THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 31, 1995 TAG: 9505310465
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NAGS HEAD LENGTH: Long : 115 lines
For Outer Banks merchants, restaurateurs and real estate rental companies, the first weekend of the 1995 summer season was more than memorable - it was record breaking.
Visitors began streaming into the barrier island beaches shortly after noon on Friday. By mid-morning Saturday, an estimated 1,000 vehicles were crossing each lane of the four-lane Wright Memorial Bridge every hour. Between 6 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. Monday, at least 18,000 travelers drove across the 10-day-old westbound span, headed for home.
More than 60,000 automobiles cruised over Currituck Sound during Memorial Day weekend, estimated Department of Transportation traffic engineer Steve Yetman.
For the first time in at least a decade, tourists said traffic kept moving at all times.
``Those new lanes on the bridge passed their first critical test this weekend - and everyone seemed pleased with the trip,'' Dare County spokesman Charlie Hartig said Tuesday. ``There were no backups or traffic congestion on either the Dare or Currituck side of the span. The additional lanes have really helped handle the additional traffic.''
Slight backups greeted some Outer Banks-bound travelers near the North Carolina and Virginia border, where U.S. Route 168 is only two lanes wide. But transportation and tourism officials said those slow spots primarily were caused by small fender-bender accidents. South of Barco - and especially at the often heavily congested bridge - four lanes of traffic flowed freely throughout the weekend.
Although rain dampened some families' plans to spend Saturday in the sun, Outer Banks retail and restaurant owners said the day-long drizzle helped heat up business for their indoor establishments.
Soundings Factory Outlets in Nags Head saw 10,608 vehicles visit its bypass-front parking lot between Friday and Monday - a 25 percent increase over last Memorial Day weekend. Soundings assistant manager Woody Denmon said the discount shops hosted about 26,500 customers. ``We were packed all three days. It's just getting busier every year,'' Denmon said Tuesday. ``I feel like - if this weekend was any indication - this is going to be a very great summer.''
Outer Banks Restaurant Association President Carol Ann Angells agreed. Her Jolly Roger eatery in Kill Devil Hills broke an all-time record for the most breakfasts sold on Saturday, serving more than 600 meals before noon.
``It was just fantastic. People ate and drank all day long because of the weather, I guess. We've done 500 breakfasts before - but never near 600,'' Angells said. ``We had a nice bar crowd late night, too. It really was a wonderful Memorial Day on the Outer Banks. Almost every restaurant I've talked to has said they were mainly ahead of past years.''
Rental cottages were almost booked up all weekend, with many families staying throughout this week as well, real estate agents said. Hotels and motels were overflowing Friday and Saturday nights. The new Inn at Corolla Light had to turn guests away after being open less than a month.
``We were very optimistic. But we never thought we'd fill up this fast,'' said Melissa Suggs, assistant manager of the Inn at Corolla Light. A 17-room hotel with kitchenettes in every suite, the inn is the only place on Currituck County's Outer Banks where people can stay during the tourist season for less than a week. It opened May 3. During Memorial Day weekend, other barrier island hotel operators tried to send guests they couldn't accommodate to Corolla. But there was no room at the inn.
``We filled up so fast. We had people from Richmond and Tidewater, mostly,'' Suggs said. ``We felt bad having to send people away. But it was also kind of cool that so many people found out about us so fast.''
Besides eating and sleeping, Memorial Day vacationers also took time out to enjoy the Outer Banks' historical and recreational attractions. More than 5,000 people visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills between Saturday and Monday. Hundreds attended hourly talks on the world's first powered flight, said National Park Service official Warren Wrenn.
From Friday through Monday, 5,118 visitors climbed the spiraling stairs at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton, National Park Service Ranger Rob Bolling said. That's an 11 percent increase over the first summer-season weekend head count for 1994.
``This was the busiest Memorial Day weekend we've had in the three years the lighthouse has been open,'' Bolling said from nearby the black-and-white beacon. ``It looks like this might have been an all-time record-setting weekend for us, too. We were quite active all three days. A lot of folks who would've gone outdoors wound up staying inside, seeing places like the lighthouse.''
Others seem to have stayed in their cars - at least long enough to ride the free ferry to Ocracoke Island. During the weekend, 6,213 vehicles took the 40-minute trip across Hatteras Inlet. During the same time last year, 5,763 cars crossed ferry decks - 7 percent fewer than used the state service this year.
``We were scheduled to go every half hour, beginning this past weekend,'' said ferry supervisor Jack Cahoon. ``But we ran about every 15 minutes instead, to meet demand. It was pretty steady most days.''
Anglers, too, seemed to have enjoyed the long weekend. Charter boats, beaches and piers hosted dozens of fishermen - despite the Saturday downpour. Most people hooked at least something on their lines, tackle shop owners said.
``Sunday was real great. The parking lot was full all day. And we had a dozen or so people stay throughout the night,'' Outer Banks Pier manager Eddie Blevins said Tuesday. ``There was a real good variety of fish - and a lot of them. Fishermen had good luck with small spot, speckled trout and bluefish. One guy even got a citation sea mullet. Saturday was only so-so because of the rain. But on Sunday, it was like, `Wow! Where'd all these people come from?' Most stayed for Monday, too.''
``Outer Banks visitation has been picking up more and more every year,'' Dare County Tourist Bureau Director Gene O'Bleness said Tuesday. ``The new bridge has been very beneficial already, in letting people get here more quickly, with fewer hassles.
``The first big summer weekend is behind us now. We got through it with no backups. And even though the weather changed on us early Saturday, we had a very strong weekend overall. The rain triggered people to do other things than just go to the beach. Most merchants have said they had well above average holidays,'' O'Bleness said.
``To me, that's just outstanding.'' by CNB