Chicamacomico celebrates ‘Heroes Day’

  THE BEACH APPARATUS DRILL (or Breeches Buoy) is one of the many exciting events scheduled for Chicamacomico’s American Heroes Day to be held Thursday, Aug. 5, at Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station Museum.

  THE SEARCH AND RESCUE DEMO by the U.S. Coast Guard is just one of the many interesting, exciting and unusual events in the fifth annual American Heroes Day, put on by Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station Historic Site and Museum in Rodanthe on Hatteras Island. (J.Charlet photo) 

Heroes Day brightens museum

  Chicamacomico Lifesaving station Museum will hold its fifth annual American Heroes Day Thursday, Aug. 5, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Rodanthe on Hatteras Island.

  Chicamacomico was part of the U.S. Lifesaving Service (USLSS) and was the first station built in North Carolina. The original station, dating from 1874, is still on the site as one of eight buildings belonging to Chicamacomico Historical Association. The men of the USLSS (1871-1915) were the original rescue heroes, the ”storm warriors” who made dramatic and heroic rescues of shipwreck victims whose lives were in peril from the sea. In their history, nationwide, the USLSS’s men responded to more than 178,000 lives in peril from the sea, of which they saved more than 177,000. This is a startling rate of success of 99.2 percent, while their own loss of life, usually under the worst possible conditions, was less than one percent. In 1915, this service merged with the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service to form the U.S. Coast Guard which continues this tradition.

  With that inspiration, Chicamacomico decided to honor and celebrate true American heroes of the past and the present. Participants invited the Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary, local volunteer fire departments, N.C. Highway Patrol, local sheriff and police departments, local EMS units and Ocean Rescue squads, NPS Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Outer Banks Lighthouse Society, Frisco Native American Museum and perhaps some last-minute surprises. Equipment on display and/or in use includes fire engines, ambulances, police cars, Coast Guard helicopter, rescue boats and more. There will be displays, demonstrations and exhibits as well as hands-on activities and participation events.

  Any one of these events is worth the price of admission. The Search and Rescue Demo could be straight from the movie ”The Guardian.” A Coast Guard 47-foot motor lifeboat will be in the ocean off Chicamacomico’s beach. It plays the role of a vessel in distress with a man overboard. An HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter arrives, circles, locates the ”victim” in the water, hovers, and then a rescue swimmer jumps from the helo into the ocean. Then he assists the victim into the basket and is hoisted into the Jayhawk and whisked away to safety. Three different methods are demonstrated.

  The personal watercraft water rescue is another simulation. There are professionally-trained local volunteers who can be on the scene of a water rescue in a dramatically short amount of time.

  The Beach Apparatus Drill is a historic re-enactment of a rescue method used by the the lifesaving service. It involves a large two-wheeled cart filled with life-saving equipment or ”apparatus,” the firing of a projectile with a black-powder cannon to get lines to a stricken ship (the ”wreck pole” in the drill simulates the mast of a ship) and then sending out equipment to save the lives of those on board, one soul at a time.

  The Beach Apparatus Drill, commonly referred to as the Beaches Buoy Re-enactment, has long been Chicamacomico’s most popular program. Chicamacomico is the only place in the nation to do the full drill re-enactment on a regular basis. And to top it off, the drill teams are all volunteers of active-duty U.S. Coast Guard personnel. It is performed every Thursday at 2 p.m. during June, July and August.

  The flyover at closing is, at this time, unconfirmed.

  All of these organizations are heroic to us, some are obviously saving lives and others are saving history, nature or culture. All selflessly serve the public. This is a fund-raising event for the nonprofit Chicamacomico Historical Association.

 The schedule of events is as follows:

 10 a.m., opening event

10:15 opening ceremonies – posting of colors by the Coast Guard in the main stage area; welcoming remarks by James Charlet, site manager; and guest speaker, Capt Anthony Popeii, commanding officer, USCG Sector North Carolina, Fort Macon.

  11:30 a.m., USCG Search and Rescue demo, Jayhawk Helicopter and lifeboat, on the beach.

Noon, hot dogs, chips and soda, ice cream at truck, SALVO VFD truck near visitors’ center.

1 p.m. Water Rescue Demo, Chicamacomico Banks VFD on the beach

2 p.m. Beach Apparatus Drill at station.

3 p.m. Closing salute: Military Flyover

Ongoing events: Hot dogs, sodas, chips and ice cream for sale, USCG static display of 25-foot response boat and tow truck; USCG demonstration of fixing vessel water leaks; Fire Dept. static display and inspection of ladder truck and personal water craft, and tow truck; Sheriff’s office demo of K9 officer and dog, static displays and inspection of patrol car and 5-ton ”storm truck”; Dare EMS static display of ambulance and equipment; KDH Rescue Unit display of truck and lifeguard equipment; Salvo VFD display and inspection of company fire engine; N.C. Highway patrol display and inspection of SUV patrol vehicle; tables, displays, handouts and conversations with Currituck Lighthouse, NPS, Outer Banks Lighthouse Society.

  This is a tentative schedule and subject to change due to the fact that active duty emergency personnel and equipment are present and may be called out before or during the event.

  The station is located at M.P. 39.5, N.C. Rt. 12 in Rodanthe. This is the first village travelers come to on Hatteras Island. Last year’s event was dubbed a ”rousing success’ and ”the best day-long entertainment value on the Outer Banks.” The Annapolis ”Daily Record” rates it one of the ”Top 20 Beach Picks for 2010.” Admission fees are a flat $5 per person, children five and under free.

  For additional information call 252-987-1552 or visit www.chicamacomico.net.