Opinion Page THE BRUNSWKK$KACON Edward M. Sweatt and Carolyn H. Sweatt Publishers Edward M. Sweatt .....Edttor Susan Usiicr News Editor Rahn Adams & Doug Rutter StaJJ Writers Johnny Craig Sports Editor Christine Baiiou Office Manager Carolyn H. Sweatt ....Advertising Director Timberley Adams & Valerie Lamb....?A dvertising Representatives Tammle Galloway & Dorothy Brennan Typesetters William Manning Pressman Brenda Clemmons Photo Technician Lonnle Sprinkle Assistant Pressman Clyde and Mattle Stout. Phoebe Clenunons Circulation PAGE 4-A, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1990 When The Urge Strikes To Get Away... Sometimes 1 simply get the itch to get out of town ? for a day, for a weekend, just to claim some breathing space. Just recently a near-ideal getaway guide crossed my desk. 1 resisted looking it over for about a week, then couldn't stand it any longer. You know how that goes. These getaways are all within a day's travel distance, most closer than that They're listed in the state's 1990 i 1 Calendar of Evenis. The calendar used to a glossy slick semi-annual publication. This year's version, however, is a very practical tabloid size in black and white. Skimming through its 35 pages brings home the truth of the state's old promotional theme, "Variety Vacationland." North Carolina truly offers something for everyone. Brunswick County otters its own Susan Usher share of the fun, of course, bul what about us folks who need to get away but not too far? Looking at just one month-April, you can take your pick, starting with Easier egg hunts galore. Other offerings include the tooey April 14 Stoneybrook Steeplechase at Southern Pines, the Chimney Rock Hill Climb, a high-speed auto race up a winding moutain road. Before and after the race, visitors have full access to the drivers and their cars. Across the state that same month there's a wide variety of stage productions, from Porgy & Bess in Charlotte and Big River in Boone, to Caberet in Roxboro and West Side Story in Raleigh. And you can't forget the Newport Pig Cookin' Contest or the N.C. Zoo's Zoo Fling '90 in Asheboro. Musical performances, garden tours, hobby shows for items ranging from guns to boats ? you'll find them somewhere in the Tar Heel State in July. This calendar of events rivals the Sears or Penney catalog when it comes to wishbook status at my house. With a big red grease pencil I've marked up more dates and events than Don and I could EVER attend. (At least not all in the same year.) But if we work it right, we could combine a trip up to visit family with a night at the theater, or perhaps at that concert in Chapel Kiii. . .As you migiii guess, with a iiuie oil of advance planning, anything is possible. If you feel that same itch to get away, but not too far or for loo long, you might want to check oul the calendar. You can gel your own copy from the N.C. Division of Travel and Tourism, Dept. of Economic and Community Development, 430 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, N.C. 27603. If you're in a hurry, why not call? From out of state the number's toll-free, (800) VISIT NC; inside the stale, call 733-4171. Have a nice geiaway, bul don't forget to come home. The Refund To End All Refunds Like a lot of people, I've always been very fond of refunds. I haven't received very many refunds in my lifetime, but the ones I have received have always been accepted graciously. I'm most fond of income tax refunds because receiving an income tax refund is one of the few times when money flows from the hands of the federal government to my hands, | 1 instead of the other way around. The way I look at it, a tax refund is free money. It's money you never had to start with but somehow end up with, so it should be spent on something frivolous. Sticking tax refunds in the bank may be OK for some people. But if you ask me, the money should be frittered away on things like acoustic guitars, surfboards and boomerangs. Doug Rutter These are things that you can live just as well without, but still would like to have for one reason or another. Receiving an income tax refund is sort of like finding a S20 bill on the street. You always make sure nobody's looking when you pick it up and smoothly slip it into your pocket. And of course, you've got to spend it right away before the person who lost it realizes it's missing and hunts you down. Like most other things in this world, refunds come in different sizes. You've got big refunds, or so I'm told, and then you've got little refunds. The topic of this week's column is little refunds. More piccisely, the littlest refund possible. The refund to end all refunds ? one penny. Ed Steele, a businessman and town commissioner at Orean Isle Beach, was the recipient of this small potatoes refund. He apparently received the check sometime last July but it didn't surface on his desk again until recently. Duke Power Company sent the refund check, which was good for exactly one red cent. Steele said he's not sure why he received the refund, but it arrived in the mail shortly after he sold a home in Charlotte he had owned for 30 years. When the power company switched the service over to the new owner of the home, Steele apparently had one penny of credit. "That's precision bookkeeping or it's a novelty or something," he said last week. "They did all that paperwork and spent 25 cents to send it to me." Steele said he's going to frame the check instead of cashing it at the bank. That's probably a good idea. It'll make a great conversation piece for years to come, no doubL "It's a novelty," he continued. "It's one in a million, you know. It probably wouldn't happen again in a million lifetimes." Me, 1 probably would nave cashed the check and done something foolish with the penny ? like put it toward that piece of bubble gum I've had my eye on. The Beacon welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and include the writer's address. Under no circumstances will unsigned letters be printed. Letters should be legible. The Beacon reserves the right to edit libelous comments. Address letters to The Brunswick Beacon. P. O. Box 2558, ShalkHte, N. C. 28459. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Treat Serious Calabash Matter Responsibly To the editor The flippant attitude expressed in Doug Rutter's Feb. 1 column is not appreciated. To say the people of Carolina Shores and Calabash are feuding over consolidation of the two areas is a misrepresentation of the facts; it's a gross canard. For example, if Carolina Shores wantp/1 lo "throw its w