In the fall of 2024, during a strong storm that also resulted in an oceanfront Rodanthe home collapse, Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station (LSS) volunteers noticed that a key piece of equipment for the site’s weekly reenactments was missing.

Every summer, local volunteers routinely perform an authentic drill reenactment on the historic site’s grounds, which replicates a real-life training exercise of Chicamacomico LSS personnel from a century ago.

 

The new wreck pole. Photo by John Griffin.

Because rescues were typically required in less-than-ideal conditions, (like hurricanes, nor’easters, or during times of war), the drills helped ensure that tasks like setting up the breeches buoy and firing the line-throwing Lyle Gun were second nature for the surfmen.

The roughly eight-minute demonstration performed by modern volunteers is a flurry of movement, with ropes flying in every direction, the firing of a Lyle gun, and a grand finale of a brave volunteer being shuttled to the ground from the top of the 30-foot-tall wreck pole.

It’s an authentic demonstration that can’t be found anywhere else on the Outer Banks. In fact, Chicamacomico LSS is now the only place in the country that regularly performs the complete drills for the public.

The cornerstone of the outdoor show is the wreck pole, and at some point during the 2024 strorm, the pole – which had been standing in place for 25 years – had been dislodged and disappeared.

“We lost the pole during the storm – it just washed out to sea,” said Larry Grubbs, President of the Chicamacomico Board of Directors and longtime Drill Leader of the demonstration. “The rest of the [Chicamacomico] site was fine after the storm, but the pole was just gone.”

Finding a roughly 40-foot-long pole that was strong enough to hold the platform and a human or two was a difficult task, and reconstructing the top of the tower itself from authentic, original blueprints also took a long time to accomplish.

 

A young volunteer is shuttled to the ground from the 30-foot tall wreck pole. Photo by Chicamacomico LSS

But while this work was underway so that the shows could go on, Chicamacomico volunteers realized that this unplanned repair work presented an opportunity.

“We knew we had to put the drill pole back because we lost it, but then once we saw how how [the outdoor space] was laid out, we realized we were at a point where we could make the site more accessible,” said Grubbs.

Prior to the 2025 season, when the demonstrations were held on Thursday afternoons, spectators had to walk from the main 1911 station and parking lot all the way to the oceanfront, trudging through soft sand and occasional muddy puddles after heavy rains.

“In the past, there have been problems with folks with walkers, or people who can walk but can’t walk through the soft sand, heading out to the demonstrations,” said Grubbs. “It’s something we’ve wanted to remedy for a long time.”

With this in mind, the drill pole, the sandy stage, and the benches where spectators can watch the show were all moved roughly 150 feet closer to the main visitors’ center and museum, which makes the weekly demonstrations much more accessible for folks with mobility issues.

“It has been a lot of work,” said Grubbs, “But the guys stepped up and did the physical labor, and [local contractor] Carl Worsley let us use his equipment – he’s been a huge help to us for years.”

 

The new viewing area for the weekly demonstrations. Photo by John Griffin.

“Now, it’s a very short walk to the viewing area,” he added, “and we’re ready to go for the 2025 season, starting Thursday.”

The ultimate goal is to make the outdoor demonstrations fully wheelchair accessible, but for now, visitors who had trepidations about making the long hike to the oceanfront to catch Hatteras Island’s own outdoor drama can enjoy the reenactments with ease.

“This is something we’ve wanted to do for a very long time, and losing that wreck pole allowed us to relocate the site,” said Grubbs. “Sometimes, out of a bad situation, comes a really great solution.”

How to catch the show

The weekly Beach Apparatus Drill is held every week on Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. at the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station and Historic Site in Rodanthe, starting on Thursday, May 29. For more information, visit https://chicamacomico.org/.

Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station. Photo by Brad Hanson.