10A
Clje Cfjarlotte ^0£(t
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1996
LIFESTYLES
Around
Charlotte
Debate over black Jeffersons resurfaces
•Dr. Gya-si Fuloke will hold a
book signing at The Heritage
House, 901 South Kings Dr.
Oct. 24 at 5
p . m .
Fuloke,
author of
The Real
Holocost: A
Wholistic
Analysis of
the African
American
Experience,
will discuss
his work
and Cosmic Fuloke
Christianity. Foluke will also be
available on Saturday for auto
graphs at 2 p.m.
•The Carolinas Southern
Piedmont Chapter of the
National Forum for the Black
Public Administrators is spon
soring Toys for Tots. To make
donations, call Carmelitia
Coleman at 336-2643.
•The deadline for entering
United Family Services’ Family
of the Your Contest is N(n'. 1
F.tmilies selected will receive a
Sir'll) prize package.
Applications may be picked up
at United Way of the Carolinas,
301 South Brevard St., and
selected locations throughout
the city. For more information,
call 332-9034.
•The Arts and Science Council
is looking for volunteers for
J'irst Night Charlotte, the annu
al uptown New Year’s Eve
{)arty sponsored by Kaisqr'
Permanente and Presbyterian
Hospital. For more information,
call 372-9667.
•Charlotte poet Doinha E.
M 0 r a n d i
has been
published
in “F'orever
and a Day,”
a treasury
of poetry
compiled
by the
National
Library of
Poetry. 'The
piece, titled
Morandi
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -
Archaeologists at Monticello
are excavating the site of a log
cabin that was inhabited by
Elizabeth Hemings, a slave
whose daughter was reputed
to be Thomas Jefferson's mis
tress.
Monticello is holding a free
open house from 1 p.m. until 4
p.m. daily through Friday to
share its archaeological
research,
“I think it’s important that
Monticello paint a fuller and
more accurate portrait of what
life was really like here in the
18th century,” said Fraser
Neiman, Monticello’s director
of archaeology. “We currently
have an edited version.”
Elizabeth “Betty” Hemings
died at Monticello in 1807 at
the age of 72. Most historians
believe she bore several chil
dren to John Wayles, the
father of Jefferson’s wife,
Martha.
But historians disagree on
whether Sally Hemings
became Thomas Jefferson’s
mistress after his wife died.
The Hemings family claims
Jefferson fathered four chil
dren by Sally. Jefferson
apparently left no record of
such a liaison.
Archaeologists have roped
off a 300-by-200-foot area
where the remains of a brick
fireplace were discovered at
the site of what is believed to
have been the cabin where
Betty Hemings lived the last
10 years of her life.
They have recovered arti
facts such as pieces of ceram
ics and bottles, porcelain din-
nerware and a slate pencil
that suggests Elizabeth
Hemings may have known
how to write.
“Clearly (some Monticello
slaves) were able to learn to
read and write, and this may
be ... evidence of that,”
Neiman said.
Although the acidic soil left
relatively few artifacts or
structural remains of the
house, Neiman said sophisti
cated soil testing could reveal
the boundaries of the home,
where a garden once stood
and what kinds of trash were
dumped on the property.
Such findings could help his
torians paint a better picture.
Halloween not just child’s play
By Jeri Young
THE CHARLOTTE POST
“Deliverance,” explores women’s
liberation and oppression.
Friday
•The Charlotte Charity
League will kick off its 49th
annual charity bazaar with a
preview party at which its new
cookbook, “Carolina Sunshinq^
Then and Now” will be unveiled.
The party will be held at
Sardis Presbyterian Church,
• 6100 Sardis Road at 7 p.m.
See AROUND on page 11A
Halloween is not child’s play
anymore.
A pumpkin snatching by a group
calling themselves the Pumpkin
Liberation Organization garnered
national headlines when they pil
fered the vegetables from Fort
Worth, Texas businesswoman
Mary Lowe,
Halloween has gone from an
evening of apple dunking and
trick or treating to one of
America’s favorite holidays, sec
ond only to Christ ma.-; in retail
.sales.
“In the past couple of years peo
ple started to notice that
Halloween has gotten really, real
ly big,” said Pam Rucker,
spokesperson for the National
Retail Federation in Washington.
“No one even used to chart it. It’s
a phenomenon that kind of snuck
up on us, really.”
Americans will spend in excess
of $2.5 billion on Halloween goods
'lh» season; and believe it or not,
candy sales account for only a
third.
Retail experts believe that
adults have adopted Halloween
because it’s a stress reliever and a
good way to mark the transition
between summer and autumn.
“It’s not so much the gore,” said
Chicago promoter Mark Passes.
“There are harvest motifs
throughout it, and fall is a time
when people want a holi
day.”
Passos, who promotes
one of the nation’s
largest Halloween trade
shows, says his largest
customer will probably
sell $50 million worth of
merchandise at the show,
which attracted 1,200
exhibitors and 10,000
buyers.
Mainstream retailers
are also taking advan
tage of the sales boost.
“Halloween is second in terms of
sales volume to Christmas,” said
Kmart spokesperson Laura
Mahle. “Things that resemble
Christmas - such as lights and
wreaths - have taken off for
Halloween. And our costume
assortment is becoming more
upscale.”
More upscale indeed.
Gone are the old standard
witch costumes with the
cardboard hats and cat ears.
A trip through the costume
department of the Target
store on Eastway Drive
reveals a dazzling assort
ment of costumes and giz
mos - from screaming witch
es that stir smoking brews to
touch-sensitive door knock
ers that wail and bang.
And costumes. Lots and
lots of costumes.
“I like that one,” Dirk, 18,
said, pointing to a cow cos
tume complete with udders.
“It’s chill.”
“That’s wack,” his friend
Keith, 19, said. “Check out
the Dracula one. That’s the
bomb.”
Both were looking for
Halloween costumes and
they decided to be
Frankenstein and his bride.
“Halloween’s cool, man,”
Dirk said. “It’s the bomb.”
The Associated Press con
tributed to this article.
Halloween
mysteries
come to light
Halloween has always been
shrouded in mystery. Through
the years, it has become associ
ated with many superstitions.
Here’s look at just a few:
•All-Saints or All-Hallow’s
Day is Nov. 1. A festival of the
dead, it was made into a cele
bration of all the known and
unknown saints by Pope
Bunilace IV iii the seventh cen
tury. It was originally celebrat
ed on May 13, but was shifted to
its present day by Pope Gregory
III in the 8th century.
•All Saints Day is followed by
All-Souls Day. Originally a
pagan holiday, it was adapted
by the Catholic Church as a day
to pray for souls in purgatory.
•Trick or treating is an
American phenomenon. It per
haps comes from the custom of
giving cakes to the poor. The
cakes came to be called “soul
cakes,” and in return, the recipi
ents were required to pray for a
good harvest.
•English Plough Day, is per
haps the closest holiday to
Halloween. Ploughmen went
around town begging for gifts. If
they did not receive anything,
they would threaten to damage
their property with their
ploughs.
Odd Halloween traditions
and beliefs
•If you are born on
Halloween, you may have the
gift being able to interpret
d^e^uns.
•On Halloween night if you
melt iron and pour it in cold
water, the form that it assumes
will be your career.
•If you run aroimd town with
your mouth full of pins, and look
into a glass, you will see your
future husband. If you are not
to be married, you will see a cof
fin.
•If you drop two needles in a
See HALLOWEEN on page 15A
After nine years Hall earns general diploma
By Jeri Young
THE CHARLOTTE POST
“I fell in love. 1 guess I was
just hard-
1II the ciinu’i- of ^ iil.md.i
Hail's Hidden Valley home is
a glass bookshelf filled with
photos of her three children.’
There are her children in
caps and gowns as they gradu
ate from preschool. A picture
of Hall, 26, and her mother.
The centerpiece is Hall’s
GED encased in a black
leather cover. Hall worked
almost nine years to get it.
“I didn’t think I would ever
get it,” she says with a laugh.
“It was so hard.” V
Hall, a single mother of
three, dropped out of junior
high in ninth grade.
“I was a teenager,” she says.
Maxie
was
always
good
behavior-wise. I just had a
hard time in class. I get so
nervous when I have to take a
test.”
After being turned away, she
went to Central Piedmont
Community College.
“They told me 1 was too
young to go into their pro
gram." she said. ' They recom
mended Job (.'orps.”
Hall spent a year in Job
Corps, then returned to
CPCC, where she continued
her quest.
“I never felt comfortable in
school,” she said. “But I knew
that one day I would get it.”
Six years ago, Hall entered
the Bridge Program, which
helps high school dropouts.
She and three other Bridge
graduates will be honored
■Tuesday at Ericsson Stadium.
Strong safety Brett Maxie will
speak at the ceremony.
Hall’s fortune’s changed
when Counselor Lynda Gross
took an active interest in her
and .stayed with her during
the tough times.
"Lynda wa.s great,” she said.
“Just great. She was really
there when I needed her.
Sometimes I would just get
depressed. Lynda always
knew I would get it.”
In May, Hall earned her
high school equivalency diplo
ma. She says she will never
forget receiving her diploma
in the mail.
“I started screaming and cry
ing,” Hall said. “My kids were
looking at me like I was crazy.
They started jumping too. But
they really couldn’t under
stand.”
See Hall on page ISA
PHOTO/SUE ANN JOHNSON
Yolanda Hall relaxes in her Hidden Valley home with her three
children (From left to right) Yolanda Emaresah, 8, Emaralde
Marie, 7, and Lamar Lament, 5. Hali will be ho'nored Oct. 29 at
Ericsson Stadium luncheon by Bridge Program.