Dare County Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Joe Lamb Jr. & Associates

Father’s Day and Fun Fare Mark Beginning of OBX Summer

Fun Fair at Nags Head Event Site. A classic carnival. Fun Fair and Father's Day mark the real beginning of Outer Banks summer. — Fun Fair at Nags Head Event Site. A classic carnival. Fun Fair and Father’s Day mark the real beginning of Outer Banks summer.

Summer Season Comes to the Outer Banks

The official start of summer on the Outer Banks is simple—Father’s Day weekend. Memorial Day may be the symbolic start of the season, but things don’t really get rolling until schools are out and families can plan on some real time together.

So—it’s Father’s Day weekend…the third weekend of June that always seems to kick things off in a big way on the Outer Banks.

We’re starting to get a nice tradition going for the week leading up to the Father’s Day.

For the past three years, Children and Youth Partnership of Dare County has sponsored the Fun Fair at the Nags Head Event Site.

The fair will be in town through Wednesday and for anyone who is going to be on the Outer Banks during that time, come on out and have some fun.

This is a good old fashioned traveling carnival, complete with rides, games and food. There are lot’s of rides for thrill seeking kids and their parents, most of them going in circles really fast. There is, however a haunted house and bumper cars.

They seem to have added a ride or two for the younger set, so everyone should have a great time.

The weather is looking really promising for the week…if anything a bit on the hot side on Monday and Tuesday. After that, if the forecast holds, sunshine and temperatures in the low to mid 80s.

The water temperatures are still at a refreshing 70-75 degrees and on those hottest days, it’s going to feel fantastic.

A quick safety reminder about swimming in the ocean. It is safe, but it is a big, powerful body of water. Be sure to go to the beach with friends and swim around a lifeguard. And if red flags are flying, do not go in the water.

Every season on the Outer Banks has something special to offer. Find that special place to stay at Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates.

Outer Banks Beach Nourishment Project Gains National Recognition

The beginning of the Outer Banks intra-local beach nourishment project. Duck, spring 2017.

Intra-Local Effort Recognized for Multiple Community Benefits

What does a couple of years of planning and $38.5 million earn? When it comes to beach nourishment, recognition as one of the best projects in the nation.

The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) which is a trade organization for companies engaged in nourishment, recognized the Intra-local project, taking note especially that it took a couple of years to move the project forward and that multiple towns and jurisdictions worked together.

“The take-home message for these projects is a multi-town beach nourishment project can be successful even when the odds seem to be against you,” Lee Weishar, chair of the association’s Best Restored Beach Committee, said.

The initial observation is that the project, that included the towns of Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills, performs as advertised. Although there were a number of significant storm events over the fall and winter of this past year, overwash and flooding was minimal with no reported infrastructure damage.

For a town like Kitty Hawk that is remarkable. The town’s beaches in particular suffered significant loss of sand and even storms that were not particularly strong caused widespread road closures as waves overtopped the dunes.

The ASBPA ranks nourishment projects on three criteria:

The economic and ecological benefits the beach brings to its community;
The short and long-term success of the restoration project; and
The challenges each community overcame during the course of the project.

The funding for the project was an innovative combination of local and Dare County money. Contributions from the towns were significant, but the lion’s share came from County coffers.

“Dare County is committed to preserving our beaches,” county board chairman Bob Woodard told the Outer Banks Voice.“They are the engine that drives our tourism economy and they require ongoing attention.”

Take some time to explore Outer Banks beaches. Check out Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates. for the best properties and the best locations.

Two Art Shows at DCAC Worth Checking Out

Frank Stick and COA Highlight DCAC Month

Frank Stick Memorial Art Show Eure Best in Show: Mike Bennett “Savannah” (oil on canvas)

There’s a couple of events that are happening at the Dare County Arts Council (DCAC) in Manteo in February and they’re really worth checking out.

First up, and it’s already in progress is the 40th Annual Frank Stick Memorial Art Show. The opening reception was last Saturday at the DCAC Gallery which is the old Dare County Courthouse.

The Frank Stick Art Show is open to anyone who is a member of the DCAC, meaning there is no preselection before the show.. Anyone can enter, and for a lot of young artists, it’s a great opportunity to get a sense of what is involved in a professional presentation.

The quality of the art is excellent and the themes addressed all encompassing.

Until recently the show was at Glenn Eure’s Ghost Fleet Gallery in Nags Head. Glenn and Pat Eure are getting a little older and the display area at the DCAC Gallery is larger allowing for a little better showing of the art.

The other show that’s worth checking out will be opening this Friday in the vault at the Gallery. Keeping in mind that at one time the DCAC building was a courthouse, the vault was a gigantic safe where the most valuable evidence and records were kept.

Now it is the home to the monthly featured show, and during February it’s COA’s Jewelry Student & Alumni Exhibit.

The exhibit is always an outstanding demonstration of creativity and craft. The exhibit gives COA students a chance to show what they are doing with their art and to get the feedback so necessary to become successful in their field.

Both shows will run throughout the month. The Frank Stick Memorial Art Show ends February 24. The Jewelry Exhibit will be on display until February 28.

Back to Normal on Outer Banks as Frigid Temperatures Retreat

Ducks, geese and sea birds at Kitty Hawk Bay escaping the north wind.

With temperatures finally climbing above freezing it looks as though Snowmageddon is finally coming to an end on the Outer Banks.

Effects of Cold Temperatures and Heavy Snowfall

Not completely back to normal yet. Dare County Schools will be closed on Monday—that’s three snow days in a row. But county roads are still not completely cleared and the decision is a good one.

The main roads are cleared—and NCDOT, after what many considered a slow start, did put a number of plows on the roads to get them cleared. The problem is the secondary roads still have a lot of packed ice on them, and it’s doubtful if that will melt before noon tomorrow.

The kids are all celebrating, of course, but all that time will have to be made up at some point.

The snow certainly snarled things, but what really set this particular event apart from other was the extreme cold. We had four days in a row where daytime temperatures didn’t even come close to reaching the freezing mark.

Admittedly for someone living in Chicago or Bangor, Maine, that may not seem so odd, but here by the Atlantic Ocean, 250 miles or so south of the Mason Dixon Line, it’s not so common.

The storm also brought some very strong winds with it. At 2:20 a.m. Thursday morning Jennette’s Pier recorded a 74 mph gust with sustained winds of 63 mph. The measurements are taken on the pier itself, so winds on land are not quite as strong, but things were pretty lively for a while there including a thunder snowstorm.

The sounds are solid ice about 150 to 200 yards offshore, depending on where the winds are located. Kitty Hawk Bay, which is sheltered from the north winds, has more ice on it than areas where the waters are churned up by the winds.

Kitty Hawk Bay, though, is also where the ducks, geese and shorebirds have fled for protection.

The forecast for the next few days calls for moderating temperatures, and even a few above normal. We’ll take that and be ready for the next snow…just in case there is one.

Candy Bomber to Come to Dare County Airport

Halvorsen and His C54 Return for 18th Time

The Candy Bomber does a Wright Brothers Flyover.

Sometimes we need reminders of how good people can be, and when that is the case, think of Lt. Colonel Gail Halvorsen—the original Candy Bomber, who will be returning to the Dare County Airport for the 18th time, flying his C54 and dropping candy parachutes to hundreds of kids.

The date of the Candy Drop this year is December 17; try to make a point of going this year. This will probably be the last visit from the aircraft. Halvorsen is now 97 years old and the Candy Bomber plane is the same one he flew over Berlin.

The story begins in 1948.

Berlin, surrounded by Communist East Germany, had become a city under siege. The Russians, determined to bring West Berlin into the communist fold, had sealed off all land transport to the city, believing that as things got desperate, the citizens of the Berlin would turn to them as their savior.

They failed to account for either the resilience of the Berlin citizens or the can do attitude of the American military. Mounting what is still the largest air supply effort ever, the Americans and their allies landed one plane every 90 seconds for 15 months to feed and supply a city of two million.

Then Lt. Halvorsen was part of that effort and every day as he flew over the airfield, he would see children gathered around the fence that marked the boundary. Sending word to them, he said he would signal it was his airplane buy wiggling his wings and then he would drop candy to them.

He has acknowledged in interviews that he would have gotten in A Lot Of Trouble, but the American press got wind of the story and before his CO could do anything it was an international sensation.

Soon almost every airplane was tying small parachutes to candy and dropping it to the children of Berlin.

The event will take place at the Dare County Airport on Roanoke Island. Flight time is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

Manteo Is the Place to Be This Weekend

With Dare Days and First Friday on tap, Manteo is the place to be this weekend. Making it even better, the Outer Banks weather is looking great for Friday and Saturday.

First Friday

First Friday is the Manteo celebration of small town life the first Friday of the month from April through October. What makes the June First Friday special is it’s the first one of the summer.

Centered around the Dare County Arts Council Gallery, that used to be the County Courthouse, First Friday includes live music on the steps and inside a featured artist every month.

First Friday, though spreads out across the downtown waterfront area of the town, with live music from two or three other venues, food prepared from carts on the street and shops open late.

Dare Days

Dare Days, though, is certainly the highlight of the weekend.

This is the 42nd Annual Dare Days and it has become a wonderful celebration of Dare County and its culture.

A family oriented day, there are street vendors out serving food, lots of game and great live music.

The games are imaginative and look to be fun.

There is the Blue Ribbon Competition, a cooking contest with contestants in age groups 6-12, 13-17 and adults. And what are they preparing: Cookies, Breads, Pies, Candy, Cakes, Pickles, Jelly, Jam and Preserves, and Salsa and Relish. In other words, a little bit of everything.

There is also an “Everything That Floats but a Boat Race,” a Kid’s zone and, more.

There are two stages set up for live music, and looking over the lineup…it’s pretty impressive. The Original Rondells bring amazing vocals to the stage; Jonny Waters will be on hand with his tight rocking country rock arrangements. Also a new band that’s getting a lot of recognition, The Ramble will be playing.

Arts and craft booths will line the streets, music always playing, lots for kids to do…it should be a great day.

Beach Nourishment Begins in Duck

Beach nourishment construction zone in Duck.

The first 200’ of the Dare County Intra-Local Beach Nourishment project has been competed in Duck.

Crews been working last week and made good progress in spite of some thunderstorms that rolled through the area. The schedule is pretty aggressive so crews are working seven days a week.

A Construction Zone

Beach nourishment calls for an active construction zone, and Great Lades Dredge Company, who has the contract to place the sand on the beach, has a lot of experience in the field. As a consequence the area they are working in is clearly marked as a construction zone.

Plans call for minimizing the impact of the project for Outer Banks visitors. Construction zones, as an example, are limited to 500’, creating plenty of sandy space on both sides.

Planned Schedule

The first phase in Duck should take 45 days. Equipment will then be moved to Kitty Hawk and Southern Shores. Southern Shores is a bit late to the nourishment party, the decision to nourish about a half mile of shoreline came after Hurricane Matthew devastated the beach in front of Pelican Watch.

Southern Shores did not officially vote to participate until March of this year.

The Kitty Hawk portion of the project is the most involved and according to the design team from Coastal Planning and Engineering of North Carolina the work will take 74 days, beginning in early July and ending in September.

Included in that work is a one week window in June to complete the Southern Shores portion.

Work in Kill Devil Hills will being in August and plans call for it to take about 40 days.

The appearance of the Duck beach is typical of a newly nourished area. Much wider than it was before nourishment, by design a portion of that sand will be returning to the sea to create a protective sandbar.

Beach nourishment does take a long-term commitment. Typically a beach has to be renourished in five to seven years. The Nags Head beach, which was nourished in 2011, is due to for a touch next year, seven years after the first phase of their project ended.

Replenishing, however, is not as expensive as the first go around nor does it take as long.

OBX Beach Nourishment a Go for 2017

Kitty Hawk Beach during a storm. Kitty Hawk is particularly vulnerable to ocean encroachment.

Beach nourishment is back on track and will begin in the spring of 2017. Originally scheduled to begin for the towns of Duck, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills in April of this year, initial bids were $4 million over estimates and were rejected.

A number of officials expressed the view that the dredging companies qualified to handle the task were tied up with a major project on the Mississippi River this year and did not feel an urgency to place competitive bids.

It would appear as though that was the case. The winning bid from Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company was $4.9 million less than the $43 million set aside for the project. Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company was the company that handled the Nags Head project in 2011.

Beach nourishment is being funded through an intralocal agreement requiring the towns to pay 40% of the cost and the county picking up the rest of the tab. The towns have created Municipal Service Districts (MSD) with properties closest to the beach paying additional property tax.

In Dare County, the Nags Head was the pioneer in beach nourishment. Although there have been some issues with sand encroaching on properties, there has been no property damage caused by ocean overwash since the town’s project was completed in 2011.

If all goes as planned nourishment will begin in April of 2017.

Anticipated Project Schedule Provided by Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company:

Town of Duck

Start Date: April 1, 2017

End Date: June 1, 2017

Town of Kitty Hawk

Start Date: June 1, 2017

End Date: August 20, 2017

Town of Kill Devil Hill

Start Date: August 20, 2017

End Date: October 10, 2017

Kelly’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade-An OBX Tradition

The giant crab from Jennette's Pier. — The giant crab from Jennette’s Pier.

The 27th Annual Kelly’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade did not disappoint. Of course, Mike Kelly’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration never seems to disappoint.

In so many ways it’s the epitome of Outer Banks entertainment . . . a little bit whack, a lot of fun, but very much designed as something the whole family can enjoy.

There is always the question, of course, just what is the best part of the parade and that is such a subjective question that there is no way to answer it.

For sheer shock value there is the giant crab sitting atop the Jennette’s Pier

vehicle. Giant can mean different things to different people, but when a crab is so large it blots out the sun, that is huge.

The giant crab was not the only memorable moment from the parade. The kids from Dare County Parks and Rec really seemed to be enjoying themselves. It’s hard to tell how the dogs felt about the whole dressing up idea, but there’s something about a dog wearing the latest in St. Patrick’s Day fashion that brings a smile.

If there is a theme to the parade it seems to be, “Be yourself,” so an occasional politician rides by waving to the crowd, but there are also statements on issues that concern Outer Banks residents. Not the Answer NC, a local group that opposes offshore drilling, had a strong showing with lots of kids as well as adults holding signs as they walked the parade route.

The Kelly’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade has become the kickoff for the Outer Banks Taste of the Beach, which begins on Thursday. Don’t forget the Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates Barbecue and Wings Showdown is this Friday at the Nags Head Event Site.

OBX Nourishment Delayed

*Kitty Hawk beach in the summer. Nourishment would widen the beach and protect beachfront properties.*

Delayed but still on the horizon, beach nourishment will be a part of the Outer Banks future.

Participants in an Intralocal Agreement between Dare County and the towns of Duck, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills had hoped to begin nourishing local beaches this summer. However, when the bids were opened, they were about 20% higher than expected.

Officials working with the program felt that at least some of cost overrun was attributable to scheduling conflicts from the dredge companies. The major component of the cost of beach nourishment is dredging sand from the sea floor and pumping it to the beach.

There is currently considerable dredging activity on the Mississippi River —at least one of the companies asked for an extension because of scheduling concerns. The hope is that without the prospect of a sure job in other places, the bids will come in closer to the estimate.

There are still concerns though. The town of Kitty Hawk held a special Town Council meeting to vote on whether to continue in the intralocal agreement. By a vote of 4-1 the council agreed to remain a part of the process. The mayor, Gary Perry, voted against continuing.

According to a written statement from Perry, there are still almost 40 unsigned easements from property owners. Without the easements, the town will have to take legal action to provide a limited condemnation of properties that would allow workers access to the beach.

Perry cited worries about legal costs and cost overruns of the project in voting to opt out.

County and town officials are hoping for a fall start to the nourishment process, although spring of 2017 seems more likely.

Tag: Dare County