Vol. LXXII, No. 40
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Single Copies 50#
Local
board
member
Peter
Rascoe, at
right, listens
during
discussion
by the NC
Clean Water
Management
Trust Fund
board.
STAFF
PHOTO
BYSEAN
JACKSON
Dannelly
to speak
at banquet
From Staff Reports
The 35th annual Chowan
County Law Enforcement Ap
preciation Banquet will be held
Thursday, Oct. 20, at the Ameri
can Legion Post 40, 1317 West
Queen Street, Edenton. Social
will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the
banquet at 7 p.m.
Highlights of the evening
will include the recognition of
an officer for his/her work with
. the youth of our community,
sponsored by the Chowan/
Edenton Optimist Club, and the
recognition of the Law Enforce
ment Officer of the Year by a
committee of his/her peers.
Guest speaker will be Tim
Dannelly. A well-known motiva
tional speaker, he is retired
from the U.S. Air Force Military
Police. Dannelly is the pastor of
the Hobbsville Baptist Church.
“Edward G. Bond Post 40
proudly hosts this affair each
year to give the citizens and
businesses of our community
the opportunity to say ‘thank
you’ in a meaningful way to
these outstanding men and
women who are instrumental
in ensuring the quality of life
we all strive for,” said Legion
spokesman E.C. Toppin. “Citi
zens are encouraged to attend
the appreciation banquet and
businesses are asked to become
co-hosts by making donations
to help cover the cost.”
All officers of Chowan County
who have the power of arrest are
provided a free banquet ticket.
Two complimentary tickets are
providedtoeachPoliceChief and
Sheriff in northeastern North
Carolina. “This is done in recog
nition erf the fact that cooperation
among all agencies is paramount
in providing each of us a safe en
vironment in which to five and
raise our families,” Toppin said.
For more information, please
caU 4824057.
INSIDE
Calendar.C2
Church....C5
Classifieds.D1-4
Editorials.AS
Obituaries.C6
Society.C3
Sports.B1 -4
On Page C1 ..,
H.L. Bond
crabs in color
* A '.-'A
Cultural tourism plays big
role in Edenton, Chowan
Study: ‘Heritage’
travelers buy
more, stay longer
BY EARLINE WHITE
The Chowan Herald
From the Biltmore Estate in
Asheville to the Lost Colony in
Manteo, cultural tourism land
marks stretch from the Blue
Ridge to the Outer Banks. Like
wise, Edenton’s most market
able traits are its links to his
tory. It’s notable structures,
worn sidewalks, ahd historic
trails bring visitors from all
over the globe to this small cul
tural oasis. And according to a
recent study by the North
Carolina Arts Council people
are willing to spend more,
three times more than the na
tional average in fact, as cul
tural travelers rather than the
day-to-day general travelers.
“The Artful Traveler: Cul
tural Tourism in the State of
North Carolina” found that
cultural travelers in North
Carolina spend an average of
$102 per person per day-the
national average is $70. The
per-day spending of North
Carolina’s general traveler is
$50, compared to cultural trav
elers who spend $102.
“We have been blessed for
decades by visitors who visit
Edenton for cultural heritage
experiences, before there was
a name for their interest,” said
Linda Jordan Eure, Site Man
ager Historic Edenton State
Historic Site.”
“At the Historic Edenton
State Historic Site, our guided
walking and trolley tours, spe
cial events and programs are
all geared toward cultural
heritage visitors and area
school groups. We hope the stu
dents who participate in pro
grams now will grow up to sup
port cultural heritage in then
communities and in their trav
els.”
Smiles light up'Boogie' night
Despite rain,
many come to
laugh, dance
BY EARLINE WHITE
The Chowan Herald
As the skies continued to burst
open, the idea of dancing beneath
umbrellas seemed less than
charming. Yet Destination Down
town Edenton Inc’s second ever
Boogie on Broad still drew a
crowd.
The event attracted over 100
people to the huge white tents set
up in the middle of downtown
State board holds meeting locally
Panel funds public,
private water
quality projects
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
The state panel that funds
public and private water-qual
ity projects met in Edenton
over the weekend, and newly
appointed N.C. Clean Water
Management Trust Fund
board member'Peter Rascoe
hopes that appearance will
Staff photo by Sean Jackson
Historic Edenton Visitor Center tour guide Debbie Sliva
leads visitors on a guided tour of the restored Bandon Plan
tation outbuildings as well as the James Iredell House. Tours
like this are available to tourists and locals by appointment.
The Barker House lures many
tourists throughout the year.
In addition to the state his
toric sites, other organizations
such as the Edenton Historical
Commission and the Edenton
Woman’s Club sponsor events
that appeal to visitors with a
particular interest in our heri
tage, as do the Chowan Arts'
Council and shops and art gal
leries in the downtown area. A
strong heritage experience,
scenic beauty and downtown
charm, all combine to bring
20,000-30,000 visitors to
Edenton. The Phirn Doctors of
Chesapeake were a hit playing
classic rock, oldies and contem
porary times. The kids danced
themselves silly and the adults
showed off their own moves on
the dance floor Those who admit
tedly had two left feet enjoyed
themselves by shopping, eating
and hanging out with their
Mends.
Several businesses remained
open after hours to keep the
crowd busy Kristy’s Place sold
pizza by the slice. Soundfeet
Shoes remained open, luring
people with a 20% off sate. Intact,
Soundfeet manager, Mickey
spark interest in the region for
seeking state funds.
Rascoe, also special projects
officer for Edenton and
Chowan County, joined the
board of trustees for meetings
Saturday, Sunday and Monday
in the Panel Room of the 1767
Chowan County Courthouse.
Efforts to bring the board to
Edenton had been underway
for about a year, Rascoe said.
“The fact that they met
here,” he said, “may create
more awareness that there is
funding for projects here in the
Edenton’s Visitor Center
each year, Eure added.
“Travel and Tourism has
become a wonderful industry
over the years,” said Nancy
Nicholls, Director of Tour
ism for Chowan County. “The
Tourism Development Au
thority has worked diligently
to make sure that we offer
each traveling segment
something to enjoy. Our his
tory, architecture, cultural
activities and events have al
ready been in place, espe
cially in Edenton, so for the
past 7 - 10 years, we have
made great efforts to identify
all of our assets throughout
the County and where devel
opment was needed we have
worked at seeing things come
to fruition.”
The study,- conducted on
See DRAW On Page A3
WilLard said that half of his day’s
sales were done in just those two
hours of “boogie-ing”. Acoustic
Coffee blended warm drinks for
the passersby while Peebles rang
in the season with their new
Christmas gift line past regular
business hours.
Edenton Main Street Director,
Jennifer Harriss, was pleased
with the turnout as she and hus
band Meader, danced a bit them
selves. “Everyone had a great
time and we look forward to put
ting on another Boogie on Broad
in April. We hope for another
great turnout by the community
and some good weather”
northeast.
“I do see that there are a lot
of (ongoing and proposed)
projects around the state,”
Rascoe added. “I hope there
are more (application) submis
sions from the northeast.”
Bill Holman, the agency’s
director, said the town and
county provided perfect ac
commodations for the board’s
3-day visit.
“Folks in Chowan County
and Edenton have been great
hosts,” he said during a break
during Monday morning’s ses
County seeks input
for recreation plans
From Staff Reports
When the Northern Chowan
Community Center opened in
2001, Chowan County not only
opened the doors to a beauti
ful, state-of-the-art public rec
reation facility, it also sparked
the interest of residents in
other areas of the county
Positive comments created a
desire for a second facility, just
like the Northern Center, to be
located closer to Edenton.
Other comments included the
need for a public swimming
pool, racquetball courts, more
soccer fields, a skateboard
.park, and new playgrounds. In
fact, the list could go on and on
when you ask people what
their interests are, and that is
exactly what the Edenton
Chowan Recreation Depart
mem is asKing.
Robbie Laughton, the coun
ty’s Recreation Director, says
his department is seeking in
put to help plan future recre
ation facilities and activities.
“Through a series of public
meetings, surveys, interviews,
and meetings with local offi
cials, we want to get a true
pulse on the community’s
wants and needs. People of all
ages are being asked to be a
part of this very important
process. I cannot overempha
size how important the meet
ings and surveys will be for
us”, Laughton said. “The in
formation we gather will
shape our future by telling us
what priorities we need to bud
get for and where we need to
put our planning efforts.
“The process is long and te
dious, but necessary to obtain
accurate information”, he
added.
Students from East Carolina
University enrolled in the De
partment of Recreation and
Leisure Studies have already
been assisting Chowan County
with the task of producing a
Comprehensive Recreation
and Park Plan. Upon comple
tion, the plan will become the
sion.
Rascoe was recently ap
pointed to his post by state
House Speaker Jim Black, a
Mecklenburg, County Demo
crat.
“I’m very pleased that
Speaker Black had confidence
in me to put me on that board,”
Rascoe said. “It’s a big chal
lenge to investigate (funding
applications) and make sure
that all the applications that
come in have credibility and
See BOARD On Page A2
Staff photo by Sean Jackson
Parks and Recreation Direc
tor Robbie Laughton highlighs
the proposed athletic complex
as an example of future recre
ation needs in the county.
major planning document for
the County in fulfilling the
public parks and recreation
needs over the next 2-10 years.
The document will also be used
to show support when apply
ing for State and Federal
Grants. The following is a
timeline of meetings and sur
vey distribution.
Beginning on Oct. 17, a short
survey will be given to all
middle school and high school
students asking a few basic
questions aooui rneir recre
ation interests and habits. On
Tuesday, Oct. 18 and Thursday,
Oct. 20, the public is invited to
attend either or both public
input meetings led by Dr. Rob
ert Wendling of ECU and his
students. These public input
meetings will begin at 7 p.m.,
and conclude by 8:30 p.m. The
October 18 meeting will be held
in the gym of the old D.F.
Walker Elementary School
and the October 20 meeting
will be held at the Northern
Chowan Community Center.
Each meeting will allow any
one from the public to express
their comments, concerhs, or
praises about recreation facili
ties and programs in the
county. A written survey will
be available to all those attend
ing or can be picked up at ei
ther site throughout the week.
Also, during the week of
Nov. 6-10, the ECU students
See INPUT On Page A2
Staff photo by David Singleton
Maurice Bunch and Jean Brown share a dance - and some
laughs - during the Boogie on Broad sponsored by Destination
Downtown Edenton Inc.