As hurricane Irene bore down on Ocracoke Island,
residents scurried about making last minute preparations for the storm and
juggling the familiar fall-storm question “Do I stay or do I go?!” With the evacuation called and school
cancelled, Gary and Kitty Mitchell decided to head to Burlington, NC for a
visit with Gary’s parents. Fiddler
Dave, Amy Howard, their son Lachlan, and friend, Jennifer Kidwell, travelled to
Carrboro, NC for a small vacation, while Marcy Brenner and Lou Castro remained on
Ocracoke Island to hold down the fort.
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| Waiting for the ferry |
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| Might as well have a picnic |
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| Philip Howard is staying behind. . . better leave him some extra food! |
The storm started coming through Ocracoke on
Friday, August 26. All throughout
Saturday and into the night, residents pondered two questions . . . where did
the flood waters go and were they returning? Late into the evening, reports began to surface from Manteo
and the mainland about high waters, but as the storm passed the expected
backlash of this storm surge never came back to Ocracoke.
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| Fiddler Dave and Lachlan attended a production of Paperhand Puppet Intervention in Chapel Hill |
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| At the Carrboro Farmer's Market |
Here is a brief Marcy storm report.
Our story is
how many days does it take to move everything up and in for wind and high
water, including dozens of instruments?! And how many notes can Lou get in
on the electric guitar before the power goes out again? I
wondered if any of the stitches I sewed on my quilt by lantern light would come
out straight. And the beauty of a twin cedar tree twirling around in the
yard like a “weeble” wobbling and not falling down.
Mostly,
I feel grateful. And worried about our friends who took the brunt of
Irene’s strength.
On Hatteras Island, Sunday morning light brought a
much different story. Hurricane
Irene had cut four channels through the island severing power and traffic south
of the S curves in Rondanthe.
Fortunately for Ocracoke, there is an island
generator that can provide power for permanent residents. As the equipment cannot handle a visitor
population, it wasn’t until a week later that property owners
and then visitors were allowed to return.
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| Back to the olden days before electricity! |
Although life is gradually returning to our small
island, everyone relies on the summer and fall tourist trade to make it through
the long winters. With day-trippers cut out from Hatteras direction, the season remains somewhat
uncertain. Rumors abound that NC
DOT will have road repairs by the third week of September, but there are so
many variables in the repair involving weather and the ocean that there can be
few guarantees.
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| Returning on the Swan Quarter Ferry with some pretty cool trucks! |
In
the end as we keep Hatteras Islanders and friends from Down East all the way up
the coast into Vermont in our thoughts, we can be thankful that hurricane
Irene’s physical effects on Ocracoke were minimal.
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| Many treasures are washing up after the storm. |
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| And more unusual visitors |
For now, spread the word. Ocracoke is fine and open for the fall
season!
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| Not many visitors. Time to have a Traditional Ocracoke Squaredance! |
Molasses Creek records Stephen Foster’s “Hard
Times Come Again No More”
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| Original sheet music for Stephen Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More" |
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| Marcy and Lou in at Soundside Studios |
With all of the storm drama affecting the coast,
we couldn’t help but think of Stephen Foster’s heartfelt song “Hard Times.” Last week we went into the studio and
recorded a version to share with all our friends. Listen to it by visiting the Molasses Creek homepage at www.molassescreek.com. The lyrics are below. You can also download it from our site.
Feel free to share it with friends.
Renew Yourself at Ocracoke Island’s “Ocrafolk School,” October 23-28, 2011!
Every year, travelers retreat to the pristine beaches of the
Pearl of the Outer Banks, Ocracoke Island, NC for fun, relaxation, and renewal.
But come the last week of October there is yet another great reason to
journey to this remote destination. The Ocrafolk School!
This fall retreat for grownups is accepting registrations
for its fifth year of week-long workshops and activities for adults. Classes
with space still available are "Island Cooking" w/chef Debbie
Wells, "The Ocracoke Sampler" w/local historian Philip Howard,
Capt. Rob Temple and Ranger Dave Frum, "English Paper Piecing (hand pieced
quilting)" w/Debbie Block , and "Exploring Ocracoke Music"
w/Gary Mitchell of the band Molasses Creek. This year's other offering,
"Island Photography" with Ann Ehringhaus, is full and currently
taking registrations on a waiting-list-only basis. All classes are limited to
6-8 students, and the registration deadline is Oct. 3.
Debbie Wells is a local chef of renown, originator of Ocracoke's popular
"Back Porch Restaurant" (featured in Saveur, Gourmet, Bon Appetite,
The New York Times, and the Washington Post). Her "Island Cooking"
class will emphasize local seafood, other meats, some old-time Ocracoke specialties,
vegetables, 'Mexican day' with guest chef Eduardo and elegant desserts, and
will include a visit to the local fish house and a clamming trip.
"English Paper Piecing" is an old method of hand piecing quilts. By
basting fabric onto pre-cut pieces of heavy paper and joining the pieces
together with a simple hand stitch you can create a quilt top of any size or
design. After learning the basic method from Debbie Block, each participant
will work on a design of their choosing using squares, diamond, triangle and/or
hexagon shaped pieces. No experience necessary but a love of fabric,
color and quilts will help you to enjoy this class.
Ocracoke Island is known for having quite a vibrant music scene. In the
"Exploring Ocracoke Music" class, students will spend the week
'behind the scenes' with Gary Mitchell of the Ocracoke band Molasses Creek
(award winners from A Prairie Home Companion) exploring and visiting the
musicians, rehearsals, recording studios, history, venues and local radio that
make it all happen. No musical experience is necessary, but certainly welcome.
Philip Howard, eighth generation islander and descendent of the
quartermaster on Blackbeard's ship, joins Capt. Rob Temple and ranger Dave Frum
to bring alive Ocracoke history in the "Ocracoke Sampler" class.
Students will hear island stories, see fifty-year-old Ocracoke home movies, be
guided through ancient family cemeteries, read original Life Saving Service
shipwreck logs, sail on the schooner Windfall 2, sing sea-chanteys, listen to
traditional ghost tales, tour a preserved maritime forest, and much more.
The school, which began in 2007, is held yearly the last full week of October
and includes workshops exploring island history, culture, food, art, music and
crafts through hands-on activities. In addition to the classes, students
participate in group meals, music and other events throughout the course of the
week. The Ocrafolk School is sponsored by the private non-profit "Ocracoke
Alive".
For more information, email gary@ocrafolkschool.org, call 252-928-4280 or visit www.ocrafolkschool.org.
