Outer Banks Art Exhibit

Local Outer Banks artists Ben Morris and Ben Miller are combining their efforts to display some recent works on at the Dare County Arts Council Gallery in downtown Manteo.

The exhibit opens on the “First Friday” of September, including an opening reception – September 3, 6-8 pm.

The vibrant colors and seaside flare in their works of art are definitely worth a look.

2010 Outer Banks Pro

The 2010 Outer Banks Pro will return to last year’s venue: The Comfort Inn South in Nags Head, North Carolina.

Hurley and Wave Riding Vehicles are dedicated to making this years event the most exciting and lucrative event on the entire East Coast.

The dates are set for September 24-26. Click HERE to stay updated concerning how to enter, total prize money purse, special event perks and hotel room deals for competitors.

2010 Duck Jazz Fest - Outer Banks

The 4^th Annual Duck Jazz Festival,  headlined by San Francisco-based  jazz guitarist and vocalist Joyce Cooling and co-hosted by Philadelphia-based jazz musician Gerald Veasley,  will be held on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at the Duck Town Park, 1200 Duck Road. The Festival will be begin at 11:00 a.m. and is free to the public.

The current schedule of performances is as follows:

• • • • • 11:00 a.m.        The Roy Muth Big Band featuring Laura Martier
        • 12:30 p.m.        Big Rick and the Bombers
        • 2:00 p.m.          Adrian Crutchfield
        • 3:45 p.m.          Joyce Cooling

Please be advised that this schedule is subject to change due to weather and performer requirements.  For the latest schedule, please visit our website at www.duckjazz.com.

About the performers

Joyce Cooling- Best-known for her eclectic style and colorful body-moving sound, Cooling is funky, soulful, and always original, and is recognized as one of the most dynamic and popular contemporary jazz guitarists in the world. Cooling has recorded seven albums – five of which charted on the Billboard music charts. She has to her credit two number one radio singles, six top 10’s, and 13 charting singles in all. Cooling has garnered multiple music awards, including the “Gibson Best Jazz Guitarist of the Year” and “Best New Talent” in the Jazziz Reader’s Poll. She was a nominee for the California Music Awards, the Oasis Awards, and the Gavin Contemporary Jazz Artist of the Year.

Adrian Crutchfield- Adrian Crutchfield is mostly known for his neo-soul sound. His timbre creates music in a variety of genres including jazz, funk, Latin, and rock. Crutchfield, a saxophone aficionado who’s been playing since he was four years old, recently released his debut C.D., “Private Party,” that highlights his diverse musical  interests and talents by featuring his sophisticated sax on jazz, neo-soul, and hip hop tracks. Crutchfield has performed with many internationally known artists, including the 2009 Duck Jazz Festival’s Headliner Kim Waters.

Big Rick and the Bombers- Big Rick and The Bombers have been wowing audiences all over the country since 1994 with their unique style and approach to the classics. They have had the opportunity to perform at festivals across the United States, as well as private parties for various celebrities. This fun band has a diverse repertoire of songs, playing music from the past and present which includes a little something for the young and for the young at heart from jazz, R&B, soul, funk, and blues.

The Roy Muth Big Band- The Roy Muth Big Band, a swing jazz band, plays traditional big, band orchestra-style music.  For the 2010 Duck Jazz Festival Outer Banks own, Laura Martier, will lend her elegant vocals to the performance.

Jazz Musician Gerald Veasley to Guest Co-Host the 4^th Annual Duck Jazz Festival

Philadelphia-based Jazz musician Gerald Veasley is set to co-host the 4^th Annual Duck Jazz Festival on Sunday, October 10, 2010, at the Duck Town Park.

The critically-acclaimed Jazz bassist, who was also the Festival’s 2008 Headliner, will return this year to co-host the Festival, as well as host an eventful pre-festival weekend of music and fun beginning on Friday, October 8, 2010 and culminating in the main event The 4^th Annual Duck Jazz Festival.

Veasley comes to the Duck Town Park Stage with an impressive résumé, having recorded with the late Grover Washington, Jr.; Teddy Pendergrass; Dianne Reeves; and Earth, Wind, and Fire vocalist Philip Bailey, to name a few.  He has also shared stages with Jazz legends such as Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie.

As an educator of music, Veasley’s motto is “to inform and inspire.” He believes information and inspiration are indispensable ingredients to music education. Aside from workshops and master classes, Veasley has taught classes at the University level. He has been artist in residence at the Artist-Teachers institute of Stockton State College; guest lecturer at Dartmouth; instructor at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts; and video instructor on “Solo Bass Techniques” released by CCP Baldwin.  He also offers and instructs his own “Bass Boot Camp”.

Veasley currently has eight CD’s to his credit. His 2008 hit Your Move reached #12 on the U.S. Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, and was called “instantly infectious and stylistically versatile” by Jazziz Magazine. He has been voted “Best Electric Bassist” by Jazziz Magazine and recognized in both Downbeat Magazine’s Critic’s and Reader’s Polls.

Outer Banks Sunset

In the Life & Style section of the Wall St. Journal, reporter Bob Davis recently highlighted Duck, NC on the Outer Banks…. “where the sea is mild and the breeze is stiff.”  Davis covers what to do, where to stay, and where to eat along the OBX.

Here’s a quick synopsis of the article:

What to do:

• Lounge on the remarkably uncrowded Atlantic Ocean beaches of the Outer Banks, a chain of barrier islands. The sand is fine and the water temperature is mild.
• Currituck Sound, on the other side of Duck, is the place to jet-ski or kayak.
• History abounds:
  • Kitty Hawk, 10 miles away, is where the Wright brothers made their storied first controlled, powered flight in 1903.  Wright National Memorial has a full-size model of the biplane they flew.
  • Another historic attraction is the Roanoke colony, where British colonists first landed in 1585 and endured a few scant years. Their remains weren’t found, giving rise to tales of a “lost” colony. The national park on the site of the colonists’ Fort Raleigh is a lovely forested area.
  • The consistent winds are ideal Kite flying on the beach; Duck is filled with stores that sell all manner of kites.
  • Nearby, on Highway 158, is Jockey’s Ridge State Park, whose 100-foot-tall sand dunes give a better sense of what attracted Orville and Wilbur to the area: It’s a place where glider experiments could end in a soft landing. Instructors offer $99-an-hour hang-gliding lessons.
  • It will cost you nothing to stroll along Duck’s boardwalk, which juts over the sound.
  • Take a drive along the roads of Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, 30 miles from Duck, a marshland where black bears lurk and cross the road at sunset.

Where to Stay: Prices for one-week rentals of three-bedroom homes start at about $1,500 in Duck and nearby Southern Shore, both of which have thick tree cover. Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills lack much shade, but rentals there are cheaper.

• Beautiful vacation rental homes available.

Where to eat: There are lots of restaurants with great views of the water.

• To eat well, try The Blue Point Bar & Grill.  It offers a gorgeous view of the sound. Try the flavorful celery soup for $7. Catfish fried in cornmeal with zucchini slaw on the side will set you back $25.
• The Roadside Raw Bar & Grill, near Duck’s town square, lacks the view but has fine fare and live music most nights.
• The Sanderling Inn’s Lifesaving Station restaurant, in a restored 1899 sea-rescue building, is more casual and less costly than the inn’s other restaurants. A terrific chowder followed by shrimp, andouille sausage and grits go for $31, roughly 40% less than the fare at the Sanderling’s elegant Left Bank restaurant.

Outer Banks Children @ Play Museum

The “Children at Play” kids museum opened yesterday on the Outer Banks – in Kitty Hawk, (beside Papa John’s pizza) at Milepost 4.5.

The museum features interactive exhibits where children can learn about the bigger world around them through play!

Kids and parents can learn about fishing, and measuring their catch or lighthouses and lifesaving.  These are just some of the exciting opportunities awaiting families on the OBX!

Admission is $5.

www.childrenatplayobx.com

Outer Banks Record Blue Marlin

Marlin Magazine recognizes the Outer Banks as the #1 spot for Marlin fishing.  Seems like a good spot for a Billfish tournament.

The 27th annual Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament is being held this week, August 9th-13th.

Records are set at this tournament.  Two years ago the state record was hauled in at 1,228.5 pounds!

This will be the biggest and best yet with lots of fun and festivities for the entire family.

Friends, fun and family combined with good music, good food, captain and mate contests, and giveaways should keep the spirits up and the fun flowing.

World-class party at a world-class marina.

Manteo Map

Music:
To Be Announced – find out when we get there I guess.  :)

Art:
Dare County Arts Council Gallery, reception 6-8 p.m.; painting demo by local artist Catherine Hamil at Washed Ashore in the Phoenix Shops

Activities:
Historic Inn Crawl, 4-6 p.m. (a self-guided tour); wine tasting from local Scuppernong vineyard at the Full Moon Cafe with local artist E.M. Corsa in attendance to sign her wine label designs; roving caricature artist (drawings for a fee); Magic Mike’s sleight of hand and balloon sculptures; Kitty Hawk Kite’s rockclimbing wall; yarn spinning demo at Kimbeeba Yarns; belly dancers, yoga and pilates demos, mini-massages around the downtown; aquatic arts and crafts with the Outer Banks YMCA; costumed interpreters from The Lost Colony, North Carolina Aquarium and Festival Park; free essential oil samples and discounts at Theraroma in the Phoenix Shops; 10% discount at Stock-Aide General Store

Surfing for Autism

A great OBX surfing event for a great cause…Surfing for Autism planned for August 14th for individuals with Autism.

Local surfers along with therapists and teachers are donating their time to give children with autism an opportunity to surf.

30 slots available to the first 30 who register.

DATE
August 14, 2010 (Saturday)

TIME
9:00am-12:00pm – Surf Appointments (received after your registration) & Beach Activities
12:00pm-Until Surfers Pass Out – If you’re child enjoys their scheduled surf experience, after 12pm they have an opportunity to surf some more!

REGISTRATION
Register here. You’ll receive an email to verify your registration and provide your child’s appointed surf time.

Wright Brothers Monument - Matt Lusk

TripAdvisor, home of the “world’s most trusted travel advice,” recently compiled a list of the Top 10 Aviation Attractions, and the OBX, specifically, the Wright Brothers’ museum and monument, came in at #3.

Here’s what they had to say, including a link to reviews on TripAdvisor:

3. Back to the Beginning: Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina
For enthusiasts looking to go back to the beginning of air travel, there’s no better place than the Wright Brothers National Memorial on the site where Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved the first successful plane travel over one hundred years ago. Travelers can re-trace the routes where the Wright Brothers tested out their first aircraft and explore the on-site museum and its collection of models, tools, and machines used by the pioneering, high-flying duo. As one TripAdvisor traveler puts it, “this was the highlight of our trip to the Outer Banks.” Admission: $4.00 for adults, free for children.

PS – this is a National Park, so there is free admission August 14 & 15, 2010.