Editor’s Note: The following story is being reprinted with the permission of CoastalReview.org.
Museum of the Albemarle will soon have a new exhibit on what The Beach Boys call, “the greatest sport around.”
The new installation, “Where the Waves Break: Surfing in Northeastern North Carolina” will open at the museum in Elizabeth City July 13, with complementary programming planned for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day.
Surfing, with its roots in Hawaii and Tahiti, has been around for centuries. On the state’s southern coastline, early forms of surfing activity were first documented in 1909, and, in 1920, the sport was introduced to the northern coast, according to a museum press release.
“What began as a sacred activity for Indigenous islanders has become a mix of cultures all its own,” the release states. “For more than a hundred years, many surfers have ridden these waves. For some, surfing is a profession; for others, it is a hobby, a therapeutic activity, a community to join, or a mechanism to raise awareness for causes.”
The exhibit features surfboards, trophies, competition jerseys, a wetsuit, lifejacket, surf jacket, and surf wax, as well as images and surfboards on loan from area surf shops.
“The Museum of the Albemarle thanks the surfers, surf shops, photographers, board making companies, and other organizations and individuals who contributed research, artifacts, quotes, and images for the exhibition,” organizers said.
Visitors can meet author, filmmaker and Elizabeth City native Laurel Senick from 12:30 until 3 p.m. July 13. Senick will be available to sign her book “Foam.” Attendees can view the 30-minute film she directed called “Any Given Morning.”
Port Discover, which touts itself as “Northeastern North Carolina’s Center for Hands-On Science,” in Elizabeth City, plans a program on shells and their different characteristics. That’s set for July 13 at 11 a.m.
The following week, on July 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the museum will host “Summer Fun Day: A Day at the Beach.” During the event, visitors can hear from staff of the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education in Currituck County, “Save Our Sand Dunes” author Hannah West, YMCA staff on water safety, and Lighthouse Keeper Madison Phillips about the 1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse.
The museum is also collaborating with Elizabeth City Downtown Inc., RCE Theaters and GSN Global Surf Network Tuesday, July 30, to offer live music and a screening of the 1966 documentary film, “The Endless Summer.”
Luck 757 of Portsmouth, Virginia, will begin the evening with a performance at 6 p.m. The Portsmouth, Virginia, band performs songs by Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Bobby Darin, Sam Cooke, Dion, The Drifters, Smokey Robinson, The Surfaris and others.
Following the band at 8:30 p.m. will be a showing of “The Endless Summer.” Now marking its 60th anniversary, the film highlights the adventures of two young American surfers, Robert August and Mike Hynson, as they travel in search of the perfect wave to Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, and California.
In the event of inclement weather, the event will be held on the portico of the museum.
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