Peas may
be county’s
next big
cash crop
“It’s never
been done
here where
there will be
a harvest al]
at one time.”
— farm
manager
Mike Pippins
By Connie Sage
Contributing Writer
The package of frozen
peas you toss into your gro
cery cart this spring might
have been grown right here
in Chowan County.
For the first time, a New
Jersey frozen vegetable
packager has ventured
south of Delaware to har
vest peas, contracting with
about 10 Chowan County
farmers to grow the crop.
“We were looking for an
opportunity to grow peas
elsewhere to increase our
production,” said Andrew
Carpenter, agricultural
field manager for Seabrook
Brothers and Sons.
Because peas can be har
vested in North Carolina
earlier than in Delaware
or New Jersey, Seabrook
is filling the gap in its pro
duction, he said.
The company was re
ferred to Virginia Fork
Produce Co. in Edenton
i - through a green bean bro
ker that did business with
the late Leonard Small and
*• , his sons.
Why Edenton
The main reason for
considering Edenton, Car
penter said, is because the
Smalls have a hydro-cool
ing system. The process
uses a cold-water rinse
that chills and lowers the
temperature of the peas for
transporting to Seabrook’s
processing facility.
About 600 acres of what
are called “May peas,”
because they’re a spring
pea, are being grown here.
In the past farmers here
might have grown only 3-5
acres of peas, according to
Mike Williams, the Chow
an County agricultural ex
tension director.
Hayes Farm has planted
about 50 acres of peas be
cause it enabled them to
produce two crops.
“It’s a way to make some
money,” said Hayes Farm
manager Mike Pippins.
“We don’t plant anything
this time of year and you
can plant basically any
thing behind it [the peas].”
“It’s something new,” he
said. “Other people ' have
grown them to pick by
hand; it’s never been done
here where there will be a
harvest all at one time.”
Jeff Smith of A.J. Smith
and Sons is growing 50
acres of peas as a way to
diversify its crops.
See PEAS, Page A2 >
0
©2006 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
Students learn the natural way
tarnne white/ me Lnowan Herald
Carolyn Owens with the Historic Edenton State Historic Site helps Jeremiah Morring put his freshly-dyed egg in a carton to
take back to the classroom. The second-graders learned Tuesday about natural materials that create different colored dyes
— blue from red cabbage, red from roots, yellow from sawdust and brown from onion skins, for example.
Town Council discusses planned
growth, gang prevention at retreat
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
How big should the town of Eden
ton be?
According to a vision statement
developed by the Town Council at
its annual retreat on Thursday, an
ideal size for the community re
mains a population of 7,000.
The county’s Web site lists Eden
ton’s population at 5,359 as of mid
March.
Town Manager Anne-Marie
Knighton said that the 7,000 figure
was one first devised by the town
council 10 or 12 years ago.
“They thought it (population
size) would be enough that it would
bring in new opportunities and re
sources but still [let Edenton] keep
its small town values and remain a
desirable place to live,” she said.
Knighton added that the fact the
council has established what it con
siders desirable population growth
makes it different from many other
small towns.
“Other elected officials,” she said,
Historical Commission to market Edenton’s local history
By Connie Sage
Contributing Writer
The Edenton Historical Commis
sion has a new logo as part of an
initiative to raise visibility and lure
more visitors to its crown jewel, the
Barker House.
In a slideshow created by Barker
House Administrator Terri Fox —
who also designed thfe logo — Com
mission Chairman John Dowd told
Town Council last week that it was
the first stop on a road show to be
presented to service organizations,
the Chamber of Commerce, real es
tate agents and restaurateurs.
“Edenton — where history lives”
is the theme of the new marketing
campaign.
“The lighthouse and the court
house are true national treasur
ers," Dowd said. “We have all the
assets and we’re not really market
ing them; we’re going to start doing
“talk to me a lot about the fact that
Edenton has set a goal as to how
much it wants to grow. Not a lot of
communities have that vision."
Why 7,000?
Mayor Roland Vaughan said the
figure believed to represent the
town’s ideal size was derived with
the assistance of the North Caro
lina Institute of Government in
Chapel Hill.
That figure, he said, represented
the number of people it was felt the
community could accommodate in
terms of goods and services with
out unfairly burdening the taxpay
ers.
“That figure has continued to
hold steady,” he said.
Vaughan said that the establish
ment of a plan to grow the commu
nity to an appropriate size was part
of its ongoing focus on managed
growth.
Expanded services
Councilwoman Phyllis Britton
said that with the new subdivisions
that.”
Going through the slides, Dowd
said the commission was estab
lished by the General Assembly in
1961 to “encourage preservation,
restoration, and appropriate pre
sentation” of the town and county
“We’re fulfilling the mission that
was given to us by the governor,”
said Becky Winslow, executive di
rector of the Historical Commis
sion after the meeting.
“We want to partner with all
groups in Edenton and Chowan
County that love the history and
preservation,” she said. “People
want to come. It’s living history It’s
here. We’re blessed.”
The commission plans to promote
its Barker House, 1886 Roanoke Riv
er Lighthouse, and the Civil War
Albemarle Artillery unit, known as
the Edenton Bell Battery.
Targeted will be baby boomers
who like to visit historic places,
being constructed in the commu
nity she expected the population
would grow substantially over the
next few years.
“With all the subdivisions, I do
believe we’re going to make that”
(7,000 population), she said.
Britton added that along with the
growing population would come a
need for expanded services as well.
“I think parking, and the lack
of enough spaces, is an issue right
now and will become more so as we
grow in size,” she said.
“I think we are also going to have
to cater to the needs of those people
who are moving here,” Britton add
ed, “and there are a lot of seniors
who are. That will be reflected in a
growing need for more fitness/well
ness-type programs, so I think we
will see growth in those areas too.”
Controlling gangs
Knighton credited Councilman
Willis Privott with making sure
that a plan for dealing effectively
See VISION, Page A2 >
EDENTON
Historical
Commission
business meeting planners, wed
ding and event planners, and boat
ers.
To generate income, second-floor
rooms at the Barker House will be
rented for meetings.
“We’re not here to ask for any
money,” Dowd said. “We’re asking
you to help us with our vision.”
But in a pitch for the Barker
House, Dowd said the historic
building should be a museum with
its administrative offices moved to
the current police station, which
will relocate next month.
No formal decisions on the use
of the current building have been
Local family wins $30K
from Food Lion inside A4
B Locally
gy t/
filmed
movie has
premiere
Will have local showing
at the Taylor Theatre
on April 18th
By Vernon Fueston
Contributing Writer
“Dog Days of Summer,” finally
had its premiere in Beverly Hills
Feb. 22. The movie, dii'ected by Mark
Freiburger, was filmed on location in
Edenton during the summer of 2005.
About 400 people attended the
event.
The cast and crew held a question
and answer session after the showing
and then cut loose with a red-carpet
Hollywood party, Freiburger said.
Now the movie begins a perilous
journey — through the nation’s the
aters, movie rental houses, and DVD
sales — that will determine whether
it’s a blockbuster or a bomb.
The first stop for “Dog Days” will
be its commercial premiere at Eden
ton’s Taylor Twin Theater April 18
for what is expected to be a two-week
run.
■ Freiburger hopes to have several
cast members on hand for the debut.
While Edenton was the logical first
stop, where the movie goes from here
will be planned by Level Path Produc
tions.
The distribution company will
oversee and schedule the movie’s
appearance in theaters. They plan
to take the film on a tour around the
country, one city at a time.
But these days, few films make it
on ticket sales alone. Freiburger said
most movies lose money at the box of
fice. The real money is in DVD sales
and rentals.
For that job he chose the Weinstein
Company. The DVDs will appeal* un
der Weinstein’s label. Genius Prod
ucts. Genius will probably place the
film with Block Buster on an exclu
sive rental contract this summer.
DVDs will be available for sale, also
under the Genius Products label,
some time late this summer. They
should be available at Wal-Mart, Tar
get, Best Buy, online, and through a
number of Christian bookstores.
“Dog Days of Summer” stars Will
Patton (“Remember the Titans” and
“Mothman Prophesies”) and Rich
ard Herd (“Seinfeld” and “The China
Syndrome”).
made.
Actions by Town Council includ
ed:
■ Approved repairs to the ex
terior of Town Hall. Brick repair,
cleaning masonry and painting
will be done by Capital Restoration
& Waterproofing for about $31,400.
Located in Edenton, the company
is owned by Keith Harrison. Work
will begin next month.
■ Authorized drainage repairs
on Stratford/Hawthorne Road by
C&L Concrete Works of Camden for
approximately $34,000. Work will
begin next month.
■ Approved the purchase and
installation of a generator at the
Freemason water plant and well for
about $60,000. Alexander Electric
will install the equipment at a cost
of approximately $21,230. The town
has a grant for both the purchase
and installation costs.
See COMMISSION, Page A2 ►
JL
T
Interdenominational Easter Sunrise Service • Easter Sunday 6:30 am
On The Waterfront (Behind Edenton Police Dept.)
Sponsored by: St. Anne’s Catholic, First Presbyterian, Edenton United Methodist, Edenton Baptist, & St. Paul's Episcxyxil