Christmas Comes Early!

For many Hatteras island locals, Christmas came a little early this year in the form of a bridge! After many tiring years of lobbying, the approval was finally given to begin construction on a new bridge connecting Hatteras Island to the rest of the world. It is estimated that construction will take 3 years for completion, but for residents and visitors this is the best news that came this Holiday season. Hatteras Realty wants to thank Sen. Hagan, Commissioner Warren Judge, Commissioner Allen Burrus and all of the Bridge Moms for their hard work and determination.

For more information on the Bridge approval visit these websites:

News and Observer

Dare County

Island Free Press

Kay Hagan

Facebook Countdown Application

Hatteras Realty has recently launched the newest social media tool, the Facebook Vacation Countdown! 
Now our guests have the ability to share their vacation plans with their Facebook friends with the click of a button. This application allows you to go online and brag about your upcoming beach vacation! Specifically, it shows the property you have rented, the date of your vacation, and the countdown until you will be here. It posts regularly on your Facebook page and allows the opportunity for your friends to click to view details of the property. 
If you are interested in adding the application to your Facebook page simply visit the link below. 

Hatteras Realty Vacation Countdown

Anniversary of the First Flight

One hundred and seven years ago today, two bicycle mechanics pieced together a contraption made from wood, wire and cloth and somehow managed to get the thing in the air. The Wright Flyer took off Dec. 17, 1903, at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk, N.C. The plane remained aloft for 12 seconds and 120 feet.
Today we honor the first flight with the Wright Brothers National Memorial located where the first flight occurred. The 107th celebration allows visitors to gather at the exact site at the exact time as the historic flight to remember, reflect and celebrate this milestone. The daylong anniversary tribute will be held at the site of Wright’s first flight. Visitors to the site experience a replica of the Wright Brothers’ 1903 encampment and majestic, 60-foot tall granite monument perched atop a 90-foot hill that serves a striking and lasting reminder of the important historical achievement that happened on this site a century ago. 

For more information and interesting facts about the Wright brothers and the first flight visit these websites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers

http://www.fi.edu/flights/first/intro.html

Hatteras Realty to Attend Wedding Expo

The Outer Banks continues to grow as one of America's top wedding destinations. The 13th annual Wedding Expo will showcase over 170 vendors, including Hatteras Realty. We will be on hand to help you plan & pick the perfect house to host your dream wedding! Along with lots of great food, drink, music, door prizes and a spectacular Fashion Show during the expo.

Check-In : (Check in locations: Argyles Restaurant, The Pearl, Comfort Inn South )
Friday, January 7, 2011
3PM - 9PM
Saturday, January 8, 2011
9AM - 4PM

Saturday, January 8, 2011
10AM - 5PM
Featuring a self-guided tour of more than 50 fabulous Outer Banks Wedding Association vendors including reception/ceremony sites like our premier event homes. The number one stop on your way down to Hatteras will be our featured event home Croatan Ridge!

Meet and Greet Reception
Pirate's Cove Pavilion, Manteo
Saturday, January 8, 2011
7PM - 10PM

The Meet and Greet is a wonderful time to meet some of the wonderful vendors on the Outer Banks. Sample some of the caterers' culinary delights; listen to some of themusicians, while photographers and others have their information available for you.

The Outer Banks Wedding Expo
Sunday, January 9, 2011
10AM - 5PM
First Flight Middle and High Schools, Kill Devil Hills

Ticket Information:

Tickets for the Wedding Weekend will get you access to the Wedding Tour on Saturday, the Meet & Greet Reception on Saturday evening at Pirate’s Cove, and the Expo on Sunday at the First Flight Schools. The Expo only tickets will get you access to the Expo on Sunday only.

Cut off for the pre-purchase ticket sales are at Noon on Monday January 3^rd. Anyone interested in tickets after that can purchase them at one of the check-in locations or at the Expo on Sunday.

Wedding Weekend Tickets: $20.00/ Wedding Expo Only: $10.00

Ticket prices at any of the check-in locations or at the Expo will be $25 for the weekend or $15 for the Expo only, per person

Hatteras Island is fast becoming a popular location for destination weddings. This will be one event you are not going to want to miss! We can’t wait to see you at the Beach!

For further information or questions feel free to contact the Event Team at events@hatterasrealty.com or give us a call!

Waves Office- A Historical Site

The Hatteras Realty Waves office has quite a story behind its walls. Recently restored, the circa 1849 home, is now listed in the National Historic Registry. This structure was once the home and birthplace of a famous surfman known as Rasmus Midgett, a true American hero. 

Rasmus Midgett, one of a long line of North Carolina surfmen known as the Mighty Midgetts, was on the horseback south patrol for the Gull Shoals Lifesaving Station on August 18, 1899. Approximately three-fourths of a mile from the station, he came across items newly washed ashore, which indicated a shipwreck. He traveled two more miles and found much more debris and sounds of sails frapping and then faint voices. In the darkness Midgett managed to make out the remains of a shipwrecked vessel that had run aground, with men clutching to remaining wood approximately 100 yards from him.

The vessel that was aground was the Priscilla, a 643 ton barkentine out of Baltimore, MD on August 12, 1899. Knowing that it would take too much time to return to the station and bring back a life-saving crew, Midgett began retrieving men from the waters alone. One by one he assisted each of the 10 men back to shore and eventually to the safety of the station.

For this Rasmus Midgett was awarded the Gold Medal of Honor for Lifesaving. Midgett, was subsequently awarded a Gold Lifesaving Medal by the Secretary of the Treasury. With the award the Secretary transmitted a highly commendatory letter reciting the story of the brave man’s heroism. The inscription read on one side: “To Rasmus Midgett for rescuing singlehanded ten men from the Priscilla, August 18, 1899” and on the other: “In Testimony of Heroic Deeds in the Saving of Life from the Perils of the Sea.