Queen Elizabeth II lit up to welcome in the New Year at the Manteo New Year's Eve celebration.Frigid Temperatures but Great Welcome to 2018
As the first ever New Year's Eve Celebration on the Manteo waterfront proved, you can plan for everything but the weather. And wow did the weather throw us a curve last night.
It's not as though the Outer Banks wasn't in the same deep freeze the rest of the East Coast was experiencing, but this was the first time anything like this had been tried in Manteo.
Cory Hemilright, who has been bringing the Outer Banks Bluegrass Festival to Roanoke Island Festival Park for the past few years and Todd Clissold, owner of Poor Richard's, got together with the town and came up with a great plan.
There was live music—and Sassagrass and the Original Rhondels were excellent. Street vendors were read to go with hot soup, pizza and dinners. There was even an 8:30 ball drop so kids would have a chance to countdown to the New Year.
And it all went of without a hitch.
Except for the 26 degree temperatures, wind from the north at 16 mph and the wind chill approaching 11 degrees. Oh, and did we mention the snow flurries. It was cold...brutally cold.
But kudos to everyone involved and the small crowd that did make it out.
Yes it was very cold, but two roaring fires helped. A local church was there with hot chocolate. They were also selling cold drinks but that just seemed like it would piling in temperatures like we experienced last night.
A couple of businesses did stay open.
Poor Richards was doing a booming business. And on the corer of Budleigh and Queen Elizabeth Island Perks was so busy they finally ran out of milk for hot chocolate and lattes.
Cold or not, it was a great evening and a wonderful way to welcome in the New Year, and we hope this will be the first of many more New Year's Eve celebrations on the Manteo waterfront.
