Ocracoke Alive to offer cultural smorgasbord for community
Ocracoke Alive is marshaling the many creative people on the island and offering a series of free cultural activities to the community from Monday, Jan. 13, to March 28.
Activities include art, music, dance, writing, wellness and cooking classes as well as films, concerts and presentations, in the evenings and during the day.
Ocracoke Alive Executive Director David Tweedie said it’s difficult for islanders to get cultural enrichment on the island
He had visited a small community out west that was offering cultural enrichment classes in the winter and that sparked his idea to inspire the Ocracoke community.
“Part of our mission is to bring entertaining things to the island,” he said. While everyone is busy during the tourist season, if you don’t travel (like many islanders do in the winter) “doing creative things is a way you can travel in your mind,” he said.
Since we don’t have a university nearby, why not see what we can do with people here, he thought, and he found a wealth of creative talent, some of which he hadn’t known about.
Many of these programs have fascinating backgrounds. Basque Cheesecake is one of them.
“I took a trip to San Sebastian, Spain. It’s an area of the Basque country which has four provinces in Spain and three in France,” said Tweedie in an interview on WOVV.
“The Basque culture is strong in terms of culinary activities. While we were there, we went to this little restaurant that was famous for what is called a Basque cheesecake. Folks came from all over to this little place for it. This cheesecake was featured on Splendid Table, which is an NPR culinary show. I had to find out exactly how they make it and share it with anybody. It’s a fairly friendly, easy recipe to make with a great story.”
Some of the classes will meet several times this winter and are noted in the listings below. For the detailed list of all activities and to sign up, visit www.ocracokealive.org.
“When we asked the community what they were interested in, they wanted multicultural offerings,” Tweedie said. So, there are Spanish classes in creative writing, yoga and coffee hours. The schedule is translated into Spanish. To view that schedule, click here.
The schedule is subject to change and signup is required for most all of the cooking classes.
Jan. 13, 20, 27, Feb. 4, 10, 17: Ballroom dancing on Monday nights, taught by Andy Andresen, one of the island EMTs. Initial lessons will focus on a beginning slow waltz and nightclub two step. You need not bring a partner. Courtesy of your Hyde County EMS Service and Ocracoke Alive.
Jan. 14: Cooking classes begin with local bakers/cooks: Chilaquiles and salsa verde with Eduardo Chavez of Ocracoke’s Eduardo Taco Stand followed by Greek cuisine with Helios Hideaway, also a few baking classes and fish preparation. See the online schedule for details.
Jan. 15: Found-object fish sculpture workshop to create fish sculptures/ assemblages utilizing a variety of found objects. Deepwater Theater.
Jan. 16, 23, 30, Feb. 6, Feb. 13, 20, 27, March 6, 13, 20 & 27: Ukulele classes with Lou Castro in Deepwater Theater on the guitar and ukulele and build your music skills. Instruments can be provided on site, but participants will need to get their own if they wish to practice at home. You may also begin on ukulele and then switch to guitar. Many popular songs use the same four chords. Absolute beginners are welcome.
Jan. 21: Cooking: Greek cuisine with Helios Hideaway.
Jan. 22, 23: Mardi Gras mask-making with Kitty Mitchell. From abstract to fantasy have some fun creating your mask with Kitty Mitchell from the Kitty Mitchell Studio.
Kitty Mitchell has sold her art for many years and taught art to all ages and abilities.
Jan. 24: Josh Goforth & Martin Garrish in concert, 7 pm. Community Center. Free.
Josh Goforth is a highly accomplished storyteller and acoustic musician playing close to 20 different instruments. This Grammy-nominated musician has performed all over the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia including appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, and at the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.
Since he was a teenager, Ocracoke Heritage award winner Martin Garrish has been at the heart of the music scene here on the island, playing everything from acoustic folk and bluegrass to hard rock, classic country and blues.
Jan. 27, Feb. 10, 17 & 24: Spanish-English language exchange coffee hour. 8:30 am. Ocracoke Library. Improve your Spanish and English skills with this informal multicultural gathering. Any language level is welcome.
Jan. 28: Cooking/baking: Basque cheesecake. OUMC rec hall. Learn how to make the classic Basque Cheesecake of San Sebastian, Spain, with David Tweedie. This tasty gluten-free dessert has a fascinating origin story. David will share stories about his trip to the region, and how he discovered the recipe.
Jan. 29: Escritura en Espanol/writing in Spanish with Sarah Shellow. Deepwater Theater.
Jan. 31: Reading party with music and seasonal beverages with Sarah Shellow.
Not a book club…Read with friends to live instrumental music curated by Lou Castro. Light refreshments provided. Bring your favorite book and cozy up in a nook and read in silence with others who enjoy a good book. Kindles and audio books with earphones welcome.
Inspired by the wildly successful Reading Rhythms experience in New York City, Sarah Shellow will facilitate silent reading periods and one-on-one and small group breakouts to discuss the books you bring.
Feb 4: Cooking: Classic vanilla crème brulee with Teresa Adams.
Feb 4, Feb. 11, Feb. 18, Feb. 25, March 4: Weekly Bird walk with Peter Vankevich, Tuesday mornings 8:30 am NPS Campground
Feb. 6, 13 & 20: Yoga en Espanol; ukulele and memoir writing.
Feb. 7: An evening with documentary filmmaker Ben Knight to explore his films and the creative process. Deepwater Theater.
Feb. 10 & 24: Spanish/English Language Exchange Coffee Hour; Ballroom dancing.
Feb. 11: Valentine cookie decorating with Debbie Leonard
Feb 12 Visit the WOVV Studio, Ocracoke’s Village Voice community radio station, presentation by Clayton Gaskill and Peter Vankevich
Feb. 13 & 20: Memoir writing.
Feb. 14: Traditional Ocracoke Square Dance. Community Center
Feb. 18: Cooking: Fin fish preparation
Feb. 21, March 14 & 28: Oscar nominated short films. Deepwater Theater, 7 pm. In partnership with the Dare County Arts Council and the OBX Film Society, Ocracoke Alive is hosting three evenings of this year’s Oscar Nominated Short Films, in the categories of Animation, Live Action, and Documentary.
This special release features the year’s most spectacular short films and is available to watch on the big screen for a limited time shortly after nominations are announced.
Feb. 25: Cooking/baking: Pasta making with Teresa Adams
Feb. 26 & 27: Chinese acupressure with Ann Ehringhaus.
Feb. 28: Peace Corps stories. 6 pm. Ocracoke has an astounding number of residents who were in the Peace Corp. Join them as they share stories from the field. Deepwater Theater.
March 4: Cooking: All about tofu with Deborah Ralston
March 11: Cooking: Cleaning and preparing shellfish
March 12: Cooking: Lentils & beyond with Deborah Ralston
March 12 & 113. Figure drawing for the masses with Kim Valera. 6 pm. Deepwater Theater.
March 18: Cooking/baking: Bagel making with David Tweedie
March 25: Cooking/baking TBD