THE WEST CRAVEN
20° HIGHLIGHT
volume 2 No. 15
vanceboro, N.c. - Thursday. April 19.1979
12 Pages
20
Price: 20
PICKIN’ AND GRINNIN’—Local Blue Crass music fans
gather once a week in Curtis Hawkins’ store to pick and sing
folk songs. (Photo by Connie Bryan)
Patsy Townsend
Roy Hicks
Jeff Jones
New faces
at Swain
D. S. Swain Gas, Co.
of Vanceboro has several
new faces around. One of
these is Tom Irwin, who
joined the staff as
manager on January 16,
1979. Tom, a native of the
state of New York, is well
qualified for his position,
with 20 years of experience
at Cloyd-Howard Gas Co.
of Walden, N. Y. Tom
lives in Vanceboro with
his wife, Paula. They
have three children. He
enjoys fishing, hunting,
and golf.
Lee Nay of New Bern is
another of the new faces at
Swain Gas. He began
work on September 1 of
last year. He lives in the
Beach Grove area with his
wife. Scarlet and five
children. Lee is a member
of the Masonic Lodge.
Other employees
include Patsy Townsend,
who heads up the office as
a billing clerk, typist, and
secretary. She is also
active in the Vanceboro
Rescue Squad. Roy Hicks
is the most recent addition
to the staff, starting work
on March 1. He is the son
of Mr. and Mrs. Roy
Hicks, Sr. of Vanteboro.
Roy and his wife, Joyce,
have one child, Robin and
one more on the way. He
is glad to be back home in
the Vanceboro area. The
youngest member of the
staff is Jeff Jones. Jeff, a
1978 graduate of West
Caaven High .School, will
turn eighteen on April 13.
He is the .son pf Mr. and
Mrs. Carson Jones of
Vanceboro.
F'ormerly Pats Gas
Service, Swain Gas has
been in Vanceboro nine
years. It provides service
on bulk and regular
tobacco barns, sells
bottled and bulk gas, and
sells and services gas
appliances and equip
ment. Located on Main
Street, Swain Gas is opten
Monday through Friday
from 8 a.m. til 5 p.m.,
however, Swain Gas
offers its gas customers
twenty-four hour service.
Parker
reopens
Once again citizens in
the Vanceboro area can
enjoy the delicious
cooking and friendly at
mosphere at the Park Inn
owned ond operated by
Mr. Roger Parker. After
over a year’s absence, dur
ing which the restaurant
was in other hands,
Parker reopened the rest
aurant under the name
Parker Barbeque. In busi
ness since March 1, Mr.
Parker is striving to re
gain the trust of his
former customers by offer
ing a new item, Hardison
Brothers Pit-Cooked Bar
becue. The barbecue,
made by the famous
Hardison Brothers of
Jamesville, , supplements
Cove City scene
of weekly jam
by
Connie Bryan
Shouts of “leave out that
E" or “hold that C a little
longer” can be heard com
ing from an old concrete
building in Cove City every
Friday night. This building,
owned by Curtis Hawkins
of Cove City, is the scene of
a country music jam ses
sion. Musicians from all
over the area gather to
practice their art and swap
trade secrets.
When asked how these
sesssions got started, Mr.
Hawkins replied that they
first began meeting in each
others homes, then the
group decided to start
meeting at this place. He
adds that sometimes as
many as 25 to 40 people
show up. They usually get
started around 8:00 and
quit about midnight. Mr.
Hawkins says, “Some of
these old boys don’t start
thinking of tunes until
around 11:00.”
There is always a wide
variety of instruments. Mr.
Hawkins plays the mando
lin, while several others
pick standard guitars. One
of these is Tull Jackson of
Tuscarora who adds his
own humor to many of the
sessions. The musicians
come from all walks of life.
On the Hawaiian steel gui
tar, you can And Rev. Mel
vin Everyton, pastor of
Core Creek FWB Church.
There are also two fiddle
players. One is Clennie
Davis of Jacksonville, Mail
Carrier, who plays the fid
dle left handed, a most
unusual sight. The other
Addle player is Red Taylor,
who works in the lab at the
Kinston Hospital. Theodore
Morris, on the banjo, is a
cabinet maker from Vance
boro.
Although most of the
songs area standard blue
grass and country tunes,
like "San Antonio Rose’’
and “John Henry,” there
are some more recent
songs, such as, “Me and
Bobby McGee” and “Snow
effortlessly, you can tell
that a lot of work and many
hours of practice have gone
into their music. Mrs. Theo
dore Morris, saysjtha^ her
husband has been playing
the banjo “ever since he
was big enough to hold it.”
However, it is not all
work at these sessions. The
whole family comes to lis
ten to the music. The wives
sit on the sides and talk.
MUSICIANS GATHER FOR JAM SESSION—
Theodore Morris of Vanceboro (right) and Tull Jack
son of Tuscarora (left) join the pickers at the weekly
jam session in Cove City. (Photo by Connie Bryan)
Bird.” They also play some
hymns, especially when Mr.
Hawkins’ mother makes a
special request of “When
The RoU Is Called Up Yon
der” or “What A Friend
We Have In Jesus.”
Sometimes during a song,
they will stop and make
changes in the way that
they are playing the tune.
Like any dedicated musi
cians, they keep working
until it sounds just right.
Although they seem to play
while their menfolk pick to
their hearts content. The
women bring reA-eshments,
and during a break, they
spread it all out on a table.
Everyone enjoys them
selves, which of course is
the main idea.
Parker’s specialites, steak
and seafood.
Parker Barbecue, which
is located on U.S. 17 south
of Vanceboro, is open
seven days a week and
caters to special groups.
The restaurant features a
special reserved dining
area overlooking an adja
cent lake. Parker’s daugh-
ter-in-law, Pamela
Barrow Dixon, serves as a
waitress along with Mrs.
Ethel Gaskins and Mrs.
Betty Hill.
Mr. Parker stressed that
the restaurant serves no
alcoholic beverages. . ,
Roger Parker, owner of Parker Bar-B-Que located on
Highway 17 south of Vanceboro, stands in front of a
new sign welcoming friends to experience his delici
ous specialties. (Photo by Rick Cannon)