Photo by Ann Ehringhaus
Portsmouth Homecoming 2022
Homecoming Schedule – April 23!
Homecoming Update
For those of you who are planning to go to Homecoming on April 23, you may now make your ferry reservations from Ocracoke to Portsmouth! Call the Austins at 252-928-4361. The round-trip fare is $25. See you there!
Homecoming 2022 Notice
Due to increasing gas prices, the ferry from Ocracoke to Portsmouth with Rudy Austin/Portsmouth Island Boat Tours is being increased to $25 round trip per person.
FOR MEMBERS: You should have received – or will soon be receiving – your Homecoming Notice and raffle tickets. If you wish to purchase these tickets, please return them in the envelope provided, along with your check for the tickets – $1/ticket. This is a major fundraiser for us! The Homecoming flyer that all members receive will state $20 round trip, but the price was changed after our mailing went out. It is now $25 per person round trip.
We will see you on April 23!
Homecoming – April 23, 2022
Plan to join us this year for homecoming at Portsmouth – April 23, 2022! Our theme will be PORTSMOUTH RISES – a fitting theme for Portsmouth’s survival of Hurricane Dorian and the cancellation of Homecoming 2020 due to Covid. WE ARE BACK IN 2022! Jim White, Portsmouth descendant, author and historian, has agreed to emcee our program again. As per custom, the first 500 attendees will receive our special pin, and new “Portsmouth Rises” t-shirts will be available along with our regular shirts, sweatshirts, notecards, etc. Bring your special covered dish to the picnic on the grounds and enjoy meeting old and new friends. This Homecoming will be a great opportunity to see for yourself what the National Park Service, Cape Lookout National Seashore, and Friends of Portsmouth Island have done to save this village after the devastation of Hurricane Dorian.
We urge you to start looking at lodging far in advance as you will want to stay on the island at least Friday night and possibly Saturday night if you are not from Down East or the upper banks. Ferries and lodging will both fill up early.
Doctor’s Creek Journal
All members should have received the latest issue of the Doctor’s Creek Journal (end of year winter issue). We say goodbye to our outgoing editor, Ray McAllister, and welcome to Peter Vankevich effective 2022. Be sure to check out the feature story about the Oscar Rue family and their special connection to Portsmouth, as well as current member news. Homecoming and raffle information will be mailed to all members in the early part of 2022. Happy New Year!
2020 Raffle Winners
Although our membership meeting, which had been scheduled for last Saturday, was once again canceled due to Covid, our board did meet. We finally managed to have the raffle drawing that was supposed to have taken place at our 2020 Homecoming! The winners are:David Mickey was the winner of “Flight Over Fish Hunt” (The Hog Island Club) by Jack Saylor, donated by Kathi and Glenn Dunn of Marshallberg, NC. Framed 14” X 24” print.Rebecca Gupton was the winner of the double bed size antique quilt from the Whitley Plantation, Martin County, NC, donated by Jeanne Robertson of Oriental, NC.Sam Corlis was the winner of the quilted duck wall hanging made by the Ocracoke Needle and Thread club.Congratulations to all of the winners! The winning tickets were drawn by Cape Lookout National Seashore superintendent Jeff West, and the items will be sent to the winners.
FALL MEETING CANCELLED
We regret to announce that the September 18 meeting at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum has been cancelled. We made this decision because of the high Covid numbers currently being reported in Carteret County. All FPI members will receive a cancellation notice in the mail. If you know of anyone who was planning to attend, please help us pass the word along so they may change their travel plans in plenty of time. This meeting will not be rescheduled and our next event will be Homecoming on April 23, 2022. We hope to see everyone then!
Fall Meeting – September 18, 2021
Reminder that our fall membership meeting on September 18 will be at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum on Harkers Island. Our special program will be “Portsmouth Hunting Camps – Generations of Memories”, a panel discussion with Portsmouth waterfowling families. Jeff West, Superintendent of Cape Lookout National Seashore, will also speak and we will draw the names of the lucky winners of the Homecoming 2020 raffle. Join us at 10:00 am and plan to tour the museum after the meeting. We look forward to seeing everyone again!
Doctor’s Creek Journal
FOR OUR MEMBERS: Your spring/summer issue of the DCJ is in the mail! We haven’t been able to meet or to hold Homecoming anytime during the past year and longer due to Dorian and Covid, so this issue focuses on what’s been happening in the village during that time period. There are updates and photos of the church, the George Dixon house project, the Babb house, Henry’s, lots of news, and some Down East folks who have been a big help to us. If you’re not a member and would like to join and receive our Doctor’s Creek Journals, we’d love to have you join us!