Annual Events | Insiders' Guide® North Carolina's Outer Banks, 26th Edition

		September The Allison White Marlin Release Tournament Pirate's Cove Yacht Club Manteo-Nags Head Causeway, Manteo (252) 473-6800, (800) 537-7245 www.fishpiratescove.com Since 1992, The Allison has raised funds for disabled kids. Travel offshore to the infamous Outer Banks fishing grounds and search for billfish and other pelagic species. All billfish caught are released. Bait and tackle are provided. The event takes place the first weekend in September. There are four categories; entry in Category 1 ($1,000) is mandatory. Costs for the other categories are $500 for Category 2, $500 for Category 3 (which is the pool for the daily prize), and $500 for Category 4 (the prize for the largest meat fish). Call for more information. Weeping Radish Restaurant and Brewery Oktoberfest US 64/264, Manteo (252) 473-1157 www.weepingradish.com The Weeping Radish hosts Oktoberfest the second week of September. Expect a family-oriented outdoor celebration featuring Bavarian-style food, an oompah band, children's games, specially brewed German beer, and a chance to win a trip to Germany. There is no admission fee. Outer Banks Triathlon Roanoke Island (252) 480-0500 www.darevolunteercenter.org An Outer Banks tradition since 1984, triatheletes compete in early September. Entrants swim 0.6 mile, run 3.1 miles, and bike 15 miles. The swimming segment is held at the Old Swimming Hole at the north end of Roanoke Island. Individuals can participate in all three events, or a team of three can split up the events. The entry fee for individuals is about $50 for Triathlon USA members and $60 for nonmembers. Team entries are $135 for Triathlon USA members and $165 for nonmembers. The event is limited to 330 participants. Kitty Hawk Kites Annual Boomerang Competition First Flight Middle School, Kill Devil Hills (252) 441-2124, (877) FLY-THIS www.kittyhawk.com Boomers from across the nation flock to the Outer Banks for this competition of the U.S. Boomerang Association. Novice throwers are welcome to compete, as are observers. Boomerang workshops are held on Sunday. Hatteras Village Civic Association Surf Fishing Tournament Hatteras Village Civic Center NC 12, Hatteras Village (252) 986-2579 Since 1982, surf-fishing fans have met the third week in September for this tournament. Anglers fish for a wide variety of eligible species, including drum, bluefish, trout, and more. Call for registration fees and information. ESA Eastern Surfing Championships Location varies (800) 937-4733 www.surfesa.org Competition is open to Eastern Surfing Association members only, but it's an exciting and free spectator event. Watch as surfers grab their boards and head to the ocean to pit their skills against the waves and their fellow competitors. For more information, write to Box 400, Buxton, NC 27920. Wildfest Manteo Middle School US 64/264, Manteo (252) 441-8144 Wildfest is an exciting family event. Kids get to learn about wildlife and wildlands in a fun way. Kids build birdhouses, make kites, compete in a critter-calling contest, identify animal tracks, see a live alligator, study bird beaks, make leaf prints, and participate in an environmental scavenger hunt. There's also face painting, games, photos with Smokey Bear and other animals, and a chance to see live animals. There's no fee to enter, but some activities may have a small charge. It's held from 10:00 A.M.to 2:00 P.M. Kitty Hawk Heritage Day Celebration The Promenade US 158, MP 1/4, Kitty Hawk (252) 261-3552 This daylong festival at the end of September is great fun for everyone. Numerous food vendors, 30 crafters, children's events and games, local entertainers and singers, and a heritage display about Kitty Hawk are just some of the fun festival fare you'll find here. All of The Promenade's activity facilities are open throughout the day. It's sponsored by the town of Kitty Hawk, so call the town office at the number above for dates, rain dates, and times. Since parking is limited, a shuttle bus runs from the Wal-Mart parking lot to The Promenade. OBX Surf Sport Competition Kitty Hawk Kites Surfing School US 158, MP 15, Nags Head (252) 441-0265, (252) 207-1639 www.kittyhawk.com Kitty Hawk Kites sponsors this event, which includes multilevel kiteboard and surf kayak competitions. Both amateurs and professionals demonstrate their skills and celebrate with food and fun. Participants compete for products and cash prizes. The 2006 competition will be held September 23 and 24.
		October North Carolina Big Sweep Dare County beaches (800) 27-SWEEP www.ncbigsweep.org This is a local waterway cleanup that's hooked into a statewide and national event. Trash picking runs from 9:00 A.M.to 1:00 P.M. on the first Saturday in October. Folks have cleaned the waterways since 1986, performing their civic duty. Obviously, it's free. Call the above number for more information. Nags Head Surf Fishing Club Invitational Tournament Nags Head (252) 441-5464 The Nags Head Surf Fishing Club's tournament celebrated its 55th year in 2005. Team fishing, held on a Thursday and Friday in early October, is usually booked solid for years. But participants are welcome to fish the individual tournament on Saturday from 8:00 A.M.to noon. Outer Banks Homebuilders Association's Parade of Homes Homes from Corolla to South Nags Head and Manteo (252) 449-8232 www.obhomebuilders.org The OBHA opens new and remodeled homes to the public for this early October event. It costs $10 to tour about 20 participating homes. Proceeds are donated to local charities. Artrageous Art Extravaganza Weekend Dare County Arts Council Dare County Recreation Park Mustian Street, Kill Devil Hills (252) 473-5558 www.darearts.org Artrageous, started in 1990, is a community art festival and auction sponsored by the Dare County Arts Council the first weekend in October. Children and adults are invited to spend Saturday painting, weaving, and creating various arts and crafts. All art supplies are provided. Listen to local musicians young and old, eat tasty food, and witness art in the making by professionals. Artists sell their wares. Collaborative paintings by children are auctioned on Saturday; a more formal adult auction, complete with hors d'oeuvres and cocktails, takes place on Sunday. Saturday's events do not require an admission fee. Average price for booth activities is $1.00. The Sunday evening auction is held at varying locations; call for details. The Beach Book Cover Art Competition Sea and Sounds Gallery 104 Sir Walter Raleigh Street, Manteo (252) 473-5558 www.darearts.org The Dare County Arts Council and The Beach Book hold this annual art show and competition in order to select the cover art for the local phone directory. Local judges select the winning piece, but visitors vote on the People's Choice award. The winner gets his or her work of art on thousands of copies of the phone book plus on a billboard in Currituck. Call the Dare County Arts Council for entry information. Submissions hang in the gallery throughout the month of October. Outer Banks Stunt Kite Competition Jockey's Ridge State Park US 58, MP 12, Nags Head (252) 441-4124, (800) FLY-THIS www.kittyhawk.com Entrants compete on the Eastern League Circuit of the American Kiting Association. The program features novice, intermediate, and expert challenges, as well as workshops and demos. Kids enjoy making kites. Music, kite ballet competitions, and team train competitions highlight the sanctioned event. Registration and competition fees are charged to competitors. Carolista Music Festival Roanoke Island Festival Park, Manteo (252) 473-5121 www.carolistamusicfestival.com This annual event benefits the Outer Banks Hotline, a nonprofit organization that offers community support and crisis intervention. The festival honors the memory of Carolista Baum, a Nags Head woman who saved Jockey's Ridge from destruction in the 1970s. The festival is billed as a celebration of many strong and beautiful women and the men who love and respect them. Well-known musical acts headline the mid-October event, which also includes an artisans' marketplace, a red-tent healing pavilion, kids' activities, and food. Admission is $15; children younger than age 12 are admitted free with a paying adult. The gates open at 1:00 P.M. Red Drum Tournament Frank and Fran's Fisherman's Friend NC 12, Avon (252) 995-4171 Two hundred anglers fish the surf and try to catch the largest red drum during this late October event, sponsored by the popular Avon tackle shop. Fees are about $100 per person. Limited space is available for this three-day tournament. Kelly's/Penguin Isle Charity Golf Tournament US 158, MP 15, Nags Head Currituck Club, Corolla (252) 441-4116 Six-person teams play 18 holes for charity during late October. Proceeds benefit the Outer Banks Community Foundation. Fees per team generally run around $500. Teach's Lair Shootout King Mackerel Tournament Teach's Lair Marina, NC 12 Hatteras Village (252) 986-2460 In this Hatteras Village tournament, anglers try their luck in capturing the largest king mackerel at the end of October or early November. Entry fees range from $300 to $350. The tournament is open to the public. Octoberfest at Frisco Woods Campground Frisco Woods Campground NC 12, Frisco (252) 995-5208 Here's a great way to enjoy autumn on the Outer Banks and contribute to the community's Meals On Wheels program. Octoberfest events include a pig pickin' with all the trimmings, live music, crafts, a bake sale, and a rummage sale. Admission is free to this late-October event. Donations to the charitable cause are welcome.
		November Wings Over Water Festival Many Outer Banks locations (252) 441-8144 www.northeast-nc.com/wings/ Wings Over Water is a celebration of the Outer Banks's wonderful wildlife and wildlands. It offers a number of activities for those who want to learn more about this enchanting natural area. You select the field trips, programs, and seminars that interest you the most and then get an inside look at the various ecological settings and wildlife of the Outer Banks. For example, go on guided bird-watching trips at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, one of the most popular fall birding sites in the southeast. Check out shorebirds at Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, or visit Buxton Woods and Nags Head Woods with a naturalist. Kayak or canoe into a salt marsh, motor out to the waters of the Gulf Stream to look at pelagic birds, or travel to Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, where eagles and raptors and wintering birds are common. Explore the swamp of Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge looking for bears, or listen to red wolves howl. Climb Jockey's Ridge at night to look at the stars, or paddle Milltail Creek by moonlight. Take a photography seminar, learn about coastal geography, or hear about the plight of the snow goose. There is such an enormous list of activities that this is only the tip of the iceberg. All programs charge a moderate fee. For information or to register for the event, call the number above or visit the Web site, where there's an online registration form. This event is held in early November. Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church Bazaar & Auction 300 Ananias Dare Street, Manteo (252) 473-2089 For this event, the church is filled with all sorts of goodies, including books, kitchenware, antiques, and baked treats. Get there early-this is a very popular event. Browse table after table covered with exciting finds-something old, something new. The day features a late afternoon/ early evening auction. There's no charge. Manteo Rotary Rockfish Rodeo Roanoke Island Festival Park, Manteo (252) 473-4268 www.rockfishrodeo.com Whether you call them rockfish, striped bass, or stripers, the fish can win you big money and help a good cause in this tournament. Participants fish in the sound or ocean from 6:00 A.M.to 3:00 P.M. and bring one fish back to the weigh station. Trophies are given to the top four winners in the ocean and sound categories, and the top winner can win up to $5,000. All nonfishing events and the weigh-in are held at Roanoke Island Festival Park. Registration, a social hour, and an anglers' rule meeting are held Friday night. Saturday it's fishing, the weigh-in, and an awards dinner. Manteo Rotary, the sponsor of this event, uses the profits to give college scholarships to local youth, and they have granted over $90,000 to students because of this tournament. North Carolina Storytelling Festival Roanoke Island Festival Park (252) 475-1500 www.roanokeisland.com The North Carolina Storytelling Guild and Roanoke Island Festival Park join together to bring this festival. Be prepared to hear fantastic tales and legends from around the world, with sessions for children and for adults. Several professional storytellers will tell tales thoughout the day. Held annually in early November, a nominal fee is charged to festivalgoers. Cape Hatteras Anglers Club Individual Surf Fishing Tournament Buxton (252) 995-4253 The Cape Hatteras Anglers Club sponsors a one-day individual surf-fishing tournament in mid-November. Registration is held at the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club in Buxton, and fishing takes place from 8:00 A.M.to noon. Prizes are awarded. Chowder Cookoff and Oyster Roast Seagate North Shopping Center US 158, MP 5 1/2, Kill Devil Hills (252) 441-6600 This annual event is all about eating. Local amateur cooks and professional chefs compete for prizes for best seafood chowder and best nonseafood chowder, but you get all the rewards by tasting them all for just $10. Standard chowders are offered, but some cooks get pretty creative. There's also an oyster roast and hamburgers and hot dogs. Beer, wine, soda, and water are available. This event is quite popular with hungry locals. It's always held in mid-November on a Sunday afternoon, usually the second or third weekend. To enter as a competitor you must register early, pay a $25 entry fee, and bring at least six gallons of chowder. All proceeds benefit local charities. Kitty Hawk Fire Department Turkey Shoot & Pig Pickin' The Promenade, US 158, MP 1 Kitty Hawk (252) 261-2666 This Kitty Hawk Fire Department-sponsored event, first held in 1980, usually happens in mid-November but dates may vary, so call ahead. It's a major fund-raiser for the firefighters. The fee includes the turkey shoot, annual auction and dinner, and pig pickin'. Fire department personnel also have fun events for kids. Call closer to the event date for more information. Hatteras Island Arts and Crafts Guild Cape Hatteras Elementary School NC 12, Buxton (252) 441-1850 This holiday show on November 24 and 25 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. Christmas Arts & Crafts Show Kitty Hawk Elementary School, Kitty Hawk (252) 261-3196 The two-day show, held in late November, is sponsored by the Outer Banks Women's Club. Expect to see a wide variety of crafts, including woodworking, pottery, dolls, and more. Admission is $1.00. Advice 5K Annual Turkey Trot Duck (252) 255-1050 www.advice5.com Pump up your Thanksgiving Day appetite with an early morning 5K run. This annual, nonsanctioned 3.1-mile run starts at Advice 5¢ behind Scarborough Lane Shops in Duck and ends at the Red Sky Cafe/Village Wine Shop, where everyone gathers for a raffle and to see the winners. The top male and female runners win a pumpkin pie. This is a lively event, kicking off your holiday. Walkers and runners are welcome, and no one is expected to take it too seriously. Register early by calling the number above, or register in person at the Red Sky Cafe on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day. There is no race- day registration. The entry fee is $20. Kites with Lights Jockey's Ridge State Park, Nags Head (252) 441-4124 Stunt kites are strung with lights, creating a magical, multicolored nighttime scene. The kites fly sky high, dancing to traditional Christmas carols. Climbing up Jockey's Ridge at night is fun, especially when you're treated with a show like this at the top. Christmas carols, hot apple cider, and cookies make it more fun. This event is held in late November. It's free and begins at sunset. Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station Christmas Lighting Rodanthe (252) 987-1552 This classic lifesaving station looks absolutely stunning when decorated for the holidays with lights, greenery, and ribbons. In late November when the building is decorated in its finery, the folks at Chicamacomico have a daylong celebration and open house.
		December Lighting of the Town Tree and Christmas Parade Manteo (252) 475-5629 Manteo and Dare County get ready for the holidays over the first weekend in December with events for the whole family. On Friday evening, the big town tree, right on the waterfront next to the Tranquil House Inn, is lit about 6:30 P.M.The event is accompanied by carols, a yule log, cake, and hot chocolate. It's a good place to gather and get in the holiday spirit. On Saturday morning a hometown parade rambles through the streets of downtown Manteo. Kids love watching the floats, bands, dancers, local organizations, and, of course, Santa. Afterward, celebrate with food, holiday crafts, entertainment, and a chance to visit with Santa at the waterfront. We like to go to the parade then early Christmas shop in downtown Manteo. Christmas at Roanoke Island Festival Park Manteo (252) 475-1506 (24-hour events line) This beautiful cultural center is alive in December with plenty of good cheer. Expect concerts, sing-alongs, children's performances, and a sale in the Museum Store. Call the events line for holiday offerings. Outer Banks Hotline's Festival of Trees (252) 473-5121 Since 1988, this popular auction and fund- raiser has taken place in early December. Businesses and individuals donate fully decorated Christmas trees and other holiday items to be auctioned and delivered to buyers. Proceeds benefit Hotline's crisis intervention program and needy families in the area. Past trees have been decorated with Beanie Babies, handwoven tapestry wear and accessories, and CDs. The festive event includes several days of celebrations. Call the Hotline office for location and ticket information. Man Will Never Fly Memorial Society International Annual Seminar and Awards Program Comfort Inn South NC 12, MP 17, Nags Head (800) 334-4777 This tongue-in-cheek organization tries to prove every year that man never really flew and abides by the motto "Birds Fly, Men Drink." The banquet is held annually the night before the anniversary of the first flight and is open to the public. The food is prepared buffet-style and features meat as well as seafood. Call for ticket and reservation information. Wright Brothers Anniversary of First Flight Wright Brothers National Memorial US 158, MP 8, Kill Devil Hills (252) 441-7430, (800) 334-4777 On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright made their first successful flights before a handful of local residents. This event is celebrated every year on December 17, in the exact same place where those flights occurred. Bands play and planes fly as the monumental events of the Wright brothers are recalled. Speakers generally include military personnel, local dignitaries, and individuals who have dedicated their lives to the advancement of flight technology. A portrait of the year's induction to the First Flight Society is unveiled. There is no charge. Icarus International Art Show Glenn Eure's Ghost Fleet Gallery 210 East Driftwood Street, Nags Head (252) 441-6584 Seaside Art Gallery NC 12, MP 11, Nags Head This international art show, started in 1993, carries the theme of the mystery and beauty of flight. Each year a specific flight-related theme is chosen, and artists submit original art in all genres to compete for a multitude of top-dollar prizes. The art is displayed through the month of December at two Nags Head galleries. A children's component is included at another location. Call the listed numbers to get on the mailing list. Children enter for free. Adult entries run between $10 and $15. A commission is taken for sold work by Icarus International, a nonprofit group. A literary competition is held on the same theme as the visual arts competition every year. The chapbook of juried entries is published in December.