Hatteras is open! And some great events and activities this week show that the island has bounced back from a winter of storms and isolation and is looking forward to greeting visitors with its world-famous hospitality.
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is home to nearly 400 species of birds, and the free Bird Walks at Pea Island, held each Friday from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Hatteras Island, introduce birdwatchers and nature lovers to many of the Outer Banks' resident and migratory birds. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, young or old, you'll enjoy this casual stroll beside North Pond. Field guides, binoculars, sunscreen and insect repellent are recommended.
Hatteras Island Meals will host a fundraiser at Koru Village's Beach Klub in Avon on Thursday, May 2 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. featuring live music and dinner by Crazy Johnny's BBQ. Admission to the event is $5 (which includes a social membership to Koru Village's Beach Klub). Tickets for the BBQ dinner are $10. All proceeds support Hatteras Island Meals, a 100% donation-funded and 100% volunteer-staffed Hatteras organization that prepares nutritious meals for those in need. If Hatteras Island Meals raises $10,000 by May 12, an anonymous donor will make a matching donation of $10,000, so please come out and support this essential community organization.
"Yarn Tellin', Foot Tappin' - Hatteras Style" is the slogan for Our State Magazine's three-day Hatteras Storytelling Festival beginning Friday, May 3 at 6 p.m. and continuing through Sunday, May 5 at 5 p.m. at the Hatteras Village Civic Center. The event will feature Connie Regan-Blake, one of America's most celebrated storytellers, as well as novelist, musician and storyteller Clyde Edgerton, plus live entertainment, local story tellers, great food and more. Other noted speakers include author, storyteller, professor and Red Clay Ramblers member Bland Simpson; author, storyteller, freelance writer Tom Carlson; and Ben Cherry. Pre-registration is required and tickets can be purchased online through BrownPaperTickets.com. The price to attend the Full Festival Weekend is $100; Friday-only is $75; Saturday-only is $75; Sunday events are free.
The 16th Annual Mollie Fearing Memorial Art Show returns to the Roanoke Island Festival Park gallery beginning with a meet-the-artists reception Sunday, May 5 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The eclectic exhibition of local art will then run from Monday, May 6 through Wednesday, May 30. The show is free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Mollie Fearing, the show's namesake, was a prominent figure in the Manteo community who helped form the Sea and Sounds Arts Council that later evolved into the current Dare County Arts Council.
Once Spring has arrived and the growing season has begun we can always count on The Elizabethan Gardens for great workshops and plant sales. During World War II victory gardens were encouraged as a way to assist the war effort. Today, why not plant your own victory garden to help win the war on expensive groceries? Head over to The Elizabethan Gardens on Saturday, May 4 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the "Plant a Victory Garden" hands-on workshop where you'll learn about self-watering containers and plant a simple container victory garden of your own. Pre-registration is required. The fee of $55/members or $65/non-members includes one special self-watering container, soil, choice of two vegetables and several accompanying herbs. Additional self-watering planters and plants are extra.
Appropriately enough, beginning Monday the following week is National Herb Week. Visit The Gardens from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and enjoy savings on all herb sales in the plant shop. Herbs can be used for culinary, medicinal and spiritual practices. One person per party with a paying admission will receive a free herb to enhance their own garden.
While we're all craving sunshine and warmth now, soon enough we'll all be seeking the cooling shade, and why shouldn't that shade be beautiful? Check out the "20 Great Shade Perennials for the South" workshop May 4 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and let The Gardens' experts educate you about shade-loving plants and how best to grow them. Pre-registration is required. Cost is $25/members; $30/non-members. For more information on these or any other Elizabethan Gardens events, call (252) 473-3234 or visit The Gardens' website.
Roanoke Island Festival Park's Children's Show season is already kicking into high gear. This Saturday's show takes place at 2 p.m. in the Film Theatre. The performance, entitled Storybook Theatre Tales from Around the World, Part II by East Carolina University's Global and Theatre for Youth program, is an interactive telling of enchanting stories gathered from around the world including The Bat of Colors and The Tale of Two Mountains from Mexico, The Peach Boy and The Bamboo Princess from Japan, and The Little Bird, The Little Mouse and the Fox from Iraq. A 45-minute children's workshop follows the production during which participants create their own stories, costumes and props, culminating in newly created tales. Tickets are $5 (with children age 5 and younger admitted free) and may be purchased in advance or on the day of the event. Call (252) 475-1500 or visit the RIFP website.
Some things, I just don't comprehend. Running a 50k ultramarathon is one of those things. But if you find a regular marathon disappointingly brief, boy, have we got the race for you! The OBX Ultramarathon, held Saturday, May 4 at 5 a.m., is a 50k run that takes place mostly on the beach from its starting point at Currituck Beach Lighthouse in Corolla to the finish line at Wright Brothers Memorial in Kill Devil Hills! Pre-registration is required, and the price to enter is $87.
Surfing fans will want to find a spot near Jennette's Pier in Nags Head on Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5 for The Prime East Coast competition to help select members for the official USA Surf Team. The competition begins each day at 8 a.m.
The Outer Banks Forum raises the culture bar again Sunday, May 5 at 2:30 p.m. when they bring The Virginia Symphony, recognized as one of the nation's leading regional symphony orchestras, to First Flight High School in Kill Devil Hills for an afternoon of spectacular classical music conducted by nationally acclaimed conductor JoAnn Falletta.
This week you have a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Hurricane Mo's and $50 gift certificate to Gray's Outer Banks.
For more information about Gray's Outer Banks, check out their website.
Last Week's Winner
Congratulations to Melodie Poinsett!!!
You won an Absolutely Wild Horse Tour for 2 and a $35 gift certificate to Corolla Cantina.
For more information about Bob's Corolla Wild Horse Tours, check out their website.
About the Author Michael Lay
Michael Lay is a local graphic designer, artist, photographer and writer. He lives in picturesque downtown Manteo, NC, and is the manservant of two beautiful and willful feline princesses, Sophie and Sassy. You can contact Michael at mike.lay@oneboat.com.
