the brunswick?beacon BHg
Thursday, May 9, 1985
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AMY ROBBINS adds her small bowl with Ud to a growing
collection of handbuilt and thrown clay pottery.
Students shaped a variety of articles with the help of
volunteers from The Franklin Square Pottery Studio in
South port
Staff Photos by Susan Usher
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"DOES ANYONE KNOW bow to tie a slip knot?" asks
Community Schools Coordinator Unden MathewsBoone
Thursday as she and partner I'aul l.atta teach
the practical art of broom-tying to Inland Middle
School eighth-graders.
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FACE STKAIMM1 with Uw rffert erf ratlin* through
a teg. Krtrta OMs M~*?? ?k md of t??mu taw.
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other I/eland Middle School students.
Volunteers
As Much As
BY SUSAN USHKH
For the third consecutive day, 7ft-year-old Eva MatKnox
sat in the sun on a hard, backless bench, weaving
pine needle baskets for an audience of energetic eighthgrade
students.
She loved every ininute of it.
"Isn't this a beautiful place?" she asked, gesturing
toward the Cape Fear Itiver as she paused in her work
"Everybody talks about the youth today, but there's a lot
of promise in them. It's up to us to help bring it out."
She was doing her part.
A retired schoolteacher with 40 years of classroom
experience at Bolivia, Iceland and Sunset Park schools,
Mrs. Knox said she "thoroughly enjoyed" teaching and
never wanted to do anything else. Today she's still nurturing
growing things?plants rather than
children?operating lativale Nursery with her husband.
Mrs. Knox had participated in Colonial Days, a threeday
living history program for the general public, for two
consecutive falls. Her pine needle baskets are sold at the
site gift shop, along with lye soap and pottery made during
the living historv urograms.
Last week, however, was the first time she Joined
other volunteers for Heritage Days, a similar three-day
program offered with the county schools a a part of the
social studies curriculum for eighth-graders. The program
is now in its third year under the direction of Community
Schools Coordinator linden Mathews Boone and
Brunswick Town Site Manager William Faulk.
"Gee, I'm sorry I missed it," Mrs Knox said of the
earlier programs. "I'm so glad I could do it this year. It
has just lifted up my spirits.
"It's done so much for me. I'm so glad they asked,"
she said, winking in a way that made the recipient feel
special, an intimate part of the action. "I've seen
children of children I used to teach "
Her generous, loving nature and listening ear had a
telling effect on the hundreds of youngsters who visited
her worksite last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
They knew she cared.
Thursday afternoon as the students from I eland Middle
School headed back to their caravan of blue activity
buses, they sent Principal Clara Carter back to the
waterfront with a special message for Mrs Knox.
"You've been a big hit with my students," Mrs
Carter told the craftswoman as she invited her to visit lite
school on a future date "They sent me back to tell you
that"
Thursday was the last day of the three-day effort.
South Brunswick Middle School students visited Tuesday,
Shallotte Middle and Waccamaw students cm
Wednesday and I eland Middle students on Thursday.
It was hard to tell who was enjoying Heritage Days
most last Thursday?the students or the volunteers like
Mrs. Knox who served thern
"This has heen a lot of fun," volunteer Victoria
Nance said as she showed students how to dip their
candlewitking into hot, colored wax, one at a tune with a
pause for dnpdrying in between She Ellen Dorset! i
taught rne how Tuesday morning Just before the students
arrived and now I'm teaching them'"
Most of the crafts taught last week had a decorative
aspect?the baskets were pretty and the candles smeiled
good?but they also had practical household uses
In the colonies. Mrs Dorset! said, candlrmaking was
a task of several weeks' duration usually assigned to the
oldest daughter "If the didn't do a good Job. they didn't
have light during the winter," Mrs. Dorsirtt added, For
the Brunswick Town programs volunteers use whatever
materials they can find for the candles, soliciting dona
ter Jhe;
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HER OBVIOUS U1VE KOK THEM madr Eva Mar
Knox a "bit" among Iceland students as >br quietly
wove pi or needle baskets on a bench overlooking the
( ape Eear Klver.
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Hons of partially-burra.fl candle* with wax and/or wick
that can be recycled, old wax Christmas decorations ami
even the thin layers of paraffin used to seal Jelly Jar*, she
said. ?
It's a process almost as tirne-consuming as the col- I
lection of wax myrtle or bayberrle* might have been In |
colonial days Once, Mrs. Doraett said, slie attempted B
making candles from the bernea themselves with limited I
luccea* After collecting a su-quart \*A full of the liny
bernea, she atill didn't get enough wax for a candle and
the product was U*j impure to harden properly
' 1 got the srnell, the color, but not the candle." she
aid
Beeswax and the refined fat of animal* - tallow -alao
provided candlerrialung materials for early settlers, the
said.
The youngest volunteers were members 'A the Tar
Heel Junior History Club at South Brunswick Middle
School, working in rotating shifts of three each day. KrUty
BUckrnon, John Nlchotx and Greg Cumfaee worked
Thursdays. while Tanya Hall. Michel! Martin. Bobbie
Ballentine. Heath Hat/son. Glna CM/don and Marcie
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?Rod apple older for llaohcl Smith (foreground) and
ge Days'
th-Graders
Hoswcll took turret earlier In the week, Mrs. Mathcwsltoone
Indicated.
Students were Introduced to the Stump Act rebellion
in Brunswick Town through a scene between (loyalist
Ciov. William Tryon (Assistant Site Manager Jim
Hartley) and a colonist seeking eiiaiikos In 11 k. lax laws
(portrayed by Mark Munden, assistant site manager at
the sister historical site at Fort Fisher).
Afterwards students rotated through a series of work
stations staffed by volunteers us well us site employees.
Staff member Brian Howell coordinated the woodwork
ing demonstration, while Virginia l.loyd and fellow
members of the Woodbine Garden Club of Southport
demonstrated colonial cooking over Indoor and outdoor
fires. They also replanted an herb garden at the site.
Other volunteers not mentioned alsivc Included Hev.
I'earl West of Zion United Methodist Church, who
demonstrated the dulcimer; Mary Fnrp of Wlnnabow,
who made grupevlne wrcotlis and baskets; stuff member
Brenda Marshburn, who demonstrated natural dying
methods; Cuthi Small, lye soaprruiklng; and elementary
school supervisor Diane Van Nortwlck, color stenciling
Ms. Mathews-Boone said she was very pleased with
Die outcome of tills year's program, citing excellent
weuther, model behavior by students, and u smoothlyrun
operation. "Maybe It takes three years for
everything to come together," she said, an she began
discussing the improvements already proposed for next
spring
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HOBF.HT WOOOY hurrirt thr drying promt along
at he dipt bit flrti wax randlr during Hrrtlagr iiayt
at Bramol't Tottn.
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