OBX TV Show
PBS crew films family's visit to the Outer Banks BY NEEL KELLER | SENTINEL STAFF Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding School instructor Mike Appell demonstrates hang gliding techniques to members of the Soulimiotis and Roumeliotis families as a PBS crew catches the scene on film. Pictured, from left, are director Jerry Smith, Appell, soundman John Scott, cameraman Stan Murphy, John, Andrew and Steve Soulimiotis, Spiros Roumeliotis and Stacy Soulimiotis. (Neel Keller | Sentinel) Lights, camera, action: A new TV travel series entitled "Getting Away Together" is now in production, with the series set to debut on the PBS network this October. The idea, according to the series producers, PineRidge Film and Television Company, is to shine a spotlight on the growing trend of families "togethering" for vacation - deciding on a destination, traveling there and enjoying it - together. Each episode will feature a different group of family members or friends as they travel to a beautiful destination, stay at a luxury rental home and explore the area's points of interest, unwind and spend quality time together. Last week, the series' film crew and 17 family members representing three generations of the Soulimiotis and Roumeliotis families travelled to the Ritz Palm, an oceanfront rental house in the Pine Island resort community in Corolla. From there, they set out to explore the Outer Banks and catch the experience on film. Pete Soulimiotis and his wife Eleni immigrated to the U.S. from Greece in 1973. Pete found work at a Ford assembly plant in Cleveland, later moving to Atlanta. Other family members followed, and eventually the extended family - comprising the Soulimiotis clan in Atlanta and the Roumeliotis clan in Cleveland - started vacationing together each year. Pete's daughter, Stacy, found out about the "Getting Away" series online. "A friend sent me a link on Facebook, and I went through the application/audition process," said Stacy. "We'd started getting together for vacations, and most of us had never been to the Outer Banks, so it sounded like a lot of fun. It's actually a lot like that movie, 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' - only I call it 'My Big Fat Greek Vacation.' There's 17 of us together, and it is insane!" Doug Brindley of Brindley Beach Vacations and Sales provided free accommodations at the palatial Ritz Palm. Located on Hicks Bay Lane in Corolla, the oceanfront home features a marble foyer with a winding staircase, two master suites equipped with their own fireplaces and whirlpool spas, a movie theater, rec room, fitness area and private pool. Furnished throughout with custom-designed Italian marble and hand painted murals, the house has 9 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. "The Dare County and Currituck County tourism boards split the production costs, and we provided the house," said Brindley. "It's a great opportunity to show the spirit of the Outer Banks and how much people enjoy staying in a vacation home here. People watching will say, 'I want to go there and do exactly what they're doing - see the wild horses, climb the lighthouse in Corolla, go kiteboarding.'" After settling in at the Ritz Palm on Sunday, July 3, the family spent the 4th of July at Currituck Heritage Park. On Tuesday, the "brave ones" - Andrew, John, Steve and Stacy Soulimiotis and Spiros Roumeliotis - signed up for hang gliding lessons at Jockey's Ridge while the rest of the family went shopping at the Kitty Hawk Kites store on the other side of the NC 158 Bypass in Nags Head. Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding School instructor Mike Appell welcomed the students to the nation's oldest hang gliding school, then led them through Ground School training on the history and fundamentals of hang gliding. "There are only two rules you need to remember," Appell said. "When you're taking off, keep running until you're in the air. And bring water. If you get dehydrated. I'm the one who has to carry you back inside. And this is the tallest natural dune in the eastern United States." At the conclusion of the demonstration, Appell confirmed there were no more questions, then said, "I have one final question for you. Are you ready to go hang gliding?" Smith asked the participants to repeat their roar of "Yes!" while Cameraman Stan Murphy and Soundman John Scott moved in closer. Moments later, as the group prepared to move up to the dune for five hang glider flights each, it began to rain and thunder could be heard. Taking shelter on the benches outside the hang gliding school building, Smith introduced his crew, which also included producer Nadia Ramoutar, production assistant Emma Wilson, makeup artist Patty Nussbaum, assistant cameraman Steph Burkland and grip Mike Martini. Smith said that the series is being jointly sponsored by TripAdvisor, CSA Travel Protection and the Vacation Rental Managers Association. Other Outer Banks sites on the agenda for the week included the Wright Brothers Memorial, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and Real Watersports on Hatteras Island. "Stacy is a real daredevil," said Smith. "She used to be a D.J. in Nashville and D.C. Now she's going to college in Atlanta and about to start on her master's. She also won the watermelon-eating contest yesterday in Corolla. "I see this episode as a celebration of immigration to the U.S. Pete has worked for the Ford Motor Company ever since he moved to this country, and I'm told he will never buy a car that's not a Ford. When he came here, he and his wife didn't speak any English. They came here for the children. They're all bilingual, and they're all going to college." After confirming with Kitty Hawk Kites staff that the storm was unlikely to pass in less than an hour, Smith worked on a "Plan B" with Ramoutar. "One of the things I love about the Outer Banks is that the weather is always in charge," Smith said. "We had our fireworks rained out yesterday in Corolla. But my intuition tells me that we're still going to get in some hang gliding flights later on - and we're going to get a shot." Accompanying the family members back to their van for a quick ride across the Bypass to join the rest of the family at Kitty Hawk Kites, this reporter asked for comments about visiting the Outer Banks. "The house is unbelievable," said Stacy. "But the water has been so cold. We're hoping it warms up some." "I was here for the one hundred anniversary of the Wright brothers' flight," said Steve Soulimiotis. "And I'm excited about visiting the memorial again. The Outer Banks is beautiful. The houses and the restaurants are incredible." "This is my first time on the Outer Banks," said Andrew Roumeliotis. "I'm looking forward to spending some time on the beautiful beaches. And I'm also looking forward to seeing Stacy find a husband. She's young, she's beautiful - she's going to make somebody a great wife!" Stacy's response: a swift punch to her cousin's shoulder. Aaron Tuell, director of public relations at the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, said that this is a great opportunity to market the area's rental housing. "We identified some attractions and experiences that will help make the Outer Banks stand out in viewers' minds as a great place to vacation." Visitors Bureau Managing Director Lee Nettles added, "Ours is one of the top vacation rental markets in the country, and this is a great way to promote the benefits of rental homes and help people become more familiar with the whole process. We boiled down our list of destinations to a handful to give people a good snapshot of the Outer Banks." Asked for his comment, Pete Soulimiotis replied in strongly accented English: "We love the Outer Banks." His wife Eleni noted that she enjoyed getting the whole family together again. "This is not like Atlanta. This has a beautiful layout."