Outer Banks Wedding Event
The weekend after Thanksgiving offers a great opportunity for brides and grooms to prepare for a dream wedding on the Outer Banks.
The Outer Banks Wedding Salon will be held November 28 – 30 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kitty Hawk. The Wedding Salon offers brides offers a variety of events bringing local wedding vendors and brides to be together.
General admission tickets for Salon events are $15 per person and $20 per couple and include:
· Your choice of one chauffeured Outer Banks wedding venue tours on Friday.
· Admission to the Outer Banks Wedding Salon on Saturday.
· Admission to the Salon After Party at the Hilton Garden Inn Pierhouse on Saturday night.
· Admission to the Sunday Dessert Brunch at the Hilton Garden Inn on Sunday.
· Special offers from select Outer Banks retailers and restaurants.
· Your luxury Swag Bag, filled with special offers and gifts from participating vendors.
Tickets for the Saturday morning Champagne Brunch sponsored by the Hilton Garden Inn are $25 per person and include a scrumptious feast in the Hilton’s newly renovated Pierhouse overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
Santa on the Outer Banks
Santa at TimBuck II 11/28
Where: Santa will arrive at TimBuck II Shopping Village in Corolla. Santa will arrive on the Corolla Fire Truck at the playground.
When: Friday, November 28th at 11:00 a.m. .
Santa will be meeting and greeting kids of all ages until 2:00 p.m.
Please Support Local Outer Banks Business – OBXmas
The holidays are an important time to show our support for loved ones, but also for local communities we love.
This holiday season the Outer Banks is promoting a “shop locally” campaign; “Make it an OB-Xmas”. Even if you are not local, it is a great reason to give a piece of the Outer Banks this holiday season.
· Shopping locally means increased jobs on the Outer Banks.
· Sales tax dollars go to Outer Banks’ counties and State—better schools and beaches.
· Recycle “the green”—a dollar spent locally is re-spent seven times in our community!
The more people that get involved the bigger impact we can make!
Please visit OBXmas.org for a list of local businesses, many of which offer great websites for online shopping.
Outer Banks Pirate Memorial – Remembering Blackbeard & the “Battle of Ocracoke”
Pirates will return to Ocracoke to remember the battle that ended in Blackbeard’s death
On November 22, 1718, two hired merchant sloops manned by 60 Royal Navy sailors from Virginia engaged the notorious pirate Edward Thatch, aka Blackbeard, and his 20 shipmates near Ocracoke Inlet. Following a brief gun battle and hand-to-hand combat lasting fewer than six minutes, 12 pirates were killed, including Blackbeard, and nine men were captured. Eleven of the King’s men were killed…the “Battle of Ocracoke” was born.
The “Battle of Ocracoke” and the death of the notorious pirate Blackbeard will be memorialized on Ocracoke Island at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22.
The memorial event will be held on a soundside sandy beach adjacent to Ocracoke’s Springer’s Point, near the location of the 1718 engagement at Teaches Hole Channel.
More than 50 pirate reenactors, dressed in period attire will assemble at the site for a 45-minute ceremony featuring period music, a newly-composed pirate chantey, an elegy, the floating of a wreath and a 23-gun salute for each of the 23 pirates and King’s sailors who were killed in the battle.
The event has been coordinated and sponsored by Blackbeard’s Crew, a Virginia-based living history performance group, and by Kevin Duffus, a Raleigh, N.C., historian and author of the book, “The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate.”
The public and media are welcome to observe the inaugural Blackbeard Pirate Memorial. Those attending are encouraged to gather at 1 p.m. at Blackbeard’s Lodge in Ocracoke village at 111 Back Road.
Outer Banks Weekend Festivities at Roanoke Festival Park
Clam Chowder Cook-off at Roanoke Island Festival Park Celebrating the Elizabeth II Turning 25
Roanoke Island Festival Park will celebrate the 25th Anniversary Commemoration of the Christening and Launching of Elizabeth II.
The festivities will begin with a program at 10 a.m. at the Roanoke Island Maritime Museum and George Washington Creef Park, the site of the original launching of the Elizabeth II. The keynote speaker will be Lisbeth C. Evans, Secretary, N C Department of Cultural Resources. Following the program, a parade, lead by the Guilde of Saint Andrew and Dare County school children, will proceed to Roanoke Island Festival Park where a full day of events are planned including:
· The Clam Jam Chowder Cook-off and the crowning of Queen or King Clam;
· Recognition of pennant coat of arms designed by local school children;
· Cutting and sampling of the 25th anniversary birthday cake;
· Molasses Creek in concert at 2:00 p.m. on the Outdoor Pavilion stage;
· An Elizabeth II Retrospective with Captain Horace Whitfield ( 1982-1987 and 1997-2003) at 3:30 p.m.;
· Children’s activities;
· Period music and dancing;
· Crafts, exhibitory and more!
It will be a free day at Roanoke Island Festival Park.
As one of many commemorative events that day, the Park will be full of pots and pans as local chefs cook up their own version of traditional Outer Banks-style clam chowder in pursuit of the title “King”/“Queen” Clam. The cook-off will be held on the stage of the Outdoor Pavilion with tasting beginning at 11:45. The cost is $5.00 per person for sampling and since the supply is limited, arrive early!
For more information about this event call (252) 475-1500 or visit http://www.roanokeisland.com/.
An Outer Banks Vacation is a Great Idea Any Time of Year…Especially Now!
Tired of gloomy winter weather already?
A recent article by Patricia A. West-Volland highlights the great attractions the Outer Banks offers year round, but especially in the off season.
The Outer Banks is the perfect place to visit in the fall or winter. For people that are interested in surfing, the fall is the peak season for big surf. For the outdoor type, fishing is spectacular during the fall. If you would like some peace and quiet, this is an ideal time to visit the Outer Banks’ beaches without all of the summer crowds. All of the lighthouses and national parks remain open during the off season, and there is no shortage of activities to take part in.
Great vacation rentals still available. We hope to see y’all soon!
History of the Outer Banks Wild Horses. “History on Hooves” Nov. 18.
History on Hooves
LOCATION: COROLLA WILD HORSE FUND MUSEUM
Learn the history as it relates to the wild horses that have called the Outer Banks home for centuries.
Are they really direct descendents of the horses of Spain?
How have they survived for 500 years?
And most importantly, how much longer can they remain “wild and free”?
Light lunch will be served.
Call 252-453-8002 for reservations.
Donations appreciated.
New Outer Banks Bridge? Mid-Currituck Bridge Alternatives.
A new bridge to the Outer Banks?! For anyone who hasn’t heard, there is a possibility that a bridge connecting mainland Currituck to the beaches of Corolla could happen within the next four years. There has been much deliberation about this subject among citizens of Currituck and Dare Counties over the past few years.
In February, citizens’ workshops took place and over 550 people attended. Citizens were presented with multiple alternatives. The primary goal of the alternatives would be to improve the existing roads in the area, with the possibility of building a new bridge that connects the mainland of Currituck County to the beaches of the Outer Banks, with various other improvements to the roads.
After the workshops, over 350 citizens commented on their thoughts about these alternatives. The people who commented consisted of residents, property owners, employers, and local officials. Most respondents expressed concerns with the need to reduce traffic congestion, and to improve the ability to evacuate in the event of emergencies, such as hurricanes. Another concern expressed was the need to enhance access from our beaches to the mainland. Many stated the fact that a new bridge would best address the traffic congestion problems. Other respondents expressed concern about adverse affects the bridge may have on the area’s natural resources and pristine environment.
Since the workshops have taken place, The North Carolina Turnpike Authority has narrowed the alternatives to three. These three alternatives include ER2, MCB2, and MCB4. ER2 is an alternative that would not include a Mid Currituck Bridge but would include a 6-8 lane superstreet. MCB2 would include a Mid Currituck Bridge and the 6-8 lane superstreet. MCB4 would include the new bridge, but no superstreet. The Turnpike Authority has also put together a timeline for this project. The timeline is as follows:
- Financial Feasibility Study- Completed
- Draft Environmental Impact Statement- Early 2009
- Final Environmental Impact Statement- Mid 2009
- Record of Decision- Late 2009
- Award Project Contract- Early 2010
- Project Open To Traffic- 2013
If you would like further information and would like to keep track of the project’s progress, including the results of recent traffic and market surveys, please click here.
Written by Brennan Jones
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