VOLUME 42
THE STATE POST PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
NO. 50 12 PAGES TODAY WEDNESDA Y, JUL Y 7. 1971 SOUTHPORTN. C. Sc. A COPY
PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDA Y \ \
Record Crowd Attends Rig
4th Of July Festival Here
Something for everyone.
That just about describes
the Fourth of July Festival
which was written into the
record book of National
Birthday observances here
during the past weekend, and
as the crowd melted away
following the fireworks
Monday night there was a
general feeling that this
year’s celebration may have
been the best of the lot.
Things got off to a dismal
start Saturday, when
festivities were officially
supposed to have begun, for
that was a dreary, rainy day.
It continued that way until
early afternoon, long enough
to force the cancellation erf
the air show by the famous
Golden Knights. A short time
later the sun broke through
the clouds, and veiy soon
thereafter four jet fighters
from Myrtle Beach Air Force
Base performed their four
pass fly-over.
From that moment on then
never was any doubt about
the program or the weather,
as event after event was
reeled off in style and on
schedule.
From the opening day,
there always were the
standby attractions: The Art
Festival in City Hall;
Heritage House; the
Sidewalk Art Show; the Fire
Prevention Trailer; the
Mobile Museum; the Color
Slide Show at the Public
Library.
On the waterfront the big
attraction, starting Friday
and continuing through
Tuesday morning, was die
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter
Mendota, moored at the end
of the City Dock.
These attractions provided
Senate Approves
Frink Legislation
The Senate voted over
whelmingly last week to
prohibit the state’s con
demning Bald Head Island,
the 12,000 acre wilderness
near Southport that con
servationists prize so highly.
The legislation introduced
by Brunswick Sen. S. Bunn
Frink struck a blow at Gov.
Bob Scott’s efforts to secure
the property for the state.
Final vote by the Senate was
on Friday.
The opinion in Raleigh is
that the state has not acted
with due speed in getting
funds for die purchase or
condemnation. Other
legislation introduced last
week included an ap
propriations bill of $4.7
million for the purchase, but
action on Frink’s measure
came first. Present owner
William Henderson of
Carolina Cape Fear Cor
poration has said it could cost
the state as much as $20
million if it were to condemn
the island.
The conservation versus
development battle over the
Brunswick County real estate
has been waged for several
years now, but this latest
action is the most favorable
Continued On Page 4
Miss Dianne Rees, the outgoing Miss Fourth of July, snipped the ribbon
Saturday morning to formally open the 11th Annual Southport Art Festival.
Others present for this ceremony at Southport City Hall were C.D. Pickerrell,
Mayor Lester V. Lowe, Justine Lerch, co-chairman; Queen Dianne, Tricia
Foy, co-chairman; Luther Sowers, judge. The young man who just barely
made the scene is unidentified. (Photo by Spencer).
Tax Rate Remains $1.90
The cost of schools now
taken care of, Brunswick
County has trimmed more
than $3 million from its
budget for the next fiscal
year.
But the county depart
ments will get more funds
than ever before, with an
$800,000 increase over the
past two years. The tax rate
remains at $1.90 per hundred
dollar valuation.
The new budget was ten
tatively approved by the
county commissioners on
June 30 and will remain open
to inspection for 20 days
before final adoption.
Total budget for the county,
including the schools, will be
$3,491,974 for fiscal year 1971
Post Office In
New Operation
Ceremonies attending the
change over of the U.S. Post
Office Department to the U.S.
Postal Service were observed
here Thursday morning at a
10 o’clock ceremony in
volving Postmaster Marjorie
Livingston, Mayor Lester V.
Lowe and others.
Mrs. Livingston presented
the mayor with a special
commemorative document in
observance of the occasion,
then made brief remarks
explaining the significance of
the day.
A musical feature of the
program was a solo by Mrs.
Eleanor Smith, who was
accompanied by Mrs. Dallas
Pigott at the antique organ.
As a closing number mem
bers of the audience joined in
singing “The Star Spangled
Banner”.
The United States Post
Office Department faded into
history last Thursday after
nearly 200 years of service to
the American people. It of
ficially became the United
States Postal Service.
Continued On Page 4
72. Last year when the
schools were being paid for,
the budget was $6.6 million,
and the year before the
budget was $2,668,000.
This year’s budget includes
salary increases for most
county employees.
The county general fund
will be $441,000 up from
$367,000 last year. Other
departments, listed with next
year’s budget first followed
by this past year’s budget,
include:
County accountant, $43,200
and $24,000; agriculture
extension, $25,000 and
$18,000; social services,
$109,000 and $106,000; old age
assistance, $171,000 with only
a $240 increase; aid to
families with dependent
children, $281,000 with less
than a $200 drop;
Also, aid to partially and
totally disabled, $143,000 with
less than $100 increase;
medical assistance, $449,000
compared with $278,000 this
past year; aid to the blind, up
$300 to $6,900; revaluation,
down $2,500 to $21,000;
County debt service, down
$3,000 to $77,000; Resource
Development Commission,
Continued On Page 4
the background for the Miss
Fourth of July Pageant on
Saturday night; for the field
events for children on Sunday
afternoon; and for the
Donkey Baseball game at the
same site at dusk.
After dark, the scene
shifted to the Southport
waterfront, where the
Scottish Pipe Band of
Charlotte gave a concert and
performed Scottish dance
routines, followed by the
colorful Kachada Indian
Dancers of Greensboro.
That set the stage for
Monday and the Fourth of
July parade, the main event
of the three-day festival.
Congressman Alton A.
Lennon was parade mar
shal, and he was joined by a
host of other dignitaries,
several of them frpm the
State Legislature.
There were more than fifty
units in this year’s parade,
including beautiful floats
with beautiful girls. Included
was the new Miss Fourth of
July and all the other con
testants in this year’s
pageant. Also participating
were several queens from
various other pageants and
festivals in North Carolina.
During Saturday afternoon
motorboat races were staged
in the river, and the water
front was thronged with
spectators. Later in the
afternoon Mr. Mac and his
calliope held the spotlight for
a concert at the Cedar Bench
from this historic musical
instrionent.
The boat drawing attracted
a crowd at the same locations
as dark descended over the
festival scene, and Floyd
Dilsaver turned out to be a
popular winner. At least he
drew a big hand from his
competition.
The second showing here of
“The Incredible Star
Spangled Banner”, a patriotic
movie made by Cape Fear
Tech in cooperation with the
U.S. Marine Corps and the
N.C. Department of Archives
and History, again was a
popular feature.
The grand finale was the
Continued On Page 4
Art Festival
Is Successful
The eleventh annual South
port Arts Festival proved to
be the largest art show in
Southport’s history with a
total of 262 entries, most of
them being in oils. Other
categories were water colors,
graphics, crafts, and the
junior show.
The judging took place
Saturday morning by Luther
Sowers, who said that he was
very much impressed with
the professional quality of the
entries. The winners were:
Best in Show - “Aerial View”
by Gene Hege, Oils: First
place - “Echoes of the Past”,
by Mary W. McKnight this
also won a purchase award;
second place - “Old Road
Home”, by Pearl C. Wells;
third place • “Eight
O’Cloek ” bv F.dith Saunders.
Water Colors: First place -
“Foursquare”, by Dixie
Browning; second place -
“Drama II”, by Engla
Lemmermann, third place -
“Brush and Snow”, by Dot
McClure (this painting also
won a purchase award.
Graphics: First place -
Waiting for Spring, by Louis
James Picek; second place -
“Tree Study”, by Ruth Ogle,
third place - “View from
Summer Rest”, by Margaret
Jolls.
Crafts: First Place - “Plate
I”, by P.L. Sullivan; second
place - “Rug” by Kath
Gossett; third place -
‘Treasures of the Seashore”,
by Sally Ann Harris.
Junior Show: First Place -
“Untitled”, by Kathy Booth;
second place - “Sails", by
Robert Hitz; third place -
“The Eagle” by Jimmy
Kenny.
The city Purchase Award is
“The Barque Eagle at South
port” by Lewis Hardee, Jr.
Sandra Allen, who was chosen Saturday night
as Miss Fourth of July for 1971, is shown here
with the four other finalists in the Miss Fourth of
July Pageant held this year at Hatch Auditorium
atthe N.C. Baptist Assembly. On the left is Miss
Patti Jones, winner of the Miss Congeniality title;
Miss Jean Ann Chapman, second runnerup;
Jacqueline Sasser; and Belinda Long, first
runnerup. (Photo by Spencer)
Sandy Allen Is Crowned
New Queen; Starts Reign
Miss Sandra Elizabeth Fourth of July 1971, Saturday
Allen, 19, daughter of Mr. and night at Hatch Auditorium.
Mrs. Harold F. Spencer of The Miss Fourth of July
Southport, was crowned Miss Pageant marked the
Penny Tax?
A one-cent sales tax that could put an extra
$250,000 in the county and municipal budgets this
year is under consideration by the board of
commissioners.
Tuesday, the board agreed to hold a public
hearing on the matter July 19 and then will decide
whether to enact the new levy. An act of the
General Assembly has given the commissioners
the right to impose the tax without a vote of the
people.
However, the tax could be repealed after the
first year if a number of registered voters equal in
number to 15 percent of those who voted in the 1968
election were to call for a vote.
The earliest the levy could be put into effect is
September 1.
beginning of the three day
celebration commemorating;
the signing of the Declaration
of Independence.
The annual beauty pageant
to select an official hostess
for Southport is sponsored by
the Southport Jaycees and
produced by the Jaycettes
(wives of Jaycees). The
pageant director was Mrs.
Connie Young, who has
served as chaperone and
business manager for the
previous queens. With the use
this year of air conditioned
Hatch Auditorium at the
Baptist Assembly at Fort
Caswell more than 500 per
sons enjoyed the evening of
beauty and entertainment.
Mayor Lester V. Lowe of
Southport welcomed the
guests and introduced the
mistress of ceremonies, Miss
Cheryl Johnson. Miss
Johnson is a former Miss
Continued On Page 4
Woman’s Club
Meeting Here §
Club leaders from the
sixteen women’s clubs of the
eleventh district of the North ';; -
Carolina Federation of
Women’s Clubs will attend
their annual summer
workshop on Thursday, July 'r
15, in Southport.
District President, Mrs.
Stewart B. Warren of Clinton, ,>
will preside at the Leadership
Conference which will be held
at Trinity Methodist Church.
District Department
Chairmen, who recently
attended the state workshop
in Burlington, will conduct
departmental workshops.
Hostesses for the day will be
members of the Southport
Woman’s Club. Registration
will begin at 9:30 a.m.
Luncheon will be served at
the conclusion of the meeting.
District Department
Chairmen who will be con
ducting the departmental
workshops are: Con
Continued On Page 4
Citizens gathered at the Southport Post Office
Thursday morning for a ceremony marking the
changeover from the U.S. Post Office Depart
ment to the U.S. Postal Service. In the center is
Mayor Lester V. Lowe and on his left is Post
master Marjorie Livingston. The two ladies on
the right in costume are Mrs. Donald McHose and
Mrs. Donnie Dodge. Seated at the portable an
tique organ is Mrs. Dallas Pigott and half-hidden
behind Mayor Lowe is Mrs. Eleanor Smith,
soloist for the occasion. (Photo by Spencer)