| |
Lighthouse Society Meet
August 2004
Outer Banks Lighthouse Society
The Outer Banks Lighthouse Society has announced its Eighth Annual Keeper's Dinner and Weekend Events to be held at Cape Lookout between October 21st and October 23rd, 2004.
The three day event will offer tours of Portsmouth Island, Beaufort Maritime Museum, Cape Lookout Lighthouse and Core Sound Waterfowl Museum. The events are open to members of the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society and to non-members. The deadline for reservations is October 15th. A printable copy of the Agenda and Registration Form is available in pdf format
 [here]. To register complete the form and mail it to the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society, Betty Parrish, 6625 Candlewood Drive, Charlotte, NC 28210
Lighthouse Schedule
April 2004
Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce
The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse opened to the public on Friday April 9, 2004. Entrance to the lighthouse will be on a scheduled tour basis. The lighthouse will be open through the fall.
Old Glory © Bruce Roberts
The "Old Glory" flag, with 15 stars and stripes, was the first American flag raised at Cape Hatteras in 1803. It flew over the lighthouse again October 18, 2003 in honor of 200 Years of Light at Cape Hatteras. The Outer Banks Lighthouse Society co-sponsored the event with the National Park Service.
Lighthouse tours will begin at 9 a.m. daily and will run every 10 minutes until 5 p.m. with a limit of 30 visitors per tour. The last tour of the day will begin at 4:50 p.m. Tour fees are $6.00 for adults and $3.00 for senior citizens (62 or older), children (12 and under), and those holding Golden Access passes. From Memorial Day, May 31 through Labor Day, September 6, the Lighthouse will be open until 6 p.m. with the last tour beginning at 5:50 p.m.
Upon purchase, each visitor will receive a ticket indicating the date and time of their tour. Visitors should line up at the lighthouse gate five minutes before their tour time and present their tickets for entry.
The ticket booth at the lighthouse will open at 8:15 a.m. daily. Tickets will be available on a first come, first served basis, are sold only at the ticket booth on site, and are available for the day of purchase only. Advance ticket sales are not available to the public or commercial tours. Tours will likely sell out by noon each day, so visitors should plan to arrive early to purchase their tickets. Annual passes will not be sold this year.
Some tours may be booked in advance for school groups. These tours will be limited to 10:00, 10:20, and 10:40 a.m. and 2:00, 2:20 and 2:40 p.m. School group tours can be scheduled by calling the Hatteras Island Visitor Center between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily at (252) 995-4474. Educational fee waiver requests must be submitted in advance to: Fee Manager, National Park Service, Outer Banks Group, 1401 National Park Drive, Manteo, NC 27954.
"To show the park's appreciation to the community, no tour fees will be charged on the opening day, Friday, April 9," stated Lawrence A. Belli, Superintendent, Outer Banks Group. Tour tickets must still be picked up at the lighthouse fee booth for Friday April 9 tours. As with most days, available tours on Friday April 9 will likely fill up by noon that day.
Cape Lookout Light Station © Bruce Roberts
The 1859 Cape Lookout Light Station is located on remote Core Sound Banks Island. The lighthouse was designed by Lt. W.H.C. Whiting, Army Corps Engineer based in Wilmington, NC, who became a captain during the Civil War and died following the battle of Ft. Fisher. Its height reached skyward over 150 feet, making it one of the courntry's first tall, coastal lights built of double-wall brick construction. It survived the Civil War though its companion 1812 tower was destroyed. The repaired first order Fresnel lens was reinstalled in 1867 and it was fitted with iron spiral stairs. It was painted in black and white diamonds, then called "checkers," in 1873. The Cape Lookout Lighthouse survived Hurricane Isable in September 2003 but the coal shed, the small building in front of the keeper's quarters, was blown over and subsequently removed. The ruins of the 1812 lighthouse are still evident adjacent to the current lighthouse.
Currituck Beach Lighthouse © Bruce Roberts
The Currituck Beach Lighthouse was conveyed to permanent stewards, Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc. on October 17, 2003, following an application and review process under the auspices of the Department of the Interior. The lighthouse, keepers' quarters and grounds are beautifully restored and ranked as one of the best restoration projects in America.
| |
New 511 NC Travel Service
August 25, 2004
Effective August 25, 2004 North Carolina travelers can dial 511 for information about road conditions and traffic delays caused by accidents or bad weather. The new toll free service is available statewide 24 hours a day and uses speech-recognition technology to retrieve information from the North Carolina Department of Transportation Web site database converting it to speech [http://www.ncsmartlink.org]. Travelers verbally respond to options presented by the system and are led by a 'drill-down' process to the information they seek.
Dial 511 is free unless your mobile telephone service charges you for the call. When you connect, you receive a greeting and you may hear an urgent message such as a statewide weather emergency, an Amber Alert or information about a wreck that has shut down a major highway.
Several options are offered by 511:
Public Transportation Information including ferry and rail services. If you ask about ferry service, you will be automatically connected to the NCDOT-Ferry Division number 1-800-BY-FERRY where you can make a reservation or check departure and arrival schedules.
Other Services Department of Transportation customer service, tourism information, the Division of Motor Vehicles
Other States A connection to the 511 service for Virginia's Interstate 81 corridor with more states added in the future
Highway Information about weather, accidents or construction that could affect traffic on highways within North Carolina.
North Carolina established 511 service with an initial federal grant and hopes to expand the program with additional funding. Future plans call for providing service in Spanish, adding Highway Patrol trooper reports and information about city street construction and transit services.
Excerpts from The News & Observer by staff writer Bruce Siceloff -
August 25, 2004
Summer 2004 Highlights
July 2004
Outer Banks
COMPLETE CALENDAR OF EVENTS See the complete calendar of events here. A small sampling of events are provided below.
THROUGH NOVEMBER - PEA ISLAND VISITOR CENTER Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
Pea Island Visitor Center is open 9-4 daily from March through November and week-ends (Thu thru Sun) during the winter months. Both Pea Island and Alligator River wildlife trails are open year round during daylight hours.252-473-1131 x230/473-1668.
THROUGH SEPTEMBER - NC MARITIME MUSEUM WORKSHOPS
NC Maritime Museum Workshops, Roanoke Island
Workshops from February-September. Call 252-475-1750.
DAILY PROGRAMS - ROANOKE ISLAND FESTIVAL PARK History, Arts and Fun-All Rolled Into One!, Roanoke Island Festival Park
Daily programs aboard Elizabeth II, celebrating 20th anniversary! Docudrama in The Film Theatre-“The Legend of Two-Path”. Art shows in The Art Gallery & A fossil pit. Call (252) 475-1506.
SEPTEMBER 11 - 20th ANNUAL OUTER BANKS TRIATHLON Manteo
Run, Bike, Swim Competition beginning at 8:00 am at the Ole' Swimming Hole behind the NC Aquarium. Individuals and teams welcome. Frank Staley, Race Director (252)480-0500, frank.staley@darevolunteercenter.org
SEPTEMBER 18 - CLASSIC MOTH BOAT EVENT " A Day on the River: Featuring the Classic Moth Boat", Elizabeth City
Presented by the Museum of the Albemarle and the Pasqutank River Yacht Club with be the 16th annual moth boat regatta at the downtown waterfront.There will be many great family and children's activites starting at 11am. For more, call 252-335-1453.
SEPTEMBER 25th - DEDICATION OF ROANOKE MARSHES LIGHTHOUSE Dedication of Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse and the Creef- Davis Boathouse, Manteo
Be sure to be in the Town of Manteo as they dedicate the new Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse and the newly renovated Creef-Davis Boathouse. Festivities to include a community cookout.
OCTOBER 1st - FIRST FRIDAY CELEBRATION Manteo
Every first Friday of the month is a celebration in Manteo! Come out from 6-8pm with specials and surprises around every corner. Special concerts and activities are scheduled for all ages.
 | Outer Banks
At A Glance |
Staff Report
FACTS
OUTER BANKS, NC
Here's where to find the Outer Banks basics:
Current Weather and Forecasts
Outer Banks Calendar of Events
Outer Banks Sportfishing Reports
Outer Banks Ferry Schedules
Directions to the Outer Banks
Map of the Outer Banks
Tour the Outer Banks Lighthouses
The Outer Banks Lighthouse Collection
Outer Banks Shopping Directory
Requests .. Vacation Guides, Travel Guides, Accommodations, etc.
Currituck Beach Lighthouse Stairs © Bruce Roberts
The iron spiral stairs at the Currituck Beach Lighthouse hug the contour of the inner brick wall. Akin to the inside of a nautilus shell, the symmetry of the ascending stairs is striking. This lighthouse and the one at Bodie Island are built from identical plans. Army Corps Engineer and later fifth district U.S. Lighthouse engineer Peter C. Hains was present during the completion of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in 1870 and supervised the construction of Bodie Island Lighthouse 1870-72 and Currituck Beach, completed in 1875. Hains was later famous for dredging the Potomac River and creating the park lands upon which the Lincoln Memorial is located. Hains Point is named for him.
|
|
Return to North Carolina's Outer Banks homepage.
Return to the Outer Banks Shopping Village