PAGE 2
1 THE YANCEY JOURNAL AUGUST IS, 1974
apd (
[l*ff|plr 'v ■ of SOUTHERN APPAL $» 111 A
with Rogrrs Whila-nt-r i
5. v '
As promised in last week’s
column, Curtis Duckworth’s
letter reflecting his experiences
with and observations about
snakes is continued in the
Folk-Ways column.
“I believe that no extensive
research has been undertaken to
study the behavior of snakes.
There is no set pattern as to how
snakes behave. They are so
Lcttst To
The Httor ©i^gp
I
y Dear Editor:
On behalf of the officers, directors and members of the Yancey
County Chamber of Commerce I wish to take this means of
expressing deep appreciation for the fine spirit of cooperation which
prevailed throughout the weeks of preparation and during the Youth
Jamboree and the Craft Festival. It was because of this that these
events were a success even in spite of the rainy weather.
Many people devoted much time and effort to making the
Jamboree mid Festival successful, and while It is impossible to
name each separately, attention is called to the diligent work done
by James Byrd, who coordinated both events. Others whose
assistance was outstanding include Radio Station WKYK, The
Yancey Journal, the Town officials and employees, the men who
worked at the barbecue pit, the ladles who served the food and
worked at concession stands, Grace Banks, Secretary, the
Burnsville Police Department, and others. Thank you one and all.
J. O. Shepard, President
YANCEY COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
BACK-TO-SCHOOL SAVINGES
Iv .nw aw as as ax or as ass .as
LISTERINE
a Antiseptic
J3L USTEmNE
14 oz
pyst «•* *.39
WM SURE
Regular or
[ Unscented
- $1»
f!!©P~HReg. $1.75 *
NEW from
50*Cash Refund
u FREE
I m LOVE-KNOT
RING with
Purchase of
Johnson's
Baby Oil
JgL 10 Oz.
C—j) Reg. $1.59
6 *1 19
IPOLLARD’SI
| Drug Store I
[|l Burnsville Phone 682-2146 M
stupid that sometimes they
forget to hibernate, and freeze
to death.
“A Rattler for instance has
strong instincts towards his
common enemy the King snake.
Yet in many cases will disregard
man completely and crawl right
past him as will ;he King snake
and Copperhead. Other snakes
show marked fears of man, and
will get lost quick. A Black
s — am. am .as am am — jb. as.—as -or .
11 SCOPE U
r\ 20* OFF Ini
Re $- $1 19 II
fcrvjß si.Bs a nn
a ALBERTO BN
CULVER
CONDITIONER
8 OZ. BALSAM CONDITIONER MU
kincßYt) REG -. SUPER CONDITIONING, Plfl
jjgjgjjj EXTRA BODY FORMULAS. ill
Reg. $1.49 QQt I
J oz. 99 M
PH YUCCA M
DEW U
, ppv shampoo in
i N ° rmai m
I
JOHNSON’S i
.v baby U
POWDER HI
14 Oz. Qfl
g * M
Reg. $1.29 UU
jjo&nacn* nil
I
Racer will chase a man if he
runs; and run from him if he’s
chased. Snakes have strange
habits, because they’re so
stupid, they just exist from day
to day.
“As for all the different tales
about snakes, some of them are
figments of peoples imagina
tion; some are true. A snake is
psychic in that he will respond
according to your response. I
have been bitten by a Copper
head and once by a Timber
Rattler. The bite of the
Copperhead is very painful and
highly toxic, whereas the
Timber Rattler only caused
some swelling, fever and I
vomited once. Though I am now
immune to their poison, I’d
venture to say that the
Copperhead and Cottonmouth
Water Moccasin are the most
venomous of the three type pit
vipers; though a large Dia
mondback has more poison,
he’s less dangerous. Cotton
mouths have been known to
attack in droves when their
territory is encroached upon. A
Timber Rattler won’t run from
nothing, but won’t bite you till
you mess with him. Same is true
with the Diamondback, though
they coil up only as a defensive
measure when confronted with
man.
“Copperheads will conceal
themselves and if you tread near
W
mM/t
- ■
his perch he’ll then bite; but
most often he’ll try to get away
from you until he’s in a comer.
Copperheads are psychic in that
they sense any fear or threat.
Children, being naive, have
handled them without being
bitten.
“I had a big black and white
Newfoundland dog, and they
make perfect snake dogs. They
love to seek out snakes and sling
them. They’re intelligent dogs,
also, and will find a snake for
you and hold him at bay til you
can get him.
“One thing I do know about
Black Snakes for sure, they
hibernate late: than other
snakes, either out of stupidity or
they absorb more heat to last
them longer!
“Do you by chance know of
any books I could purchase on
me habits of snakes, the various
sub-species and so forth?
Though I’m familiar with
snakes, they always hold my
interest. From my own observa
tion and from others it will be
concluded that snakes are
strange because they are very
dumb. If we were made to crawl
on our bellies all the time we
wouldn’t know where we was at
half the time either. After all
they can only see a small portion
above ground level, plus they
are deaf, have poor circulation,
and the only usable extremity is
their mouth.
“Occasionally they’ll use
their tails to whip at something
(as the Rattler uses as a
defensive measure against the
King snake). This is of little use.
Snakes are not adaptable to
extremes in climate, and are
poorly equipped in every way.
They’re stupid, and they are
despised by everything and
everybody. Their survival is a
miracle in itself compared to
some mammals their size. They
live a long time. Biologists and
etc. claim the snake is the oldest
of all land animals. I can’t figure
out how he has managed to
survive through all of this!? ,
“I’ve killed many snakes
myself, though 1 have lost no
sleep over them. People always
tend to kill snakes on sight,
more especially the pouenou;
ones. Still 1 doubt that there is
much fear of immediate extinc
tion, yet as man is encroaching
more and more on the wilder
ness these dumb pit-vipers will
undoubtedly upset the balance
of Nature. People who are bitten
by these snakes usually have
themselves to blame by care
lessness, or by deliberately
provoking these snakes. Snakes
are of little danger to human
life, so if people would let them
be, the snakes won’t bother
them except in a few instance!
of the Cottonmouth. And thei
only when one is wading
through his creek bed am
threatening his territory.
“I myself consider all snake
in this country harmless, wit
the exception of the Cora
snake, and I’ve never seen one
except in a book and wouldn’t
be able to distinguish him from
a scarlet King snake if I saw
him.
“Snakes were a useii!
livelihood for me in my youti,
and I still hold them in hi;h
regard.”
Please address all materal
to Rogers Whitener, Folk-Wgm
and Folk Speech, Box 3’6,
University Station, Boone, NC.
28608.
THE YANCEY JOURNAL
Bax 667
Bmsville, N.C. 26711
Ed Yiziuk—Pnblisher
Carolyn Yastak-Editor
Patsy Randolph - Manage
Hubl'tihod Every Thursday
Hy
| Twin Cities Publishing to.
2nd Class Postage Pai
At Barasvllle, N.C.
I Thursday, August 15, 191
' Number 33
Sabacriptioa Rates By Mil;
| Is Yaacey County
One Year *4.1
Sli Months *3.6
I
Out of County or State
One Year *B.O
| Six Months *5.0
i *
B wf 1 IBBwL
nr K© 4mm- t vmmmaKsL. Kwai : -’ %
S a ” I ini
l :m m mm. BifJSi- M
I - mwmSß
I i i
- -
I
m ■ m % pl§p l|i|j
Hensley Recieves Nursing Certificate
Army Nurse [Captain] Nellie L. Hensley [right], daughter of Mrs. Mark A. Hensley of Route 4,
Burnsville completed a Clinical Nurse Course at Mirtin Army Hospital, Ft. Benning, Georgia.
Presenting the Certificate and congratulating her is Col. Cesar Lopez, Acting Commander, Medical
Department Activity. Capt. Hensley completed an intensive training period of lectures and practical
work in health care teachings. Then she worked in various wards within the hospital and outpatient
clinic. The training is designed to prepare clinical nurses to relieve doctors of selected tasks and to
provide continuing nursing care and health counseling.
Playhouse Crew Gets Ovation
[Cont’d from page 1]
occasional run to the hospital
because of a head gash suffered
by someone who failed to hear
the familiar call “Heads up!”
when a pipe or drop was
lowered or when a wrench or
screw driver slipped from the
hands of someone working
above the stage. Now all are
only memories.
The dormitory across the
street is strangely quiet, just as
the Playhouse is. The thirty-six
students from thirteen states
and representing fourteen dif
ferent colleges and universities
and the thirteen staff members
have packed their luggage and
returned to their Fall and
Winter activities. The students
are academically seven semes
ter hours closer to graduation
because of their work at
Yancey Youths In Dairy Show
Three Yancey County youths participated in the 4-H Junior Dairy Show Tuesday, August 6. Those
showing a calf were Janet Ray, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Ray; Tammy Higgins, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Estel Higgins; and Sammy Thomas, son of Mr. and Mrs. S. F. Thomas. Each of the
contestants received a ribbon and a check for $15.00. Janet Ray also received a Blue Ribbon for
showmanship and an additional $5.00 prize. The prize money for the show was provided by Spartan
Grain and Mills Company and by Deyton Farm Supply. Mr. Morris McAllister, Assistant Agricultural
Extension Agent for Madison County, judged the calves.
NOTICE ** * *
AT THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS
SATURDAY. SEPT 14-, 1974. WE
WILL DISCONTINUE TOPVALUE
STAMPS IN OUR BURNSVILLE
STORE.WE URGE YOU TO FILL
VOUR SAVER BOOKS EYHIiSDATE.
'lftf'*, 4„ INGLES MARKETS
r * Burnsville alc.
Parkway Playhouse. For six
weeks they attended classes in
Problems in Directing, Prob
lems in Scenic Design, two
courses in Acting In Summer
Theatre, Stagecraft and Stage
Makeup, as well as Applied
Summer Theatre where the
grade is determined by the
quality of the work done by the
student on the six productions
during the season.
Parkway Playhouse *:as en
'ded its twenty-eighth season
and, as the students and the
staff would say, “It was
golden!” Yes, it was great, but
without the staunch support of
the people of Burnsville, it
might not have been. So to the
residents of Burnsville, Parkway
Playhouse says thank you
th ank you for having us as a part
of your lovely community this
summer-thank you for support
ing the Playhouse and (jks
productions-thank you for your
kindnesses and generosities.
Thank you for everything.
In ten months the curtains
will open and the lights will go
up on a new season. Some faces
will be familiar and others will
be new, but the patrons of
Parkway Playhouse can be
certain of one thing-the new
shows will be fine and exciting
shows, even better than before.
Until that time, C.F. “Pete”
Raby and Lauren K. “Woody”
Woods, Managing Directors,
and the staff and company of
Parkway Playhouse again say,
“Thank you, Burnsville! We
have enjoyed our two months
here. So, until next year and our
twenty-ninth season ”
I Mayland
I Tech Holds
| Graduation
| [Cont’d from page 1]
I graduates. These degrees and
I graduates are!
I Business Administration
I (Associate in Applied Science
Degree): Herman Guy Buchan-
I an, Leroy E. Bishop, Larry D.
Carpenter, Billy Ray Goforth,
Donald Hensley, Frank Lee
Johnson, David Lee Moore,
Harold Glenn Penland, Sherrill
Pittman and Sharon Watson.
Executive Secretarial (As
sociate In Applied Science
Degree): Miranda Whitson Ho
neycutt, Anna Lou Robinson,
I and Deborah Jean Robinson.
Automotive Mechanics (Di
ll ploma): Donald Gene Blevins,
[ Stephen A. Bretan, Tony
Michael Crowder, David Leroy
Fisher, Richard Edwin Jenkins,
James C. Miller, Dale Lanster
Osborne, William T. Pauley,
and Danny Joe Silver.
Diesel Mechanics (Diploma):
James C. Miller.
Child Care Worker (Di
ploma): Betsy Foulk, Shirley
Irene Franklin and Cathy
Marguerite McKinney.
Electrical Installation and
Maintenance (Diploma): Robert
Ray Bennett, Billy Aaron
Buchanan, Clyde D. Dellinger,
David D. Greene, Harold E.
Hughes, Allen E. Ingwersen,
Nathan Hugh Mottem, Donald
Reeves, Cecil Rice, Archie Lee
Wright, Garrett B. Yelton and
Robert F. Young.
Light Construction (Diplo
ma): Charles Wayne Brewer,
Jimmy Lee Byrd, Raymond R.
Cantrell, Bob Freeman, Joe
Freeman, Daniel W. Fox,
Randal H. Hall, Robert Stanley j
Hollifield, George Ingram, Roy I
A Laughrun, Guy Edward I
Miller, Terry Michael Miller,
Vernon J. Presnell, David Ray
Queen, Keith Rathbone, Jerry
Thomas, Ray Wilson and Edd J.
Young, Jr.
Practical Nurse Education |
(Diploma): Carolyn Louise Can- I
trell, Patricia Green Brock, j
Starlet Lee Differender, Nancy I
Johnson Harpold, Annie J. I
Hicks, Pamela Winters Keener, I
Sandra J. Keith, annie Borwn j
Ledlow, Jane Ann McKinney,
Wanda J. McKinney, Jana Kay©
Pate and Dee Brock Wright. I
In addition to the regulars
curriculum graduates, approxi-1
mately 100 people will be*
recognized who have completed ■
the GED or High School I
Equivalency Diploma.
A reception will be held in |
the Church Fellowship Hall I
following the Commencement 1
Exercises. The public is invited |
to attend.
Yancey i. I
Has RR
Manager
1 [Cont’d from page 1]
believe caboose cars have
j feelings.
So, an abandoned caboose
I has a new home and its wheels
will clatter over switch points
again, rock along the crooked,
riverside track of the Yancey
Railroad as it runs on the
“South Toe Rambler”, named
after the river which the track
follows. The car will be used
again on the freight trains of the
Yancey Railroad.
This mountain shortline ser
ving the Western North''Caro
lina communities of Micaville,
Bowditch and Burnsville is
featured in two national publi
cations issued for the month df
August 1974.
TRAINS Magazine, of Mil
waukee, Wisconsin, has an
article in its August issue giving
a detailed history of the line as
well as operational practises.
This magazine / appeals to the
rail historian as well as the
serious "rail-fan”, that frater
nity of people who study
railroads and their operations.
MODEL RAILROADER, of
Milwaukee, Wisconson also,
features the Yancey Railrofjd in
terms of using it as a prototype
from which to build, a model
railroad layout, probably to the
popular HO guage. This article
has constructional details so
that the intent modeler.* can
build a layout that closely
resembles the real’ Yancey
Railroad.
Copies of both magazines
may be obtained by writiiW to
Kalmbach Publishing Company,
1027 North 7th Street, Milwau
kee, Wisconsin 53233.