Volume 60, No.19 _Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, May 9, 1991 30 Cents
Community:
Durant’s Pilgrimmage i
highlights historic homes,
#
early families”: inside
Farm:
Big isn’t always
best when dealing with
vegetables: 13
Briefs
Heart dinner planned
The Perquimans County Heart
Association is gearing up for its
annual celebrity dinner.
Scheduled for Saturday,
June 1, this year's dinner has
been expanded to include danc
ing.qpCelebrity waiters and wait
resses have been chosen, and
chairman of the event Cathy
Terranova and Perquimans
County Heart Association Chair
man Chris Lane are accepting
reservations for the dinner
which will begin at 6:30 p.m. at
Angler’s Cove Restaurant. Those
interested in joining this evening
of dining and dancing to help
raise funds to combat heart dis
ease may call Terranova at 426
5257 (days) or Lane at 426-5711
(days) or 426-5169 (evenings be
fore 9 p.m.).
Trap shoot set
A trap-shoot game will be
held Saturday. May 11 from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Chowan
County Moose Lodge.
Registration will begin at 9
a.m. and the cost is $10 per
person. Each individual must
mrnish their own shells.
Aerobics classes slated
The Perquimans County Rec
reation Department is sponsor
ing a six-week Aerobic Class to
begin on Monday. May 20.
Classes will be on Monday and
Thursday nights at 8 p.m. at the
county libraiy. The instructor is
Allyson Coleman and the cost
$20. For more information or to
register call the recreation de
partment at 426 5695.
Also, all 16-18 year olds in
terested in playing Babe Ruth
baseball need to sign up at the
recreation department or see
Coach Woodell at the high
school by Friday, May 17.
Schools set program
On Thursday. May 9, at 1
p.m., Nancy Alexander, Perqui
mans County Schools guidance
counselor for elementary grades
will'be presenting a program on
discipline at the board of educa
tion office.
PAG to meet
Perquimans Central School
will have a Chapter 1 PAC meet
ing Qn Thursday. May 16. at 1
p.m. Andrea Salvage will be the
guest speaker for this program.
• For more information call
Chris Barber or Estelle Felton at
426-5741.
Playhouse holds tryouts
; ;The Perquimans Playhouse
wfll hold trouts for their up
coming production of “Love, Sex
and the IRS” on Thursday and
Friday. May 9 and 10, from 7-9
p.m.. at the senior center.
Needed for the cast are two
young women and one “mom;”
two young men and three older
men. The theater group is open
, to:all. . ■ .. ,
Directories prepared
Preparation for the forthcom
ing Albemarle area telephone di
rectoiy is nearly completed. T.F.
Daniels. District Commercial
Manager for Carolina Telephone,
said that April 23 was the last
day, for requesting changes in
the. new directoiy.
Telephone customers who
wish to change or add directoiy
iistings should pall the business
office promptly.
The directory is scheduled
for delievery during June.
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HAPPY
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Etheridge says education must be state priority
Perquimans County wel
comed North Carolina Superin
tendent of Public Instruction
Bob Etheridge in style Sunday
afternoon, treating the elected
official to a concert by three Per
quimans Middle School musical
groups at Perquimans High
School.
Etheridge spoke to a full
house after hearing from the 7th
grade band, 8th grade band and
Middle School Choral Ensemble.
“We can build the roads and
erect the buildings, but we must
focus on education,” Etheridge
said. “Education is the thing
that helps each individual reach
their frill potential.”
Etheridge said he supports a
tax increase to offset revenue
shortfalls which will impact on
public education appropriations.
He said North Carolinians must
be willing to invest in education.
“The state's facing some very
tough decisions this year,"
Etheridge said. “They now recog
nize that they can't cut enough
to balance the state budget.
“I know what it means to
make hard decisions,” said the
former state legislator who once
served as chairman of the ap
propriations committee.
“I happen to. believe...that
the taxes that I pay as a North
Carolinian and as an American
are my rent for living in a free
and democratic society," Ether
Photo by Jason Sandford
North Carolina Superinten
dent of Public Instruction Bob
Etheridge spoke to a full
house at Perquimans High
School Sunday afternoon.
idge stated.
Etheridge said he had spo
ken earlier in the year with Per
quimans schools superintendent
Randall Henion about the prob
lems facing the local school sys
tem. Etheridge said Henion told
him about the struggle here and
the need to meet the challenges
faced by today's school systems.
Henion also told the state super
intendent about the quality staff
working to education Perqui
mans children.
“People here are working to
do things right,” Henion told
Etheridge. “Some of the finest
people of North Carolina live in
Perquimans County."
Henion also told Etheridge
that it is time for “a new deal”
for public schools.
The state has made a lot of
progress since 1985 when the
Basic Education Plan was
passed by the General Assem
bly, Etheridge said, but he noted
that ground has been lost over
the past two years. He added
that poorer systems like Perqui
mans have suffered the most.
“We need to decide what our
priorities really are," Etheridge
said in closing. “It’s time to in
vest in our children and to in
vest in our future because our
future will be here before you
know it."
Photo by Susan Harris 1
Rich heritage
The rich heritage of the Durants Neck and
Old Neck sections of Perquimans County
was highlighted during the second annual
homes tour held Saturday. Over 200 people
gathered to view four National Register
Homes and other distinctive landmarks.
Above, original furnishings and paintings
from the Leigh Farm, known as Land’s
End, were on display at the Perquimans
Center at the Newboid-White historic site.
For more highlights, please see pages 10
and 11.
Lady Pirates dish up loss to undefeated
Currituck in Hertford Thursday afternoon
The Lady Pirates held a
World Series-class celebration in
mid-field Thursday afternoon in
Hertford after striding past Cur
rituck 9-8 in Albemarle Confer
ence play.
Perquimans earned the dis
tinction of being the only team
to defeat Currituck in regular
season play since 1989.
Especially jubilant were ser
niors Kim Hunter, Jackie Dail
and Wendy Stallings. The trio
dreamed of defeating the Lady
Knights just once before retiring
theft black and gold uniforms
and donning their graduation
.gowns. s _
“We’ve never beaten them
that I can remember/ Dail com
mented excitedly after the game.
“Being this is our senior year,
that was our main goal, mine
anyway." -‘/v/' ' ,
“Can you believe it?" queried
Hunter with the smile on her
face stretching from ear to ear.
Perquimans came out swing
ing in the first inning, mounting
a B-3 lead. Dail and junior Lisa
Lane carried the big bats in that
inning. Lane nailid a two-run
‘It feels great.”
Karen EJooker
Lady Pirate coach
double to right-center with two
outs. Dali kept up the pace with
a two-run single.
The Lady Knights answered
with three runs In the second,
thanks to a three-run homer
sent sailing by Leslie Simpson.
Perquimans was able to de
liver some well-placed hits In
the bottom of the second to re
gain the lead. After holding Cur
rituck scoreless In the top of the
third, the Lady Pirates extended
their margin with another run.
The Lady Knights sent single
runners over the plate In the top
of the fourth and filth Innings to
knot the score at 8- all.
Dali whacked a triple to
right field with one out in the
top of the fifth. Freshman Ber
nadette Shively slapped one of
her three hits for the day Into
right to score Dali.
i Neither team could found
the bases In the sixth, and Per
quimans went into the do-or-die
seventh with a one-run lead, 9
8.
"I can’t believe it. We're only
three outs away from beating
Currituck," said Betty Bright,
mother of pitcher Denise Hare,
when the Lady Pirates took the
field in the top of the seventh.
Bright was right. The Lady
Pirates were only three outs
away from a big win over Curri
tuck. .
' Perquimans tallied 11 hits
during the contest. Shively was
3- for-3 and Dail 2-for-3. Emily
Bass and Kim Rilee both
rounded the bases twice.
“It feels great," said Perqui
mans coach Karen Booker after
her team’s mid-field celebration,
and her “shower" with the water
cooler, courtesy of her team.
The win upped the Lady Pi
rate’s record to 7-7
Photo by Jason Sandford
Eighth grade band students were among three Perquimans
Middle School groups who performed for Etheridge during his
visit.
Etheridge commends
county for support
After a whirlwind tour of the
county school facilities, state ed
ucation superintendent Bob
Etheridge was honored at a lun
cheon attended by school board
members, county commissioners
and community leaders.
Etheridge commended the
county for its support of educa
tion.
"This county has done an
awful lot with the resources you
have,” he said. "You really work
hard to make sure children have
the opportunity. Now it's time
for you to do that on the state
level.”
Etheridge said the state is
facing one of the toughest bud
get years since the 1930s.
"It is a critical year and I
think all of us have to step up
and pay the price,” he stated.
Etheridge said that teachers
would not be cut under budget
proposals adopted by the House
and Senate Appropriations Com
mittees, but that teacher assis
tant, textbook, equipment and
energy funds would fall under
the budget ax.
Etheridge has felt the budget
pinch in his office. He recently
sent notices to 75 people that
their employment would be ter
minated effective July 1. The
lay-off represents a 10 percent
cut in state positions. The lay
offs came as a part of a $4 mil
lion dollar cut in the state de
partment of public instruction.
“I understand how difficult it
is to lay people off," Etheridge
said. “It may play well for legis
lators to talk about cutting bu
reaucracy, but it is painful to
tell people who have given 25 or
30 years, people who have really
given their lives to public service
in education...”
When the state makes cuts
in critical areas, such as energy,
the county must make up the
difference, Etheridge said, which
strains local resources.
The superintendent said he
would favor a state initiative to
address equity in public school
funding for small school sys
tems. He said all children de
serve the same educational
opportunities.
Etheridge said North Caro
lina must decide where its prio
rities lie.
"In this state, when we have
a problem with transportation,
we build more highways. When
we have too many law breaker,
we build more prisons--even
going so far as to pass a prison
bond referendum. When schools
need improvement, what do we
do?” Etheridge queried.
He said the state passed the
Basic Education Plan but
stopped mid-way in the funding.
"The Basic Education Pro
gram is only one in a long list of
programs that have started and
stopped short of completion,"
Etheridge commented.
“I ask today that whatever
your politics, whatever your be
liefs about public schools and
how to best run them, that you
let the state’s legislative leaders
know what your top priority is
for the future health of North
Carolina. Let them know it is
education." Etheridge said in
closing.
Photo by Susan Hants
Singers have highlighted the Hank Williams Youth Crusade at ['
Perquimans High School, bringing their message in song.