THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 3, 1994 TAG: 9406031060
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: D1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940603 LENGTH: MANTEO
Sponsored by Dare County and the town of Manteo, the daylong event costs more than $8,000 to put on. But its activities are free and open to everyone.
{REST} ``It's a good, fun, family-oriented festival,'' said county Elections Supervisor Lynda Midgett, who is coordinating Dare Days. ``And this year, we have several additions to the usual lineup.''
Festivities begin at 9 a.m. with gospel singers performing on two stages. The main stage will be in front of Dare County's brick courthouse on Budleigh Street. A second stage will be set up in the courtyard by the Duchess of Dare Restaurant. Other entertainers will appear on the back steps of the Waterfront complex throughout the day.
Tom Wopat is the headliner for this year's Dare Days. A Broadway actor who has recorded several top 20 country songs, Wopat is best known for his role as Luke Duke on television's ``Dukes of Hazard'' series. He will play original acoustic guitar tunes at 4 p.m. on the main stage.
Besides musical offerings, Dare Days will feature 170 arts, crafts and food booths with vendors coming from as far away as Florida and Tennessee. A petting zoo and pony rides will be set up next to the George Washington Creef boathouse at the Waterfront. And kiddy amusement rides will run throughout the day.
Three large boats also are joining the fleet of fun this year.
The Elizabeth II, a state-owned replica of the 16th-century sailing ship which Sir Walter Raleigh's colonists brought to Roanoke Island, will dock at Manteo's waterfront for the day. Landlubbers can tour the ship's historic decks from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $1 each; children under age six are free.
A U.S. Coast Guard cutter from Group Cape Hatteras will offer free tours from the waterfront during the same time frame. And a 41-foot yacht will bring members of the state's Coastal Futures Committee ashore to speak with citizens about coastal management issues between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
``We'll have clowns, magicians, mimes, sand art, face-painting, hermit crabs and more,'' Midgett said. ``If we have good weather, we expect up to 10,000 people. We're waiting to welcome them with open arms.''
Transportation to Manteo's waterfront traditionally has been the toughest part of Dare Days. Several main downtown streets are blocked off for the festival. But this year, the new Beach Bus will offer shuttles from three beach locations throughout the day.
At 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., the bus will pick up passengers at the Dare Center in Kill Devil Hills, milepost 7 on the U.S. Route 158 bypass. Twenty minutes later, it will stop at the Outer Banks Mall, milepost 16 on the bypass. And at 40 minutes after the above hours, the bus will pick people up at the Soundings Factory Outlet Mall on the bypass, milepost 20.
The bus will leave from Manteo's waterfront at 10 a.m., noon, 2 and 4p.m. Admission is $1 for adults, 50-cents for children. Children must be accompanied by adults.
For more information about Dare Days or the beach bus shuttle, call 473-1101 ext. 319.
by CNB