With 72 Visions videos this past year sponsored by Hall Automotive, it was quite the challenge choosing which clips to use for the year-end recap; so many great stories. Here’s to a great 2017 folks!
Jack Cook
Publix announces lease agreement for Kill Devil Hills site
A 5-acre tract next to the Lowe’s home improvement center in Kill Devil Hills will be the site of a Publix supermarket.
The Florida-based chain has executed a lease on the location at the southwest corner of First Street and U.S. 158, Kim Reynolds, media and community relations manager for the Charlotte Division of Publix Super Markets, said in an e-mail Wednesday.
About 140 people will be employed at the 45,000-square-foot store, which is expected to open in 2018, Reynolds said.
The Kill Devil Hills Board of Commissioners approved a site plan for a grocery store in September. The identity of the chain planning to move in was officially kept under wraps, but speculation centered on Publix. The project did not require any changes to the zoning ordinance.
Improvements are planned for the intersection of U.S. 158 and First Street, including a deceleration lane on the bypass for southbound traffic to turn right.
An entrance to the store is shown on First Street, where a westbound dedicated left-hand turn lane will be built to allow through traffic to continue into the First Flight neighborhood.
The left-hand turn lane on eastbound First Street leading onto U.S. 158 will be lengthened.
GHK Developers, which is leading the KDH project, recently built a Publix the same size in Wilmington.
The land is owned by the Roughton family and is assessed by Dare County at $1.1 million.
Source : Outer Banks Voice by : Rob Morris
How to Boost Your Curb Appeal in Winter
Just because the temperature is freezing doesn’t mean you can’t warm buyers’ hearts with your home’s exterior during the winter. Here are a few tips to help make your property inviting.
1. Door Number One
Don’t miss the opportunity to make a great first impression. New doors are worth the investment. Or, give your door a fresh coat of paint and upgrade your handles and knocker with some shiny bling. When appropriate, brightly colored doors can create a charming focal point, especially during winter when the world can seem white and grey.
2. Plant some green
Evergreen shrubs look terrific in pots on the porch and can add allure to your home’s entry.
3. Keep it safe
Be sure that all walkways are clear of snow and ice. In addition to helping to prevent dangerous slips, the clean lines of a shoveled driveway look great and imply your property is well cared for.
5. Stash Santa
Past January 1, be sure to take down distracting holiday decorations. No blinking lights, reindeer on the roof, and no inflatable snow snowglobes. You can, however, dress up your front door with a non-denominational winter wreath.
6. To sit, porch-ance to dream
If there’s room on your porch, consider adding a rocking chair or bistro set. While prospective buyers probably won’t consider whiling away the evening out there in winter, the furniture can remind them how nice it is to sit there in warmer weather.
An experienced agent will have other ways to spruce up your unique property, inside and out, during the winter. Give me a call today! www.obxjack.com
Source : RE/MAX Blog – On The Move, Photo – Google images
The Voice Podcast: Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016
You can hear Voice newscasts every weekday morning on Max Radio of the Carolina’s stations Beach 104, 94.5 WCMS, 99.1 The Sound, and Classic Rock 104.9 & 92.3.
Start Sam Walker’s podcast by clicking on the link below. And check back each day. Thanks for listening.
http://outerbanksvoice.com/2016/12/26/the-voice-podcast-2/
Source : Outer Banks Voice by : Sam Walker
Twenty-nine-foot juvenile whale washes up at Carova Beach
A 29-foot juvenile, female humpback whale washed ashore late Monday off Carova Beach.
The whale is believed to be one that was observed floating a few days ago off the coast of Virginia, said Karen Clark, director of the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education
The dead whale was towed onto the beach near Currituck Banks Milepost 22 Tuesday.
A necropsy will be performed later this morning by local experts along with staff from UNC Wilmington and the Virginia Aquarium.
Source : Outer Banks Voice : by : Sam Walker
CMA-Comparative Marketing Analysis
Are you in the market for a new home?
New investment on the beach?
Selling a property?
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You should ALWAYS keep up with the current market and we are here to help! We can show you the current real estate market in the neighborhood which the property of interest resides to insure you the most beneficial investment. If you are a buyer we have the information for every listing on the Outer Banks! We can send lists of the best Return on Investment, best location, and best Gross Rental Income! It is always important to know how much your property is worth and to have the professional opinion of an experienced broker! Get your CMA today!
E-Mail me today!
Jack Cook
obxjack@ymail.com
(252) 256-2557
OBXJACK.COM
NC Licensed Real Estate Broker
2014 Recipient of RE/MAX’s Executive Club Award
Certified Distressed Property Expert
NAR & NCAR Member
Outer Banks Association of Realtors
134 Caratoke Highway
Moyock, NC 27958
Be part of the Great White Fishmas at the N.C. Aquarium
Come celebrate holiday cheer with Santa and the animals during the Great White Fishmas at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island.
Children can participate in festive reindeer games and seasonal crafts with aquarium elves and share their holiday wishes with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Then comes the big event, when Santa scuba dives with the sharks. With decorations and live performances of ocean-inspired carols with a uniquely fishy flare, families will be sure to get into the holiday spirit.
The Great White Fishmas will take place Saturday, Dec. 17 from 2 to 5 p.m. and is included with regular Aquarium admission.
The N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island, adjacent to the Manteo Regional Airport, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission: ages 3–12, $8.95; ages 13–61, $10.95; ages 62 +, $9.95. Children 2 and under and North Carolina Aquarium Society members are admitted free of charge.
Source: Outer Banks Voice : Submitted Story
Video: The Poulos Family, warming our hearts for 36 years
The Poulos family spends 12 weeks every year setting up a huge holiday display at their home in Kill Devil Hills, just outside of the entrance to Nags Head Woods.
Featured on The Today Show and HGTV and in its 36th year, the display has become a holiday tradition. Viewing of the Christmas show is held from Thanksgiving through Dec. 31.
Source : Outer Banks Voice by: Michael Beswick
‘A Carolina Christmas’ was a profound gift with a new twist
If the joy of music is a gift then A Carolina Christmas performed Sunday evening at First Flight High School was a profound gift indeed.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Outer Banks Chorus. But 2016 is the first time the chorale group teamed up with area schools for a Christmas concert. With the advanced choirs of First Flight High School, Currituck High School and the eighth grade Moyock Middle School singing, at one point there were over 200 voices filling the auditorium with music.
From the first notes of the pre-concert songs with Cheryl Needham and Timothy Price playing a four-hand piano medley of Christmas tunes, it was apparent this was going to be a special night.
The first choral arrangement didn’t disappoint. Christmas is Coming sung by the Outer Banks Chorus is music that is at the intersection of spiritual and modern. Upbeat and joyous, it still suggests a traditional religious arrangement.
The piano accompaniment was excellent, the singing of the choir filled the air and the song created a mood of anticipation for the remainder of the performance
The high school choruses were outstanding.
The First Flight High School Choir, under the direction of John Buford, performed ’Twas in the Moon of Wintertime”, a Canadian Huron carol that was written in the early 17th century. Haunting and beautiful, the a cappella performance highlighted the blending of voices and the vocal talents of the chorus.
A Festive Madrigal sung by the Currituck High School Choir was more upbeat, with a more modern feel. Under the direction of choir director Tiffany Arbogast the music soared, creating the sense of wonder and excitement of the season.
A real highlight of the evening was “O Come, All Ye Faithful.
The combined high school choruses took the stage with the Outer Banks Chorus. Accompanying the vocalists was a string quartet featuring violists Leslie Erickson and Jessie Donnelly, Sue Waters on viola and John Husser, cello. Filling out the instrumentalists were Needham and Price on piano.
The result was an arrangement of the song that
enveloped listeners with sound. The song itself, with its call to the faithful to celebrate the birth of Christ, is a rousing summons to faith. With so much music filling the auditorium, it became a joyous celebration of the season.
The director for the evening’s performance, Kyle Cook, was doing multiple duties. In addition to being the director of the Outer Banks Chorus, Cook is also the director of the Moyock Middle School chorus.
White Winter Hymnal is an a cappella piece brought into the mainstream by the Pentatonix.
In the version they perform, the rhythm is created by the palms of the hand smacking their chests and legs. The students pulled it off wonderfully, and sang it to perfection.
A nice touch throughout the evening were the lyrics of traditional Christmas carols inserted into the program.
Whenever the program came to a place indicated for a sing-along, Cook would turn to the audience, gesture that they were all to stand and raise their voices in song.
If there was a message for the evening, it was in the final choral performance. Bringing all the choruses to the stage, Silent Night was performed.
What made this arrangement poignant and powerful was the use of language—or in this case, multiple languages.
The Moyock students sang in German, the Currituck chorus in Spanish and the First Flight High School Chorus in Korean. The languages were sung simultaneously, blending into a beautiful and touching rendition of the classic carol.
As the multiple languages faded, the treble voices sang the song in English, but beneath their vocals, the men chanted “beautiful night” in Zulu.
The music was evocative, an emotional appeal to recall the underlying meaning of this time of the year—that the dream of peace and goodwill to all people is a universal vision.
The holiday season is a time of tradition; this was the first year for A Carolina Christmas combining the choirs of area schools. Hopefully it was the beginning of a new Outer Banks tradition that will stand the test of time.
Source : Outer Banks Voice by : Kip Tabb
OBX Holiday Spirits: Weeping Radish Christmas Bier
If we’re going to choose a place to start our tour, it only makes sense to head to where it all began locally — The Weeping Radish.
When Uli Bennewitz opened the Weeping Radish in Manteo back in 1986, he was not only first in the Outer Banks, he was first in North Carolina.
Back then, there were only 100 breweries left in the United States. Once, there had been more than 4,000.
Bennewitz was ahead of his time then and continues to be an innovator. But in one area, he has honored an old tradition — Christmas beer.
Christmas beer is a tradition that historians in the field tell us goes back for centuries. The rationale varies among those historians, and regional lore also tells differing stories about the how and why of holiday brews.
Some credit monks, Europe’s first and arguably the best master brewers, with creating a special brew to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Others say it was created for gift-giving, perhaps from a landowner to his farm workers, or a mayor for his denizens.
And still others say it was just a way to be creative, such as the spicy English warmers that made one feel toasty on the inside as an offset to the winter cold of the Christmas season.
While there is no set recipe for “Christmas Beer,” the tradition lives on centuries later, and among America’s 4,144 microbrews, loyal patrons have come to expect a Christmas beer from their favorite brewery.
While most Christmas beers tend to be dark and malty, other breweries’ traditional Christmas offerings run the gamut from cranberry-infused to Christmas cookie spice to spruce flavored brews reflecting the winter scents associated with northerly climes.
And so it was that Max Radio’s general manager, Michael “Moose” Smith, Sam Walker III, Max’s news guru and a major contributor to the Voice, sat down with Weeping Radish owner Uli Bennewitz, head brewer Michael Cuthriell and myself to sample the Weeping Radish “Doppelbock Christmas Bier.”
Uli tells us this has been an annual staple for at least 25 years, and indeed, he follows the more traditional dark, malty brew associated with Christmas (and winter) beers.
“Doppelbock” literally means “double bock” in German, and these beers are lagers that take longer to ferment since they are cold-fermented. Bocks and Dopplebocks take even longer to smooth out what is a strong brew when it first goes into the keg or barrel.
The Weeping Radish starts its process in September , making 18 barrels, which produces about 5,000 cans as well as some liter bottles.
As we sip, Uli talks about how Christmas beer should taste, “Very malty, but smooth. That’s why we brew it for so long, starting in early September and finishing up close to Thanksgiving. But the result is something that is also very smooth and pairs well with food.”|
When asked what types of food, in particular, Uli tells us, “Well, that’s the purpose of its smoothness. Christmas food varies so much we wanted a beer that would go with any holiday meal.”
Indeed, Uli has graciously filled our table with all manner of meats and bread, the meats made right there on the Currituck premises in their butchery.
It didn’t matter if we paired it with a spicy or mild sausage, munching on pretzel bread slathered in mustard, or just sipped it on its own, the Doppelbock was versatile.
It had enough backbone to holds its own against heavier, spicy meats, but was fine with a cranberry-apple packed mild sausage.
The three of us assure you it will also go with turkey and ham, smoked or unsmoked, salmon, oysters or even a Christmas burger or pizza.
The beer is not hoppy at all, but that shouldn’t turn off the hophead crowd because it makes up for that with a robust malty taste tempered by the smoothness of a lager and it packs a bit of a wallop — 7.5% alcohol by volume.
“It’s not supposed to be drunk in large volumes; it is meant to be served with food.” Uli reminds us (or is he cautioning us?).
For me, a lager guy who eschews much of the modern-day emphasis on over-hopped IPA’s while also rejecting the watered-down mass produced lagers like Miller High Life and Coors Banquet, this beer hits the sweet spot.
Many lager drinkers back away from dark beers because they are too malty or taste like cold coffee. Give this one a try—the longer fermenting and brewing process for bocks and doppelbocks leaves a hint of a coffee note, or perhaps a malt note, but knocks down the heavier notes and scents associated with many dark beers.
The head brewer at the Radish, Michael Cuthriell, explains the Christmas “bier” in more technical terms for true aficionados:
“While we experiment with other varieties, for the Dopplebock we stick to a tried and true, time-tested traditional German recipe.
“It features two traditional German noble hops, Perle and Tettnanger, which provide a spicy, floral note as opposed to the citrusy/piney hops in IPA’s. But this is not a hoppy beer, so their presence isn’t readily detectable.
“Where the flavor comes from is our use of dark Munich malt, which we import from Germany. It is dark roasted and that imparts bread and biscuit flavors and when the malt is caramelized, we get sweetness and caramel flavor which is not overpowering.”
In short, a very quaffable beer.
Sam chimed in that it isn’t Christmas at his house without this beer, and I am inclined to make it a tradition at my own.
Moose was also on the thumps-up team, although his opinion was discounted somewhat when he said, “I like it, but then again, I like all beer.”
And where to obtain this special brew?
Availability is mostly at the brewery, and if you want it in packaged form, the Weeping Radish brewery location is the only place where you can buy it.
“The beer has become so popular we decided to keep the containers on premises. We only gave our salesperson nine kegs to sell at select bars in the area for fans of the beer on draft,” Uli says.
Also, unlike many Christmas beers, these are fortified enough from the brewing process to hold for three or more months, so that is one worry gift-giving buyers can eliminate.
Of course, you can also sample the draft version at The Weeping Radish, which also has a restaurant and bar onsite –something southbound travelers heading to the Outer Banks for Christmas and New Year’s on U.S. 158 should take note of.
You can buy your Doppelback for consumption at your OBX holiday destination, snap up a few more cans or bottles to bring back as gifts, grab a great lunch with farm-to-fork meats made on premises while trying out other draft beer varieties produced by the Weeping Radish.
The Weeping Radish Brewery is located at 6810 Caratoke Highway just south of Grandy.
Its official name is Weeping Radish Brewery, Butchery and Pub.
Tours of the butchery and the brewery are closed for the season but will resume the week of Dec. 28 and can be booked online.
Prices for the Christmas Doppelbock Bier are $14 per 16 ounce 4-pack, $4 per 16 ounce can, $8.45 for a liter bottle, or $45 for a “flat” of four 4-packs.
The beer usually sells out quickly, so the time is of the essence!
The Weeping Radish website is can be found at http://www.weepingradish.com
Check back with The Outer Banks Voice for more of our Holiday Spirits tour.
Source : Outer Banks Voice by : Russ Lay
OBX Real Estate 