Day at the Docks is held each fall in front of the marinas in Hatteras Village and is presented by the Hatteras Island Civic Association with a lot of help from friends and visitors alike. A great way to experience snapshots of the lives of commercial fishermen and their families, the festival is perfect for families who love to learn while they play. The festival is also a dream weekend for fans who enjoy eating fresh seafood, glimpsing history and good community. This year the free, two-day event is being held Friday and Saturday, September 15th and 16th.
On Friday, September 15th, the weekend starts in historical Sticky Bottom, across from Lee Robinson General Store, for the Taste of North Carolina. Nosh, sip, and dance under the trees from 4 pm until sunset. North Carolina producers, cookbook authors and craft beer and wine makers will be on hand to share their crafts while local musicians keep the beat. Annually, this is a fun event that showcases North Carolina products for a good cause. This year, attendance is $10 for adults and $5 for kids with all money going to the Hatteras Village Sidewalk Endowment fund.
Continue the evening with a thoughtful and entertaining presentation about the lives and livelihoods of Outer Banks watermen. Talk of the Villages: Reflections on Fishing as a Living, which features the first-ever viewing of a photo documentary by award winning local photographer, Daniel Pullen as well as an interactive conversation with local, commercial fishermen. Beginning at 6:30 pm, this free event features opportunities to view Pullen’s new, traveling art show as well as to talk with local watermen about their work and the joys and frustrations of the seafood industry. Perfect for art lovers, cerebral foodies, historians and those who just want to know more about the food on their plate. Talk of the Villages is being held at a new location, in the Hatteras Island Civic Association’s Community Room, 57689 Highway 12, in the heart of Hatteras Village, behind the library.
On Saturday, the festival kicks off with a Fishy 5K Run starting at 8 am, sponsored by the Hatteras United Methodist Church that takes walkers and runners thru historic Hatteras Village. At 10am, the Chowder Cook-off is always a big crowd pleaser. After that, there are competitions and demonstrations all over the docks. At 1:30pm, watch students of Cape Hatteras High School culinary teacher Evan Ferguson demonstrate an easy and tasty seafood recipe.
This year’s highlight event is the Seafood Throwdown held at 2 pm under the big tent. Shrimp and Grits is the recipe being made – new for 2017 – with the seafood being named in advance – fresh, local, just landed, NC shrimp with North Carolina chefs, food writers and food gurus on hand to judge the plates of the shrimp dishes prepared by two visiting celebrity chefs, Tom Armstrong and Jay Pierce. Five celebrity judges will be on hand to decide which chef goes home with bragging rights. The Seafood Throwdown is sponsored by Outer Banks Catch, NC Watermen Foundation NC Sea Grant, The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Outer Banks SeaSalt, and Jeffrey’s Seafood.
If taste-testing shrimp & grits isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other activities throughout the day; you can learn how to clean a fish at Oden’s Dock or try your hand at the Concrete Marlin Contest. Professional captains and mates vie against each other and time as they "hook" and "gaff" a concrete cylinder that replicates the weight of a fighting marlin. The event is so popular that a new division, the Concrete Sailfish, has been added for younger fishermen.
An important feature of Day at the Docks is FREE health screenings which will be available this year for fishermen and their families, from 11 am until 4 pm in the Education Tent.
And closing out the day is the impactful Blessing of the Fleet at Hatteras Harbor Marina where an historic shad boat places a wreath on the water to honor watermen who have "crossed the bar" for their final time.
The once one-day event began as a way to celebrate the "Spirit of Hatteras" when the village recovered from Hurricane Isabel in 2003 as an intact community, anchored by the commercial and charter fishermen. The now annual event is a confirmation of the strength of community, heritage and living traditions of the waterman. The celebration features seafood cooking demos, fishing boats and gear, fishing industry skills contests and competitions, live music and ‘life on the water’ games for children. With Hurricane Irma bearing down on Florida and then potentially on Hatteras, this event is just as relevant now as it was 14 years ago.
The 2017 Seafood Throwdown chefs are Jay Pierce and Tom Armstrong.
Chef Jay Pierce is executive chef in Greensboro at the Traveled Farmer, a farm-to-table restaurant that celebrates local ingredients with a global twist. Pierce is also the author of ‘Shrimp’, a savor the south cookbook. He knows how to cook shrimp and is looking forward to the challenge presented at the 2017 Seafood Throwdown on Saturday, September 16th, 2 pm at Day at the Docks. As one of two inland chefs competing, he will be judged by five cooking experts. Day at the Docks is a yearly event held since 2003 to celebrate the “Spirit of Hatteras” and its commercial fishing roots after the community struggled to recover from Hurricane Isabel.
Chef Tom Armstrong is the executive chef and manager of Vinnie’s Steak House in Raleigh, which uses NC seafood on its menu. Last year, Armstrong was a judge at the Day at the Docks Seafood Throwdown. He went home to Raleigh and held a restaurant fundraiser for the Hatteras Methodists Men dealing with clean up from Hurricane Matthew. This year Armstrong’s back to take the title at the Seafood Throwdown of Day at the Docks being held at 2 pm on Saturday, September 16th in Hatteras Village. As one of two inland chefs competing, he will be judged by five cooking experts.
Day at the Docks is a yearly event held since 2003 to celebrate the “Spirit of Hatteras” and its commercial fishing roots after the community struggled to recover from Hurricane Isabel.