Diggin' It

By Molly Harrison | Monday, May 10, 2010
The 38th Annual Hang Gliding Spectacular takes off this week

I'm really digging May right now. May on the Outer Banks means visitors but no crowds (I was able to get across the Bypass on my bike twice this weekend without waiting and get an window-side table at Nags Head Pier on Sunday morning without waiting), warm but not hot weather (windows still open), rising water temps (kids and surfers have at it; I'm holding out until June), increasingly better fishing (ate tilefish, cobia, croaker, sheepshead and crab meat last week thanks to hubby and friends), abundant signs of wild creatures (my 5-year-old son flitting around the yard catching butterflies with a crab net was my favorite image of the week) and mosquito-free evenings (croquet and Mojitos in the yard at dusk, anyone?)...

May also means strawberries and soft-shell crabs - not in the same bite, of course. * I had the pleasure of accompanying six little children to the strawberry patch in Point Harbor last week. While I would not recommend the same party of pickers, I highly recommend the berries this year. They're bright red, juicy and sweet - and plentiful. The patch is open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. Go on a weekday morning to avoid the crowds. Call 491-8266. * Soft-shell crabs are being touted on restaurant marquees from Corolla to Ocracoke. Whether you eat them tucked into a bun, artfully presented on a dinner plate or you fry them yourself, better get them now before they're gone...

I'm also digging all that there is to do this week. Here are some highlights...

The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is hosting a lovely art show through June 30. Called "High Tide on the Sound Side," it's a show of colored-pencil drawings of estuary scenes. The artwork features plants and animals in the coastal ecosystem and it's a beautiful and educational show...

A good thing for kids is the Amazon Adventures Puppet Show being presented by the Dare County Library to celebrate National Children's Book Week. * The puppet show lasts about 45 minutes and is appropriate for all ages. It's at KDH Library on Friday at 4 p.m., Hatteras Library on Saturday at 10 a.m. and the Manteo Library on Saturday at 2 p.m....

The Theatre of Dare's spring show, Meanwhile, Back on the Couch, opens this weekend. It's supposed to be a real gut-buster, a comedy about a psychiatrist who mistakenly publishes a client's torrid case file. * See it at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights or at 2 p.m. on Sunday, but if you miss it this weekend you can also see it next weekend. The show is at the COA Roanoke Island Campus in Manteo. See www.theatreofdare.org...

Roanoke Island Festival Park has the Western Carolina Catamount Singers and Electric Soul twice on Saturday: at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. The free, hour-long concerts will feature musical hits and a tribute to pop artists...

Kitty Hawk Kites is throwing its 38th Annual Hang Gliding Spectacular on Jockey's Ridge this weekend, and it's not just for hang gliders. * It's the world's oldest hang gliding competition and professionals come from all over the world for it, but the average Joes can watch the competitions and demos on the dunes and attend the surrounding festivities at Jockey's Ridge and Kitty Hawk Kites at Jockey's Ridge Crossing in Nags Head. * The event runs Friday through Sunday...

On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the Coastal Gardening Festival at the Outer Banks Arboretum and Teaching Garden promises vendors, plant sales, children's activities, gardening education and more. * The arboretum is next to the Baum Senior Center on Mustian Street in KDH. Call (252) 473-4290...

If you're going out on the town, catch Big Rick and the Bombers at Kelly's on Thursday, Element at Kelly's on Friday or ELT at Kelly's on Saturday. * Catch The Appropriate Two Plus One at Ocean Boulevard on Friday, the Walker Brothers at Poor Richard's on Saturday or Fools & Horses at Outer Banks Brewing Station on Saturday. * Friday at the Brewing Station, there will be four bands: ASG, Freedom Hawk, 4 on the Floor and low standards...

And here are a couple of reminders...

Don't forget that as of May 1, all Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches are closed to driving at night, between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m....

If you're stressing about what your kids will do this summer, check out the amazingly comprehensive Summer Camp Guide of more than 150 camps compiled by Outer Banks Child Magazine. You'll find it at www.outerbankschild.com/camps...

Glen Eure's Ghost Fleet Gallery is Nags Head is calling for entries in its Sense of Place II Exhibition. They're taking entries on Friday and Saturday. Call 441-6584...

And, finally, to all my fellow runners in the Nags Head Woods Run last weekend - woohoo! We had fun...

That's it from me for this week. But look around the site. You'll find way more to do in our listings. Keep checking the site all week as businesses and organizations are adding new stuff here every day. If you've got a business or organization that wants to get the word out about something - a sale, a special, an event or a fund-raiser - click on Get Involved just on the right column of this page...

And put your 2 cents in. If you'd like to contribute or add your voice to this blog, you can do that below. Keep in mind that the blog comments are moderated so that this site is only putting positive vibes into cyberspace * We'd really love to hear from you...

About the Author Molly Harrison
Molly Harrison is managing editor at OneBoat, publisher of OuterBanksThisWeek.com. She moved to Nags Head in 1994 and since then has made her living writing articles and creating publications about the people, places and culture of the Outer Banks.