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" PROGRESS SENTINEL
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VOL. XXXXVI NO. 36 USPS 162-860
KENANSVILLE. NC 28349 SEPTEMBER 2, 1982
18 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
Attendance Rises At
Amphitheater Despite Weather
Attendance increased for
the major productions at
Kenan Memorial Amphi
theater this season, accord
ing to James O. Johnson,
general manager.
The production season for
-the outdoor historical drama
THE LIBERTY CART and
^the rock musical GODSPELL
ended Sunday, Aug. 29th.
Despite some bad
weather, season attendance
for THE LIBERTY CART
totaled 5,271, an increase of
159 people from last season.
"it was a bad year for us
weatherwise," Johnson said.
"It would either rain or look
like rain all day on many days
and that stopped many
people coming from a dis
tance. We had two shows
rained out and two others
partially rained out.
"1 think the weather cut
down our audience consider
ably."
GODSPELL, which was
performed by members of
the Liberty cart cast,
drew 2,252 people. It was
only performed five times ?
on Wednesday nights. John
son said attendance in
creased for each of its per
formances, starting with 141
July 21 and ending with 725
Aug. 18.
A free children's produc
tion staged Sunday after
noons at the Kenansville
historic spring near the
Duplin County courthouse
attracted 334 people.
Johnson said a complete
financial report cannot be
made until season records
have been completed. But he
expects the season's income
from ticket sales, grants and
contributions to put the
productions in the black this
year.
?
Johnson said earlier that
the production would operate
on a $105,000 budget this
year. Much of its budget is
provided by foundations es
tablished by the Kenan
family.
The theatre group also
received state aid and con
tributions from area resi
dents. '
Johnson said it needs 1
$30,000 to $40,000 from 1
ticket sales to break even this !
year. The regular admission
price was $5 for adults and 1
$2.50 for chidren under 12.
Area students and scouting '
groups were offered special -
rates of $1 per person.
"We were highly pleased ;
with the reaction to GOD
SPELL," Johnson said, "and '
would like to present it twice '
a week next year, possibly on
Wednesdays and one one of
the weekend nights." '
He said he would like to
extend next year's season
one week to have THE
LIBERTY CART run eight
weeks. It ran seven weeks
this year and six weeks last
year.
David Thomas, show di
rector, and Randolph
Umberger, who wrote the
ariginal drama, hope to write
new material concerning the
Kenan family into the his
torical drama, Johnson said.
Hie show's length will not be
extended, however.
Johnson said the addition
)f GODSPELL helped attract
/oung actors and actresses,
xiany of whom were drama
students from area colleges.
'They need acting credits for
heir resumes ? the more
he better," he said. '?
He expects about three
ourths of this year's cast to
eturn next year.
Carolina Telephone Files I
i _ ?
For Local Rate Increase
f
| T. P. Williamson
Carolina Telephone and
Telegraph Company on
August 30 filed a request
with the North Carolina
Utilities Commission for a
rate increase of about $3.11 a
month for the average resi
dential customer.
T.P. Williamson, vice
president - administration,
said, "The company regrets
. the necessity to file for
increased rates so soon after
our last general rate increase
but it has no choice if it is to
continue providing the quali
ty service our customers
expect and deserve. Despite
our most stringent efforts to
control and reduce the cost of
service, the additional
revenues granted in April of
j
his year simply have not
naterialized. This is due in
Mrt to the commissions's
>verestimating the revenues
vhich it anticipated that the
ompany would receive from
i statewide increase in long
listance rates, coupled with
he drastic changes imposed
ipon the entire industry
hrough federal deregulation
ind the difficult state of the
economy in general.
"As a result, the company
tas no opportunity to earn
he return found fair by the
commission in our last
general rate case and con
inue to meet its service
>bligations."
The company is seeking a
137.7 million increase in its
innual revenues. Of this.
14.8 million would be in
creased extended area ser
vice (EAS) rates; $3.3 million
or increased service con
lection, move and change
charges; $28.5 million for
ncreased basic local ex
change service rates; and
M.I million for increased
charges for supplemental
services and equipment. Ac
cording to Williamson, over
talf of the increased
?evenues would go to pay
federal. state and local taxes.
Williamson said. "Compe
ition is a key factor in todays
elephone environment. As
in any industry, competition
drives prices toward costs,
and in our case where local
residential service kw??befci
subsidized by other services,
the price is being driven up
rather than down."
National trends by the
courts. Congress and the
Federal Communications
Commission to deregulate
the telephone industry will
reduce or remove many of
the lucrative sources of in
come that have helped un
derwrite local telephone ser
vice. Because of the trends,
revenue sources such as
equipment and long distance
charges and yellow pages
advertising will be reduced
or eliminated and local tele
phone companies will have to
luake up the shortfall by
increasing rates to cus
tomers.
"Deregulation and compe
tition are making it impos
sible to continue a pricing
system that spreads our costs
over everyone," Williamson
said. "Local service histori
cally has been significantly
underpriced. In the last 25
years, the cost of living in
general, as measured by the
Consumer Price Index, has
increased more than ten
times as much as our rates
for local service."
If the requested increase is
granted, the average resi
dential customer in the
smallest exchanges will pay
$2.50 more per month for
basic service; in the <er>tn--y
pany's largest exchanges,
the basic service increase
will be $3.70 per month.
Rates differ from town to
town, depending on the
number of telephones a cus
tomer can dial within his
local calling area.
"By any objective com
parison, telephone service
< .tinues to be a bargain."
illiamson said. "For
stance, local telephone
rvice today accounts for
just 2.3 percent of the aver
age retired worker's social
security check as compared
to 3.3 percent in 1975. The
time it takes an average
worker to earn the cost of his
monthly telephone bill has
decreased from 2 hours and
13 minutes in 1975 to one
hour and 50 minutes today."
The utilities commission is ?
expected to hold hearings in
early 1983 before ruling on
the company's reqilest, and
rates are not expected to
change before next year.
CT&T serves some
575,000 customers in 50 of
the state's 100 counties and
has 5.350 employees with an
annual payroll of $104 mil
lion.
DOGWOOD BLOOMING IN AUGUST - Mrs. D.B. (Linda)
Batchelor inspects one of the blooming limbs on her
dogwood. The leaves are red and falling and the tree has
red berries ? all signs of fall ? but it is also sprouting
forth with blooms. Linda said the tree is about 12 to 13
years old and has never done this before. "I first noticed
one night last week as I was walking by. and saw these
white things on the limbs and thought. Oh. my dogwood
has fungus growing on it. but when I inspected it. there
were little buds fixing to bloom." The Batchelors live near
Johnson's Church between Warsaw and Kenansville.
They have two other dogwood trees as well, and they too
are beginning to put forth little white buds. Linda wonders
why this is happening and would welcome information.
Brandy Line Added To
Duplin Winery's Cellars
The first legal commercial
bottling of brandy in North
Carolina since Jan. 1. 1909,
began Wednesday in Duplin
""Wine CeRai'h ot KosHill
The winery has been in
creasing its productive capa
city rapidly since selling its
first wines in 1976. Addition
of the brandy line, along with
increasing wine production
eventually will improve the
currently weak market for
North Carolina Muscadine
type grapes. David Fussell.
president of the farmer co
operative that launched
Duplin Wine Cellars in 1972,
said last week.
North Carolina went le
gally dry Jan. 1, 1909. end
ing a thriving wine industry.
10 years before the 18th
amendment (the national
prohibition amendment) was
ratified. Prior to 1909 the
state was a major wine
producer with the largest
winery in the nation located
at Aberdeen.
A 1979 change in North
Carolina law legalized com
mercial brandy distillation.
In that year. Duplin Wine
Cellars began experimenting
with brandy production from
Muscadine-tvpe grapes, ac
cording to D.J. Fussell.
father of David.
The co-op plans to bottle
about 3.000 gallons of brandy
this year. "It takes five
gallons of our wine to make
one gallon of brandy." David
Fussell noted. "It takes
about 20 pounds of grapes to
make a gallon of wine,"
Thus, if the winery^distills
3.000. gallons* of brand, a
year from 15.000 gallons of
wine, it would use about
500.000 pounds or150 tons of
grapes for this purpose.
The brandy bottled this
week at the winery has been
aged two years in glass
lined stainless steel tanks.
The tank openings must be
securely locked, according to
federal regulations. The
bottled brandy must be
stored in a special, secure
warehouse approved by state
and federal inspectors. No
other product may be stored
in the brandy storage area.
An odd twist in this busi
ness. David Fussell observ
ed. is that the federal and
state governments make
more money from it than the
producers. "Out of a 1.000
gallon tank of brandy, the
state will receive $10,000 and
the federal government
$10,000 in excise tax." he
added.
D.J. Fussell said the
winery will remain relatively
small, compared with the
national firms, but he hopes
acceptance of the tradi
tionally flavored brandy and
w ider acceptance of its Mus
cadine varietal wines will
enable it to steadily increase
output and need for more
grape* from area growers.
[lie winery doubled its
capacity last year ? from
40,',')Q gallons in 1980 to
80 MO in 1981. It is a.idit-i
idiw ai 4^)0
capacity this year with in
stallation of .four 22,500
gallon tanks.
It crushed 350 tons of
grapes last year. David
Fussell said he hopes to
crush 700 tons this year. Jim
Warren of the state depart
ment of agriculture esti
mated North Carolina
growers will produce about
5.500 tons of Muscadine
grape varieties, mostly
Carlos, Magnolia and Scup
pernong this year.
The first distilling is pro
viding brandy of traditional
flavor. David Fussell said.
"We felt-it would have better
initial acceptance than the
distinctive Muscadine grape
flaywitK*/' he added. He
"siild it scored high in its' price
class in taste tests. "Tradi
tionalists don't appreciate
Muscadine or Scuppernong
flavor." he said. "It's dis
tinctive to this region. We
plan to make a fruity, old
time Scuppernong brandy
though."
The first case of brandy
will be presented to the
North Carolina Alocholic
Beverage Control Commis
sion. which would be the
brandy's only North Carolina
purchaser.
Chinquapin Student
Receives NCCU Grant
Seven North Carolina stu
dents at N.C. Centra! Uni
versity have been selected to
receive National Alumni
Scholarships from the NCCU
Alumni Association.
Reviving one of the
scholarships this vear is
Sophia R. Kenan of Chin
quapin, daughter of Helen G.
Kenan.
Marijuana Find
Duplin County Sheriff's
Department deputies up
footed 250 full-grown mari
juana plants from a field near
Charity Crossroads. Duplin
drug officers stated the
plants were 8 to II-feet tall
and on the retail market
would be valued from $300 to
$400 per stalk, making a total
value of around $70,000.
The plants were pulled up,
carried to the county landfill,
burned, and the ashes
buried. The matte'- :s still
under investigation.
Ellenberg Named Red Cross
Fund Campaign Manager
PHYLLIS ELLENBERG
At the annual meeting of
ihe Dunlin County chapter ot
the American Red Cross held
in June, Mrs. Phyllis Ellen
berg was appointed 1982
Fund campaign manager.
Mrs. Ellenberg was bom
in Martinsville, Va. where
she received her early edu
i ?'
cation, but she attended
college in North Carolina at
East Carolina University in
Greenville, majoring in,psy
chology. She complete'd her
Master's degree in clinical
psychology there. She
opened her office in the
Duplin Medical Association
Building in Warsaw in July
of this year. She is practicing
under the supervision of
Goldsboro psychologist, Dr\
Victor Mallenbaum. During
flie past two years, Mrs.
EUenberg worked under the
direction of Dr. E.J. Ramar
at the Duplin County Mental
Health Center in Kenansville
as an adult therapist and
later as director of children's
services. * ^ ?
Mrs. Ellenburg and her
husband, Ben, have two
sons, Brian, 19. and Mark,
14. They have been active in
the Warsaw Junior High
School Boosters Club and
Other community work. Now
l ? ? .
she is trying to help the
Duplin County Red Cross
reach its campaign quota of
$6.00 this fall and needs
some more volunteer help in
the various communities.
Volunteers so far are: Rose
Swain for Warsaw, Hazel
Williams for Sarecta; Hilda
Grace Smith for Smiths,
Pannie Rhodes for Cabin,
and Mrs. J.W. Smith for
Hallsville.
Oil Painting Class
For Senior Citizens
The Duplin County Senior
Center in KenansvMle. is
i sponsoring an oil. painting
cla*' on Friday, mornings
from "9" ? 12, for all senior
?'-citizens Come join in and
? paint some lovely pictures.
Betty Williams, sponsored
by James Sprunt Technical
College, will be instructing
the class. The Center is
looking forward to seeing
you. Registration is now in
progress.
One Man Art Show
Robert !" ' -"ill have a
one-man *.i hdw at the Rose
Hill library during the
month of September. A
J
reception Will be he|d at the
Library September II; from 3
to 5 p.m. Twenty-four paint;
ings will be on exhibit.
.'y .
WARSAW'S CABLE TV BEING RFADIED - beasley
Cable TV workmen Don Wells and James Taylor are
tracing a trouble-spot on fhe power supply .unit at the
corner of Gum and Chelly Street in Warsaw. Construction
installation supervisor Roger Conatser stated the area
between North Pine and Gum Streets from Dudley Street
to Hill SWfeet woufd have cable TV installed in the homes
this week. Most of the cable is buried; however, some is to,
be on utility poles. That to be put on the poles is the
hold-up at the present time, according to the teport given
the Warsaw Town Board in August. The bottd awarded
the cable TV company an extension of 45 day or until
September 23rd to have the system completed.
i