Bodie Island Lighthouse Restoration

It is evident from Highway 12 that the Bodie Island Lighthouse is undergoing major renovations. What many may not know is that the restoration was uncertain until late summer of 2009 when the necessary funds for the restoration were secured. The estimated cost of the project is around $3 Million.

The famous light built in 1872 stands at 156 feet tall and is nestled in the marsh adjacent to Oregon Inlet.


The 1871 lens is being restored and will be reinstalled once the renovation is complete. In addition the work being performed includes iron work on the stairs, painting and electrical work.

A company based in Edenton, NC, Progressive Contracting Company, is the contractor providing the needed face lift. The work is estimated to take 18 months.

It's an interesting sight! I'm sure many passers by will take advantage of the moment to capture the image that is admired even as far away as Wanchese. A friend of ours and native 'cheeser says she watches it daily from her home...pretty cool!

2010 Taste of the Beach

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Quinn E. Capps /Capps Webster

252.480.3337

quinncapps@earthlink.net

"THE OUTER BANKS 2010 TASTE OF THE BEACH WEEKEND ~ MARCH 11-14, 2010

Outer Banks, NC (February 26, 2010) – The 2010 Outer Banks Taste of The Beach Weekend is right around the corner, March 11-14, 2010. The Outer Banks Restaurant Association (OBRA) has been hosting the Taste of The Beach for over 25 years and this is the third year of presenting The Outer Banks Taste of The Beach as a weekend long event. With over 50 individual events from Corolla to Manteo, ticket sales have already exceeded the 2009 event and several events have already sold out.

The event will feature National Television Biggest Loser Winners, Ed Brantley and Heba Salama, who will be hosting Healthy Eating / Healthy Living Classes. Other events throughout the weekend include wine tastings, cooking classes, special menu presentations, tapas crawls, brewery tours and an exciting array of creative combinations of culinary delights and fun activities on the Outer Banks, culminating with the Taste of The Beach Expo on Sunday, March 14^th at Pamlico Jack’s Pirate Hideaway located in Nags Head, North Carolina.

'Capitalizing on the honor of being named one of the Top Ten Seafood and Wine Festivals in the nation by Coastal Living magazine', notes OBRA President, Ben Sproul, 'the Association is aggressively promoting the 2010 Outer Banks Taste of The Beach Weekend outside of Dare County, as well as locally, to bring media and visitors to The Outer Banks for this extraordinary opportunity'.

Thanks to Identify Yourself and OBX Bank, new to the event this year is the OBX Taste of The Beach Company Store. This includes men’s and women’s T-shirts, aprons, ball caps, shot glasses, wine glasses, pint glasses, bumper stickers, and canvas tote bags. All tagged with the already famous tag line for the event “Food. Drink. Fun”. The quantities are all very limited and will be a must have for all attendees. Items will only be available at a few select events. To find out where the OBX Taste of The Beach Company Store will be during the weekend, visit www.obxtasteofthebeach.com.

The 2010 Taste of The Beach Weekend allows visiting and local foodies a chance to create a personalized itinerary of diverse culinary experiences and fun activities. Thanks to a Tourism Assistance Grant from the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, a robust marketing campaign – featuring Internet, print, social networking, radio and TV advertising - will lead a targeted audience to the new OBRA website, www.obxtasteofthebeach.com, where they will be able to browse and then choose from a wide array of activities over the four day weekend. In addition to seeing what events are taking place, they will be able to purchase their tickets online.

The Outer Banks has over 170 area restaurants that are rich in diversity and quality, and depending upon one's culinary mood, diners can treat themselves to everything from the excellent local seafood to Italian, Mexican, Southwestern, French and more. Several members of the Outer Banks Hotel Motel Association & the Outer Banks Association of Realtors are offering special Taste of The Beach weekend rates and packages over the long event weekend March 11 – 14, 2010. Their offers are also featured on the website.

For more information on the 2010 Taste of The Beach visit www.obxtasteofthebeach.com or send an email to info@obxtasteofthebeach.com ."

Jaffe House is BACK!!

The infamous Jaffe House is back on the rental market! This unique home designed and built by the renowned Architect Norman Jaffe is once again being managed by Vacation Traditions and will be available for rental June 5, 2010.

This home is listed on the website for Triangle Modernist Houses. Their website boasts:
"The Triangle area of North Carolina has the third largest concentration of modernist houses in America. We have more than anywhere else except Los Angeles and Chicago. Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH) is a nonprofit historical archive for preserving modernist residential design. We are an early-warning system for endangered modernist houses, an exclusive source for exciting modernist house tours, an extensive catalog of North Carolina and national residential architecture, and a community of knowledgeable advocates for modernist construction."

You can see the home using this link:
http://www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/statewide.htm

Third Annual Albemarle Green Building Seminar and Expo

Date: February 9, 2010
Contact Info:David Sybert 252-475-3663
For Immediate Release

College of The Albemarle and the UNC Coastal Studies Institute
to Host Third Annual Albemarle Green Building Seminar and Expo

Manteo, NC (February 11, 2010) -- On March 4, 2010 the College of The Albemarle Roanoke Island Campus will host a day of seminars that focus on sustainable practices, plus a free vendor expo exhibiting green technologies. This will be an all day event, starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. Now in its third year, this annual sustainable seminar hosted by the College of The Albemarle and the UNC Coastal Studies Institute offers individuals, families, builders and businesses the opportunity to learn about both the environmental and economic benefits that sustainable practices can provide.

The 2010 Albemarle Green Building Seminar will focus on topics such as residential and commercial alternative energy application, including solar and wind power, sustainable landscape design and the future of the sustainable economic market in Northeastern North Carolina. In addition, seminars will be offered on energy efficiency and weatherization, and the upcoming “green” job training opportunities available through new course offerings at the College of The Albemarle. Speakers for this event will include area experts, as well as builders and distributors that make use of current sustainable technologies. The goal of these seminars is to not only educate, but to make connections within the community for collaborative efforts in implementing some of these new technologies.

The cost to attend the sustainable seminars is $25 for preregistration before February 28, 2010, and $30 at the door. This cost includes lunch and entrance to both the seminars and the expo. The vendor expo will be open all day, with breaks worked into the agenda allowing participants adequate time to visit the expo. The vendor expo is free and open to the public, but does not include lunch or chance to win door prizes. Door prizes will be awarded throughout the day, with a grand prize of $250 awarded at 4 p.m. Vendors at the expo will display innovative sustainable technologies available in Northeastern North Carolina. For more information or to register as a vendor please visit http://csi.northcarolina.edu or call 252-475-3663.

Serendipity Rests...At Last!

It's official! Serendipity is now resting comfortably on its new pilings on E. Beacon Rd. Now...the race is on as the much anticipated completion date of 4/17 draws closer!

I had the pleasure of taking the personal tour with Mike Price, the Project Manager, this past Tuesday. He walked me through the house room by room with details of the work scheduled to be performed. It is going to be a fast and furious few months while they work to restore the exterior to the way it was in the movie Nights in Rodanthe with those infamous porches and blue shutters. The interior decorator is working feverishly on the replication of certain rooms focued on in the movie. The home oozes with character and these improvements will only add to the charm that has won the hearts of so many.

Pictures and information will be updated as we have them so please stay tuned...