Opinion Page
THE BRUNSWICK#BEACON
Edward M. Sweatt and Carolyn H. Swealt Publishers
Edward M. Sweat! Editor
Susan Usher Neves Editor
Terry Pope Staff Writer
johnny Craig Sports Editor
Mary Polls ^ Office Manager
Cecelia Gore Advertising Representative
TmTimic Ca!!c*.vay ;: . Typesetter
Steve Anderson Pressman
Bill McGowan Photo Technician
Clyde nnd Mnttie Stout. Jim Ballou..............Circulation
Page 4-A Thursday, July 18,1985
Even With A Few Warts,
Brunswick Is Better
We got away for a few days last week to attend the summer
institute of the North Carolina Press Association at
Kiawah Island, S.C.
Kiawah, you might recall, is a beautiful barrier island off
the coast of South Carolina near Charleston which was bought
by the Arabs and is being sold back to Americans one lot or
condo at a time.
As residents of a resort community, it was only natural to
make some comparisons between Kiawah and the Brunswick
County beaches.
One thing they all have in common is growth. The first
time we saw Kiawah was about ten years ago, when professional
development of the island was just beginning. At that
time there were only a few private residences on the island.
The first motel units and restaurants that would become
Kiawah Island Inn were framed but not finished.
Our first trip to Kiawah was to plan the 1976 summer
meeting of the South Carolina Press Association. Our group
booked the first convention ever held at the then-new resort.
The next time we saw Kiawah was in late 1980. The difference
was abnost unbelievable. It is-difficult to imagine
how so much can be built in a short five years.
We were jolted again this past weekend when it was evident
that development had more than doubled again between
1980 and 1985.
As one approaches Kiawah the differences between this
posh resort and Brunswick County beaches become apparent.
Instead of flashing portable signs, roadside peddlers,
waterslidcs or other clutter on the path to Brunswick beaches,
visitors are met at Kiawan by uniformed guards at a gate on
the manicured, landscaped entrance.
Once in the thick of things at Kiawah, there's sort of a
hush?even though there are hundreds of people milling
about, biking, heading for the golf courses or tennis courts, or
on the way to the ocean or pool.
It seemed strange at first that most everyone seems to
whisper and very few, if any, ever raise their voice and no one
would dare holler. It didn't take long to figure out why. Some
are too rich and refined to talk above a whisper while others
are left speechless by the high prices of almost everything on
the island paradise.
tic iinii urn vuicc iui vjuiic acinic tunc cncci piciuilg up '
decorated glass ashtray in one of the shops priced at $750, and
wouldn't talk with the wife for hours after she picked out a $26
necktie for us at another shop.
One has to concede that Kiawah is simply beautiful.
Everything is planned in such a way that the island continues
to look like a lush tropical paradise despite considerable
residential and commercial development. Nothing is left to
cliance as was much of the earlier development of beaches in
Brunswick County.
There are some things about Kiawah one cannot help but
envy and a few things Brunswick County beaches might do
well to imitate. But on the whole, we like Brunswick County
beaches a lot better?warts and all.
It was good to get back to reality.
Vigil Of The Flag
Patriotism and advertising go hand in hand.
To separate the two would be an insurmountable task.
AftPP Jill VI*hJit l>flt)??rfic?P WnnlH Kn fArtlioK annxnW
, ,..n..Mu.vtuuv> nuuiu uv i\n;iiau CIIUU51I IU JUII1J) Ull
of the red, white and blue bandwagon which has fed so many
of Uncle Sam's children all of these 209 years.
In fact, it simply makes good sense to appeal to one's
sense of patriotism when selling anything, be it apple pie, hotdogs,
or?yes?even gasoline.
That is the case in Shallotte. The American spirit, converted
to advertising, is being used to attract customers to a
self-service gas station on U.S. 17.
The advertisement is a huge American flag. Indeed, it is a
proud sight for residents and tourists alike. The flag runs foul
of no municipal ordinance, as has been the case in many
towns and cities. And there have been no complaints?of
which The Beacon is aware?regarding the flag.
The time has come, however, to remind local residents
and business owners of the patriotic duty befalling them
whenever they use the American flag for display or celebra
uon.
The flag on U.S. 17 has waived proudly?nonstop?since
before Hurricane Diana hit Sept. 13.1985.
Apparently Diana was not enough to dissaude "Old
Glory" (or her owners! from ending the tattered, but eternal
vigil above U.S. 17, because long has she waved and waved
and waved.
Alas, soon she will be stripped halfway down her stripes
and possibly well into her stars.
Meanwhile we all live on proudly as Americans. We have
no worries of foreign invasion or of government intervention.
We are free...to come and to go and to display our pride with
the freedom guaranteed by our Constitution and by the
striped flag which waves from above.
It is time to end the vigil of the flag above U.S. 17. Its tattered
stripes have served their purpose. Now they cry for the
respect they deserve.
Flashbad
Shades of Hurricane Diana,
flashbacks of Diana, call it what you
will. When the Brunswick County
Emergency Operations Center
(EOC) re-opened at the government
complex in Bolivia last Wednesday,
Diana was on a lot of people's minds.
It was on my mind. During the sixhour
simulated Carolina Power and
Light Company nuclear accident
drill last Wednesday, I kept thinking
about that September night from
nearly a year ago.
Only this time, there were no
strong winds, no power outages and
no heavy rainfalls. Outside the comdIcx
were clear skies. An oranee sun
was setting in the west, peaking
around the large pines that still showscars
from Diana. The last time the
EOC was established, those pines
were bending double from Diana's
force.
Businesses i
To the editor:
There are quite a few new business
firms and drug stores in Shallotte.
They came with the expectation of
reaping profit from the area.
But when area people come to
them?a church, volunteer fire
department or rescue squad?with a
request to place in their window a
neat placard advertising a dinner,
vnrH calo fir KaVo colo (pvino to
make a dollar to keep themselves going,
they are told, "It is not our
policy."
Organizations refused should make
it their policy to boycott the firm or
drug store for 30 days.
The area appreciates firms which
do allow them to place placards in
their windows. One grocer even put
up a bulletin board for the public's
convenience. We wish them the very
best.
Ad\
An icy mountain stream with
water-smoothed rocks and waving
wildflowers, all shaded by crispy
green trees-that's the stuff of my
But last week I found the opposite,
a farm pond of oozing mud warmed
by a midday sun. Edged with dusty
fronds, it teemed with frogs that
were tadpoles only a few days ago.
The farm didn't seem to offer much
potential for adventure, but then. I
wasn't really looking for excitement.
Cousin Fran and her sons, lance,
Troy ana Jeff, are visiting with
relatives in Brunswick. New
Hanover and Bladen counties. The
boys were looking for excitement-California
style. They
didn't find it. but then, adventure
doesn't always come with neon lights
and noisy crowds
Yorhaljnda uW ttwv 1ir? > cur.
burban southern California lifestyle,
has temperatures similar to coastal
North Carolina's But the humidity
here seems beyond my cousins' coping,
and at times, beyond mine.
We've been in a perpetual dnp this
past week, not eager to do much of
anything, yet caught up in the boys'
craving for excitement, adventure
and perhaps a summer romance.
We had batted zero, I thought,
looking back, though, it wasn't as
dull as we first thought
After taking in "Willa Wonka and
the Chocolate Factory " at the kida*
movie last Wednesday , for instance,
I returned Jeff to Bladen County, to
es Of Diane
*
Terry
Inside the sheriff's department,
those with resDonsibilities at the EOC
were scurrying around like there was
still a hurricane outside. Only this
time it was a simulated nuclear accident
drill that kept everyone busy
trom b p.m. until midnight.
No one questioned why the practice
drill was taking place. Some of those
at work at the EOC, like School
Transportation Supervisor Bill
Turner, were surprised by the
telephone call they received reLETTERS
TO
>hould Allow
A member of an organization,
H. R. Phillips
Shallotte
Grateful For
Assistance
To the editor:
I want to give public thanks to a
wonderful organization and some
wonderful people.
On July 81 was scheduled for a doc
lor s appointment. I am on treatment
for high blood pressure. I don't drive,
live on limited income and have no
transportation. Friends would have
taken me but as it happened they
were all busy then. I was worried
about what I could do.
1 called the senior citizens here and
nuft Jim
/enture Is WF
the dairy farm.
Everyone was busy "assisting" in
the deliver) of the fifth of 11 calves to
arrive thai day. Sharon and Greg
tugged on the chains attached to the
calf. As the heifer grunted the misery
of her first birthing, the calf hit the
concrete floor with a wet slap It
seemed like an awfully harsh way to
enter into the world.
But little redheaded Jeff of the
Care Bears, already an expert after
several days of hanging around the
barns, said it was okay: Once the calf
was dragged to its pen. the mother
"??u muug 10 cican si up
and feed it
Of this Veterinary Hospital drama
Jeff was the most relieved of those
watching when the calf appeared.
Several days earlier he had seen twin
calves delivered still-bom
Wednesday, he cried out softly.
This one's alive. It's nose is twitching
Sure enough, we could see a
wriggling nose and blinking eyes
emerging, already cheeking out a
new world
i Haunted A
questing that they go immediately to
the EOC office in Bolivia.
"I was getting ready to go swimming
when they called," Turner said.
Instead, Turner hopped in his car and
drove to the complex as Brunswick
County's public school official
representative. Social services Acting
Oirprtnr Rpttv Varnum was
working at her restaurant when she
received the call.
Everyone who was suspecting the
call actually suspected it around 6
p.m., when the drill was scheduled to
start, bui uie nrsi unusual event
at the Brunswick Nuclear Plant in
Southport wasn't recorded until 6:42
p.m. It was an opportunity for
suspecting participants to feel that
"maybe they won't call. It's probably
too late now," as the clock passed
7:30 p.m.
Once they were all assembled inTHE
EDITOR
Placards In 7
they referred me to social services in
Southport, which told me that they
had to cut out the program for lack of
funds. They, in turn, referred me to
Ronnie Robinson, director of the
Brunswick Cnnntv rW?nartmpnt fnr
Aging.
And he, God bless him, was an
answer to a prayer. He not only sent
someone to take me to the doctor, but
she waited with me because the doctor
had an emergency. Then she took
me to get my prescriptiuons, stopped
for a few groceries I really needed,
and then took me home.
The next day Mr. Robinson stopped
by to see that everything was alright.
I was grateful for that. I asked him
what I owed them but he said they only
accept donations. So you can bet
I'm going to send a donation every
chance I get. I hope everyone else
does too. It's Brunswick County
n; '
icri e i uu run.
Jeff has announced he'd like to live
on t|ie dairy farm. But I suspect his
older brothers would prefer permanent
free admission to Knotts' Berry
Farm, an amusement park near
their home.
Just visiting the farm was an
adventure after leaving our beach
area.
Ever present and almost overbearing
were a pervasive layer of golden
dust and the pungent aroma of cows,
a combination I'd almost forgotten
from earlier visits to Uncle Hugh and
Aunt Ma bit's dairy farm ai Abboiisburg.
I'd just as soon forget again
until my next visit
Sweetpea, of course, loved this and
other exciting smells, though the
cows were so large they frightened
her. She headed for the nearest puddlp
pi CmX FTMlfV /wOina
the only way she knew how. Dripping
black from the bottom of her feet
almost to the neck, she required the
first of several hosing* admmstered
that afternoon.
Soon afterwards, in a hurry to get
to the calving shed, Fran decided to
ford a small ditch rather than go
around the long way. As we watched
in horror, it happened
We cringed as one foot and flipflop
missed the bank, bogging instead in
the middle of a black, sticky stream
of slow-moving yuek
Fran simply looked at her foot and
grimaced
Maybe she's accident prone Or
perhaps it's Just this trip. One thing
Ay Mind 1
side the EOC and had been given i
their responsibilities, the officials
immediately went to work. There
were few jokes about going through
the motions of a simulated drill. Instead,
everyone assumed their roles,
like actors cn a stage, and seriously ||j
carried out the drill for six hours.
"I think that <;tpms from Diana,"
said Cecil Logan, Brunswick County
Emergency Management Coordinator,
"from having gone through
a hurricane already."
Many officials had survived last
September's ordeal, while others had
also observed a simulated nuclear
accident drill at the Snearon Harris
plant in Apex last month.
I hope the EOC never has to reopen
again. If it does, it's nice to
know that there is an outstanding
group of emergency officials ready to
spring into action when needed.
he Window
Dept. of Aging, P.O. Box 249, Bolivia,
N.C. 28422.
I found an answer for me and you'll
never know when you might need
help. One thing for sure, none of us
are going to get younger. It's going to
go the other way.
Lillian L. Miles
Long Beach
Brief Notes
From Readers
To the editor:
My husband and I enjoy the Beacon
so mnrh wp want to rpnpw our
subscription.
We fell in love with the area down
there, and with the weekly paper we
can keep up with all the activities and
events going on from week to week.
Our family is looking forward to
our trip to Sunset Beach the end of
this month. We love out there!
Mrs. Paul Davis
Catlettsburg, Kentucky
We enjoy receiving the Beacon and
keeping up with the news of Holden
Beach, where we have a home.
Please renew our subscription for j
another year. j
Doyle and Pam Lewis
Greer, S.C.
Keep the Beacon coming!
We look forward to the Beacon
every week and hope to call
Brunswick County home some day.
Mr. and Mrs. C. L. Edwards
Mars Hill 8
We are new property owners at
Sunset Beach and new subscribers to
The Brunswick Beacon. We are im- fl
pressed with both, and are happy to
be a part of the South Brunswick
Island scene. Our beach home is a
joint venture with a daughter and
son-in-law, both attorneys in
Winston-Salem.
As a former journalist, I can't
resist a couple of comments on the ?
current issue of the Beacon.
Keep up the good work. We all read
and enjoy your newspaper.
Ed Kankin
Concord
i It 1
for sure, she's needed her good sense
of humor during one exciting adventure
after another. One more example:
The night before, on Tuesday, she
and my Uncle Hugh were sharing the
porch swing at Carol's house in Winnabow.
What followed couldn't have
happened to two nicer persons.
It was nearing midnight; we were
all chatting away, catching up on lost
time. Fran hadn't been ' home" to
North Carolina in five years. Not one
of the boys has been here since he
was little. Troy anu Lance are aimusi
grown up, one in college and the
other a rising high school senior. Little
Jeff s about nine years old.
He and my nieces Jennifer and Kelly
and my nephew Tony were asleep
on the living room flow. Troy was in
Fayetteville. Lance, with the
grownups on this visit, sat on the
porch.
Suddenly, without any warning
whatsoever, the porch swing crashed
to the flow. Or rather, one end of it
did. Fran, still sitting in the other,
quickly pointed out for historical
reference, "It was not my end. I
didn't do it"
Knowing our family well, she added,
"I want you all to remember that
when you tell this in the future!"
Meanwhile Uncle Hugh looked only
a little jarred as he picked himself up
from the concrete flow where his end
had landed.
Who says there's no excitement
around here?