Stories by Maggie Miles | Outer Banks Voice

Otocber 1 | Chasing Rainbows Charity Race
‘It’s a moving tribute, a celebration of compassion’

Why Erin Collins started the Chasing Rainbows Charity Race
By Maggie Miles | Outer Banks Voice

After Erin Collins lost her son right before his due date in 2019, she did the only thing she could think of that had gotten her through ups and downs in life. She laced up her shoes and went for a run. Full story

Sep 22


September 29
Jockey’s Ridge ceremony to mark terminus of Mountains-to-Sea Trail

Ribbon cutting ceremony on September 29th at 10 AM at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head.
By Maggie Miles | Outer Banks Voice

In 1977, Howard Lee, then Secretary of the NC Department of Natural Resources and Community Development, was invited to give a speech at a trails conference at Lake Junaluska. In that speech, he proposed that there should be a trail that runs from one end of the state of North Carolina to the other. Full story

Sep 15


Aleya Howington’s winding path to the runway

Despite obstacles, Currituck resident makes NY Fashion Week debut  
By Maggie Miles | Outer Banks Voice

In 2013, during her freshman year of college at East Carolina University, Aleya Howington walked into a gas station when an older gentleman approached her and introduced himself. Full story

Sep 8


The mysterious castle in the dune

Remnant at Jockey’s Ridge harkens back to mini golf and a different era
By Maggie Miles | Outer Banks Voice

For decades, the tip of a mysterious castle poking out from beneath the sand dunes of Jockey’s Ridge State Park has piqued the curiosity of locals and vacationers alike. Visible from U.S. 158 (The Bypass), the castle plays an ongoing game of peekaboo with those driving by and those who come to climb the highest sand dunes on the East Coast, as it alternates between being buried and revealed, depending which way the wind blows. Full story

Sep 1


At Manteo forum, storm experts say not to take Category 1 hurricanes lightly

By Maggie Miles | Outer Banks Voice
With the area on the cusp of peak storm season, Dare County Emergency Management Director Drew Pearson, Erik Heden, Local Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service, and Carl Barnes, Lead Meteorologist for the National Weather Service, held a local Hurricane Preparedness Forum at the Dare County Emergency Operations Center in Manteo on Wednesday, Aug. 23. Full story

Aug 25


‘Lights, camera, classics’: New Outer Banks Film Society plans a ‘book club for film’

New Outer Banks Film Society plans a ‘book club for film’
By Maggie Miles | Outer Banks Voice

Dare Arts, along with film enthusiasts Gaye and David Morris, are bringing yet another attraction to Manteo by introducing the first ever Outer Banks Film Society, created to foster a community that appreciates the art of film. Full story

Aug 21


Paddle out ceremony set to honor Delbert Melton

Local legend and surfing icon passed in March
By Maggie Miles | Outer Banks Voice

A paddle out ceremony will be held to celebrate the life of Delbert Melton on Saturday, Sept. 16. Delbert, who passed away this year on March 15, was a local surf legend who was known for his counter-culture lifestyle and for teaching kids across the Outer Banks how to surf. Full story

Aug 17


‘They need our help’

How an Indiana family works to support OBX sea turtles
By Maggie Miles | Outer Banks Voice

When the McFate family came to Nags Head from Indiana last fall for one of their regular trips to their second home, Laura McFate decided to incorporate lessons about sea turtles into her curriculum for what the kids refer to as “car school.” Full story

Aug 15


‘It’s our home tournament, the whole community gets involved’

Pirates Cove and Alice Kelly Billfish Tournaments get underway this weekend
By Maggie Miles | Outer Banks Voice

The anticipation is palpable at Pirates Cove Marina and throughout the fishing community as the Outer Banks gears up for the 40th annual Pirates Cove Billfish Tournament (PCBT). The event is not only one of the longest standing fishing traditions on the Outer Banks, it also features the Alice Kelly Memorial Ladies Only Billfish Tournament, the largest lady angler tournament in the world. Full story

Aug 10


Proposal to restrict e-bikes fails in Nags Head

By Maggie Miles | Outer Banks Voice
An effort to restrict the use of e-bikes in Nags Head ran into headwinds at the Aug. 2 Board of Commissioners meeting when several town commissioners indicated they had mixed feelings about the idea. Full story

Aug 4


‘The camera is really like a passport’

Manteo High grad Lauren Cowart travels the world for her craft
By Maggie Miles | Outer Banks Voice

When local photographer Lauren Cowart bought a simple point-and-shoot camera during high school, she used herself as her first subject. High school is not an easy time for young women, or anyone, to feel secure in themselves, and during those formative years, it was a way to find her self-confidence. Full story

Jul 29


From Restaurant to Reef

Coastal Federation program works to recycle OBX oyster shells
By Maggie Miles | Outer Banks Voice

Every Tuesday morning, Colington Harbor residents Sharron and Rick Hildebrant have a routine. First, they head to the bowling alley in Nags Head for a couple of hours of bowling, and then they head down the street to Dirty Dick’s Crab House and Mulligan's Grille to collect pails upon pails of used oyster shells that the restaurants save for them each week. Full story

Jul 24