Outer Banks Living

BLUE POINT RE-OPENS . . THE BEST . . .

2006-07-08T11:49:00.000-04:00

The Blue Point Bar and Grille re-opened June 19 after nearly 8 months of adding on and renovating the 15 year old restaurant. A real challenge for John and Sam was to create a new, fresh, upscale feel, while at the same time maintaining the casual, diner-like charm of the original Blue Point. They did a fantastic job of doing just that. Immediately, as you enter the front door of The Blue Point, you know you have entered into a unique place on the Outer Banks. The ambiance is upscale, while being tempered by the "old" Blue Point with the bright red seats, checkerboard tile floor, and the smiles on the friendly faces of long time staff.

The Blue Point is a place of "The Best . . . "; the best views, the best food, the best service, and the best staff. Very quickly, reservations filled up. It is highly recommended that reservations be made a few weeks in advance.

There is something very special about a restaurant when people come to the Outer Banks for a week's vacation, and their dinner reservations every night is at The Blue Point. I have met several people that do just that.

Congratulations to Sam and John . . . and Nancy, and the whole Blue Point staff that worked so hard to create such a wonderful place on the Outer Banks. Your dedication to this project has really paid off.

The Blue Point Is Going To Open When ?

2006-05-24T09:52:00.000-04:00

Since after Thanksgiving of last year, The Blue Point has been busy with their grand plans of creating (that is improving) a wonderful new restaurant. The challenge that John Powers and Sam McGann had was to design The Blue Point with an updated look while maintaining the casual, diner like atmosphere. Frequent checks on the construction progess has proven that "those two guys" have succeeded in their vision. While having a fresh,new upscale look, the bright red benches and chairs, and the checkerboard tile floor, carries over the look of the "old" Blue Point and continuing the comfortable casual feeling. Diners might not want to leave after savoring the culinary creations by Sam. Well, if that is the case, the folks can just move to the screened in porch off of the dining room.

John and Sam had high hopes that The Blue Point would be open by May 23rd. But, as is expected in any construction project, the finishing takes longer than expected. The staff of the Blue Point is back on scene, pitching in with staining, painting, cleaning, and anything else that can get the job done in order to open. Expected re-opening date now is mid-June.

Want to be one of the first to enjoy the new Blue Point experience? No doubt, when they do reopen, reservations will fill up quickly. They will start taking reservations two weeks before befor the opening date. You can keep an check on the status on their website. The link is on the sidebar.

New Homes . . . A New Look

2006-05-23T10:05:00.000-04:00

Over the course of Outer Banks history, the style of vacation cottages and homes has continually changed. A recorded account of these changes can be found in a wonderful book by Marimar McNaughton, Outer Banks Architecture: An Anthology of Outposts, Lodges and Cottages (John F. Blair, Publisher). This is a must read if you are interested in cottage design and history, in the very least.

For many years, the local Outer Banks look has centered on what is referred to as "The Nags Head Style". A focous on that will be in another blog entry. Now, however, a new look is beginning to crop up on the island horizon, and one that cannot be missed when you see the colors. Moving drastically away from the natural weathered look, driftwood gray, or shades of white, bright, fun colors are the attraction in Bermuda Bay, a large, new development in Kill Devil Hills. This is the first large residential development to be built in some time here, and will consist of single family homes, townhomes, and single level condos. The original ads that showed up announced the prices will be "affordably" priced, beginning in the $300,000 range, and up. Unfortunatley, while true affordable housing is desperatley missing from the housing scene on the Outer Banks, this development won't help the situation. For the most part, Bermuda Bay will be marketed for second or vacation homes, and for retirement homes. But, if nothing else, Bermuda Bay adds color and a new style option for those looking to vacation or live on the Outer Banks.

Harris Teeter -- Kill Devil Hills

2006-05-15T12:41:00.000-04:00

The last post about Harris Teeter building on the Outer Banks showed a pic of the store in Corolla. This post shows the Kill Devil Hills location under construction. The expected opening date is the first week in August. Many people has asked where is this store located since they hadn't seen it. The building is set well off the road, behind the Eckerd drugs at the KDH - NH line. As you can see from the pic, it is set pretty far back.

The Outer Banks continues to have new stores, hotels, schools, municipal buildings, and other sites crop up all the time. More will be featured in upcoming posts.

Dare County Election Results . . And the Winner Is ...

2006-05-06T18:38:00.000-04:00

The NC State primary was held May, 2, 2006. The majority of the candidates were Democrats with no Republican opponent. So, in those cases, whoever won the primary election, will run opposed in November. A few lucky candidates didn't even have a Democratic opponent, so they will virtually win by default.

The following are the unofficial results in the May 2nd primary, in Dare County:

NC State Senate District 01:
Ron Toppin 52%, Hood Richardson 48%; Toppin will be opposed by Marc Basnight(D)

Clerk of Superior Court:
Merlee Austin 61%, Karen Garris 39%; No opposition in November

Sheriff, Dare County:
Rodney Midgett; No opposition in the primary or in November

Registrar of Deeds:
Barbara Gray; No opposition in the primary or in November

Commissioner At Large:
Rex Tillett 61%, Ray Midgett 31%

Commissioner- District 1:
Virginia Simmons Tillett 52%, Robin Mann 30%, Sybil Ross 19%

Commissioner - District 2:
Stan White 48%, Max Dutton 52%
This was the only big upset in this election. Lifelong Dare County resident, long time politico, and current Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, Stan White was rejected by the voters in favor of newcomer Max Dutton, Manager of WalMart in Kitty Hawk.

Board of Education - District 1:
Walter Holton 99%, Write-in 1%

Board of Education - District 3:
Margaret Lawler 68%, Jon Kenton 32%

District Court Judge, First Judicial District (Replacing retiring Chief District Court Judge Grafton G. Beaman):
Eula E. Ried 47%, John Flora 30%, Van Johnson 23%
Reid and Flora will face off in November. Eula Reid is an Assistant Disrict Attorney and John Flora is an attorney in private practice.

White national and statewide politics gets much attention in the media, it is the local election that has the greatest impact on the quality of life, character, and services of the county.

OK . . so go VOTE already . . .

2006-04-24T13:49:00.000-04:00

There was a time when people had to be sure to mark their calendar to remind them of Election Day . . . MAY 2nd, BTW; figure out when the best time would be to go to the polls; in the morning on the way to work, after work, stand in long lines during the rush periods, fitting into a busy schedule, etc. And worse, would be when you spent so much time reading about the candidates and wanting to be sure that your vote counted, and then for a variety of reasons, you missed the chance the vote. Or, if you knew you would not be in town on election day, you could request an absentee ballot and go through that arduous process of the chance of having your voting voice heard.

A few years ago, the Dare County Elections Board started the No Excue One-Stop Absentee Voting program. The one-stop voting process permits voting in person at the Elections Office beginning on the Thursday after the registration deadline, but no later than 1:00 P.M. on Saturday before the election, for voters who meet the registration requirements.

It's quick, it's easy, and it's convenient. There are three locations in Dare County where voters can cast their ballot. Now there is no excuse for any voter not to express their choice.

Out of the Storm . . .

2006-04-24T13:30:00.000-04:00

Lighthouses were erected along the U.S. coasts to guide offshore ships along the coast, protecting them from the deadly shoals, and were a beacon of hope in threatening storms. The red brick, unpainted Currituck Beach lighthouse was constructed in 1875 in the village of Corolla on the NC coastline.

In recent years, the deteriorating light and the accompanying keepers structures were painstakingly and meticulously restored under the guidance of the Outer Banks Conservation organization. When the US Coast Guard opted to delinquish the lighthouse from it's control a few years ago, the issue was embroiled in a storm between Currituck County and the Outer Banks Conservation group. In the end, the conservation group won out. But the situation just got worse when Currituck County started putting up as many obstacles as possible to prevent the group from successfully maintaining the historic site and successfully operating it as a tourist attraction. In addition to the tens of thousands of people that choose to vacation in Corolla, many thousands more make the lighthouse as their destination for a day trip from other parts of the Outer Banks.

A few days ago, Currituck County commissioners decided to drop all legal obstacles in the operation and management of the lighthouse property. The Outer Banks Conservation group has done a very admirable job over the last several years in their restoration efforts, and can now finally get on with what they do best for the people that visit the Currituck Beach Light.

Move Over Food Lion . . .

2006-04-10T13:24:00.000-04:00

Food Lion on the Outer Banks is about to get some grocery store chain competition. Other than locally owned Seamark Foods, Food Lion has been the only major player on the Outer Banks for the grocery business for many years.

Harris Teeter is on the verge of opening two new stores on the Outer Banks. The Corolla location will open May 30th. The Kill Devil Hill store is slated to open the end of July or First part of August of this year.

Harris Teeter first announced their intention to expand to the Outer Banks about 5 years ago, with the location in Kitty Hawk at US158 and NC12. They later backed out of those plans and the property was sold to build an Eckerds drug store. Reportedly, it was not cost efficient to have only one store on the island. Now, Harris Teeter is making a significant presence with two large stores.

The Outer Banks consumers will welcome the competition and will hopefully benefit from lower food costs.

Kitty Hawk / Southern Shores Financial District

2006-04-06T14:33:00.000-04:00

Kill Devil Hills has their cluster of fast food restaurants (McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, Domino's, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Arby's), more commonly known locally as "French Fry Alley". Even the 9-1-1 dispatchers will page emergency units to "French Fry Alley".

Nags Head has "Historic Row", a stretch along NC 12 (S. Virginia Dare Trail; locals call it "Beach Road") where the old, Nags Head Style beachfront cottages still stand, now being surrounded by the huge, modern, multi-million $$$ "McMansion" style, cottages

Now, Kitty Hawk and Southern Shores share the new Outer Banks Financial District. After the merger of Wachovia Bank and First Union Bank, Wachovia moved out of their office in the Market Place into the bank building occupied by First Union. Within the last six months, The Bank of Currituck moved into the former Wachovia space. About two months ago, East Carolina Bank opened their new branch and tore down the bank they vacated at the corner of US 158 and Juniper Trail. Across the street, at the entrance of McDonald's/WalMart, the corner, wooded lot was cleared and a new Gateway Bank will soon open. The strip of small shops, across from Wachovia, where the ABC store was located, along with the North China takeout restaurant, golf shop, and hairstylist shop, was torn down a few months ago, and is being replaced by yet another bank, BB&T.

The location of the old Kitty Hawk Building supply that closed several years ago was traded in a land swap deal with the Dare County ABC Board in order to reconfigure the traffic light intersection. Now that the intersection has been completed, a new ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control . . i.e. liquor store) is under construction.

For those that moved away and haven't been back in six months, you might think that you had made a wrong turn and ended up on another beach. Nearly every day, something is getting sold, torn down, burned down, built up, or name changed. Even locals are starting to have trouble giving directions . . ."It is located right next to . . . wait, it's not there anymore!"

The Bank of Currituck

East Carolina Bank

Gateway Bank

BB&T

ABC Store

RAINY MONDAY . . .

2006-04-04T11:29:00.000-04:00

For many recent weeks, the Outer Banks didn't see any rain, causing near drought conditions and extreme fire conditions Brush fires in Dare and Currituck Counties were daily occurrances. What the OBX needed was rain. And rain we got yesterday . . . along with severe storms, including dangerous lightning and in some places high winds and hail. A number of homes in eastern NC were damaged.

In the midst of the rain last night, two homes were destroyed by fire. The Nags Head Fire Department responded to a fully involved residential structure about 8PM. Kill Devil Hills FD and the Colington VFD assisted the NHFD. About 10:30PM, the Kitty Hawk FD and Southern Shores VFD were paged for a structure fire in Kitty Hawk. The structure at the Sands Inn cottage court on the beach road was fully involved when KHFD Chief Lowell Spivey arrived on location. The fire threatened nearby structure, including the Rundown Cafe, so additional fire units were called from Duck, Kill Devil Hills, Colington, and Nags Head. The NH and KDH units had just cleared from the house fire in NH, so responded straight to Kitty Hawk. Firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to any other structures. It is unknown at this time if the severe weather at the time had any role in starting the fires.

Hopefully, now, the remainder of April will be a typical OBX Spring; sunny, comfortable days with light, occasional showers.

IN THE NEWS . . .

2006-03-31T18:04:00.000-05:00

The time changes this weekend; Spring Forward! It is also the time to change the batteries in your battery operated smoke detectors.

The following are some recent news headlines on the Outer Banks:

* Former Southern Shores Police Chief, Ted Brazell, in a plea agreement in Dare County Superior Court, pled guilty to three counts of indecent liberties with a 13 year old female. Additional statutory rape charges and felony larceny charges were dropped as part of the plea arrangement. Brazell will serve up to 16 months in prison, possibly subject to up to five years of probation upon release, and required to register as a sex offender.

* Voters in Dare County recently went to the ballot box in a specially called vote to repeal the newly enacted 1 percent sales tax to pay for beach nourishment. Seventy five percent of the votes were in favor of having the 1 cent tax repealed. The drop in the sales tax will take effect June 1, 2006.

* The Town of Duck has announced the hiring of a new Fire Chief. Donna Black, the current DVFD Deputy Fire Chief was hired for the Fire Chief position. Donna has been an active firefighter with the Duck Volunteer Fire Department since 1997. She has worked her way up from firefighter through the ranks of Lt. Captain, and Deputy Chief. She is also an EMT and is a member of Rescue 11, the medical response team in the fire department. Several months ago, Donna was hired as a firefighter with the Nags Head Fire Department when they expanded their rolls with the opening of the new South Nags Head station. Donna is reportedly among eight other female fire chiefs in the country.

* The Southern Shores Volunteer Fire Department recently conducted vehicle extrication training. The get the full story, CLICK HERE. (OK, OK . . a bit of blogmeister license here to promote my work as the Public Information Officer with the SSVFD)

* The NC Lottery (click here for link) kicked off yesterday across North Carolina. The scratch off lottery tickets are available on the Outer Banks at 36 locations. In May, North Carolina will join the multi-state Power Ball games.

* The Lost Colony (Outdoor Drama) has announced that Vanessa Redgrave will perform in the role of Queen Elizabeth June 2 - 8, 2006. According to the play's Director, this will be the first of many well known performers to be guest actors in upcoming seasons.

*Land transfer tax is down 18% this year in Dare County, signaling a slow down in the Outer Banks real estate market. The rapid escalating home values are slowing, as well as homes on the market longer than the past few years.

"Calm Before The Storm"

2006-03-24T13:47:00.000-05:00

The "tourist season" will soon open. Though more people are realizing that the Fall and Winter are wonderful times to visit the Outer Banks, what locals refer to as the tourist season traditionally kicks off at Easter, and runs through Labor Day. Retail shops, amusement attractions, and restaurants will soon be fully operational and ready for the big influx of customers. This is the time of year when "cottage" owners are here to get their vacation homes cleaned, spruced up, and re-opened for the busy rental season. It is also the time of year when locals can enjoy the last weeks of relatively calm and quiet before the hundreds of thousands of vacationers arrive for their time in the sun and surf.

The picture above is the sunset in Duck, taken from the deck of the Duck's General Store and The Blue Point. The mallard ducks are also enjoying the quiet time and calm, sound waters.

(Note: Mouse over Duck's General Store or The Blue Point to connect to their websites)

New County Offices Site . . .

2006-03-20T10:02:00.000-05:00

The Dare County Commissioners recently decided to build a new Dare County administration building on the site of the Dare County Justice Center in Manteo. The Heery build/design firm will be contracted to design and construct the new facility, which will house all of the remaining County offices that are currently located downtown Manteo.

The Dare County Justice Center (pictured above) was built about 3 years ago, and houses the Clerk of Superior Court offices, five courtrooms (Superior Court, District Criminal Court, District Civil Court, Magistrate Court, and one additional courtroom), Judge's chambers, District Attorney offices, Dare County Sheriff's Office, Register of Deeds, and the Dare County Tax office. The Heery design won a number of national and international design/build awards.

The new site will make it much easier and more convenient for citizens to conduct County and judicial related business. The move will create a void down Manteo, where locally owned, small shops and restaurants have benefited from all of the County offices and courts located nearby.

Herron's Deli -- Duck

2006-03-18T09:14:00.000-05:00

Soon to be gone in Duck. The special of the day at Herron's Deli . . ."For Sale". After the tragic death of restaurant owner Rick Herron this past January, the family decided to sell the business/property. Two years ago, the (new) Town of Duck purchased the land that surrounds the property. The word on the street is that the Town is wanting to buy the property. The casual Duck atmosphere and great simple menu will be missed. Herron's was a wonderful place to get a good breakfast or lunch; a rare find in Duck, amongst the several restaurants that feature "fine dining".
(The red square on the "Master Plan" shows the location of the deli and property)

Hilton Garden Inn -- Kitty Hawk

2006-03-17T10:30:00.000-05:00

Gone are the days of the Kitty Hawk Pier! In 2000, a new luxury hotel was to be built at the site of the Kitty Hawk Pier. After the 9-11 attack in NYC and Washington, DC, the hotel investors announced they would not go forward with their plans to build the oceanfront hotel. Questions then arose as to what would happen to the Kitty Hawk Pier, particularly after the pier was severely damaged during a hurricane.Then, last year, Sterling Webster (owner of the Ramada Inn, KDH) announced that he and a group of investors planned to build a new luxury hotel, Hilton Garden Inn. To make the project viable, they sought a higher height limit from the Town of Kitty Hawk, which was approved. Some people question whether this will be the first of new "high rise" hotels or condos to be built in Kitty Hawk. The Hilton Garden Inn is scheduled to open in early Summer of this year.

Nags Head Opens Station 21

2006-03-16T09:12:00.000-05:00

The Nags Head Fire Department moved into their newest facilities, Station 21 located in South Nags Head on Old Oregon Inlet Road. Eighteen new firefighters were recently hired by the Town of Nags Head in order to fully staff the new station.

For the past several months, the crew assigned to Station 21 was being housed at Station 20. Now that they have moved to the new station, Station 20 will soon be used as the "headquarters" for Nags Head Ocean Rescue.

2006-03-11T20:33:00.000-05:00

WRIGHT BROTHERS. . . FIRST IN FLIGHT

Here is an aerial view of the Wright Brothers National Memorial Park. This is the exact spot where the Wright Brothers conducted their flight experiments and actually flew their flying machine for the first time. It is a great place to visit (or to do my regular walking exercise). The best thing is the that it will never be developed. What had been a large undeveloped area around the park, is now quickly filling up with year 'round homes, vacation homes, and summer rentals. The tranquility of the park is so much more appreciated now, too, after the major event of the 100th anniversary of flight, in December 2003. On the big day, December 17, 2003, more than 50,000 people were in the park, including President George Bush. One of the greatest things to watch are the many planes that fly over the monument perched atop Kill Devil Hill and tip their wings in honor of Wilbur and Orville Wright.

2006-03-11T20:30:00.000-05:00

PRE TOURIST SEASON

No one will argue the fact that tourism is the core bread and butter of the Outer Banks economy. But, we are very fortunate to have a few months out of the year to have an "off season" where you can find peace, quiet, and tranquility with the best that the Outer Banks has to offer . . . the beach. It's great to take advantage of these things before the arrival of the hundreds of thousands of summer tourists

2006-03-11T20:26:00.000-05:00

THE BLUE POINT BAR AND GRILLE -- DUCK

The Winter seems longer this year since The Blue Point is closed for major renovation and expansion. The big question lately is not when Spring will get here, but when will The Blue Point re-open. The latest word from John is he hopes to be open by Memorial Day weekend. The new space will feature a new waiting area, larger bar, several more tables, and a screened porch to relax and enjoy the beautiful Duck sunsets. For more information about The Blue Point and pictures of the blueprint and construction progress, check out their website (See the link in the sidebar)

Outer Banks Living -- What It's All About

2006-03-11T20:08:00.000-05:00

Outer Banks Living is a way for people to learn more about the Outer Banks of North Carolina, for people who have moved away to keep up with the ongoing changes around the island, and newsworthy notes. Outer Banks Living will concentrate on the northern beaches; Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Southern Shores, Duck, Corolla; Roanoke Island (Manteo, Wanchese); Hatteras Island, and Ocracoke Island.

So much can be written about the Outer Banks, from the Land of Beginning . . the very first English Settlers on this new land, plundering pirates, such as Blackbeard, Wilbur and Orville Wright and their discovery of flight, national and state parks, and today's popular beaches, communities, events, and activities. But, that is not the purpose of this blog. Links will be included to direct folks to get any information that they could possibly want about the Outer Banks, Dare County, activities, dining and accommodations, wedding information, attractions, fishing, and more. This blog will focus on the ever present changes that occur here. There is only so much land available, so places are often being torn down and new places constructed. Whether people move away and later return for a visit, or vacationers return after a year or longer absence, changes are noticed, and are often significant. News and noteworthy events will be featured, as well as important information from time to time, such as Hurricane information.

Comments and/or questions are always welcome. I hope everyone enjoys their visit here.

Doug
obxparrot

Moved Here From Blogstream

2006-03-11T17:41:00.000-05:00

The original Outer Banks Living was recently posted on Blogstream. However, one of the problems was that apparently only registered members could post comments. I am hoping to have a better experience here. It also appears to be a more user friendly site to maintain.
Questions and comments are always welcome.

Thanks for looking!

obxparrot