Telling the Tale of the Black Squall (Performance, Thursday, April 13, Ocracoke School Gym) . . . Ocrafolk Festival Update . . . A Visit from the Salem Select Choir . . . Vote for Your Favorite Ocrafolk Festival T Colors. . .

Telling the Tale of the Black Squall (Performance, Thursday, April 13, 7 PM, Ocracoke School Gym) . . .

           We are less than a month away from the student performance of The Tale of the Black Squall, and preparations began this week with students working with visiting artists, Courtney Conner (teaching tumbling and movement), and Paul McKibbins (with singing and choral arrangement). Ocracoke art teacher, Kitty Mitchell, and set designer Mark Brown will be guiding students in the creation of costume and critter, Gary Mitchell and Charles Temple on Sound and Lights, and Desiree Ricker and David Tweedie are finalizing the script and schedule details.
            Ocracoke Arts Week (April 10-13), will feature Paperhand Puppets (character movement), Jef the Mime (clowning), Scott Paulson (Steel Drums), Jubal Creech (Percussion), and Janet Harriman (Jewelry Crafting). This team will be aiding our young community members in the creation of a show that will tell the tale of the famous 1861 Black Squall Shipwreck that brought a circus troupe to the beaches of Ocracoke Island.
            Ocracoke Alive is asking Ocracoke supporters to consider making a tax-deductible donation towards Arts Week. Donors will be thanked in the Black Squall Program, and can receive reserved ringside seats for the performance. Donations can be made online at www.ocracokealive.org or through the mail to Ocracoke Alive, PO Box 604, Ocracoke, NC 27960.

 

March 31-April 1: A Visit from the Salem Select Girls Choir

            The Salem Select Girls Choir under the direction of Lynne German are bringing their show choir to Ocracoke, for performances and workshops for Ocracoke students on March 31, and a free community concert at Ocracoke Alive’s Deepwater Theater on April 1st, at 7 PM.
            The performers are a small but diverse group of students from Salem High School in Virginia Beach, and are joined together by their common love of singing.  As the program’s top singers, they have auditioned for their spot in the group, and they accomplish a lot with only one after-school rehearsal each week.  Their music covers a variety genres, from Classical to Spiritual to light Pop and Rock, with a few original works by their Director, Lynne German. We welcome their return to the island to share their talents!

What is happening in Ocrafolk Festival land . . .

            The Ocrafolk Festival inches closer and closer, and we are starting to get excited! The Artisan Application closed March 15, and the Artisan Committee will announce this year’s artisan roster by April 1st.
            Performers include Bio Ritmo, Violet Bell , Mitch Barrett, Hank, Pattie and the Current, Ballet Folklorico Guadalupano, Donald Davis, Molasses Creek, Martin Garrish and Friends, Beleza, Lipbone Redding, The Blue-Eyed Bettys, Mahalo Jazz, De Tierra Caliente, Oak Grove String Band, Bob Zentz and Jeanie MacDougall, Paperhand Puppets, Jef the Mime, Amy and Louis Allen, Craicdown, John Golden, the Green Grass Cloggers, Philip Howard, Rob Temple and the Skipjack Wilma Lee,  Rodney Kemp, and more.
            In addition to new performers, this year we will be featuring a new Ocrafolk Festival Dance Hall at the Ocracoke School Gym.  We have more excitement on the way, so stay tuned.
            Sponsorship levels and rewards have been posted and we will tell you more about them at the end of the month. If you can't wait to jump in, here is a link.

Vote for your favorite Ocrafolk Festival T Colors!

            Karen Rhodes's fabulous festival design is complete and we have moved to picking our favorite background colors to display it on. You can be a part of the process. Just click this link, and pick your top three colors in Men’s and Women’s styles. We’ll announce the winning pallet in a couple of weeks!

That's all for now!
Thanks for your support!

Ocracoke Alive 2017 Board of Directors
Desiree Ricker ~ President, Assistant Director
Tom Pahl ~ Vice President
Gary Davis ~ Treasurer
Sharon Brodisch ~ Secretary
Allison O'Neal
Freddy Contreras
Jeanie Owens
David Tweedie ~ Executive Director

Ocracoke Alive News: 1st Annual Festival Latino de Ocracoke (November 12)! Ocracoke survives Hurricane Matthew. And more!

Annual Festival Latino de Ocracoke is almost here! Nov. 12

On Saturday, November 12, Ocracoke will host the first annual Festival Latino de Ocracoke. Events will take place at Ocracoke School from 11 AM to 9 PM, followed by a dance at the Ocracoke Community Center from 9 PM to midnight. (Click here for a detailed program)
The Festival Latino de Ocracoke will be a day to honor vibrant Hispanic traditions, and a day to celebrate the unity of all who are part of this great community. Through delicious authentic food, traditional dances and music, exciting games, crafts, and fun for all ages, organizers hope this festival will bring the community together to experience and enjoy the friendship of our cultures.

Ballet Folklorico de Guadalupano

Ocracoke Island has become home to many Latinos over the past 20 years. Just as the Ocracoke community has opened its doors and embraced many Hispanic families, organizers of the Festival Latino invite the community to join in a fun-filled day of sharing and learning that will strengthen the bonds between cultures through the celebration of differences and the appreciation of all we have in common.

“We are very excited to partner with Ocracoke’s Latino community and assist them in producing this event,” says David Tweedie, executive director of the community non-profit Ocracoke Alive.  “Ocracoke’s Hispanic residents have become an integral part of our community as friends, co-workers, and business and property owners. We are thrilled for this opportunity to learn more about their culture,” says David.

Festival committee members include Freddy Contreras, Eduardo Chavez, Gloria Perez, Adrian Espinoza, Cira Badillo, and David Tweedie.

In addition to performances and presentations by Ocracoke residents, visiting artists will include Ballet Folklorico Guadalupano (dance) and Fantasia Huasteca and Mariachi Espuelas de America.

“The majority of Latin Festivals around the nation are created with the main objective of celebrating the Latino or Hispanic culture. However, we want this one to be a little different,” said Freddy Contreras, member of the festival committee. “We want this festival to be an occasion where all participate, build friendships, and get to know each other’s cultures. We share a wonderful place as a home and I personally think that we all should always be united in working for the best of this community,” says committee chair Freddy Contreras.
 
Mariachi Espuelas de America

The event receives financial support from Ocracoke Alive, the Ocracoke Civic and Business Association, Eduardo’s Tacos as well as from businesses and individual sponsors. A portion of proceeds will benefit Ocracoke School and the Ocracoke Child Care.
Show your support of the Festival Latino de Ocracoke!
There are two ways to make a donation.
1. Mail in a tax deductible contribution to "Ocracoke Alive, PO Box 604, Ocracoke, NC 27960"

2. Donate Online at www.ocracokealive.org
Read more by clicking the button below.

Donors will receive
(1) A Festival T-shirt for every $50 donated
(2) Thanks on Website & from Stage
(3) Tax Letter from Ocracoke Alive
Questions? Contact David Tweedie (252) 921-0260

Ocracoke Receives a 4 AM Visit from Hurricane Matthew

Village Craftsmen on Howard St. as seen from Fiddler Dave's back porch.

We have our fair share of storms on Ocracoke, but Hurricane Matthew was certainly one for the books. With the exception of those who remember the storm of ’44, Matthew covered the island with more water than any current residents had seen. At the Village Craftsman the water level measured at 4.5 inches above Hurricane Alex (the highest water level previously recorded). Deepwater Theater flooded about six inches inside but had little damage once the water went down.
Ocracoke Alive's Deepwater Theater really lives up to its name!

The Skipjack Wilma Lee was safe at the National Park Service docks, thanks to Captain Rob who had moved it prior to the storm. This level of water caused a massive amount of destruction to cars, homes, freezers and refrigerators stocked with food and, most importantly, the ability to restore what was lost as businesses were forced to close. While the community of Ocracoke is amazingly resilient, there are plenty of people relying on help from UMCOR, Albemarle Food Bank, FEMA and other organizations that have recently visited the island to help.Fallen branches and flooded debris from Ocracoke village take up half of the Lifeguard Beach Parking Lot

Gary Mitchell of Molasses Creek made a video of Hurricane Matthew as viewed from his soundside porch.

Classes at Deepwater!

Fall at Deepwater Theater means a renewed focus on upcoming performers and artists and a rest for those who performed all summer. Ocracoke School of Performing Arts began their fall session in September offering classes to students 3 and up in acting, dance, musical theater and singing. Each day after school students chasé into the theater in tutus, sing songs from classic musicals, or practice their skills in acting and improvisation…and it’s beautiful! Community classes and events, from concerts and yoga to piñata making and past life regressions (really!) are either scheduled or already happening. It’s an exciting time of year as the theater transforms from a space entertaining visitors to one bursting with local children and adults.

Test run of Skipjack Wilma Lee Educational Programs a success!

The educational programs aboard the skipjack Wilma Lee that we field tested this fall were well received.  We held a total of 5 programs, 4 Saturday programs and one weekday program for a junior Girl Scout troop.  In total, we reached 18 students and 16 adult learners who all responded positively and felt that had learned something new about sailboats and navigation.  This was also a learning experience for us as we tested our programs and made additions, adjustments and realized that we have a lot of fun and interactive information that we can share.  We are looking forward to tweaking these programs and offering a few more this spring in hopes of attracting student groups from off the island.  Many thanks to Laura McClain and Tom Pahl for their hard work! Also thanks to all the donors who supported our Labor Day Gala. You made the workshops possible!

Upcoming Events

November 17, 7:00 PM ~ Ocracoke Alive Fall Membership Meeting at Deepwater Theater

November 25, 7:30 PM ~ Ocrafolk Festival Thanksgiving Fundraiser. Join members of Molasses Creek, storyteller Donald Davis, and performers from the Ocrafolk Community for our annual concert. $15 Adults, $7 Kids

December 9, 7:30 PM ~ Free Christmas Concert with Finley Woolston and the Joyful Band of Singers. At the United Methodist Church.