North Carolina
Soft Shell Crab Week Hopes to Lure Hungry Tourists to the Outer Banks
Today marks the first day of the very first Soft Shell Crab Week, a weeklong celebration of sofites at restaurants up and down the Outer Banks in North Carolina. For a region with historical ties to the fishing and crabbing industries, the organizers hope that this will bring attention to the longstanding custom of harvesting and eating soft shell crabs each spring. They’ve also banking on it bringing customers into the local restaurants during an otherwise slow time of year, after the Mother’s Day weekend push but before summer vacations begin.
The idea was the brainchild of Mark Ballog, owner of Lucky 12 Tavern (3308 South Virginia Dare Trail) in Nag’s Head and a leader in the local restaurant community. Ballog, who splits his time between OBX and Nashville got the idea from the Music City’s Nashville Hot Chicken Week. The concept for Soft Shell Crab Week is similar— participating restaurants will each offer a soft shell crab special on their menus throughout the week. Ballog expects most of the specials to come in around $12, which also allows customers the chance to enjoy other menu items along with their crab.
This inaugural celebration has nearly 20 restaurants participating, mostly in Kitty Hawk and Nag’s Head. Each will offer something a bit different. For example, at Lucky 12, Ballog and his team are sticking close to that Nashville inspiration with a Nashville-style hot soft crab with grilled corn and cucumber relish and a buttermilk dill crema. Two Roads Tavern (3105 North Croatan Highway, Kill Devil Hills) will offer honey soy sesame noodles topped with fried soft crab.
“We’re a tight community,” Ballog said in a recent interview. “It’s fun to do things like this together.” He hopes that this becomes an annual tradition in the Outer Banks, with more restaurants coming on board next year driving even more hungry tourists out to the beach to get a bite of a true local tradition.
The list of restaurants participating in this inaugural Soft Shell Crab Week are:
- Awful Arthur’s Oyster Bar
- Basnight’s Lone Cedar Cafe
- Blue Moon Beach Grill
- Blue Water Grill & Raw Bar
- Bonzer Shack Bar & Grill
- Chilli Peppers Coastal Grill
- Dirty Dick’s Crabhouse
- Goombays Grille & Raw Bar
- Greentails Seafood Market & Kitchen
- Henry’s Restaurant
- The Jolly Roger Restaurant
- Lucky 12 Tavern
- Miller’s Waterfront Restaurant
- Noosa Beach Grill
- Red Drum Taphouse & Grill
- Shipwrecks Taphouse & Grill
- Sugar Creek Soundfront Restaurant
- TRIO Restaurant and Market
- Two Roads Tavern
Softshell Crab Week runs through May 20.
Drake Powell
Guard | UNC
Height: 6’5” | Weight: 185 lbs
2025 Draft Age: 19.78
As a natural wing or off-ball guard, Powell has what it takes to be an impact player at the next level. He boasts the positional size and athleticism to exploit his opponents on either end of the floor. Overall, he’s a very smart player with a competitive edge and is willing to adapt to what his team needs to win.
Powell is really best as an off-ball player offensively, especially given he’s not known for being a self-creator or primary ball-handler. However, he is a smart cutter and has found ways to position himself for success when finding space. To really take his game overall to the next level, the North Carolina freshman will need to prove he can become a better shooter. Whether it’s in the mid-range or beyond the arc, his jumper is inconsistent. Again, as an offensive prospect, he needs to improve to really become a two-way threat. The physical traits are there for him to get where he needs to be, but the development of his offensive game is a huge swing for Powell in terms of draft stock.
On the defensive end of the floor, Powell really shines. His athletic tools allow him to be all over the place and make plays on and off of the ball. He is quick, boasts length and is very smart as a defender. When thinking about what will differentiate him from other prospects at the next level, it will be his upside as a defensive prospect. He plays with tremendous energy and effort and he makes those around him better on the defensive side of the ball. In fact, he is one of the best defenders in the entire freshman class.
If Powell can convince NBA teams that he has the future projection of being a better offensive player, there’s no question he could be one of the most impactful players in the draft. In the meantime, he can lean on his defensive abilities to contribute to winning. The former five-star recruit is following in the footsteps of his father as a Tar Heel, as he played baseball for North Carolina when he was in school.
Mid to Late Lottery Pick in 2025 NBA Draft.
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North Carolina
WATCH: Steamy and Stormy in North Carolina on Friday, Heat Advisory in the eastern Triad
Friday, August 2: High humidity remains Friday with highs reaching into the 90s and feels like temperatures expected near 100 degrees. A Heat Advisory for the heat index reaching between 105 to 107 degrees is in effect from 11 a.m. Friday until 8 p.m. in the easter Piedmont Triad. Spotty to scattered storms may also bring a severe threat for the afternoon. Storms that do become severe may bring damaging wind and hail.
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