Name: Exhibit Opening: Where the Waves Break: Surfing in Northeastern North Carolina
Start: 2024-07-13T10:00:00-04:00
Location: Museum of the Albemarle

Exhibit Opening: Where the Waves Break: Surfing in Northeastern North Carolina

Join us on 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟏𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒, for the grand opening of our newest exhibition, 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝑩𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌: 𝑺𝒖𝒓𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝑵𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝑵𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒂.
Surfing has been around for centuries, with roots in Polynesia, particularly Hawaii and Tahiti. Along North Carolina’s southern coastline, early forms of surfing activity were first documented in 1909. Surfing was introduced to the northern coast of North Carolina in the 1920s. What began as a sacred activity for Indigenous islanders has become a mix of cultures all its own. For more than a hundred years, many surfers have ridden these waves. For some, surfing is a profession; for others, it is a hobby, a therapeutic activity, a community to join, or a mechanism to raise awareness for causes.
The Outer Banks, where waves meet shifting sands, is known to have the best waves on the East Coast. The region’s geography of a curved coastline, along with ocean swells from the north to the southwest, creates excellent surfing conditions. High-pressure systems, hurricanes, and nor’easters bring favorable surfing conditions. Hatteras waters are a mixture of the Gulf Stream’s warm waters and the Labrador Current’s cold waters. Shifting sands craft sandbars, affecting the breaking points of waves. Great surf spots include the S curves in Rodanthe, the jetties at Hatteras, near shipwrecks, and along the piers.
The exhibit will feature objects including surfboards, trophies, competition jerseys, a wet suit, life jacket, surf jacket, and surf wax. View images and/or surfboards from local surf shops. Professional surfers Jesse Hines, Will Deane, Annie Peters, Brittany Duffy, Patti Hook, and Noah Snyder loaned boards, images, and trophies. Outer Banks Boarding Company, Gale Force Glassing, and Ross Surfboards provided artifacts and assisted in the understanding of the processes of shaping and glassing boards. Visitors will see other surfing-related artifacts from Blair Jackson, Brooke Rosell, and Rodney Mathews. Matt Walker with the Outer Banks Milepost, Eastern Surfing Association, Surfing for Autism, Outer Banks Board Riders, Steve Wise and Ben Alexander with Hukilau Surf Camp, Dick Meseroll, Scott Dawson, Wayne Mathews, New Hanover County Library, Keith Newsome, Michael Halminski, Corbin Johnson, Rob Beedie, Jim Vaughn, and Textured Waves contributed research, artifacts, quotes, and images for the exhibition.
Saturday, July 13 will be a day of collaboration for educational programming highlighting the opening of Where the Waves Break: Surfing in Northeastern North Carolina. Stop by the Museum of the Albemarle from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. to view the exhibit, participate in a scavenger hunt, and participate in hands-on activities. Meet author, filmmaker, surf tip guru, and Elizabeth City native Laurel Senick from 12:30 until 3 p.m. Laurel will be available to sign her book FOAM: Waves aren’t the only giants Cass must face to survive… View Any Given Morning, a story about separate souls with a common passion, directed by Laurel. MPAA rating: NR; run time: 30 minutes. To highlight the opening of the museum’s newest exhibit, Port Discover: Northeastern North Carolina's Center for Hands-On Science located at 611 East Main Street will provide visitors with a Second Saturday Science at 11 a.m. exploring sea shells. Visitors will learn about shells and their different characteristics, build sandcastles with Kinetic sand, and learn about seashell buoyance.
Tuesday, July 16, 2024, 10:00 a.m. – 2 p.m., the museum will host Summer Fun Day: A Day at the Beach. Spend the day enjoying fun activities that relate to the beach, from guest presenters to hands-on activities. Educational programming will be provided from the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education Currituck County, Author Hannah West, Save Our Sand Dunes, YMCA will talk water safety, and Lighthouse Keeper Madison Phillips of the 1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse. Take a minute and dive deep into the history of surfing in Where the Waves Break: Suring in Northeastern North Carolina. Guests can enjoy all this fun while sipping on a sample of lemonade from Brookie B’s Lemonade.
Tuesday, July 30 starting at 6 p.m., grab your lawn chair or blanket and have dinner in one of the downtown restaurants or pubs or bring a picnic to the park to enjoy the evening of free music and a movie. The museum will collaborate with Elizabeth City Downtown, Inc., RCE Theaters, and GSN Global Surf Network. Starting at 6 p.m. to enjoy live music provided by Luck 757 of Portsmouth, Virginia. Take a trip back to the days of hot rods, drive-ins, sock hops, poodle skirts and pompadours with Lucky 757. You’ll be dancing and singing along to all the hits you know and love by Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Bobby Darin, Sam Cooke, Dion, The Drifters, Smokey Robinson, The Surfaris and so much more! At 8:30 p.m. guests can enjoy the 60th anniversary of The Endless Summer. A Bruce Brown documentary highlights the adventures of two young American surfers, Robert August and Mike Hynson, who follow this everlasting summer around the world. Their unique expedition takes them to Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, and California. Share their experiences as they search the world for that perfect wave which may be forming over the next Horizon. MPAA rating: NR: run time: 95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes). In the event of inclement weather, the event will be held on the portico of the Museum of the Albemarle.
This exhibit, which will close in June of 2025, is free and open to the public.
Graphics:
Courtesy Brooke Rosell, surfer, business owner, and Surf Photographer
Courtesy Annie Peters, Outer Banks Board Riders Club member
Courtesy Surfing for Autism and Bob Sumners Shoot the Beach
Courtesy Noah Snyder, North Carolina Surfing Hall of Fame and East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame
inductee
Courtesy Rascoe Hunt and Outer Banks History Center, Manteo, NC
Courtesy Shawn, Nikki, and Will Deane, NSSA National Champion, winner of multiple USA Surfing Primes, and member of the USA Jr. National ISA Team