Ernesto passed by Ocracoke last month with just a little bit of windy weather, but its tail brought beautiful fall-like days that have islanders rejoicing. Air conditioners take a rest as windows are thrown open to the heavenly breezes. The baby sea turtle have hatched out and the Park Service has removed the barriers around the nests. . .the summer life-guard stand has also been taken back to park service headquarters. The bi-weekly blog has been on vacation over the summer while we scramble to keep up with our music schedules on and off the island.
Ocracoke businesses have reported a good summer season, supported by a relatively quiet hurricane activity. September is often the telling month and after Labor Day weekend visitor profiles shift from larger family groups to single couples without children and retirees. Ocracoke school is back is session of course, and kids are busy panning for the Halloween carnival and holiday costumes. Construction to the new school addition is not yet complete, but should be ready for students at the beginning of next term.
The Ocracoke Masonic lodge has received some new attention. Members painted the lodge building (located on the back road next to the health center), and are constructing a fish fry cook shack next to the lodge.
Activity on the Ocracoke house market is beginning to heat up a little as fall approaches. There are a larger number of properties for sale right now and the Ocracoke market tends to mirror the behavior of the national market although the limited options in the two mile-square village tend to stabilize prices somewhat. We see more fall visitors gazing longingly at their favorite house and crunching numbers as they wonder if this is the year to dream big.
Fall brings off-island festivals and the Ocracoke Arts Walk (September 30th). Molasses Creek will be making a few trips to the mainland this year to provide entertainment for communities across the state. Deepwater Theater also wrapped up shows last month with Rumgagger on Tuesday nights, Ocrafolk Opry on Wednesdays, and Molasses Creek on Thursdays. Hope to see you on the island soon!
On Ocracoke Island
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Ocracoke Arts Walk
Folks usually don’t need much of an excuse to steer Ocracoke direction, but here was another great reason this fall. The 3rd Annual Ocracoke Art Walk was held on on Saturday, September 30th throughout Ocracoke village. Visitors and residents poked around the studios and galleries of many of their favorite island artists while enjoying the very best from Ocracoke’s quilters, painters, potters, photographers, carvers, jewelers and more. The event culminated in a A ‘Meet the Artists’ reception at 6PM at the Flying Melon.
NCCAT Workshops on Ocracoke in Full Swing
Although renovations at the old Ocracoke Coast Guard Station are not yet completed, workshops with the NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching are underway. This week, teachers from across the state traveled to Ocracoke for “The Age of Sail.” Participants learned sea history and terminology, served aboard Captain Rob’s schooner WINDFALL, tried their hand at scrimshaw, and were subjected to Capt. Rob and Fiddler Dave’s nautical Rumgagger performance. NCCAT is a non-profit organization out of the mountains of NC that provides free renewal seminars to NC teachers. For more information visit www.nccat.org
Soundside Records Now Offers Listening Samples
Due to the overwhelming requests and our determination to march into the twentyfirst century with pride, Soundside Records now offers MP3 samples for most releases. Just click on the link for each album and you can listen to all of your favorite island performers. Soundside Records will also soon be offering MP3s for purchase over the internet for a few of their performers. The website is constantly being worked on, so if you have any trouble with it please let us know. Thanks! www.soundsiderecords.com
The Ocracoke Arts Council offers Quilting Heritage Craft Class
In conjunction with the NC Arts Council and the Beaufort Arts Council this year’s Heritage Craft Class will focus on quilting and will take place at Deepwater Theater over four consecutive Saturdays, January 20th through February 10th. The class will be directed by the Ocracoke Needle and Thread Club and will cover topics ranging from Ocracoke quilting history to selecting and cutting material, sewing, basting and topstitch, and assembly. Families are encouraged to attend. The cost is $10 per participant. For more information contact Marcy Brenner at 252-256-2081 or info@coyotemusic.net.
Off Ocracoke Island
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Katy Goes to College!
Well, the little varmint has finally become a big varmint and headed off to Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. After finishing Ocracoke School in the top ten of her class of 5, she was accepted into the Watauga College program, which is a small group of freshmen and sophomores who live and work together in a beautiful new facility called the Living-Learning Center. It is an interdisciplinary program for creative kids who prefer not to be ‘in-the-box’ of traditional academia. She is happy as a duck, and has already made lots of new friends. After singing in “Mom and Dad’s band” for the last several years, we can’t wait to see where her music heads! Best of luck Katy. We love you!
Ocrafolk Opry Heads to the Mountains
Gary and Fiddler Dave will be heading out on the 9:30 Cedar Island Ferry on Friday for a week of residency at the Kanuga Retreat Center in Hendersonville, NC (South of Asheville). Kitty Mitchell and Marcy and Lou of Coyote will join them for a concert next Thursday and then the whole gang will rendezvous with storyteller Rodney Kemp and Katy Mitchell for an Ocrafolk a residency and concert (Saturday, October 21) with the Ashe County Arts Council in West Jefferson, NC. For more details visit www.ashecountyarts.org.
Noah Paley to Open for Boney James at the Carolina Theater
On Saturday October 14 at 8:00 PM, Noah Paley will open for saxophonist Boney James at the Carolina Theater in Durham. He will be joined at the performance by Marcy Brenner of Coyote, Chris Frank of the Red Clay Ramblers, and Noah's son. To get tickets and for more information visit http://www.carolinatheatre.org
Molasses Creek, Noah Paley, and Coyote performing at the
Pepsi Tall Ships Festival this summer
