Opinion Page
*rt If am MI
mr HKUiM^Vi
Edward M. Sweatl and Carol)
Edward M. Sweat I
Susan I'slier
Rnlin Aduins & Doug Hutter
Johnny Craig
Christine Ballon ,,,,,,
Cecelia Gore & Susan Barefo
Tnmmie Galloway & Doroth;
Robert Williams
Brenda Clemmons
Connie Sprinkle
Clyde and Mnttie Stout. IM101
Page 4-A
XL!. I- XX _
i Rio i5 TOUT
To Speak A
This is your chance, it
while?your chance to tell th
here ana that there's sometl
about it.
Or, if you can possibly be
need to hear from you also.
This opportunity has com
for many groups to get the
there's still time to act, to sp
Tonight (Thursday) at 7 \
sioners are holding a meeting
last week as an official "p
county's litter problem. The 1
Assembly Building at the 1
Center. Guest speaker will t
Onslow Clean County and
Beautiful Inc., the nationa
Jacksonville group is affiliat
11/1 ?- - 4?
i7z years agu, ai wnicn lime
back and speak to community
local interest in starting a c
parently this is that return vi
A lot of private individu
working quietly on the count
forts are generally in the na
streets and in specific neighb
Few of the groups are w
one organization typically d
planned. It doesn't have to be
explain tonight.
It doesn't matter that son
mit publicly that Brunswick
those of us who drive the road
ter. It does matter that c<
recognized the importance of
public image and to its citize
As it addresses other c
disposal, Brunswick County i
for dealing with litter: An or
inform the public; to recogni:
ing up and beautifying the em
community; and to provide th
dinate the efforts of indiv
business and government.
You can help county c
pressing a problem litter
whether the county is going t(
problem.
Those who can't make tor
just call?their commissione
record regarding litter. Ad<
County Commissioners, P.O.
LETTERS TC
Who Should You
To the editor:
As a resident and taxpayer ol
Brunswick County, I must say thai
our county commissioners and coun
ty department heads are very un
professional and discourteous tc
their constituents and residents.
After numerous letters and phone
calls, never has anyone had the
courtesy to return a call or reply by
mail.
It is a sad day for all Brunswick
residents to have these types represent
us and work for our county. Do
they know who they work for? Do
they remember who elected them? I
guess not!
If you have a problem, who should
| how to si
j THE BRUIM5V
POST OFFICE B
SHALLOTTE. N
For Award-Winni
ANNUAL SUESCRirTiGN R/
In Brunswick County
Elsewhere in North Carolina
Outside North Carolina
Complete And Rctu
Nome
Address
I City, State
I Zip
J
jfe
HTKmiiiaCCM
m-mrmm pv) IV wmmB *?! ? J
n II. Sural! I'uhlishors
Editor s
\'eics Editor s
Stuff Writers a
Sports Editor
Vfun
- ? " IJ
ot. .Advertising Representatives s
Itrrnnmi Typesetters j
I'ressntan
Photo Technician t
Assistant I'rossmun
i*Im' Clemmons Circulation j,
I
Thursday, March 24,1988 ?
!
v-iiunCe
t
Litter Bit
laybe the only one for a long
e county that litter is a problem
tiing county government can do
lieve litter is not a problem, they
e up rather suddenly, too quickly
word out among members. But
eak out, as concerned citizens.
).m. Brunswick County Commisdescribed
in an advertisement
ublic hearing"?concerning the
learing will be held in the Public
Brunswick County Government
ie Sarah Humphries, director of
a trainer for Keep America
1 organization with which the
ed. She spoke to commissioners
they promised to have her come
r groups, with the idea of gauging
ountywide anti-litter effort. Ap- j
isit.
als and community groups are
y's litter problem, but these efture
of clean-ups along specific
orhoods.
orking together; partly because
oesn't know what another has
that way, as Ms. Humphries will
le county officials won't even adCounty
has a "litter problem;"
s and walk the beaches know bet)unty
officials to date haven't
litter as it relates to the county's
ns' self-image.
oncerns regarding solid waste
leeds also a long-term approach
igoing campaign to educate and
ze those who work toward clean/ironment;
to help instill pride in
le leadership needed to help cooriduals,
schools, organizations,
ommissioners decide just how ?y_
is in Brunswick County?and
) take the lead in addressing that
light's meeting should write?not
r(s) immediately and go on the v
Iress your letter to Brunswick f
Box 248, Bolivia, NC 2B422.
e
b
> THE EDITOR
e
Contact For Help? *
you contact for help and
f direction ... I guess not our elected s
t or county officials.
Dick Gibson, President
Carolina Shores North
i Home Owners AssociaUon
c
Time For Move a
To the editor: ?
Have had a good winter in Florida J3
and enjoyed our Beacon every week
as usual. Now it is time to hnaH homo
to North Carolina. Please change the s
address on our subscription from
"Sunshine Key" back to Holden
Beach.
James&RuihAthey
Holden Beach C(
01
JBSCRIBE TO
VICK&BEACON I I
OX 2558 i ni
ORTH CAROLINA 28459 j
ng News Ccverage i ^
i I tb B T MAIL: Sr.Citiien
7.50 6.50 I
10 00 9.00
.. 12.50 11.50 S<
b(
rn To Above Address 1 g(
! b<
tii
! ct
J h<
4.
! Bel
The practice field of West
Irunswick's hunter safety team was
ny destination iwo weekends ago.
After writing a story on the team
ind the Wildlife Commission hunter
afety program in general, 1 needed
in action photo to go with it.
So I drove out Old Shallotte Road
for the first time in my life) and,
imazingly enough, found what I was
?c..
inmiug IUI .
When I first arrived, the archery
earn was practicing.
To say the least, my previous exleriences
in archery were quite
imited. Although I had witnessed
ome fancy shooting at the
Jrunswick Big Buck Archery Shoot
ust one short week before, my personal
relationship with bow and arow
had never really gotten off the
{round.
Like most of the kids I grew up with
n suburban Philadelphia, I didn't
SOMEDAY we mi
Tak
One of my pet peeves is having to
ment office, ba
* ?'
cauauuaiuuuiii Wl
<h \ "take a number"
-} and sit to wait yi
nji|.i ijffj mT* | vice- Il's no' the
for often it is fun
* P^e and to speculi
f$&Ur*r problems might b
|hH|/ most to the imper
mHHP it doesn't mattei
name, I become
in line!
Recently I was thinking abot
beaches can become and how recrs
can become overrun with people. I <
happens, we will have to wait in our c
park, and, then, take a number in ord
to a place on the sandy shore. It is aL
in places like New York, Atlantic
California and South Florida. Our ni
BlackWhen
you think of wild flowers,
i'hai fie wer pops info your mind
irst?
For me, it's the tail, cheerful blackyed
Susan?and not just because we
ave our name in common. As a
hild, the borders of the fields beside
ur house south of Shallotte were fillet
with these sun-loving flowers. Mv
isters and I would pick them for
craggly-looking bouquets, stuffing
hem into the brown ceramic jug that
tood on the maple bookcase,
erhaps adding a few of the tiny,
jng-stemmed bluets that seemed to
lways be in bloom at the same time.
And black-eyed Susans were exellent
choices for playing "He loves
le, he loves me not," as we tore
way one showy yellow petal after
nother. I>eft was what appeared to
e a dark center, but which was realf
a cluster of many tiny flowers,
ater, there would be seed?like
Linflower seed, but a lot smaller. I
Time
I don't know why, but for the past
Duple of weeks, I've had old friends
n my mind a lot and one in parcular.
Maybe it's the sight of buds and
lossoms on a clear, cool morning;
le sound of crickets, tree frogs and
juntless other little boogers at
glit; or just the sweet smell of sprgtime
in the air that reminds me of
iy pal.
It doesn't take much prompting to 1
:t most folks to come see me, maindue
to the natural beauty of the i
tilth Brunswick Island's splendid I
laches. But a visit from this one '
>od, old buddy?who I'd think would 1
: champing at the bit for a vaca- '
3n?is long overdue. 1
I imagine he's been kind of preocipied
lately, though, with Easter I
ght around the corner. Although 1
i's busy year-round, his job really 1
lieve !t Was E
have much experience shooting a
bow.
A couple of us did have those Chief
Sitting Bull Bows. You know, the kind
that shoot plastic arrows and break
after two days of wear and tear.
But you couldn't really consider
anyone in my neighborhood a threat
with one of those things. Half the
time the arrow went backwards or
only flew 10 feet.
And the big foam target we aimed
for barely had a scratch when it was
finally stowed away in the bowels of
y have to "take a number" to enjoy 01
e A Numbc
BY BILL FAVER
wait in a govern- bably be good for
-:?:i?
mi, in annual move aiong 10 rnai
here you must numbers. Such a
and sit and sit realm of possibiliti
mir turn for sor~ Nmnbsrs won!
wait I object to, places and the mc
to watch the peo- tional seashores. 1
ite on what their tional Seashore in
e. I think I object ed assemblage of
sonal treatment; and other large cit
r that I have a lottery?buy a num
the next number the beach!
Let's just hope
it how crowded we will be sparet
national facilities treatments as hav
ixpect when that beautiful beaches.
:ars for a place to alone. We need to'
ler to gain access provided and adei
most to this point care for those wh
: City, Southern "take a number"
imber would pro- bureaucrats!
Eyed Susans
Susan
Usher *
ItMIAd -i
iicvci uicu iu tai vjiiu, cia iijulii eta we
loved sunflower seed.
This spring, it was exciting to learn
that the black-eyed Susan has been
named the state's "Wild Flower of
the Year" by the North Carolina
Botanical Garden and The Garden
Club of North Carolina Inc. They and
garden clubs across the state will be
promoting black-eyed Susans for
cultivation in home gardens and
landscapes during the coming year.
And the Eggert household is doing its
part.
For A Visit F
W* \ m
teeps him hopping this time of year.
His name is G.H. Rabbit, and he
ivnrks as thp masrnt?err mm.
nunications specialist?for my
lometown's frequent anti-litter campaigns.
His initials stand for "Good
Habit," but he prefers "G.H."
aecause it sounds more professional.
He's so popular there that his picture
is on every garbage can
iowntown. I expect him to nin for
mayor someday, and he'll probably
leginners' Luc
our basement. In fact, those arrows
probably did more damage to the
blades of my father's riding
lawnmower than the target.
Anyhow, after snapping some pictures
of the archery squad in action,
we all packed up and headed out to
the skeet shooting range.
Now if you can imagine my
knowledge being very limited in the
litle of archery, believe thai it was
almost non-existent when it came to
skeet.
The only thing I knew about skeet
shooting was that you yelled "Pull!"
when you wanted a skeet to take off.
(I never understood why that one
word induced those birds to fly, but I
urnn 1 r\ hoim folt otimSrl ?w-lr;?
uuuiu nm?rem?stojnuciaiwiif;
anyone.)
I did learn two things about the
sport by watching the first person
shoot. First of all, those skeet fly a lot
slower than I thought. And second of
PHOTO BY Bill PAVIR
ir natural areas.
?r!
only a few hours, so that we might
;e room for those who had the next
horrid thought is not outside the
es.
Id probably bs rccjuircd for such
>st popular national parks and naThe
vastness of Cape Hatteras Nawinter
could become an overcrowdrefuges
from Washington, Norfolk
ies. Maybe it would even become a
iber and hope you can win a place on
t this never comes to be! Hope that
i such crowds and such inhuman
ing io "take a number" to use our
But we need to do more than hope
work to see that adequate areas are
[juate facilities are constructed to
o come to our beaches. Leave the
approach to the offices and the
Are Perennic
Some Rudbeckia fuleida seeds are
already coming up in a small flat in
thp ess! window, snd will soon be
ready to move outside. With luck,
there will be bright, tall yellow
flowers blooming behind the silverdust
for years to come.
And last Wednesday, a longawaited
envelope from the Botanical
Garden arrived, with a brochure and
a small packet of seed. Free seed.
Three kinds of black-eyed Susan
seed to keep the garden bright from
midsummer through fall: Rudbeckia
hirta, the native black-eyed Susan of
my childhood, and the more civilized
Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii?the
official Wildflower of the
Year, and some R. fulgida var.
fulgida tossed in for a longer growing
season.
Maybe, with plants in our gardens,
those gaily-waving flowers along the
roadside won't seem quite so temprom
G.H. Ral
win?as long as he doesn't get overconfident
about his many ac/>nmnlioKr?nn?n
!?.*
vv.,.Iuu>iuiku? uuu ici someone
overtake him in the mayoral race.
He especially has a way with kids.
They turn out in droves whenever
"Hoppy," as they fondly call him,
makes an appearance at a city park.
They're only a little less excited
when he visits them at school.
Hoppv's main duty is to instil! community
pride in folks of all ages. He
wants them to be proud of their
town's and county's appearance. But
he also works hard at simply reminding
people where to toss their trash.
He's the first to admit that it's a
never-ending battle to fight litter,
and he would probably agree that
Brunswick is a good example of a
county that may be winning some
battles but is losing the war.
Over the past couple of weeks, I've
If
<1 \
all, those guns are a lot louder than I
thought.
After 1 had taken a few more pictures,
Wildlife Enforcement Officer
Fred Taylor asked me if 1 wanted to
take a shot.
Almost instantly, I flipped back
through the pages of my memory,
frantically searching for seme moment
in histoiy when I had expcricnccd
anything similar to
shooting skeet.
I came across a few times when I
had fired a friend's B.B. gun. But
those targets were just sitting there
asking to be hit, and I was never very
good at that anyway.
I also recalled that 1 had been in
my share of water pistol fights. But
innn ;u?;iin T cjiiiih niif r?n thp
end of those more often than not.
And after watching various
members of the skeet team shoot
down five in a row or take out two at
the same time, I was somewhat intimidated.
I guess I'm like most people
in that I don't relish the thought of
making a fool out of myself.
I politely declined the offer, but
had this strange feeling I wasn't going
to get out of it that easily.
1 was right.
A few minutes later, Fred pulled
the ear plugs from his head, picked
up a rifie and glanced my way with
the funniest grin on his face.
"Come over here, Doug," he said.
It was too late to back out now. The
team members started hootin' and
hollcrin' and there was absolutely
nothing I could do. I was doomed. I
was destined to look like an idiot.
Tentatively, I put down my camera
bag. (For a moment, I thought of
jumping inside it. But that would
have been the wimpy way out, and I
didn't want anyone comparing me to
George Push.)
Before I knew it, Fred had placed
an unloaded rifle in position and we
were taking aim on a real live skeet.
After the trial run, he ioaaea the
gun and again placed it in the crook
of my shoulder so the kick wouldn't
knock me over.
Then, in the space of about two
seconds, my whole life changed.
Everything came in flashes. I took a
deep breath, >elled "Pull," watched
the skeet fly about 50 feet, gradually
got a lino on it, squeezed the trigger,
felt the kick, tried to focus my eyes
and asked if 1 hit it. Yes.
I can only describe the feeling as
utter astonishment bordering on
disbelief. It was like the feeling you
might get if you were blindfolded and
threw a basketball behind your back
from half court and nailed it three
times in a row.
I was so amazed that i wasn't even
excited about it. The only words I
managed to get out were, "That was
a real thrill."
One team member remarked that I
had good form, and I had to laugh. I
believe it was just a case of
beginner's luck.
al Hit
tine to stOD anrl nirlf?nr Hin
The sponsors call it "conservation
through propagation."
You, too, can plant your own blackeyed
Susans, courtesy of these two
sponsors. Write to "1988 Wild Flower
of the Year," North Carolina
Botanical Garden, University of
North Carolina, Totten Center 457A,
Chapel Hill, NC 27514, or call
(919)967-2246. Enclose a selfaddressed
legal size stamped
envelope. Additional seed are
available for special projects, such
as community beautification efforts,
parks and the like.
Don't drag your feet: Response to
the 1988 wild flower project has been
so positive that, as of February 1988,
5,000 free seed packets and brochures
with information on cultivation and
germination havp hpon
_ U(dM IUUICU.
What a nice idea. And, as the
garden folks say, "Good growing."
bbit
noticed that in many parts of
Brunswick County it's hard to appreciate
the wonder of spring simply
because highway trash is a more
overwhelming sight than the trees
and flowers that are blossomine.
U.S. 17 and other heavily-traveled
highways here often look more like
obstacle courses than roads when the
pavement is littered with cardboard
KnvOC nnnnr Ko??o on/4
WW>??r?| J/MJ/V.I WUgd, Ul Uin VUlltl UIIU
refuse in general. I'd rather dodge 10
dead 'possums than one bottle or can.
Dead 'possums don't roll around in
the road, and they're biodegradable
besides.
Hoppy probably won't appreciate
that remark, having had more than
his share of close calls while crossing
the road to pick up litter. But as he
always says, "It's a dirty job, but
somebody's gotta do it."