Happy Thanksoivin
November 22,1995
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I 0 u:- ANS C^JHTY L.^RAKT
110
The Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 63. No. 46
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
THANKSGIVING/Bountiful harvest
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
The cornucopia, or horn of plenty, is one of the traditional Methodist Church during the community Thanksgiving ser-
symbols of Thanksgiving and the blessing of a bountiful har- vice held Sunday evening. Throughout the county, churches
vest. This one was set on the altar table at Hertford United are holding special services and communal dinners.
County briefs
New business
The Perquimans County'
Commissioners met in regu
lar session on Monday, Nov.
6. In addition to the stories
published on Nov. 9 and 16,
the board also discussed the
following items:
• Choice Acres Inc. was
awarded the contract to farm
Granby Farms (Perquimans
Commerce Centre site) for
three years at a rental rate of
$19,860 per year. Other bid
ders were Willis Proctor and
Son Farms, $16,617 per year,
and Ronnie Baker, $15,360
per year.
• The resignation of ani
mal control officer Phillip
McPherson was accepted.
Former animal control offi
cer Ron Priddy was appoint
ed to the position.
• Janet Roughton was
approved as Income
Maintenance Case Worker I
at Department of Social
Services.
• The board authorized
the county manager and
county attorney to draft let
ters to the Democratic Party
and the N.A.A.C.P. request
ing two nominees from each
group to fill the seat of the
late David Bines Jr. on the
board of commissioners. The
groups were asked to respond
by Dec. 1. The choice of the
board to fill the seat will
serve for the remaining three
years of Bines’ term.
• The resignation of tax
supervisor Tony Jordan was
accepted. No further action
was taken.
• An engineering contract
was approved for Diehl and
Phillips, the Greenville firm
composing plans for a new
Bethel water plant.
• The board reviewed'a
proposed water rate increase
necessary to generate funds
to pay the county’s indebted
ness if the early 1996 $4 mil
lion bond referendum passes.
The base rate would rise
from $8.50- per month to
• $12.50.
• A resolution was adopt
ed supporting the introduc
tion of state legislation pro
viding property owners asso
ciations with authority to col
lect assessments and enforce
community rules.
• Requests to have two
streets at Holiday Island
taken over by NCDOT and to
pave Old Hickory Road were
forwarded to the state.
• DSS director Chrystal
Towe and deputy sheriff
Darlene Jacobs were appoint
ed to the Child Fatality Task
Force Team.
• The board approved a
request from the Perquimans
County Rescue Squad for the
squad to purchase a used
N.C. Highway Patrol vehicle
with squad funds to be
housed at the EMS building.
The next regular session of
the board will be on Monday,
Dec. 4 at 3 p.m. in the com
missioners room in the court
house annex. All meetings
are open to the public.
Residents who wish to
address the board should call
the county manager’s office
prior to Friday, Dec. 1 to be
put on the agenda.
The Perquimans Weekly
office will join businesses and
government offices across the
county in closing Thursday,
Nov. 23 to observe the
Thanksgiving holiday.
Office hours will resume on
Friday at 8 a.m.
Deadlines for the Nov. 30
issue will be on schedule.
Weddings, engagements,
anniversaries, news releases,
and briefs for the Happenings
column should be submitted
by Friday at noon. Obituaries,
Wolfman park
plans on hold
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
The Perquimans County Chamber of Commerce sponsored a
ribbon cutting celebrating the grand opening of Old Hickory
Antiques Friday. On hand for the ribbon cutting were (left to
right) Hertford Mayor John Beers, Joan Cohoon Harrell,
Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sandra Smith, Patsy
Cohoon Berry, Nannette Cohoon, Horace Cohoon, Chamber
President A.O. Roberts, Hertford Town Manager John
Christensen, and Perquimans County Manager Paul Gregory.
The shop is iocated on U.S. Highway 17 north of Hertford and is
owned by Horace and Nannette Cohoon.
Holiday closing, deadlines
By JOHN JACKSON
The Daily Advance
Just five days after
announcing their intention to
build a blues park and muse
um in honor of Wolfman jack.
Tod Smith, Wolfman Jack’s
son, and Steven Baldwin have
temporarRy put the project on
hold.
“BasicaUy, we’re on hold tiU
we develop aU of our business
plans,” Smith said last
Wednesday.
Smith and Baldwin had
announced at a Nov. 10 press
conference at Wolfman Jack’s
home in Belvidere that they
were planning to open a blues
park and hall of fame in honor
of the world famous radio disc
jockey Wolfman Jack - whose
real name was Robert Weston
Smith.
Smith died of a heart attack
in July after returning from a
promotion of his autobiogra
phy.
His son Tod, 32, a promoter
and producer, said he came up
with the idea for the park a
few weeks after the funeral.
“It just came to me,” he
said. “It’s mainly a way for
artists and fans to pay tribute
to Wolfman, my father.”
Smith then brought in
Hollywood promoter Steven
Baldwin to assist with the
park’s development.
The blues park would con
tain a 7,500-person amphithe
atre and stage.
The museum would contain
memorabilia of Wolfman
Jack’s career. Smith said he
had spoken with animators
and engineers at Disney to
construct a robotic Wolfman
Jack that would guide visitors
through the museum while
broadcasting from his original
radio booth.
Now, Smith said the plans
have been put on hold.
“I think this is something
that merits consideration,”
said Robert Baker Jr., the
Perquimans County Planner
and Economic Developer.
Baker said he met with
Smith, Baldwin and Sandra
Smith (no relation) with the
Chamber of Commerce last
week to discuss some concerns
he and other county residents
have with the project, includ
ing noise pollution and traffic
control.
At the end of the meeting.
Baker said Baldwin and Smith
told him the project would be
put on hold.
“They do have considera
tions, they do have concerns,”
Baker said. “I hope they can
FEEDBACK
Although only two
people called in response
to our FEEDBACK
request concerning the
Wolfman Jack Memorial
Blues Park, both were
solidly against the pro
ject.
Both feared traffic
problems, excessive
noise, litter, and crowd
control.
Also, The Perquimans
Weekly spoke with sever
al residents of the
Belvidere area, and
found that although both
Tod Smith and Steve
Baldwin said they had
spoken with community
residents about the park
and enlisted their sup
port, several property
owners in the immediate
vicinity of the proposed
park site said they found
out about the park from
reports in The
Perquimafts Weekly.
work through some of them. I
stUl wish them well.”
Although Smith said he had
received the “thumbs up” from
community officials,
Perquimans County
Commissioner Archie Miller
said the project had not been
brought before the commis
sioners.
“We haven’t received any
information on this yet,” he
said.
Despite knowing very little
about the project. Miller
expressed his interest in it. “I
think it could be done,” he
said.
Mack Nixon, chairman of
the commissioners, also said
the board had not officially
been approached by Smith or
Baldwin on the project.
“They did not officially
make us aware of what they
were planning on doing,”
Nixon said.
Because Smith plans to
build the park in what Nixon
calls “downtown Belvidere,”
Nixon said he hopes Smith
will get the support of the local
residents.
“I think the first order of
business would be the accep
tance of the endeavor in the
Belvidere community,” Nixon
said. “If the people were to
embrace it, the board of com
missioners would consider
that.”
Outside
church services and advertis
ing deadline is Monday at 3
p.m.
All local government offices
will be closed on Thursday,
except the county dispatch
department, sheriffs depart
ment and EMS service. Police
departments in both Hertford
and Winfall will be operating.
All dumpsters will be closed.
For emergency assistance,
call 911. For non-emergency
assistance, call the dispatch
office at 426-5751.
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