Stuff Your Stockings with Ocrafolk Festival Early Bird Tickets! Holiday News and more from Ocracoke Alive.

Ocrafolk Festival 2019 Early Bird Tickets Released in Time for Holiday Gifting!              It’s hard to believe but the wheels are already turning for next year’s Ocrafolk Festival (June 7-9). We are in top secret discussion with our lineup for 2019 (not revealing any names yet), and have some great surprises in store for our 20thOcrafolk Festival celebration. Hope you can join us! We have just released Ocrafolk Early Bird Tickets online in time for stuffing the stockings of your Folkie Friends and Family. The Early Bird $50 All Weekend Pass price will be good through the end of April, at which point Early Bird Ticket prices will rise to $65 for the weekend. If you are only able to attend two days of Ocrafolk Festival and Saturday is one of those days, it will be most economical for you to purchase an Early Bird All Weekend Pass.   Your Festival Feedback Helps Shape Ocrafolk . . . Kids and Students 0-17 Years Old Free in 2019! Photo by Ann Ehringhaus We work really hard to gather your wise feedback and use it to inspire the crafting of Ocrafolk Festival. Thanks to everyone who responded to this year’s survey. One of the brilliant suggestions floated this year was to make Kids and Student tickets free in 2019. Since one of our Ocracoke Alive goals is to provide fabulous programming for kids and students, this resonated with our crew! Attendees interested in securing Kids/Student passes may do so online as well as on festival weekend.   By becoming an Ocrafolk Festival Sponsor, you help make this happen!  Stay tuned for more press releases in 2019!   Sponsor Ocracoke Alive & Help Make Our Inspiring Programming Possible Diali Keba Cissokho gives a demonstration on the kora during Arts Week 2018 As we approach the end of the year, Ocracoke Alive would like to remind you how critical your contributions are to our mission on Ocracoke Island. Our small community relies upon the generous contributions from folks like you to produce vital student and community programming. Your donation fuels the Student Arts Partnership Program, the Deepwater Theater Community Space, Ocrafolk Festival, Festival Latino de Ocracoke, and community workshops and presentations. We couldn’t do this without your help! Make your tax-deductible contribution to Ocracoke Alive through our website at www.ocracokealive.org, or by sending a check into Ocracoke Alive, PO Box 604, Ocracoke, NC 27960.   Festival Latino de Ocracoke Festival Warms Up Blustery November Ballet Folklorico de Ocracoke gives a colorful performance! November 9-11, Ocracoke Island came alive with the vibrant sounds of mariachi songs, salsa music, and the mouthwatering flavors of a multitude of tasty Mexican dishes. The 3rd annual Festival Latino de Ocracoke brought together Latino and non-Latino islanders with Ocracoke visitors for a celebration of Hispanic culture and heritage. “Ocracoke’s Latino residents have become such an integral part of our community . . . we are thrilled to have a festival to share their culture,” says Ocracoke Alive Director, David Tweedie. Thanks to all of the volunteers and donors, as well as WOVV, Ocracoke Observer & the Ocracoke Current for getting the word out! For a snapshot of the weekend event (including some great photos), read Debbie Leonard’s article, “Ocracoke Celebrates Together,” on the Ocracoke Current website.    And the Quilt Winner Is .  .  . The Ocracoke Quilters gift us with a beautiful quilt each year for the Ocrafolk Festival as a fundraiser. This year was the first year that we didn’t sell all 150 tickets over June’s festival weekend, so as promised we delayed our drawing until our mission was complete. At our annual Thanksgiving Ocrafolk Concert on Ocracoke Island, we sold the final ticket and had the official drawing. We are pleased to announce that Barbara Hardy of Kitty Hawk, NC was the winner! Congratulations and thanks to all the participants. You raised $1500 towards Ocracoke Alive’s student and community programming!

Click Here to Add Your Critical Support to Ocracoke Alive's Community Programs

Ocracoke Alive December Schedule December 15 (Saturday) ~ Ocracoke Community Christmas ConcertOcracoke Community Center. 7:00 PM

Happy Holidays! Ocracoke Alive 2018 David Tweedie ~ Executive Director OCRACOKE ALIVE BOARD Desiree Ricker ~ President, Assistant Director Sharon Brodisch ~ Vice President Gary Davis ~ Treasurer Katy Mitchell Chad Macek Gloria Perez Shae Youell

Ocracoke Alive Fall News: Hurricane Report, Latino Festival, A Tale of Blackbeard, Ocrafolk Festival 2019

Hurricane Florence Update   Hello friends! We’ve had a lot of people asking how the storm affected Ocracoke, and would like to assure everyone that things are well on the island.  We did have a bit of rain and wind as we caught the northern arm of hurricane Florence, but for the most part our community was fortunate and received little tide swell from the sound and ocean. Power did go out, but Tideland EMC crews worked hard to keep electricity coming to most of the houses during the storm. Many thanks for their dedicated service! The biggest impact to Ocracoke has been the two weeks interruption in our fall visitor season. With a seasonal economy, that time off can be the equivalent of a 3-4 weeks break. We know that businesses are as eager to reopen as the tourists are to return, but it takes a little bit of time to put the house back in order. Currently there is sand on the road between Ocracoke Village and Hatteras to the north.  A few days of work, and ferry traffic via Hatteras Island will be able to resume. As of today, residents, non-resident land owners, emergency personnel, and essential services are being allowed to return to the island through Swan Quarter Ferry. The island will reopen to visitors on Friday. Conditions are much different for mainland North Carolina, especially south of us where the eye of the storm came ashore. Morehead City, Harkers Island, Beaufort, and Wilmington have dramatic tales to tell. We are keeping our coastal friends in our thoughts during these challenging times.

Click Here to Add Your Critical Support to Ocracoke Alive's Community Programs

Ocracoke Alive September-November Schedule October 27 (Saturday) ~ A Tale of Blackbeard Ocracoke School Gym Auditorium. 8:00 PM  November 9-11  ~ Festival Latino de Ocracoke.  November 15 (Thursday) Tentative ~ Ocracoke Alive Fall Membership Meeting.Deepwater Theater. 7 PM November 24 (Saturday) ~ Ocrafolk Thanksgiving Fundraising Concert (Tentative)Deepwater Theater. 7:30 PM

A Tale of Blackbeard Final Performance (Saturday, Oct 27, 2018). (Photo by Eakin Howard) Our next big event coincides with Ocracoke’s Blackbeard Pirate Jamboree, Oct 25-28. On Saturday, October 27 we will have a special performance of Julie Howard’s A Tale of Blackbeard Musical at the Ocracoke School gym auditorium. Presale tickets are available at our website and tickets will also be available at the door. This will be the final performance of this production for the 2018 season and we look forward to all the piratical revelers in the audience as well as on stage. Please check cutlasses and small arms at the door. Many thanks to our volunteer cast and crew for a terrific season! The production has not only been great fun, but has also helped raise funds for Ocracoke Alive's programming in our community and at Ocracoke School!

Reserve Your Ticket to A Tale of Blackbeard, Saturday, Oct 27

When is Ocrafolk Festival 2019? June 7-9, 2019 Photo by George Wood A quick reminder that next year’s Ocrafolk Festival will be June 7-9, 2019. We always tell folks that the Ocrafolk Festival is the first Friday-Sunday of June.  This next year it jumps back a weekend, so make sure you have reserved the correct date! October is the month when our Ocrafolk Festival Entertainment Committee lines up performers for the next year. 2019 will be our 20th Ocrafolk Festival and we are planning a big celebration featuring many favorites from previous years. The 2018 Ocracolk Festival ticketing system worked tremendously well! We appreciate you, our fans, for your enthusiastic support and for helping us to stabilize the finances of this outstanding event. You enabled us to pay our bills while raising money for critical student programs! Pre-purchase 2019 Ocrafolk Festival Tickets in November & December . . . The Perfect Holiday Gift for the Folkie in your Family! We’ve had many emails asking about pre-purchasing tickets for next year. We plan to release 2019 Ocrafolk tickets sales in November . . . in time for 2018 holiday season. Give your friends and family the magical gift of Ocrafolk Festival in their holiday stockings!

Festival Latino de Ocracoke is right around the corner (Nov 9-11, 2018)! As the summer season comes to a close, our focus has shifted to the Festival Latino de Ocracoke.  This third annual celebration will take place November 9-11, 2018. The weekend will feature music, dances (by our very own Ballet Folklorico de Ocracoke), games, workshops, and (of course!) food. On Sunday, there will be a basketball tournament at Ocracoke School as part of the festivities. We will post schedule details on the Ocracoke Alive website, so stay tuned as we near November.

Photo by George Wood

Deepwater Theater Fall Schedule Fall is almost here and there’s just one Molasses Creek Deepwater Theater concert on the schedule. On Thursday, September 27, our hometown band will take to the stage to wrap up its official 2018 season. The MC crew may add more concerts spontaneously on October weekends, but for the time being if you would like to see them . . . now is your chance!  In 2019, they will return, along with a brand-new comedy show from the folks who brought you A Dingbatter’s Guide to Ocracoke. Rumors have also been circulating about an encore season of A Tale of Blackbeard. Stay tuned!

Reserve Your Ticket for Molasses Creek's Sept 27 Concert at Deepwater Theater

Thanks for your support! Ocracoke Alive 2018 David Tweedie ~ Executive Director OCRACOKE ALIVE BOARD Desiree Ricker ~ President, Assistant Director Tom Pahl ~ Vice President Gary Davis ~ Treasurer Sharon Brodisch Allison Serafin Freddy Contreras Katy Mitchell

Help Us Improve Ocrafolk Festival and You Could Win Tickets to Ocrafolk Festival 2019!

Ocrafolk Festival, Ocracoke Island, NC ~ A Community Festival with a Mission                        Ocracoke Alive wants your feedback and suggestions for Ocrafolk Festival! You are part of our family and can help us improve this event by letting us know what you think. Please follow this link or click the picture above to fill out a survey. All those who give us feedback will be entered in a drawing to win tickets to next year's festival. Thank you! Your friends at Ocracoke Alive. PS. Next year's Ocrafolk Festival will be June 7-9, 2019. Put it on your calendar and see you there!

Ocrafolk Festival (19 Days Away) ~ Stage Admission Tickets, Free Community Events, & What You Need to Know

TICKETS / VOLUNTEER / SPONSOR / PROGRAM 19 Days To Go . . . Stage Admission Tickets, Free Community Events, & What You Need to Know.

Ocrafolk 2018 ~ A Community Festival with a Mission                        Now in its 19th year, Ocrafolk Festival is recognized throughout our region as an extraordinary event in a one-of-a kind setting. Our fans and audiences have been an integral part of our story, along with countless volunteers, performers, and supporters that we call family. Ocrafolk isn’t produced by an incorporated town or large corporation. This event is grassroots and happens only if everyone lends a hand.             Ocracoke Island is an incredibly special place. You may know this already.  What visitors might not be aware of is how this small community struggles to provide the resources that are often taken for granted in other parts of the country.             In 2018, your Ocrafolk Festival admission ticket doesn’t just assist Ocracoke Alive in creating a weekend packed with incredible performances.  It also supports hundreds of hours of student and community programming that would vanish without your funding.             So, thank you for your generosity! Thank you for joining us!  Let the magical journey begin! Ocracoke Alive Executive Director ~ David Tweedie Ocracoke Alive Assistant Executive Director ~ Desiree Ricker What activities require the purchase of a ticket armband? Performance areas at the stages are gated and require a ticket armband to enter the audience. This includes Howard Street Stage, Live Oak Stage next to Books to be Red, Workshop Stage next to the United Methodist Church, the Kid’s Activity Area at Deepwater Theater, Deepwater Theater, and the Squaredance and Blues Band at the Berkley Barn. Donald Davis Storytelling & Dessert at the Ocracoke Community Center on Saturday night is a special $10 ticketed event (tickets may be purchased at the Box Office. Armband is not required for this event). What can I see for free? You are welcome to stroll the grounds on School Road and Howard Street and visit local businesses as well as over 55 Artisans, non-profits, and food vendors without having an admission armband. In addition, evening performances at the following Ocrafolk Festival Partner locations are admission-free ~ Ocracoke Oyster Company (Friday, 5:30-7:00), Gaffers Restaurant (Friday and Saturday at 10 PM), 1718 Brewery (Saturday night at 10 PM), Ocracoke Community Store (Saturday night at 10 PM), and Magic Bean (Sunday at 11:30 AM). If I Volunteer or Sponsor can I get admission?  Volunteers who work at least 4 hours over the weekend receive an All Weekend Pass Armband. Sign up through the Ocrafolk Festival website on the Volunteers page. Volunteer spots are limited.             Sponsors receive All Weekend Passes and additional benefits. Where do I get tickets and find out more information? Tickets are available online and at the Box Office during the weekend. For Tickets, Performers, Artisans, Programs, Maps, and more visit www.ocracokealive.org. You may also contact info@ocracokealive.org.

Ocrafolk Festival (40 Days Away) ~ Performer Profiles (Cane Mill Road/Shana Tucker)

TICKETS / VOLUNTEER / SPONSOR 40 Days To Go . . .Ocrafolk Festival 2018!

Hey Ocrafolk friends! Taking a moment here to introduce you to two of our performers this year, Cane Mill Road & Shana Tucker. Also wanted to let you know that we are close to finalizing our T-shirt styles (for all those Sponsors out there who will be selecting them before the big weekend). See ya soon! Thanks! Ocrafolk Festival Staff

Billboard-charting artists Cane Mill Road grew up just down the road from Doc Watson in Deep Gap, North Carolina. Honoring the past the band strikes a balance between preserving the bluegrass mountain sound they were raised on and boldly rocking progressive interpretations of that same sound tackling not only complex original music, but classic covers of the Beatles, Dylan, and more. Audiences love Cane Mill Road’s high-energy performances, easy going rapport both on and off stage, and the eclectic mix of originals and standards in the show. Touring internationally in Argentina and stateside from New York to Alabama to Missouri to Pennsylvania to Kentucky to Tennessee to Virginia and the Carolinas, the band is proud to be sponsored by Deering Banjos, GHS Strings, Shubb Capos, Sorensen Mandolin & Guitar Company, Kogut Violins, and MiniFlex Microphones.  The band’s debut album "Five Speed" hit #9 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Album chart and was produced by 2-time GRAMMY winner Cathy Fink, and by Tom Mindte of Patuxent Studios in Maryland. IBMA selected Cane Mill Road from hundreds of applicants as one of 30 bands to showcase during its 2017 conference/festival as the future of bluegrass. The band represented the United States of America in 2015 at a United Nations World Music Festival. You've heard them on NPR/PBS, and all over radio with every cut on "Five Speed" getting airplay.

Shana Tucker is a singer-songwriter and cellist who credits her genre-bending ChamberSoul™ journey to her jazz and classical roots, interwoven with 80's & 90's pop music influences, movie soundtracks, and world music. Touted by JazzTimes Magazine as “a jazz talent...whose imprint and vitality has already been quite visible in North Carolina,” Shana’s style and sound as been described as a mash-up of Dianne Reeves, Joni Mitchell, and Tracy Chapman, with an efficient complexity that is reminiscent of Bill Withers. Her self-defined genre of “ChamberSoul” best describes what the listener should expect when experiencing Shana's music. "I’m intrinsically drawn to ‘real’ instruments with resonance, tone and depth that can sound without amplification. Whenever possible, I always try to set a tone of acoustic intimacy with my colleagues on stage -- and also with the audience -- so that sounds and souls feel close and tangible, no matter the size the venue." With collaborations as the cornerstone of her artistry, Shana is currently a featured artist with jazz legend, saxophonist/composer Bennie Maupin's ensemble; Grammy-nominated soul collective, The Foreign Exchange; jazz drummer/composer Shirazette Tinnin's group, Sonic WallPaper; Paperhand Puppet Intervention, a North Carolina-based, socially conscious theatrical organization; and her newest project, Women's Work, a female-led creative collective of musicians and composers representing both east and west coasts. A front-line advocate for arts education, Shana is a teaching artist whose present and past affiliations include The Smith Center for Performing Arts, Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, Mallarme Chamber Players, Playmakers and Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. She devotes a considerable amount of her time to working with students in schools/universities, community centers and summer camps throughout the year as part of her mission to promote arts education programming for students of all ages, incorporating artist residencies, workshops and community outreach opportunities wherever in the world her performances take her.

Ocrafolk Festival Schedule Posted ~ A Fabulous Event and Fantastic Cause

TICKETS / VOLUNTEER / SPONSOR 44 Days To Go . . .Ocrafolk Festival 2018!

Hey Ocrafolk friends! Just wanted to drop you a note to let you know that the Ocrafolk Festival Schedule has been posted. There will still be tweaks, but it will give you a basic flow for the weekend. Thanks! Ocrafolk Festival Staff

Your Ocrafolk Festival Ticket = Student Programming in Our Ocracoke Community Your ticket to the festival doesn't just purchase your admission this year. It supports arts programming for Ocracoke children. It funds our theatres and visiting/local musicians. And it supports cultural diversity in our community. Ocracoke Alive's mission is to enrich Ocracoke Island by encouraging and sponsoring cultural activities. You may have experienced our work during a Student Arts Partnership performance at Ocracoke, by attending the Festival Latino de Ocracoke, or our community theater project, A Tale of Blackbeard. Ocracoke Alive has largely relied upon individual donations to produce all of its programming. Many of these funds come from our “extended family and community” . . . non-residents, who have fallen in love with the island and wish to lend their support. We appreciate you, our festival family, for the love and excitement you have brought to our festival over the last 18 years. Tickets to the Ocrafolk Music and Storytelling Festival can be purchased HERE (TICKETS) or at the festival box office June 1st-3rd. If you are interested in working with us at Ocrafolk, please SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER. If you would like to help sponsor Ocrafolk, click HERE (SPONSOR) to learn more about sponsorship opportunities.

Ocrafolk Festival (48 Days Away) ~ Performer Profiles (Upstate Rubdown/Mended Wing Theatre Company)

TICKETS / VOLUNTEER / SPONSOR 48 Days To Go . . .Ocrafolk Festival 2018!

Ocrafolk Festival 2018 Introduces Upstate Rubdown & Mended Wing Theatre Hey Ocrafolk friends! Ocracoke Alive would like to tell you about some of the great performers we will be having at this year's Ocrafolk Festival. Just a quick reminder that Ocrafolk is a ticketed event this year. The proceeds go to support critical student programming in our small island community. We are also inviting you to be a Sponsor and a Volunteer. Find out more at www.ocracokealive.org. Thanks!

Upstate Rubdown is an acoustic septet drawing inspiration from every corner (and decade) of America's musical heritage. Based in New York's Hudson Valley region, the band has spent years cultivating its sound, and continues to grow by the tune. The instrumentation includes Harry D'Agostino on upright bass, Ryan Chappell on mandolin, Dean Mahoney on cajón, and Christian Joao on flute and alto/baritone saxophone. The dynamic rhythm section supports a three part vocal harmony powerhouse of founding members Mary Kenney and Melanie Glenn with recent Nashville-transplant Allison Olender. Pulling from the greatest corners of American music, this group has the power to get feet moving with or without amplification. Like fresh-farmed vegetables, their music is as organic as it is good for you. From foot-stomping bass, highlighted by the slap of a cajon, to the familiar strums of the mandolin over a wailing saxophone – there’s so much going on instrumentally that when the harmonious lead vocalists chime in, the result is nothing short of a homegrown hurricane of sound."   Mended Wing Theatre Company is brought to us by Ocracoke native son, Emmet Temple. He left Ocracoke Island to attend the NC School of the Arts and is bringing some of his troupe to Ocrafolk 2018! Mended Wing Theatre Company is comprised of recent graduates and current BFA students from North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Drama. The project was born out of a desire to bring classical theatre to communities and schools free of charge in a format that is relevant and stimulating for modern audiences. In addition, they see this as a chance to encourage the next generation with overarching themes of hope, compassion, and acceptance.