is that the county experiences only a 94.67 percent collection rate on its property taxes, which is the fifth worse in the state. The state average tax collection rate is 98 percent. That translates to $325,000 in delinquent taxes, Rich said.
Rich has no plans to raise the tax rate, which is $.64 percent per dollar property valuation. To balance the budget, Rich “borrows” on paper from the fund balance, which is a surplus the state mandates all counties must have.
While the state mandates an 8 percent fund balance of the total revenues, Hyde’s fund balance is at 36 percent. Among the service changes, Rich proposes to save $100,000 a year through the creation of an Information Technology department.
Right now, the county spends about $250,000 for several IT contracts, he said. None are consistent, nor do they talk to each other. Along with this, the county expects to purchase Quickbooks for its departments and maintain a cloud-based storage system.
Rich’s budget calls for the creation of “non-emergent ambulatory services to our EMS.” “We already have all the equipment to do this,” he said. “We will need only two employees. This pays for itself plus makes the county an additional $100,000.”
Fiber/broadband internet service for the Ocracoke Community Center will be done by the end of July.
The commissioners in May voted to consolidate 911 service with Dare County, which Rich said will yield a $150,000 savings per for 20 years.
He projects total sales tax collection to be $1.3 million, up from $1.2 million this year. As for the Hyde County School District, the county will give them $1,578,000, which is “the most that the schools have ever gotten,” Rich said.
Last year the County funded $1.47 million and the year before that $1.137 million. This money will fund $222,000 in teaching positions, $48,000 for a Pre-K assistant for Ocracoke (first-ever county funded) and $25,000.00 towards athletics, of which $10,000 will help maintain Ocracoke’s ballfield.
While all counties in North Carolina are mandated to give a certain percentage of their budgets to their school districts, that money does not have to go to salaries.
“We’re one of the few counties in the state that funds any teaching positions at all,” Rich said. “The county’s job is to fund infrastructure.”
The all-star jam session of the 2016 Ocrafolk Fest. Photo: P. Vankevich
By Connie Leinbach
Cassie MacDonald feels that the Ocrafolk Festival is like a big family reunion.
She and her sister Maggie, both from Nova Scotia and who perform Celtic music, have gotten to know many of the musicians and locals.
“But somehow you meet someone new each time that you’ve felt you’ve always known,” she said in an interview as the festival wound down on a sunny Sunday. “It’s one of my all-time favorite festivals.”
Bob Zentz, left, introduces Maggie and Cassie MacDonald at the workshop stage of the Ocrafolk FEstival.
The annual festival of music and arts produced by Ocracoke Alive, held June 3 to 5, slipped in between two coastal storms, was doused Wednesday, leaving the main stage audience area on the Books to Be Red grounds a small lake along with numerous large puddles on School Road and Howard Street.
Volunteers worked Thursday pumping as much water as they could off the grounds.
“I’m the human clamp,” said Andrew Havenhand, as he held the hoses siphoning off the water from a pump operated by another volunteer, John Brock.
By Friday afternoon, the small pond in front of the stage had greatly diminished allowing for chairs and the sound booth to be set up, though a large area of mud remained in part of the seating area.
Despite a brief shower early Saturday morning, all of the artisans had set up, the sun had come out and the festival was a go.
Festival first-timers Cindy and Jim Barnett of Kitty Hawk were enjoying the different genres of music, including jazz, folk, world, rock, Celtic, bluegrass and more.
“It’s a good time,” Cindy said.
Islander Monroe Gaskins was enjoying the MacDonald sisters’ performance at the Workshop Stage beside the United Methodist Church.
Andrew Havenhand, an Ocrafolk Festival volunteer, holds hoses together while John Brock pumps water from a large puddle on the Books To Be Red grounds. Photo: C. Leinbach
“I come every year,” he said. “It brings a lot of people to the island.”
John Hodge of Lebanon, Pa., attended the festival for the day on Sunday with his family, all of whom were staying in Hatteras.
“I look forward to this every year,” he said. “Ocracoke has a lot to offer. I like all the restaurants and especially the music.”
Robin and Chad Macek of Wilmington were first-time artisans at the festival with their jewelry line called YouMeUS Designs, and were thrilled with their sales.
Robin and Chad Macek of Wilmington. It was Robin’s first-time as an artisan at the festival. Photo: C. Leinbach
“It was the best two-day festival we’ve been to,” Robin said. “We’ve been doing shows for four years.”
Delaney Golberg, a jewelry artist from Kitty Hawk, has been displaying her work at the festival for the last seven years.
The threat of rain didn’t deter her.
“I woke up at 6:30 (Saturday) and there was an orange and red spot right over the island (in her weather app), but by 10 a.m. the rain had passed,” she said. “It’ a great show and I enjoy it every year.”
Elizabeth Smith of Greenville won the raffle of the quilt “Block Party” made especially for the festival by the Ocracoke Needle and Thread Club.
But she almost didn’t get it.
Elizabeth Smith of Greenville, right, won the raffle of the quilt created by. Islander Debbie Leonard, left, helped make the quilt. Photo: C. Leinbach
The first ticket David Tweedie, president of Ocracoke Alive, pulled contained a number and not a name.
When no one came forth to claim the number, he pulled another one, which was Smith’s.
But when Smith went to the information booth to claim the queen-sized quilt, one of the volunteers, Deborah Leonard, who also happens to be a member of the quilting club, said that the first ticket pulled was hers.
Leonard was gracious in deferring to Smith, who has been attending the festival for 10 years.
“I’m not going to take it away from her,” Leonard said of the quilt. “I want you to have it.”
Tweedie, who is also the fiddler for Molasses Creek, the festival hosts, was happy with the festival.
“We were really fortunate,” he said Tuesday about the festival dodging the rain that returned late Monday afternoon and again Tuesday. “We’re fortunate with how everyone pitches in to make this festival happen, and everyone’s willing to adapt.”
He noted that fest-goers were excited with new acts, such as Lipbone Redding, the Bucket Brothers, the Oak Grove String Band and Michael Stanwood.
“The new faces make it a lively experience as well as the return of favorites, such as Beleeza, Kaira Ba, and the MacDonald Sisters, and new local groups, such as the Madame Presidents.” he said. “It was another magical weekend.”
Humberto Oliveira of Beleeza. Photo P. VankevichLipbone Redding performs in the Deepwater Theater. Photo: P. VankevichThe main stage crowd at the 2016 Ocrafolk Fest. Photo: C. LeinbachArtisans and food vendors line School Road. Photo: C. Leinbach
Face painting at the 2016 Ocrafolk Festival. Photo: C. LeinbachJim Alberti wows passersby with his flea circus. Photo: C. Leinbach
Artisan Delaney Goldberg from Kitty Hawk has been exhibiting her jewelry designs for the past seven festivals. Photo P. Vankevich
Note: Meetings are held the second Wednesdays of the month at 7 p.m. in the Ocracoke Community Center (unless otherwise stated). The next 2016 meetings will be: July 13, Aug. 10, Sept. 14, Oct. 12, Nov. 9, Dec. 14.
Raleigh – The NC Department of Transportation will hold a series of meetings along the lower Outer Banks for public input on a proposed bridge on Pea Island around the Rodanthe area.
Officials are seeking public comment on their preferred option — a2.4-mile-long bridgeknown as a “jug handle”– extending from the southern end of the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge over the Pamlico Sound into Rodanthe.
This design is preferred over a bridge along the existing route of N.C. 12 because it minimizes impacts to the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, the ocean shoreline and the community of Rodanthe while maintaining safe and reliable access for area residents.
The meeting on Ocracoke is scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, June 20, in the Ocracoke Community Center, 999 Irvin Garrish Hwy.
The meeting will be informal, and citizens may drop in at any time. Comments will be accepted through July 15.
Other meeting locations are as follows:
Tuesday, June 21, 4 to 7 p.m. Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Center 23186 Myrna Peters Rd., Rodanthe
Wednesday, June 22, 4 to 7 p.m. Dare County Administration Building 954 Marshall Collins Dr., Manteo
Hard copies of meeting maps and the environmental assessment are available for public review online and at the following locations:
Ocracoke School and Community Library, 225 Back Road, Ocracoke
Dare County Planning and Inspections Satellite Office, 50347 N.C. 12, Frisco
NCDOT Resident Engineer’s Office, 349 Waterplant Road, Unit B, Manteo
Dare County Library, 700 U.S. 64/264, Manteo
Dare County Library, 57709 N.C. 12, Hatteras
Dare County Library, 400 Mustian St., Kill Devil Hills
Fessenden Recreation Center, 46830 N.C. 12, Buxton
For additional information, call (866) 803-0529, or send an email to publicinvolvement2@ncdot.gov.
You may also contact Drew Joyner, P.E., with NCDOT’s Human Environment Section, at (919) 707-6077, or by mail at: 1598 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1598
NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled individuals who want to participate in these meetings. Anyone requiring such services should contact Joyner as early as possible so that arrangements can be made. For individuals who speak only Spanish or have a limited ability to read, speak or understand English, interpretive services will be available at the meeting upon request. For more information, please call 1-800-481-6494 prior to the meeting.
The latest forecast today (June 6) from the National Weather Service (NWS) shows Tropical Storm Colin tracking slightly closer to Ocracoke.
Colin is an unorganized storm and significant uncertainties remain in its exact track and thus the local impacts, according to the NWS. There have been only minor changes. A tropical storm warning is now in effect on the coastal waters south of Oregon Inlet, but no watch or warning has been issued for the land at this time.
The Hyde County Emergency Service Department issued the following statement:
Ocracoke Island visitors should strongly consider the projected impacts from Tropical Storm Colin when deciding whether to remain on the island or preparing to depart for their stay this week. Ocracoke and the Outer Banks in Dare County are forecast to receive heavy rainfall starting this evening, which may result in transportation delays or impassable roads.
Additionally, the current forecast places Ocracoke within the tropical storm force wind field for approximately four hours starting at around noon tomorrow.
Standing water and tropical storm force winds could impact ferry operations tomorrow.
Due to the forward speed of the system, there is little to no chance of issuing and implementing emergency protective measures before conditions deteriorate this evening into tomorrow.
Hyde EMS recommends those on the island to closely monitor the forecast and exercise sound judgment when making travel plans.
National Park staff at Cape Hatteras National Seashore , Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial are preparing for potential storms impacts such as localized flooding or temporary road closures that could be caused by the storm once it arrives in the Outer Banks region. Currently, there are no plans to suspend operations at any of the three national park sites. Park management is monitoring the storm and will make adjustments as necessary for visitor and staff safety.
Campgrounds: Monday afternoon, park staff will advise campers at Oregon Inlet, Frisco and Ocracoke campgrounds of the inbound tropical storm and the possible impacts associated with the storm (flooding, high winds, cut-off roads). Tent camping is not advised. The reservation system for Cape Point Campground was paused for a seven-day period last Thursday, which is being extended by another seven days due to the additional rainfall that Tropical Storm Colin is expected to bring to the area.
Beach Access Ramps: Visitors should review signs posted at the ramps and use best judgment when using the ramps.
Daily ramp status updates are available on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Facebook Page at http://facebook.com/capehatterasns. At this time, no ramps have been closed due to standing water.
Updates: For more weather-related information, listen to NOAA weather radio, local radio, and media for updates and advisories.
Voting for Tuesday’s general election is at the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department.
By Peter Vankevich
A special election for a state supreme court seat and several North Carolina U.S. Congressional seats, include the representative for Ocracoke, will be held tomorrow (Tuesday, June 7).
Voting will be from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 PM p.m. in the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department, 822 Irvin Garrish Hwy.
On Ocracoke, voters will choose nominees for the U.S. House of Representatives District 3.
This Congressional seat is currently held by Walter Jones. Vying with him for the Republican nomination are Taylor Griffinand Phil Law.
Unaffiliated voters have two choices: They can elect to vote in one of the two major party primaries (but only one), or they can choose a non-partisan ballot, which will include only the judicial race.
Voters will vote for one of the four state supreme court associate justice candidates. The two with most votes will appear on the November general election ballot.
Since many are unfamiliar with the judicial candidates, the Observer is providing some information on them.
The supreme court seat up for election is held by Justice Robert H. Edmunds Jr.
Prior to tomorrow’s primary, Edmunds was to have run in North Carolina’s first retention election under a 2015 law, which would have been part of the November general election. So, this seat had not been part of the March 15 primary.
However, a Wake County court struck down the retention law as unconstitutional, and the state supreme court upheld that ruling. Edmunds therefore faces a contested election in a new primary tomorrow.
Morgan and Robertson are considered to be Democrats, Edmunds a conservative and Faires, an independent.
The appeals court seats up for election are held by Judge Robert N. Hunter Jr., Judge Linda Stephens, Judge Richard Dietz, and Judge Valarie J. Zachary. Each judge elected to the court serves an eight-year term
The regular monthly meeting of the Hyde County commissioners begins tonight at 6 in the Ocracoke School Commons room with a hearing on the proposed budget for 2017.
