Tenth Annual Memorial Day Ocracoke Volunteer Firemen’s Ball

May 18, 2015

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Will Roberson tends the Grill-Zilla. Photo by C. Leinbach

See our editorial, click here.

The annual Firemen’s Ball Saturday (May 23) in the Ocracoke Community Center will kick off of Memorial Day weekend.

This popular event will begin at 5 p.m. with a pig pickin’ followed by a silent and a live auction, finishing off with live music by The Ocracoke Rockers, The Aaron Caswell Band and The Dune Dogs.

The ball is the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department’s (OVFD) main source of funding for its many operating expenses such as mortgage, insurance, equipment and utilities, according to Dick Jacoby, the president of the adjunct Ocracoke Fire Protection Association. Since the OVFD has no guaranteed source of income support (such as a fire tax), this fund-raiser is crucial to the company’s operation.

Although there are few fires on the island, there was one Dec. 27 of a large camper-trailer in the early morning, and, due to the OVFD’S quick response, it saved a neighboring house from burning. Click here for the story.

Organized by Larry and Stephanie Ihle, Larry noted that the day will begin with a remembrance of one of the key players Russell “R.B.” Berry of Raleigh, who died unexpectedly earlier this year.

“He was the head chef that cooked the famous barbeque,” Larry said. “He was a huge part of this event. RB was a high school friend of David Finch, the Dune Dogs lead singer.”

Will Roberson, Berry’s partner in cooking the barbeque, will keep the food coming with the huge, portable Grill-Zilla, Ihle said.

Fire Department volunteers planted a live oak in RB’s honor at the new fire building and will have a dedication of it at 9:15 Saturday morning.

Ten years ago, the Ihles and the Dune Dogs were on the beach when they came up with the idea of a dance.

“It started out as a good excuse to hear some music and cook food,” he said with a laugh. “We were on the beach and came up with the idea to throw a party. Then we decided we should do it for a cause and named the fire company.”

Any wishing to sponsor this event, can contact Larry or Stephanie, 252-928-8074. Stephanie’s cell is 928-7001.

Firemen’s Ball Schedule of events:

5:00 – 6:30 Barbeque dinners served – $12.00 each
5:00 – 6:30 Silent auction and Firemen’s Ball t-shirts for sale
7:00 Live Auction (by Philip Howard)
8:30 -Midnight Music and Dancing

Silent auction 4 to 6:30

Live auction at 7

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For further details, click here.

Editorial: Have fun, go to the Firemen’s Ball

May 18, 2015

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It may be a bit unusual for an editorial to start with “hey, go out and have fun next Saturday.” But “hey” that is what you should consider doing. The Ocracoke Volunteer Firemen’s Ball will start May 23 with the silent auction (5 – 6:30 p.m.), the barbecue dinner (5 – 6:30 p.m.) then the live auction. Once that winds down the live music and dancing will kick off with The Ocracoke Rockers, The Aaron Caswell Band and ball’s founding group, The Dune Dogs.

Unlike many volunteer fire departments, Ocracoke receives very limited financial county support. It must rely on raising its own money and it is highly appreciative of the Occupancy Tax Board which has generously supported it.

Last year, this event raised $72,000. Without these funds the OVFD would not be able to provide as high a level of service as it does. All on Ocracoke and those who have second homes here should understand the importance of the OVFD.

Not only does OVFD battle fires, it also provides vital support in cases of Medevacs when helicopters come in to take a patient to an off-island hospital in emergencies

The OVFD has more 20 volunteers who receive training and are ready to help out at a moment’s notice It could use more volunteers and this year we are pleased to see that several have joined.

So come out, have a meal, bid on some great items and rock away. This will be an occasion to say thank you to volunteer firefighters, many of whom will “volunteering” for this event.

If you can’t attend, you can make a donation to the Ocracoke Fire Protection Association (OFPA) and mail it to OFPA, PO Box 332, Ocracoke, NC 27960.

Point of Disclosure: Peter Vankevich is on the editorial board for the Ocracoke Observer and is an Ocracoke volunteer firefighter.

Coast Guard to temporarily discontinue navigation aids at Hatteras Inlet

May 18, 2015

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WILMINGTON, N.C. — Coast Guard Sector North Carolina is scheduled to temporarily discontinue numerous navigation aids Thursday in the vicinity of Hatteras Inlet due to shoaling.

Recent hydrographic surveys indicate shoaling in Hatteras Inlet between Buoy 9 and Buoy 13. The current navigational aids in this section of the waterway do not accurately mark navigable water due to limited channel depth and reduced channel width.

Mariners are advised to use the preferred alternate routes known as Barney Slough and South Ferry Channel to enter or depart the ocean inlet.

Due to the potential for increased shoaling and changes in channel depths and widths in the Hatteras Inlet Channel, use of regional and local navigation information is highly encouraged.

The following navigation aids, found on Hatteras Inlet Channel chart 11555, will be temporarily discontinued:

28669 – Buoy 9
28730.1 – Channel Lighted Buoy 11A
28670 – Buoy 9A
28730.15 Channel Buoy 11AA
28724 – Lighted Buoy 9B
28730.2 – Channel Lighted Buoy 11B
28726 – Lighted Buoy 10
28733 – Channel Lighted Buoy 12AA
28726.1 – Buoy 10A
28733.1 – Channel Lighted Buoy 12B
28726.2 – Lighted Buoy 10B
28733.2 – Channel Lighted Buoy 12C
28729 – Lighted Buoy 11
28735.2 – Channel Lighted Buoy 13

The Coast Guard will continue to monitor the conditions of the waterway and update mariners as necessary. For any questions or concerns, please contact the Sector North Carolina Command Center at 910-343-3880.

Joining hands on Ocracoke against offshore drilling

May 17, 2015

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Ocracoke joins Hands Across the Sand at the LIfeguard Beach. Photo by P. Vankevich

By Connie Leinbach

Allison Williams and Tony Chambers were happy to participate in the Hands Across the Sand protest of offshore oil drilling Saturday because they’ve had experience swimming in oceans with oil spills.

The two, of Raleigh, were among about 100 islanders and visitors who joined hands at the Lifeguard Beach at noon, and the group was among many others participating on Saturday in the United States and eight countries world-wide to protest offshore drilling, according to Dede Shelton of Boise, Idaho, one of the national organizers of Hands Across the Sand.

In related news, A group of senators introduced a trio of bills Tuesday to open up more areas of the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic to offshore oil drilling and to provide more oil revenue for states. For details, visit the Washington, D.C., paper, The Hill, here.

Williams and Chambers are adventure tour leaders that go all over the world. They talked about the balls of oil they’ve seen in the Middle East, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz in northern Oman.

“They look like millions of gel beads in the water,” Williams said, adding that the ships clean their ballast offshore which then floats to the beaches.

She and Chambers conduct ocean kayak tours, rock climbing, hiking and horseback riding tours. The northern part of Oman has a terrain where the mountains meet the ocean, which is perfect for their tours.

A spill first looks like a big slick in the water, Williams said.

“It streaks on you and you have to use baby oil to get it off your skin,” she said. To get oil off kayaks, they must use gasoline, which then also goes into the ocean.

“That’s why I get so angry about offshore drilling,” Williams continued. “I would rather see windmills out there than oil rigs. An oil rig spill will affect the entire ocean ecosystem. If it’s about jobs, wind energy can provide those.”

Williams said she and Chambers conduct ocean kayak tours from Shackelford Banks to Ocracoke and frequently camp on the beach on Core Banks.

“We don’t like to go to beaches with high-rises and hotels,” she said. “We like this and want to see it preserved.”

Shelly and Eric Stockton of Siler City, vacationing on Ocracoke for the week, had heard about the event in the morning and decided to join in.

“I’m completely against offshore drilling,” Shelly said.

Kitty Mitchell, who organized Ocracoke’s Hands Across the Sand event in 2010, said Saturday’s turnout was about the same as five years ago.

Mickey Baker, a co-owner of Mermaid’s Folly, who spearheaded the offshore drilling protest 20 years ago and is doing so again since the Obama administration opened the mid-Atlantic seaboard to the possibility of oil exploration, closed her shop to organize the hand-holding.

Islanders and visitors gather at the beach before joining hands. Photo by P. Vankevich

“They can never prove to us that they can drill without harming our environment,” she said about the renewed effort that began in March.

As a founder of LegaSea, a Manteo and Ocracoke-based grass-roots group, Baker fought against and defeated a similar plan in the late 1980s, leading to a 20-year moratorium on drilling off the coast.

The moratorium has recently expired, and the Bureau of Energy Management, an agency in the Department of the Interior formerly known as the Minerals Management Service, has begun the process of exploring the possibilities of offering new leases to oil companies.

Ocracoke members of the original LegaSea group included Baker, Carmie Prete, Ann Ehringhaus and Gary Coye.

Dede Shelton, executive director of Hands Across the Sand whose brother Dave Rauschkolb founded the event in 2009 in Seaside, Fla., was encouraged about the the turnout world wide for drawing lines in the sand. After the first “hands” event in January 2010, the Florida legislature backed off its approval of offshore drilling there. Five weeks after that, the BP oil spill occurred off Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico.

“There were 1,000 people on the beach in Miami and 400 in Nags Head,” she said in a phone interview about Saturday’s event. “It gives me encouragement to know there are still passionate people out there.”

She said that the precursor to oil drilling is seismic air-gun blasting which will have a harmful impact on marine mammals and other species.

Next year’s event will be May 14, Shelton said.

For information about the group, visit Hands Across the Sand here.

Birds of Ocracoke: the Common Yellowthroat

May 17, 2015

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Common Yellowthroat female PS cropped _IMG_4975 — Female Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

Text and Photos by Peter Vankevich

This is one of North America’s most widespread warblers, breeding throughout the continental United States (including part of Alaska) and in parts of all Canadian provinces. Its preferred habitat is low, dense vegetation both in wetlands and dry areas.

The male has a striking black mask that it retains year-round, bright yellow breast, olive upperparts and whitish belly. Females lack the black mask and have olive brown backs, yellow breast and whitish belly. Males have a loud song described as ‘witchety wichety witchety witch that is repeated in sequences of three to five times. Both males and females make a loud chip note that has been described as tchat.

Diet includes, flies, beetles, ants, bees, wasps, grasshoppers, dragonflies, moths, butterflies, and caterpillars.

Best Time to see: Spring well into fall. Fewer in winter. The Christmas Bird Count at the end of the year usually records several individuals. .

Where: Throughout the island, among the thickets and dunes where the vegetation is thick..

Listen:

(audio provided courtesy of OhioLINK Digital Resource Commons)

The consensus if that this is a Common Yellowthroat. Photo was taken by Peter Vankevich on the Outer Banks some years ago. — The consensus is that this is a Common Yellowthroat. Photo was taken by Peter Vankevich on the Outer Banks some years ago.

Birds of the Outer Banks checklist

Events today on Ocracoke (May 16): Friends of Portsmouth Island Meeting and Hands Across the Sand

May 16, 2015

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The Friends of Portsmouth Island will hold its spring meeting at beginning at 10 a.m. in the Ocracoke Community Center.

The meeting begins with a complimentary brunch. Volunteers Glenn and Brenda White will share their stories and experiences while helping take care of the village. Steve Neshkoff, the VIP Coordinator for Cape Lookout National Seashore, will also provide some updates.

The meeting is open to the public and all are invited to attend.

Ocracoke will be part of the national “Hands Across the Sand” event in protest of offshore drilling at noon at the Lifeguard Beach.

“This is a national happening,” said Mickey Baker, who is organizing the event here. “All over the country people on the coast holds hands to stop off-shore drilling.”

Mickey Baker said all who want to participate should go to the Lifeguard Beach parking lot no later than noon. People who don’t want to walk on the beach can drive at airport beach and walk over and get in line and there won’t be any speeches or songs, and it will be over by 12:30 p.m.

From the Entertainment Calendar:

Dajio: Martin Garrish and Marcy Brenner 8 p.m.

Jolly Roger: Willis Gupton 6 p.m.

Ocracoke Bar and Grille: Kate McNally 7:30 p.m.

Gaffer’s: Eli Craig Band 9 p.m.

Heard on Ocracoke: Shane Cooley

May 16, 2015

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By Peter Vankevich

(To listen to the song Hesitate, click start at bottom of page)

Shane Cooley has a new CD. The 27-year-old Virginia native, hailing from the rural Northern Neck region, is an English major grad from the College of William and Mary. He performs out of Austin, Texas, but his early performing roots took place on Ocracoke.

“One of the first times I ever played my music live was on Ocracoke,” he said in an interview. “I was 13 and had just begun writing and recording songs. My parents and I were visiting on vacation from Virginia, as we had been since I was little. We stopped for dinner at what used to be called The Pelican and caught local duo Coyote playing. I introduced myself to Marcy [Brenner] and Lou [Castro] in between sets, and they invited me to play a few of my songs.”

Marcy Brenner has fond recollections of his formative years.

“We would have him sit in with us when he was about 14 and visiting the island with his parents,” she said. “He always did great original songs which got better every year. He had us play on at least one of his recordings. He is a great guy!”

Shane has appeared at The Jolly Roger and Howard’s Pub.

“I’ve always found Ocracoke to be an inspiring place, and in 2010 I recorded The Vagabond EP with Marcy, Lou and Gary Mitchell at his beautiful Soundside Studio,” he said. “The last time I was on the island was a couple years ago, and I was honored to be asked to perform a few songs at the Ocrafolk Opry at Deepwater Theater.”

The songs on his new album, Kings Highway, which is his seventh release since 2008, have nice vocals, musical arrangements and great lyrics. One can see the English major influences. The songs have been described by Laurie Gallardo, KUTX Austin Music Minute, as “rich in roots, Americana, a bit of rock and eclectic touches of pop.”

KUTX Eklektikos host John Aielli admitted he fell in love with Shane’s music one summer when he heard it at a local coffee shop. “I’ve worked in radio since 1963, and over the years I’ve learned to recognize talent,” Aielli said recently. “There was something in his sound that made me want to listen…”

Shane started writing lyrics before he could play any instruments.

“Focusing on literature helped me find my voice as a songwriter, and I studied an odd variety of it with that purpose,” he said. “I rarely put direct literary references in my songs, but there are some allusions here and there.”

These days, he’s doing a lot of touring and traveling, both solo and with his new band, Shane Cooley & the Lucky Kings.

His tours have included Texas, both coasts and Europe, performing in Germany, England and The Netherlands.

“I love the road about as much as I love making music,” he said. “I’ve thought about Ocracoke a lot as I’ve traveled around, and I love coming back when I can. It is one of my top three sunsets..that view from Silver Lake is beyond words. I also love that it is mostly nature reserve. The rest of the Outer Banks has completely changed, but for the most part, Ocracoke is still Ocracoke. I’ve made some real friends there and good memories.”

With his busy schedule, he remains optimistic about enjoying more sunsets on Ocracoke.

“Here’s hoping we can swing by the island soon!” he said in a recent dispatch from Austin.

To learn more about Shane, check out:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shanecooleymusic?fref=ts
Website: http://www.shanecooleymusic.com/

Listen to Hesitate:

The Shane Cooley Band. Cooley is in center. Photo by Kat Goins

Hands Across the Sand to protest offshore drilling

May 15, 2015

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Hands across the sand. Photo Lou Ann Homan — Hands across the sand from article in Ocracoke Observer Aug. 2010 by Lou Ann Homan

Ocracoke will be part of the national “Hands Across the Sand” event in protest of offshore drilling at noon Saturday (May 16) at the Lifeguard Beach.

“This is a national happening,” said Mickey Baker, who is organizing the event here. “All over the country people on the coast holds hands to stop off-shore drilling.”

All along the East coast, people will be doing the same thing.

Baker said all who want to participate should go to the Lifeguard Beach parking lot no later than noon. People who don’t want to walk on the beach can drive at airport beach and walk over and get in line.

There won’t be any speeches or songs, and it will be over by 12:30 p.m.

“After everybody gets there, we just stand there for a few minutes,” she said. “Then we just leave.”

As a member of LegaSea, a grass-roots group, Baker fought against and defeated a similar plan in the late 1980s, leading to a 20-year moratorium on drilling off the coast.

The moratorium has recently expired, and BOEM, an agency in the Department of the Interior formerly known as the Minerals Management Service, has begun the process of exploring the possibilities of offering new leases to oil companies.

Despite a lot of other events on the island on Saturday, Baker encouraged people to come out and show solidarity for a few minutes.

“It means a lot, especially now because of the threat of the drilling issue,” she said.

From the archives: Portsmouth Island: Spirit of the past

May 15, 2015

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Portsmouth village PS DSCN0649 — The Henry Pigott house, Portsmouth Village, N.C

May 2014
By Kelley Shinn

March 12 was my tenth trip to Portsmouth Island in eight months. Last June, on my first visit, something happened inside of me—something I am only, and hesitantly, able to describe as spiritual–a physical magnetization of sorts, as if every molecule that makes up my being dispersed and meshed into that island like a billion, microscopic, unfaithful lovers. I loved it immediately.
On this most recent trip, Capt. Donald Austin braved the morning chill and ferried four of us over just after nine o’clock. The day soon warmed to near 70—a precious reprieve from the fierce, roller-coaster winter. We sat in the sun on the porch of the Salter house and lightered our belongings, nourished ourselves with morsels we had packed, and then headed off to explore the village.
Ray Schmitt, a longtime friend of Ocracoke and creator of Dead Girl Walking, the award-winning documentary on islander Marcy Brenner’s struggle with breast cancer, had his camera in hand, anxiously attempting to capture the presence of Portsmouth Island, which cannot be fully felt by an image alone. One must be there to understand the sacredness of that ground. Images can rarely convey the essence of a place— the sound of the birds and the crickets, and the wind in the junipers, and the ocean in the distance, too.

They cannot reproduce the smell of the marsh grass and the meadows and the aged, wooden homes and the folks who dwelled within them and the salt air, too. A picture of a gravestone will not give you the tactile experience of rubbing your hand over its chalky, harsh exterior, nor the humility that comes with reading an epitaph so close to the remains.

The essence is like this—as if the lives that dwelt on that glorious bump were lived so wholly that they can still be felt now, even though Portsmouth Village’s last two inhabitants abandoned the island in 1971.
After sauntering through the post office, the Henry Pigott house, the school and the lifesaving station, we headed for the beach, renowned for its glorious shelling potential. The road was a flooded impasse where we met up with Portsmouth Island’s official caretaker, Dave Frum.

We talked for some time about the significance of the village—Ray is full of curiosity and wonder—and Dave has an answer for everything Portsmouth. Ray, who is known for seeking the spiritual in his independent films, asked Dave if he had anything to say about Portsmouth within that realm. Dave, far more pragmatic, aptly satisfied the question when he replied that every day he spends there, he is aware and grateful that he walks among “the spirit of the past.”
The Friends of Portsmouth Island hosted their biennial homecoming. April 26. Descendants of the families that lived there returned to the island to gather and reminisce.

I hope to share pockets full of stories from having attended. On the boat ride home, Ray caught my eye and mouthed, “One of the best days of my life.”

I’ve been a lot of places, some natural wonders of the world included, but I can also say that 10 of the best days of my life so far were spent a hefty bit more than a stone’s throw from Ocracoke, on that timeless, uninhabited island, teeming with life.

Writer’s note: Shortly after finishing this piece I discovered that Ray Schmitt passed away suddenly on April 15. The village of Ocracoke has lost a dear friend and avid supporter. Ray and I had only been working together for six months, but they were the right six months. It will not surprise me to hear his whisper in the breeze at homecoming.

Portsmouth village — The George Dixon House in Portsmouth Village, N.C.

Island EMS Commended

May 14, 2015

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Editor:
In April, my guests and I were staying in a rental house and one of them fell on the stairs and landed flat on her back.Another guest who is a retired nurse took charge.Although the injured guest appeared to have no cuts or bruises, what worried us was that she could not consistently answer the questions: Where
are you? What year is it? Who is the President?

We called 911, and in about five minutes, Sandy Yeatts of the Ocracoke Fire Department and Hyde County EMS, (who was off duty at the time), arrived.
A few minutes later the EMS ambulance pulled in with Nicole Pegram and Benjamin Brown on board.

The EMS folks examined our friend, got her up and sitting in a chair, and told us that her vital signs were good and that they found no knots, cuts, or contusions. Then we put our friend to bed and were told to watch out for any unusual signs of injury or trauma. The next day, our friend, though a little sore, was pretty much back to normal.

My guests and I would like to thank the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department and the Hyde County EMS Ocracoke Island Station for their rapid response, professional demeanor, and gentle, good humored approach to helping our friend.

It is a comfort to know that if a medical emergency arises on Ocracoke the professional members of the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department and the Hyde County EMS Ocracoke Island Station will be there to help out.

Carter Whitman
Andover, NH

See our editorial, click here.

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