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Vol. LXXI, No. 47
Wednesday, December 1, 2004
Single Copies 50(f
Local retailers extend hours during holiday season
' ;' -U\. .. - , , • ' ■ • ■ . • -• ... ' ' ... • : • >. ''
BY EARLINE WHITE
Staff Writer
The Christmas shopping season
kicked into full swing this pas.t
Friday. With consumers flocking
to early morning sales and park
ing lots full of cars waiting to be
filled with purchases, signs of
commerce abound throughout the
nation. Only 24 days remain until
Christmas and the clocks tick
down on shopping hours.
Local downtown businesses
hope to gain local money by host
ing extended holiday shopping
hours this season. Several busi
nesses are taking part. Among
those include Edenton Bay Trad
ing Company, open for the ex
tended holiday hours on Sunday
from 1 - 5 p.m. The Christian Book
Seller will stay open until 8 p.m.
on Fridays. Likewise, Byrum
Christmas
at Market
this Saturday
Chowan Herald file photo
BY JENNIFER HARRISS
Main Street Director
Downtown Edenton will be
bustling with activities this
Saturday, Dec. 4, as busi
nesses kick-off the holiday
shopping season.
The Marketplace Guild
will be hosting Christmas at
the Market. This year, activi
ties will include a ginger
bread house making demon
stration at Acoustic Coffee, A
Men’s Fashion show at
Fame’s, Holiday goodies will
be sampled at Sean’s, Eden
ton Bay Trading Company
and Byrums Hardware. Vau
ghan’s Jewelry will be clean
ing rings and inspecting
them.
Children can have their
pictures taken with Santa at
Mario’s Restaurant. The
Christian Bookseller will be
reading a Christmas to the
children, while parents shop
for holiday gift items.
Irt addition to the Decem
ber 4th festivities, many of
Edenton’s downtown shops
will be open for extended
hours on Fridays until
Christmas. For more infor
mation please call the Eden
ton Main Street Office at 252
• 482-3400.
INSIDE
Calendar...A2
Church.C5
Classifieds......... D1-4
Editorials.A10
Obituaries.C7
Society.C2
Sports. B1-4
Society.C2
Sports.. B1-4
Hardware, Gifts and Crafts will
remain open until 8 p.m. on Fri
days. During the week of the
Candlelight Tour, Byrum will also
be open on Saturday until 8 p.m.
Soundfeet Shoes will extend
their hours until 7 p.m. on Friday
and open on Sunday from 15 p.m.
Acoustic Coffee will also open on
Sunday from 12:30 - 4 p.m.
The Shoppes on Broad will stay
open until 8 p.m. on Friday and
Saturday and also open on Sunday
from 1 - 5 p.m. Super 10 extends
hours on Friday and Saturday
Until 7 p.m., and also until 7 p.m.
the week of Christmas. Peebles
will be open from 9 - 8 p.m. begin
ning Friday. On Sunday regular
business hours will be in effect.
, Jennifer Harriss, Main Street
Director, said, “ Extended down
town shopping hours provide an
important opportunity for us to
GOOD TO BE HOME
Staff photo by Sean lackson
Clockwise from top, U S. Army Capt. Mike Williams, Carrie Williams, Hunter Williams, and
Ashleigh Williams visiting with relatives Saturday during the Toppin family reunion. Mike Wil
liams has already served a 13-month tour in Iraq and is scheduled to return in October.
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
Circumstances could have
been better, but Mike
Williams was just glad to be
back home with family over
the Thanksgiving holiday.
Williams, a U.S. Army
captain who has seen duty
in Operation Iraqi Freedom,
joined a crowd of relatives
at Nixon’s Catering for
Saturday’s Toppin family
reunion. His mother,
Georgia Rice, has cancer.
The Apache helicopter pilot
with the 101st Airborne was
Crime rate rank in schools is misleading; officials say
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
Edenton-Chowan Schools’
crime rate ranks higher than
the state average, but violence
is all but a non-issue in the
system’s four schools.
Statewide, the crime and vio
lence rate in schools increased
in 2003-04, according to an an
nual report issued Nov. 3 by the
N.C. Department of Public In
struction. Of its 21 reported
acts — with 2,438 students on
given time to visit her late
last month.
While his mother and other
kinfolk prepared for dinner,
Williams recalled his combat
missions — including being
shot down by insurgents —
and desire to return to the
.embattled nation where U.S.
and coalition forces are
trying to establish a demo
cratic government.
Williams, 35, wife Carrie,
daughter Ashleigh, 9, and son
Hunter, 5, ca-ll Kentucky’s Ft.
Campbell home. He is
currently training at Ft.
Hood Texas. He returned to
a daily basis — Edenton
Chowan hdd just assaults, and
both were against school per
sonnel.
Mirroring the rest of the
state, Edenton-Chowan’s main
problem is the presence, of
drugs in schools.
“Most of ours tend to be con
trolled substance-related,” As
sistant Superintendent Rob
Boyce said, adding that mari
juana is the drug most often
seized from students.
Statewide, 91 percent of all
support our local businesses. I re
cently read in a ‘Main Street
News’ article, that when custom
ers were asked, what they wanted
out of a shopping experience,
their number one answer was
‘Convenience!’ With over 75per
cent of all married couples being
in house holds where both adults are
working full time; extended downtown
shopping hours are crucial in order
that downtowns may achieve the goal
of convenience.
“Our downtown merchants are
working hard to make shopping con
venient for everyone. Let’s support
them during this Holiday season!”
Harriss said.
“We want to encourage everyone to
shop locally this Christmas Season,”
said Jean Brown, manager of Byrum
Gifts.
Henry Brooks, Chowan resident,
will finish his shopping before the
the U.S. in February. He is
scheduled to return to Iraq
with his battalion in.
October. It’s not something
he fears.
“We love what we do,” he
said. “If you see the results,
you want to be a part of
those results.”
And it’s a job worth
finishing, Williams said. On
a scale of 1 to 10, with 10
being the highest degree of
success, Willliams rates
coalition efforts so far at an
8. He’s thrilled that women
See HOME On Page 3-A
charges involved banned or il
legal substances.
And the six weapons charges
in Edenton-Chowan? Boyce
said the majority are knives
found on students.
“We get four to five of those
annually,” he said:
Just crunching the numbers
and reacting to reported
crimes is not what Superinten
dent Allan Smith and staff
want to do. So they’ve been tak
ing a proactive — if not out
right preemptive — approach
extended hours take place. How
ever, residents will find the ex
tended hours helpful for those
who have jobs to work around.
Brooks was out on Tuesday with
his wife shopping at various
stores downtown. With a cart full
of goodies, they headed back
home, away from the commercial
bustle and Christmas sales.
“Locally, our company exceeded
our goals due to the kindness of
the public,” said Cherie Martin,
manager of Peebles. “The locals
have been great. They check here
before going out of town to shop.
That’s what keeps Edenton go
ing,” Martin said.
For those not yet finished with
their Christmas list, be sure to
make your first stop for shopping
downtown Edenton. Every dollar
spent here in Edenton helps the
local economy.
Outstanding men/
women in agriculture
honored at banquet
Staff photo by Carline White
Felisa Bass, left, was honored as Chowan County's Outstand
ing Woman in Agriculture at this year's Farm-City Banquet. Other
honorees included: Alyssa Miller, Outstanding 4-H'er; Bryant
White, Outstanding Young Farmer; and J.C. Nixon jr., Top Pea
nut Producer Award. Not pictured is Holly White, also honored
as an Outstanding 4-H'er.
BY EARLINE WHITE
Staff Writer
Those people who till the soil
keep America’s economy
thriving. Farmers are respon
sible for the food we eat, the
clothes we wear—all the foun
dations of survival. At the 2004
.Chowan County Farm-City
Awards Banquet over 300 at
tendees took time to recognize
those special people within our
community that keep America
going.
Dave Parrotte, Chowan
County Extension Advisory
Board Member was the master
of ceremonies. Dr. David
Wright, President of the
Edenton Rotary Club offered
the Invocation. Harry Lee
Winslow, Chowan County
Commissioner, and Mayor
Roland Vaughan delivered the
welcome. Winslow offered sev
at curbing crime and violence
in Chowan schools.
The school system sends out
a survey every spring to stu
dents, teachers and staff. The
surveys aim to calculate how
students and employees rate
safety at D.F. Walker Elemtary,
Chowan Middle, and John A.
Holmes High schools. Surveys
are not distributed to White
Oak Elementary School stu
dents, due to their young age,
Smith said.
“For most groups that’s been
Photo by Bud Weagly for The Chowan Herald
Local shoppers flock to their favor
ite stores to stock up on gifts for friends
and loved ones.
eral jokes and congratulations
for the hard work that area
farmers put into the soil in or
der to keep Chowan County
successful. Mayor Vaughan
also offered praise, “What a
difference a year makes,” he
said. “Last year at this time
there was damaged equip
ment, blown dow’n crops and
market damage. Yet through
perseverance and good insur
ance here we are to celebrate
Thanksgiving much different
than the last.”
Richard Lichtenwalner, Ex
tension Area Livestock Agent,
was the guest speaker for the
event and spoke on raising
children in rural N.C. Lich
tenwalner, Ph.D., is a resident
animal science specialist at NC
State University in Raleigh.
“Out of the 125 incoming fresh
See BANQUET On Page 3-A
very high,” Smith said of the
responses’ safety ratings.
Boyce agreed.
“We get positive responses
about feeling safe,” Boyce said.
Smith said the surveys indi
cate that parents rate school
safety above 90 percent, staff
is nearly 100 percent, and stu
dents grade safety “at 90 per
cent or above.”
Nationally, that’s not the
case, according to a study by
See SCHOOLS On Page 5-A