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(ErautniSpuntg West Craven Highlights Netvs From Along The Banks 0/The Neuse Mgpr VOLUME n NO. 14 APRIL 7,1988 VANCEBORO, NORTH CAROLINA PHONE 244-0780 OR 946 2144 (UPSP 412-110) 25 CENTS SIX PAGES Two-Man Circus Visits School Roscoe The Clown joins his partner and ringmaster during a performance of a two-man circus presented recently at Vanceboro's Farm Life Elementary School. Roscoe coaxed members of the audi ence into helping with the performance. Magic, riding a unicycle and working with dogs were all part of the two-man team’s show. Proceeds from the event will go to the school’s physical education Sights, Sounds Thrill Crowds Under Big Top B; MIKE VOSS Editor Tradition and innovation. High-flying excitment and down-to-earth peopie. Bright lights and dim-witted clowns. Sweet aroma of cotton candy and ominous odors off omnipotent elephants. It’s, it's, it’s ... the circus of course! Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus is a hotbed of clown ing around, tantalizing trapeze tricks, elegant eques trians, high-wire hijinks and beastly beauty of mighty mastadons. From the mqjes- tic-maned lion to the perni cious pipsqueak of a poodle, the circus is a collection of contrasts and a menagerie of merriment. Amazement and amuse ment color the faces of the tiny tykes who view the cir cus as the larger-than-life showcase that it is. Children (yes, of all ages) await franti cally for ftivolous faces be longing to white-faced, red nosed, multi-colored clowns to appear. Clowns are univer sally understood, for laughter is a universal language. Small, clinging to mother’s arm, a wisp of a girl backs bashfully away from Jay the Clown. A wink, a smile and piayful wave and seconds la ter the tiny girl has unleashed an impish grin and Jay the Clown finally wins over another friend with a hand shake. Horses proudly parade and prance in the center ring with the fine features of Arabia un mistakable. With nary a neigh, but buckin’ like a bronc, the eight steeds steal the spotlight—for a moment. Each has a number and they prance in order, but mix- ’em up and they have enough horsesense to put themselves in numerical order. Under the Big Top an ear- thbound rainbow paints a pretty picture of frivoiity on Juggler balances soccer ball the ground and suspense in hopping, skipping and run- the air. Aerialists, artists of awe, aspire to Alpine heights. Twisting, jumping, turning. ning on high wires, long lim- (See CIRCUS, Page S) Clown Speaks Loudly With Expressions Only While Under Big Top By MIKE VOSS Editor He doesn’t speak when per forming. But he leaves no doubt about what message he leaves. He uses the international lan- veSf laughter, an animated face and body movements to do his talking. Quit clowning around and re veal who this person is? Okay, but maybe he can’t quit — prob ably because he is a clown. "Why not?" responds Jay the Clown when ask^ why he left the "real world" for a job as a joey (that’s what clowns call each other) in the circus. The 22-year- old clown is in his second season with he Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus. "It’s really ftin,” he said. The clown career began as a dream for the white-faced, blue haired clown from West Palm Beach, Fla. "I’ve wanted to be a clown since I was a kid." As might be expected. Jay the Clown was a class clown in school, but “one of many,” he claims. Before joining the circus he attended the world-renowned Clown College in Venice, Fla. The director of the school, Steve Smith, is one of Jay the Clown’s Idols. Smith is a former clown who now teaches the tricks of the trade to ftiture clowns. Why doesn’t Jay the Clown speak under the Big Top? "I think I can use my body more Ui%(«nd use facial expressions to be more animated. I don’t have to talk to get people to laugh. Some clowns tell jokes; I use body movement and expressions to tell a story,” he said. When the a tough day comes along during the 33-week season and day-after-day performances, “you just put your mind to it” anc^go out and perform, he said. "It’s just like any other job. You have your good and bad.” How long does jie plan to work as a clown? “As long as I’m hap py and it doesn’t get to be like just another job,” he replied. What’s the hardest part of the job? “Not having any days off.” What’s the easiest part of the job? "The job." Clowns and children go together like peanut butter and jelly, usually. Somelimes a clown will run into a shy or scared tiny tyke. It becomes a challenge for the clown to see laughter and smiles win out over tears and ftnwns. Jay the Clown worked several minutes trying to get a young girl to smile and shake his hand. The girl retreated at his first attempts, but soon she was won over. James Houser, another clown with the circus, said he some times gets a little upset with pa rents who thrust the children at the clowns or who have a habit of answering questions the clowns ask the children. Houser also says the life of a elown is one of fSee CLOWN, Page S) Up, Up And Away West Craven’s Patrice Gulledge attempts a jump over the high- jump bar during last week’s track meet against the Pam Pack of Washington. The Lady Eagle thinclads fell to Washington, still un defeated on the season. While some people prefer baseball in the spring, others jump for joy because track season is at hand. (Mo Krochmal photo) Harrison Quits Elections Panel After Hearing department, according to physical education instructor Jeff Can non. It is circus week in Craven County as the Clyde-Beatty Cole Bros, circus has played in Havelock earlier this week and will be performing in New Bern at 4:30 and 8 p.m. today. The circus is located across ftom the Berne Restaurant. (Terri Jamieson photo) NEW BERN — Paul Harrison resigned last week as chairman of the Craven County Board of Elections. The resignation fol lowed a daylong hearing for Har rison last Wednesday before the state Board of Elections on fraud charges. Harrison, a Republican and 15- year member of the board, res igned after indications that state board would remove him from office. TTie state board was meet ing in executive session in a cour troom in New Bern. The state board had been in ex ecutive session for almost an hour and when it reconvened in open session the board said it was concluding its investigation because of Harrison’s resigna tion. Harrison said he was presented three options by state board attorney Jim Wallace after the closed session at the end of the hearing. The options, according to Harrison, were to remain on the board, be severely repri manded and publicly apologize to Ms. Frazier, be fired or resign. "I chose not to stay on the board and to resign,” said Harrison. Alex Brock, executive director of the state board, noted that re moving board members has been done in the past usually as the result of violations of state law. Brock said if the state board had found serious violations and not questionable procedures then the board would probably have reftised to accept Harrison’s resignation. Harris went before the state board after Levonia Frazier, the special registration commission er, charged that Harrison moni tored her work by “unorthodox” methods. Mike Crowell, attorney for Ms. Frazier, said he and Ab. Frazier were pleased with the re sults of the hearing. Crowell said Harrison’s res ignation accomplished the same thing he and Ms. Frazier wanted from the state board hearing — the removal of Harrison. Ms. Fra zier, apparently emotional over the hearing, declined to com ment and asked questions be directed to Crowell. Harrison did not comment af ter tendering his resignation. According to a complaint filed by Ms. Frazier with the state fol- (See HARRISON, Page 5) Eddleman Resigns, Then Changes Mind NEW BERN—The second Re- publican member of the Craven County Board of Elections changed his mind about res igning in the wake former chair man Paul Harrison’s resignation last week. Eddie Eddleman said last Thursday that he was “resigning in protest” of a state Board of Elections hearing held earlier last week into allegations of fraud against Harrison. Eddle man called the hearing a "fiasco.” Eddleman changed his at the end of the week and remains on the county board, according to a spokesman contacted two days ago at the elections board. In the hearing Wednesday, Harrison faced fraud charges lodged by Levonia Frazier, a reg istration commissioner who works as a secretary at West Craven High School and regis ters students to vote when they become eligible. The complaint against Harrison was that he used improper methods to attempt to verify the procedures she used to register voters. Ekldleman said he was miffed about how the state board hand led the complaint against Harri son. He said the state elections panel, by publishing the fraud charges in a legal notice advertis ing the hearing, put Harrison at a disadvantage. He said the state board directed the complaint to be published without any inves tigation. "I have lost complete respect for the chairman of that board and I don’t want to work for him,” said Eddleman about Robert Hunter, chairman of the state board. "They were already set to throw him off the board,” said Eddleman, who added that Hunter must have sided with the two Democrats on the board on the five-member board to de liberate the testimony in execu tive session. "All they needed was three votes” to remove Har- rison from the board, said Eddleman. Eddleman said the treatment (See EDDLEMAN, Page 2) West Craven Thinclads Find ‘Pack’ Of Trouble By MO KROCHMAL Special To The West Craven Highlights WASHINGTON — West Craven’s boys’ and girls’ track teams huffed and puffed last Thursday but could not catch the Washington Pam Pack track teams. But the Eagles got some good performances from Lee Beeton in the triple jump and speedster Wesley Roberson in the 110-meter hurdles and 100 meter dash. For the Washington girls’ track team, an undefeated start is busi ness as usual. But, for the boys’ team, it’s rare heights. Both squads improved their re cords to 6-0 with a Coastal Con ference win against West Craven Thursday afternoon at the John Cotten Tayloe Elementary School track. The Pam Pack boys, off to the best start in the school’s three years of participation in the Coastal, defeated West Craven 114-27 while the Lady Pack emergeda 121-15winner over the Lady Eagles. William O’Pharrow, the Washington girls’ coach, said he could only recall one regular- season loss in his 13 years at the helm and said it had been 10 years since his girls’ team had lost a regular-season conference meet. Last year’s team skated through the regular-season sche dule in undefeated fashion. O’Pharrow said he was happy with his team’s outing. "It was a regular meet today,” (See EAGLES, Page 2) 3-Car Crash Kills One, Four Seriously Injured A three-car accident south of Vanceboro on U.S. 17 Friday kil led one woman and seriously in jured four others. One of the in jured was flown from the scene to Pitt County Memorial Hopsit- al in Greenville by air ambu lance. No charges were filed Friday as the investigation of the accident continued. Rescue workers used the "jaws of life” toextricated the people in two of the vehicles. Susan Evans Cahoon, 32, of New Bern wa.s killed as a result of the accident that occurred about 6:20 p.m., according to trooper L.P. Johnson of the Highway Patrol. Johnson said Ms. Cahoon, driving a white Buick, ran a stop sign on a road intersecting U.S. 17. Ms. Cahoon’s car was struck in the driver’s side by a Ford pickup truck being driven by Charles Harold Cooke of Vance boro, who was headed south on U.S. 17, said Johnson. (See CRASH. Page 5)
West Craven Highlights (Vanceboro, N.C.)
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