March – 2010 – The Beach Road to Manteo

Brought to you by Marshes Light in historic downtown Manteo. www.marsheslight.com.

Photo by Aycock Brown, courtesy of Amy Oneto Noffsinger

Friday, March 26

Realtorfest. Ramada Plaza, Kill Devil Hills. 8:30 am – 4 pm at the Vendors, speakers, educational training sponsored by the Outer Banks Association of Realtors. (252)441-4036.

Empowering Women in Business Expo: Nourishment For The Mind, Body and Spirit. Sponsored by the Virginia Dare Professional and Business Women’s Club. 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. At The College of The Albemarle Roanoke Island Campus in Manteo. For more information please contact Paisley D. Wessel at paisleybpw@charter.net or call (410) 788-1972.

Saturday, March 27

Bruce Roberts Photojournalist: 50 Years of Capturing Change. Outer Banks History Center Gallery, Manteo. Exhibit, sponsored by Our State magazine, features black and white and color images of Roberts’ work and includes topics such as desegregation, commercial fishing, changing rural landscapes and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Once Upon a Mattress, Manteo High School, Manteo. The story of The Princess and the Pea. March 19th and 20th at 7pm, Sunday the 21st at 2pm and March 26th and 27th at 7pm, Sunday the 28th at 2pm. 7$ for adults and 5$ for students and seniors.

Night at the Races, Flying Dutchman Restaurant, Corolla. 7-10 pm. To benefit the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, $25 a person includes hors d’oeuvres and $50 in play money. Drink and dinner specials, cash bar. 8 prerecorded races with a 10 horse field. (252)453-8002.

P.D.Q. Bach-The Jekyll & Hyde Tour, First Flight High School, Kill Devil Hills. 7:30. Performance by musical satirist “Professor” Peter Schickele is a 4 time Grammy award winner and has been called the “greatest comedy-in-music act before the public today”. $12.00 student; tickets. $25.00. Call 252-261-4636 for information. www.outerbanksforum.org.

The Coastal Cohorts Don Dixon, Bland Simpson & Jim Wann Celebrating 25 Years King Mackerel & the Blues are Running and Wild Ponies . Indoor Theatre at Roanoke Island Festival Park. 8 p.m. Proceeds to benefit the North Carolina Coastal Federation. For tickets visit www.nccoast.org or call (252) 475-1500.

Sunday, March 28

4th Sunday @ 4 With Kyle Engler and Daniel Lau. 4 p.m. Indoor Theatre, Roanoke Island Festival Park. Join the husband wife team for an afternoon of art songs, arias and selections from the Great American Songbook, including music by Antonio Vivaldi, Gioachino Rossini, Reynaldo Ahn, Hoagy Carmichael and George Gershwin. (252) 475-1500. Admission is included in the Park’s general admission ticket.
Monday, March 30

American Red Cross Bloodmobile. 9 am – 3 pm at the First Flight High School, Kill Devil Hills. (252)335-2185.

Friday, April 2

First Friday, Downtown Manteo Waterfront. 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. A fun-filled, family-oriented street festival; sidewalks pulse with live music, magic, artisans, period-dressed actors, a rock climbing wall and much more. www.firstfriday-roanokeisland.com.

April 2 – 3

Fly Into Spring, Jockey’s Ridge State Park and Kitty Hawk Kites, Nags Head. . 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors can receive stunt and power kite lessons or watch some of the larger show kites. (877) FLY-THIS, (252) 441-4124 or www.kittyhawkkites.com.

April 3

Town of Nags Head Annual Easter Egg Hunt, Nags Head Town Park, 415 W. Health Center Drive. 1 p.m. (252) 441-5508 or www.townofnagshead.net.

Kitty Hawk Kites Easter Eggstravaganza, Kitty Hawk Kites, Nags Head. Largest Easter egg hunt on the Outer Banks! Over 2,000 candy and toy-filled eggs are waiting to be collected. (877) FLY-THIS, (252) 441-4124 or www.kittyhawkkites.com.

April 4

Aqua’S Easter Brunch, Duck. Hop on over to Aqua’S Restaurant for Easter Brunch. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Meet Easter Bunny, egg hunt and face painting. Bring a canned good for Bunny and get an Easter balloon. All donations go to Dare County Food Pantry. For more information, please visit www.aquaobx.com.
April 9

Children’s Fun Faire, Wright Brothers National Memorial Pavilion, Kill Devil Hills. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Designed especially for kids, this Fun Faire offers a wide variety of entertaining, hands-on, and exciting educational activities. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Free. (252) 473-2127 or www.thelostcolony.org.

April 10

THE Studio Tour South. Artists living south of the Oregon Inlet Bridge will open their studio doors to the public showcasing the economic impact of the Professional Arts on the Outer Banks. (252) 473-5558 or www.darearts.org

April 9 – April 17

Land of Beginnings Festival. Various entertaining activities throughout the festival celebrate the history, culture and people of the Outer Banks. (252) 473-2127 or www.thelostcolony.org.

April 17

THE Studio Tour North. Artists living north of the Oregon Inlet Bridge will open their studio doors to the public showcasing the economic impact of the Professional Arts on the Outer Banks. (252) 473-5558 or www.darearts.org.

Under the Sea: A Black-Tie Affair, Wright Brothers Memorial Pavilion, Kill Devil Hills. Feast on sumptuous foods; hustle to win the bid for art work, vacation packages, memorabilia and other items in a silent auction; and dance the night away. (252) 473-2127 or www.thelostcolony.org

April 17 – 24

10th Annual Outer Banks Bike Rally, Vertigo Tattoo, Manns Harbor. 8 days of bike contests, the World Famous Wall of Death Stunt Show, live music, vendors, food, beer, bike builders, tattoos, the Burnout Pit and much more. $10 at the gate. Beer proceeds to benefit The Lost Colony, Food and Beverage sales to benefit the Manns Harbor Volunteer Fire Department. (252) 475-3541, www.outerbanksbikerally.net or vertigotatto.com.

April 18

Inaugural Flying Pirate Half Marathon. Outer Banks Sporting Events is pleased to announce the Inaugural Flying Pirate Half Marathon! Many of you have heard about the beauty of the first half of the Outer Banks Marathon course, and now you can run it! Registration: www.active.com or www.obxmarathon.org.

April 18 – 25

8th Annual Outer Banks Bike Week. Packed full with entertainment, great food, events and special attractions. Poker Run, bike show, live music, scenic rides, official night-time party sites. outerbanksbikeweek.com.

April 23

Kidsfest, Roanoke Island Outdoor Pavilion. 10:30 a.m. – noon. Join us for this free and fun-filled day. For more information visit darekids.org.

April 24

Duck and Wine Festival, Duck Waterfront Shops, Duck, NC. Registration is limited. Organized by Coastal Provisions. Cook-off event with 20 Competing Chefs and Restaurants from Dare, Currituck and Pasquotank Counties. Wine tasting and live music as well. Charitable beneficiaries include the Currituck-Dare Community Fund; the Friends of Jockey’s Ridge, the Corolla Wild Horse Fund and Currituck Kids. Tickets are $25 each and purchased in advance. www.coastalprovisions.net or www.coastival.org.

April 24 – 25

Dancing Moccasins, A Celebration of Native American Cultures, Past and Present. Frisco Native American Museum & Natural History Center. Individuals will have an opportunity to spend two days immersed in Native American culture. For more information call (252) 995-4440 or email admin@nativeamericanmuseum.org.

April 25

4th Sunday @ 4 p.m. David Holt & Josh Goforth. Indoor Theatre at Roanoke Island Festival Park. These popular artists return to RIFP. Admission is included in the general admission ticket to the Park. (252) 475-1500.

May 2

The Virginia Symphony, First Flight High School. 2:30 p.m., Listen to the spectacular music of The Virginia Symphony, conducted by a nationally acclaimed conductor. Recognized as one of the nation’s leading regional symphony orchestras, this exceptional program will highlight classical music. www.outerbanksforum.org.

Photo courtesy: www.artexpertswebsite.com

An osprey is a formidable hunting bird. I first saw them in action on the Outer Banks. Hanging out at the beach one day, I noticed a hawk-like bird circling the ocean, shopping for dinner. He dove down feet first and plucked a fish right out of the water. Sometimes they get a fish that is a little too big and you can see them struggle with it as they fly back to their nests with dinner in claw.

Jimmy, owner of a local garden center, told me that he was standing in his parking lot one day, talking to a customer. She had just arrived in her bright red, freshly polished Mercedes.

“THUD!” What in the world? All eyes turned to the front of the bright red Mercedes, and there, flopping around on the hood was a fish. A pretty good sized fish, Jimmy didn’t say what kind. But definitely dinner lost for the osprey that just dropped him. The fish flopped around for a while, until Jimmy grabbed it up and added it to his fish pond (he sells a lot of goldfish and coy in addition to trees, shrubs and flowers).

“What are you going to do about that?” She asked pointing to the slimy fish trail on her bright red Mercedes. What?

“Can’t do anything about stuff that falls out of the sky, ” he said. However, he was kind enough to get a paper towel and clean off her hood.

WILD FACTS

Classification: Class: Aves Order: Falconiformes

Average Size: Length: 21 to 24 in., Wingspan: 59 to 72 in., Weight: 2.2 to 3.9 lbs., females are somewhat larger than males.

Food: Fish

Breeding: Monogamous. Breeding season early March to May. The incubation period for 2 to 4 eggs is 4 to 5 weeks.

From: http://www.ncwildlife.org/Wildlife_Species_Con/Profiles_new/osprey.pdf.

P.S. Visit Jimmy at Kitty Hawk Garden Center for all your outdoor needs!