002 A0038
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CouWAN HERALD
482-4418
Wednesday, September 27, 201 7
50 €
Town Council wants to attract new grocery store
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Town Council received
a briefing concerning ef
forts being made to attract
a second grocery store to
the community during their
Monday night monthly work
session.
Town Manager Anne-Ma
rie Knighton said that this
week she and County Man
ager Kevin Howard would
join Jennings Gray, an eco
nomic developer with Elec
triCities, and new Eden
ton-Chowan Partnership
Executive Director Mallory
Denham in talks with the
owners of the Edenton Vil
lage Shopping Center where
the empty Food Lion store is
located. She said that Food
Lion is currently in the sec
ond year of a five-year lease
at the site and has three
more options to renew their
lease in five-year increments
at that site.
“We want to really press
them to do something,” she
said. “We have work to do.”
“I know it’s frustrating,”
she told council members. I
know you are getting asked
about this all the time. Eden
ton is not a one grocery
store town.”
Gray talked about the
pluses and minuses the
town has when it comes to
convincing another grocery
store to locate here.
On the plus side, Gray
said that while Edenton’s
population made it difficult
to interest larger grocery
“Edenton is not a one
grocery store town.’'
Anne-Marie Knighton
Town manager
operations that find urban
areas more appealing, the
income of its residents is
higher than that found in
many communities of a sim
ilar size.
Retailers look carefully at
risk, he said, and the fact is
that the town has previously
supported more than one
grocery store.
“It’s a proven market,
that’s our message,” he said.
Gray said that among
the grocery chains that
have been approached to
consider opening a store
in Edenton are Piggly Wig
gly, Save-A-Lot, IGA and
Wal-Mart. A major sticking
point, he said, has been the
lack of an existing, empty
grocery store where with
minor renovations a space
could be occupied relatively
quickly.
“If we had that kind of
second generation store
space currently, I feel cer
tain we would have a sec
ond grocery store already,”
he said.
So, Gray said, the chal
lenge becomes, how do you
fix the problem? One way
would be to attract local
investors who would help
provide a building where a
See GROCERY, 5A
Come one,
come all
to the fair
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
The smell of fried food
wafted through the air
Tuesday morning at the
Chowan County Regional
Fair.
A stuffed giant Smokey
the Bear greets everyone
attending the 71st annual
fair that started Tuesday
and ends Saturday at the
American Legion Fair-
grounds. There were all
sorts of spinning rides
that defy gravity, arts
and crafts and all of the
essentials that make this
fair popular.
“We have about 1,800
exhibits,” said Brenda
(Perry) Toppin, secretary
of the Chowan County
Regional Fair Board of
Directors. “Our exhibi
tors have come from 12
surrounding counties,
Virginia and everywhere.
There is something for
everyone and as always,
it is a family affair.”
As to family affair,
Toppin knows what she
is talking about because
her family has been part
of the fair tradition for
decades. For starters,
Toppin’s father was W.A.
Perry — that’s his name
on the fair’s main build
ing. Fair manager —
that’s her husband, E.C.
Toppin. This kind woman
who knows everybody
and everything about the
fair has been attending
the annual event since
she was in diapers.
“The day our fair
opened, I was about a
year old in 1947,” Toppin
said. “I’ve been going to
the fair for 70 years —
never missed one.”
Gate admission tickets
are $8 for 36” and taller at
the gate.
As an expert, Toppin
See FAIR, 6A
PHOTOS BY KIP SHAW
State Representative Bob Steinburg, R-Chowan, speaks from the heart about the importance of honoring the
American flag and U.S. Constitution.
Constitution Day program honors America
■ Steinburg talks about
kneeling during National
Anthem
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Edenton Tea Party NS-
DAR’s Constitution Day
program was standing room
only Saturday morning at
the historic 1767 Chowan
County Courthouse. Rep.
Bob Steinburg, R-Chowan,
the keynote speaker, of
fered remarks about why it
is wrong to kneel during the
National Anthem.
“We have some who think
it is cool or in vogue to not
stand when saluting our flag
and not sing the National
Anthem — to turn then-
backs on it,” he said. “That
is sad for many reasons, but
the most important reason
is, if we do hot honor the
flag which represents every
thing this nation stands for
and the Constitution, then
we are not even honoring
and protecting their right to
Albemarle Sounds and the Chowan Middle School choir perform “God Bless” during
the Edenton Tea Party’s Constitution program on Saturday at the historic 1767
Chowan County Courthouse.
do what they have chosen
to do. That’s what that docu
ment is.”
During many sporting
events across the nation this
past weekend, more than a
few athletes kneeled during
the “Star Spangled Banner.”
President Donald Trump ex
pressed his view condemn
ing those who bent then-
knees in protest while prais
ing those who support the
American flag as patriots.
“If a player wants the
privilege of making mil-
See PROGRAM, 4A
College
approves
new
leader
From staff reports
AHOSKIE — The Roa
noke-Chowan Conununity
College Board of Trustees
has appointed Dr. Stanley
J. Elliott as the 9th Presi
dent of the College. The
State Board of Community
Colleges ig—-a-; . —
approved
Dr. El
liott’s
position
at their
meeting
held on
Sept. 15.
He will as
ELLIOTT
sume the role as president
of R-CCC on Oct. 2.
Dr. Elliott graduated
from John A. Holmes High
School in 1988 and then
earned a B.S. in Political
Science from Elizabeth
City State University, a
Master’s Degree in Pub
lic Administration from
North Carolina Central
University, and a Ph.D. in
Educational Research and
Policy Analysis from North
Carolina State University.
In 2010, he completed the
year-long Leadership North
Carolina Program.
Elliott’s parents are
James and Glorious, a
member of the Edenton-
Chowan Board of Educa
tion.
“We are proud of our son
and his accomplishments,”
she said. “He has always
been a well-rounded indi
vidual and loves people,
especially children. Back
in high school, we could
tell that the our boy would
go places. Praise God for
this blessing.”
See LEADER, 5A
RAISING
MONEY
Ceremony pays tribute to first piece of public art
^^Food Pantry
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BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Town officials joined the
leadership of the Chowan
Arts Council and Destina
tion Downtown Edenton
on Sunday in dedicating
the community’s first piece
of public art, a cypress tree
created by North Carolina
sculptor Jonathan Bowling
of Greenville.
Mayor Roland Vaughan
spoke about the spirit of
collaboration that infuses so
many endeavors in our com ¬
munity including this public
arts initiative. Vaughan said
that the sculpture selected
to be the town’s first public
arts piece was already draw
ing attention and comments
from the public as they no
ticed it while walking by
the Chowan Arts Council.
The piece was installed last
Tuesday afternoon.
“People are stopping by
this spot already,” Vaughan
said as he addressed the
crowd attending the dedi ¬
See ART, 6A
STAFF PHOTO BY
REBECCA BUNCH
Mayor Roland
Vaughan
welcomes those
attending the
dedication
on Sunday
afternoon
of the first
piece of work
commissioned
through the
Public Art
Initiative outside
the Chowan Arts
Council.
$100,000
554,000
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©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
EDENTON
FARMERS MARKET
Pumpkins, Fall mums, Organic veggies like
Butternut squash & Kale, NC seafood & apples,
Baked goods, Crafts in time for Christmas
i shopping, local eggs & honey.
730 N Granville St
Open each Saturday
8arn>noon
VIDANT
Chowan Hospital