Page 6-A?THE BRUNSWICK BKACOP
Reunio
BY SUSAN USHER
Clarence Jones figures there
aren't too many
people his age
left to reflect on
old times But he
T " ' llKes ine iaea 01 a
f community reu.'
- nion, for he and
*wk?^ ?K? '< mcmor*es ani'
" bits of wisdom to
JONES share.
Over the July 4th weekend, the
Dark Branch native will be among
the speakers at the first reunion held
by the Dark Branch, Neck, Marsh
Branch and Old Towne communities.
"I expect we'll have a lot of
folks?maybe a thousand or more,"
Tools Stole
Assorted tools worth $2,090 were
stolen from several company trucks '
last week at the Atlantic Telephone *
Membership Corporation office near <
Shallotte. 1
According to a report on file at the
Brunswick County Sheriff's Depart- ?
i \ent, the vehicle break-ins happened '
between Friday at 5:30 p.m. and i
Saturday at 8 a.m. '
The trucks were parked in a <
fenced-in storage area at the offices
on N.C. 120 West. Entrv was gained 1
into the vehicles by prying open their 1
doors. 1
In another incident involving a 1
local business. Margaret Christy, <
owner of Trawlers Restaurant in <
Calabash, told sheriff's deputies that '
her establishment at the corner of
N.C. 179 and Ivey High Street was '*
broken into Sunday morning.
Sunday between 2:35 a.m. and
10:30 a.m., someone pried open a 1
back door to enter the building, then I
removed mainly food, wine and
change. Theft'loss was estimated at <
S502.75. i
Also, Phillip Tysinger of I^anvale
Nursery on Route 5, Leland, said i
goods were stolen from his business i
on U.S. 17. The break-in was 1
discovered last Thursday at 11 a.m. i
After cutting a fence, the thief 1
broke out the glass in a door to get in
aiuc u guia^t:, men iuuk iwo OUIll '
chainsaws, an Echo gas trimmer and
a pair of cutters, all worth $765.
Other Leland Thefts
The sheriff's department on Monday
also was investigating other
break-ins that were reported in the
Leland area.
Municipal E
Two bills whose adoption would af- <
feet two Brunswick County towns and 1
communities adjacent to them mov- ?
ed forward in the N.C. General I
Assembly this week, according to (
Rep. E. David Redwine. 1
The Senate Local Government j
Committee approved a bill that i
would allow residents of both ^
Calabash and Carolina Shores to vote i
in August 22 referendums on con- i
solidation of their communities and a
bill that would allow residents of the <
i,eianu area 10 voie on incorporaiion. I
Both bills must now go to the ]
Senate Finance Committee, then to i
the full Senate. Any amendments will <
then have to be approved by the 1
House. !
So far there is at least one such j
amendment. In action initiated by !
Sen. R.C. Soles Jr. of Tabor City, said
Redwine, the Senate committee i
amended the Leland bill, removing a
Autopsy Fai
An autopsy performed on a man
who was beaten to death near
Southport earlier this month did not
indicate which of two suspects might
have delivered the fatal blow.
Brunswick County Coroner Greg
White told the Beacon Tuesday that
the regional medical examiner's office
in Jacksonville was unable to
determine whether Earl James Pigg
Jr. died of injuries to the front or
uacK oi the head?a finding that
might have indicated which suspect
would remain charged with murder.
Ronny Paul Ballard, 31, and Jave
Varna mto\A
One of Brunswick County's
youngest and smallest towns has big
plans for its first anniversary. Varnamtown
will celebrate Founder's
Day on i,abor Day weekend this
September.
Some of the activities planned by
residents of the waterfront village on
the I.ockwood Folly River are a
parade, pageant, crafts fair, fish fry,
s\ Thursday, June 29, 1989
n Will Brine
he predicted. In his allotted 20
minutes, Jones, who didn't begin
learning the basic skills of reading
and writing until he was an adult,
wants to impress upon the young peonlo
nrpspnt thp imnnrtnnrp of ppftim*
an education.
Of the four predominantly black
communities once scattered along
N.C. 133, the "River Road" from
Leland to Southport. only Dark
Branch and Old Towne remain
familiar names.
The U.S. Army bought the land
that once comprised the Neck and
Marsh Branch communities for its
Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny
Point.
Rosa Bell McMillion and her
sister, Josev Smith, who work with
?n In Vehicle
Frank Ballard of Route 1, Leland,
reported last week that someone
stole his 1986 Chevrolet four-wheelIrive
truck from his residence on
Blue Banks Road.
The theft occurred between June 20
it 3:30 p.m. and last Wednesday at
f :30 a.m. Items in the truck included
our Stihl chainsaws and assorted
ools. The value of the vehicle and
)ther stolen property was not listed.
John Stephen Price of Route 4,
Leland, told authorities that someone
jroke into his home at the corner of
Lanvale and Bluff Roads while he
,vas at a ballgaine Friday between
5:15 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. The intruder
entered the house by breaking out a
rear window.
Stolen were two Browning 12-gauge
lutomatic shotguns, a Browning
IG-gauge automatic shotgun, a Ruger
223-caliber rifle, a Redfield scope, a
[9-inch Sanyo color television, a
Vlagnavox videocassette recorder, a
15mm AEI camera, several watches
and assorted jewelry. The property
,vas worth $4,350.
Lizzie Williams of Route 5, Leland,
eported that someone pried open a
-ear window of her house on Fletcher
Drive and stole a public address
system worth $1,200 The break-in
,vas discovered Saturday at 8 a.m.
Also, Leary Grady of Suinmerville
\ME Zion Church on Summerville
[>oop Road near Leland told the
sheriff's department that someone
broke into the church Saturday night.
The break-in happened between 6
p.m. Saturday and 8:10 a.m. Sunday.
Grady found that a side door to the
church had been kicked open. All that
Jills Advance
ilausc that barred the town of
3elville from taking steps to annex
idjoining land in the Leland area
)efore residents of that area had the
ihance to vote on the issue of incor)oration.
Redwine had included the
>roviso, he said, so that Leland
esidents could vote on the issue
vithout using Belville's immediate
ntentions as arguments for or
igainst incorporation.
The Leland Civic Association laun:hed
a community-wide incorporaion
movement in reaction to
Belville's announced intentions
?arlier this year of annexing a chunk
jf Iceland's business district and a
large residential area. An effort by
Redwine to work a compromise such
as consolidation of the communities
failed, but Belville has since
retreated in its position. Mayor Kenneth
Messer, who owns some of the
property in question said the town in
Is To Point C
Ronald McCowan, 28, both of Smith
Mobile Home Park off N.C. 211 near
Southport, were charged with
murder in connection with the June
10 beating death. Pigg also was a
resident of the mobile home park.
According to the Brunswick County
Sheriff's Department, the death
followed a brawl that began outside
Pigg's residence involving the victim
and Ballard. Ballard allegedly struck
Pigg in the face with a stick and
wooden two-by-four during the fight.
The struggle ended inside
m Making Bi
Sunday afternoon gospel and country
music songfest, competitive games
and a weeklong fishing contest.
The parade will be held Saturday,
September 2, and both commercial
and non-profit entries are now being
accepted, said parade chairman
Marlene Varnam. Non-profits enter
for free; the cost for business entries
is $10 each.
i
4
I Memories
Jones at Orton Plantation,
remember what it was like to live in
those two communities. But, they
pointed out in a recent interview,
that's not the case with the young
people whose parents and greatgrandparents
were born and reared
in these communities. They'd like to
help change that, this weekend.
Aicr we nad to leave on about
1953)," recalled 70-year-old Mrs.
McMillion, "people went
everywhere, from Baltimore to
California." Manv of them haven't
seen each other since or met their
own kin: the older ones have since
"passed on."
One of the displanted, Robert
Karl Parker, ended up in Virginia, a
career educator who will soon retire.
Break-Ins
was stolen was a telephone from the
niislnr'c clnrlv
Other Break-Ins
Charles Ray Evans of Lumberton
told officers that someone broke into
the garage at his residence in the
Sunset Harbor community. The incident
occurred between Friday night
and 1 p.m. Saturday.
An Evinrude 25-horsepower boat
motor and Hummingbird fish finder
were stolen from the garage. Theft
loss was placed at $3,400. Damage to
a door was estimated at $250.
Mary B. Bordeaux of Winnabow
said her home off N.C. 87 East near
U.S. 17 was entered between last
Wednesday and Sunday at noon. The
intruder entered through a rear
sliding glass door.
Reported stolen were assorted
jewelry, a push lawn mower, a
Poulan chainsaw and a tape player.
The property was worth $1,987.
Judith Slultz Vernon of Axton, Va.,
told authorities that someone broke
into her father's vacation home and a
storage building in Ocean Trails II
subdivision.
The break-in happened between
May 19 and 5:30 a.m. Friday.
Nothing was taken from the home:
assorted tools worth $410 were
removed from the storage building.
Corey Reaves reported that someone
forced open a window and
entered the Ruth F. Reaves
residence on U.S. 17 near Bolivia between
June 11 and Sunday.
A microwave oven, console television,
videocassette recorder and cordless
telephone were stolen. Value of
the items was not listed.
In Senate
April decided to consider only those
businesses or areas where the property
owners wish to be annexed.
In advancing the amendment,
Soles noted that in the past Leland
area residents have voted twice
against incorporation while Beiville
is an incorporated area with plans for
orderly growth.
Short Reappointed
Rosetta Short of Long Beach has
been reappointed to the N C CoaRtal
Resources Advisory Council for a
term of two years.
The council serves as a liason between
the N.C. Coastal Resources
Commission and the general public.
Mrs. Short, starting her 15th year
as a council member, was first appointed
to the board in 1975 to fill the
unexpired term of Ocean Isle Beach
developer Odell Williamson.
)ut Blow That
Ballard's mobile home when McCowan
allegedly struck Pigg in the
back of the head with a two-by-four,
authorities said. Pigg was dead on
arrival at Dosher Memorial Hospital,
Southport.
Brunswick County Det. Ray
Spencer said both men were charged
with murder because investigators
could not determine which suspect
might have inflicted the fatal injuries.
Spencer said Tuesday that the
murder charges against both men
apparently would stand, since the
g Plans For A
Spearheading plans for the
celebration is the two-month-old Varnamtown
Ladies Auxiliary, of which
Tonya Robbins is president. She can
be contacted for more information on
any of the planned events, at 842-91159.
She's also the contact person for
membership in the auxiliary, which
meets next at 4 p.m. Sunday, July 9,
in the fellowship hall of Dixon Chapel
Of 4 River S
"He wanted to get us back together,"
said Mrs. McMillion, who with her
sister and their families are among
<i... iu.
uic 11idii> vuiuiHCCis wumxiig uu iiic
ambitious project.
"It's important because we want
our children to remember where we
came from and who we arc," she continued,
sharing information about
their own parents, James and Amelia
Reaves Davis of Marsh Branch. He
was a cobbler; she, a seamstress.
Josey married Charles Smith,
whose sharecropper parents, Junior
and Maggie Smith, lived "down in
the Neck" and eventually bought
their own farm, the "Swain place" on
N.C. 211.
The three also want those at the
reunion to appreciate others who
iaa,
Four Place Fi
Jordan Reeves of Shallotte (second frc
bike rodeo held last week at Shallotte
227, as well as taking first place in tli
place winners were (from left) Clinton
olds; Peter Macon, Seaside, 10-year-i
Point Estates, seven-year-olds.
County May
Hardship Cas
BY RAHN ADAMS
Assessment payments in
Brunswick County's first three
special assessment water districts
are coming in steadily, but officials
involved in the collections say they
need additional direction from commissioners
on how to handle hardship
cases.
At Monday's regular county board
meeting in Bolivia, the Brunswick
County Utility Operations Board is
expected to ask commissioners to
give Tax Collector Nancy Moore the
authority to grant hardship status to
deserving property owners, even if
they don't meet the current
guidelines for installment payments.
At present, a property owner who
doesn't qualify for hardship status is
required to pay his assessment in full
within 60 days after the county
adopts the final assessment roll in his
respective SAD project. Until the
assessment is paid, a lien against the
individual's properly exists.
Earlier this year, commissioners
approved an installment payment
plan for property owners on limited
or fixed incomes, in response to
public sentiment that the fiO-day payment
period was too short, especially
for senior citizens.
The installment plan is based solely
on the property owner's monthly
Killed Man
autopsy was inconclusive. He earlier
had speculated that the murder
charge possibly would be reduced to
assault for one suspect or the other, if
the autopsy pinpointed the blow that
killed Pigg.
Probable cause hearings in the
case are scheduled for July 11 in
Brunswick County District Criminal
Court. Ballard was released from the
Brunswick County Jail on a $20,000
bond two weeks ago. McCowan was
still in custody Tuesday, also under a
$20,000 bond.
anniversary
United Methodist Church.
Auxiliaiist Mary Dawson is in
charge of the pageant, in which the
first Miss Varnamtown will be
chosen on August 26, just in time to
take a prominent part in the festival
itself.
Display space at the craft fair is
available for $10 per plot, with Ms.
Kobbins the contact person.
Road Comrr
helped mold their communities?the
likes of Solomon King, postmaster
and church leader in Dark Branch
following the Civil War, and Jones'
own great-grandfather, Frank
Brown Sr., one of the largest landowners
of that area, and his grandmother,
Fannie Brown, who was a
natural doctor and midwife.
In Marsh Branch, fishing was a
major industry, while in the Neck,
farming for families such as the McCrackens
was a way of life for many.
People such as healer Mary
Brown were the stuff of family
stories. "One lady whose son had
double pneumonia, the doctor let her
(Mary Brown) come in and cure
him," recalled Mrs. Smith.
Another goal of the weekend is to
i
P ** -*ns
/y *,^v*9tem3i{5gs?^ HHV
PHOTO CONTRIBUIFO
irst In Rodeo
im left) emerged overall winner in the
Middle School by Cub Scout Pack No.
ic eight-year-old division. Other firstRountree
of Holden Beach, ninc-yearnldc*
otirl Ckimbti pn?knbniu ir:il~?~
M..U xyuvnj ? U1.III iwiu, Tillage
Permit More
>es In SADs
household income and the number of
individuals in that household, with
the allowable number of monthly
payments ranging from four to 20
based on those two factors.
However, Ms. Moore, whose
department handles SAD collections,
told utility officials last week that at
least 15 property owners who don't
meet the present eligibility requirements
have asked to participate
in the installment payment plan.
There are 10 to 15 standard hardship
cases in each of the three districts,
she added.
If given authority to do so, Ms.
Moore would review the requests individually
and take factors other
than just household income into account,
as to whether or not the
assessment would cause a suhstan
tial economic hardship on the property
owner. She said the requests
should be filed in writing.
According to Ms. Moore's figures
as of June 16, some $140,134.93 or 65.1
percent of the $215,262.70 levy in SAD
2 had been paid. The past due date
was May 3. Delinquent property
owners were notified of that fact
earlier this month.
In SAD 1, some $68,384.17 or 23.3
percent of the $293,004.14 levy had
been paid. The past due date in SAD 1
is July 11. Also, $18,579.23 or 13.3 percent
of the $140,135.83 levy in SAD 3
had been paid. The past due date in
SAD 3 is July 25.
You don't Y
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cholesterol. Or ig
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WE'RE FIGHTING
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lunities
MSI
honor some of the families in the area
who contributed to life in those communities,
such as the late Dan Harrelson
Sr., whose former store near
the entrance to Orton Plantation was
well-frequented by members of the
community. "He was good to us.
They're gone, but their children are
here and we want to honor them,"
said Mrs. Smith.
Events over the June 29-July 2
weekend include church services and
on Saturday, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30
p.m., a community picnic at Town
Creek Township Park, which will be
followed that night by a banquet at
the 11,A Hall in Wilmington.
More information is available
from Clayton Vaught, 371-3227, in
Winnabow.
July Show To Help
Kids At Christmas
It may be hot outside, but one local
group is thinking Christmas?in July.
The Brunswick County Volunteer
and Information Center will sponsor
a benefit country and gospel show on
Saturday, July 8, from 6 p.m. to 10
p.m. at Shallotte Middle School.
Featured will be local artists and
groups such as Gene Simmons and
the Cedar Grove Gospel Choir.
Proceeds will be used to help needy
children in the county during the
Christmas season.
Offices To Close
Independence Day
Post offices, financial institutions
and the Brunswick County
Government Center will all be
closed on Tuesday, July 4, in
observance of Independence
Day.
Also, town halls at Shallotte,
Calabash, Holden Beach and
Sunset Beach will also be closed
Tuesday. Ocean Isle Beach Town
Hall will be open normal hours, 8
a.m. until 5 p.m., and will also be
open all day Saturday.
Twins To Appear
On TV Talk Show
Sabrina and Serena Varnam, the
twin daughters of Ronald and Jencie
Varnam of Varnamtown who are
pursuing modeling careers in New
York City, will appear on local television
next week.
The twins will be guests on the Jim
Burns Show next Tuesday and
Wednesday, July 4 and 5, televised on
WJKA-TV 26 at 10 a.m., said Mrs.
Varnam.
AT HOLDEN BEACH
BRIfiG HOME
THE & BEACON
On Sale At
HiHn nuiutn KtflLl 1
BARN RESTAURANT
BEACH MART
CAISON'S SUPERETTE
CAROLINA SEASIDE RETREAT
CITGO STATION
FARRELL'SFOOD MART
GENERAL STORE
GINNV'S CHICKEN HOUSE
JEFF'S GROCERY
HOLDEN BEACH PIER
HOLDEN BEACH SEAFOOD
JANE'S RESTAURANT
ROBINSON'S VARIETY
SPAN MART
SKY MART EXXON
L. BOOKWORM
CAPT. PETE'S
iave to be
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A.nd die.
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FOR YOUR LIFE
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