First Night Celebrations at Hand

A new Christmas Tree at the Ocracoke Methodist Church

Christmas has been wonderful on the Ocracoke this year. The breezy week brought a mix of rain (good for afternoons with hot tea), and sunshine (excellent for beach and village walks) and although some days have had a bit of a nip in the air, the temperatures have been mild for the most part. Half of our island friends traveled away for the holidays and the other half imported their families for Christmas. Here’s some of what happened!

On Island
Fiddler Dave, Amy, toddler Lachlan, Philip Howard and sweetheart Lou Ann, Julie Howard and Gary Coy, and Fiddler Dave’s parents Pat and Steve all gathered for the holiday, sharing many fine meals (still continuing) and game evenings of Boulderdash, Puzzling, and Werewolf.

The Mexican community on the island celebrated Las Posadas with a candlelit procession around the village bearing a cresch. The event honors Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter. On Christmas Eve they also hosted a party and dance at the Ocracoke Community Center.


Ocracoke Methodist Church decked out for Christmas

Also on Christmas Eve, Fiddler Dave and Julie Howard joined the children’s Christmas program at the Ocracoke Methodist Church, an event that brought out most of the island community. A sparkling evergreen graced the front of the church while Marcy Brenner of Coyote directed the children in a entertaining Christmas pageant.

Christmas morning came bright and early as everyone gathered at Grandma Julie and Faux-Pa’s (Gary) house for stockings. Then the pilgrimage continued to Philip Howard’s for breakfast and presents. Young Lachlan Howard enjoyed his first conscious Christmas although the wrapping paper and boxes were still the major draw for the 16-month-old.


Christmas celebrations at Philip Howard's House

Gary and Kitty Mitchell returned from family travels to parents’ houses in Burlington and Pennsylvania late on Christmas Eve, and gathered with Lou and Marcy of Coyote and Cynthia Mitchell and friends for Christmas dinner out in Jackson Tract.

We have managed to squeeze in pot lucks almost every night in between Christmas and New Year’s at various locations around the village. This week offers Ocracoke residents some respite from work and guilt about not working. A few visitors have arrived the week after Christmas to come and celebrate with the Ocracoke Rockers on New Year’s Eve at the Ocracoke Community Center.

Jubal Creech came to Ocracoke for Christmas to spend time with Donald and Merle Davis and also to record his “Night Before Christmas” at Soundside Studio and practice with Molasses Creek for First Night Raleigh.

On Thursday, Molasses Creek gathered at Soundside Studio for an interview with George Olson a Public Radio East about their brand new album “Strangest Dream.” Public Radio East is helping to sponsor Molasses Creek’s performance at First Night Raleigh this year!

Friday morning, our fair Molasses crew will catch the early Cedar Island Ferry for the Triangle in preparations for Saturday’s three performances.

Off Island

Molasses Creek will be giving three performances at First Night Raleigh on Saturday night. Joining Gary, Kitty, Katy, and Fiddler Dave are Gerald Hampton on mandolin, Jubal Creech on percussion, and Michael Stanwood on autoharp, didgeradoo, and assorted instruments. There will be a 5:00 PM show as part of the children’s celebration and then back to back shows at 8:00 and 9:00 PM.

All shows are at the NC Museum of Natural Science in Raleigh. For a full schedule of events at First Night Raleigh, to by your admission button online and for directions visit http://www.artsplosure.org/firstnightraleigh/2006/. Hope to see you there!

Christmas Time's A'comin'!

Christmas with the Opry at Deepwater Theater

The island has been buzzing with Christmas activity this week. Tuesday night, the Ocracoke Library held a Christmas Cookie swap, on Thursday the Ocracoke School gave a student Christmas show (organized by Miss Kitty), and Friday night the Youth Center sponsored a Flat Cat Christmas performance and the village held its annual Christmas light competition. Saturday evening the fun continued with the “Best Christmas Pageant Ever” at the Ocracoke Assembly of God Church. Sunday hasn’t arrived yet, but I’m sure more music, fun and friendly gatherings are on tap! Here are some other events that have happened over the past two weeks.

On Island
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Ocrafolk Festival Wrapup Meeting
On Wednesday, December 7, the Ocrafolk Festival held a year-end wrapup at the Ocracoke Community Center. The meeting was spent reviewing the 2005 festival and brainstorming new activities for the following year’s celebration. New events and changes for the 2006 festival include a bicycle design competition, a clam chowder and fig cake cookoff. waiter competitions, and the moving of the Ocrafolk Festival Live Auction from Sunday afternoon to Friday evening. To keep informed about Ocrafolk Festival events, visit their website at www.ocrafolkfestival.org.

OPS Wassail Party and Deepwater Christmas Show
Friday, December 9th, the Ocracoke Preservations Society hosted its annual Wassail Party and Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. Afterwards, Molasses Creek and the Ocrafolk Opry gave a Christmas Fundraising Concert for OPS at Deepwater Theater. Performers included Molasses Creek, Coyote, Capt. Rob and Sundae, Noah Paley, Cheryl Roberts and Jamie Tunnell, Cynthia Mitchell, Pat Garber, Katy Wharton, Roy Parsons, and John Golden. The show raised about $400 for the museum.

Off Island
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Harker’s Island Decoy Fest


Coyote (Marcy Brenner and Lou Castro)

On Friday, December 2, Fiddler Dave & Gary, Gerald Hampton and Marcy and Lou of Coyote traveled to the Decoy Festival at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum on Harker’s Island. They performed an evening fundraiser and then were joined on Saturday by a host of musicians and performers from Ocracoke and the mainland. Jule Garrish, Kitty Mitchell, and Aaron Caswell traveled over from Ocracoke, and Rodney Kemp, Ann Haley, and the Green Grass Cloggers met them on the far side for a full day of performances on Saturday.

The festival honors traditional down east waterfowl culture of North Carolina. If you haven’t visited the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum, you should make the trip! The spacious halls of the newly constructed building house fascinating exhibits that range from decoy carving, to wildlife painting, photography, fishing, and hunting. For more information visit www.coresound.com


Ann Haley and Gerald Hampton

Opry at Elizabeth City, NC
Having warmed up the previous evening at Deepwater Theater, Molasses Creek and the Ocrafolk Opry went on the road for a December 10th Christmas concert in Elizabeth City at the College of the Albemarle. The show featured many of the off island festival friends, including storyteller Rodney Kemp, Noah Paley, Cynthia Mitchell, Gerald Hampton, John Golden, and Bob Zentz. Over 200 folks came out for the show to celebrate the holiday season. The evening rounded out with a humorous Harker’s Island “Night Before Christmas” by Rodney Kemp, and the whole cast joining Bob Zentz on his original song “The End of Another Year.”

Benefit concert for the Turnage Theater, Washington, NC
Fiddler Dave and Gary of Molasses Creek and Lou Castro of Coyote, joined a fundraising concert on December 11th at Beaufort Community College to benefit the Turnage Theater in downtown little Washington. Professor of creative writing and contributing writer to Our State Magazine, Bryan Oestereich, organized the event which featured his original two act play, “"Live, From Washington, It's Saturday Night - On Sunday!." Local favorite bluegrass band, Carolina Still opened the show and the island boys finished it out.

The Turnage Theater in Washington actually contains two theaters, one a vaudeville theater that last saw the likes of Red Skelton and Roy Rodgers and Trigger. Work is just beginning to restore the Turnage to the 1930s structure. For more information on this project visit their website at www.turnagetheater.com

Here are some upcoming events!

December 31 -- First Night Raleigh, Raleigh, NC, (5:00 Childrens Show), 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM Family Shows at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences Auditorium. Keep posted for updates at www.artsplosure.org/hap_fnr.php

Thanksgiving Arrives -- Complete with Oyster Stuffing and Fig Cake!

Capt. Rob and daughter Caroline at the Ocrafolk Festival Thanksgiving Fundraiser.
"It's all part of being a pirate!"


As Ocracoke brims with visitors and residents happily stumbling to the nearest couch, we applaud yet another successful Thanksgiving weekend. Thursday’s feasting on Ocracoke usually features a mix of traditional American fare accompanied by a groaning sideboard of seafood delights. Oysters and grilled fish rest happily on the plate next to turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce . . . shall it be apple pie or fig cake for the finale?

On Friday, the Ocrafolk crowd worked off Thanksgiving dinner with the production of the annual Ocrafolk Festival Thanksgiving Fundraiser. Rest your weary stomachs and read more below. . .

On Ocracoke Island
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NCCAT Job Fair

On Thursday, November 17, the Ocracoke branch of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching held a job fair at their site at the old Coast Guard Station (next to the Cedar Island Ferry Terminal). Positions open for application ranged from PhD fellows positions to maintenance and housing staffing at the facility.

Although much needs to be done before the Ocracoke center will be ready to house and feed visiting teachers, NCCAT hopes to have the site fully functional within the next year and a half. During the recent renovation, a newspaper dating from WWII was found within the walls. The paper headlines the meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill at Casablanca to outline Allied Strategy towards winning the war. The station was a year old at the time of the publishing (www.nccat.org/News_Items/Archives/2005/050426%20ocracoke.htm)

NCCAT programming began this last year on Ocracoke. Next year's courses include "Salty Dogs and the Lore of the Sea,"" I Must Go Down To the Sea Again: Writing from the Deep,”” Island People, Island Culture,””Songs and Tales of Whales and Sails,” and “Leadership, Creativity, and Change.” NCCAT mission is to reenergize North Carolina public school teachers by providing free educational retreats in the mountains and on the coast in a variety of subjects. For more information on NCCAT visit their website at www.nccat.org.

Ocrafolk Festival Fundraising Concert


Jule Garrish takes the lead, backed by Lou Castro, Marcy Brenner,
Jackie Willis, and Martin Garrish


On Friday, November 25, Molasses Creek help host the Ocrafolk Festival Thanksgiving Fundraiser at the Ocracoke Community Center. The house packed out with standing room only to see a myriad of performers including Molasses Creek, Coyote, Martin Garrish and the Ocrafolk Opry, Donald Davis, Cheryl Roberts & Jamie Tunnel, John Golden, Roy Parsons, Jule Garrish, Maya Wilkins, Katy Mitchell, and Capt. Rob and Sundae Horn. The evening of music, storytelling, and fig cake auctioning raised just short of $3000 for the 2006 Ocrafolk Festival. Thanks to all the performers, bakers, and volunteers! Keep tabs on the festival at www.ocrafolkfestival.org


Sundae Horne and Capt. Rob





NC Coastal Land Trust Conservation Party

On November 19th, Molasses Creek and Coyote performed for an on island party for the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust. Ed and Susan Norvell hosted an evening of food, music, and preservation education at their Ocracoke home. The NC Coastal Land Trust works in association with the Conservation Trust of North Carolina, and has been the driving force behind efforts to preserve Springer’s Point on Ocracoke from development. Thanks so much to Ed and the NCCLT for inviting us to be a part of their gathering. For more information on the NC Coastal Land Trust and how you can become a part of the effort to preserve Springer’s Point on Ocracoke, visit www.coastallandtrust.org/pages/current_campaigns.html


Molasses Creek’s “Strangest Dream” and John Golden’s “Hatteras Memories” are now available!



Molasses Creek’s 8th release, “Strangest Dream,” has arrived hot off the press and in time for the holidays! Also available now through Soundside Records is John Golden’s new release “Hatteras Memories.” For more information and to order albums visit the Soundside Record’s Website at www.soundsiderecords.com. For Christmas mailings, please order early (preferably by December 16th for Christmas delivery).



Off Island
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Molasses Creek, Katy Mitchell, Coyote, and Noah Paley Travel to Arts Market

November 13-15 the Ocrafolk Opry Road band traveled to High Point, NC for the NC Arts Council Arts Market. The Arts Market brings together presenters and performers from across the region for workshops, showcases, and potential bookings. Molasses Creek, Katy Mitchell, Coyote, and Noah Paley showcased on Monday morning for around 80 representatives of Arts Councils, and theaters in North Carolina and beyond. Showcases ranged from all sorts of music, to dance, juggling, and theater.

Ocracoke Village Days, OPS Membership Meeting, and NY Times Article on Ocracoke

Stopping to smell the flowers of fall

These last two weeks Ocracoke residents have been enjoying an Indian summer here on the island. The temperatures have stayed in the 70s during the day, dropping to the 50s in the evening. The beaches are scattered with shells and surf-fisherfolk casting their lot to the cooling waters. A few beachgoers dare to swim in the ocean, knowing that the brisk water temperatures will soon be too cold to enjoy until next May.

In the evenings, the pole lights of flounder-giggers can be seen bobbing their way along the soundside banks of the island. They illuminate the outlines of crafty flounder (waiting for unsuspecting prey) embedded under thin mists of sand. Island residents start to breathe deeper as many businesses take inventory and tighten down the hatches for another winter season. Winter projects long dreamed of awake to reality. Potlucks, wine tastings, movie nights, painting, writing, scheming, reading . . . all the wonderful joys of a relaxed life unattainable during the summer are now possible!

On Ocracoke Island
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Ocracoke Village Hosts 2nd Annual Village Days


Works by Ocracoke Artists Joko showing at Deepwater Theater

The weekend of November 4-6 Ocracoke Village hosted its second annual Ocracoke Village Days. On Friday evening, the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department hosted a fundraiser “Quizo” evening. As you might have guessed, “Quizo” is the Ocracoke equivalent of Bingo with players competing for prizes donated by island businesses. The name change occurred several years ago when it was illegal in hold a gambling event on Ocracoke, even if the proceeds were designated to a non-profit. By changing the name of the game from Bingo to “Quizo,” and by asking a question to the person who first filled their “Quizo” card correctly (ie, “What is the color of your hair?”) the game was able to circumnavigate the gambling laws. To this day, we still play “Quizo” at the Fire Hall during the season. The Bingo cards even have the B-I-N-G-O crossed out and replaced by Q-U-I-Z-O.

Friday evening Philip Howard hosted a Ghost and History Walk. The walk featured many of the spookily historic Ocracoke tales that Philip has been collecting from island residents over the years.


A sunset beach by Kitty Mitchell

The island offered plenty of activities for visitors and residents on Saturday. An Ocracoke Village Artist Tour featured the works of local photographers, painters, woodworkers, jewelers, potters, carvers, musicians, and quilters. Two shuttle buses took travelers to over 21 locations throughout the Ocracoke. During the early afternoon, National Park Service Interpreter, Gail Fox, opened the Ocracoke lighthouse for viewing. Participants also caught live music at Deepwater Pottery and lined up to have their books and Cds signed by local authors and musicians. The Ocracoke Preservation Museum featured local quilts of the past and present and Philip Howard hosted another round of Ocracoke Stories on the front porch of the Village Craftsmen on Howard Street.


Lou Castro, Marcy Brenner, Fiddler Dave, Jule Garrish,
and Gary Mitchell picking at Deepwater Pottery

Saturday evening, the young musicians of Ocracoke let it all hang out at the Flat Cat Café at the Ocracoke Community Center. A traditional Ocracoke square dance was soon to follow with calling by Philip Howard, and music by Marcy and Lou Castro of Coyote, Kitty Mitchell of Molasses Creek, and other special guests. The weekend rounded out on Sunday morning with a Flea Market on the lawn of the Island Inn.


Authors Pat Garber and Ann Ehringhaus signing books


This year’s “Village Days” was sponsored by the Ocracoke Civic and Business Association, the North Carolina Arts Council, the National Endowment of the Arts, the Beaufort Arts Council, Hyde County Transit, and the Ocracoke Youth Center. If you are interested in attending next year’s Ocracoke Village Days, you can keep up with details at the Ocracoke Village Website at www.ocracokevillage.com.

Ocracoke Preservation Society Holds Fall Membership Meeting

On Tuesday, November 8th, the Ocracoke Preservation Society held its annual fall membership meeting/potluck at the Ocracoke Community Center. Frank Brown opened the meeting after dinner, and was joined by president Pat Garber, manager Julie Howard, and other members at large who summed up the year’s activities.

The OPS awarded Philip Howard the 2005 Historic House Award for his restoration of the Bragg Howard House on Lawton Lane. This year’s quilt raffle winner was Sharon Krause of Charlottesville, VA. The membership voted in a new board of directors, and the evening concluded with a presentation on Purple Martins and their presence on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

New York Times Features Ocracoke in Travel Section

November 11, 2005 the New York Times featured an article on Ocracoke in the off-season by Cindy Price. Mentioned in the article are Philip Howard and Fiddler Dave and Amy Howard’s son Lachlan as well as other island residents. To read more go to http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/11/11/travel/11ocracoke.html

Off Island
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Gary and Dave at Environmental Conference
Guitar Gary and Fiddler Dave traveled to the 4-H retreat center west of Columbia, NC to perform at the annual NC Environmental Educator’s Conference. Teachers and environmental professionals from all over North Carolina gathered for four days of workshops, food, and fellowship culminating in an evening of fund-raising, music, and contra-dancing on Saturday night.

Molasses Creek, Coyote, and Noah Paley prepare for Arts Market
On Saturday Molasses Creek, Coyote, and Noah Paley will convene on High Point, NC for the Bi-annual NC Arts Council Arts Market. In addition to attending workshops and meeting with presenters from across the region, the crew will be showcasing the “Ocrafolk Opry on Tour” on Monday morning at the High Point Theater. Although this is a private event, we hope it will result in many bookings in your neighborhoods!

Halloween School Carnival and Philip Howard's Open House

On Ocracoke Island
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Ocracoke School Halloween Carnival

This Friday, ghouls and goblins haunted the Ocracoke School for the annual Halloween Carnival. The Halloween parade kicked off the evening events, followed by games, a haunted Howard Street spook walk, and Quizo (Ocracoke’s Bingo). Funds raised go to support school programming. Here are some pictures of this year’s parade participants.

Deviled Egg

Philip Howard Hosts Open House



Over this last winter and spring, Philip Howard has been renovating the historic Bragg/Howard house on Lawton Lane. Originally constructed by Thomas Bragg in 1865, the house was purchased and moved to its current location in 1893 by James and Zilphia Howard (Philip’s great-grandparents) as a wedding present for Homer and Aliph Howard.

The high waters of these past couple hurricane seasons prompted Philip to raise and restore the house in order to protect it as a contributing historic structure of Ocracoke Village. This last Saturday, Mr. Howard hosted an open house so that visitors and residents could tour the new/old house.



One of the most important dignitaries to visit the house over the weekend was Philip’s Aunt Thelma. Thelma (Lawton Howard’s sister) stayed in her childhood room and then headed back to her home in Grapevine, Texas. We enjoyed hearing her stories of growing up on Ocracoke and renewing our family ties with her daughter Becky, and Becky’s husband James.

Captain's Chair from the Shipwrecked Ariosto (Christmas Eve 1899)
Given to the Keeper of the Life Guard Station, James Howard,
by the Captain of the Ariosto

Outer Banks Community Foundation Holds Informational Meeting at Howard’s Pub

On Friday morning, the OBX Community Foundation hosted a “meet and greet” session at Howard’s Pub. The Foundation was founded by Andy Griffith, David Stick, Eddie Green and others in 1982 as a public charity to help meet local needs in Outer Banks communities from Corolla to Ocracoke Island. Since that time the Foundation has grown in membership as well as in assets and contributions.

The organization has recently made concerted effort to include more Ocracoke Island non-profits in its roster of supported organizations and has encouraged greater membership participation from Ocracoke residents and visitors. The Community Foundation mission supports the areas of Health and Human Services, Education, Arts, and Environment through grants and scholarships.

The Foundation has around 400 members that contribute annually, although the largest portion of its assets come from charitable trusts released to the foundation through patrons' wills. The Foundation’s funds have grown from $80,000 the year of its inception to over 5 million dollars in 2005. This year the foundation gave $10,000 to the Ocracoke Child Care for new construction, and about $4500 to the Ocracoke Preservation Society for the development of a climate controlled storage facility for artifacts.

For more information on the Outer Banks Community Foundation visit their website at http://www.obcf.org.

Off Island
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Here are some upcoming Molasses Creek/Ocrafolk Opry dates both on and off Ocracoke.

November 4 -- Gary and Fiddler Dave perform for a retreat of the Environmental Educators of North Carolina, 4-H Center near Columbia, NC. For more information on the organization visit their website at www.eenc.org. (Private event)

New Releases at Soundside Records

On Ocracoke Island
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Molasses Creek’s “Strangest Dream” Goes to Press



Molasses Creek announced that their brand new release Strangest Dream has just been sent to press. The duplication process should take 3-4 weeks, so we are hoping to have it available to the public by the Ocrafolk Festival Thanksgiving Fundraiser concert (the Friday after Thanksgiving).

The album title is inspired by Molasses Creek’s arrangement of Steven Still’s “Find the Cost of Freedom,” and Ed McCurdy’s “Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream.” Both songs address the issue of our nation’s involvement in global conflict. Gary and Kitty Mitchell were able to attend the peace march in Washington a couple of weekends ago where they handed out advance copies of the recordings in support of the movement for America’s peaceful presence in the world.

Along with new originals by Gary Mitchell and Fiddler Dave Tweedie, Molasses Creek also covers a version of Phil Rosenthal’s “Muddy Water,” a song that many may remember from the wonderful band Seldom Scene. Although the recording of this song occurred early in the year, the track gained new meaning with the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina. We’ll tell you more about the album in the weeks to come.

John Golden Releases Hatteras Memories



John Golden has just completed mastering of his new album Hatteras Memories at Gary Mitchell’s Soundside Studio. The album features original and traditional songs inspired by the historical events and people of Hatteras Island. Special guests appearing on the album include Gary & Kitty Mitchell, Fiddler Dave Tweedie, Rob Nathanson, Phil Norris. John Currie, and Randy Drew. Hatteras Memories will be available from Soundside Records’ website in a few weeks. Here is a list of the songs:

1. Stars Over Hatteras (John Golden)
2. A Brave Band of Men (P.D. Midgett/John Golden)
3. The Lifesaver (Anonymous)
4. Let the Lower Lights Be Burning (Traditional)
5. The Chicamacomico Races (John Golden)
6. Song for an Island (John Golden)
7. The Menhaden Fishermen (John Golden)
8. The Connemara Cradle Song (Traditional)
9. The Pioneer Bounty (John Golden)
10. Drifting Too Far from the Shore (Traditional)
11. The Keeper of the Light (John Golden)


Island Photographer Ann Ehringhaus Releases 2006 Calendar



Many fans of Ocracoke Island are familiar with resident photographer Ann Ehringhaus’s extensive photo-documentation of the sights and people of the island. Ann has been recording life in our area of the Outer Banks for the past three decades and has recently released a 2006 Ocracoke calendar featuring 12 of her stunning photographs. It is a great way to remember your island retreat all year long! Soundside Records in conjunction with Ann is offering a fall special of $13 per calendar (price includes tax and priority shipping). So stock up on your Christmas presents and spread the warmth of Ocracoke throughout your family. (www.soundsiderecords.com) Here are some images from the calendar.



Off Island
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Molasses Creek at Henrico

Main Farmhouse at Meadow Farm

Molasses Creek enjoyed its visit last weekend to the Meadow Farm Harvest Festival in Henrico County outside of Richmond where they swapped out the stage with the Runaway String Band. The site was originally a 400 acre land grant to the Sheppard family in the 1700s. The present living history museum portrays life in the 1800s on a middle class farm in Virginia.


Spinning and Weaving

The festival featured farm activities of the early American farm such as cider making, candle dipping, coil pot making, scarecrow stuffing, blacksmithing, and a hay bale labyrinth. The site is open year round with different activities highlighted during each season. For more information visit their website at http://www.co.henrico.va.us/rec/mfarm.htm.


The Blacksmith Shed


Stockade and Tobacco Barn

Next week meet Molasses Creek in Washington, NC for the Smoke on the Water Festival. Here are the details. See ya there!

Saturday, October 29 -- Molasses Creek will perform from 12:00-2:00 at the Smoke on the Water Barbecue Festival in downtown Washington, NC. Come on down for some great food and music! www.ci.washington.nc.us/news_calendar.aspx

Take care until next week!

Molasses Creek and Soundside Records.

Parsons Art Opening & Village Days

On Ocracoke Island
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The cool fall weather arrived this week as pumpkins and Halloween decorations sprouted up around the island. We know that fall is here when leaves of poison ivy start to turn beautiful colors and drop from the trees. The bags of trick or treat candy at local stores begin to make more sense with Trick or Treaters now in sight, and there’s talk of the Ocracoke School Carnival and a Haunted Howard Street Walk.

Lachlan Howard with friend

Roy and Elizabeth Parsons Art Exhibit
On Monday, the Ocracoke Preservation Society opened an arts exhibit of the works of Roy and Elizabeth Parsons. Many of you fans know Roy Parsons as the elder statesmen on the Ocrafolk Opry (he was even considered for a spot on the Jay Leno show this year!). Those visitors who venture down to the end of Lighthouse Road may have found Roy and Elizabeth’s Pamlico Gifts, and visited with Roy while he worked on his wooden replicas of Ocracoke schooners and fishing vessels. Elizabeth’s paintings and shell artwork adorn the walls of their quaint shop.

Roy’s kind demeanor and humorous tales of misadventures are favorite features of our summer shows at Deepwater Theater and the Ocrafolk Festival. Roy Parson’s album is available through Soundside Records if you would like to bring home some of his yodeling and New York City escapades. www.soundsiderecords.com

Ocracoke Civic and Business Meeting
OC&B met this Wednesday. Jack Lilienthal gave a brief update on an Ocracoke documentary that his Jackal-Eye Production company is working on. Folks who attending this year’s Ocrafolk Festival may remember their camera crew circulating amongst festival visitors. The documentary, Shifting Sands, “seeks to celebrate the life and soul of Ocracoke in the cinematic form and will be a non-partisan look at the psychology of island life in rapid transition.” For more information and updates visit the Shifting Sands website at www.shiftingsandsmovie.com.

Also of particular interest at the meeting was a gentleman working on a passenger ferry business that would run from Hatteras to Ocracoke. His ferry fleet would consist of large catamarans that could hold upwards of 160 passengers and would travel between Hatteras Landing and Ocracoke village. Travelers would purchase a two-way ticket which would allow for one trip each direction and a flexible visit time once on Ocracoke (or Hatteras). Several shuttles would run each day allowing visitors to remain on the island for half a day or multiple days. The shuttle owner hoped to be up and running by 2007 tourist season.

Village Days
Village Days posters have been popping up around Ocracoke. The event is set for November 4-6. Here is a brief schedule of events:

Friday night: Bingo fundraiser for victims of Katrina at the Ocracoke Community Center
Saturday: A village arts walk, a Flat Cat Café & an Ocracoke Squaredance.
Sunday: A giant flea market on the lawn of the Pony Island Inn.

Ocrafolk Festival Thanksgiving Concert
The Ocrafolk Festival 2005 Thanksgiving Fundraiser will kick off at 7:30 PM at the Ocracoke Community Center on Friday, November 25. Performers include Martin Garrish, the Ocrafolk Opry, Molasses Creek, Donald Davis, Coyote, and more. All proceed go to support the 2006 Ocrafolk Festival (scheduled for June 2-4). For more information visit www.ocrafolkfestival.org

Winter Chill Chaser Courses at Deepwater Theater
From November through March Deepwater Theater will be hosting a variety of workshops and classes for locals. Events currently under construction include juggling, basket making, acupressure and family massage, organic gardening, alternative energy on Ocracoke (Solar, Wind Water), film and slide presentations, music jams, squaredances, and games nights. Some events may have a fee depending upon supplies costs and the requests of the teacher. If you would like to set up an event please contact David Tweedie at 252-928-7580 or fiddlerdave@earthlink.net. A detailed schedule will be posted around the village and at www.molassescreek.com.

Molasses Creek sneak preview of MC008
Molasses Creek’s new album is due out for the Ocrafolk Festival Thanksgiving Concert in November. Here is a sneak peak of the album tracks! The new release will be available at www.soundsiderecords.com

(Please note that these tracks are not in final order. We have also listed the songwriter of each piece)
1. Muddy Water (Phil Rosenthal )
2. Lord I Hope This Day is Good (Dave Hanner)
3. Down the Road (L. Flatt, E. Scruggs )
4. Chicken in the Fridge (Jeff Deitchman. Intro and extro fiddle tune is "Chicken Little Rides Again" by Fiddler Dave Tweedie)
5. Are You Tired of Me My Darling (A.P. Carter)
6. Last Train from Poor Valley (Norman Blake)
7. Everybody's Talking (Fred Neill)
8. When You Say Nothing At All (Paul Overstreet, Don Schlitz )
9. Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream (Ed McCurdy)/Find the Cost of Freedom (Stephen Stills)
10. What Would Jesus Do? (Gary Mitchell)
11. Barn Dance (Fiddler Dave Tweedie)
12. Lachlan's Lullabye (Fiddler Dave Tweedie)
13. The Worried Skipper (Poem by Wallace Irvin, Melody and Fiddle Tunes by Fiddler Dave Tweedie (Ribald is as Ribald Does/The Windsurfer))
14. Category 2 (Gerald Hampton)

Off Island
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Molasses Creek heads out today for the Harvest Festival at Meadow Farms Museum outside of Richmond, VA. The band is scheduled to perform at 1:00 and 3:00 PM and will be joined by mandolin master, Gerald Hampton. “The Harvest Festival will feature many hands-on activities and demonstrations depicting typical homemaking and farming tasks of the era. These include cider making, quilting, candle dipping, basket & wood weaving, beekeeping, corn husking, corn shelling, blacksmithing, woodworking, and coopering.”(from website at www.co.henrico.va.us/rec/) Also performing during the day are the Runaway String Band, Zendiva, and storyteller Harold Wood.


On Saturday, October 29, Molasses Creek will perform from 12:00-2:00 at the Smoke on the Water Barbecue Festival in downtown Washington, NC. Come on down for some great food and music! www.ci.washington.nc.us/news_calendar.aspx


Signing off for this week!

Fall Is At Ocracoke's Door

On Ocracoke Island
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Although fall arrived to Ocracoke, the humidity and heat remained for much of last week. Ocracoke fared well during Ophelia with little wind or water damage. We keep an eye on possible approaching storms and look forward to the fall and a bit of extra creative time.

This week Molasses Creek and Fiddler Dave hosted percussionist Patrick Jubal Creech in Gary Mitchell’s Soundside Studio. Jubal completed the final tracks for Molasses Creek upcoming 8th release. The new Molasses Creek album title is hush hush as Gary Mitchell begins mixing out the 14 tracks. Release date for MC008 is set for Thanksgiving of this year.

Jubal also completed the percussion on Fiddler Dave's new all-original instrumental album which is due to hit the streets around the turn of the year. Recording began in January 2005 on this project with an incredible pianist, Dave Wiesler of Wilmington, DE. Fiddler Dave and Dave Wiesler met at an Ogontz Dance week put together by Merle and Donald Davis in the summer of 2004. For Fiddler Dave’s new project Jubal broke out as many vaudeville instruments as he could find from vibraslaps to wee whistles, to thundermakers. What an adventure!

Molasses Creek’s Deepwater Theater finished up its 2005 summer season last week with a final Ocrafolk Opry and Molasses Creek performance. The Ocrafolk finale included, Martin Garrish, Jule Garrish, Capt. Rob Temple and Sundae Horn, Molasses Creek, Roy Parsons, Coyote with special guest Emily Divan on cello, singer-songwriters Maya Wilkins and Nora, and Katy Mitchell and an assortment of Mumphries.

On Thursday, Molasses Creek was joined by singer-songwriter Noah-Paley from Hatteras, NC. The ensemble spent a wonder evening revisiting many of the classic Paley songs and finishing out with “Wonderful World” as recorded on Molasses Creek’s “Best of” album.

Ocrafolk Festival Outreach Program has been sponsoring some drama classes for Junior High/ High School students at Deepwater Theater. Cynthia Mitchell (friend but no relation to Gary and Kitty) is teaching the classes. If any of you folks have witnessed the Ocracoke Cabaret’s throughout the years, you are familiar with Cynthia’s humorous and spicy style.

The arrival of October brings Ocracoke School carnivals, spook walks, and trick-or-treating as well as many on-island Halloween parties. Looking on towards November, Ocracoke prepares for Village Days, an island celebration November 4-6 featuring Arts Tours, Shopping, a community square-dance, and more!

Off Island
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Molasses Creek just returned from a weekend playing at the Petersburg, VA Nostalgia Festival. The event was held at the Sycamore Rouge in downtown Petersburg and featured performances by Molasses Creek, the Sha-nniece James Project, and Grammy nominee Barbara Higbie. Barbara swapped fiddle licks with Fiddler Dave and mandolinist Gerald Hampton, tearing up Whisky For Breakfast, Blackberry Blossom, June Apple, and Back Up and Push. The event was presented by the City of Petersburg in conjunction with the Sycamore Rouge, a new non-profit performance arts facility created to look like an Italian Village. (www.sycamorerouge.org)

On October 15, Molasses Creek will travel to perform 1 to 4 PM at the Harvest Festival at the Meadow Farm Museum outside of Richmond (www.co.henrico.va.us/rec/) The Harvest Festival will feature many hands-on activities and demonstrations depicting typical homemaking and farming tasks of the era. These include cider making, quilting, candle dipping, basket & wood weaving, beekeeping, corn husking, corn shelling, blacksmithing, woodworking, and coopering.

That’s all for the moment. Tune in for more next week!