No joke, Lady Aces
beat Lady Knights
Page B7
FILE PHOTOS
The Ferris wheel turns as people wander around below on the grounds during the 60th annual Chowan County Regional Fair at the
American Legion Post 40 fairgrounds in Edenton, Sept. 27,2007. Below: Martha Hammer (front to back), 21, competes with her friends
Anna Raisor, 19, and Dannie Gray, 17, at the Water Gun Fun booth being run by Billie Lucio (back) at the fair, Sept. 27,2005.
Chowan Fair is just days away
From staff reports
Each year at summer’s end, the
neon blazing from the American Le
gion Post 40 midway greets the early
evening autumn dusk. People from
Murfreesboro to the Outer Banks
gather their sense of courage (and
their Dramamine) to ride on the rails
of adventure. This year’s 62nd annual
Chowan County Regional Fair opened
last night and will rim through Satur
day night.
The highly successful Playworld
Amusements brings more than 25
thrilling rides, challenging games,
scrumptious food and fun for the
young and young at heart. New shows
this year include the Showboat Mari
oinettes with Millie the Monkey; Hill
billy Bob’s Soda Show; and returning
favorite Rosaires’ Big Bear Show.
There will be a petting zoo, mechan
ical bull, R&S Woodcarvers and pea
nut picking demonstrations as well as
pageants, a Southern Gospel program,
pumpkin decorating contests and of
course, the art and craft exhibitors
from all over the Albemarle.
This year the fair board hopes to
J
Perquimans Habitat to build 8th home
By Diana Mazzelia
The Daily Advance .
Since the early 1990s, Chow
an/Perquimans Habitat for
Humanity has built seven
houses for low-income resi
dents.
For some of those residents
it was their first home, said
the organization’s president
Richard Vail.
“These people are absolute
ly elated,” he said of the first
time homeowners.
'> The local Habitat for Hu
manity has built one house
a year for the last few years,
choosing residents from those
who apply for the homes. This
fall, the group’s eighth home
will be built in Perquimans
County. Home recipients al
ternate between Chowan and
Perquimans counties.
The recipients do pay a
mortgage on the home, a no
interest mortgage that may
last 23 to 24 years. The mort
gage payment is approximate
ly $300 to $400 a month. They
are also required to assist
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
welcome 25,000 guests. Gates open at 4
p.m. today and Friday; 11 a.ra. Thurs
day for seniors (rides not open), 3:30
for general public; Saturday at 1 p.m.
Midway closes at 11 p.m. each night
except Saturday (at midnight).
Admission is $15 per person at the
gate. For more information call 482
aaaaaigiaMI
4057.
The Chowan County Regional Fair
has won awards such as the Youth
Award, the Agricultural Award, the
Media Award (two years in a row), and
in 2007, the prestigious Image Award
for best medium-size fair in North
Carolina.
PHOTO COURTESY MIMI REIHELD
Volunteers frame the 7th home built by the Chowan/Perquimans Habitat for Humanity. This year the home
will be built in Perquimans.
with building the home.
“We look at people with
generally an income of
$15,000 to $20,000 and that var
ies, depending on the number
of people in the family,” VaU
said.
The costs to build each
home used to be in the $35,000
range and is now about $65,000
as building supply costs have
increased. In the last few
years, the Habitat group has
purchased pre-cut house kits
from a company outside of
Knoxville, Tenn. A group of
100 to 120 volunteers then
works on the structure for
about two months before the
stick-built house is ready.
Vail said funding for the
agency from outside sources
has "dried up” recently, but
the group relies on its thrift
store, called a Habitat Re
store, which has provided
steady income. The organiza
tion is also supported by the
Albemarle Area United Way.
United Way has designated
$4,452 to the Chowan/Perqui
mans Habitat for Humanity
this year. !
All funding received by
Habitat for Humanity goes
toward materials needed to
build the houses.
' Habitat for Humanity is
one of 25 local nonprofit agen
cies that receive support from
the Albemarle Area United
Way campaign, which kicked
off this month. The charity
hopes to raise $400,000 for its
member organizations toward
their 2010 budgets. The AAUW
designates funds for receipt
, by each agency and ensures
that funds earmarked for a
specific agency by the giver
reach the intended agency
PP?'1
Edenton to
• v’"' ■ J.'-r
ft■%?;
apply for Cool
City status
-
."■rr ■:
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
Reflecting a desire to lead,
rather than follow, in encour
aging good environmental
practices, the Town of Eden
ton is considering becoming
part of the “Cool Cities” pro
gram.
It plans to vote on becom
ing involved
during its Oc
tober council
meeting. But
during Mon
day night’s
committee
meetings, the
council heard
presenta
tion on the Knighton
program from Town Manager
Anne-Marie Knighton..
She explained that Cool
Cities is a program that as
sists communities in meeting
specific goals to reduce green
house gas emissions and other
energy saving initiatives.
“The most appealing part
of the project is that by join
ing the Town will be eligible
to participate in an initiative
called ICLEI, the internation
al council for local environ
mental initiatives,” Knighton
said.
Participation in ICLEI, she
said, would allow the town to
take advantage of a special re
source.
“The program we are most
interested in is a tool that will
help us measure the carbon
footprint of each of the Town’s
buildings and facilities,”
Knighton explained. “From
there we could set goals on
Celebrate a nutty
tradition Saturday
By Earline White and
Rebecca Bunch
Staff writers
Coined one of the state’s cu
riosities, the Peanut Festival
- a tribute to the county’s root
crop - will begin at 11 a.m. Sat
urday Be one of the hundreds
to get a smile and wave from
Mr. Peanut.
From the rumble of the trac
tors pulling down main street
to the sweaty passersby (part
of the 5K Peanut Run) (here
are activities, food and music
nearly all day in Edenton.
Festivities begin with the
Peanut Run organized by
the recreation department.
Awards will be given for the
top three times in each catego
ry More than 50 people partici
pated in last year’s run.
The primary draw of the
Peanut Festival for out-of-town
ers is the Battle of the Bands.
This year 16 bands hum across
northeastern N.C. compete for
trophies. The first place over
all winner gets to take home
the Golden Peanut Trophy.
Chairing the Battle of the
Bands for the first time this
year is Brenda Coston of D.E
Walker School.
She has been involved with
the Edenton-Chowan Band Par
ents, Inc. for seven years, serv
ing as vice-president in 2006-07
and president in 2007-08.
“If by chance it should rain,”
she said, “we will still have the
competition but it will be held
inside the Holmes gym and
we will have our concessions
stand in place also."
percentages to reduce carbons
and also to improve energy ef
ficiency.”
Knighton credited Dr. Verq
Brentjens, a founder of the
Chowan-Edenton Environ*
mental Group with bringing
the program to her attention.
Knighton said that the
Town has also been working
closely with the environmen
tal group at the high school,
Live Green.
“We can share those tools
(from Cool Cities) with the
students,” she said.
“We think we need to set an
example for the community,
after asking our citizens to
take part in efforts to become
more energy efficient,” Knigh
ton said.
Participation in the pro
gram would cost the Town
$600 annually but would also
offer grant opportunities.
In other business, the coun
cil:
• Heard a proposal for re
pairs to the Twiddy Avenue
water tower
• Heard a proposal concern
ing a grant application to the
Rural Center that would fund
a well system field expansion
project
• Discussed the removal of
the gazebo in Colonial Park
so that the 1886 Roanoke Riv
er Lighthouse can be moved
to its permanent location on
the Edenton waterfront. The
Perquimans County Restora
tion Association has asked the
Town of Edenton to consider
donating the gazebo to them.«
• Discussed harbor docking
fees on the Edenton water
front.
If you go
• Parade route: Starts at
the waterfront, ends at '£
Edenton Fire Department
• 5K Peanut Run: Queen
Anne Park, 8 a.m.
• Craft, show: Holmes
lawn, 8 a.m. until 2 p.m
• Battle of the Bands:
Holmes, 4 p.m
“It gives us great joy to be
able to help support the band
programs at both John A.
Holmes and Chowan Middle
School,” she added. ‘‘There
is always a need for instru
ments, music, repairs, uni
forms, transportation and
other things. The students
shouldn’t have to worry about
any of this. What a blessing it
is to be able to do this for our
children.”
Parade organizers too have
been working for months on
the show. Area business, local
non-profits, clubs and others
will take center stage in the!
heart of Edenton Saturday ~
Sure to be spotted during
the parade will be bales of hay
people in overalls and kids div
ing for candy
Prior to the parade, and af
terwards, the second annual
arts and crafts show will take!
place on the Holmes lawn*
Band parents will sell chick
en/BBQ plates for lunch and
dinner the day of the festival.
Concessions are also avail
able.
If you go, the parade starts
at 11 a.m.