Decking the Halls on the Outer Banks

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November 28, 2010

Early December
22nd Annual Hotlines Festival of Trees
The Pearl Restaurant at the Sea Ranch Hotel, Kill Devil Hills. Noon to 9 p.m. Fundraiser of donated Christmas Trees, holiday items, with seasonal musical performances, a visit from Santa, including an auction to benefit crisis intervention programs of the Outer Banks. (252) 473-5121 or obhotline.org.

December 1
Christmas Sights and Sounds
Fort Raleigh, Roanoke Island. 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Enjoy holiday sights and sounds with The Lost Colony. This seasonal celebration is complete with horse and carriage rides, Santa Claus, holiday music performances, hot chocolate and other Christmas-tide events.  Visit the upside down Christmas tree at the Lost Colony Office Building for hors d’oeuvres and more fun. (252) 473-3414 or thelostcolony.org.

December 3
First Friday
Downtown Manteo Waterfront. 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. First Friday is a fun-filled, family-oriented street festival. firstfriday-roanokeisland.com.

December 3
Santa at the Roanoke Island Maritime Museum
5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Come visit with Santa! Free. (252) 475-1750 or roanokeisland.com.

December 3 – 4
Town of Manteo Christmas Tree Lighting and Parade
Tree Lighting will be December 3rd at 6 p.m. with Santa visiting with the children afterwards at the Maritime Museum at the Creef Davis Boathouse. The parade will be December 4th at 11 a.m. in downtown Manteo. manteo.govoffice.com.

December 3-4
Marshes Light Marina Open House
Visit our new Welcome & Sales Center and future Ship’s Store. Located on the waterfront, off of Uppowoc Street, in front of the College of the Albemarle’s Professional Arts Building.  2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

December 4
Manteo Preservation Trust Holiday Tour of Homes9th Annual Manteo Preservation Trust Holiday Tour of Homes. 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.10-12 houses, Inns and/or historic structures  (some properties not handicap accessible). Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased the day of the tour at the Dare County Courthouse (located in downtown Manteo) which is also the first stop on the tour.  For more information contact Grizelle Fearing 252-473-7336.

December 4
The Jazz before Christmas
Comfort Inn North Oceanfront, Kill Devil Hills. Mix, mingle and celebrate the holidays with jazz! A Semi-Formal Affair Hosted by Gwendolyn Meekins. Performance by Chante Moore. Live Jazz Band. Catering by Basnight’s Lone Cedar. Heavy hors d’oeuvres. One specialty beverage. Full cash bar. Admission: Advance Purchase – $50, Door – $65. For additional information, call 252-573-1014 or email GM.Events@live.com. Ticket and Semi-Formal Attire Required for Admission.

December 4 – 5
Nights in Rodanthe Holiday Open House
December 4 from 10am – 6pm and December 5 from 1pm – 6pm. The Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation and the new owners Ben and Debbie Huss of Newton, NC, will host a Holiday Open House at Serendipity. $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $15 from HICF board members or at the Midgett Realty office in Hatteras village, Buxton Village Books in Buxton, Vacation Traditions and Island Convenience in Rodanthe and the Dunes Restaurant in Nags Head. They can also be purchased through PayPal on the Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation web-site at  http://www.hicf.org/events.html.

December 3 – 31
Holiday Art Show
Dare County Arts Council Gallery, Manteo. Over 500 works of art to fit every budget, including original paintings, pottery, glass, jewelry, fiber, metal, mixed media and wood. darearts.org.

December 4
RIFP Performance Series Christmas at the Park with Elizabeth City State University
7 p.m. Indoor Theatre The performances are free and open to the public. (252) 475-1500, roanokeisland.com.

December 5 – 29
Kitty Dough Botanical Drawings and Nature Art, Jim Fineman- Clay Vases and Basketry
Art Gallery at Roanoke Island Festival Park. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Mon-Fri) 10 a.m. 4 p.m. (Sat). Enjoy botanical drawings and nature art by this certified botanical illustrator, Kitty Dough and stoneware vases and basketry by Jim Fineman. Reception: Dec. 5, 2-4 p.m. (252) 475-1500 or roanokeisland.com,

December 7
Hatteras Connection Seafood Dinner
Hatteras Village Civic Center. 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Local fish, chowder, sides and dessert. $10 plus one non-perishable food item. Benefits Hatteras Island Food Pantry and Hatters Meals. (252) 995-4131.

December 8
Grand Illumination
Join The Elizabethan Gardens as we kick off ten nights of lights and floral displays at The Elizabethan Gardens, featuring holiday foods and festive drink in the Embellished Hall. Also featured are fire pits on the Great Lawn, where guests can roast marshmallows, drink hot cocoa and be entertained by Dockside Theatre Company and others. Special holiday promotion is planned with many gifts under $15.00 and plant sales will feature winter annuals; ornamental vegetables; forced bulbs; rosemary Christmas Trees; and conifers with bows. Please call The Elizabethan Gardens at 252-473-3234 for more information or visit elizabethangardens.org.

December 11
Home and Gardens Workshop ~ The Art of Wreath Making
Wreath making workshop by Kim and Wes Stetson of Holiday House Weddings will be held in The Embellished Hall at The Elizabethan Gardens. Class is limited to 25 participants. The Elizabethan Gardens will provide the wreath base, greening pins and cuttings from The Gardens. Participants may bring in ribbon, ornaments or anything from home to make it uniquely you. This workshop is open to Friends for $20 and to Non-members for $25. Light refreshments will be served. Call 252-473-1554 to register for class.

December 17
Dinner with Santa
Celebrate the holidays with your child by dining with Santa in the magically decorated Embellished Hall at The Elizabethan Gardens. Culinary delights will be provided by Ortega’z, and Santa will be available throughout the evening. Traditional holiday decorations. Ticket includes dinner, Santa and WinterLights. Dinner seating is at 6 pm, 7 pm, or 8 pm.. Call 252-473-1554 to register.

December 17
107th Annual Celebration of the Wright Brothers First Flight
Wright Brothers National Memorial. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The daylong anniversary tribute will be held at the site of Wright’s first flight. Visitors to the site experience a replica of the Wright Brothers’ 1903 encampment and majestic, 60-foot tall granite monument perched atop a 90-foot hill that serves a striking and lasting reminder of the important historical achievement that happened on this site a century ago.

December 21
Kid’s Craft Day
Elizabethan Gardens. Let Mom and Dad go shopping, while we entertain the children! This is a special day for children 5 and up. We will have an arts and crafts activity, healthy snacks, lunch, story time and a special stroll through The Gardens. Space limited to 30 children. Friends’ $15; Non-members $20 call 252-473-1554 to register.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Categories: Holiday Happenings, Home & Garden, Marshes Light Marina, outer banks, Roanoke Island, Things to do, Uncategorized.

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Diving at Marshes Light Marina

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November 21, 2010

We’ve been enjoying beautiful sunny weather on the Outer Banks this month, and this past Friday morning was no exception. We recently moved our Marshes Light sales office over to the new ship’s store at the Marina, and I’m getting used to my new digs.  I noticed some unusual activity going on out on the docks; a couple of guys milling about with lines and hoses. One of them was wearing a strange coverall with a rubber hood and scuba mask, the other in jeans and a Nags Head sweatshirt. Our resident boater, Steve, was also nearby, overseeing the event.

Intrigued, I grabbed my camera and went outside. The coverall guy with hood was a professional diver, hired by Steve to find something boat-related that fell into the brink a while back. He was lowering himself into the water, attached to air tanks on deck by a good length of rope and hoses, and assisted by the Nags Head sweatshirt guy. He had a microphone, so he could converse with the guys on the dock as he explored the shallow depths of the marina basin. I mentioned to him to be on the lookout for vintage glass bottles as Marshes Light was a dairy farm about 100 years ago and there might be some interesing finds buried out in the muck. 

After a few minutes under water, the diver found what he was looking for and brought it up. Steve was thrilled, but I was a little disappointed that he didn’t find anything more exciting. I wondered how much the diver and assistant cost, compared to the value of the casing that they retrieved.  

All in all, not a typical Friday at the office; but I sure am liking our new location at the marina!

Salvaged!

Categories: Fall Weather, Marshes Light Marina, outer banks, People of Interest, Roanoke Island, Things to do, Uncategorized.

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5th Annual Outer Banks Marathon

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November 16, 2010

There’s always movement on the Outer Banks. Foremost are the ocean and its surf. Each day brings new tides, big, ride-able waves, or small little ankle-slappers. Then there’s the wind, recently blowing in from the northeast, causing ocean over-wash in some areas and high seas.

And this past weekend, it was the Outer Banks Marathon.  Sunny skies blessed the weekend’s events, which included an 8K, 5K and Fun Run on Saturday, and the Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday. With over 7,000 registered runners from all over the world this November, the marathon celebrated its fifth year. The two day event provides a positive economic boost to our local economy in the late fall, (see www.obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2010/11/10).

The full marathon runners started in Kitty Hawk on the scenic Woods Road (near the Wright Memorial Bridge); and the half marathon runners started on the ByPass in Nags Head, near Milepost 11. The course takes runners through scenic Nags Head Woods and across the 35 foot tall Washington Baum Bridge to Roanoke Island, through Marshes Light and culminating in downtown Manteo.

As a first time volunteer at the Marathon, I passed out medals and congratulations at the Finish Line. It was incredibly exciting to be a small part of the event and I was humbly dumb-struck at the energy and fortitude of the participants coming across the Finish Line. They were from all over the world, all shapes and sizes, young and old, some very fit, some not so fit.  Completing the course is truly admirable!

The Outer Banks provides the perfect venue for running with plenty of opportunities to participate; check out http://outerbanksrunningclub.org for more information and calendar of events. Maybe there’s a Fun Run or 5K in my future!

P.S. For race results visit http://www.obxmarathon.com/Left_Nav/results_and_bibs.htm.

Categories: Fall Weather, outer banks, Roanoke Island, Sporting Events, Things to do, Uncategorized.

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1st Annual Marshes Light King Mackerel Tournament

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November 1, 2010

The Marshes Light King Mack Tournament was a great success this past weekend. We sweated out “Small Craft Advisories” on Friday, but the wind fell off on Saturday and produced a sunny day perfect for some serious fishing.

Fishing began at 7 a.m. and ended in the afternoon in time for weigh-in at 4 p.m. at the Marshes Light Marina. At the end of the day, five fish were presented for weigh-in. I volunteered and helped the Marine Fisheries staff biologists collect data and tag the fish.  They weighed and measured the fish, then the biologists gutted the fish to determine if the fish were male or female and extracted the  otoliths, or ear bones, to determine the age of the fish. When an otolith is removed, it is sectioned into thin slices and viewed through a microscope, where it reveals a pattern of light and dark concentric rings. A darker denser ring forms in the winter months, while during warmer months, when the fish grow faster, they produce a clearer ring. These yearly growth rings are called annuli and are similar to the rings found in tree stumps. Fascinating!

Big thanks go to Bill Boykin, our Tournament Director and Dock Manager, who put everthing in place and recruited local fishing guru, Captain Marty, to be our resident expert. We are very grateful for Captain Marty’s expertise and for lining up all the volunteers needed to operate the tournament.  Also special thanks to my co-worker and dear friend, Ann Davis, for all her help and for organizing the vendors from the Manteo Farmers Market who sat up booths to sell their handcrafted goods along the boardwalk. We especially want to thank all of the volunteers, sponsors and vendors for being a part of the inaugural Marshes Light Marina King Mackerel Tournament.

The winning fish weighed in at 41 pounds, 9 ounces, and was caught by Amy McMullan on the Ocean Isle Fishing Center boat. Congratulations Amy and winner of the $10,000 first place prize!

1st Place King Mackerel

Categories: Fall Weather, Marshes Light Marina, outer banks, Things to do, Uncategorized.

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