Dare County Newsletter - October 6, 2023

National Fire Prevention Week—which will be observed this year from Sunday, October 8, 2023 through Saturday, October 14, 2023—is an annual event designed to raise awareness about fire safety and promote methods to prevent fires from occurring in homes and businesses. According to the National Fire Protection Association, cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the United States, leading to this year’s theme for Fire Prevention Week: “Cooking safety starts with you. Pay attention to fire prevention.” 

Following the tips below for cooking with caution will not only help protect your property from a potential fire—it could also ultimately save your life.   

• Stay alert when cooking, and always remain in the kitchen while you are frying, boiling, grilling or broiling food. If you have to leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, set a timer to remind you to promptly return and continue monitoring your stove. 
• Keep any items that can catch fire—such as oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging and towels—away from the stovetop, and refrain from cooking if you are tired or have consumed alcohol. 
• Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove, and always keep a lid nearby when cooking. If a small grease fire starts, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner. If an oven fire occurs, turn off the heat and keep the over door closed. 
• Maintain a “kid- and pet-free zone” of at least 3 feet around the stove, grill or anywhere else where hot food is being prepared or carried.
• Grilling on decks can be particularly dangerous and is typically not permitted in condominiums or other multi-family structures. If you reside in a single-family home where deck grilling is allowed, be sure to keep the grill several feet away from the home and the deck railings, and be sure it’s not placed under the eaves of the residence or any overhanging branches that could catch fire. 
• Clean the grill frequently to remove buildup of grease, use a grill mat to catch sparks, avoid grilling on windy days, always keep a fire extinguisher nearby, and never leave your grill unattended.       

According to the National Fire Protection Association, properly installed and maintained smoke alarms play a vital role in saving lives and reducing fire deaths and injuries. Closed doors may slow the spread of smoke, heat and fire, so it’s crucial for smoke alarms should be installed inside every bedroom as well as outside each sleeping area to alert you if a fire has started.

Smoke alarms should also be installed on every level of the home—and ideally they should be interconnected so when one alarm sounds, every alarm sounds. This creates an essential early warning system and gives you more time to safely escape before the smoke and flames begin to reach you or potentially block your exit.       

The National Fire Protection Association also recommends testing each smoke alarm in your home at least once a month, changing smoke alarm batteries at least once every year and replacing smoke alarms entirely every 10 years. For more information about National Fire Prevention Week and additional tips for fire safety and prevention, please click the button below.

The 2023 Municipal Elections—which will be held on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, in the towns of Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head and Manteo—are less than a month away, and early voting begins on Thursday, October 19, 2023. Do you know which candidates are running for office in your municipality, where you can cast your ballot and what North Carolina’s voter photo ID requirement for 2023 entails? 

Dare County and Current TV have partnered to create a video that provides comprehensive information regarding the number of candidates that have filed to run in contested elections in each of the six towns in Dare County, the dates and times during which early voting will be held in two locations prior to Election Day, where you can find a list of candidates that is grouped by each contest, and what information you’ll need to provide when you vote this year. To view the video on Dare County’s YouTube channel, please click the button below.

The Virginia S. Tillett Community Center, located at 950 Marshall C. Collins Drive in Manteo, will host its annual Dare to Scare 5K & Sweet Treat Fun Run beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday, October 28, 2023. All proceeds from the race will benefit the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center’s annual toy drive for local children in need, which will take place in December. 

The 5K event consists of a 3.1-mile race on a scenic course that begins at the Coastal Studies Institute in Skyco and continues along various residential roadways and trails—including portions of the Marshall and Gussie Collins Walkway—before ending at the finish line located at the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center.

A virtual option is also available and can be completed by participants at any time or location through Saturday, October 28, 2023. In addition to the 5K, a Sweet Treat Fun Run will be held in the parking lot of the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center for younger children and participants who would like to compete in a shorter race.  

Dare County Government employees can earn a Wellness Point for participating. For more information and to register for the Dare to Scare 5K or Sweet Treat Fun Run, please click the button below.

October is National Book Month, and the Dare County Library invites you to celebrate by taking advantage of the many programs, activities, services and upcoming events that its three branches located throughout Dare County have to offer adults and children of all ages. Here are a few highlights:

Hoopla Digital

The Dare County Library recently announced that patrons can now enjoy hoopla digital, a streaming service offering a vast collection of over 1 million titles, including audiobooks, eBooks, comics, music, movies and TV shows. By simply downloading the hoopla digital app on iOS and Android devices, patrons can seamlessly stream content from an extensive digital library from any computer or mobile device for free with their Dare County Library card. 

Hoopla offers a unique borrowing experience with no holds or wait times and a three-week checkout period for items. BingePasses are also available, allowing patrons to check out groups of items—such as 24 Hallmark movies or 60 digital magazines, for example—for seven days. The platform also includes a unique book club feature, which provides resources for hosting both in-person and virtual book clubs, as well as discussion guides, author Q&As, further recommended reading, meeting planners and more. 

In order to access the wide array of entertaining and educational content that is available via hoopla digital, patrons will need their Dare County Library card and PIN. Each Dare County Library cardholder can check out up to seven items per month. For more information, visit www.hoopladigital.com or contact your local Dare County Library branch.

Library Home Visit Program

Each month, the Dare County Library provides a free home delivery service, bringing library materials such as print books, magazines, DVDs and books on CD straight to the homes of patrons who are unable to visit one of the Dare County Library's three branches in person. 

This convenient service is provided to Dare County Library cardholders who are not able to visit their local library for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to physical disabilities, debilities of advanced age, reading or sight impairments, or other extenuating circumstances. The next home visit service will take place on Wednesday, October 11, 2023.

For more information about the program—or to schedule an upcoming home visit—please call the Manteo Library at 252-473-2372. To view a video highlighting the home visit program, please click here.

Each year, the Medicare Open Enrollment Period is held from October 15 to December 7, and if you are a Medicare client, you are encouraged to review your Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plan during this period to ensure you have the most cost-effective and appropriate plan for you and to make any necessary changes.

The Thomas A. Baum Senior Center in Kill Devil Hills, the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center in Manteo and the Fessenden Center in Buxton serve as local Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) offices, and knowledgeable staff members are available to assist with any Medicare-related questions you may have. The Baum Senior Center, which is located at 300 Mustian Street in Kill Devil Hills, is currently scheduling appointments, and if you have not recently had a review of your Medicare plan, you are encouraged to schedule an appointment by calling 252-475-5635. 

Individuals who are new to Medicare are also encouraged to attend a Medicare 101 class that will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 26, 2023, at the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center, which is located at 950 Marshall C. Collins Drive in Manteo. This class will provide an assortment of useful information designed to help you navigate the Medicare enrollment process. To register for this free class, please call the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center at 252-475-9270.

Dare County and the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® will host a community conversation on property insurance at 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 2, 2023, featuring two keynote speakers: Gina Hardy, CEO of the North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association, and Joann Biliouris, general manager of the North Carolina Rate Bureau. 

Members of the public are encouraged to attend this free event, which will be held in the Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting room, located adjacent to the Dare County Administration Building at 954 Marshall C. Collins Drive in Manteo. 

For those who are unable to attend in person, a livestream of the event will be available on Dare County’s YouTube channel. For more information, please contact Outer Banks Association of Realtors Government Affairs Director Donna Creef at 252-473-7257 or dvcreef@gmail.com. 

Application Deadline: October 16, 2023

The Dare County Veterans Advisory Council encourages those who have lost a loved one that served in the Vietnam War to honor their veteran through the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s In Memory program when The Wall That Heals comes to Dare County next month. The Wall That Heals—a traveling, three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., that tours the country along with a mobile education center—will be on display at the Soundside Event Site in Nags Head from Thursday, November 16, 2023 to Sunday, November 19, 2023.

Since the Vietnam War ended, thousands of Vietnam veterans have died each year due to Agent Orange exposure, PTSD/suicide, cancer and other causes. In an effort to honor these veterans, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund created the In Memory program, which provides a way for family members and friends to honor those who returned home from Vietnam and later passed away.

When a Vietnam veteran is honored through the In Memory program, their photo will be included on a display within the mobile education center alongside images of other honorees from the state in which The Wall That Heals exhibit is on display. In order for a local veteran to be included in the In Memory Honor Roll display when The Wall That Heals comes to Nags Head in November, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund must receive the application by Monday, October 16, 2023. 

For more information and to apply to honor a Vietnam veteran through the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s In Memory program, please click the button below to complete an application.

Photo Submission Deadline: November 1, 2023

The Virginia S. Tillett Community Center, which is located at 950 Marshall C. Collins Drive in Manteo, invites area veterans to attend the center’s annual Veterans Luncheon Celebration, which will be held at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, November 8, 2023.

Entertainment will be provided by The Riff Tides, a popular local band that plays hits from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Each year, the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center also features veterans in a special slideshow that is displayed during the luncheon. If you or a loved one would like to be included in the slideshow for the 2023 Veterans Luncheon Celebration, please send a photo with the veteran’s name and their branch of service to Katherine.Irby@DareNC.gov or bring it by the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center before Wednesday, November 1, 2023 so staff members can scan it for you. For more information or to register to attend the event, please call the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center at 252-475-9270.

Local veterans from all six branches of the military are invited to share personal stories of their service to our nation on November 9, 2023 by participating in the Veterans History Project, a Library of Congress initiative that collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions. 

Participants will be asked a series of questions during a recorded interview that will then be submitted into the archives of the Library of Congress, where veterans, their families and future generations can search for recordings by veterans’ names in order to hear these stories directly from those who served and to gain a better understanding of what they experienced during their service.  

An informational meeting to provide an overview of the project will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 9, 2023, at the Currituck Maritime Museum, which is located at 1140 Village Lane In Corolla, North Carolina. Veterans who are interested in participating in the project and sharing their stories will then have the opportunity to be interviewed about their experiences by Library of Congress staff members. For more information about the Veterans History Project, please click the button below.