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Hatteras Village Offshore Open
Billfish Tournament
Hatteras Harbor Marina, NC 12
Hatteras Village
(252) 986-2555, (888) 544-8115
www.hatterasoffshoreopen.com
Anglers contend for cash prizes as they
fish to catch and release the biggest billfish. A meat fish category is included for
the largest tuna, dolphin, and wahoo
caught daily. The three-day fishing tournament is held May 11 through May 13 and
sponsored by the Hatteras Village Civic
Association. This is a Governor's Cup-sanctioned event, and it's the kickoff tournament in the Governor's Cup challenge.
All competitors must enter Level 1 for
$700; three additional levels-Level 2 at
$800, Level 3 at $500, and Level 4 at
$1,000-are not mandatory. Fishing begins
at 8:00 A.M., and lines come out of the
water promptly at 3:00 P.M.Festivities
with food and drink are usually held each
evening, and the event closes with an
awards banquet. The tournament is open
to the public.
Mollie Fearing Memorial Art Show
Roanoke Island Festival Park, Manteo
(252) 473-5558
www.darearts.org
This exhibition, sponsored by the Dare
County Arts Council, is open to all artists,
and cash awards are given. It is held
throughout the month of May and is open
for public viewing. Call for membership,
reception, and entry information.
Hang Gliding Spectacular and Air Games
Jockey's Ridge State Park, US 158, MP 12
Nags Head
(252) 441-4124, (800) FLY-THIS
Currituck County Airport US 158, Barco
www.kittyhawk.com Spectators and participants cover the dunes at the park every year to attend the longest-running hang-gliding competition in the country. Pilots from all over the world compete in a variety of flying maneuvers, including an aerotow competition. Beginners hang-gliding lessons are given. The event is sponsored by Kitty Hawk Kites, and a complimentary street dance and an awards ceremony add icing to the cake. Annual inductions to the Rogallo Hall of Fame (Francis Rogallo is the father of the Flexible Wing Flyer--the prototype for the modern hang glider) close the ceremony. Hang-glider pilots who have achieved their Hang One are welcome to compete. The public is invited to view the event for free. Participants pay an entry fee. In 2006 the event will be held May 15 through 19.
British Cemetery Ceremony
British Cemetery Road, Ocracoke Island
(252) 928-3711 This ceremony commemorates the 1942 sinking of a British ship. On May 11 of that year, the HMS Bedfordshire, a trawler stationed off Ocracoke to protect our shores during World War II, was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine. All on board perished, and only four bodies were recovered. Island residents buried these men, and every year on May 7 the U.S. Coast Guard holds a service to honor them. The service is free. (See our Attractions chapter for more information.)
Nags Head Woods 5K Run and Post-Run Beach Party
Nags Head Woods Preserve
Ocean Acres Drive, Kill Devil Hills
(252) 441-2431
www.outerbankskiwanisclub.org Folks from all walks of life run side by side through Nags Head Woods in this annual event, held on the second Saturday in May. The run is limited to the first 400 runners registered. The postrun party at Quagmire's on the Beach features music, food, and drinks. For entry fees and tickets, call the number above.
International Miniature Art Show
Seaside Art Gallery
NC 12, MP 11 Nags Head
(252) 441-5418, (800) 828-2444 Artists from all over the world compete for cash prizes in this exhibition of miniature art. Past shows have seen more than 450 works from 38 states and 12 countries. The work includes paintings, sculpture, and drawings of all styles. The art is on view for about two weeks. The reception occurs in late May.
OBX Jaycees Beach Music Festival
Roanoke Island Festival Park, Manteo
(252) 473-4600 Ready for some fun in the sun? The Jaycees put on this annual festival celebrating beach music and the coming summer season. Big crowds gather on the spacious lawn of the pavilion. Beach music bands and local bands play all day long. Kick off your shoes and dance on the lawn. Bring plenty of sunscreen and blankets or folding chairs. Food and beverages, including beer, are available. Tickets can be purchased in advance or the day of the event, held on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Proceeds benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Outer Banks YMCA.
Pirate's Cove Memorial Weekend
Tournament
Pirate's Cove Yacht Club
Nags Head-Manteo Causeway, Manteo
(252) 473-3700, (800) 537-7245
www.fishpiratescove.com
This tournament is for pure fun only. No
monetary prizes are awarded, but contenders can go home with a trophy. The
team entry fee is $300. Anglers head offshore to fish for billfish, tuna, dolphin, and
wahoo. All billfish are released, and a prize
is awarded for the largest release and the
combined weight of the three largest
meat fish caught per team. Call for entry
dates and more information.
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Dare Day Festival
Downtown Manteo
(252) 475-5629
This is the quintessential small-town family event. Dare Day, held the first Saturday
of June, is a much-loved local tradition
that celebrates the wonderful county of
Dare. You'll find locals, visitors, politicians,
children, and just about everybody you
can think of coming out to enjoy the day
in downtown Manteo. Dare Day features
arts and crafts booths, lots of food
(including in-season soft-shell crabs),
national and local musical entertainment,
kids activities, games, rides, and much
more. A free concert is held at Roanoke
Island Festival Park in the pavilion. All of
Festival Park's sites, including the Elizabeth II, are free on this day. For a taste of
real local culture, don't miss this event.
Rogallo Kite Festival
Jockey's Ridge State Park, US 158
MP 12, Nags Head
(800) 334-4777
www.kittyhawk.com
This two-day, free, family fun fly in early
June celebrates the beauty of kite flying
and honors the father of hang gliding,
NASA scientist Francis Rogallo. It is open to kite enthusiasts of all ages and features stunt kites, home-builts, kids' kite-
making and -flying competitions, and an
auction where you can bid on display and
demo stunt kites. Rogallo, the inventor of
the flexible wing, generally makes an
appearance.
"Illuminations" Summer Arts Festival
and Children's Performances
Roanoke Island Festival Park, Manteo
(252) 475-1506
Starting in late June and running through
mid-August, Roanoke Island Festival Park
stages wonderful cultural activities almost
every day of the week. "Illuminations" is
the performance series of the North Carolina School of the Arts, and the students
perform Tuesday through Saturday nights
in the pavilion. You'll see dance, jazz, classical music, film, and drama. See our
Attractions and Arts
and Culture chapters
for more about this series. The Children's
Performances are held in July, Tuesday
through Friday, in the Film Theater. Performances are geared to all ages of children
and include storytelling, puppets, and
singers. See our Kidstuff chapter for more
information.
Hatteras Marlin Club Billfish Tournament
Hatteras Marlin Club, off NC 12
Hatteras Village
(252) 986-2454
The Hatteras Marlin Club Billfish Tournament, going strong since 1959, offers a
week of competition fishing and entertainment to participants and their guests.
Teams head for offshore waters looking to
catch the biggest billfish or meat fish,
including blue marlin, tuna, dolphin, and
wahoo. Evenings are filled with socials
that include entertainment, cocktails,
appetizers, and dinner. The tournament is
for members and anglers invited by the
tournament committee. Write to the
Hatteras Marlin Club for membership and
tournament information: Box 218, Hatteras,
NC 27943. Call for registration fee information.
Roanoke Island House and Garden Tour
Roanoke Island
(252) 473-3234
The Roanoke Island Garden Club partners
with the Elizabethan Gardens to host this
tour, which covers area homes, gardens,
and historic sites. Call for exact day and
time.
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Sand Sculpture Contest
On the beach north of Ocracoke Village
(252) 928-7689
This artistic endeavor kicks off Fourth of
July festivities on the island. Kids and
adults are welcome to participate in the
early-morning event. You can work alone
or in groups. Past events have seen sand
transformed into turtles, jumping dolphin,
pirates, and ships. The contest is free. Call
for times and location.
Independence Day Parade and
Fireworks Display
Ocracoke Village
(252) 928-7689
This festive parade featuring a half-dozen
floats makes its way through the streets
starting around 3:00 P.M. on July 4. Local
shopkeepers and residents create floats
for what's dubbed the village's biggest
annual event. The parade moves down
North Carolina Highway 12 from Capt.
Ben's Restaurant through Ocracoke Village. The evening ends with a gala fireworks display at Lifeguard Beach.
Ocracokers say it's the best Fourth of July
celebration on the Outer Banks.
Manteo Independence Day Celebration
Manteo
(252) 473-1101
Activities run from 1:00 to 9:00 P.M. and
include a Wacky Tacky Hat Contest, children's games, food and other concessions,
musical entertainment, and a street dance
from 6:00 to 9:00 P.M., when a fireworks
display begins. The event is free.
Fireworks in Hatteras Village
Hatteras Village
(252) 986-2719
The fireworks sponsored by the Hatteras
Village Civic Association and the Volunteer
Fire Department start at 8:30 P.M.at ramp
55 in the village. There is no admission fee.
Fireworks Festival and Fair
Whalehead Club, NC 12, Corolla
(252) 453-9040
The historic hunt club is the backdrop for
the fireworks and fair that begin at 6:00
and run to 11:00 P.M.The Currituck County
Board of Commissioners and the Corolla
Business Association host this event.
Expect fun, food, live musical entertainment, and, of course, pyrotechnics galore.
Admission is free.
Annual Wright Kite Festival
Wright Brothers National Memorial
US 158, MP 8, Kill Devil Hills
(252) 441-4124, (800) 334-4777
This mid-July family event involves kite
flying for all ages and also includes free
kite-making workshops, stunt kite demos,
and children's games. The event, sponsored by Kitty Hawk Kites and the
National Park Service, has been held every
year since 1978. You can watch for free.
Adults are invited to participate in kite
contests. Call for fees.
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Hatteras Island Arts and Crafts Guild
Cape Hatteras Elementary School
NC 12, Buxton
(252) 441-1850
This craft show on August 1 and 2 features local artists. This is a juried show and offers fine pottery, stained glass, jewelry, fine art, photographs, etc. Hours
are 10:00 A.M.to 4:00 P.M. both days and
admission is free.
Annual Herbert Hoover
Birthday Celebration
Manteo Booksellers
Sir Walter Raleigh Street, Manteo
(252) 473-1221
On August 10, browse through this superb
bookstore, taste three cakes (each one
inscribed with "Happy," "Birthday," or "Herbie"), sip some famous "Herbert Sherbert"
punch, and chat with Hoover fans at this
tongue-in-cheek free event. The reason for
the fun? It's purely for the sake of having a
celebration. The day includes a book signing. Look for a special display of Hoover
memorabilia. Come eat, drink, and think
Herbert Hoover!
Annual Senior Adults Craft Fair
Thomas A. Baum Center
300 Mustian Street, Kill Devil Hills
(252) 441-9388
Local senior citizens provide the crafts for
this community project sponsored by the
Outer Banks Women's Club. It's been a
tradition for more than 25 years. Admission is $1.00.
Alice Kelly Memorial Ladies Only
Billfish Tournament
Pirate's Cove Yacht Club
Manteo-Nags Head Causeway, Manteo
(252) 473-6800, (800) 367-4728
www.fishpiratescove.com
The tournament, sponsored by Pirate's
Cove since 1989, honors the memory of
local fishing enthusiast Alice Kelly, who
died in her 30s from Hodgkin's disease.
Kelly was a high-spirited woman whose
love for fishing inspired many local
women to try (and fall in love with) the
sport. Women form teams and arrange for
charter boats to carry them out to sea.
The tournament occurs in early August.
The 2006 entry fee is $400.
Pirate's Cove Billfish Tournament
Pirate's Cove Yacht Club
Manteo-Nags Head Causeway, Manteo
(252) 473-6800, (800) 367-4728
www.fishpiratescove.com
Pirate's Cove Yacht Club has hosted a billfish release tournament every August since
1983. Contenders fish for several days to
catch and release the largest billfish. A
meat fish (tuna, dolphin, and wahoo) category, in which a prize is awarded for the
largest catch, adds to the fun. The tournament is an official part of the N.C. Governor's Cup Billfish Series and occurs
mid-month. Call for entry-fee information.
New World Festival of the Arts
Manteo
(252) 473-2838
This mid-August event brings downtown
Manteo alive with art every year. The outdoor two-day show features more than 80
artists showcasing fine art and crafts,
including pottery, jewelry, paintings, and
more. Outdoor booths and tents line the
historic waterfront, attracting visitors who
return each year looking for their favorite
artists, free of admission. It's held on
August 16 and 17 in 2006.
Virginia Dare Birthday Celebration
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Visitor Center
US 64/264, Roanoke Island
(252) 473-2127
This event, held August 18, commemorates
the birth of Virginia Dare, the first English
child born in the New World. The celebration features a daylong series of special
happenings. Past events featured performances by members of the cast of The Lost
Colony and demonstrations of arms from
that period in history. Call the National
Park Service for details. This event is free.
The Elizabethan Gardens, right next to
Fort Raleigh, honors Virginia Dare's birthday by offering free admission to the gardens on this day and a free play about
Queen Elizabeth and Sir Walter Raleigh.
Virginia Dare Night Performance
of The Lost Colony
Waterside Theatre
US 64/264, Roanoke Island
(252) 473-3414, (800) 488-5012
www.thelostcolony.org
On August 18, The Lost Colony celebrates
Virginia Dare's 1587 birth by casting local
infants in the role of baby Virginia. This
makes for a special and spontaneous performance; usually baby Virginia is played
by a doll. (For details on the famous outdoor drama, see our Attractions chapter.)
National Aviation Day
Wright Brothers National Memorial
US 158, MP 8, Kill Devil Hills
(252) 441-7430
www.nps.gov/wrbr/
Explore planes galore at this free mid-
August event. Aviation enthusiasts enjoy
viewing about 25 different types of single-
engine aircraft ranging from the antique
to modern-day models. The schedule is
not firm until a few days before the event
so weather conditions can be taken into
consideration. Past events have included a
flyover with Air Force and Navy planes,
jets from Langley Field, and the Blue
Angels. The day's festivities include free
admission to the memorial.
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