Seagull Says: THURSDAY’S FOR SNOOPING, NOT STRESSING

🌊 TODAY’S TIDE (Weather + Surf Report)

• 🌤️ Weather
  Sunny with just enough breeze to keep your bangs in chaos. High of 78° with west winds doing 10–20 mph damage. UV index is 9 out of 11, so lather up unless you want tan lines that scream “tourist.” Tonight drops to 62° with a clear sky and a moon still doing its disappearing act.

• 🏄‍♂️ Surf Report
  We’ve got a growing E/SE windswell on tap with conditions expected to clean up later in the day. It’s not epic, but if you’ve got time to loiter near the shoreline, the late afternoon window might actually deliver something rideable. Wax 'em if you got 'em.

📰 HEADLINES + CHATTER

Because the traffic counters are watching, the kids are building libraries, and your ferry’s still late.

• 🚗 Counterproductive
  The NC Turnpike Authority is setting up traffic counting gadgets on US 158 near Duck Woods Drive. They're not spying—just checking which cars have toll transponders. Expect minor delays while they politely judge your vehicle choices.

• ⛴️ Ferry Purgatory, Day 3,921
  Ocracoke’s summer ferry schedule has been delayed again due to shoaling in the Bigfoot Slough channel. Until the U.S. Army Corps dredges it out, you're stuck with spring schedules. The ocean does not care about your plans.

• 🏖️ Toy Story: OBX Edition
  A group of local students built Nags Head’s very first beach toy library using found beach gear, some power tools, and a lot of heart. It’s adorable, eco-friendly, and an excuse to stop bringing 47 plastic shovels to the beach.

• 🌉 Bridge Over (Less) Troubled Waters
  The new Trinitie/Juniper Trail bridge in Southern Shores is officially open—finished ahead of schedule and (allegedly) under budget. Congrats to everyone who detoured for the last 199 days. You made it.

• 🚙 Memorial Day Migration Incoming
  AAA says more than 2.5 million North Carolinians and Virginians are about to hit the road or sky this weekend. So if you thought the bypass was crowded now… just wait. Bonus: gas is under $3, so absolutely everyone is coming.

• 🍎 Teacher Pay Flop Era Continues
  The Dare County Board of Education has passed yet another resolution asking the state to raise teacher salaries, noting that NC ranks 38th in teacher pay and inflation has made it worse. Still no action from Raleigh, but at least the font was bold.

🎟️ THURSDAY EVENTS

Because the weekend's warming up and your calendar’s about to get clingy.

• 🧘‍♀️ Dynamic Flow Fitness on the Green
  Start your day stretched and smug. Bring a mat, hydrate, and pretend it’s not just for the Instagram.
  📍Duck Town Park | 7:30–8:15 AM

• 🏄 Stand-Up Paddleboard Yoga
  Balance, core strength, and possibly falling in. Channel your inner seagull—graceful or not.
  📍Ride The Wind Surf Shop, Ocracoke | 8:30 AM

• 🖼️ Rotating Art Show: Wes Snyder
  Beach shots so pretty, you’ll consider dumping your camera phone forever.
  📍Duck Town Park | 9:00 AM–4:30 PM

• 🦋 Butterfly House Release
  Let your inner child (or actual child) squeal as butterflies take flight.
  📍Elizabethan Gardens | 10:00 AM and again at 1:00 PM

• 🎨 Mollie Fearing Memorial Art Show
  More inspiring than your Pinterest board. Local art, local legacy.
  📍Dare County Arts Council, Manteo | 10:00 AM

• 🐢 Sea Turtle Assistance & Rehabilitation Tour
  Behind-the-scenes look at OBX's favorite slowpokes in recovery.
  📍NC Aquarium, Roanoke Island | 10:00 AM

• 🦦 Happy Otter Hour
  Otters, bubbles, chaos. Basically the best part of your Thursday.
  📍NC Aquarium, Roanoke Island | 2:00 PM

• 🖌️ Paint Party
  Bring your own flair. Or just follow the step-by-step and pretend you did.
  📍Artsy Octopus, Nags Head | 2:00–4:00 PM

• 🎶 Acoustic Sunset Wine Down
  Live tunes, vineyard views, and a vibe that screams soft launch.
  📍Sanctuary Vineyards, Jarvisburg | 5:30–8:30 PM

• 🎤 Live Music with Tim Ross
  He plays, you sip, the sun sets. What more do you need?
  📍Mulligan’s Grille, Nags Head | 6:00–9:00 PM

• 🎸 John Baldwin Live
  Sea air, cold drinks, good music. Classic Fish Heads night.
  📍Fish Heads Bar & Grill, Nags Head | 6:00–9:00 PM

• 🧠 Trivia Night
  Show off your random knowledge or just vibe with the beer list.
  📍Whalehead Brewery, Corolla | 6:00 PM

• 🌞 Suncatcher Resin Workshop
  Make something shiny and pretend it was relaxing.
  📍Absolutely Outer Banks, Kitty Hawk | 6:00 PM

• 🌽 Cornhole League
  Bags, beers, and bracket drama. You already know.
  📍The Pioneer Theater, Manteo | 6:30 PM

• 🎙️ Monte Hooker’s Open Mic Night
  Your moment or someone else's. Either way, there’s beer and ocean views.
  📍Avalon Pier, Kill Devil Hills | 6:00–9:00 PM

📍THE BEAK OF APPROVAL

👻OBX Ghost Tours– The spookiest stroll you’ll ever take in flip-flops.

Manteo’s haunted history gets the flashlight treatment thanks to the longest-running ghost tour on the Outer Banks. With guides who’ve lived the stories (or at least near them), you’ll walk downtown while hearing tales that’ll make your beach house creak a little louder at night. Family-friendly, history-soaked, and just the right amount of eerie—this one’s got spirit. Literally.

📍307 Queen Elizabeth Ave, Manteo

🚨 CRIME + SAFETY CORNER

Where there’s smoke, there’s probably a tourist misunderstanding the LSV laws.

• 🔥 Dumpster Drama
  Avon Volunteer Fire Department responded to a full-on dumpster fire (literally, not metaphorically) Tuesday night in Kinnakeet Shores. No injuries, no damage—just a scorched bin and a solid reminder to not treat dumpsters like campfires.

• 💉 Probation Visit Gone Sideways
  Dare County deputies helping with NC Probation found heroin and paraphernalia on a Kill Devil Hills man. Christopher King was charged with felony possession and now owes the system $15K in bond. PSA: maybe rethink your stash spot when you're expecting company.

• 🧠 Duck PD’s Got Your Back
  Duck Police are enrolled in Project Lifesaver, a nationwide program to help quickly locate individuals with Alzheimer’s, autism, or other cognitive conditions if they wander. It’s free, it’s effective, and it’s one more reason Duck PD deserves a shoutout. Contact Officer Nathan Mauffray if your loved one could benefit.

• 📱 Beach Alerts = Lifesavers
  Kitty Hawk PD wants you to know you can text OBXBeachConditions to 77295 to get real-time updates from local ocean rescue crews and the National Weather Service. Helpful for dodging rip currents and sketchy umbrella windstorms.

• 🛺 Street Legal ≠ Golf Cart Cute
  Nags Head PD says it louder for the folks in the back: if it’s not registered, insured, and decked out like a real vehicle (with seat belts, lights, etc.), your beach buggy isn’t street legal. LSVs (Low-Speed Vehicles) are not allowed on roads over 35 mph—and definitely not on the bike path, Karen.

• 📡 Bridge Intel Gathering
  As part of the prep for the Mid-Currituck Bridge, traffic count antennas are going up to scan for E-ZPass, NC Quick Pass, and other toll transponders. If you’re paranoid about being watched, don’t worry—they’re just counting how many of us are stuck behind minivans with roof boxes.

⛱️ VACAY OR STAY

🏡 FOR SALE: CEDAR BAY CUTENESS, SCREENED PORCH INCLUDED
This 3-bed, 2-bath Manteo bungalow is giving cozy, clean, and completely move-in ready. LVP floors, 9’ ceilings, a screened porch for bug-free wine time, and a private yard for your hammock dreams. New water heater, storage shed that actually matches the house, and a water filtration system to keep things crisp. The sellers only used it as a weekend escape—now it's your turn.

📍804 Lindsey Ln, Lot 24, Manteo | $449,750 | MLS #128195

Bonus: $3,000 buyer credit at closing if you play your cards right.

🌊 VACAY: TINY HOUSE, BIG MOOD IN RODANTHE
Just 240 sq ft of semi-oceanfront magic. This tiny-but-mighty rental gives major HGTV energy—custom woodwork, killer deck views, and a bed loft that says "yes to charm, no to ceilings." No indoor shower (but the outdoor one is a vibe), a half-fridge, and strictly for two grown-ups max. It’s cozy, coastal, and cute as hell.

📍Rodanthe, NC | Tiny Home, Big Ocean

Bonus: If you’ve ever wanted to test-drive tiny living, this is your beachy bootcamp.

🕵️‍♀️ HEARD AROUND THE DUNES

• 🍩 A guy in Avon asked if Duck Donuts originated in Duck because “it’s a law they have to be there.” No, but now we want that to be true.

• 🕶️ Someone in Manteo claimed they saw Nicolas Cage at Food-A-Rama. It was just a guy in cargo shorts whispering to the cereal.

🔗 QUICK LINKS

• ⛴️Ferry Schedule – You can’t teleport to the Outer Banks (yet), so here’s how to float your way here the old-fashioned way.

• 🐾OBX SPCA Pet of the Week (more like every 10 days): Jet, a super cute pup, is ready to jet outta there and go home with you!

• 🌊Live Surf Cams – For “checking the surf,” but really just spying on beach traffic and seeing who already claimed your favorite spot.

• 💬Submit a Tip or Event – Got a hot lead, weird sighting, or something the seagulls should be squawking about? Slide it our way.

🧂FINAL PEEP FROM THE PERCH

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