Outer Banks Articles & Shorts - Issue 24: Spring 2021

Publisher's Letter

I’m looking out my (home) office (still!) windows and seeing clumps of daffodils emerging. There are buds on the pear tree, and we just might have missed (again!) the timing on our pre-emergent to control those lovely (at least they’re green!) weeds trying to outdo our centipede.

Why all the parentheticals, you might be wondering?

I feel like 2020 was a parenthetical in many ways – so many side comments meant to edify, emphasize, provide detail, add a personal touch. I imagine that we all share some commonalities about the past 12 months: disorientation over the relative isolation, worry about ourselves or loved ones or a reorganizing of our lives in so many ways.

But the parentheticals have been, I believe, unique (and here’s one place I’m willing to use that numbingly overused word) to each of us. Even if we can say that we appreciated the enforced quietude, the experience of it was inevitably different for each of us. How directly we were impacted by a serious illness or death from the pandemic is not equal among us. How we used our less-structured time varied, I’m sure.

But it’s in the parentheticals that I think we’ve all grown. We had to adapt, we got to lend a hand perhaps more than we usually would have, maybe we even had deeper insights into our own psyches given the extraordinary circumstances of 2020.

And I think we’re going to need that deeper insight (and stored up energy) for the vacation season ahead of us. From the clients we’re talking to these days, it’s going to be a doozy. Vacation rentals are surging, and hotel and adventure reservations are coming in at a grand clip. Whether we’re totally ready as an area or not, it looks like the after burn from being cooped up for months is going to be hot, hot, hot.

So, here’s to Spring 2021 … to warm weather, busy schedules, immunity, blooming flowers and seeing our friends again. (Will we recognize each other? Yikes!)

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Wild and Free, Just Like the Horses

By Molly Harrison
It’s easy to see why the Corolla wild horses are one of the most popular Outer Banks attractions. The sight of the horses living wild on the beaches and dunes of the northern Currituck Banks is an awe-inspiring sight. The freedom of an animal that we typically view as domesticated speaks deeply to us humans, inspiring... Read More

A Cast of Creatives

By Molly Harrison
Over the last 51 years Village Craftsmen in Ocracoke has grown from a modest craft shop begun in a tipi into a multi-room gallery that’s considered among the top craft galleries in coastal North Carolina. Filled with high-quality, American-made handcrafts, Village Craftsmen is known for its extensive selection of... Read More

Written in the Walls

By Beth P. Storie
Maintaining Manteo's Historic Architectural Legacy Most people use only their eyes to see a building, especially old ones in need of repair, but Susan Fearing uses more senses: “You have to listen to these old structures to understand their essence. They all have histories that have imbued them with more than just... Read More
Rusty's Surf & Turf ceviche

Fresh and Local

By Molly Harrison
When Buxton native Rusty Midgett left Hatteras Island to pursue his chef career, he went to work alongside renowned chefs in Philadelphia. His professional training, combined with experiencing the flavors of the world on surf trips, resulted in opening his own restaurant on Hatteras Island. At Rusty’s Surf and Turf... Read More

Embracing Timeless Shopping Traditions at The Cotton Gin

By Hannah Lee Leidy
Over on the Currituck mainland, a flurry of excitement surrounds The Cotton Gin. The flagship store – a fixture and attraction on N.C. Highway 168 – has been closed since October 2019 when a fire engulfed the historic building in flames. However, the store’s long-time owners, the Wright family, haven’t let that (or a... Read More