THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 17, 1995 TAG: 9508170519
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY JAMES SCHULTZ, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KILL DEVIL HILLS LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
No way the Hartmann clan is heading out. Evacuation order or no evacuation order, this is their vacation - even if the air conditioning is on the blink.
The Hartmanns were 18 strong Wednesday morning. By Wednesday evening, five of their members had left. And they had lost power, too.
But the 13 who remained vowed to stay put.
``Our families are together. And we have lots of beer,'' said Ken Hartmann, 47, a high school shop teacher from Pennsylvania. ``Most of the locals aren't leaving. They're riding it out. Why shouldn't we?''
For the past 24 years, coming to the Outer Banks has been an every-other-year Hartmann tradition. That's why Ken and his three brothers, Pittsburgh natives all,have brought along wives, sons, daughters and, just this week, a newly minted daughter-in-law.
``We do it every other year, 'cause we can't stand each other every year,'' Ken said, to general laughter from other family members.
Ken's nephew Stephen Hartmann, 24, and Suzanne Hartmann, 20, were married in Albany, N.Y., Aug. 5, and spent most of their honeymoon in the Caribbean. Until, that is, Felix popped up. They headed to Kill Devil Hills and the family reunion this week, far from any storm.
Or so thought the honeymooners.
``We'd figured we'd be safe up here,'' Stephen said. ``Forget it!''
With oceanfront windows cracked to let in the air, the Hartmann family lounged affably around their seaside cottage Wednesday afternoon. They had filled a small, children's wading pool with water, stocked up on peanut butter and jelly, put aside plenty of charcoal and even had a cellular phone handy.
When the mood struck, they went outside to check on the traditional Hartmann family sculpture, an eye-catching piece of decorated driftwood added to by neighbors before the general evacuation. Or maybe next door to a deserted motel to swim in the motel's pool, or read, or do a little guitar playing.
Before losing electricity, another favorite pastime was a viewing of family events, including the Albany wedding.
``We went through a hurricane here 10 years ago. We were in the worst part of the beach then,'' Ken said. ``We saw lawn chairs take off and rubber rafts flying through the air like kites. We kind of liked it.''
The only damper on this year's festivities was when Gary, the youngest brother, left sometime Wednesday around 3 p.m. for home in New York state with his wife and three children. The rest of the family was sorry to see him go, but promised to carry on nonetheless.
``They're from Jersey,'' said 21-year-old Lauren Hartmann, Ken's niece. ``I think they got a little spooked. They have the kids and everything.''
Late Wednesday, as the winds picked up and the evening grew dark, the Hartmanns put the beer on ice and lit the hurricane lamps. Burgers were cooking.
If the Hartmanns got bored, Ken said, they might mosey over to a deserted deck and watch the troubled water, brews in hand. Then again, maybe ``we'll play hide and seek,'' he said.
It's not every reunion you get to ride out a hurricane.
KEYWORDS: HURRICANE FELIX by CNB