This graphic shows a proposed new site for South Dock (for the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry) on Ocracoke. The interactive map allows citizens to comment directly from the map.
The N.C. Department of Transportation is identifying projects for its next long-range capital plan and wants citizens to participate in the process.
Public drop-in sessions are set to take place in the 14 highway divisions across the state over the coming weeks.
These will be informal gatherings in which citizens can share their interests in transportation projects and ask questions of local NCDOT staff. Locations and times for these meetings can be found on the NCDOT website.
People can also offer their comments via the website or through an interactive online map during the public comment period, which runs June 17 to July 17.
Public input is a key component in developing the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), which identifies construction and funding schedules for state transportation projects over a 10-year period.
The STIP in development will cover 2026-2035.
Projects included in the STIP are funded in three categories, cascading from Statewide Mobility to Regional Impact to Division Needs. Hyde County is in Division 1.
The Statewide Mobility tier selection process is 100% data based.
Planning organizations and NCDOT’s 14 Highway Divisions assign local input points that account for 30% of the project scores in the Regional Impact tier and 50% of the Division Needs project scores.
The Ocracoke Express passenger ferry docked at Silver Lake harbor. Photo: C. Leinbach
The Ocracoke Express passenger ferry has left the state shipyard and is on its way back to Hatteras, where it will resume its regular schedule Tuesday, June 18, an N.C. Ferry Division spokesman said Monday.
“There was an issue with the steering mechanism that required us to bring it into the shipyard for maintenance and repair,” Tim Hass, communications officer, said in an email. “We ran sea trials here today (Monday) and it should be back at the Hatteras terminal later Monday afternoon.”
The passenger ferry went out of service on June 11.
NPS staff will discuss beach closures on Ocracoke at the OCBA meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 18, in the Community Center. Photo: C. Leinbach
NPS programs The base of the lighthouse is open daily for visitors to view inside, 10 am to 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm to 4 pm. Lighthouse Talks are offered every Monday through Thursday at 11 am.
Monday, June 17 NPS program Meet the Banker Ponies: 9:30 to 10 a.m. at the Pony Pasture.
NPS Ranger program at lighthouse, 11 am
NPS Talk — Life on a Barrier Island: 2:30 pm. Outside the Discovery Center.
Tuesday, June 18 Morning bird walk, 8:30 am. Meet at NPS Campground parking lot.
NPS Ranger program at lighthouse, 11 am
Ocracoke Preservation Society Porch Talks: Sea Turtles with Ruth Fordon and Jennifer Garrish, 1 pm
NPS Talk — Life on a Barrier Island: 2:30 pm. Outside the Discovery Center.
Ocracoke Seafood Company: Oyster tasting and smoked fish samples, 3 to 5 pm.
Ocracoke Civic & Business Assn. meeting with NPS staff (virtually) regarding beach closures. 6 pm, Community Center and on OCBA Facebook page
1718 Brewing Ocracoke: Ashley Larue Band (reggae/rock), 7 pm
Ocracoke Oyster Company: Bryan Mayer, 7 pm
Wednesday, June 19, Junteenth Roanoke Island Animal Clinic sees patients in the Community Center. Call 252-473-3117 for appointments.
Ocracoke Community Library: Baby/Toddler/Preschool Storytime, 10 am; grades K to 5 program, 1 pm
NPS program Meet the Banker Ponies: 9:30 to 10 a.m. at the Pony Pasture.
NPS Ranger program at lighthouse, 11 am
NPS Talk — Life on a Barrier Island: 2:30 pm. Outside the Discovery Center.
Ocracoke Community Library celebrates Juneteenth with family stories with Storyteller Beverly Fields Burnette, 6-7 pm. See flyer below.
WOVV 90.1 FM: What’s Happening on Ocracoke: Independence Day activities on Ocracoke
Ocracoke Community Library: Stuffed Animal Camp out, 6 pm, followed by camp breakfast the next morning at 9 am
Mini Bar at Ocracoke Coffee: Kate McNally, 6-8 pm
1718 Brewing Ocracoke: Rolling Dynamite (surf/rock), 7 pm
Ocracoke Oyster Company: Ray Murray, 7:30 pm
DAJIO: Layla, 7:30 pm
The Breeze: Jackson Truluck Band, 9 pm
Saturday, June 22 Storytelling: Donald Davis workshop participants give a free public performance from 10 10 11:15 am on the Books to Be Red grounds.
Ocracoke Seafood Company: Fish fry fundraiser with locally caught fish, $15/plate, 3 to 5 pm. At the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Company.
Mini Bar at Ocracoke Coffee: artist TBD, 6-8 pm
Ocracoke Oyster Company: Ocracoke Rockers, 7 pm
1718 Brewing Ocracoke: Rolling Dynamite, 7 pm
DAJIO: Ray Murray, 7:30 pm
The Breeze: Jackson Truluck Band, 9 pm
Looking ahead:Friends of the Library Used Book Sale at the Ocracoke Community Library begins Thursday, June 27, 9 am to 2 pm. Open to Friends of Library members at 8:30 am. Memberships available at that time.
Ruth Fordon holds a loggerhead hatchling during an excavation. She and Jennifer Garrish will be featured speakers at Tuesday’s OPS Porch Talk at 1 p.m. Photo by Amy Thompson, CAHA
From early spring into late summer, a small, dark, pointed winged bird can be seen darting to and fro in search of its sustenance — flying insects. They are Purple Martins (Progne subis), and they have an amazing history of co-existence with people dating back centuries. They are present because of several condo-like nesting houses in the village.
They are easily seen all around Ocracoke Village, especially the Silver Lake Harbor and Oyster Creek and along the South Point Road is another good location. They are often joined by another insect eater, Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica), a related species.
Purple Martins are secondary cavity nesters. That is, they do not excavate their own cavities like woodpeckers. Instead, in the past they used already created cavities by other animals or natural cavities found in dead trees or cliff rock formations. Except for a subspecies in the northwest region of the United States, Purple Martins are one of only three species that no longer nest in natural cavities and now use human-assisted habitats. The others are Barn Swallows and Chimney Swifts.
The first commercial manufacturer of Purple Martin houses, many highly ornate, was launched in 1883 and by the early 1900s, the birds relied almost exclusively on man-made housing.
This nesting shift may have begun centuries ago with Native Americans using hollowed out gourds to encourage their presence.
Mark Catesby, an English naturalist and gifted artist, is credited with the first published accounts of the flora and fauna of North America.
In his “Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands,” a series of volumes published between 1729 and 1747, he wrote, “These martins breed like Pigeons in lockers prepared for them against houses, and in gourds hung on poles for them to build in, they being of great use about houses and yards, for pursuing and chasing away Crows, Hawks, and other vermin from the Poultry. They retire at the approach of Winter and return in the Spring to Virginia and Carolina.”
Ornithologist Alexander Wilson reported in 1808 seeing Chickasaws and Choctaws having hanging gourds for martins on stripped saplings near their cabins and African Americans were doing likewise on long canes on the banks of the Mississippi.
As for their reputation for being voracious mosquito eaters, well not so much.
In the 1960s, a manufacturer of Purple Martin bird houses, J.L. Wade, claimed they ate 2,000 mosquitoes a day.
This has been proven false, but their reputation as mosquito eaters persists.
Mosquitoes are too small for them to be bothered with and do not inhabit the high aerial levels where they feed. Their diet consists exclusively of a wide variety of larger-flying insects caught on the wing, including dragonflies, grasshoppers, beetles, flies, wasps and bees.
Despite Wade’s erroneous and self-serving assertion, he should not be dismissed as a purveyor of misinformation for profit. He has been the greatest proponent of establishing Purple Martin colonies throughout the country with great success.
There are plenty of options for choosing Purple Martin nesting sites. Being colonial nesters, birdhouses should have several compartments, typically eight to 12, on a pole 10 feet or higher sunk deep into the ground to withstand severe weather.
Inside their units, they will build a nest then lay up to eight eggs.
Only the female, who has a brood patch, a featherless area rich in blood vessels that transfers heat to the eggs, does the incubation which takes place approximately in 15 to 18 days.
Because they use human-assisted habitat, they also need human intervention and management of the colony sites.
The most important feature is to be able to raise and lower the housing and open the cavities for cleaning, maintenance and removing the nesting materials after they depart. Other recommendations are a predator guard to keep raccoons and snakes from climbing the pole and entrance holes with starling-resistant shapes.
A major challenge is to keep European Starlings and House Sparrows from using them. Because these two introduced species are year-round residents, they have the advantage of getting first housing dibs. One way to control their use is by blocking the entrance holes after fledging until their anticipated return in early spring. It is quite common for Purple Martins and House Sparrows to share a multi-unit bird house.
If you can spend some time near one of the nesting sites, you will find they are fun to watch.
These are true acrobats, speedy with rapid, flapping, and gliding flight patterns. When approaching their nesting site, they can dive from the sky at great speeds.
Highly vocal, they have a variety of chattering sounds. Some people erecting a bird house for the first time have had some success by playing sound recordings of them in hopes of attracting those migrating in the spring.
With a wingspan up to 15 inches and weighing all of two ounces, Purple Martins are the world’s largest amongst the 90-odd swallow and martin species in the family Hirundinidae.
They get their color name from the adult males that are entirely dark with a glossy bluish sheen. Martin derives from the Old French “martinet,” which referred to a type of swift or swallow. Adult females are dark on top with some steel blue sheen and pale underparts. They have a short forked tail, quite different from the long tail feathers of the Barn Swallow which also nests on Ocracoke.
In late summer, after leaving the nesting colony, in preparation for the long migration mostly to the Amazon Basin, Purple Martins will gather in large flocks and temporarily establish communal evening roost sites.
One such site is the Old Manns Harbor William B. Umstead bridge, part of U.S. 64. It spans the Croatan Sound between Roanoke Island and the Dare County mainland. It is currently closed and will be for several months while it undergoes extensive restorations. For years The birds have roosted under the bridge at night, leave at sunrise to fly over the coastal plain to feed during the day, then return at sunset.
In the past, beginning in late July, there have been estimates of more than 100,000 birds but those numbers have diminished significantly in the last couple of years, possibly due to their finding another similar bridge to roost.
So, yes. Thanks to the efforts of some island “landlords,” Purple Martins have found affordable housing on Ocracoke, even sharing their condo-style bird house with those pesky House Sparrows.
Jimmie Kirkpatrick and De Kirkpatrick discuss their ‘Binding Truth.’ Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
By Patty Huston-Holm
“In 1966 we were going to change the world…but I’m not sure we’ve made progress.”
“I believed Black people were better off because we were taking care of them, but then I saw on television the hoses and dogs and policemen against them.”
“It’s important to talk to people who are different.”
The comments inside the Ocracoke Community Center on April 24 were many and followed a racial justice-focused documentary, “The Binding Truth,” and the stories about the film’s two male “stars” – Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick, who is Black, and H.D. Kirkpatrick, who is white.
Jimmie’s ancestors were once North Carolina slaves of the great-great grandfather of H.D., who goes by “De.” They have the same last name because enslaved African Americans often had the name of their slave owners.
“I carry the wound of being an ancestor of people who owned people,” De said of the discovery Jimmie made in genealogy research in 2014. “When Jimmie called me, I was shocked, shamed and full of guilt.”
“Put aside your guilt, and I’ll put aside my anger,” Jimmie had replied.
The two men graduated from the same high school in Charlotte in 1966.
“We’re two retired guys launching this second career,” De said. “We’re talking honestly about how the United States was founded on slavery – politically and economically.”
De was a forensic psychologist. Jimmie is a retired education administrator with a teenage reputation of scoring 19 touchdowns in one high-school season, which is still his school’s record.
Being Black cost Jimmy a spot to play football in the Shrine Bowl, North Carolina’s annual all-star game, and put him at the center of a racial discrimination lawsuit.
Fast forward 50 years. The retirement gig of De and Jimmie is focused on reconciliation.
Following the film production and a 10-year friendship based on honesty, the two septuagenarians launched the “Stirring the Ashes” initiative, under which they help educate and build relationships based on facts about African American treatment in the United States.
On Ocracoke, they engaged adults and students.
“Some of the most profound questions come from young people who have no filters,” said Jimmie, who began speaking about slavery to history classes before reuniting with De. “They ask me how it feels to have my last name a slave name.”
Youth involvement in racial and political discussion and action is important but lacking, several Ocracoke participants said.
They pointed to the nation’s university campuses with today’s anti-Israeli demonstrations related to civilian casualties in Gaza in comparison to lackluster interest in black-white relationship building and the 2024 presidential election.
At the same time, adults at the Ocracoke “Binding Truth” engagement admitted their own lack of understanding and action.
“Is it human nature to diminish someone else?” one attendee asked.
De referred to his 2022 book “Marse: A Psychological Portrait of the Southern Slave Master and his Legacy of White Supremacy.”
“Marse,” is an outdated word used in writing to represent spoken alteration of the word “master” associated with the speech of enslaved African Americans.
The book analyzes the minds and behaviors of people who justify owning another human being. In his book, De says that one key deficiency in the master’s mind is empathy.
It’s this mindset, he says, that twists the Christian Bible to endorse slavery. In the book’s epilogue, De asserts that former President Donald Trump has the Marse mindset – a correlation that understandably upsets Republican MAGA supporters.
As with white-black conversations about race, De feels the political exchange can be civil.
But not, as one off-island participant shared, when a neighbor has a “F**k Biden” sign in his yard.
“I knocked on his door to get to know him,” she said. But when he asked her political party and she said “Democrat,” he shut down.
While no black people attended either event, several attendees mentioned their immigrant backgrounds, positive growing-up experiences with nurturing black women and 2lst century relationships with people of multiple cultures and ethnicities.
One man said that the open-mindedness of people on Ocracoke provides a multi-racial welcoming environment.
“My grandfather, who is 98, says the real goal is that you’re color blind,” he said.
De and Jimmie noted 12 teaching points in a “Stirring the Ashes” handout.
Among those is that 10 of the first 12 American presidents owned slaves and that Thomas Jefferson’s words about equality referred to white men only and not women or people of color.
How do we connect to people uncomfortable connecting to us? How do we have conversations on difficult subjects?
“We can’t make progress unless we hear what somebody has to say,” De said. “I hope and pray we can have the kinds of relationships in this country that can lead us toward truth.”
The Sunday afternoon Ocrafolk Festival all-star jam.
Text and Photos by Peter Vankevich
The three-day Ocrafolk Festival went out, to riff on American poet T.S. Eliot, not with a whimper but a bang.
The festival has a traditional coda of having the performers on stage for a final all-star jam — no rehearsals and most never having performed together.
“I’m not sure where we are heading with this,” said a smiling Gary Mitchell, the festival organizer and a member of the host band Molasses Creek.
But it headed in various directions before ending with a rip-roaring finale.
Diali Cissokho with his band Kaira Ba.
Bob Zentz along with partner Jean McDougall Zentz was first up to perform a song he wrote many years ago. But as it was just one week shy of his 80th birthday, he had to wait until the audience sang happy birthday.
Zentz, who Mitchell said coined the name “Ocrafolk,” has been a part of the festival since it started. He is a legend in Norfolk with his Ramblin’ Conrad’s Guitar Shop & Folklore Center that he ran for nearly 25 years.
The Clement Brothers of Massachusetts, who nearly missed their performance due to a canceled flight, did a wonderful rendition of “Graceland” as the other musicians joined in.
But the star of the jam was Lipbone Redding who was asked to perform two songs and bring the festival to a close.
Lipbone Redding is the leader of the All-Star Jam.
He exudes a contagious joy and has an amazing vocal ability to create a one-man-band by incorporating various percussive and trumpet sounds into his singing.
Festival Executive Director Dave Tweedie.
The jam went beyond the scheduled one hour with Redding leading everyone in his rousing song “Love is the Answer for World Peace,” during which he waved the musicians by name onto the stage, giving them the opportunity to shine with virtuoso guitar leads, mandolin and banjo picking, singing, drumming and clogging.
There was also an African kora, played by Diali Cissokho, and a European melodica by Allison Wiener.
It was hard to tell who was enjoying it more, the audience or the musicians.
“It’s been brilliant,” noted Cindy Davia of Beaufort as she watched Sunday afternoon. “There’s a great variety of culture, harmony and new acts.”
The festival was founded in 2000 by Mitchell and Dave Tweedie and their then-trio Molasses Creek as a music, storytelling and art event along Howard Street. Now produced by the nonprofit Ocracoke Alive with Tweedie as its executive director, it has grown considerably with a mix of music: folk, bluegrass, rock, jazz, Gospel, African, Latin and classical.
In addition to host Molasses Creek, other local musicians performing were Martin Garrish and Friends that included young drummer/guitarist Dallas Mason and former islander Lou Castro, the Aaron Caswell Trio and Brooke & Nick.
Lou Castro, Dallas Mason and Martin Garrish.
Storytelling has always been a component with this year featuring Donald Davis, Philip Howard and Rodney Kemp, all of whom have participated for years. There was also a spoken word workshop with Ella Ralston.
Other activities include fish printing, a drum circle, juggling, puppeteering and an instrument “petting zoo.”
Jef the Mime (Jef Lambdin) with his juggling and the Paperhand Puppets Saturday afternoon parade add every year to the unique character of the festival. There was also a square dance, a Saturday evening ghost talk and early Sunday morning yoga.
In addition to the performances, local and regional artisans had booths selling a wide variety of artwork, fine crafts. fragrant soaps and more. Some island nonprofits and the National Park Service also had tables.
Every year the performers are a mix of those who have performed in the past and new acts. Cassie and Maggie McDonald, sisters from Nova Scotia, returned after a seven-year absence, bringing their mix of traditional and contemporary maritime music, sung in English and Scottish Gaelic.
Maggie & Cassie McDonald.
“We are so glad to be back. This was one of our very first festivals and one of our most memorable,” said Cassie McDonald before reprising “Buain A’Choirce” (Reaping the Oats) a milling song that weavers would sing as they worked. Many remember them performing it on their first visit.
Popular returning favorites Humberto (Berto) Oliveira Sales and Madeline Holly Sales have added a percussionist, Matt Wyatt, renaming them as Beleza Trio. Berto also teamed up again with guitarist Vincent Zorn to perform Brazilian and Spanish music: Latin Gypsy rumba, flamenco and bossa nova.
The Rev. Robert Jones Sr. was a new performer who made a new set of fans. Proudly hailing from Detroit, Michigan, he is a blues singer, a pastor and has an extraordinary gift for weaving storytelling into his songs.
Rev. Robert Jones Sr.
He drew laughs imitating the way “Amazing Grace” is sung in white and Black Methodist churches and also a bluesy version of the Black Baptist churches.
“When I was a young boy, I used to get in trouble because I would imitate the preacher, or I imitate some older person,” he told the audience. “I wasn’t doing it to be disrespectful. It’s that I loved the sound of a voice or a phrase.”
His skill includes being able imitate other performers’ music styles, such as when he imitated how Willie Nelson sings.
Another new group was The Biscuit Eaters, who are the Wilkerson family, a seven-piece, old time bluegrass band out of Surry County. They were a big hit Saturday morning inside the Berkley Barn, which was filled with dancers, and they also performed at the square dance. The Wilkerson members are parents Meredith and Jason and their children, the youngest is fiddler Molly just 5 years old.
Louis Allen was back introducing the acts as he has since the festival began. One would be hard pressed to find a more entertaining and colorful emcee in North Carolina. Allen also performed at the Sunday morning Songs That Matter session.
Sunday morning turned spiritual with early morning yoga led by Desiree Adams and Yoga Nidra with Redding, followed by Freeform Movement with Saltare Sounds.
Outside on a weather-perfect morning, the traditional Gospel Sing was led by Adams, Louis Allen and Mitchell.
Gary Mitchell, Rev. Robert Jones and Louis Allen are part of the “Songs that Matter” set.
It followed with “Songs that Matter” with Mitchell, Rev. Jones, Jeanne and Bob Zentz and Louis Allen performing songs and explaining why they chose them, that included old favs like “If I Had a Hammer,” “Where have All the Flowers Gone,” “Deportee,” “100 Miles” and a poem by Maya Angelou put to music by Jeanne Zentz.
Those visiting had to make some hard decisions as performances were in three stages on the Berkley Manor grounds and workshops, where performers discuss their crafts and answer questions, were nearby on the Ocracoke Preservation Society grounds. Fortunately, the performers had more than one stage appearance throughout the three days.
Executive Director Tweedie noted the energy from the spontaneous collaboration among the musical sensibilities.
“You know it’s going to be a great festival when you bring in all these incredible musicians each doing their own thing but when it comes together and the collaboration happens on the spot, it just sends it to a whole new level,” he said. “That was something that was really special this year.”
While visual art instruction is offered in Ocracoke School, Tweedie told the audience on Sunday that students get some performing arts instruction through the after school program and the programming Ocracoke Alive does throughout the year thanks to proceeds from the festival.
Island visitor Tresha Thorsen noticed the camaraderie among the musicians and those working behind the scenes, and the joy on audience members’ faces.
“The festival feels like a gift for the county, state and region,” she said, “a bit of come-together to celebrate what’s possible for the world.”
NPS programs The base of the lighthouse is open daily for visitors to view inside, 10 am to 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm to 4:30pm. Lighthouse Talks are offered every Monday through Thursday at 11 am.
Tuesday, June 11 Ocracoke Bird walk: Meet at the NPS campground parking lot, 8:30 am
NPS Ranger program at lighthouse, 11 am
NPS Talk — Life on a Barrier Island: 2:30 pm. Outside the Discovery Center.
1718 Brewing Ocracoke: Brooke & Nick, 7 pm
Wednesday, June 12 NPS program: Meet the Ocracoke banker ponies:9:30 to 10 a.m. at the Pony Pasture.
NPS talk at lighthouse, 11 am to noon. Learn about this 200-year-old lighthouse and its important role on the island.
NPS Talk — Life on a Barrier Island: 2:30 pm. Outside the Discovery Center.
Mini Bar at Ocracoke Coffee Company: Island Trivia, 6 pm. See story here.
Ocracoke Oyster Company: Barefoot Wade, 7 pm
Deepwater Theater: Ocrafolk Opry, 8 pm
Thursday, June 13| NPS Ranger program at lighthouse, 11 am
NPS Talk — Life on a Barrier Island: 2:30 pm. Outside the Discovery Center.
Mini Bar at Ocracoke Coffee Company: Brooke & Nick, 6 pm
Ocracoke Oyster Company: Barefoot Wade, 7 pm
Friday, June 14 What’s Happening on Ocracoke, interview with Chris Sawin, president and CEO of the Outer Banks Community Foundation, 11:30 am. WOVV 90.1 FM and wovv.org.
Mini Bar at Ocracoke Coffee Company: Kate McNally, 6-8 pm
1718 Brewing Ocracoke: Dennis & Brad’s brewery tour, 7 pm
DAJIO: Ray McAllister Band, 7:30 pm
The Breeze: Karaoke with DJ Buckshot, 9 pm
Saturday, June 15 Mini Bar at Ocracoke Coffee Company: Artist TBD, 6 pm
Ocracoke Oyster Company: Ocracoke Rockers, 7 pm
DAJIO: Ray Murray, 7:30 pm
The Breeze: DJ Walter, 9 pm
Sunday, June 16 Life Saving Church, 459 Lighthouse Rd., worship, 11am
Ocracoke United Methodist Church: 71 School Rd., worship, 11 am. Streaming via its Facebook page.
Next Mass at Stella Maris Catholic Chapel: June 23
Chrisi Gaskill and Jessica Caldwell discuss a recent game of Island Trivia. Photo: C. Leinbach
By Connie Leinbach
The Island Trivia nights on Ocracoke are not just for fun.
They raise money for an Ocracoke School graduating senior in honor of a late island resident who loved trivia nights.
That person was Phyllis Wall, a vivacious octogenarian and avid player who died in 2021. The scholarship given out at graduation is the Phyllis Wall Scholarship Fund.
All the money collected to play the bi-weekly games goes toward the fund and all of it is given out each year, said Chrisi Gaskill, who with Jessica Caldwell, run the games.
Caldwell and former island NPS ranger Jocelyn Wright started it in 2007, Caldwell said.
After Wright left the island, Sara Batchelor assisted and later Gaskill joined.
This year, the two had a goal for the fund to reach the milestone amount of $2,000, which Caldwell reported they reached earlier in June.
Gaskill and Caldwell don’t rely on anything prefab as they devise all of the questions and categories on their own.
Caldwell had the idea of categories with themes instead of broad outlines.
“Sometimes we get inspiration from ‘Jeopardy!’ categories,” Gaskill said.
She has a connection to that television game show since her fiancé, Charles Temple, won the first ever Teacher’s Tournament in May 2011 and to which she accompanied him on his trip to Los Angeles.
“She’s really good at coming up with category themes,” Gaskill said of Caldwell. “On average, there’s one question (during each game) that no one gets.”
It’s not a chore for them as they might work on questions a few hours each day and weeks in advance.
“I love doing it so much,” Caldwell said.
The duo offers a hint to winning: Have a team with a spread of ages.
The pair conducts team trivia most of the year except for January and February. Games are played at 1718 Brewing Ocracoke until Ocracoke Coffee Company/Mini Bar opens in season.
Dates for Island Trivia this month are June 12 and 26 and every other week after that through the summer at the Mini Bar.
Those who can’t play but want to contribute to the fund can send checks made out to Ocracoke School with “Phyllis Wall Scholarship Fund” in the memo line and send to the school at P.O. Box 189, Ocracoke, NC 27960.
The annual Sand Sculpture Contest is among the Independence Day activities July 2 through 4 on Ocracoke. Photo: C. Leinbach
Ocracoke Island’s Independence Day activities this year will be held over three days, from July 2 to 4.
The following is the schedule of activities:
Tuesday, July 2 7 pm Pre-fireworks gathering: Ocracoke Island deejay Tommy Hutcherson will spin dance tunes and patriotic songs at the NPS docks.
9:15 pm: Fireworks by Pyrotecnico will be launched from the National Park Service parking area at the southern end of the island. The NPS parking lot will be closed starting at 5 pm July 1 for display setup.
Wednesday, July 3 3 to 6 pm. Fundraising Fish Fry for the OPS. Island Inn Commons, 3-6 pm. $15 per plate.
7 to 8:30 pm Old fashioned Ocracoke Square Dance in the Berkley Barn with Molasses Creek. Charge at the door: $5 for adults 13 and over.
Thursday, July 4 9:30 am – Noon: 44th Annual Sand Sculpture Contest at the NPS Lifeguard Beach.
10 am to 12:30 pm and 1:30 to 4:30pm:Ocracoke Lighthouse open for viewing the inside. No climbing.
4 pm: Independence Day Parade. Theme: Olde Tyme Ocracoke
All are welcome to enter the parade to vie for Best Walk & Roll, Best Wheels, Best Float, Best Theme and Best in Show. No political themes/messages allowed.
Sign up starts at 2:30 at Old Beach Road and Irvin Garrish Hwy. Line-up also starts there at 3:30 p.m. Parade ends at NPS parking lot.
5:30 pm Awards presentation for Parade & Sculpture Contest winners; Books to Be Red stage. BYO seating. Featuring Dallas Mason playing the national anthem.
6 pm: Fundraising cookout at the United Methodist Church
7 to 10 pm: Community Beach Fire under the Stars at the Ocracoke Day Use Area/NPS Lifeguard Beach. BYO beach blankets, chairs, marshmallows, and roasting sticks.
Independence Day activities are sponsored by the Ocracoke Occupancy Tax Board,
Hyde County and produced by the Ocracoke Civic & Business Association.
MANTEO, N.C. — Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Seashore) welcomes organized groups of individuals to adopt sections of Seashore beaches to remove trash and help keep the beaches clean, safe and pristine.
For this first year of the program, the Seashore is adopting out 18 sections of beach, focusing on the year-round off-road vehicle routes north of Oregon Inlet and on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. Each section is roughly two-miles-long. Opportunities may expand to other sections of the beach in coming years.
To adopt a section of Seashore beach, a group must commit to completing four cleanups each year and meet all reporting requirements. Upon completion of their first cleanup, each group will be acknowledged via signage at the entry point to their adopted area for the remainder of their commitment.
More information, including requirements, how to sign up and maps of adoptable areas are available at go.nps.gov/adoptabeach. Interested groups may also contact the Seashore at caha_adopt_a_beach@nps.gov to learn more about the program. Training and cleanup supplies will be provided to group leaders following signup.
“So many local families and businesses already provide exceptional support to the Seashore by helping to steward our beaches,” said National Parks of Eastern North Carolina Superintendent David Hallac. “Through this program, the Seashore will be able to better support and recognize individuals and organizations that want to help maintain beautiful beaches.”
The Seashore’s Adopt-a-Beach program has been developed with support and partnership from the North Carolina Beach Buggy Association (NCBBA), the first organization to adopt a Seashore beach.
NCBBA provided valuable insight from their decades-long Operation Beach Respect program. The National Park Service would also like to thank all the individuals who have spent countless hours picking up litter along Seashore beaches.
