Welcome to My Summer at the Cape!

Hello!

I am SUPER excited about this project! (Super is my favorite word at the moment… I promise to pick a new one soon.)

A few weeks ago I opened an email inviting people to come to the Core Sound Museum to explore a new volunteer program the National Park Service was beginning at Cape Lookout National Seashore.

The email’s subject line, Summer Volunteers Needed, and the sender, Karen Willis Amspacher, the Executive Director of the Core Sound Museum Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center, and a legend in Down East Carteret County and far beyond, immediately caught my eye in an overstuffed email inbox. When I opened it, Karen’s call to action spoke to me: 

No one knows (or loves) the history and stories of this place like the people who have lived here, sometimes for generations, sometimes for just a few years.

 

This is an opportunity for US to be part of who and what visitors see when they come here to explore and learn about our part of the Outer Banks, and we hope you will want to be part of this.  Scheduling is flexible and all transportation will be provided.  This just might be the best part of your summer!

 

A new community-based volunteer program is being initiated to involve local residents in telling the history of Cape Lookout Lighthouse, the Shackleford Horses, Core Banks, Diamond City, Cape Lookout Village, Cape Point and all the surrounding beauty of this “stretch of sand” we call home.

 

Will you come and see how you might could help?

Before I could talk myself out of it, I hit Reply and RSVP’ed. The list of reasons why this might not be a good idea were long… between my company Learn Ethos, family time, and tending to my garden and animals, my schedule and To Do list can be intense. But the Lighthouse has fascinated me since I was a youngin’ growing up here in Carteret County, and my pulse still quickens when I see the Diamond Lady across Core Sound from Marshallberg where I live.

Last summer I had the privilege of climbing the Lighthouse at sunset during one of the very popular Evening at the Cape programs. Tickets can be hard to get, and were a treasured birthday gift from my Mom. When I reflect back on what brought me joy last year, that evening shown as brightly as the Lighthouse beacon. When the opportunity presented itself to be a part of this incredible place, I was in and this project was born.

Over the coming months I will be sharing stories and photos on this site, not as an official anything except an enthusiastic VIP (Volunteer-in-Park) for the National Park Service at Cape Lookout National Seashore.

Thanks for stopping by, and y’all come back now, you hear?

Love and light,
Michelle