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PROGRESS SENTINEL
VOL.XXXXVNC.32 USPS 162-860 , KENANSVILLE. NC 283*9 AUGUST 7, 1980 16 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
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I J.
Graham House Inn To Open
In Kenansville November 1
By Emily Klllette
The house has a history
suited for our plans, said
Rich Boyd, who will be
managing and developing
the Graham House Inn in
Kenansville. The Graham
Inn, a restaurant, is sche
duled for opening November
1.
"As far back as 1860,
Emma Cooper, who owned
the Graham House, took in
borders and served lunch to
the people employed at the
courthouse," Boyd said. The
Graham House Inn is located
on the corner of Main and
Cooper Streets.
Planned for the Inn's new
dining hall are daily house
specials and a soup and salad
bar during the weekday
luncheon hours. Night
dining, planned Thursday
through Sunday, will feature
a menu of foods from seafood
to steak. Evening meals will
be served in the colonial
Williamsburg style. Candle
light meals may be eaten
from pewter platea and will
be served bv waitresses and
waiters dressed in colonial
Williamsburg fashions, Boyd
said.
The Inn will also feature a
wine cellar stocked by the
Duplin Winery. Duplin wine
will be served at the Inn and
tours of the winery at Rose
Hill can be arranged through
the Inn, Boyd said. A feature
of the Inn's wine cellar will
be a wine-making operation,
and wine made at the Inn will
be served to the Graham
House patrons, Boyd said.
The purpose behind the
Inn, Boyd said, goes back to
Ms. Cooper who cooked
lunch for the people who
worked in Kenansville, and
when the new Inn opens, it
will also provide the local
employees with a place to eat
lunch, he said. Lunch prices
at the Inn are planned to
average about $4 for a full
meal; dinners will not cost
over $8, Boyd said.
The Inn will employ about
15 people, Boyd said, and
will provide facilities for
parties and receptions. The
main restaurant will be
located on the first floor of
the house, and the upstairs
will be used for banquet and
party rooms. According to
Boyd, until construction is
complete and the Inn opens,
he will be occupying the
upstairs as living quarters.
Only minor changes will be
made in the house, he said,
which includes painting to
change the color scheme,
and repairs to the hardwood
floors. The outside will only
be changed in color. The Inn
will be painted a light gray
and trimmed in a cream
yellow, Boyd said. The porch
will be accented with yellow
wicker furniture.
Owners of the Inn are Mr.
and Mrs. John Hall. Mr. and
Mrs. Billy Stephens, Mr. and
Mrs. Doc Brinson. Lt. Sharon
King, and Rich Boyd.
LiDerty (.art
Attendance Up
According to a survey con
ducted by North Carolina
Theatre Arts, attendance at
THE LIBERTY CART
outdoor drama in
Kenansville has increased by
30% campared to the 1979
sesason. During the opening
weekend of the historical
drama, over 1,400 people
attended.
Average nightly atten
dance is now close to 400 per
night, with reservations for
the remainder of the season
coming in at a rate signi
ficantly higher than in 1979.
An increase in the number of
tour groups booked for the
ivou season nas also been
noted.
North Carolina Theatre
Arts reports that attendance
at all theatres surveyed is up
between 10% and 35% over
the 1979 season. Outdoor
dramas are generally
showing the largest increase
in audience size. According
to Theatre Arts, the ten
millionth ticket sale is ex
pected in mid-August or
earlier, and 1980 promises to
be one of the best years ever
for outdoor and indoor
theatres.
In its fifth season, THE
LIBERTY CART is coopera
ting with the Department of
Commerce's division of tour
ism and travel in promoting
the theme. "This summer,
don't go away, stay in North
Carolina." The increase in
attendance so far this year is
a possible indication of the
trend for North Carolinians
to vacation and travel in their
home state rather than
spending time and money
traveling to other vacation
areas.
THE LIBERTY CART will
be performed every Thurs
day through Sunday evening
through August 24.
TOBACCO AUCTION The second day <rf
.. sales at thl? New Duplin Warehouse in
Wallace brought higher tobacco prices.
However, Paul Phillips, the warehouse
owner, said prices will not begin to please
i farmers until buyers bid for the upper stalk
leaves. Tobacco sold on the second day
consisted of the lower stalk leaves which had
a price support drop of ten cents in the past
year.
Photo by Emily Killette
Phillips Attends Youth Seminar
I 4
John Thongs Phillips, Jr.
of Warsaw Was among about
120 high school student.--,
from throughout trie state
who participated in the
seventh annual Youth
Seminar on Law, Leadership
and Government in Chapel
Hill, July 27-August. 1.
John is the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Tommie Phillips and
attends James Kenan High
School in Warsaw.
The purpose of the semi
nar was to give young people
opportunities to learn more
about government and bow
o develop their own leader
ship skills. The participants
attended a number of work
shops and panel discussions
on justice and youth rights,
news media, community or
ganizing and government.
At the end of the week
long session, the students
received certificates for their
participation during a
luncheon featuring an
address by How'ard bee.^i
secretary of the Department
of Natural Resources and
Community Development.
During the week the stu
dents heard other state offi
cials including Attorney
General Rufus Edmisten;
Elizabeth Koontz. assistant
superintendent of the De
partment of Public Instruc
tion: Gary Pearce, the Gov- <
ernor's press secretary: Rep.
Patricia Hunt: and District
Cou > Tii'dyc Wiilisfm Jones
? '.Vjiidoue ?:
The semina' was -o
sponsored by ine N.C In
sutute of Government in
Chapel Mill and the State
" ( iincii. i' . imponent
? ?f the y.C. "cpartiaefii vf
Administration's youth in
volvement office.
Tobacco Market Opens
See Page 14
.New Elementary School To Open This Fall
By Emily Klllette
The only thing missing at
the new Kenansville elemen
tery school is the bustle of
children, said Wilbur Carr,
principal of the school.
The Kenansville elemen
tary school, the newest in the
county, will open to students
| this fall, and grades kinder
" garten through six will.
attend. Also, located at the
new school, will be the
county's hearing impaired
program. And, new the
school will be ? a new
building, and a new teaching
system, open classrooms..
However. Carr said, the
Kenansville school is a good
compromise between the
open classrooms and the
traditional The suites at the
school are not completely
open; the rooms are divided
into three sections. The outer
two sections of the room are
main classrooms; the inner
section is a common 'wet
area,* Carr said. The wet
area allows room for both
outer classes to join together
in art activities such as
painting with water colors.
Included in the wet area are
restroom facilities. Also, a
small private instruction
room is part of each suite;
the instruction room will
comfortably seat eight to ten
first grade students and an
adult. Carr said.
According to Carr, the
school system at the old
elementary building began a
conversion process last fall.
Teachers in each grade
opened their doors and
began a cooperative teaching
program, with teachers in
grades four through six
teaching specific subjects.
Along with the cooperative
teaching effort. Carr said,
the teachers adopted more of
an open classroom instruc
tion philosophy. The phil
osophy of taking a child and
doing as much as possible for
that child from where the
child is. both academically
and environmentally, Carr
explained.
"We are nervous about
opening school this fall, but
we are more excited," Cart
explained- "The old school
served its purpose for 54
years. Moving to the new
school will be like trading a
1948 DeSota for a new
Cadillac. But, it's not the
building that makes the in
stitution, it is the people."
Beginning in the fall, Carr
said, 21 teachers and 14
aides will be on the Kenans
ville elementary school staff.
Each teacher will have an
aide, allowing the teachers
more time to spend with the
students. Carr said. Libra
rians. reading and music
instructors are included in
the teaching staff, but will
not have individual aides.
The new school cafeteria
will seat up to 225 students at
a time. Carr said. The old
cafeteria would seat only %
students, which meant the
serving period from break- <
fast into lunch was a con- ?
tinuous process, Carr said.
"At the old school, wet
would be serving food most
of the day. By the time the
children were served break
fast. it was time to start
serving lunch." Carr said.
"The old cafeteria could only
seat %, making the serving
period very long. In the
future we have the facilities
for two serving lines if the
need is to arise at the new
school."
Another improvement is
the library. Carr said. The
old school did not privide
much room in space and
shelves for a library. The
new library provides more
spece than the school has
books, but, Carr said, the
shelves will be filled as the
years go by. Also, the library
has student work areas and
tables. And. two work rooms
are included in the library
area. Carr said.
The school is designed for
' the future as well as the
present, Carr added. The
shape of the roof allows halls
to be lit by sunlight from
windows at the top of the
walls, and for the possibility
of installing solar equipment
in the future. The large
windowed classrooms allow
enougn light that only a
half-lighting system is
needed during a sunny day,
Carr said. The windows will
also slide open, allowing for
ventilation. By taking advan
tage of the sunlight. Carr
said energy bills will be less.
Carr said the open class
room system would be new to
him. even though he has
worked with the philosophy
of the system. Carr's ex
perience has been with ele
mentary and high school
systems in a traditional one
teacher classroom. Carr ex
plained teaching has little to
do with the building, but
should be centered around
the children.
"Teaching and the learn
ing process is a team effort
which includes the parents,
child, teacher, aides and the
administration," Carr said.
"And. it is the responsibility
of the team to identify the
neads of the children and
meet those needs."
As a parent with children
in the Kenansville elemen
tary school and the Duplin
County school system. Carr
*?id. the school is one of the
best in fhe state. Local
Citizens should be proud to
Send their children to the
facility, he said. "I am
thankful to Assistant Super
intendent H.P. Honeycutt
who has worked so hard to
design this school. This
project has been his life for
the last couple of years,"
Carr said. "Now that it Is
almost completed, he bas
turned the school over to me
after all the design and
building headaches have
solved."
?
READING AREA OF LIDRARY ? According
to Principal Wilbur Cart of the Kenansville
?elementary school, the old building did not
have an adequate library. But. at the utw
school this fall, the students of Kenansville
t
j
Photo by Emily Klllbtle
elementary will have a spacious, well
furnished library. Principal Carr is pictured
at the reading table of the new elementary
school library.
4 *
Kenansville School Open
House September 18
Tha . . j . . ..
a IIV i\tuaii?viiic C.IC IIICII
tary school will hold its first
open house September 18,
said Principal Wilbur Carr.
The school will be opened
to children this fall. The
building had been scheduled
| to open in December of 1979,
but wet weather conditions
delayed construction during
the summer months.
In December, a second
opening date was announced
for March of 1980. However,
three winter snowstorms
further hampered efforts to
complete the elementary
facility. Construction began
on the new school in Decem
ber of 1978.
The school, built to house
kindergarten through siith
grades, is of a traditional
design. The structure is built
iv ctiiunimuuaie approxi
mately 450-55 students, and
can be expanded to include
the seventh and eighth
grades.
Principal Carr encourages
parents and local citizens to
visit the new school. He is
presently working at the new
facility, and invites the
public to stop by for a tour of
the building.
Commissioners Blast
Mosquito Control Critics
A ""
" 'vuti piuic?ui|( accusa
tions against the state's
I mosquito control program
was approved Monday by the
county commissioner*!
In the letter to Hugh H.
Tilson, state health director,
the commissioners said that
Duplin County had been
mentioned in a "very detri
mental" manner In various
newspapers, that it had been
accused of misusing drain
age funds for benefit of
private individuals, and that
' the drainage program had
been termed a failure.
?. '?*
mi appears ine accusa
tions and bad publicity . . .
are being generated by ento
mologists that have worked
and are working fo one of
the programs under your
(Tilson's) direction." the
letter said in part. "It is
apparent from the intima
tions and accusations the
entomologists have spent
long hours doing research in
Duplin County . . .We would
like to request information
showing dates, location of
work and county employees
or officials contacted. . .We
also request specifics on
accusations of political favors
involved."
David Underhill, director
of the county's mosquito
control program, said,
"They're making accusa
tions not based on fact, but
on conclusions of reporters
drawn from conclusions of
entomologists.
"If they (the entomolo
gists) had worked as hard
trying to improve the pro
gram as they have fighting, it
would bi i better program.'*
i,