Restaurant Week, Blackbeard's Pirate Jamboree and More!

The week ahead is so full of great events and happenings it's hard to know where to start. But my motto is, "When in doubt, start with food." And it IS another fabulous food week here on the Outer Banks. Following hot on the heels of last week's Outer Banks Seafood Festival is Fall Outer Banks Restaurant Week, nine days of foodie heaven beginning Friday, October 25 and running through Saturday, November 2. Restaurant Week is all about talented local chefs serving up some of the most delicious local cuisine in some of the Outer Banks' best venues from Corolla to Hatteras. Each day local and visiting food enthusiasts can partake of three-course, lunch and/or dinner menus at a multitude of participating restaurants throughout the Outer Banks at a fixed price of either $20 or $35 (sales tax and gratuity are not included). It's the perfect opportunity to try a new eatery or a new dish. In addition to the mindblowing number of lunch and dinner options, Restaurant Week also includes The Outer Banks Chili Cook-off on Saturday, October 26 from noon to 3 p.m. at Sea Ranch Resort in Kill Devil Hills. Visit the event website for a full list of participating restaurants.

If your internal compass is attracted more by the thrill of piracy than by top-notch cuisine, then put on your best "pirate gear" and channel your inner pirate because Ocrocoke Island's Annual Blackbeard's Pirate Jamboree is the weekend event for you! Presented by the Ocracoke Foundation, the weekend pirate fest takes place Friday, October 25 through Sunday, October 27. Visit the historically accurate pirate encampment where Blackbeard's Pirate Crew will engage the audience with storytelling, sea chanteys, swordplay, demonstrations of vintage black powder weapons and offer samplings of hearty seafarers' grub and grog.

Pirate-related activities will be held throughout Ocracoke Village, including a treasure hunt, historical presentations, roving bands of pirates, impromptu pirate skits and sing-alongs as well as a "Scallywag School" for the kids. A "Pirate Market" will feature arts, crafts, pirate gear and period clothing. Food and drink will also be available at many locations. The Main Event, a re-enactment of the Battle at Ocracoke, will take place in Silver Harbor when three vessels battle it out in a cannons blazing re-creation of Blackbeard's final defeat at the hands of Lieutenant Maynard's forces. For more information call (252) 928-3421, email {encode="info@blackbeardslodge.com" title="info@blackbeardslodge.com"} or visit the event's website or Facebook page.

After its 2013 incarnation was briefly thrown into doubt by the recent federal government shutdown, Wings Over Water, a celebration of wildlife and wild lands in Eastern North Carolina, will take place as planned Tuesday, October 22 through Sunday, October 27. The six-day event celebrates the natural environment of the Outer Banks region and adjacent mainland areas including Dare, Currituck, Tyrrell and Hyde counties. This year's offerings include guided birding trips, art and photography workshops, wolf howling safaris, tram tours of national wildlife refuges, nature walks, workshops for birdhouse building and methods to attract birds, a wildlife artists' reception, guided kayak and canoe tours, visits to an ancient maritime forest and much more. Prices and registration requirements vary by event. For more information call (252) 473-1131 or visit the website for details.

Share the Warmth

Need to make some room in your closet? You can do that and at the same time make a difference for someone facing winter's cold without a coat. From now through October 25 Kitty Hawk United Methodist Church will be holding its Fall Coat Harvest & Giveaway. Clean, gently used or new coats, jackets, sweatshirts, hoodies or other warm outerwear (all shapes and sizes) can be brought to any of the following drop-off locations in Kitty Hawk (Ace Hardware, Dunkin Donuts, Food Lion, Gateway Bank, Heron Pond Montessori School, Home Depot, OBX Bank, PNC Bank, Townebank of Currituck and Kitty Hawk United Methodist Church), Kill Devil Hills (Baum Center, K-Mart, Southern Bank and Townebank of Currituck) and Nags Head (Ace Hardware and OBX Bowling Center). All donated outerwear will be given away free on Saturday, November 2 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Kitty Hawk United Methodist Church in Kitty Hawk. Visit the event website for more information.

Say an official "Hello!" to Fall at The Elizabethan Gardens this Saturday, October 26 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. as Harvest Hayday combines the colors, flavors and fun of fall with activities including scarecrow stuffing, face painting, educational crafts, a hay bale maze, hay rides through The Gardens, a Miss Mum and Mister Chrysanthemum King contest, music, story time and games as well as hot cider, pumpkin pie and warming bonfires. Gardens' Members/Friends are admitted free. Tickets for non-Members are $8/adults, $8/youth (ages 6-17), children 5 and younger are free with a paying adult. For more information or to pre-register call (252) 473-3234 or visit The Gardens' website.

School's Out Day Camp

While kids may look forward to the occasional teacher workday or any other reason for a mid-week school break, a weekday with no school is an unwanted complication for many working parents. The Outer Banks YMCA is helping to remedy the situation with its SOS (School's Out Special) Day Camp, a full day of crafts, fun and physical activity including swimming! SOS Day Camps open at 7:30 a.m., close at 6 p.m. and are available to children ages 5 to 12. Upcoming day camps are scheduled for October 28 and November 11, 27 and 29. Pre-registration is required. Admission is $25/members and $45/potential members. Call (252) 449-8897 for more information.

More Halloween Festivities

Travelers on NC 12 may experience a short delay Saturday, October 26 as the highway is briefly closed while a parade of ghosts, ghouls, spooks, pirates and other questionable characters make their way to the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Building in Rodanthe for a frighteningly fun party full of family-friendly activities, games, goodies and scary costumes.

The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is no stranger to Halloween, either. The Aquarium's Frightfully Fishy Day Camp will be chock full of thrills and chills Monday, October 28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. as costumed day campers have a "hobgoblin good time" while they learn about creepy swimmers of the deep sea, create mysteriously glowing crafts, carve a pumpkin and catch freaky creatures right from the Croatan Sound! The camp is $35/child, and campers aged 6 to 12 must wear closed toe shoes and bring a bag lunch.

In Avon, Koru Village's Halloween Trunk or Treat event provides a free and safe trick or treat environment in the Koru Beach Klub's parking lot Thursday, October 31 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Cars will be decorated, and members of the Avon Property Owners Association will be handing out candy. Anyone interested in placing a "trunk" in the lot should call Koru Village at (252) 995-3125 in advance. Following the Trunk or Treat the Beach Klub's PapaWack Theatre will host a concert and costume party from 6:30-10 p.m. featuring Greensboro band Holy Ghost Tent Revival and their fast-paced, horn-driven, utterly danceable rock. Costume contest will be held throughout the evening. Tickets for the concert and costume party are $7/advance and $10/door and can be purchased at Koru Village or online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com. For more information call (252) 995-3125 or visit KoruVillage.com.

Be Healthy

Free flu vaccines will be offered for parents and adults age 18 and older Thursday, October 24 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Baum Senior Center in Kill Devil Hills. For more information call (252) 475-5635 or visit the website.

The Intersection of Art and Science

The UNC Coastal Studies Institute is hosting an Open House from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, October 26 at the UNC-CSI campus site located at 850 Highway 345 in Wanchese, NC. Members of the public are invited to tour the facilities at the Coastal Studies Institute while interacting with faculty, researchers and students. Research laboratories will be open to the public with modeling and video demonstrations of research and teaching activities at the Institute. This will be the last public open house held this year.

 

On display will be artwork presented at the Design+Art+Science+Humanities (DASH) Symposium: Responding to Place event held at CSI. The DASH Symposium is an annual event exploring the relationship of arts and sciences with invited participants and academics from around the region. Participants include ECU School of Art and Design, College of the Albemarle, Dare County Arts Council, Pocosin Arts and individual artists from around the state.

 

There will be science-based activities for children as well as learning opportunities for all ages.

 

Finally, a reminder about the 5th Annual Missions of Mercy Dental Clinic's return to the Outer Banks this Friday, October 25 and Saturday, October 26. The clinic, to be held at Dare County Youth Center & Family Recreation Park in Kill Devil Hills, provides dental care to adults earning less than 200% of federal poverty level guidelines. Treatment provided includes cleanings, fillings and extractions. Registration begins at 6 a.m. Patients will be seen on a first come, first served basis based on dental procedure. For more information or to volunteer, please call (252) 475-5635.

This week you have a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Gray's Outer Banks & a $35 gift certificate to TRIO OBX!

For more information about Gray's Outer Banks, check out their website.

For more information about Trio -- Wine, Beer & Cheese check out their website.

Last Week's Winner

Congratulations to Debra Southerland!!!

You won a two-night stay at the Outer Banks Inn & a $50 gift certificate to Hurricane Mo's!

For more information about Outer Banks Inn, check out their website.

For more information about Hurricane Mo's, check them out on nagsheadguide.com.