P The
ERQUIMANS
^Weekly
Betts talks
turkey, 8
"News from Next Door"
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 2017
ADSORB'D
50 cents
Plantation to run golf tourney this year
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
After three years of using
an outside organization to
organize a pro golf tourna
ment, Albemarle Plantation
has opted to do it them
selves this year.
This year’s Biggs Cadil
lac Buick GMC Classic was
going to be another Swing
Thought Tour event this
year.
But Plantation golf pro
Kenny Saunders said he
wasn’t impressed with how
well it’s done earlier this
year and the board agreed
to break ties with that group
and sponsor it in house.
“They (Swing Thought)
were having trouble bring
ing players,” Saunders said.
“The first tournament they
had 108, and the next one
was 25, and next was 30 and
the next week it was 24.”
What Saunders would
like to see is 144 golfers and
he’s already had to deal with
poor attendance in the past.
The very first Biggs tour
nament in 2014 drew just
13 golfers under the NGA
Tour.
“I didn’t want to get into
another situation like that,”
Saunders said.
Tours like the NGA, the
E-Golf Tour and Swing
Thought are like “minor
leagues” compared to the
big event — the PGA. Saun
ders said many go broke and
it’s hard to stay in business.
By cutting out the middle
man and doing the Biggs
Classic in-house, Saunders
said the Plantation will be
able to offer a bigger share
of prize money. That’s in
addition to the past perk
— Plantation residents have
offered to put up players in
their homes for free during
the tournament. At many
other lower level pro tour
naments, players have to
pay for their own lodging.
“By doing it ourselves I
think we can do it bigger
and better than before,”
Saunders said.
The dates, June 26-July 1,
remain the same.
Saunders said he’s been
told by tour organizers in
the past that the Plantation
really didn’t need an outside
See BIGGS, 2
Tribute
created
for Thelma
Finch
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
For 33 years in the class-
room, Thelma Finch opened
the doors of knowledge to
hundreds of Perquimans
County Schools students as
Her
son, John
nie Finch,
says since
he gradu
ated from
law school
simply say
ing that he
was “Thel
ma Finch’s
son” has
opened
doors for
him that
would oth
erwise be
closed.
“Any
body that
I didn’t
know, I
a teacher.
T. FINCH
J. FINCH
would say that my Mom was
Thelma Finch and it opened
doors for me,” he said. .
So this month Johnnie
Finch created a scholar-
See FINCH, 3
Week Of The Young Child
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER
WILLIAMS
Robyn Culpepper
(right) helps O.R.
Harris onto a pony
Saturday during
the annual Week
of the Young Child
event held at the
Perquimans County
Recreation Center.
Right, N.C. Highway
Patrol Trooper Buddy
Davis talks about
what his job is during
the annual event.
Forestry officials, EMS,
fire departments, the
U.S. Coast Guard and
others attended the
event.
Wind power
bill offered
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Rep. Bob Steinburg believes that a bill
designed to streamline — not stop — the
construction of new wind power projects
will get a vote in the House this month,
Unlike some Senate legislation designed
to curb or stop new wind development be
cause of fears they would harm the miitary,
Steinburg said HB 574 deals with any po
tential conflicts with the military from the
start.
“It’s a good bill,” Steinburg said Thurs
day.
The bill was filed on April 5 and passed
first reading the following day. It was re
ferred to the Committee on Energy and
Public Utilities on Wednesday and now sits
in the committee dealing with rules, calen
dar and operations.
“That can be a bad thing,” Steinburg
said, referring to other bills that have been
sent to that committee to die. “But I don’t
think so in this case. I think it’s going to be
heard.”
In order to stay alive a bill must pass one
branch, Senate or House by Thursday.
Steinburg (R-Chowan) and Rep. How
ard Hunter (D-Ahoskie) were among the
18 co-sponsors of the bill.
The primary sponsors of the bill are
Rep. John Szoka, (R-Fayetteville), a three-
term representative and retired Army lieu
tenant colonel; two-term Representative
Sam Watford, (R-Thomasville) who works
in the construction industry and two term
Rep. Holly Grange (R-Wilmington). Grange
is director of community affairs for Osprey
See WIND, 2
Camp Cale’s ‘Pig on the Perquimans’ coming Saturday
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Camp Cale will host their
annual Pig on the Perqui
mans Saturday. Lunch will
be served from 11 a.m. until
2 p.m. and teams will com
pete for the best roasted
Pig.
The event is a fundraiser
for the Baptist-run facility in
New Hope.
Admission is $10.
Cale is in the process of
raising money to replace
1960s-era open-air bunk-
houses. The new sleeping
areas will include heat
ing, air conditioning and
bathrooms. That means
they could host people
year round, instead of just
the warmer months. Each
bunkhouse can house 48
campers.
Director Matt Thomas
hopes to break ground on
one new bunkhouse on Aug.
1.
Events Saturday include
trap shooting, a cornhole
tournament and a new event
— Archery Tag. The game is
played similar to dodgeball
with our bows and special
foam-tipped arrows.
“It’s totally safe,” Thomas
said.
The inflatables and BBQ
judging starts at 10 a.m.
Trap shooting starts at 10:30
a.m. The cost is $10 for 10
shots. The rock wall opens
at 11 a.m. and entertainment
See CALE, 2
Garden show on Saturday, Garden Party is coming May 6
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
The seventh annual Al
bemarle Master Gardener
6 89076 47144
2
Spring Garden Show will fo
cus this year on things you
can eat.
The program is put on
each year by volunteers
who have completed the
Master Gardener program
in Perquimans, Chowan and
Gates counties. The event is
held the Perquimans County
See SHOW, 2
SUBMITTED PHOTO
A vendor talks
about plants to
visitors to the
Spring Garden
Show last year.
This year’s event
is Saturday from 9
a.m. until 3 p.m.
at the Perquimans
County Recreation
Center.
Party to benefit PCRA
From Staff Reports
The Perquimans County Restoration As
sociation will hold its 26th annual Garden
Party Spring Garden Party May 6 from 2-5
p.m. at the Albemarle Plantation Club-
house.
See PARTY, 2
April 29th
BBQ Cookoff
ygfUlinMaj^
campcale.com
(252) 264-2513