WATAUGA DEMOCRAT
An Independent Weekly Newspaper
ESTABLISHED IN 1888
N. C. Top-Award Winning Weekly Newspaper, 1965
First in General Excellence, First in Local News Coverage, First in Excellence of
Typography, First in Want Ads and Second in Display Advertising.
Published for 45 Years by Robert C. Rivers, Sr.
PUBLISHED THURSDAYS BY RIVERS PRINTING COMPANY, INC., OWT ’IR
R. C. RIVERS, JR., Editor and Manager JEAN RIVERS, Associate Editor
RACHEL A. RIVERS, Managing Editor
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Entered at the postoffice at Boone, N. C., as second class matter, under the act of Congress of
March 3, 1879.
MEMBER NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION
NORTH CAROLINA PRESS ASSOCIATION
BOONE, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY DECEMBER 1, 1966
The Christmas Opening
BBS
888
Saturday marks the oficial open
ing of the Christmas shopping season
in Boone.
The traditional Christmas lights
will be turned on along the Street,
Santa Claus will join in the bright
parade, and the days of the gifting
effort will have arrived.
The parade will also serve as a
preview to the Jaycees Beauty Con
test and the fifteen beauties who
will vie for the honors Saturday
night are expected to participate,
and will likely be joined by Miss
North Carolina.
Business men of the town took
care of the costs of the decorations
through a special subscription, the
Optimist Club was in charge of the
project, and members of the Neigh
borhood Youth Corps, Town workers
and Power Co. employees did the
actual work.
As usual the shopping district will
be bright and gay, and we never
lose a good chance to urge our peo
ple to trade at home, with the folks
who pay the taxes, and fund our
local efforts and institutions. We
have the leading shopping center of
the northwestern Carolina hill coun
try, our merchants have prepared
well for the holidays and deserve
our continued support.
Meantime, the Optimists, the Jay
cees, the City, Power Company,
beauty contestants, merchants, Youth
Corps workers and perhaps many
others are due thanks for arranging
the colorful parade, the decorations,
and for making the shopping center
ready for the festive season.
Come, visit us Saturday, and re
turn often during the shopping sea
son. And of course, you can do
your shopping more conveniently
and have better selections if you
don’t wait until the last minute.
To Ask Tax Cut
Governor Moore brought a mess
age of cheer for the “hard-pressed”
taxpayers last week, when he an
nounced that he would ask the 1967
General Assembly to cut taxes.
The Governor did not say whether
the “general and broad tax reduc
tion” would come in the income tax
category, or in the sales tax levies,
the two major sources for the State’s
general fund revenues. North Car
olina does not, of course levy a tax
on real estate.
If the Assembly heeds the sug
gestions of the Governor, it will be
the first tax reduction in any recent
administration, and the move is
sparked by the prospect that the in
come which has resulted in sizeable
State surpluses, will continue into the
next fiscal year, or perhaps be en
hanced.
Of course there will be those who
will want the tax to stay where it is,
for the citizens of the State to enjoy
continued better educational and
other public facilities. Fact is, we
would like some things, like making
the free schools actually free, doing
away with the fees, and the selling
efforts of the children aimed at rais
ing funds for minimum school needs.
We would also like to see all the
youngsters have hot lunches, money
or no; and of course all institutions
operated by the State could stand
some more revenue.
But Governor Moore is familiar
with the budget, and with the mount
ing needs, and wouldn’t recommend
a tax cut if it would slow the pro
gress of any State function.
With the millions in Federal
money being sent into the State for
various purposes, and no end in
sight, no doubt a tax cut is indicated.
Anyway, the Gubernatorial an
nouncement is in the nature of some
thing new under the sun.
Toy Trends
There was a time when an orange in
a Christmas stocking was a luxury and a
delight to a child But since orange juice
has become a staple on the American
breakfast table the orange has lost its
charm as a seasonal gift.
So it is with toys. One could hardly
expect the modern tot to ask for a carpet
sweeper or a rocking horse. Kids play at
being adults. Since mother uses a vacuum
cleaner, not a hand sweeper, and father
gC"s to work in a car, not on horseback,
small girls and boys want copies of power
driven household tools and transporta
tion.
This runs up the bill for parents and
grandparents. The price tags on some
playthings this season are surprising, but
well-to-do relatives are buying the costly
items.
There is nothing wrong with an expen
sive toy if it encourages a child to use
his talents. A simple camera or toy
sewing machine may start a child on a
career.
Fortunately, youngsters do not let price
enter into their enjoyment of a present.
A kitten obtained from the city pound
may outrate the most expensive gift a
child receives, in a youngster's estimation.
The criterion is the fun or the education
the boy or girl gets from the plaything.
This means that adults must think in
terms of childhood when they make up
their gift lists.—Christian Science Moni
tor.
Inklings In Ink
BY RACHEL RIVERS
wnen the snow started ialling Monday,
and kept on tailing, and about closing
time had laid a nice bed of ice on the
outlying highways—we went bustling into
the storm, cranked up our car and started
home.
Our husband had advised against >bt«
earlier in the day. In fact, what he said
was, “You’ll never make it." Bosh, we
■aid; why this is the world’s greatest
driver. A little snow doesn’t bother us.
After all, we learned to drive in snow
And a little ice? Bosh! Why we’ll just
creep along, and when we get to the foot,
of the hill, up we’ll go and when you
come home, we 11 be snug and secure In
the little, drafty house at the end of the <
Impossible road.
So off we went, and all it took to stop
ua was a little-bitty rise in the highway.
We didn’t have snow tires, or chains and
there wasn’t 100 pounds of cinder blocks
, la the trunk.
Right at the crest of a little hill, our
f car stopped, and we put on the brakes.
And it started sliding backwards. Well,
arc'd steer one way, and then the other!
. and our mobile was slipping across the
5v >• • • ' > «;'-*•*'*:
5. K. .. ... V •.'?.• ... S- V V
’Pfe. <■ ■■ ■ • ■
i • 1
ice like a candy bar wrapper. ,
Finally, it stopped; crosswise in the
road. Along came a woman driver who
was having absolutely no trouble driving
. on the slippery surface, and 1 noticed this
with a good deal of envy. Now why did I
have to get in this mess? I thought.
Then, acros the hill came a truck, and
we went running out, waving our arms
like g great, double-jointed goose. We
were thinking since we couldn’t stop, on
that hill, no one ejse could, but the truck
came to a standstill, without complies-.
tions, and we were again disillusioned*
Well, if it hadn't l&en for Grant Ayers,
Who was diving the truck, and eribther
' gentleman, who helped us get beefed
up and out of theeway, We might still
have been standing in the Aiow, holding
up traffic.
When we got back to town, alas, We
had to tell our husband what happened,
and he reminded us that we once made
light of his driving, and he drove us
home, pretty as you please. And we
think he's going to ask us to eat a certain
column in which we expounded our ve
hicular efficiency to a great degree.
“Shall We Dance?”
ay
Sl&nJly ///ooctSvyis
FROM THE EARLY FILES OF THE DEMOCRAT
Cove Creek Academy, Walnut
Grove Institute Do Well
Sixty Years Ago
November 29, 1906
Mrs. H. J. Hardin is visiting
her aged mother in Lenoir this
week.
C. G. Horton left last Satur
day for North Wilkesboro where
he has taken work in the finish
ing department of a coffin fac
tory.
Dr. T. C. Blackburn with his
niece, Miss Jennie Blackburn,
left Tuesday morning for a bus
iness trip to Johnson City, Tenn.
A ten year old son of Mr. and
Mrs. Will Austin of Blowing
Rock Township, died on Monday
from complication of diseases.
The stricken parents have the
sympathy of all in their great
trial.
Rev. Mr. Weaver of Lenoir
spent Monday night at the Blair
House on his way to Jefferson
to perform the marriage cere
mony of Mr. G. L. Parks and
Miss Beulah Bryant.
Miss Mattie Blair, after spend
ing several months in Boone
with her parents, left last week
on her return to Scranton,
Penna. where she will resume
her work as trained nurse.
It is estimated that it costs
the people of the United States
about $49,000,000 geeting born
about $49,000,000 getting born
married and about $16,000,000
getting buried. But getting
drunk costs about $285,000,000
so that getting drunk costs more
than getting born, getting mar
ried, and getting buried.
Mrs. E. S. Coffey and two of
her little children have been
quite sick for several days but
we are glad to hear they are all
improving.
Mr. Enoch Swift of Amantha
was over Monday and gives a
good report of the school at
Cove Creek Academy being
taught by Prof. Powell E. Her
man and spoke in the highest
terms of the work being done
at Walnut Grove Institute.
Thirty-Nine Years Ago
December 1, 1927
Mrs. Luther South, who has
been quite ill with measles, is
reported te be very much im
proved.
c Mrs. J. D. Councill has been
spending 8 few days with her
daughter, Mjy. R. H. DeV%ult,
^n Bristol.
Miss tlarke of Big? Point, a
former teacher in the State Nor
mal here, came up for Thanks
giving.
Mr. B. C. Johnson, chief en
gineer on the big Marmon dam
project at Montezuma, returned
Tuesday after a brief visit to
relatives in Boone.
Mr. Perry Storey returned to
hi* home in Cleveland, Ohio
last Friday after having spent
several days with relatives in
the county.
Born to Mayor and Mrs. W.
R. Gragg, a daughter. The gen
ial mayor stated yesterday that
he was not so particular as he
once was about his “girls being
boys,” as they can all vote now.
Rev. F. M. Huggins, Mrs. Hug
gins and children of Abingdon,
Va. spent a short while in the
city last week. For seven years
Mr. Huggins was pastor of the
Boone Baptist Church and has
many friends here who were
delighted to see him again.
Fifteen Years Ago
November 29, 1951
Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Hayes of
Blowing Rock spent last week
with their daughter, Mrs. M. R.
Maddux and Mr. Maddux. Mr
Hayes is recuperating from a
serious illness.
Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Clawson
and son, Wayne, of Baltimore,
Md. and Miss Reba Greene of
Winston-Salem spent the holi
days with Mr. and Mrs. M. W.
Greene.
Mrs. Fred Greene, who is
teaching in Tryon High School
in Bessemer City, and her chil
dren, Lorene and F. A. Greene,
spent the holidays at their home
here.
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Bing
ham returned to their home in
Kannapolis, N. C. Sunday after
spending a few days with Mr.
Bingham’s mother, Mrs. R. K.
Bingham.
Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Honeycutt
attended the funeral of Mr. Hon
eycutt’s nephew, Mr. Jimmy
Canger, in Hickory Saturday.
Mr. Canger was killed in an au
tomobile accident in Hickory
Thursday morning.
Mrs. Bessie Brown Underhill
of Valle Crucis, who has been
visiting her sister, Mrs. P. H.
Hodges and Mr. Hodges, left
Tuesday for a visit with her son,
Mr. Clint Brown and family in
Elizabethton, Tenn.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wil
fong were weekend guests of
Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Rhinehart
of Elkin. They attended the
wedding of Miss Ruth Maston
and Mr. Allen Wall at the First
Presbyterian Church,
Just One Thing
DI trtKL UUbltUl
Week before last we made
mention of the community of
Nine Times in the western part
of South Carolina and express
ed curiosity about the origin
of this rather unusual name.
This curiosity was satisfied by
Mrs. W. H. Kilpatrick of Ra
leigh, a former resident of
South Carolina.
In the days of pioneer settle
ments, people were moving ever
westward seeking new home
sites. Among them was a man
from the eastern part of South
Carolina. He loaded his family
and personal belongings in a
covered wagon and set out for
new territory. Others had pre
ceded him and he followed their
trail. Heading due west, he had
almost reached the Georgia line
when he came across several
trails leading in different direc
tions. He tried one. found that
it led nowhere, went back to
his starting point and tried
again. The same thing happen
ed. He tried it several more
times—nine times in all—and c
finally gave up in disgust. He
told his family to get out of the
wagon, that he was going to
build a house and that they
would live right where they
were.
And that’s how come Nine
Times to be named Nine Times.
In all of North Carolina there
are only two statues of men on
horseback. / One is the statue
of General Greene at Guilford
AFTER ANOTHER
nauieground and the other is
the statue of Andrew Jackson
on Capitol Square, Raleigh.
Inasmuch as this friend of
mine is inclined to be sensitive
about his age, I reckon we'd
better not mention his name.
Anyway, I happened to meet
him in Greensboro recently and
stopped to talk with him.
“How are you getting along?"
I inquired.
“I’m feeling fine" was the
reply.
“How’s your behavior?" was
my next question.
"Perfect!” he exclaimed. And
then, after a moment’s hesita
tion, he added: "But maybe
there’s a good reason for that.
The older I get, the more often
I think of the words in that old
hymn: ‘Temptations lose their
power.’ And believe me, they
certainly have lost a lot of pow
er so far as I’m concerned."
Four hundred lives in ex
change for one Englishman’s ear
seems poor bargaining, but that
is the price North Carolina had
to pay in taking part in “The
War of Jenkins’ Ear”.
Approximately four hundred
North Carolinians, a large num
ber of whom were killed, an
swered England’s call for troops
to take part in the war which
was fought as the result of a
British soldier having had his
ear cut off by the Spaniards.
KING STREET
BY ROB RIVERS
Days Of The Year’s End
December comes in after the first snows have swirled
along the Street. . . This twelfth month will fetch the
shortest days, and already those of us who have fairly
long hours, get up in the dark, and return home after the
shadows of evening have thickewd. . . . December always
brings a feeling of urgency at home, at the office and
along our Street. . . . There are gifts to buy, packages to
wrap, cards to send. . . . There are gift advertisements in
your newspaper, bright store windows, Christmas lights
and the annual Christmas parade. ... It is a busy time,
with the choked week-end thoroughfares and the busy
householders and extra sales people relieving the mer
chants. . . . December brings excitement to the children,
fatigue to the parents, but interspersed is a lot of gaiety
and fun and anticipation. . . . December brings the tinseled
trees, the Yule logs, the Carols, the old friends, the hap
piness of the Christian festival of the Nativity, and a
care for the welfare of our fellows, which, unfortunately,
don t last long, in too many cases. . . . December often
brings snow and frigid winds to the hill country, but it
can’t drive away the warmth that Christmas brings.
Birds Go Away
And many of the birds of
summer have gone away, and
the old residents of birddom,
that stay the year round are
gathering for the food the
householders pass out. . . For
the past couple of winters the
crows have once in a while
come to our back door for
some of the corn meant for
the squirrels and the bird
seed placed for the songsters.
Things have to get sort of
hard when the crows go to
fellowshipping in the town.
... Of course we have never
joined in the crow shooting
craze, have figured perhaps
the noisy creatures had a pro
per place in the eternal
scheme of things, and have
watched them gobble up the
feed they weren’t supposed to
have, without grudge. . . . The
New York Times comes
through with one of its classic
country type editorials, it’s on
the crow, and says:
“NOW THE CROWS own the
rural countryside, and don’t
think they don’t know it. . . .
Big and black, they strut the
frosty pastures, haunt the harv
ested corn fields, fly up and
down the valleys, hold loud and
lengthy conferences in the leaf
less hilltop maples. Their voices
echo, raucous and self-import
ant as they proclaim their sov
ereignty. . . . A good many
crows migrate south for the
winter, but by no means all of
them Those that remain mov
ed down from the wooded hills,
to the rural valleys, to the crop
lands, the barnyards and the
nearby meadows. They gather
in noisy flocks and fly from
field to field, from refuse dump
to feedlot, from orchard to pine
grove.
“THEY EAT ALMOST
ANYTHING they can swallow,
hunting, pilfering, scavenging.
. . . Only the bitterest of win
ter weather limits their excur
sions. . . . Despite man’s en
mity, they persist and thrive.
. . . There are probably more
crows today than there were
a hundred years ago. . . . One
reason is that the crow is a
very bright bird, full of cun
ning and wisdom. . . . He can
spot an enemy as far as he
can see and his eyesight is
keen. He gets up early. He
can ouffly most of his natural
enemies and out-thrive all his
competitors. He lives by his
wits, and they are first class
wits. This is why the crows
now talk like tyrants. They
are in command of the winter
countryside and they know it.”
And Squirrels
For a great many years we
have tried to keep some squir
rels alive over on the side of
Democrat Hill. . . . Years ago,
we loosed a number of the gray
pets, and at one time they were
plentiful, but now the most we
have seen at one time for
months is three. . . . We hope
the folks let us keep them, for
we enjoy feeding them, and
watching their antics. . . . And
strangely, there is one boomer
which eats at the same place
but which gets the first table,
so to speak. . . . The squirrels
stay away until he finishes and
then converge. . . . All moun
tain men know of this enmitj
between the two species of squir
rels. . . . Come spring, we hope
to have some more of the friskj
little creatures, and we hope
hunters will let us alone in this
little hobby, by sparing the
shotgun.
City Hours
Before Boone was even a
fair-sized village, everybody
got up before daylight, re
gardless. . . Our dad wanted
to get done with his milking
about 4:30 or 5 a. m. . . . Bat
when the town grew mat of
the folks took on city hours.
. . . Where the general store
used to open at 6 o’clock, now
the modern stores will open
at 8 or 9, and most everyone,
execpt folks like us, who are
rooted in the country tradi
tions, stay abed a while long
er than our ancestors. . . .
And nobody’s gonna believe
this, but our squirrels are that
way. . . . We used to go
hunting before day and as
soon as one could see the
sights, squirrels would be out
and going. . . . But these
squirrels of ours whose an
cestors lived in town twenty
years ago, will usually stay
in their dens until near mid
day. ... A big snow will
bring them out earlier, for
some reason. . . . The fancy
little rodents are town crea
tures by heritage, and their
carryings on are confined
mostly to the latter part of
the day.
Uncle
Pinkney
HIS PALAVERIIS’S
(McKnlght Syndicate.)
DEAR MISTER EDITOR:
As my Pa used to say, I ain’t
been feeling too jubilant fer the
last few days. The bad news
was running ahead of the good
news in the papers all week.
But I reckon all of us has them
sad spells at times. I was read
ing this piece where some Guv
ernment expert said they was
days when even the bumble bee
don’t feel like bumbling. It
probable cost us taxpayers a
heap of money to git this infor
mation but it was worth it.
Speaking of such items, I was
reading where one of them
science fellers has got a Govern
ment research grant of $28,400
to go out in the sandy country
near Palm Springs in Califor
nia and learn how the desert
cockroach lives and what it eats.
I brung this matter up at the
country store Saturday night and
Zeke Grubb was of the opinion
judging from what it cost, Lyn
don had ought to give us a daily
bulletin on this project.
Ed Doolittle claimed this daily
report wasn’t necessary, that
when the feller got through the
Guvernment would git out a
pamphlet on it, the U. S Depart
ment of Agriculture would git
out some pictures, and it would
be wrote up in the Congres
sional Record, all of it maybe
costing less than a measuley
$25,000.
Josh Clodhopper reported he
had the answer fer all our mod
ern problems. He said he had
ordered hisself a pair of rose
colored glasses out of his mail
order catalogue and when they
got here he aimed to wear ’em
all day and quit watching tele
vision at night.
Josh is the sort of feller, Mis
ter Editor, that don’t talk much
but he has got a straight an
swer fer everthing and thinks
he knows it all. Them fellers
that thinks they know it all is
special annoying to us that do.
Personal, I think we was living
in a age when they ain’t no
plain yes or no answers to no
thing no more. About all a
feller can do these days Is to
figger things out on a “maybe”
and "perhaps” basis. That is,
of course, fer everthing except
higher taxes.
Zeke Grubb was agreed with
me in this matter, told the fel
lers Saturday night his preach
er warned the congregation Sun
day agin holding to half-truths
on account of maybe they was
holding the wrong half.
Youn truly,
Uncle Pinkney