The Perquimans Weekly, Hertford, N.C., Thursday, July 20,1995 - Page 3
Community
Library slimmer programs going well
By JERI OLTMAN
Perquimans County librarian
I have missed writing this
column the last few weeks. I
attended the annual conven
tion of the American Library
Association in Chicago. More
than 13,000 librarians from
around the country and many
more from other countries
attended sessions on various
topics and visited the exhibits,
held at McCormick Place.
One of the sessions I attend
ed was a panel discussion on
the topic of large print books. I
learned about some of the pro
cedures involved in producing
popular novels in large print.
Representatives of all the large
print publishers were present,
and they were quite forthright
in explaining the constraints
they deal with.
I spent several hours walk
ing through the exhibit hall,
talking with vendors and
examining the latest books
and computer applications.
Our summer programs for
children have gotten off to a
great start. The past two
Wednesdays we’ve hosted
some great speakers. We antic
ipate four more Wednesday
afternoons of exciting pro
grams on the topic of Nature
Trails and Tales. Adults are
welcome to attend, too. See
you at 2 p.m.
We are fortunate to have
two high school students
working with us this summer,
courtesy of the Summer Youth
Employment and Training
Program. Crystal Washington
and Timeka Eason are learn
ing some new skills as they
help us perform a lot of those
never ending behind-the-scene
tasks at the library.
We have received several
new books recently that I
think will be of interest to
many of you. We have two new
titles dealing with the Second
World War. The first is
Typewriter Battalion:
Dramatic Front Line
Dispatches from World War II,
edited by Jack Stenbuck, and
the second is The Last Great
Victory: The End of World War
II, July-August 1945, by
Stanley Weintraub.
For those of you who are
more interested in the Civil
War, we have Shrouds of
Glory: Atlanta to Nashville:
The Last Great Campaign of
the Civil War by Winston
Groom and Black Confederates
and Afro-Yankees in Civil War
Virginia by Ervin L. Jordan
Jr.
We also have received In
Retrospect: The Tragedy and
Lessons of Vietnam by Robert
McNamara. If you’d rather
read about food than war, here
are some books about cooking
and eating:
Doctor, What Should I Eat?:
Nutrition Prescriptions for
Ailments in Which Diet Can
Really Make a Difference by
Isadore Rosenfeld; Light
Muffins: Over 60 Recipes for
Sweet and Savory Low-Fat
Muffins and Spreads by
Beatrice Ojakangas; Eating
Well is the Best Revenge:
Everyday Strategies for
Delicious, Healthful Food in 30
Minutes or Less by Marian
Burros. And a related book.
Kitchen Time: 202 Activities for
Entertaining Your Child While
You Cook by Steve & Ruth
Bennett.
Some new gardening books,
for those of you who would
rather be in the garden than in
the kitchen: Good Bugs for
Your Garden by Allison Mia
Starcher and Guide to
Flowering Plant Families by
Wendy B. Zomlefer.
While we have lots of new
nonfiction that is bound to be
of interest to many of you,
here are a few more books on a
variety of topics that I recom
mend:
Phenomenal Woman: Four
Poems Celebrating Women by
Maya Angelou; Dave Barry’s
Complete Guide to Guys by
Dave Barry; Sasha’s Tail:
Lessons from a Life with Cats
by Jacqueline Damian; Inside
the White House: The Hidden
Lives of the Modern Presidents
and the Secrets of the World’s
Most Powerful Institution by
Ronald Kessler; New Passages:
Mapping Your Life Across
Time by Gail Sheehy; From
Beginning to End: The Rituals
of Our Lives by Robert
i^lghum.
I hope you stop in soon and
browse our new book shelves
to get a “cool read” for this hot
weather.
Equipment
rebate
The NC Department of
Commerce is again offer
ing a rebate program on
the purchase of no-till
planting and transplanti
ng equipment. The pro
gram starts September 1
and ends when funds are
gone.
This year the rebate is
a flat $1,000, rather than
a percentage of cost.
Approximately $250,000
has been committed. The
250 rebates will be
awarded strictly on a
first come, first served
basis. Equipment deal
ers will be receiving the
forms soon. You may
also contact your local
soil and water office at
426-5545 for additional
information.
Spotlight on Business
2)a/tcLeiv 2)ejixiAijTteiYty §^tcW(Zy viiXR/ tRcy ct£cl/
Darden Department
Store has been a part of
the business communi
ty in downtown
Hertford for as long as
most folks can remem
ber.
Vivian Darden
formed at partnership
with a Mr. Rutenberg
and a Mr. Stokes in 1914
and opened Rutenberg,
Stokes and Darden in
the building from which
the stores continues to
operate. Vivian
Darden’s brother,
Douglas, moved to
Hertford later and the
name of the store
changed to Stokes and
Darden. In 1926, the
business changed its
name again to Darden
Brothers. It is now
known as Darden
Department Store.
Vivian’s daughter,
Florence, and her hus
band, Chris
Christensen, took over
the reins at the store in
1974. Their son, John,
and his wife, Judy,
moved to Hertford in
1981 and John began
. f
II
.41
PHOTOS BY ANZIE ZIEMBA
A photograph of Arlene Porter and some of her diaries and
books are a part of Aunt Arlene’s Attic and Merchant
Museum in Darden Department Store. Judy Christensen said
the antique displays are an attempt to capitalize on the
uniqueness of Darden’s, which has been in the Darden fami
ly since 1914.
managing the store.
Judy is now the store
manager and John is
the town manager for
Hertford.
Over the years, the
building at 109 N.
Church Street has
housed many different
types of merchandise. In
its earliest days, folks in
Perquimans County
bought clothes, cloth,
sewing notions, lin
gerie, shoes, bath acces
sories, even groceries
and furniture from the
store.
“This was the origi
nal type of department
store,” Judy said.
Today, Darden’s still
offers the same friendly,
down-home service as
in years past. Now the
store carries men’s,
women’s and children’s
ready-to-wear, bath and
kitchen towels, shoes,
jewlery, lingerie and
more.
The latest change at
Darden’s is a move to
celebrate its beginning.
Judy has set up what
she calls Aunt Arlene’s
Attic and Merchant
Museum in the store.
Gracing the back corner
of Darden’s, the display
contains samples of
what used to be sold and
what used to be used in
the store. There are old
timey-shoes, crates,
newspapers, bottles,
jars, old photographs, a
bot-bellied stove, a tall
radio, the store’s old
brass cash register, a
Victorola and more.
Judy said many of the
items came from the
trunk of Florence’s
mother’s sister, Arlene
Porter, the woman
whose name the muse
um carries. Aunt
Arlene’s trunk and
other memorabilia were
stored in the attic. Judy
went through and found
lots of treasures she
decided to put on dis
play.
The idea came from a
store in the western
part of the state. Judy
heard about that store,
visited it, and decided
that’s what she wanted
to do.
“I thought, weU that’s
what we should do .
Instead of trying to get
‘new,’ we should capital
ize on the old. That’s the
unique part of our
store,” Judy said.
“This is a dinosaur,”
Judy continued.
“There’s not many
•
m s
...
Judy Christensen, manager of the family-owned Darden
Department Store in downtown Hertford, and her staff have
created a unique area in the store Judy has named Aunt
Arlene’s Attic and Merchant Museum. On display are many
“finds” Judy discovered in the attic of the store, inciuding
the store’s old brass cash register, crates, items formeriy
offered for sale, and even the diaries of Aunt Arlene Porter.
(stores) like it any more.
We’re sort of preserving
out heritage. People
come in and just want
to feel the old.”
When Judy is not
coming up with ideas
for the store, she’s
involved in the
Downtown Merchants
Association, a group of
downtown business
owners trying to keep
Hertford’s downtown
alive, and hopefully,
make it prosperous. She
and other merchants
have organized several
activities over the past
year, including a com
munity concert last
Christmas, an Easter
egg hunt this spring,
and concerts on
Mother’s Day weekend.
Take a trip to Darden
Department Store
Monday-Saturday, 8:30
a.m.-5:30 p.m. Browse
through Aunt Arlene’s
Attic and Merchant
Museum. Take advan
tage of the friendly ser
vice the store’s four
employees offer. Feel
the old. Appreciate the
new.
Summertime Specials
For the entire Family'
•Ladies Summer Lingerie ^ AO/ ‘Beach Accessories ‘Towels
and Slippers ^ U /O OFF Hats ‘ Bags ‘ Blankets
‘Ladies Summer Shoes i i o ^
t -o 7 ‘Kitchen Towel Sets
OFF Bath Towels . Sheets.
•Jewelry (select) ZU /o OFF .Swimwear for Boys
‘Sportswear for the entire ^ C 0 /
Family /o OFF
Also visit our store and browse Aunt Arlene’s Attic & Merchant Museum
Downtown
Hertford
25%
15%
.30%
OFF
OFF
OFF
3 oc iVACiciluilt iVA
Darden Department Store