THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume 62, No. 36
Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C.,
Thursday, November 11, 1993
35 Cents
Community:
Find out what’s
going on in the Happenings
Column: Page 5
Sports: \
Tigers take second
place in Coastal Athletic
Conference: Page 3
Perq. vs. Columbia
\ Friday 7:30 p.m.
\ Admission $5
V State play-offs
HPD
chief
resigns
Hertford will be without a po
lice chief as of Nov. 17 at mid
night.
After holding an executive
session Monday night, the Hert
ford Town Council accepted the
resignation of present chief Au
brey Sample Jr. effective next
Wednesday. Captain N. Brad
Krause was appointed to serve as
interim chief.
Sample is out of town this
week, and could not be reached
for comment regarding his resig
nation.
During its regular session,
the council also
• approved a request from
Preston Stevenson to build an
executive nine-hole golf course at
the Riverview subdivision at the
town’s western border;
• appointed Lillian Holman a
permanent member of the town
board of adjustments and Cai lyn
Brown as alternate;
• heard plans for downtown
Christmas decorating and activ
ities from a delegation from the
newly-formed Hertford Down
town Merchants Association.
Ward to sit
on economic
commission
A Perquimans County busi
nessman was tapped by Gov.
James B. Hunt to sit on a new
regional economic development
commission set to operate in
Hertford.
Charles H. Ward, a business
owner, was one of 15 community
leaders selected from across
northeastern North Carolina to
spur economic growth and tou
rism across the region. He was
sworn in last Tuesday be the
Hon. Janice M. Cole, district
court judge in District 1.
The commission is one of
three created this year by the
General Assembly to focus on re
gional economic development. It
covers 15 counties. The other
two groups are in southeastern
North Carolina and in the west
ern end of the state.
The legislature provided
$600,000 in startup funds for
this fiscal year. Another $1.2
million was appropriated for the
1994-95 fiscal year.
As soon as a paid commis
sion chairman can be found, the
group is expected to begin work.
Gov. Hunt is charged with the re
sponsibility of appointing a
chairman. So for, at least two po
tential chairmen have turned
down the offer.
Ward said the commission
will hold its first meeting on Nov.
11 at 4 p.m. at the Perquimans
Cooperative Extension office. In
cluded on the agenda will be
finding office space and recom
mending commission chairman
ranHirtatf to Gov. Hunt
Gideon Hollis (Trade Harrell) attempts to
move her mystery man (Rob Melhem) in
Bootstrap Acting Company’s / Take This
Man. The play runs weekends through Nov.
21 at Angler’s Cove. (Photo by Susan Har
ris)
Bootstrap has recipe for comedy
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Start with two experienced
thespians, spice it up with
three talented newcomers, stir
in a great script, and you’ve got
the Bootstrap Acting
Company's recipe for success
with its fall production of /
Take This Man.
Rob Melhem is hilarious as
- well, he’s got amnesia for a
good part of the play and
doesn’t really know who he is.
The audience will love finding
out his true identity as the tale
of a man mugged and
kidnapped at the Boston
Marathon unfolds.
In addition to his acting
talents, Melhem’s unusual
costume adds humor to the
production.
Ttacie Harrell comes close
to perfection in her first
Bootstrap role, Gideon Holli?,
the stereotypical dumb blonde
- who, by the way, is really
about as dumb as a fox. Her
nickname, “Giddy," describes
her character’s surface
personality well, but in the
end, the audience discovers
she’s not quite as silly as she
seems.
Celeste Gray, in her second
Bootstrap role, and her
husband, Dave, a newcomer,
team up as an engaged couple
hopelessly entrapped in
Giddy’s desire to mid a
storybook romance by picking
up a man in a most
unorthadox way. Gray portrays
Giddy’s roommate and finds
herself in some pretty
exasperating situations trying
to explain to Dave the sudden
appearance of Giddy’s
"husband” of one year in the
girls’ apartment.
Joe Mills, who rounds out
the production’s trio of
newcomers, has exceptional
comedic timing, and certainly
has a future on the stage. He is
delightful as Judd, one of
Boston’s finest, albeit gullible,
police officers.
With the exception of a
little drag in the beginning as
background information is
introduced, the play moves
smoothly through the tale of a
man mugged and kidnapped at
the end of the Boston
Marathon, Giddy convincing
the confused victim suffering
from temporary amnesia he’s
, her husband, his eventual
memory recovery, the move to
a happy ending, and even a
little surprise thrown in as the
stage lights dim.
I Take This Man, complete
with a delicious buffet dinner,
is a perfect way to spend an
evening. This reviewer would
recommend it for middle school
children to senior citizens.
The production opened
Friday night, and will be
performed on Nov. 12, 13, 14,
19, 20 and 21 in the banquet
room at Angler's Cove
Restaurant, christened “Camey
Hall” by Bootstrapers Friday
evening. Tickets are $15 and
include the play and dinner.
Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m.
with showtime at 8. Call 426
9295 days and 426-7294
evenings for reservations.
Pirates finish near-perfect season
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Edtor
Pirates coach Harrell Thach
knew last-place Camden would
give his conference
championship football team a
run for their money when they
went head-to-head for the last
game of the regular season. The
Bruins did just that, but even
playing at top form couldn't give
them a victory over the visiting
Pirates, who won 27-13 Satur
day.
It was a hard game to pre
pare for mentally, as the Pirates
had clinched the conference
championship the week before
with a 55-7 blowout in Hertford
over second-place WUliamaton. A
win over Camden assured the
team an undefeated conference
record, but a loss wouldn’t have
changed the rankings. Camden
went into the game 1-8 )0-5),
Perquimans 8-1 (5-0).
Pirates coach Harrell Thach
said his team didn’t play with
their usual intense, battering
style.
Perquimans started out like
gangbusters, easily scoring 21
points in less than six minutes.
Kenyon Mallory bulled through
from the eight at 10:01. Quar
terback Nick Stevenson added
the conversion on a keeper. Jer
maine McClenney added touch
down No. 2 on a 21-yard run.
McClenney added another six 22
seconds later on a 60-yard inter
ception return. Clint Eley added
the PAT.
Camden scored in the second
quarter after moving downfldd
courtesy of Perquimans penal
ties. The Pirates had both an in
terception and fumble Recovery
negated by the officials on the
drive, calls that dbviously upset
the vocal entourage of Perqui
mans fans.
Senior back Shae Nixon
posted the Pirates’ final score of
the evening with a 22-yard run
with four minutes left in the
half.
Camden added its second
touchdown on a pass play in
the fourth quarter.
Fans may have expected an
other very one-sided win from
the Pirates in the David and Go
liath match-up, but Thach,
while not overlooking the
Bruins' desire to upset his No. 1
team, said before the game that
he planned to use very few
plays during the game because
he knew scouts mom both Co
lumbia, the team
Please see Pirate, Page 3
Lions Club to distribute commodities
Perquimans County will re
ceive USDA donated commodities
for distribution on Nov. 16. The
Hertford lions Club will begin
distribution at 9 a.m. at the ice
plant on Grubb Street.
All households who will not
be able to pick-up their commo
dities may use a representative
for this purpose. The commodi
ties card or application must be
signed in the correct places for
this to be acceptable. No house
hold will be allowed to pick-up
food for more than themselves
and ope other household as rep
resentative. There will be no ex
ceptions.
There will be two lines at the:,
distribution site. The second line
will be for the physically hand
icapped and/or disabled who ore
present at the distribution to
pick-up their food. A doctor’s
note stating the disability, or
proof of handicapped) license
plates for their vehicle must be
provided. Those persons using
the handicapped fine may pick
up food for their own household
only. Again, there will be no ex
ceptions.
1 Cars may not be driven into
the distribution area. Please re
member to park only in autho
rized parking areas as the
Hertford Police Department will
be patroling the area. ■
Applications may be obtained
Cram the Department of Social
Services. Health Department.
Economic Improvement Coun
cil. Catholic Social Ministries
and the Senior Citizen Center.
The Commodities Distribu
tion Program, is available to all
eligible persons without regard
to race, color, national origin,
age, sex, religion, handicap or
political beliefs. Information
about regulations against dis
crimination and how to file a
complaint may be secured from
the N.C. Division of Social Serv
ices, 325 N. Salisbury Street
Raleigh, N.C, or from your
county department of social
services.
Moore wins election
Winfall tie
broken by
name draw
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Voters across North Carolina
elected public officials Tuesday.
It's a pretty good bet that not
many ended up making the final
selection by drawing straws, but
that’s pretty much what hap
pened in Winfall.
H. Wayne Hurdle and Willie
B. Moore tied for a council seat
in last Tuesday's municipal elec
tion. State election law provides
for breaking a tie in municipal
elections requiring a simple plu
rality by lot.
Moore’s name was drawn out
of a box by Perquimans Elections
Board Chairman Paul Smith Jr.,
giving him the Winfall Town
Council seat.
To make sure she was read
ing the law correctly. Board of
Elections supervisor Ginger
O'Neal called die state board in
Raleigh Wednesday morning to
verify her findings. Sure enough,
the state board said Perquimans
election officials could flip a coin,
draw a name out of an envelope,
draw straws or use another simi
lar method to break the Ue and
determine a winner. Perquimans
chose to draw a name out of a
box.
Each candidate was called
and informed of his right to at
tend the drawing or have a rep
resentative attend on his behalf.
Present at the drawing were local
election officials, Fred and Shir
ley Yates, Moore and two media
representatives. O’Neal said Hur
dle had informed the board he
would be in school and unable to
attend.
Hurdle and Moore were in a
race with incumbent William Ray
Miller for two open seats on the
council. Miller earned 84 votes
and claimed one seat. Hurdle
and Moore ended the race with
74 votes each.
O'Neal said last Wednesday it
appeared there was a discrep
ancy in the Hertford Town Coun
cil election. Sid Eley and Erie
Haste were top vote-getters in
that race. Jesse Harris was a
close third. Initially, election offi
cials feared that the ballots had
been counted incorrectly. O’Neal
and West Hertford precinct regis
trar Earline White checked the
records again Wednesday af
ternoon, and found that the dis
crepancy was not a wrong count,
but resulted from incorrect re
cording in the registration books.
The West Hertford precinct in
cludes voters who live inside the
town limits of Hertford, as well
as those who reside outside the
limits. Voters inside the town
limits were eligible to vote for two
coundlmen and on the state
bond issues, those outside the
town only on the bond Issues.
Hie election officials found that
the numbers did not Initially
Hurdle files
challenges
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
H. Wayne Hurdle has
challenged the Winfall mu
nicipal elections.
Hurdle was one of three
men running for two seats
on the town’s governing
board. William Ray Miller,
the incumbent, took one
seat with 84 votes. Hurdle
and Willie B. Moore tied for
the second seat with 74
votes each. Moore was de
clared the winner on Thurs
day when his name was
drawn out of a box, follow
ing state statute which calls
for breaking a tie in a mu
nicipality requiring a simple
plurality by lot.
Hurdle had until last
Saturday evening to chal
lenge the election. He told
The Perquimans Weekly ear
lier that afternoon that he
intended to challenge the
election. Hurdle said he
chose to challenge the elec
tion for two reasons: 1.
Breaking a tie by lot, rather
than a run-off election,
takes away the peoples’
right to elect public officials:
and 2. Election by lot consti
tutes gambling, and gam
bling is illegal in North
Carolina.
Hurdle said he knew
that the tie had been broken
legally and did not doubt
that the board of elections
had handled the situation
properly. He said he also
knew that it would be diffi
cult' to challenge the elec
tion, but thinks his
challenge may bring the tie
breaker clause in election
laws to the forefront. Winfall
officials can choose to have
legislation introduced in the
General Assembly which
would call for a run-off.
Hurdle said whatever hap
pens with his challenge, he
will encourage the Winfall
board to consider changing
the charter.
Elections supervisor
Ginger O’Neal confirmed
Monday that Hurdle had
challenged the election, and
said that hearings were set
for Wednesday at 10:30 and
11:30 a.m. at the board of
elections office to hear the
challenge.
tally because some voters who live
inside the town limits were not
noted in both books as having
voted.
O'Neal did find that one figure
had been written down wrong on
the poster affixed to the court
house door after the elections.
Erie Haste received 230 votes, not
222. Eley drew 285 votes, Harris,
215.
Rain doesn’t soak enthusiasm
over Belvidere celebration
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The spirit of determination in
the Belvidere community was ev
ident Saturday, as those who
worked long hours preparing for
the Historic Belvidere Cele
bration at Belvidere Mansion
didn't let nasty weather spoil
their special day.
Although the rain nixed
plans to carry guests from the
parking area to the lawn of the
mansion by horse and carriage,
entertainers moved to the shel
tered mansion porch, and the
Belvidere Historic District Com
mittee, sheltered by tents, served
up southern fere to those who
braved the elements to celebrate
the history of the rural vtUig& -
Robert Smith, better known
as disc jockey Wolfman Jack,
and his wife, Lucy Smith, a Bel
videre native, hosted the cele
bration.
Historic committee chairman
Beefy Winslow said the commit
tee is indebted to the Smiths for
hosting the successful event
Over 500 tickets were presold
and Winslow said many who had
not purchased tickets showed up
Saturday, also.
The celebration was a fund
raiser to benefit the historic com
mittee's attempts to have the
community designated a historic
district in the National Register of
Historic Places. Research and
documentation required for appli
cation to the National Register is
expected to run around $5,000.
The committee’s goal was to raise
$2,500 to match, a state grant to
fund the research. Rain or no
rain, Winslow said the. goal was
surpassed.
ward obtaining historic district
status. Old Neck residents orga
nized a fundraiser this summer at
Cove Grove.
The historic committees are
organized through the Perqui
mans County Restoration Asso
ciation.