The North Carolina Beach Buggy Association (NCBBA) is a statewide organization with deep Hatteras Island roots. Founded in 1965, just two years after the Bonner Bridge linked Hatteras Island with the rest of the world, the NCBBA had more than 5,000 members at one point, from more than 30 states.
The NCBBA’s membership peak coincided with the beach driving rule changes and issues of the late 2000s and early 2010s, when new restrictions were suddenly implemented and enforced. This is when groups like Outer Banks Preservation Association and NCBBA became advocates for off-road vehicle (ORV) access, safeguarding a generations-old tradition of driving along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore shoreline.
While these controversies have diminished, the NCBBA hasn’t hit the brakes on its local impact. The organization gives thousands of dollars annually to Hatteras and Ocracoke Island-based organizations, and sparks a short burst of off-season tourism with the annual Red Drum Fishing Tournament in late October.
However, in recent years, NCBBA leaders have been noticing a troublesome trend. There are fewer new members, and they’re not coming from Hatteras Island.
“We had our Membership Director pull all of our members by zip code, and there are currently 80 people with a zip code on Hatteras Island, and only 276 from Hatteras to Kitty Hawk, out of around 3,400 members,” said Bill King, President of NCBBA. “And we just don’t understand why.”
Way back in 1964, a ragtag group of folks started vacationing together over the Memorial Day Weekend holiday on the isolated shorelines of Hatteras. Returning year after year and picking up new beach buddies along the way, the group eventually decided to form the NCBBA.
“I came on board in 1981,” said King. “My parents also visited Hatteras Island long before I was ever thought of, and I stayed in Buxton at the Tower Circle Motel.”
“I’m an old, retired cop now, but back in the day when I joined [NCBBA], there were about 12-15 of us members – police officers, lawyers, and more – and we’d meet up with other members at [Cape] Point, cooking 100 pounds of pork butt,” said King. “We’d cook on the Point all day Friday and Saturday, and would feed anybody within smelling distance of the cooker.”
King eventually joined the NCBBA Board of Directors roughly a decade ago, and started his two-year term as President in 2024.
A Virginia resident, King is in good company, as many of the NCBBA’s members have stemmed from long-time Virginia vacationers.
“We have at least 10 members from where I live in Prince George County, Virginia, alone, with a large contingent from central Virginia,” said King. “We have people from about 28 states, but Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey are primarily where the bulk of our members come from.”
The NCBBA’s national and global reach extends even further when it comes to the annual Red Drum Fishing Tournament, which is growing every year. In 2024, the event attracted 551 anglers from 23 states and three countries, ranging in age from six to 82.
“Our youngest Board Member is in his 30s or 40s, but that tide is starting to turn, and the Red Drum Tournament is helping because we have a Youth Division,” said King. “We really need more young members, because that is what it’s going to take to keep the NCBBA going for the next [generation.]
“The Hatteras Island Marlin Club, they’re in the same boat that we’re in, looking for members, and needing youth and some new ideas.”
Most importantly, the NCBBA wants more local voices.
All of the organization‘s cornerstone events take place on Hatteras Island. The Red Drum Fishing Tournament certainly calls the island a permanent home because of the unparalleled fall fishing conditions that the Outer Banks has to offer. But the NCBBA also conducts four Adopt-A-Beach and Adopt-a-Highway cleanup events every year, at ORV Ramp 23 just north of Salvo, and along N.C. Highway 12 bordering Oregon Inlet.
The group’s board meetings and annual membership meetings are also held on the island, usually at the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Building, and all of the fruits of their many fundraising labors are poured back into island organizations or initiatives.
“We recently had a [substantial] donation from one of our founding members, who wanted the money used for easier beach access, so we partnered with the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center to build a new air-up station building, with four air hoses, close to ORV Ramp 4,” said King. “Before this, there might have been an air hose, but you had to know it was there, and you had to go around your elbow to get to your thumb [in order] to fill your tires.”
Another recent initiative entailed helping the Cape Hatteras Secondary School with its Coastal Studies facilities, by donating brand new tanks and equipment for their biological lab.
The NCBBA also makes donations to more than a dozen organizations every year, which includes all six Hatteras Island fire stations, local youth nonprofits, instrumental community groups like Cape Hatteras United Methodist Men and Hatteras Island Meals, and other donation-funded organizations like Radio Hatteras.
The NCBBA is woven into so many aspects of Hatteras Island, so it’s perplexing to King that the organization doesn’t have strong island representation, or even – with younger residents, at least – name recognition.
“I see young kids – and young kids to me are folks in their early 20s – working at local restaurants, and I’ll say, ‘How come you’re not a Beach Buggy member?’ And they’ll look at me like I have three heads,” said King. “Sometimes I’ll tell them more, and they’ll say, ‘Oh you’re the people with the blue license plates!’ So, they see us, but they don’t see us… Maybe we need to change to a pink license plate or a bright yellow license plate.”
Age aside, what the NCBBA really wants is more Hatteras Islanders.
“As the president, I need help, and I need local help, because it’s tough to be in central Virginia when I need to be in Hatteras tending to NCBBA [events and issues.]
“We need help with the Red Drum Tournament, because we always need judges. We need help with our newsletter and our marketing, and we really need someone local who can help us get the best use out of the money we’re entrusted with, and to make sure we’re being good stewards of that money.”
More local members would mean that the NCBBA has even deeper roots on the island, and can ensure that the many donations they funnel into the local community are making the biggest difference.
And while the organization has “Beach Buggy” in its name, a beach buggy isn’t necessarily a requirement to join.
“A lot of people say, ‘I don’t have a 4WD.’ Well, you don’t need a 4WD,” said King. “It’s an organization designed to help the community, and you don’t need a 4WD vehicle for that.”
More information about joining the NCBAA, and info about its many yearly events including the annual Red Drum Tournament, can be found on its website at https://www.ncbba.org/. The NCBBA also has an active social media presence, and regularly shares news and updates on the organization’s Facebook page.
In the meantime, King is hoping word will spread that less than 5% of the NCBBA’s current members are islanders, and that this fact alone will inspire locals to become more involved, and to join as close-to-home members.
“Everything we do benefits the folks here, from our scholarship program to hurricane relief, and we want to make sure our help is going where it’s really needed,” said King. “So, I have just one question for [Hatteras Islanders] – Are you a member of NCBBA? And if not, why?”
