Buxton Has a Lighthouse Road. Who Knew?

about a “March for Freedom” on Tuesday, March 20 at 10 a.m. at the corner of Highway 12 and Lighthouse Road.

A protest march, right here on Ocracoke. I showed the comment to Jenny this morning and we both agreed that this was a juicy tidbit of news, just perfect for us to cover. Jenny even considered skipping a concurrent wine-tasting at The Topless Oyster to report on the event. (Not really.) 

So I quickly emailed the commenter and asked for more details. S/he gave me the name and number of Kevin Gray Connor; I called and left a message.

Anyway, shortly thereafter I received an email (from an Ocracoke resident) with the following information: "March for freedom rally tomorrow March 20 at 10:00 at intersection 12 and lighthouse road on Buxton. This concerns the NPS and beach closures fees etc. Wavy TV 10 will be there to cover the march. Bring a sign and support Hatteras Island and Ocracoke."

Yes, it’s there in black and white: Buxton. But in my eagerness to get a scoop, I missed that.

And then Kevin called me back. Here’s what I learned about him: he works at the Frisco Woods Campground, he’s running for county commissioner in Dare County, and he is organizing this march by himself.

Then it dawned on me (I know, I’m slow) that this was taking place in Buxton. Well, I thought, no sense in wasting an interview. I’ll do a story anyway.

“I’ve always been a political activist,” he said. “I’m responsible for creating the Tea Party movement in Dare County in 2009.”

That led to an assembly at the Wright Memorial, where Kevin and his followers protested what they feel are assaults on American freedoms from the Obama administration.

He sees the NPS beach closures and ORV permits as another assault on his Creator-given right to individual freedom.

“This is an assault on a way of life that so many people depend upon,” he said. "I'm already seeing the adverse impact from talking to people making reservations."

The “Defend Freedom March,” as Kevin calls it, is his attempt to get others involved in the protest. He is spreading the word through emails and his facebook page (the event has 52 confirmed attendees at this writing) and has contacted the WAVY 10 news team from Portsmouth, VA. He sent out a press release but he said the local papers haven’t printed it because he is a candidate for office.

The March will open with an invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance; Kevin promises there won’t be any political speeches.

Kevin thinks it would be great, if Ocracokers can’t make it to Buxton, if we had our own protest here on Ocracoke. We do, after all, have our own corner of Lighthouse Road and Highway 12.

If anyone goes to Buxton, or shows up at Ocracoke's intersection, please take a picture and we'll post it!