Celebrate Independence Day at'one of the
biggest over-the-water fireworks shows
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
482-4418
NTO SECOND HALF
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Animal shelter and animal control cope with budget cuts
VERNON FUESTON/THE CHOWAN HERALD
Cutbacks for the Tri-County Animal Shelter in Tyner may result in shelter director Mary Bass seeking food and supplies from citizen donations.
By Vernon Fueston
Staff Writer
After absorbing $94,000 in cuts from
their original $285,000 “option E” bud
get scenarios, Chowan’s Animal Control
and Animal Shelter Departments are
combining some operations and finding
other ways to make due with less.
The two operations lost one animal
control officer and two full time shelter
workers in the cuts, leaving shelter di
rector Mary Bass with just herself and
one full-time employee to get the job
done. ,
Bass said she and the animal con
trol officer would combine their duties,
working in both operations and spelling
each other on animal control calls.
That will mean changes in the quality
of life for animals at the shelter and cut
backs on what kinds of calls the depart
ment will respond to.
Fabulous Fourth celebration begins at 4 p.m.
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
The Edenton waterfront
will be the place t& be this
July 4 as the Chowan-Eden
ton Optimist Club presents
its 30th annual Fabulous
Fourth of July Celebration.
2 Free and open to the pub
lic, the event will feature a
little something for every
one, according to spokesman
Frank White. r
Dave Cabana, heart transplant patient, shows zero signs of rejection
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
Dave Cabana is happy in his
backyard hideaway
Relaxing in a chair under a
tent in his backyard, a nearby
fan supplying a steady breeze,
and a radio providing some
great music, he is the picture
of health.
But last year this time, he
was pale and short of breath,
and badly in need of a new
heart.
In fact, just months ago, he
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
DOMESTIC ANIMALS ONLY
Bass said they would only be able to
respond to calls regarding domesticated
animals.
She said any calls about snakes, birds
and animals like opossums will have to
go through the wildlife office. She said
her department will no longer be able to
set traps for wildlife.
That still leaves her department able
to respond to calls regarding stray dogs
and cats, dog bites, charging dogs and ra
bid domesticated animals.
State law requires animal control to
respond to rabid animals, but she said
the state’s wildlife department will have
handle calls about rabid wild animals.
HOLDING TIMES
Bass said that cutbacks in her de
partment’s budget for food and supplies
might require her to look for donations
from local citizens and national organi
“We want to invite every
one to come and share a good
day with family and friends
as they enjoy all the activi
ties, music and fireworks,”
he said.
Optimist-sponsored events
— including a Penny Hunt
and rides aboard the Opti
mist train for children—will
get underway about 4 p.m.
There will also be food,
fun, crafts and raffles.
Musicalentertainmentwill
was so near death that doctors .
at Duke decided to fit him with
an artificial heart just to keep
him alive until a donor heart
became available.
“Three weeks to the day
later he 'got the call” that they
had a heart for him, his wife,
Pam said, remembering.
“We were on our way to Eliz
abeth City, and we had to head
back, pack a suitcase, and
head to Duke,” Dave said.
The couple made it there,
within four hours, and then
waited while the family who
donated their loved one’s
heart so Dave could live said
their final goodbyes.
It wasn’t until about 5 a.m.,
Pam said, that they came to
take Dave to surgery.
Dave still tears up, just
thinking about that.
zations.
She said her department may be forced
to look at shortening the time it holds
animals in the shelter, but said no such
decision has been made.
The shelter currently holds dogs
and cats with collars for five days even
though state law requires only 72 hours.
She said they also try to give animals
without collars longer time when they
appear tame.
QUALITY OF LIFE
Bass said the cutbacks leave her un
able to. provide many “quality of life”
services for the animals. Some of that
care may have to come from volunteers
or not be given at all.
She said volunteers bathe the animals
right now. Bass said she does spray the
animals for fleas and ticks.
Bass also said paid staff will simply
See SHELTER on Page 2
A tribute to J. Hewes at 10 a.m.
SEE PAGE B2
be provided by Steve Hardy’s
Original Beach Party and is
scheduled to include a patri
otic salute to America.
A spectacular fireworks
show — described as “North
Carolina’s largest over the t
water fireworks show” —
will take place starting about
9:15 p.m.
Last year’s show, which
“I would like the family to
know that I am so sorry for
their loss, but so grateful that
even in their sorrow they gave
me a second chance at life,” he
said.
When asked if he was ner
vous going into surgery, he
said he was not.
"I was giving them two
thumbs-up, as they wheeled
me down there,” Dave said. “I
was saying, let’s do this, give
me drugs.”
TIME TO HEAL
" Since Dave’s surgery, Pam
said, she continues to be
amazed by how fast he is heal
ing.
“We just can’t believe how
well he is doing,” she said.
For now, Dave must now re-<
drew thousands to the wa
terfront, cost about $18,000,
White noted.
“These shows are expen
sive, and we always appreci
ate donations to help with
that expense,” he said.
Anyone interested in mak
ing a donation may write a
check to the Chowan-Eden
ton Optimist Club, 160 Cow
pen Neck Road, Edenton,
N.C. 27932. The donation is
tax exempt.
REBECCA BUNCH
Dave Cabana relaxing a month
after a heart transplant.
Revival of the
Edenton Little
Theatre coming
The Edenton Little The
ater is back in the spotlight,
after a very long intermis
sion.
The current vice presi
dent, Bruce King, an
nounced this week that the
group, which became inac
tive more than a decade ago,
is in the midst of a reforma
tion and already planning a
production.
“We’ve been interested
for some time in getting the
Edenton Little Theatre up
and running again,” said
King.
“The first thing we need
to do is elect new officers.
Then we need to get more
people involved. Quite a few
people have moved into the
area in recent years, and
many may have prior the
ater experience. The long
time members are very
excited about getting .those
people involved, too.”
King said that Edenton
newcomer Carolyn Pastorek
will direct the first produc
tion, planned for Oct. 9-10
ana lb-17.
Pastorek moved to Eden
ton in March from Colum
bia, S.C. She brings with
her quite a few years of
community theater experi
ence as an actor, director
and production member.
“The members voted to
do a Neil Simon play, ‘Plaza
Suite,’ and I could not be
more excited,” Pastorek
said.”
This play is a favorite of
community theaters be
cause it has everything ...
drama, seduction and com
edy. Each of the three acts
takes place in Rooiii 71jR of
the fabulous Plaza Hofei in
New York City. The visitors
to Room 719 deal with some
very personal stuff in a very
impersonal setting.”
Pastorek said actors are
needed to fill four male roles
and two female roles.
“The main actors, a male
and female, will portray dif
ferent characters, or visi
tors to Room 719, in each of
the three acts. These char
acters are in their late-for
ties to mid-fifties.
“We also need a young fe
male in her mid-to-late 20s.
The remaining male roles
turn to Duke once every two
weeks for testing to ensure the
anti-rejection drugs are still
working. That will gradually
taper off to once a month.
“He’s only had one time”
there has been a problem so
far, Pam said. “They increased
his medication and since then
he’s shown zero signs of rejec
tion.”
To keep Dave’s anti-rejec
tion medicine continuously
circulating in his body, he
must take 52 pills a day at spe
cific intervals.
But Dave isn’t too worried
about that. He’s feeling great
and looking forward to get
ting to do something he really
loves.
“In two more weeks,” he
said, “I’ll be able to go in my
pool! I can hardly wait!”
swr m*. - wem
Auditions
When: Thursday &
Friday, July 9 and 10
7 to 9 p.m.
Where: Edenton
■ UMC
Performance: 'Plaza
Suite' by Neil Simon,
Oct. 9-10 & 16-17
are hotel staff and other
male guests, who should be
in their 20s to 30s.
“I think one of the ap
pealing things about ‘Plaza
Suite’ is that the actors are
performing different roles
in each of the acts,” she
said.
“The audience gets to see
the actor portray different
characters, one after the
other, and the actor gets to
stretch a little bit in the por
trayal. That’s pretty excit
ing, and a challenge.”
Auditions will be held
Thursday and Friday, July 9
and 10, from 7-9 p.m., in the
Edenton United Methodist
Church. Enter from Luke
Street entrance closest to
Virginia Roa<j.
“Acting experience is a
plus, of course,” said Pas
torek, “but everybody starts
somewhere. I hope anybody
who has an interest in the
ater will attend the audi
tions. I’d like to hear them
read for one of the parts.”
King added that every
play requires a lot of off
stage assistance too.
“The actors get the ap
plause, but a play requires
the efforts of many more
people behind the scenes to
be a success.
“We will need to nil posi
tions in the production end,
including set creation and
manufacture, costumes,
and props, to name a few,
not to mention the technical
requirements of lights and
sound.”
“But what keeps most
people volunteering to do
plays for community the
ater over and over again is
that it’s just plain fun,” Pas
torek said.
For now, though, he just con
tinues healing and waiting.
Cut from his Adam's apple to
just above his belly button for
the surgery that saved his life, ;
his staples have been removed .;
and a series of steri-strips * ■
hold his incision together.
Pam said it was great to see,
him so excited about life.
“He was trying to do a little
too much at first, using the
weed-whacker and things like
that,” she said, shaking her
head.
But for now, he’s content in
his tentecf backyard with the
family’s six-year-old Maltese
cat, Smoky, to keep him com
pany
“It’s a whole new life fpr me
now,” he said. “It’s just amaz- ‘
ing.”
mmm
Chowan Edenton Optimist CM) come to edentons wotiwhoht
30™ ANNUAL EAT dinner and enjoy
Fabulous 4“ of July
NORTH CAROLINA'S LARGEST
Dver the water fireworks shouT
V
■> •;j1v
STEVE HARDY'S
ORIGINAL BEACH PARTY
POPULAR AMONG ALL AUDIENCES
TRIBUTE TO OUR ARMED FORCES
ft PATRIOTIC SALUTE TO AMERICA
LOTS OF FOOD.
FUN, CRAFTS,
RAFFLES AND
GAMES FOX
aHLDBEN!!!
Wl NEED YOUR FINANCIAL HELPI
Make checks payable to
CHOWAN EDENTON OPTIMIST CLUB i
160 Cowpen NeckM. Edenton NC 279321
IRS Tax Exempt ID # available upon request ;•