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Showing posts with label Ocrafolk School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ocrafolk School. Show all posts
Thursday, September 05, 2019
Molasses Creek Hurricane Fundraising Concerts in Eastern NC in September
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Island Out of Time released! Kids Winter Fun. Soundside Studio News. Lou Guitar Advice
Molasses Creek’s new national release
“An Island Out of Time” is back
from the presses!
Hey there fans!
The quest for Molasses Creek world domination is still on track! We just received the new album back
from the duplicators and we think it's a gem, pleasing to the ears and the eyes! Those of you who picked up a copy of
our last regional release, Catharsis, might notice track similarities to “An Island Out of Time.” Here is the
story behind the new album.
Back
in 2011, Molasses Creek crossed paths with Kari Estrin at the Southeast
Regional Folk Alliance in Montreat, NC.
Kari specializes in Artist Consulting and Management, assisting
musicians in developing their careers and music. In the fall of last year, we completed a workshop with her
and decided to continue work with her on the national promotion of a Molasses
Creek album with the aim at increasing our US touring. Instead of creating an entirely new project,
we returned to our 2011 release, Catharsis, asking her advice on transforming
the recording into an album that would showcase and introduce Molasses Creek to
the national/international stage. After two month of analyzing, re-shaping,
re-recording, and mixing, we fired off the new release (complete with new title
and layout) for reproduction.
Mid-February
“An Island Out of Time” will be sent to 540 folk radio DJs in the US, Canada,
and Europe. We’ll keep you posted
as the reports come in from the radio airplay in March. The album is available now on iTunes as
well as through the Molasses Creek website. Later this month it will be up and running Amazon mp3, Spotify,
EMusic, Zune, Rhapsody, Nokia, & VerveLife. Here is a link to the iTunes site if you want to download tracks.
(more newsletter below! Click "Read More")
* * *
* * *
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Hurricane Irene has passed Ocracoke By ~ Visitors Can Return!
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.
 |
| Waiting for the ferry |
 |
| Might as well have a picnic |
 |
| 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.
 |
| Fiddler Dave and Lachlan attended a production of Paperhand Puppet Intervention in Chapel Hill |
 |
 |
| 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.
 |
| 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.
 |
| 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.
 | ||
| Many treasures are washing up after the storm. |
 |
| And more unusual visitors |
For now, spread the word. Ocracoke is fine and open for the fall
season!
 |
| Not many visitors. Time to have a Traditional Ocracoke Squaredance! |
Molasses Creek records Stephen Foster’s “Hard
Times Come Again No More”
 |
| Original sheet music for Stephen Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More" |
 |
| 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.
Saturday, November 08, 2008
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!
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!
Saturday, November 01, 2008
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!
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!
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