Nightfall Nightfnare Scare
Prompts
Action
By JONATHAN PHILUIP8
SipmUI CarrwpandaBt
It teemed like the perfect letup.
After all. when one is doing hydrographic
and land uae ttudies on the entire Pamlico
Sound and its tributaries, one must
eventually visit the east side of the sound,
right? And that, of course, means a visit to
the outer banks.
What couid be better? A summertime
jaunt to Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands, and
all supposedly in the name of research.
Doesn’t even count as a vacation, even
though the three-man team planned a little
side research into wave conditions for body
surfing, ocean and sound sport fishing, and
physiological effects of relaxing in the
shade.
Little did they realize the horror that
awaited as they erected an ancient-but-
mammoth tent at the National Park Service
campground at Ocracoke.
Nightmare at nightfall
One thing you can be sure of. Theguvmint
ain’t wasting much of your money at
Ocracoke. They decided to save on water by
having fiberglass outhouses instead of
toilets, and by having just two semi-outdoor
showers to serve a large campground full of
people who were by necessity covered with
sweat, sand and salt spray most of the time.
’That alone may sound like terror, but the
nightmare hadn’teven stepped into the mile-
long shower Jine.
You expect a certain amountof discomfort
camping anywhere, and a certain added
misery camping at the beach in the summer.
Bugs buzz, sweat drips, and sand finds its
way into every conceivable crack, crevice
and orifice of camping gear and human
body.
The Ozone Research Team (a whimsical
name; the research has nothing whatsoever
to do with ozone) was taking these
annoyances in stride as they strode to the
shore at twilight to make a scientific survey
of the spatial distribution on the oceanfront
of attractive young females.
None of the Ozoners expected the ambush
that awaited as they recrossed the frontal
dune at nightfall. It was the Nightmare at
Nightfall, and the bloody slaughter began.
Ambush!
’Die brutal attack came at the dune
ridgecrest. Attackers swarmed the
surprised Ozone Research Team, drawing
blo^ at every assault. The team fought back
ferociously with bare hands, but was
overpowered.
nie blood-spattered troop ran screaming,
cursing and fighting back to the home turf of
the campsite. Groaning in agony and out of
breath, the team barely made the safety of
the tent.
None of the brilliant young scientists had
thought to bring a flashlight, so the three
waited silently in the dark, knowing the
bloodthirsty horde waited outside.
Suddenly a renewed assault began. The
ORT realized the hopeless situation—the
most brutal, bloodthirsty creatures on earth
had breeched the defenses of the tent.
The dreaded Ocracoke mosquitoes were
inside.
Chemical warfare
There was just one hope left, and the
Ozoners jumped to it: to the car, to the
village, and to a store for aerosol-propelled
poisons that might discourage the frenzied
skeeters.
The ploy got the team through the night,
but morning found them breaking camp
furiously, still under unrelenting assault by
the Ocracoke insects, which had mutated
into a strain perfectly adapted to swarming
even in high winds.
At Hatteras Island the team regrouped for
a peaceful night in Salvo. Disguised as
tourists, the skeeters ignored the Ozoners,
except for an occasional free-lancer.
After a thunderstorm the next day
complete with gale, had buffeted the
campground, scouts for the horde located
the Ozone team. Within moments the
skeeters launched a full frontal assault;
again chemical warfare bought some time.
But before morning the blood-choked
swarm had made a shambles of the
crumbling tent defenses. Whelp-covered
and itching, the team retreated to the car to
wait for first light.
Retreat to the mainland
Still under attack, the ORT broke camp
and packed the car with a frantic speed
under pressure that would have made the
Wood Brothers pit crew green with envy.
The skeeters had won as the team blew off
down N.C. 12, not slowing until they hit the
mainland.
“I’ve dealt with the evil Swift Creek
mosquitoes, the infamous Pamlico County
marsh skeeters. the deadly Hyde County
Mattamuskeeters and the dreaded Green
Swamp skeeters,” Captain Ozone said.
“These outer banks mosquitoes are the
toughest yet.”
There’s a lesson there. Craven Countians.
There are some mean skeeters here, but
nothing like the banks bugs. So do your
friends a favor. If any of them suggest a
summer camping trip on the Outer Banks,
tie them up and call the family doctor.
They’ll thank you for it later.
By CHRISSIE CHANEY
Staff Writer
Last week an incident
occurred in Vanceboro which
was not exactly newsworthy,
but the reaction to it was. On
Thursday morning a woman
came into a local business and
asked someone to call the
rescue squad for a child who
had faint^. There were about
six adults there in the store,
yet not one of them was sure of
how to summon help. We all
tried to locate the number and
procedure in the phone book,
but were unable to find either.
Finally, one of the women
present called the local
pharmacist and asked him to
contact the rescue squad and
to please come to assist the
child during the wait for the
rescue squad to arrive.
He did so, and the child was
not seriously ill; however,
everyone was affected by the
thought that had a real life or
death situation occurred not
one of us would have been able
to call for help either
efHciently or quickly.
The staff in the Highlights
office wrote the number down
that same morning, and I
went home that afternoon and
clearly marked the number in
my phone book.
The purpose of this story is
to ask all of our readers to
have the number of all
emergency personnel written
where it can be easily and
quickly found. You really
don’t realize how important It
is until an emergency occurs.
WestCravaa
Production
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vanceboro. North Carolina 28SM
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spectively from above.) (USPS 412-1'10)
School
Schedule
Ausrust 28th
All students srrades 1*12 begin
classes.
Kindergarten students with
last names beginning with letters
A'L begin classes.
August 31st
All kindergarten students with
last names beginning with the
letters M-Z begin classes. Other
kindergarten students do not
attend classes.
September 1st
kinderti'arlon slnrlent’s
In
Memory
Ballenger
Mr. Edward Harold
Ballenger, Jr.. 30, died
Saturday in Leland. He was a
resident of Route 4. Leland.
The funeral service was
conducted at 4 p.m. Tuesday
in the Wilkerson Funeral
Chapel in Vanceboro by the
Rev. Bill Wingard, pastor of
Calvary Baptist Church.
Burial was in the Godley
Family Cemetery at Ernul.
Mr. Ballenger was a native
of the Askins Community of
Craven County and for the
past two and half years
resided in Leland where he
was employed at the DuPont
Company in Wilmington. He
was a member of Calvary
Baptist Church in New Bern
and a 1971 graduate of North
Carolina State University in
Raleigh.
He is survived by his wife,
Mrs. Sue Stanley Ballenger; a
son, Harold Ryan Ballenger of
the home; his mother, Mrs.
Martha Morris Ballenger of
Askins and two sisters; Mrs.
Peggy B. Mayo of New
Orleans, La., and Mrs. Arvis
Barrow of New Bern.'
Ipock
Mrs. Lora Ann Edwards
Ipock, 86, died Sunday in
Craven County Hospital in
New Bern. She was a resident
of Route 1, Vanceboro.
The funeral service was
conducted at 2 p.m. Tuesday
in the Wilkerson Funeral
Chapel in Vanceboro by the
Rev. Stanley Buck, pastor of
Juniper Chapel Free Will
Baptist Church. Burial was in
the Stilley Family Cemetery,
near Bridgeton.
Mrs. Ipock was a native of
Craven County and spent
most of her life in the Ertf^
and Vanceboro Communitie>
She was a member of the
Christian Church in Pimlico
County.
She is survived by five lOns-
Clyde J. Ipock qf Wwhlngton’
Herbert Ipock, jof Bridgeton
and Jake, CHgrles and Henry
Ipock, all of Vanceboro; three
daughters; Mrs. Vaqdy
Sammons of Newport, Mrs.
Myrtle Morris of Vanceboro
and Mrs John D, Markerof St.
Joseph, Missouri; thirty
grandchildren; forty great
grandchildren; and three
great great granchildren.
Vogelsang
Mrs. Martha Ipock
Vogelsang, 56, died Saturday
night in Craven County
Hospital in New Bern.
A graveside service was
held at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in
Cedar Grover Cemetery in
New Bern by Dr. C. Robert
Tittard.
Mrs. Vogelwng was a
native of New Bern and had
lived in Richmond, Virginia,
for a number of years. In 1980
she returned to New Bern.
She was a Past Regent of the
Bermuda lOO's Chapter in
Richmond, the DAR in New
Bern, the New Bern
Historical Society and the
First Baptist Church of New
Bern.
She is survived by her
husband, W.H. (Bill)
Vogelsang; a son, William
Fredrick Vogelsang of New
Berni. two daughters; Miss
Anna Anita Vogelsang of
Richmond, Virginia, , and
Dr. Georgia Boyce Vogelsang
of Batlimore, Maryland; and
her father, George W. Ipock of
the home.
The family suggests that
anyone desiring to make a
memorial' contribution
consider the Shriners’
Crippled Children’s Hospital.
Free Immunizations
With school beginning soon, now is the time to have your
child’s immunization records reviewed to make stipe he is
properly immunized. State law requires a child to be
immunized against childhood diseases before he or ihe can
enter school. It is recommended that a child* begin
immunizations at 2 months of age, and by school age‘'should
have received a series of five DPT (diptheria, tetanus and
pertusis) immunizations, five polio immunizations, and one
measles, mumps and rubella. A copy of previous
immunizations is requested and a consent form must
‘signed by Uie parent or guardian before each immunizaMjp
is given. Parents should check family health pecor^ls witn
their doctor’s office or the health department to ensure
completion of the immunization schedule.
Craven County Health Department .offers free
immunizations Monday through Friday 8:30 to 4:30 at 2101
Neuse Boulevard. Immunizations are also given at these
designated van locations:
Dover: Mayor’s Office. Time: Second Monday of every
month, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. . •
Fort Barnwell: Sermon’s Store. Time: Third Friday of
every month, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Vanceboro: Town Hall. Time;
month, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Fourth Tuesday of every
Christol Lee Factory Outlet
Opening Soon on Main Street in
Vanceboro