I THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
:*• ¥o>— 61,Hft3» Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, September 24,1992
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Marching Pirates Band
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takes first at Trucker
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At the re
quest of Joe
Meads, owner
of Idler and
Meads Mobile
Home Put to
Hertford.
Chatman
Mart- K. Kaon
sMd he would
personally re
quest that
Staff Joe Lo
thian ash far
outside help to
handle the
county’s drug
problem.
“I’ll talk
wQth Joe and
see what kind
IVe had
people in
the last
three to
four weeks
afraid to go
to bed. rail
know ft I’m
just telling
R Ska it is.”
Joe Meads
at aEffassancc kc rnignt ay to gn
In town, but that's askasie
can go wnn joe s ass* wnwi
i>; said nJurlug to tfac board's Um
ttrf^authority ewer an elected of
f - » - - - - » -* SL. »- -»-- » ---■«
IlHiMII normal biifnr
has requested assistance from
the State Bureau of hnrestigatinn
la the past He said he would be
wflktg to talk to the commission
ers about outside helpL
*n ccrtahh at down and
tak about 1.1 base no problem
with flat If that's mt they
want."heaatd.
Meads, who's trailer park is
one of several anas plagued by
drag activity, warned that action
needs to be taken to break up
the local drag rtoas before the
problem gets out of hand. Resi
dents of bis trailer park are fear
ing for their fires, he said. One
resident of his park told him re
cently she is mowing out hwaiwc
of the problem.
Tve had people to the last
three to four weeks afraid to gp
to bed.” Meads said. Tall know
tt. Ika Just idfing it Kke tt ts.*
Drug activity goes back and
tortn between wynn rn irauer
Park and Miller and Meads Mo
fade Home Park. Meads said,
adding that area law cnforce
ment 'knows who is behind the
acttvfly.
1 eon see k every day going
on to my trader court." he said.
"When I talk to the law and thnr
" tel me thetr hands are tied
“The DA. k nan of It. Hie
bar enforcement tn the area la
aware of k. I was hoping this
dng task force would come hi
nod do sosuctiibs^c** Mbm said*
*1 don't know what to do about
tt. HI be honest with you."
f Meads' comments to the
. the heels of two community
SMSCHD0 odd uus Hummer n
Residents of the Hertford
Housing Authority and a group
of Bethel residents each ben
SS^tetoiskirMpte
eliminating drug problems in
SSscftr areas*
P . • r' . ' 4 ■' >'/ **
CONTEST
SEE PAGE
Comparing platforms
Republic i candidate for lieutenant gover
nor Art Pope (center) made a campaign stop
in Perquimans last week. He is shown dis
cussing campaign Issues with (left) Bert
Hayes, a WInfall town councilman, and
Charles Woodard, Republican candidate for
county commissioner from the first district
(Photo by Susan Harris.)
Voter registration up
By TRACY E. GERLACH
The Pally Advance
Board of Election officials
here are hoping voter registration
over the past few months is an
indication of the turnout for the
general election in November.
Disappointed by a 30 percent
turnout in the May primary.
Election Supervisor Ginger
O’Neal said she is looking ior
ward to a higher participation in
the November election.
“We expect it and we cer
tainly hope for it,” O’Neal said.
“We have to work just as hard
for 30 percent as we do for 70 to
80 percent.”
Voter registration has been
on the rise, with about 12 new
voters signing up each month,
she said.
“We’re seeing a pretty good
increase,” she Mid. “Twelve for
one month - that’s pretty good
for a small county.”
A heated presidential race,
coupled with specified voter reg
istration hours at the Perqui
mans County Library have
contributed to the Increase,
O’Neal said. The option to regis
ter at local Department of Motor
Vehicles offices has also boosted
the numbers, she said.
“I think it’s the fact that
there’s such a big debate over
the president and the local con
gressional seat,” O'Neal said.
Another factor affecting voter
interest was the first ever Re
publican primary this spring.
Charles Woodard, a Republi
can defeated John O. White IV.
Of Perquimans County’s
10,447 residents, about 55.365
are registered to vote. That figure
does not include the latest
count, O’Neal said.
Johnnie Mclean, administra
tive assistant for the state Board
of Elections, said the program to
register voters through the De
partment of Motor Vehicles is
probably one of the most suc
cessful in the country, however,
she said any increases in regis
tration this year are more likely
tied to the presidential race.
“That's going to be statewide
because it’s a presidential year
and you routinely have an in
crease,” Mclean said. “A lot of
people feel like if they only vote
once, it should be for the presi
dent.”
Statistics compiled in April
indicated a 3 percent increase
statewide, she said.
Indian Summer Festival 1992 is a success
By SUSAN IL HARMS
The 12th annual Indian
Summer Festival brought food,
entertainment, crafts, sidewalk
sales and food, old-fashioned fun
to Perquimans County Friday
and Saturday.
Although the number of festi
val-goers was not as large as had
been hoped, Perquimans County
Chamber of Commerce Executive
Director Mary C. Harrell said she
was pleased with the festival.
“I’m positive about every
thing.” Harrell said Saturday
evening prim to the street dance.
The festival had a lot of com
petition. The Elizabeth City Jay
cee Six-County Fair. Moth Boat
Regatta. Currituck Wildlife Festi
val. Chicken on the Chowan in
Bertie County and the Big Sweep
dean-up campaign all flaimwi a
share of the crowd usually seen
at ftie Indian Summer Festival.
' Saturday’s street dance was
uled starting time due to torren
tial showers which made the
park a virtual ghost town by 6
pan. But as soon as the rain
ended and it appeared that good
weather was on the way, resi
dents began to trickle back in for
one of the highlights of the festi
val. featuring the Overtime Band.
The festival kicked off Friday
from its 7:30 p.m. sched
morning with sidewalk sales
"downtown rChambcr- members
not located in the downtown
block were invited to set up
booths. Harrell said more mer
chants than ever took advantage
of the offer.
New to Friday's offerings was
an antique show and sale on
Market Street Antique sale coor
dinator Fete Perry said Friday he
was pleaed with the success o
the venture, and believes that it
will expand for next year's festi
val.
Entertainment got underway
at noon, when the award-win
ning Perquimans County High
School Marching Pirates Band
performed. Vocalists Bruce and
Smith, The Detention Hall
Jazz Band and the State of Mind
Band were hits with downtown
crowds.
The younger set was de
lighted with the 4 p.m. piflata
breaking sponsored by Stepping
Stones Day Care and Beacon
Academy. Children lined up to
take a whack at the brightly-col
ored donkey suspended from a
Kd oak tree on the courthouse
L
Events began early Saturday
morning with the Chowan Hospi
tal-sponsored Fun Run/Fun
Walk at 8 o'clock.
The Dakota Band kicked off
the entertainment at Missing Mill
Park at 10 a.m. in tandem with
the booth openings and events at
the Children's Reservation.
Bruce and Sherry Smith
made their second festival ap
pearance Saturday, along with
the Flatland doggers and the
August Band. Hertford Hardware
featured Yamaha Wave Runner
demonstrations twice during the
afternoon on the waterfront
Downtown, merchants con
tinued with their sidewalk sales.
Harrell said she received pos
itive comments from festival
goers about the entertainers who
appeared throughout the festival.
Rain stymied sales at the pig
pickin’ which began at 4 p.m.,
but Harrell said all the barbe
cued pork cooked on the site was
sold.
“The rain hit us at a crucial
point,” Harrell said. Historically,
people have begun filtering in to
await the street dance and have
eaten dinner at the Chamber
sponsored barbecue.
“Overall, I’m pleased (with
the festival),” Harrell said about
the two-day event.
The Indian Summer Festival
is organized and promoted by the
Perquimans County Chamber of
Commerce.
Vocalists Bruce and Sherry Smith, vocalists who performed
both Friday and Saturday at the Indian Summer Festival,
downed around downtown for the camera during their Friday
performance. The couple joined a host of other local talent pro
viding entertainment during the two-day gala. (Photo by Susan
Harris.)
Schools perform better than
I state average in minority hiring
% SUSAN R. HARMS
Perquimans County leads
foe Albemarle in minortty hiring.
Schools Personnel Director Paul
Ward told the board of education
llonday night
Ward submitted an employee
breakdown in an school system
departments by race, along with
a chart printed in The DaSy Ad
vance newspaper comparing the
racial breakdown among teach
ers in six northeastern North
Carolina counties.
According to Ward's figures.
40 percent of the 240 Penjui- .
mans County Schools employees
are minorities. Minority teachers
account for 35.59 percent of the
system’s total of 118. In the tea
cher assistant category. 57.14
percent are minorities.
Ward also distributed a sta
tistical summary of certified ap
plicants interviewed for the 13
certified staff positions filled for
foe 1992-93 school year. Thirty
seven white and 11 minority ap
plicants were interviewed. Ten.
or 27.03 percent, of the white
applicants were hired. Three, or
27 .27 percent, of the minority
applicants were hired.
. - *
The chart printed tn The De
ify Advance reflected teachers
only. It did not Indude guidance ‘
counselors and media consul
tants in the “teacher" category,
as did the Perquimans County
Schools figures.
Using information supplied
by the North Carolina Depart
ment of Public Instruction, The
Deify Advance reported that 37
percent of Perquimans' teachers
are minorities, compared to
Camden. 18 percent; Currituck,
7 percent; Gates, 28 percent;
Pasquotank, 29 percent; and
Chowan, 31 percent. Across
North Carolina. 17 percent of the
64,838 teachers employed are
minorities. * ^ .
“We are still at the top."
Ward said, adding that Perqui
mans County Schools is proud of
Its efforts to hire qualified mi
nority teachers.
The system's minority hiring
policy was questioned at die
board’s July 6 meeting by board
member Walter Leigh, the
board's only Black member.
'&K
,
r' ■
■, county to discuss hiring
Shared building inspector
m
By TRACY E. 0 ERLACH
' PaWy
The Perquimans County Board of Coaunl*
sloners decided Monday to hold off on hiring ad
ditional help for their building inspector until
they know whether the Town of Hertford plana
to continue using the county service.
Under a current agreement between the
ptown and county. Hertford pays a portion of the
cost of the county building inspector and shares
his services.
f Without the additional work load placed on
the county’s inspection department to keep up
with the town’s condemnations, however, the
. county would not need to hire another inspec
tor. Manager N. Paul Gregory said.
§»>■ Although the town is expected to hire its
ft own inspector Jan. 1, there is talk that that may
| never come to pass. Gregory said.
|. The board asked Gregory to write a letter to
1 both the Town of Hertford and the Town of Win
f fell to ibid out what they Intend to do regarding
^Inspections.
,»■■■ ■ ' " •■■■ ■' , ■
With new commercial and residential devel
| opment proposed for tlie area. Inspector Aubrey
f.Onky said he will need help to complete all the
flwcessaiy inspections.
“We need to get our ducks in order,* said /
Chairman of the Board Mack E. Nixon. Tf
they’re going tn a different direction, we need to .
■know.* -:- --
A new Food lion and anticipated commercial
development will keep Onley busy this fell and
winter, he said. Construction at Albemarle Plan
tation will also be underway.
Sharing a building Inspector has been it
touchy subject between the two governments for
several years. During budget negotiations this
spring, the members of the Halford Town Coun
cil objected to having to pay twice for Inspection
services. Since residents of the town pay both
town and county taxes, they felt tt was double
taxation. „ . . <
i
8
Chairman of the Board Made E. Nixon, how
ever, said every city has a separate building In
spector and police department.
The Town of Hertford Is out of the county’s
jurisdiction, according to state statutes, Gregarf
-.added,' .
’The jurisdiction of the county commission
ers stops at the dty line* he said. “The board
cant govern Inside the inunictpaltty unless re
quested." ■ ■ . ■