July 4 celebrations and events scheduled for Hatteras and Ocracoke….WITH VIDEO

Fireworks are again scheduled on July 4 at Avon Pier, and many of the other villages are offering lots to do to celebrate, including the traditional and very popular Old Time Parade in Ocracoke.

Islanders and visitors should remember that all fireworks – except the show at the Avon Pier — are illegal in all of the villages of Hatteras and Ocracoke and on all National Park Service lands and beaches.  Call 911 to report illegal fireworks.

Here’s the rundown so far for Thursday, July 4:

TRI-VILLAGES

At 2 p.m. in Rodanthe, the famed beach apparatus drill will be performed by active duty Coast Guardsmen at the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station. The time, 2 p.m., is the historic hour for practicing this lifesaving drill. Admission to the site, which opens at 10 a.m. is $6 with seniors and students at $4.

At 3:30 p.m., the tenth annual Independence Day Celebration starts at the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Building, across Highway 12 from Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station. At this event, community members and visitors join together to sing patriotic songs and hear a reading of the Declaration of Independence. A watermelon feast follows. The free event is sponsored by the villages’ civic association.

AVON

Fourth of July Fireworks at the Beach is sponsored by the Avon Property Owners Association and funded in part by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau.  The fireworks display, presented by PYROTECNICO, will begin about 9:15 p.m. from its launch site at the end of the Avon Pier, permitted by and in cooperation with the National Park Service.
 
This event is additionally made possible through generous donations from the Hatteras Island business community, residents, property owners, and guests.  Corporate sponsors for this event are ACE Hardware, Avon Fishing Pier, Avon Property Owners Assn., Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative, Kinnakeet Shores Homeowners, Hatteras Realty, Koru Village & Spa, Outer Beaches Realty, Sun Realty, and Surf or Sound Realty.  (Please see www.avonpoa.org or Avon Property Owners Association’s  Facebook page for a complete list of other business contributors.)
 
Earlier in the day, from 3 until 8 p.m., APOA will host festivities for all ages on the grounds of The Beach Klub.  There will be Ragland Productions’ inflatables and rock climbing wall, along with event T-shirts, hot dogs, popcorn, cotton candy, and ice cream. Wristbands to access the inflatables and rock climbing wall will cost $5 and will be good all during the event.

The Beach Klub will be hosting a Fourth of July party with live music by Kirsten Thein and Band. Local band, The Librarians, will be opening for Kirsten and her band. The event, which begins at 6 p.m., is free. Parking at the Beach Klub and the Spa is available for $10 per car. There will be food and drinks at the Beach Klub available for purchase. Also featured will be fire dancers and poi.

Click here to see a video of the 2012 Fireworks at the Avon Fishing Pier.

HATTERAS

The fourth annual 4th in the Village celebration is planned from 2 until 7 p.m. in the heart of Hatteras village in front of the post office.

Sponsored by the Hatteras Village Civic Association and the Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation, the event will include food, ice cream music, art, and games. There will be a golf cart parade at 4 p.m. and Lady J and the Jives will provide music from 5 until 7 p.m.

OCRACOKE

The Independence Day celebration on Ocracoke will begin early and end late.

Events include:

8 until 10 a.m. – Ocracoke Pony Pens.  Meet the ponies and the newest addition to the herd, Captain Marvin Howard.

9 a.m. — Flag Raising Ceremony with Ocracoke Boy Scouts on the School Circle.

9:30 a.m. until noon — The 37th Annual Sand Sculpture Contest at the Lifeguarded Beach.

10 a.m. until 2 p.m. — Classic Cars on the Pony Island Motel Lawn.

10 a.m. until 2 p.m. — Ocracoke Lighthouse History Talk. Lighthouse open for public viewing. Parking is limited and organizers suggest you walk or bike.

11 a.m. Pirates on Stage at Community Square on the Harbor.

Noon — Local Fig Cake Bake-off Setup and Preview at the Community Square. Judging begins at 2 p.m. Awards announced at 6 p.m. on Community Square stage.

1 until 6 p.m. Traditional island fish cake sandwich fundraiser at Community Square.

1 p.m. Pirates on Stage at Community Square.

3 p.m. — Old Time Ocracoke Parade. Entrants should register by 2 p.m. on the 4th at The Sweet Tooth. Forms are available at the Post Office and throughout the village. Download form at WOVV.org, and return to Parade@WOVV.org. Parade route starts at The Topless Oyster, left on Lighthouse Rd., right on Creek Rd., right on Silver Lake Dr., follow road around harbor to Parade’s end at NPS Parking Lot.

5 until 6 p.m. — Donald Davis’ Stories—Bring a chair! Books to be Red Lawn .

6 p.m. Announcement of parade, fig cake, and sand sculpture winners and The Summer Camp singers on the stage at Community Square.

6:30 until 7:45 p.m. — Traditional Ocracoke Square Dance at the Community Square with David Tweedie, Lou Castro, Marcy Brenner, Gary Mitchell and Phillip Howard as caller.

8:30 until 10:30 p.m. – Ocracoke Rockers at the Community Square.

The July 4 events are sponsored by the Ocracoke Civic and Business Association with lots of assistance. Live broadcasts will be by Ocracoke’s Own WOVV 90.1.