Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation Fun Run

The Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation will have its sixth annual Fun Run on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 10:00 a.m. in Hatteras village. The rain date is October 11, 2009.

Registration will begin at 9:15 a.m. at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum near the ferry docks for the event, which is a 5k run – about 3.1 miles.

Participants can walk, run, or just join in for the fun and festivities in support of an organization that provides financial assistance to Hatteras Island cancer patients.

The festivities will include music, a climbing wall From Kitty Hawk Kites, a barbecue show-off with barbecue available by the container or sandwich, clam chowder by Coastal Blue restaurant, a hot dog stand and lemonade stand, a bake sale, raffles, prizes, face painting, and much more from local businesses and organizations.

The entry fee for the Fun Run is $25 for adults and $15 for children 18 and under. The entry fee includes a Fun Run T-shirt and water. Please fill out and return a form along with your entry fee to P.O. Box 421, Hatteras, NC 27943: Attn: Fun Run.

Entry Forms can be picked up at Island Convenience in Rodanthe, Spa Koru in Avon, Buxton Village Books in Buxton or The East Carolina Bank In Hatteras.

You can also enter the day of the race.

Day At The Docks in Hatteras Village

September 19th, 2009 was the 5th annual Day At The Docks in Hatteras Village. Always fun this event celebrates the working watermen of Hatteras Island. This year Day At The Docks was held along the waterfront from Oden's Dock to Village Marina. Along the walk, there were many things to see, do and eat! Working watermen were there to demonstrate their craft. You could see net tying, a pound net, the last working skip jack in North Carolina waters, the Ada Mae, along with commercial fishing boats, the charter fishermen, and the Coast Guard.

My family has been going to this event since the beginning, and every year brings something new. Our favorite event is the Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation chowder cook-off. Each year, local restaurants and individuals compete for the best chowder on the island. There are as many ways to make chowder, as there are people to eat it. This year was no exception. There were varieties of the traditional Hatteras Style clam chowder, seafood bisque and fish/crab chowder combos. Unfortunately, we never seem to get there early enough to sample all the chowders as some contestants run out early. After sampling, you get to vote for your favorite. Ours was hands down the Breakwater Restaurant. They made a creamy Tile fish, jalapeno and crab chowder. It was excellent. Second place went to Island Perks from Buxton with a traditional Hatteras (clear base) clam chowder. Third went to the Marlin Club with a Brie and crab chowder. Unfortunately for my family, that was one we were too late for. After that, if you were still hungry, the Methodist Women staff a booth with hot dogs, fish sandwiches and shrimp on a skewer.

After eating our way through the cook-off, there were plenty of activities for our son to do. Sam has participated in the Mullet toss, the blue crab races, the concrete marlin contest, jumping in the creek, fish print tee shirts, the leaky coast guard boat, and the kids fishing tournament. Obviously not places to wear your Sunday best, as the kids always come home smelling like fish. His favorite is the kids fishing tournament. This year, he and a few buddies forgot poles and decided to hand line. Sam caught many little Pin fish but the prize was for longest and heaviest, neither of which they had. After walking and playing around the docks, you can sit and listen to an array of musicians playing in the main area. The day wraps up with a Blessing of the Fleet in the harbor. It was a beautiful day, and as always everyone had lots of fun in Hatteras Village.


Blog entry by Suzie Scholten, Associate Broker, Midgett Realty.

Sea Glass

One of our favorite activities on Hatteras Island is beachcombing. After a big storm, you just never know what you may find out on the beach. When we moved here 8 years ago, we were big into collecting shells, all kinds and sizes, broken or whole. Then after hauling too many broken shells home, we decided that they had to be unique or whole to be worthy of a space in our "shell garden".

That rule still applies, but we now focus most of our attention on the hunt for sea glass. Sea glass comes in all colors and sizes. Green, brown and white are the most common colors to be found on the beaches here. For us to consider saving the piece, it has to be fully "cooked" which means, no sharp edges and a full smoky glaze, no shine, no clear glass. Red, yellow, orange and purple are some of the hardest and most rare to find. Blue is more common but is still a rush when found. All of these colors come in varying shades of the hue. In our family, we turn it into a contest to see who can find the most on any one-beach trip. And, when you find a piece you have to do the now famous "Sea Glass Dance". This involves holding the glass in the air, wiggling your rear end and chanting, "you ain't got no sea glass" to the other people on the beach. And yes, improper grammar applies or it does not count!

There are several books about sea glass that can help give you an idea of where a particular piece of glass may have come from. Glass with air bubbles typically are from very old bottles or windows. They could be hundreds of years old and have come from shipwrecks. The density of the color determines the age of the sea glass. For example, the deeper dark green of a piece, would indicate that it is older than a lighter green colored piece. Sometimes you can still read some of the raised logo from a Budweiser or the numbers on the bottom of a brown beer bottle. With plastics becoming more popular, sea glass collecting is becoming harder and we do not always find a piece while we are at the beach. Although we have jars full, the photo is of our box of special pieces. Each was collected for its color or shape. The yellow piece is our newest prize and was found while horseback riding in the cove on Mother's Day.

So next time you are out at the beach, especially at low tide, keep an eye to the ground for a flash of green or white and pick up some sea glass of your own!

Blog entry by Suzie Scholten, Associate Broker, Midgett Realty

Hatteras Island Prepares to Host 5th Annual Day at the Docks Celebration in September

Hatteras Island, North Carolina (July 19, 2009) - The 5th Annual “Day at the Docks: A Celebration of Hatteras Island Watermen” will take place Saturday, September 19, 2009, on the Hatteras village waterfront.

“The celebration this year promises to be the best ever,” said Lynne Foster, chairperson of the Day at the Docks planning committee.

The day brings local fishing families and island visitors together on the waterfront where commercial fishing boats, charter boats, and fishing gear are displayed.

Competitions, such as the concrete marlin, net hanging, and mullet toss contests, and the survival suit race, will run throughout the day.

“The contests always draw lots of competitors and many more spectators,” Foster said.

The fish identification game, children’s fishing contest, blue crab races, and other activities designed especially for children will return this year.

“We’re bringing back the very popular chowder cook-off as well as seafood cooking demonstrations, and we invite island cooks and chefs to contact us if they are interested in participating,” Foster said.

Day at the Docks gets underway at 10 am and runs until 5 pm. Guests are invited to observe workboats parade into the harbor for the Blessing of the Fleet at 6 pm.

There is no admission charge for the event.

For more information, visit www.dayatthedocks.org