THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume 59, No.15
USPS 428-080
Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C. Thursday, April 12,1990
30 CENTS
FEATURE
bigness’ in their state
Briefs
PCHS classes sell flowers,
builds
custom picnic tables for sale
The Homes and Gardens class at
P.C.H.S. have on sale in their
greenhouse a variety of geraniums,
300 total. The price is $3.00 and will
go to support the day to day opera
tion of the school’s greenhouse.
The Agriculture II class is build
ing picnic tables. We will build
them to your specifications. The
cost will vary depending on the
type you want.
To purchase these beautiful
plants or picnic tables, call Mr.
Thach at 426-5778 or 426-5779 be
tween 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Homs Economics agents plan
educational tour on wheels
HomeEconomics agents in Cam
den, Currituck, Gates, Pasquotank
and Perquimans Counties have
planned an educational tour-on
wheels to the Furniture Market at
High Point as a special highlight of
the “Create Your Castle Around
Your Cash” house furnishings
seminar held recently.
The itinerary will include a tour
of Alderman’s Photography Studio
where furniture and accessories
are photographed for leading na
tional magazines. Thayer-Coggin
Furniture Factory and Showroom -
tour of the factory where furniture
is constructed and view their dis
play showroom, and a guided tour
of the Market Square Furniture
Showroom. Also a stop will be
made in the Burlington area on the
trip home.
The educational trip includes
tour admissions, hotel and trans
portation by chartered bus for a
cost of $50 per person. Priority will
be given to participants attending
the "Create Your Castle Around
Your Cash” seminar. Currently a
few spaces are still available for
anyone interested in attending this
two-day educational experience.
For information, call the North
Carolina Agricultural Extension
service in your local county or call
Perquimans County Extension Of
fice, at 426-5428 or 426-7697.
Dismal Swamp Center
celebrates first birthday
On April 20, 1989, the travel in
dustry in northeastern North Caro
lina received a major “shot in the
arm” with the opening of the Dis
mal Swamp Canal Visitors-Wel
come Center. The Center is located
bn Highway 17, on the banks of the
historic Dismal Swamp, just three
miles from the Virginia state line.
Since the Canal is an alternate
route on the Intracoastal Water
way, the Center welcomes both
highway traffic and boat traffic,
making it unique indeed.
The Center will celebrate its first
anniversary on Friday, April 20. A
special ceremony will be held from
1-2 p.m., with Representative Ver
non James as guest speaker. Our
special guest from 2-4 p.m. will be
Jim “Catfish” Hunter. For a dona
tion of $5, you will be awarded a au
tographed baseball from
“Catfish.”
There will be boats on the Canal,
live music, and refreshments. So
bring your family and come help us
^’celebrate our first birthday.
4 Home, garden tour plans
'promise wonderful day
The home and garden tour/ve
'randah art show planned for April
21 by the Perquimans County Re
storation Association promises to
be a wonderful day. Patrons are
asked to stroll down the dogwood
lihed Church and Front streets
where some of Hertford’s finest ar
chitectural examples are located
next to the inspiring Perquimans
. River. Tickets can be purchased at
the Chamber of Commerce or New
bold-White complex. The $10 ticket
includes the tour, entrance to the
Newbold-White site and lunch at
' the Perquimans Center.
Thinking of placing a
Classified Ad; but not
. sure how to do it? Just
call our friendly Ad
visor, Elenora. She will
b$ glad to help you.
426-5728
Perquimans
^ | Weekly
119 W. Grubb St.
8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon.-Frl.
OM team takes second place in state competition
The Perquimans Middle School
Odyssey of the Mind Team that
placed first in regional competition
in Greenville with their project
“Strucutres in Harmony” earned
second place honors in state com
petition in Charlotte Saturday.
The team was required to build a
structure that would support
weight from less than one-half
ounce of balsa wood. In competi
tion, the stucture held 122 pounds.
The winning team was made up
of sixth graders Mark Swindell,
Kristy Roberson and Jaime Stone;
seventh graders Matthew Byrum
and Christopher Gregory and
eighth graders Adrian Frierson
and Michael Clinkscales. Bob
Clinkscales was the coach, assisted
by Deborah Byrum and Roy Reed.
Community Schools Coordinator
Jeanie Umphlett is the administra
tive support person for the pro
gram.
The team members were very
positive about their OM experi
ence, which encourages creative
thinking and promotes problem
solving skills.
“It makes us think,” said Mark
Swindell.
Kristy Roberson agreed. “It
opens your mind up. You can think
more,” she said.
Michael Clinkscales looks to the
future when he thinks of his two
years in OM, saying that research
ing projects and meeting other stu
dents with similar interests makes
students aware of career opportu
nities, and exposes them to work in
technical fields.
Although the students agreed
that OM is fun, they all said that it
is a lot of work.
“We tested a lot of stuff” trying
to design the structure, said Mi
chael Clinkscales.
Where did they get their techni
Photo by Susan Harris
Christopher Gregory, Michael Clinkscales, Kristy Roberson, Jaime Stone and Mark Swindell, members
of the state’s second-place OM team from Perquimans Middle School, proudly hold the banner proclaim
ing their victory that welcomed them back to school on Monday.
cal assistance? “Mainly from Mr.
Reed’s advice,” said Mark Swin
dell.
Christopher Gregory added, “We
had to read the book a whole lot to
make sure we were in the rules.”
Any variation from the procedures
and guidelines set forth by the OM
program can cause disqualification
of the entire project, or can cause a
team to lose valuable points.
In only its second year in Perqui
mans, the local teams have per
formed incredibly well. Last year,
a team from the middle school won
first place in the state
championships and went on to com
pete in the international
championships in Boulder, Colo
rado.
To do so well on the regional and
state level in only two years of par
ticipation in the program is a testa
ment to the hard work of the
students, parent-coaches and com
munity assistants, according to
Mrs. Umphlett.
While the program was endorsed
by the local school board, most
funds for projects and transporta
tion are donated by the parents,
along with the many hours it takes
to prepare for competition.
OM has definitely had a positive
impact on many Perquiman stu
dents, said Mrs. Umphlett. Work
ing in small groups with other
students who share the same inter
ests and interacting with adults in
an informal setting can be a great
learning experience for children,
she stated.
All students who wish to partici
pate in OM are tested to determine
who will qualify for the limited
number of OM slots available. The
program is so popular that there
are more children interested than
openings in the program. The chil
dren are also scoredon interviews.
Each team was made up of three
sixth graders, two seventh graders
and two eighth graders. Working
together across grade levels is one
of the positive effects of the pro
gram, Mrs. Umphlett pointed out.
It takes approximately six weeks
to plan, design and test the final
project, according to the students.
There may still be fine-tuning
needed to change an acceptable
project into a winning entry in com
petition.
Parent-coach Bob Clinkscales
was very enthusiastic about his ex
perience working with the team.
“These guys were super,”
Clinkscales said beaming. He said
he was very proud of the work ac
complished and maturity displayed
by the group as they together
solved the “Harmony” problem.
The eighth graders said that they
hope the OM program is expanded
next year to the high school level
locally so that they will be able to
be involved for four more years.
Athlete of Year for winter sports season
Perquimans senior basketball
'Stand-out Sonja Wilkins was
named Female Athlete of the
Year in winter sports by The Da
ily Advance recently. She was
Icnosen from among female ath
letes at Camden, Currituck,
Northeastern, Albemarle Aca
demy, Edenton Holmes and Per
quimans.
Wilkins was the Lady Pirates’
conductor this season, helping to !j
orchestrate a 21-6 record, a win
in the Albemarle Conference
Tournament and a second place
spot in the region. She could stop
up the tempo on the fast break,
land was equally adept at slowing
it down to a four corners pace.
Although she could make a
play in almost any situation, Wil
kins was a team player. She
knew she was one of five on the
} floor from Perquimans, and be
1 cause of this, she tallied 157 as
sts for the season.
The 65 percent shooter could hit
jthree-pointers with amazing con
sistency, and made holes in the
defense of many solid teams. She
veraged 15.4 "
g
Sonja -Wilkins was recently
named The Dally Advance Fe
male Athlete of the Year.
bounds, five assists and five
steals per game.
Wilkins broke the PGHS all
time leading scoring record of
1,341 regular season points in a
home match-up against North
ampton West. She end :
pressive career with 1,366 regular
576 assists and 435 steals.
Wilkins played her best under
Bessure. She scored a season-:
gh 32 points in the Albemarle
Conference Tournament final
against Manteo, 26 in the first
contest of state play against Roa-1
noke and 27 against Dixon in the,
second round of the state play
offs.
The S-foct-5 point guard was
named three times to both the-;;
All-Albemarle Conference team
and The Daily Advance All-Albe
marle Area first string team.
The youngest of seven chil
dren, Wilkins would like to stay
in the area after graduation in
June, and would definitely like to
continue to play basketball.
“ECSU and Chowan called and
asked about me,” Wilkins told;
the I 1 Advance. “All I know is
I tvaat to play ball.” ^? Igf
She'll be playing at the State
G?r..ies in Raleigh in June on the
. —. t>e coached by Northeast
. . U*ris Spence and Perqui
Brian Center hosts successful egg hunt
April showers did not dampen the
fun at Brian Center Friday af
ternoon when about 65 children ar
rived to hunt eggs on the lawn at
the Junior-Senior Easter Egg Hunt.
Coordinated by The Perquimans
Weekly, and sponsored by Brian
Center, American Legion Post No.
126, Joseph R. Haskett, Jr., Cho
wan Hospital, Woodard’s Phar
macy, Marta’s Style Sharing,
Cannon Cleaners, Hertford United
Methodist Youth, Swindell Funeral
Home, Perquimans County Jay
cees, AARP Chapter 4118, Dr. Rob
ert Earl Lane and staff, Albemarle
Hospital, Town of Hertford and
Dozier’s Florist, the event brought
together the young and young-at
heart for an afternoon of fun,
fellowship and food.
Apricot, Inc. and Don Juan Man
ufacturing teamed up with Brian
Center to provide cup cakes, ice
cream, punch and of course, jelly
beans, after all the eggs were
found. The eggs'were provided
courtesy of the Parks vine Ruritan
Club.
The eggs were all hidden before
2:30, thetables were set up on the
sunporch and everyone was realty
for the onslaught of children. A rain
shower at 3:30 sent several adults
scampering across the yard to re
trieve the nidden eggs. By the 4
p.m., the clouds had rolled away
and the sun was once again brightly
shining. The eggs were hidden for a
second time while the children
played games in the dining room.
The 2- and 3-year-olds were al
lowed to hunt eggs in the living
room, and as a special treat to both
the visitors and Brian Center resi
dents, eggs were hidden in the resi
dents’ laps in the activity room to
facilitate interaction between the
children and the residents.
By 5 p.m., Brian Center was back
to normal and the residents were
preparing for dinner. “That was so
much fun. I enjoyed that,” said one
resident as she was wheeled into
the dining room for her evening
meal.
That’s what the event was all
about.
Children scrambled across the lawn at Brian Center Friday looking
for brightly colored Easter eggs. Participants and organizers re
ported a successful, fun-filled afternoon was enjoyed by all who at
tended. X" X .. / $ . ■
Hertford Council reviews
drug control application
By NANCY ROYDEN-CLARK
Daily Advance Staff Writer
A grant pre-application was dis
cussed during Monday night’s
Hertford Town Council meeting. It
is currently in the preliminary
stages on planning.
The grant, which is under the
auspices of the Governor’s Crime
Commission, requests funds for
drug control and system im
provement. The full project name
is presently the Perquimans
County-Hertford Police Depart
ment Joint Jurisdictional Narcotics
Task Force.
The Perquimans County Sheriff’s
Department is listed as the imple
menting agency, with Sheriff Joe L.
Lothian as project director.
Total federal project costs for the
first year of the grant are $28,500,
and $22,500 for the second year,
according to the preliminary pre
application. Application match
would come from Perquimans
County and the Town of Hertford in
the amount of $17,000, or 25% of the
grant. Hertford would pay $4,760
die first year and $3,740 the second
year.
The $68,000 for the total budget is
earmarked mainly for equipment
expenses.$3,000 is noted for train
ing seminars and travel.
Police chief Aubrey Sample
plans to look into the possibility of
naming the town of Winfall specif
ically on the application.
The council discussed the contin
uing problem of residents who do
not have city tags for their vehi
cles. Officers have been instructed
to stop anyone they see who is not
complying with the tag ordinance.
Hertford Mayor William “Bill’
Cox discussed a $1000 adjustment
entry to the general fund.
“$1,000 balances the budget. In
the last six months we failed to
catch it. It’s been corrected,” said
Cox.
In other business:
• Council discussed allowing two
‘Welcome to Hertford’ signs on ei
ther side of Church Street. One sign
would be near Jimmy’s Barbeque
at 203 North Church Street. The
signs would have the words ‘Coca
Cola’ as a part of the sign. They
would cover the street from side to
side and are to be placed or re
moved at the discretion of the coun
cil. They will be supplied by the
Coca-Cola company.
• A request has been made to ex
tend C-2 zoning by 75 feet on Don
Juan Road. A public hearing will be
held on April 26 at 7:30 to discuss
zoning.
• Hertford resident Carlen Brown
expressed concern over glass
which she said fell from the second
story of the Broughton Buliding, lo
cated on the corner of Market and
Church streets. The mayor stated
that the matter would be handled to
the full extent of the law. Council
members discussed boarding win
dows of the building.
• The mayor announced plans to
attend a meeting to discuss the pro
gress of Interstate 17 between Hert
ford and Edenton.
• It was announced that the Town
of Hertford will close offices on
Monday after the Easter weekend.
Trash will continue as normal on
Monday.
• The Walking Tour was an
nounced on April 21 and members
of the council were urged to partic
pate by the mayor.
• The John F. Blair Publishing
Company will hold a reception for
Claiborne Young, author of the
book entitled, ‘Cruising Guide to
Coastal North Carolina’ at Mari
ner’s Wharf in Elizabeth City on
April 12 at 4:00 p.m. The event will
be hosted by the Rose Buddies.
• The Head Start program invited
council members to an awards ban
quet to be held on Friday, April 27
at 7:00 at the Kermit E. White
Graduate Center.
N.C. tax filing deadline nears
With less than a week to the tax
filing deadline, approximately 1.8
million N. C. taxpayers have filed
their federal income tax returns.
“We expect one million more to
file by the deadline on April 16, but
some taxpayers may need additio
nal time to file their returns,” said
John E. Burke, district director of
the Internal Revenue Service.
“Taxpayers who need time be
yond the April 16,1990 tax deadline
will need to complete Form 4868,
Application for Automatic Exten
sion of Time to File U. S. Individual
Income Tax Return, and submit
any balance due with the request
for extension,” said Burke. “The
extension to file a tax return is not
an extension of time to pay any tax
that may be due.”
The automatic extension granted
by completing the Form 4868 is for
four months and extends the filing
deadline until August 15, 1990. Tax
payers may order Farm 4868 by
calling toll-free 1-800-424-3676.