Two
Clarity Needed
The rhubard raised last week by the Zebulon Board of
Commissioners hasn’t quieted down yet, and it promises to
have some repercussions next municipal election day un
less, as is probable, the memories of the outraged citizens
remains as short as usual. When the Board recognized the
need of a police car for Zebulon, they followed the wishes
of a vast majority of Zebulon’s citizens. But the unortho
dox method used in purchasing the car rubbed a lot of folks
the wrong way— and with just cause.
We have no bones to pick with the Commissioners in
their choice of a Ford VB, complete with extras, for Zebu
lon’s police car. Fords are goodlooking, they are fast, and
there are plenty of people in addition to four members of
the Board of Commissioners who claim a Ford is the best
automobile for the money on the road. Our gripe is in the
failure to advertise for the kind of car that was wanted.
The advertisement, as you must have read, stated sim
ply that bids were wanted on a two-door or four-door auto
mobile equipped with heater. Nothing was said about turn
signals, oil filters, oil bath cleaners, or V 8 engines. If the
town advertised for what it wanted, then it should have
based its decision on the bids listing prices on what was ad
vertised. If it wanted the extra equipment, it should have
said so and given every dealer an opportunity to include
the equipment in his bid. If the Commissioners leaned to
ward V 8 engines, the advertisement should have limited
bids to V 8 engines, and Plymouth, Chevrolet, and similar
six-cylinder vehicles would have been included out.
The purchase is complete now, and Zebulon possesses
a very nice police car. However we hope that the Town
Board has learned from its experience of the past eight days
and in the future will be both clear and open in what is
wanted when conducting business for the people of Zebulon.
24-Hour Alert
Fire, out of control, is a tragic thing, especially when
it destroys a home. Such a fire hit the Trevathan home two
miles East of Zebulon Sunday morning, and within an hour
nothing remained of the beautiful, two-story dwelling.
Though it is gone, and nothing can bring it back, its burn
ing can mean that someone else’s home may be saved.
When the call for help was made to the Zebulon Rural
Fire Department Sunday morning, it took some time to con
tact members of the fire fighting force and a costly delay
was the result. It is probable that a prompt answer by the
Rural Fire Department would not have saved the house, but
it is likely that with its early help more of the furnishings
We have in Zebulon two of the finest fire trucks around,
could have been salvaged.
We have well-trained firemen who are willing to give their
time and risk their very lives in carrying out their duties.
But this wonderful equipment and these skilled fireman are
worth nothing unless they arrive at the fire in time to do
their jobs. They had no opportunity to do more than save
a couple of outbuildings Sunday morning, because they did
not know of the fire in time.
The combined resources of the Town of Zebulon and
the Zebulon Rural Fire Department, Inc., should be enough
to provide someone on the alert 24 hours a day to answer the
telephone in case a call for the firmeen comes in. This per
son should know which firemen are immediately available
for duty. The minutes saved in answering the phone and
summoning the firemen could mean the difference in a mi
nor fire and a heart-breaking loss of a home.
Beneficial Publicity
This month the Zebulon community will gain state-wide
publicity when a television show and a feature story in the
Farm Bureau newspaper tell of the successful rural fire
truck project. This is the type of publicity which does more
for us than reams of copy ballyhooing our wonderful indus
trial possibilities, our growth potential, our unlimited fu
ture, because this is the story of real cooperative endeavor
on the part of many people in the community, working un
selfishly for a better, safer place to live.
The spirit shown in the successful project to purchase a
rural fire truck is the spirit that outsiders, whether indus
tries or people, look for in a place to settle down. It shows
that the community has resourcefulness and a willingness to
work. It proves the real worth of the community.
We congratulate everyone who contributed to the suc
cess of the rural fire truck project, and we express our deep
thanks for what they have done.
The Zebulon Record
Entered as second class matter June 26, 1925, at the post
office at Zebulon, North Carolina, under the act of March 3, 1879.
Member of the North Carolina Press Association.
The Zebulon Record
By Eloise Potter
A week ago Saturday Mrs. A.
D. Parrish gave me an armful of
white chrysanthemums like the
ones I described in “Potter Patter”
a few issues back. At the time I
was so surprised and thrilled I’m
afraid I didn’t thank her suffi
ciently or coherently. For the first
time in three years I had some
flowers with stems long enough to
look nice in the green Benko glass
vase Jack and I bought on our
wedding trip!
After several days the stems
needed to be cut short, so I rear
ranged the blossoms in a flat
black bowl. Although the blooms
are beginning to show their age
at close range. Jack and I are still
enjoying Mrs. Parrish’s horticul
tural skill and generosity.
•
Saturday morning I heard John
Harris, “Your Tar Heel Gardener”
(WPTF, 8:15-8:30), interview the
Zebulon’s United Fund is going
to be mighty dis-united if the goal
of $5,000 is not exceeded, because
our failure to give our quota will
just about prove our preference
for the multitude of fund cam
paigns that have followed one an
other in years past.
•
Crops have been bad for two
straight years, and most of us are
hard-pressed for ready cash. This
should make our contributions
more liberal, however, because
with hard times comes a greater
need for the services provided by
the 13 agencies included in the
United Fund.
•
We can appreciate the reason
ing of those Zebulonians who work
in Raleigh and therefore feel ob
ligated to support the Raleigh
United Fund. We hope they will
remember they live in this com
munity and have obligations to as
sist their neighbors here.
•
I plan to make my contribution
larger this year. Anything to keep
Here is a sparrow that even the
rankest amateur will recognize as
being out of the ordinary run of
sparrows. About I\<2 inches long
with a wing-spread of 11 Vz inches
and a tail 2Vz inches, it could be
classed as larger than a Song
Sparrow and smaller than a Tow
hee. The male in breeding plum
age looks more like a small black
bird or maybe one might say a
sparrow-sized blackbird. The male
has large white wing patches. In
the fall months the male, female
and young are brown with striped
breasts and white patches. The
bird weighs about one ounce,
which is more than a Junco
weighs.
The Lark Bunting has been
found all the way across the con
tinent from the Pacific Coast to
Massachusetts but in spite of this
it is essentially a bird of the West.
It appears regularly and in good
abundance in breeding season
from southern Alberta to south
western Manitoba south to eastern
New Mexico, northwestern Texas,
eastern Nebraska and west cen
tral Minnesota. East of this area
it is more or less accidental. The
winter months are spent south of
southern Texas, southern Arizona
on to Sonora and southern Lower
Potter- Patter-
Fred Cochrans, Raleigh chrysan
themum growers. Mrs. Cochran re
marked that once you start grow
ing chrysanthemums you haven’t
time or space for any other flow
er. Mrs. Parrish seems to contra
dict that statement since she near
ly always has a lovely display to
whatever happens to be in season.
Mr. Harris’ program, which is
sponsored by the Raleigh Garden
Club, usually has at least one item
of interest to the average home
gardners who has little time
or money for flowers and shrubs.
He also gives much information es
pecially for azalea, camellia, dah
lia, and other special-plant enthu
siasts. Mr. Harris gladly answers
questions sent in by listeners and
mails out pamphlets on request.
Briefly, I highly recommend “Your
Tar Heel Gardner” to anyone in
terested in growing anything from
vegetables to trees to African vio
lets.
•
Reading of the household show-
Seen & Heard
from having to see Vance Brown
walk in the door whenever an
other fund drive is in progress.
Os course, Vance probably is hop
ing that we’ll top the goal so he
won’t have to see me so often too.
•
I’m glad that Solicititations
Chairman Ralph Talton doesn’t
have the salesman who called on
us two weeks ago asking for con
tributions. That guy gave me a sad
story and a rubber check in less
than ten minutes. From the way I
fell for his line, he could have had
a mortgage on the business for
some cause like the United Fund.
•
I pride myself on being a gentle
man at least ter. minutes every
day. Son Michael is following in
my footsteps, and is a remarkably
well-behaved -year-old. I never
have to lay a hand on him ex
cept in self defense.
•
A friend of ours says he can
prove one bottle of beer will
make a man drunk. “Go down to
the Zebulon’s Recorder’s Court,”
Study of Nature
California.
In all its range it is essentially a
bird of the open plains rather than
of the wooded areas. In its natur
al habitat it feeds on the seeds of
weeds, grass and grain and on
grasshoppers, beetles and weevils.
In some instances it has been not
ed that 78 per cent of the food
may be grasshoppers so there is
little doubt about the usefulness
of the bird under these circum
stances.
LARK BUNTING
©1953 Notional Wildlife Federation
The bird has won popularity
enough in part of its range to have
been selected as the State Bird of
Colorado. This is probably not due
to any recognition of its economic
importance because at times it may
harm growing grain. Rather the
bird offers an appeal because of its
appearance. The fact that it de
stroys great quantities of Russian
Tuesday, November 3, 1953
er to be given Saturday for the
Walter Trevathans, whose home
was destroyed by fire Sunday
morning, reminds me that Jack’s
grandmother once mentioned the
way people of the Zebulon com
munity helped her family when
the Davis home burned. I gathered
from the way she talked about the
fire that the material and senti
mental losses were greatly reliev
ed by the kindness and friendship
of her neighbors. Although Ido
not know the Trevathans person
ally, I’m sure they are receiving
the same assistance rendered in
the same spirit of Christian fel
lowship.
•
And speaking of assistance, I be
lieve that the United Fund still
needs a little more help. Regard
less of how much money is pledg
ed, let’s be sure that everyone
gives something, whether the
amount be large or small. Perhaps
Zebulon's slogan should be “100%
Given by 100% Giving.”
he said, “and everyone of the men
charged with drunken driving will
swear on the stand he has drunk
just one beer!”
•
Climbing Zebulon’s water tank
is nothing special, several of the
younger set could tell you. The
Rev. A. D. Parrish has reported
hearing youthful voices coming
from up on the tank several dark
nights, and before the tank was
painted, initials scratched in hearts
could be seen on the sides of the
tank.
•
I’ve heard that in his younger
days Mr. Arthur Ferrell would
hang by his heels over a huge,
spinning wood saw, his nose barely
inches above the flying teeth. He
hasn’t lost any of his daring, for
he claims to be a Republican even
in the face of the mess the G. O.
P. is making of the agricultural
program.
But then, it takes all kinds of
people to make the world go
round.
thistle seeds is of course to its
credit but no matter how much
of the surplus the bird might de
stroy there still would be enough
left over to assure survival of Rus
sian thistle.
The nest is built on the ground,
often sunk into the ground. It is
made of grasses and is lined with
down, fine hair and fine dried
grasses. In the nest the female lays
4 to 5 eggs each weighing about
1-10 ounce. The eggs are light
greenish blue rarely sprinkled
with reddish brown spots. There
may be two annual broods but this
is not always the case. After the
nesting period the male loses the
black appearance which makes
him look like a white-winged
blackbird.
I lived in lowa many years
studying birds without ever see
ing one of these interesting birds.
Yet when a few years later I spent
some months west of Nebraska, I
got to know them well. Only this
year friends of mine reported see
ing them east of my home in New
York State. I envy them the oppor
tunity they had but am looking
forward to returning to the part of
the continent where Lark Buntings
are an everyday occurrence.
—E. Laurence Palmer