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PROGRESS SENTINEL
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VOL. XXXXVI NO 25 USPS 162 860 KENANSVILLE. NC 28349 JUNE 24. 1982 18 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
Agribusiness Council Meels
* Carnival Signed For Fair
The carnival is coming to
the county fair!
After a lot of searching,
the Duplin fair committee of
the Agribusiness Council has
finally signed a carnival to
t jaome to the county fair
'iRheduled for this October.
DNP Amusements has been
contracted to provide mid
way rides, games and lots of
fair food for the six-day
event.
As the tents and rides go
up. it will mark the first year
midway amusements have ?
been featured in a Duplin
County fair since the close of
the 1%5 Bculaville fair.
far More essential to the na
ftire of the fair, however, are ;
the display booths to be set
5 up in the old Kenansville
I
Elementary School and Ke
nan Memorial Auditorium.
The committee decided on
fees for the booths at their
meeting Thursday night.
June 10. Booths designed
for non-profit display in the
school will be free of charge.
However, a $10 fee is re
quired for booths operating
for a profit. The rate in the
auditorium is higher, with a
$55 fee charged for non
organizations and $65 for
profit-making booths. The
fair will also claim 20 percent
of all money made on the
fairgrounds, excluding the 22
booths in the auditorium.
As of last week, letters
advertising the fair and en
couraging businesses to set
up displays had been sent to
over SO area industries and
merchants. Kay Williamson
of the Agribusiness Council
said she plans to send out
50-100 more of these letters
within the next few weeks.
Any business not contacted ,
may receive information
about setting up exhibits
from Lloyd Stevens in Ke
nansville or Roy Houston at
Coastal Production Credit
Association.
Committee members will
also begin contacting busi
nesses in Duplin and Wavne
counties later this month
about advertising in the fair
catalog. The catalog will
contain 16 pages and will be
circulated in over 16,500
newspapers. Classes at
James Sprunt Technical
College have volunteered to
do the lay-out work at a
savings of approximately
$400. The tentative deadline
for submitting ads is August
I.
Along with the support
from local businesses, the
fair also hopes to solicit help
from the community. .After
looking into the costs of
hiring professional en
tertainment, the committee
decided Thursday night to
involve area talent in the fair.
They hope to schedule a'
different attraction for each
night in the auditorium.
Some suggestions have in
cluded corn shucking and
cheerleader contests, high
school bands, and local
country and rock groups.
Slemenda To Leave
f? Wallace-Rose Hilt School
R
Charles J. Slemenda.
j principal of Wallace-Rose
^ Hill High School, will be
- conic superintendent of the
f Madison - Mayoden city
W -school system in Rockingham
B} County July 1.
^ Slemenda, 37. has served
t ? in the Duplin County system
' JBfor 10 years, starting as
] ^^irincipal of the Rose Hill
i . Magnolia Elementary School
where he remained until last
year.
"I believe it is an excellent
ft
opportunity and as custom
made for me as possible," he
said Friday.
M ad i son - M ay oden re
sulted from the merger of the
tow towns, he said. The
school system has 3,000 stu
dents with about 780 in the
high school. It has 140 tea
chers, ftve principals and a
central office staff of 11.
The Wallace-Rose Hill
High School has an enroll
ment of about 780 students
with 47 teachers.
Slcmcnda said he likes the
relatively small size of the
Madison-Mayoden system.
"It will allow me to spend
time with my teachers. I'm
determined to get out into
the classrooms, not to do
'snoopervision' but to do
public relations."
He expects to spend a half
a day. three times a week in
the various schools and class
rooms.
One of the innovations
Slemenda made in Duplin
County is the nature trail
project begin in 1972 at the
Rose Hill - Magnolia School.
"We used it as a supple
mental classroom and as a
teaching tool," he said. Ex
pansion and .use of the trail
has continued, he added.
Slemenda is married and
he and his wife have two
children, Charles Jr., 12. and
Christine, 14. "My daugh
ter's happy that she won't
have her father as principal
of her school next year." he
said.
Cable Hooks To Begin
Installation of the cable
television system for Warsaw
will begin this week, town
L clerk Alfred Herring told the
^ Town Board last week.
Herring said Beaslcv
Broadcasting Co. of Golds
t. boro said it would have the
work completed by Aug. 12.
The board took under
V study the request of J.B.
i-wiohnson. chairman of the
^3Wbard ofPinccrest Cemetery,
southwest of Warsaw, to hire
a part time caretaker for the
> cemetery. The association
has been paying the city
- $2,800 a year for upkeep,
t The money comes from in
? terest on $32,000 the asso
ciation has received in do
nations from lot owners.
Johnson said the association
has paid Warsaw $11,209.78
since the arrangment with
the city w as made in 1977. .
A 1979 model police car
with 87.000 miles on its
odometer was sold to L&K i
Motors, owned by Billy Ken
nedy. on his high bid of
$1,505. The second highest i
bid came from W.C. Martin
at$1,500. i
The board approved a
resolution asking the state to
take over W.L. Hill Street
and add it to the state
system. The street connects
J.S. 117 with a sewing plant
being built on the north side
of town.
Warsaw Votina Placed Changed
Due to the sale of the
building used as the voting
place (the old police station
building) in Warsaw Precinct
to a private business, the
new voting place for the June
29. 1982 primary election and
future elections will be the
Rescue Squad Building in the
new Town Hall on the corner
of Bay and South Front
streets.
? Him mm --- - ^
DISTRICT DAY WINNERS - Duplin 4-Hers
were well represented at the Southeastern
4-H District Activity Day, coming back with
seven winners and six runners-up. The event
was held Tuesday, June 15. at Eastern
Wayne High School in Goldsboro. Seventeen
counties participated. Duplin winners and
runners-up are: Row I, l-r, Lori Costin, small
m animals: Pam Kelly, artistic arrangement;
' Laurie Swain, egg cookery; Andrea Kenan,
crafts; Amy West, sewing: and Nancy
I
Williamson, horse: 4-H Director Ray Rhiin.
hart. Row 2, Arthur Hall, entomology;
James Carter, pork cookery; Veronica Wil
liams. bread; Mark Craft, beef car-grill; and
Lita Fennell. poultry barbecue. Lori Costin.
Pam Kelly. Laurie Swain. Andrea Kenan.
Amy West. Nancy Williamson and Charles
Denning will go on to compete in state
competition during 4-H Congress in Raleigh
Julv 19-23.
1 1
BLOCKING THE SCENE - Liberty Cart director David
Thomas gives instructions to a few young local players
during rehearsals last week. The professional cast arrived
in Kenansville this past weekend. The combined cast of 53
will have less than three weeks to rehearse before opening
night on Friday. July 9.
Young Duplin Director Pushing
Cart Into Seventh Season
JT By Sharon Overton
At 23. David Thomas is
probably the youngest direc
tor in outdoor drama, but
he's not going to let that
become a handicap. This fall
he took over the directing
responsibilities at the Liberty
Cart in Kenansville and
armed with over eight years
of experience in drama and
two years as the Cart's
production stage manager,
he plans to make this season
the best ever.
Thomas is a Beulaville
native, the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Glenwood Thomas. He
was a active member of the
drama club at East Duplin
High School, where he
graduated in 1977. His fond
ness for the stage led him to
the North Carolina School of
the Arts following gradua
tion. After deciding that his
aptitude was not strongest in
acting, he left Winston Salem
after one quarter and trans
ferred to Appalachian State
University in Boone.
Thomas changed his mind
once more at Appalachian.
switching fro ma music major
to ?directing, where he finally
discovered his niche. He is
presently doin| work on his
master's degree at Virginia
Tech.
In the fall. Thomas tenta
tively plans to be working in
New York at the Foundation
for the Extension and Devel
opment of the American
Professional Theater. Trav
eling all over the U.S.. he
will do consultation work
with non-profit theaters. He
has already received three
offers from theaters for work
in the spring. Center Stage in
Baltimore. Delcwarc Theater
Co.. and the Virginia Stage
Co.
Thomas believes that
many of these doors have
been opened to him through
his association with the Lib
erty Cart.
"The Liberty Cart may
seem comparatively small."
said Thomas "But we still
have to go to meetings with
the larger theaters. I've met
many people and made good
eonncetions at these meet
ings. It's a way to get your
foot in the door."
One connection Thomas is
putting ft good use is Liber'j*
Cart playwright Ralph Um
berger. He and Umbcrger
have worked together closely
over the past months, trying
to bring the show back to the
original script as much as
possible.
"1 told him (Umbcrger)
that he's the most important
thing out here." said Tho
mas. "At first the show was
four hours long. That's too
long. But then the story
started getting wackcd to
save time. I've made no
changes this year without
consulting him first."
The few changes that
Thomas and Umbcrger did
decide on are mostly to put
back things that have been
taken out over the years. For
instance, the character of
Felix Kenan. Old Thomas'
brother, will be brought
back. Also. John Gradv and
his love Abigail will once
again be united in marriage.
This year. Thomas is trying
to use as much of the original
music as possible. The music
had been dropped for the
most part because of poor
recording. With the help
c'' musie director Brian
Hoxtc. Thomas plans for the
east to do it live this season.
Despite his additions*
Thomas elainis that audi
ences will still sec a show
that is under two hours long.
The season has been ex
tended a week and will
include at least two addi
tional shows, (jodspcll and
Golliw hoppers.
When asked how it felt to
be directing an outdoor
drama with a east of almost
55. Thomas replied. "Real
scarcy. It's a huge responsi
bility and it happened very
last. I think I'm ready for it;
I've been well prepared. But
it's still scarcy."
The Liberty Cart opens its
season July 9 at 8:15 p.m. in
the William Rand Kenan. Jr.
Memorial Amphitheatre.
K en a n s ville. Performances
of Goospcll will play on five
consecutive Wednesday
evenings beginning July 21.
Golliw hoppers will be per
formed on three Sunday af
ternoons. August 1st. 8th.
and 15th. at the "Spring".
Employees To Receive 5% Raise
Wallace Board
App roves Budget
After paring nearlv
$20,000 from its 1982-83
budect nronosal. thp Wallace
Town Board last Thursday
night rebuffed an attempt to
cut the town's property tax
rate by 2 cents but agreed to
give town employees a 5
percent raise.
The board approved a
budget of SI .563.631, which
it will adopt following the
annual budge, hearing in
Town Hall. (
With reserves and trans
fers of $445,812 deducted,
the budget stands at
$1,117,819 ? $170,000 less
than the 1982-82 expendi
tures.
The tax rate will remain at
67 cents per $100 assessed
valuation. It was raised from
65 to 67 cents last year. The
owner of property valued at
$50,000 \fill be billed for
$335 in city property taxes.
Reduced income from
water and sewer fees will be
balanced by a reduction in
expenditures for the service.
town administrator Steven
?Routh said.
Commissioners Arnold
Duncan and David Jordan
called for the 2-cent tax
reduction. Their motion was
defeated on a 3-2 vote with
Commissioners N.H. Carter.
Luther Powell and Charles
Blanchard opposing it.
Mayor Melvin Cording
said Friday he would have
preferred the 2-cent cut. Any
tax reduction "would just
about have made Wallace
unique among cities this
year." he said.
With the town's 51 em
ployees getting a 5 percent
raise, personnel costs, in
cluding benefits, salaries and
other items, are expected to
total about $590,000.
The board cut about
$10,000 from the recom
mended water department
allocation, which now stands
at 4I9/.V43.
The sanitation department
will get $8,000 less than it
requested since the board
1
approved an allocation of
$92,990.
Routh said that reduction
will slow building a reserve
to buy a new garbage truck
for commercial garbage
pickup. He said the city
hopes to obtain a new truck
next year, probably on a
lease-purchase arrangement.
The present truck has cost
the town $15,600 for repairs
in the last 18 months. A new
truck would cost about
$90,000.
The residential garbage
collection rate will increase
from $3 per month to $4 to
strengthen the capital re
serve. Commercial rates will
increase 30 percent to re
place dumpsters. which cost
$600 each for 8-cubic-yard
capacity units, Routh said.
The ad valorem tax is
expected to bring in $291,
835 based on a 91.7 percent
collection rate and an as
sessed valuation of $47.5
million. Each cent of tax levy
is expected to bring in
$4,750. The current fiscal
year's valuation is estimated
at $46.5 million. The ad
valorem tax is expected to
bring in $296,000 based on a
95 percent collection rate.
Routh said income projec
tions are conservative
Major revenue sources in
the budget include garbage
collection fees. $104,000;
franchise taxes. $94,000; lo
cal option sales tax, $55,000;
state gasoline taxes. $50,600;
ABC store revenue, $49,500;
water and sewer fees,
$354,587; and revenue shar
ing, $70,000. *
Major expenditures are
$214,016 for police. $92,990
for sanitation, $345,302 for
water and sewer, $283,687
for capital reserve, $164,252
for streets, $45,648 for the
library, $60,369 for adminis
tration, $30,448 for the
garage, $20,115 for the
governing board and $51,59S
for the recreation depart
ment. I