Hey there Molasses Creek/Soundside Records fans,

A quick note to let you know that that we are having a Molasses Creek 4 Cd giveaway. The drawing will be February 28th. To enter, visit http://www.ocracokeweb.com/Music_Giveaway_.html and follow the instructions! Thanks!

The holiday season is over and Molasses Creek had a great set of concerts at First Night Williamsburg, VA. A fan club accompanied the group, including Philip Howard and Lou Ann Homan of Ocracoke, Pat and Steve Tweedie from Oklahoma, Amy & Lachlan Howard (with Fiddler Dave), Ann Tweedie & Stephen Meyer along with kids Finn & Ripley (all the way from Scotland!), and Beth Hampton (joining Gerald).

Although the evening of December 31, was a chilly one, the following two days were balmy for winter and perfect for strolling about the historic grounds of Colonial Williamsburg. Young Lachlan was keen on visiting the Ripley's Believe it Or Not Museum in town, and Fiddler Dave and Amy humored his desire to have his wits scared out of him by shrunken heads, giants, and holographic ghosts. He clung to their legs for the rest of the trip.

Marcy and Lou had flown in from Ireland, where they spent December holed up in a cottage near Cork. Neither the beach house that they stayed in, nor the travelers themselves were quite expecting the snows that accompanied the visit! Although Gary, Fiddler Dave and Gerald didn't realize it, they also made the tour to the Emerald Island, catching a band photo opportunity in front of the Heron Shop in Ahakista, and perched atop ancient stones at the Drombeg Stone Circle.

Now safely back on Ocracoke, Gary, Marcy, Lou, and Fiddler Dave have begun working on a new Molasses Creek album. The production is top secret, of course, but will feature some brand new original songs by the crew.

You might remember that Molasses Creek spent a couple of days back in November filming performances in Wilmington, NC. They are now getting some sneak peaks at filmmaker Mark Teachey's fine work. To see some of the footage for "That's What I Like About You" visit http://www.vimeo.com/18828806. At our next blog update, we will include more links for you folks to share with all of your friends.

This week on Ocracoke Island, friends Michael Hilton and Jim Buck have been working on some much needed renovations at Molasses Creek's Deepwater Theater. Yoga instructor, Amy Hilton, persuaded Fiddler Dave that the new gas heater and climate controlled room would help the wintertime yoga students to keep from freezing up during Downward Dog. Work was completed today to cheers from many stretchers. The newly insulated walls will also help keep the Deepwater cooler for the summertime visitors as well! Hooray!

This next weekend Molasses Creek travels to the middle of North Carolina for a sold out Friday night concert at the Little Lake House Concert is Raleigh, and then on to a Saturday night private concert celebrating the 15-year anniversary of Goat Lady Dairy, near Asheboro, NC.

Island Happenings This Winter

Also coming up quick in January, the Ocracoke Arts Council in partnership with the Beaufort County Arts Council, the NC Arts Council, the NEA, and the Ocrafolk Festival is helping to produce a Heritage Craft Class on "Quilting the NC Island Lily." Nationally renown quilter, Pepper Cory, of Beaufort, NC will be teaching the class January 26-28 at the Ocracoke Community Center. (Molasses Creek ran in to Pepper's husband when they opened for Rhonda Vincent and the Rage in Morehead City last year). For more information on the course, please contact Marcy Brenner at 252-928-2555 or info@coyotemusic.net. The class is being offered for a $50 registration fee.

On January 28, the Ocrafolk Festival Winter Concert Series will bring the baroque group Basso to Ocracoke Island for a concert at Deepwater Theater and appearances at the Ocracoke School. Basso was formed by friends Barbara Blaker Krumdieck and Robbie Link, to explore the music of the baroque era featuring bass instruments. Basso changes personnel depending on the instrumentation chosen for each set of concerts. This performance will include Barbara Blaker Krumdieck- baroque cello, Robbie Link- viola da gamba, baroque cello and violone (baroque upright bass), joined by William Simms of Baltimore- baroque guitar- and theorbo and Sally Blaker of California (Barbara’s Mom!)- baroque cello- playing works by Vitali, Platti and Vivaldi. We can't wait!

On the weekend of February 12, Soundside artist, John Golden, will travel to Ocracoke from Wilmington, NC for a wintertime sockhop. John has been working on an album with Martin Garrish, and the live performance/dance will feature many of the new songs from the recording. A dance is a great way to keep warm during the blustery winter months!

Molasses Creek to Attend the International Folk Alliance Conference

February 16-20, Molasses Creek will travel to Memphis, TN for the annual International Folk Alliance conference. The conference is a wonderful opportunity to exchange music, discover new and old talent, and promote the band to the folk music community. In addition to Molasses Creek doing some showcasing (and hopefully booking a lot of engagements) the crew plans to do some visiting with friends Ernest and Joan Kelly, wonderful dancers who travel to the Ocrafolk Festival each year. Ernest and Joah always inspire everyone with their elegant moves and crafty dance calls. Those of you who picked up the latest Molasses Creek album may recognize their name in association with Fiddler Dave's "Selchie's Joy Waltz." The waltz was named by Ernest and Joan for a special Ocracoke anniversary.

Come to Ocracoke Island and Become a Recording Star!

A lot of you may not be aware that Gary Mitchell (of Molasses Creek) operates a professional recording studio here on the island. The great majority of Molasses Creek, Ocrafolk Music Sampler, and other Soundside Records artists have been, and continue to be recorded, produced and mastered right here at Soundside Studio.
Gary and his studio are available for a reasonable hourly fee to anyone interested in recording a high quality demo or full CD project. He has recorded everything from solo guitar and piano projects to full bands, and many of Ocracoke’s finest musicians are available for session work. Maybe you’ve written a song you’d like to demo, or have some songs you’d like to record just for your family, or would like help producing your first professional CD project. Give Gary a call at 252-928-4280 or email him at studio@soundsiderecords.com to discuss the possibilities. Read more about the studio at www.soundsiderecords.com/studio.html.

Molasses Creek's Spring Northeast Tour

In March and April, Molasses Creek will be on the road for about a month, traveling to the hopefully not-so-frozen north for a spring tour. Here is the list of places they currently have engagements. Feel free to contact Fiddler Dave at info@molassescreek.com if you see a date opening and are along the route. They would love to add more concerts to the trip! More details will be added later!

March 18 ~ Turnage Theater, Washington, NC
March 19 ~ Washington Theatre, Washington, VA
March 20 ~ Frederick Cultural Arts Center, Frederick, MD
March 22 ~ Dutilh United Methodist Church, Cranberry Township, PA
March 23 ~ Cindy Harris House Concert, Pittsburgh, PA
March 24 ~ Concert by Molasses Creek and presentation of Marcy Brenner's "Dead Girl Walking" at the Riviera Theater, Buffalo, NY. Produced by the YWCA Northeast Region
March 27 ~ Bethlehem Public Library, Bethlehem, NY. 2 PM
April 1 or 2 ~ The Grange, Whallonsburg, NY
April 7 ~ Skinny Pancake, Burlington, VT
April 8 ~ Chandler Center for the Arts, Randolph, VT
April 15 ~ Concert for the Chelsea Players, Norwich, CT
April 16 ~ Amazing Things Arts Center, Framingham, MA
April 17 ~ The Vanilla Bean, Pomfret, CT

Hope all is going well for you folks this new year!

All the best!

Molasses Creek and Soundside Records

2009 Ocrafolk Festival Artwork is Unveiled

2009 Ocrafolk Festival Poster Image by Kitty Mitchell

By unanimous decision, festival organizers chose Kitty Mitchell as this year’s artist for the 10th Ocrafolk Festival poster and t-shirt design. Now, Kitty may possibly be the busiest woman on Ocracoke, what with teaching grades K-12 at Ocracoke School, co-directing the School Music Club and Pep Band, organizing the annual Arts Week at Ocracoke School, AND working on her National Board Certification as an art teacher. She graciously agreed to be the Festival artist, as long as she could submit something she’d already painted. We ended up with six possible designs – all of them beautiful – so Dave Tweedie let people vote for their favorite. This lighthouse was the clear winner. (A few stubborn people are still holding out for the heron… maybe next year?) The quote on the back will be “I'll hoist my sails and set my ship back here to Ocracoke!” from the musical “A Tale of Blackbeard” by Julie Howard.

Soundside Records Winter Projects

During the busy summer months on Ocracoke, everyone plans and schemes about all the time they’ll have and all the projects they’ll get to come winter. Why does winter seem so long when in the beginning, but not long enough when it’s halfway over and the projects aren’t even started?

Not everyone has procrastinated through January and February, and in this blog post we’d like to highlight one Soundside Records folks who’s working hard to check some items off on his to-do lists.

Gary Mitchell, a.k.a. Guitar Gary of Molasses Creek, a.k.a. Recording Studio Executive and Engineer Extraordinaire hasn’t been idle this winter, or at least that’s what he wants us to think. He’s been keeping busy in Soundside Studio with some interesting recording projects.



A new recording is hot-off-the-presses! The latest CD from Soundside regular John Golden is Minstrel of the Times. John was accompanied in the studio by the “usual local gang” of Soundside musicians, and also an import – his friend Jeff Morris on electric guitar. Jeff traveled all the way from Denver, CO to record with John and Gary.



Minstrel of the Times is rumored to be John’s best album yet. We’ll tell you more about it next week, but meanwhile, you can be the first one on your block to order one from the new and improved Soundside Records website.

Gary has two new Ocrafolk ensemble CDs in the works. One is the highly-aniticpated Women of Ocrafolk CD, which will feature local performers Marcy Brenner, Jamie Tunnell, Sundae Horn, Katy Mitchell, and April Trueblood. We don’t want to give anything away, but rest assured that you’ll hear some of your favorites from the Women’s Opry and maybe even some new ones you’ve never heard before. Gary promises the CD will be ready and available at the Ocrafolk Festival in June.

The above-mentioned songstresses, along with their male counterparts, are working on an festive Ocrafolk Christmas album. Yes, we’ve been talking about this for years, and as Gary admits, it’s hard to find time to record Christmas songs during the holiday season and even harder to be merry and bright, holly and jolly-ish, in mid-February. He’s thinking of setting up a Christmas tree in the studio just to keep people in the mood. He’d like to promise this project will be done for the Festival, too, but, well, he needs a little encouragement. So, if you can dredge up some Christmas spirit as we’re heading into spring, please let Gary know you want an Ocrafolk Christmas album!

Some other Soundside projects include a recording of storyteller and Ocrafolk Opry performer Lou Ann Homan, talking about her travels following in the footsteps of the great poet Robert Frost, and an album by acclaimed guitarist Danny Gotham of Chapel Hill.

Ocracoke Preservation Society commissioned a unique recording project from Soundside Studio. Gary transferred a 1965 LP recording of Theodore Rondthaler’s Commencement Address to the Ocracoke School Class of 1965 to a digital archive and burned CDs for OPS and some of the ’65 grads.



Last, but certainly not least, is (drumroll, please)… a new Molasses Creek album! It’s going to be fantastic and will include fan favorites that haven’t been recorded yet and all-new originals that no one has heard! This is a transition album for the band; Kitty Mitchell is phasing out so she can have more time to paint, while Marcy Brenner is phasing in, joining husband Lou Castro who joined Molasses Creek two years ago. Gerald Hampton, who plays mandolin with the band when they tour, will also be on the new CD. The new CD will be available at the Ocrafolk Festival in June.

Gary’s Not the Only One Keeping Busy…

Busy Bees (Quilting Bees, that is)

The Ocracoke Needle and Thread Club meet twice a week to create beautiful quilts, most of which they donate to worthy causes. (They make a commissioned quilt once in awhile to earn more money for fabric and batting.) They are currently working on three new quilts – a Crazy Quilt will go to OPS for their annual quilt raffle, a Block Party quilt will be raffled off at the Ocrafolk Festival, and another Crazy was commissioned by Needle and Thread Club member Rosemary Wetherill as a gift for her granddaughter.



‘Way back in December, a very special quilt was donated to the Ocrafolk Festival. Festival fans and artisans Rita Horn (Sundae’s mom) and Jill Malone of Columbus, Ohio sewed a traditional Ocracoke Cracker pattern – with a twist. They turned it into a Christmas Cracker! Using only holiday fabrics with holly on them, (except for one red fabric with anchors, in honor of Ocracoke’s maritime history) Rita and Jill started a new quilting tradition.

The Christmas Cracker was raffled off at the Ocrafolk Christmas concert in December. It raised $270 for the Festival and the lucky winner was Reggie Mosser, who is delighted with her quilt. She says she’s still using it everyday while she and her husband are on Ocracoke.



And speaking of her husband…his name is George Brown and he’s an incredible photographer. George and Reggie rented a cottage on Ocracoke for four months this winter, and he’s been shooting pictures all over the island. You can see some of his stunning work at his photo blog, www.pixadilly.com, where he posts one photo a day. Sundae Horn wrote a story about him and his work for Island Free Press. Read her article here.

We Told You Kitty Was Busy…

Duck Stamps

Here’s a small sampling of the artwork that her students have painted for the annual Junior Duck Stamp Contest. Started in 1989, the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest is sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of a curriculum that teaches students about wetlands habitats and the waterfowl that live there.

Each year, over 27,000 students nationwide participate in the contest, and the winning entry is used as the official Junior Duck Stamp, available at the U.S. Post Office for $5 each. The proceeds are used to support conservation education, and provide awards and scholarships for the students, teachers, and schools that participate in the program. The artwork will be judged by grade level, and state finalists will compete at the national level.


by Waylon Underwood


by Matteus Gilbert


by Kyle Tillett


by Diana Perez


Brandon O'Neal


by Caroline Temple


by Ashley Zito

Pep Band Celebrates End of Season

The Pep Band, a.k.a. The Last Rebels of Rock, directed by Kitty Mitchell and Lou Castro, played the halftime show at all the home games this year, and they’re also slated to perform at the Variety Show on February 28th, the school talent show (tentatively scheduled for May 22) and the Ocrafolk Festival.









Farewell to a Friend


Lawton Howard & Fowler O'Neal play some tunes

We are sad to announce that a beloved Ococker passed away on January 28th. Fowler O’Neal was a sailor, a fisherman, a husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, a traveler, a reader, a hunter, a teller of tall tales – and a maker of meal wine.

Rob Temple has this to say about the meal wine: “A few years ago Philip Howard and I decided to make up a batch of Ocracoke meal wine just to ensure that the time-honored tradition wouldn’t die out. Fowler was our historical expert on the subject and not only made sure that we observed the right procedures but also kept us constantly entertained with recollections of his own youthful exploits. But he always strictly refused to sample our product. Philip and I often lamented not having known him in his “drinking days.” Fowler will be greatly missed by all who had the good fortune to know him.


Fiddler Dave, Philip Howard, Fowler, Captain Rob Temple & little Lachlan

Ocracoke Votes!

November 4th was a big day on Ocracoke, just as it was across the U.S. About seventy percent of Ocracoke’s registered voters came out to cast their ballots at the Ocracoke Community Center. Ocracokers cast 305 votes for Barack Obama and 143 for John McCain, and Obama also won in the unofficial, but educational, mock election held at Ocracoke School.

The entire Ocracoke High School accompanied the three eighteen year-old seniors, Robert Chestnut, Michelle Frye and Emma Lovejoy, to the polls so they could vote for the first time ever!



And You Thought We Were Joking About The Poison Ivy!

Something’s got to turn yellow and orange and red around here. The Virginia creeper puts on a nice show, too, but Toxidendron radicans is even prettier. It’s rather nice of the poison ivy to light itself up every fall so we know where we need to do some heavy pruning, if only it weren’t so lovely to look at.



Ocracoke Welcomes the Return of Bryan Bowers



On Wednesday, November 19th at 7:30 PM, Deepwater Theater is holding a special concert with Bryan Bowers, a master autoharpist, songer/songwriter and storyteller. Bryan has played on and offstage with Ocrafolk musicians, and some other folks you may have heard of such as Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Emmylou Harris and the Dillards. Earlier on Wednesday (4 PM), Bryan will hold a autoharp workshop at the theater for all interested in finding out more about this unique instrument. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Bryan will also be performing for some of the students of Ocracoke School. Find out more about Bryan at his website at www.bryanbowers.com.

Prepare Yourselves for the Publishing Event of the Season…



Coming soon… Philip Howard’s first (but certainly not his last) book will be rolling off the presses sometime this month. This long-awaited compilation of Ocracoke folklore is titled Digging Up Uncle Evans: History, Ghost Tales and Stories from Ocracoke Island. Next week, we’ll have a full review of the book, and a short interview with Philip himself. In the meantime, you can read the first chapter on the Black Squall Books website at www.blacksquallbooks.com.

The Ocrafolk School Was So Much Fun, We’re Going to Write About it Again!



The Ocrafolk School was back for its second year and even better than before!

“The folk school was just as fresh this year and just as magic,” said returning student Margo Babb.

The Ocrafolk School offered five different classes this year during the week-long session. Pottery with Rhonda Bates and Wes Lassiter, Basketry with Judith Saunders, Island Cooking with Debbie Wells, Watercolor Painting with Mary Ellen Golden and the Ocrafolk Sampler (island ecology, history and maritime lore) with David Senseney, Philip Howard and Rob Temple.

Everyone thought that the class they took was the best, and all claimed bragging rights for having the most fun. As another returning student, Jo Ann Hummers, put it, “The sense of community is really a treasure!”

Painting



Mary Ellen’s class learned the basics of watercolor painting “with grace and ease” in their Ocrafolk School studio on the second floor porch of the Soundfront Inn. The view from the porch is nothing less than spectacular, and the space gave them plenty of inspiration and natural light.

Each of the seven students learned about mixing colors, removing color from the paintings in progress, and why the right kind of paper can make all the difference. (Mary Ellen swears by 140 lb. Arches brand paper.) The class was comprised of three total beginners and three more experienced painters, and all of them were proud of the paintings they completed.

During one afternoon’s painting session. Jane Srail was hard at work on her “view from the porch” painting, but paused to laugh, “My husband thinks I’m at home cleaning the house!”

Basketry

The students in Judith’s basketry class worked on projects big and small, and very diverse in technique and materials

Norma Sigal signed up for the basketry class two years in a row.



“It was so much fun last year,” she said. “And I wanted to come back and learn some more techniques from Judith – she’s such a great teacher.”

Susan Smart came to the class with a specific goal: to make a basket out of oak strips that she cut years ago. She had wanted to make a basket from scratch, and had split and then peeled strips from oak logs. With Judith’s help, she created a large, rustic basket made from all wood (no reeds or grasses) out of her oak strips and some Ocracoke cedar that studio assistant Amy Howard contributed.




“It was twenty years in the making,” Susan said, looking very pleased with her effort.

One of the students enrolled in Judith’s class was unable to attend due to health problems. Sue Lauderman and her niece, Terri Large, took the jewelry class together last year, and came back for more, signing up for different classes this time in basketry and pottery. When Sue took ill, the basketry class got together to make her a group basket; each member of the class worked on the basket and added her own touch. It was presented to Terri on the last day of the folk school, filled with goodies and mementos of Ocrafolk School for her to take to her Aunt Sue.

Cooking



Soundfront Inn was the place to be around 2pm every day, when the cooking class served up a late lunch spread that was nothing less than amazing. One cooking class meal included roast chicken, cranberry stuffing, crab cakes, baked winter squash, scallops with Berber spices, a tossed salad, Joyce O’Neal’s light rolls, and more. Dessert was chocolate bourbon torte and caramel flan.

As the class enjoyed its repast, they called out dished they would be sure to make again at home. The bok choy, sweet potatoes, Old Drum, clam chowder and Ocracoke fig cake (with and without cream cheese icing) were among the favorites.

The cooking class also spent an afternoon visiting the Fish House and learning all about Ocracoke’s wonderful local seafood. And they provided the grand finale breakfast of the week, a tasty feast of huevos rancheros, hash browns, and sourdough pancakes. The cooking class was quite smitten with their food, and many claimed to have the expanded waistlines to prove they’d feasted well.

Pottery



In Wes and Rhonda’s pottery class, the students (all beginners) learn the three ways to make something out of clay: handbuilding (pinch pots and coli pots), slab work, and throwing on the wheel. The class learned how to mix glazes, and load and unload a kiln. During a mid-week field trip to Wes and Rhonda’s Red Drum Pottery Studio in Frisco, the class was thrilled to glaze and fire raku pots.



The also made face jugs, each of which had its distinct (weird) personality. Face jugs are a North Carolina tradition dating back to the 1800’s and possibly earlier in the Catawba Valley. It’s believed that slaves made face jugs to ward off the devil, but another theory is that the faces were intended to scare children away from the jug’s contents – most likely moonshine. Some of the antique face jugs are worth tens of thousands of dollars these days! Wonder what our Ocrafolk School jugs will be worth in 100+ years…





The pottery class was so enamored of their instructors they made up a cheer about them to present at Friday morning’s show-and-tell.

“Wes! Wes! He’s our man! If he can’t do it, Rhonda can!”

The Ocrafolk Sampler



The Ocrafolk Sampler class had the good fortune of having not one, not two, but three (!) instructors to teach them about Ocracoke ecology, history and seafaring traditions. Retired biology teacher David Senseney led the group in expeditions to go kayaking, clamming, seine-netting and hiking across the island from sea to sound.

After David plum wore them out, Philip took over and led discussions about Ocracoke’s history and culture. The class met in Philip’s historic home, and learned about the Ocracoke Lifesaving Service (and watched a video of the lifesaving re-enactment at Chicamacomico) and looked at old maps of the island. Philip shared a traditional Ocracoke fig cake (that he baked himself) and led a walk down Howard Street to see the old family cemeteries. Philip is a fine raconteur, and enjoys telling a tale, especially if it’s about one of his notorious Howard ancestors!



Capt. Rob Temple took the class back in time to the days of wooden ships and iron men. He shared stories of the sea, sang sea shanties, and taught the class some marlinspike seamanship (traditional rope work). He prepared an almost-edible meal of hardtack, and helped them learn the ropes aboard Windfall.

And it wasn’t all about the classes!



The total experience of the Ocrafolk School included sailing on the schooner Windfall, a guided tour of the OPS Museum, breakfasts at the Flying Melon Restaurant, dinners at the Flying Melon and Capt. Ben’s Restaurant, carryout from Thai Moon, and a shrimp boil supper at Soundfront Inn, attending a special Ocrafolk Opry performance, and enjoying a farewell breakfast prepared by the cooking class. Whew! All that in one week! Where do I find more information? At www.ocrafolkschool.org of course!

Welcome, November

November has a bad reputation for being a gray and chilly month, but today dawned sunny and warm. Is there ever a more perfect day than one that’s warm in the sunshine and cool in the shade, with a nice high in the 70s and low in the 50s? It’s going to turn blustery and rainy in a few days, but we can enjoy November’s beauty while it lasts.

And who says we don't have good fall color on Ocracoke? We’ve got Virginia creeper and poison ivy vines turning all sorts of beautiful shades of yellow, red and gold, and the island's pyracantha shrubs can rival any leaf show. The pyrachanthas, which have tiny white flowers in spring, erupt in cascades of brilliant orange berries in the fall. Pyracanthas attract songbirds and are fast-growing and salt-tolerant – what’s not to love except maybe their inch-long rash-inducing thorns? But hey, nobody’s perfect, and the pyracanthas help to make autumn on Ocracoke a beautiful sight.



Happy (Belated) Halloween!

One of Ocracoke’s favorite traditions is the annual Ocracoke School PTA Halloween Carnival, which always includes games, food, Quizo, a bake sale and cake walk and spook walk. The highlight of the carnival is the spectacular Costume Parade!


















Ocracoke’s Schooner Windfall Places 3rd in Schooner Race

Ocracoke’s own schooner Windfall, and her captain, Rob Temple, competed in the 19th annual Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race on October 16-18th. The race, which benefits the non-profit Save the Bay Foundation, runs a course of 127 nautical miles from Fell’s Point in Baltimore, Maryland to Portsmouth, Virginia. There are parties, educational programs and nautical celebrations at both ends of the race. In Baltimore, Captain Rob presented his Rumgagger program to group of local sixth graders, and showed them the ropes on board his schooner.

The GCBSR was created by a challenge from the Norfolk Rebel to the Pride of Baltimore, and has grown over the past nineteen years making it the largest all-schooner sailing race in the world. A record number of fifty-six schooners competed this year, but Windfall was the only one from North Carolina. Windfall finished third in her class, with an elapsed time of 15 hours and 18 minutes. Captain Rob Temple was quite pleased with her performance.

“She sailed faster than ever – during the race I saw her hit speeds I’d never seen before,” he said, while imbibing large quantities of free beer at the awards party in Portsmouth. “We even finished ahead of several of the larger boats. I was proud of my vessel and proud of my crew.”


Windfall’s crew pose with their 3rd place plaque: Emmet Temple, Captain Rob Temple, Philip Howard, all of Ocracoke, and Steve Musil of Colington, NC. Not pictured: Frank Phelps of Washington, NC.


Schooners were everywhere during the event’s Parade of Sail

Pinch Pots, Turk’s Heads and 11 Pounds of Butter!
The Second Annual Ocrafolk School Was a Huge Success

Following a show-and-tell session on Friday morning, the participants of the 2nd annual Ocrafolk School reluctantly bid farewell to their teachers and classmates as the week of fun and learning came to a close. Although all the classes had plenty to brag about, the cooking class outdid the rest when they announced they had cooked with (and consumed) eleven pounds of butter during the week!


Soundfront Inn

Five classes were offered this year: Pottery, Basketry, Cooking, Watercolor Painting and the Ocrafolk Sampler (island ecology, history and maritime lore). Next week we’ll have a full story about the Folk School’s happenings, but these pictures offer a peak at the good times had by all.


To the delight of her students, Debbie Wells pours the yummy batter of Chocolate Bourbon Torte into the pan in the sunny, warm kitchen at Soundfront Inn



Carol Doty and Terri Large are gettin’ muddy in the pottery class


Fiddler Dave shows off the bread he’s baking for the Shrimp Boil potluck at Soundfront Inn. Dave was the assistant to chef Debbie Wells in the cooking class



Painting in progress


Second-year folk school attendee Margot Babb is happy to accept praise from artist and instructor Mary Ellen Golden


Linda Driskell works on the base of her “cat’s head” style basket

That's all for this week!