Ocracoke Alive April Activities . . . Ocrafolk Festival Sponsorships/Pre-sales, Deepwater Theater Summer Shows, Skipjack Wilma Lee News, Ocracoke Arts Week.

As we move closer to the summer season, we have been working hard at Ocracoke Alive to ensure this summer is full of education, entertainment, fun and hijinks. We are excited to include in this newsletter a summary of Arts Week at Ocracoke School, as well as information about the Ocrafolk Festival, Deepwater Theater, the Skipjack Wilma Lee and programs being offered from June through August! We are also working on fabulous new merchandise for this year. By purchasing Ocracoke Alive items (1) through our website, (2) on island at our new shop at Ocracoke Alive’s Deepwater Theater, or (3) at one of our many island events, you will be supporting great Ocracoke Alive activities. As always, we are committed to creating community programming that benefits both locals and visitors to our beautiful island home. Keep reading to hear our exciting summer news, and thank you for being a part of our Ocracoke Alive family!

Ocrafolk Festival 2016

In just two months we will be celebrating another Ocrafolk Festival and sharing our memories with family and friends. Ocrafolk music fans will be listening to newly purchased albums and reminiscing about the creative energy that streamed from live-oak-canopied performers on stage. We will be hoping those songs can hold us over for a year until the next festival. Lucky for us, it’s still April and we are just starting to feel the buzz of excitement becoming real as we edge closer to June!

Ocrafolk Festival Sponsorships

 Our “gate free” Ocrafolk Festival depends upon the generosity of patrons like yourself! We work hard to create an event worthy of your love and you can do your part to make sure we can keep this Ocracoke home town ($65,000) event healthy into the future.

This year, consider becoming even more a part of the festival family by becoming a sponsor. We’ve updated our selection of sponsor options, and you can visit our website to become a Stellar Soloist, Performer Sponsor, Premier Sponsor, or something in between. You will receive cool rewards (T-shirts, Mugs, etc), and the biggest prize of all, that you made this year’s festival happen! Visit www.ocracokealive.org/sponsor-ocrafolk.html to find out more, or view our 2016 Ocrafolk Festival Sponsorship pdf.

Ocrafolk Festival Pre-purchases (Deadline April 30)

 Arrgg! I arrived on the Ocrafolk festival scene and just missed getting the last Ocrafolk Festival T-shirt (mug/totebag/etc) in my favorite color!

Don’t let this happen to you! Prepurchase your festival goodies from our Ocracoke Alive shopping cart, and have them waiting for you when you arrive at the festival!

Art thou an Artist? Donate your Artwork to the Ocrafolk Festival 50/50 Art Auction! Support the event and yourself!

Each year we hold an Art Auction Fundraiser that brings excitement to both locals and visitors alike. Past auction items have included paintings, photography, clothing, jewelry, quilts, furniture, and even restaurant and entertainment packages. Local artists and businesses, as well as festival artisans and off-island participants donate these. This year, the auction will be 50/50 format for artist donors who will receive 50% of the proceeds from the sale of their item. Details at http://www.ocracokealive.org/auction.html. If you are an artist who would like to donate, please contact David at info@ocracokealive.org.

Ocracoke Alive’s Deepwater Theater & Music Hall

Spring-cleaning is in the air and we have been working on Deepwater Theater both inside and out. Painting, cleaning, planting, hammering, organizing our new shop space and writing new shows….wait! What was that last part? Deepwater Theater will have entertainment Monday, Wednesdays and Thursday nights all summer long! Purchase tickets for individual shows, or get a weekly discounted pass ($35) to see all three.  Ocracoke Alive receives a % of all ticket sales, so you can be entertained and contribute to our community mission! We strive to produce shows and programming that are enjoyable for children and adults alike, so bring the whole family! Visit our website for tickets and more information!

Blackbeard: An (Historical/Hysterical) Account (New in 2016!) 

Mondays, May 30-August 29,  7:30 pm.  This goofy and irreverent show examines pirate culture and the infamous Ocracoke character, presenting myths and history through song, dance, beard styling, duels, and audience participation. Think of a mashup between Saturday Night Live, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the History Channel and you’ve got the idea. Tickets $15 Adults/$5 Kids

Ocracoke Opry

Wednesdays at 8pm. One of the favorite family shows on the island, this is quite the Ocracoke event!  The evening is hosted by members of Molasses Creek and features a variety of music, stories, & theatrics.  Tickets $15 Adults/$7 Kids

Molasses Creek  

Thursdays at 8pm. If you have been to Ocracoke and have never seen Molasses Creek, this concert is a must! Legendary island musicians have been performing for 23 years and have just released their 16^th album. Join Gary, Fiddler Dave, and Kim for an evening of elegant harmonies and arrangements, stellar songwriting, blazing instrumentals, and quirky sense of humor have won loyal followers throughout the United States and around the world. Tickets $15 Adults/$7 Kids

Deepwater Theater Store Summer Schedule

Deepwater Theater will now be open afternoon hours during the week, June through August! Come visit us to learn about our organization and Ocracoke’s unique history, purchase tickets for shows, book an adventure on the Skipjack Wilma Lee, and purchase cool Ocracoke Alive merchandise (proceeds go towards our community programming). You might even observe a class or practice. Our next newsletter will include some exciting youth opportunities for June and July (ie. Summer Camps!), so check back in and come visit us!

We have some exciting new merchandise making its debut at the Deepwater Theater shop this summer. With festival gear and skipjack memorabilia, we will also be selling a new Ocracoke Alive t-shirt with features an Ocracoke treasure on the back (a recipe for our beloved fig cake)! By purchasing t-shirts, mugs, magnets, etc., not only do you have a keepsake of your Ocracoke trip, but you are also contributing to the work we do within our community.  

Skipjack Wilma Lee

The Skipjack Wilma Lee recently underwent some TLC to prepare it for its National Coast Guard inspection, which it passed with flying colors! With Captain Rob diving to clean the propellers and Tom Pahl inspecting the mast (all 65 feet of it!), the boat had its best inspection yet and is in great condition for the 2016 season. 

Education

The Wilma Lee is docked at the Community Square Docks on Ocracoke harbor and during the season we have weekly dockside talks. These talks are educational and entertaining, covering the history of the boat, Ocracoke sailing history, pirates, nautical lore, and more. This summer we are moving our talks to morning hours (to avoid midday heat and beach time hours) and may even include a short piratical play performed by our young actors from Ocracoke School of Performing Arts.

In our January/February blog we introduced Laura McClain as our newest recruit, working on Skipjack curriculum and implementation. Laura has been researching, studying, and working hard and we are looking forward to start test runs of our half-day programing to local and regional students this fall.  The content of these programs includes biology, conservation, art, history and of course, maritime fun.