The only newspaper eor and about Perquimans County and its people
Lady Pirates defeat Manteo, are
No. 1 seed in conference Page 6
Tigers top tourney
Page 6
Students commemorate 100th
day of schooi Page 8
February 18, 1999
Vol. 67. No. 7 Hertford. North Carolina 27944
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Chamber honors outstanding service
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Outstanding contributions
to the community were noted
by the Perquimans Chamber
of Commerce at the organiza
tion’s annual banquet last
week.
Natalie Bero was named
Volunteer of the Year for giv
ing many hours of time and
energy to the organization.
Honored as Ambassador of
the Year was Anna Wrae
Smith. The owner/operator of
Smith’s Jewelery and Fine
Gifts, Smith was recognized
for devoted commitment and
assistance to the Chamber,
especially with special events
and projects.
Inteliport was chosen Small
Business of the Year. Owner
Steve Lane was noted for shar
ing his expertise in website
design with various organiza
tions in the county, including
Membership drive kicks off
The Chamber kicked off its
annual membership drive
Monday with a lofty goal;
increase chamber member
ship by 50 percent.
Membership Director
Carol LeRoy will have the
luxury of a new entity within
the chamber to assist with the
drive — the Perquimans
Chamber Ambassador
Alliance or PCAA. PCAA was
formed to expedite chamber
initiatives. The first order of
business will be to increase
chamber membership from
175 to 263.
The initial PCAA team
includes Natalie and George
Bero, Paige and Gil
Underwood, Jan and Wes
Hostetler, Anna Wrae and
Paul Smith, and Cynthia and
Champion Cox, as well as
LeRoy.
Increasing the member
ship is not new for LeRoy.
Since she joined the chamber
staff two years ago, member
ship has increased from 70 to
175.
Some people think that the
chamber is only for business
es, but that is not true. The
chamber has membership
categories for business, civic,
individual, church, schools,
governments and more. An
individual membership is $40
per year, with church and
civic dues at $50. Other cate
gories are on a payment scale
for dues.
For information on PCAA,
chamber membership or
other activities, call the
chamber at 426-5657 or log on
to perquimans.com.
the chamber.
The Perquimans County
Restoration Association and
its president, Chris Lane,
earned recognition for com
mitment and leadership in
heritage tourism and econom
ic development.
Charlie Skinner was pre
sented with a Lifetime
Chamber Membership for his
tireless efforts, positive atti
tude and selfless promotion of
Perquimans County.
Guest speaker for the ban
quet, held at Angler’s Cove
Restaurant, was Dan Kidd,
Heritage Tourism Manager
with the N.C. Division of
Tourism, Film and Sports
Development in Raleigh.
Kidd’s slide presentation
took both a serious and light
hearted look at heritage
tourism, the fast-growing seg
ment withint the gigantic trav
el and tourism industry.
Heritage tourists, according
to Kidd, are the industry’s
“preferred customers’’ due to
their higher spending and
other habits. He also noted
that heritage tourism is bona
fide economic development as
it supports businesses and pro
vides jobs. In addition, her
itage tourism provides rev
enue that helps maintain an
area’s unique characteristics
and promotes community
pride.
Kidd presented a letter from
New businesses
open in county
Chamber holds
two ribbon
cuttings in week
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
With its emphasis on eco
nomic development, the
Chamber was pleased last
week to sponsor ribbon cut
tings for two
new
Perquimans
County
businesses.
First to
open was
The Blue
Door
Gallery &
Antiques,
located on
Main Street
Extended in
Winfall. The
shop is nes
tled in the
sun-filled parlor of the home of
one of its owners, Linda
Morris. It sits just across N.C.
37 from the county softball
fields. A blue door bearing the
words “Blue Door Gallery”
hangs on a huge, old tree on
the front lawn.
Owners Morris and Jane
McMahon have an eclectic mix
of artwork, antiques and col
lectibles in the historic house.
Both Morris and McMahon are
artists. Some of the items
offered at the gaUery are origi
nals produced by the owners.
The Blue Door Gallery &
Antiques is open on Saturday,
10 a.m.-4 p.m., or by appoint
ment. Call 426-7965 or 426-5945
for information.
On Friday, Pam Collins
opened Rainbow Graphics in
Hall of Fame Square, Church
Street, Hertford.
Collins has affixed graphic
designs to sweatshirts for
some time. She used to work
from her home, but grew to
need a retail
outlet. She
chose the
newly-reno
vated Hall of
Fame Square
for her new
home, partly
because of
the interest
generated by
the array of
shops in the
mini-maU.
In addi
tion to
putting designs
on T-shirts, sweatshirts and
other items of clothing, CoUins
carries hair products, bath
and kitchen cleaning products,
soaps, lotions, candy, hats and
clothing. In the clothing line.
Rainbow Graphics’ offerings
include Nautica, Polo, Fubu,
Tommy Hilfiger, Guess and
Calvin Klein.
The two grand openings
marked the third ribbon cut
tings sponsored by the cham
ber in 1999. A fourth is sched
uled for the last week of
February.
I .
A i
Blue Door
Gallery &
Antiques opened
in Winfall and
Rainbow
Graphics opened
in Hall of Fame
Square last
week.
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
The Perquimans Chamber of Commerce welcomed two new businesses to the county iast week.
The Biue Door Gaiiery & Antiques, owned by Linda Morris and Jane McMahon, opened in Winfaii
on Thursday (above). Rainbow Graphics, owned by Pam Coiiins, heid its grand opening in Hail of
Fame Square on Friday.
Weekend Weather
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
^gh 50s
High 50
High 40s
^-ow40s
Low 40s
LowSOs
Partly
Chance
Windy
Cloudy
of Rain
Colder
Jones to hold open meeting here
Congressman will
be at county
courthouse today
Congressman Walter B.
Jones Jr., Rep.-Pitt, wiU be in
Hertford tonight (Thursday) at
7 p.m. to hear comments, ques
tions and concerns from his
constituents in Perquimans
County.
Jones’ staff contacted
County Manager Paul Gregory
asking that a meeting place be
made available and the public
be notified that Jones planned
to visit,
The Congressman was elect
ed to the U.S. House of
Representatives in 1994 after
10 years in the North Carolina
General Assembly. He repre
sents the state’s Third District.
Jones serves on the Armed
Services, Resources and
Banking and Financial
Services committees. He is a
founding member of the
Missing and Exploited
Children’s Caucus, and had
four pieces of legislation
signed into law in the 105th
congress: The Shackleford
Banks Protection Act,
Pfiesteria Research Act of
1997, Expanded War Crimes
Act of 1997 and First Flight
Commemorative Coin Act of
1997.
The Farmville native and
resident served as chairman of
the Subcommittee on Families,
Children and Youth while in
the state’s general assembly.
Gordon W. Clapp, Executive .
Director of the Division of
Tourism, Film and Sports
Development, to LuAnne
Pendergraft, heritage tourism
development officer based at
the Newbold-White House. In
it, Clapp praised Pendergrafl’s
efforts in the development of
an official document dealing
with Hertford’s designation as
the Eastern Model Community
for Heritage Tourism
Development across North
Carolina.
Installed as chamber offi
cers were Jeri Oltman, presi
dent; Mary White, The
Wishing Well, vice president;
and Harriette Woodard,
Woodard’s Pharmacy and
Family Care Pharmacy, trea
surer. Board members include
Bert Hayes, Steve Lane,
Brenda Lassister, Norma
McMuUan, Jack Taylor, Anne
White and Julian Winslow.
EEN is info
hiway for
business
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
It’s kind of like a mini infor
mation highway for small
businesses. That’s how
Perquimans 2020 Vision
Coalition Executive Director
Leo Higgins describes the
Entrepreneurial Education
Network that makes a detoiur
in Hertford.
Through the EEN, business
development and entrepre
neurial training programs are
available through distance
learning. Perquimans County
business people — or those
who desire to start their own
business — can take classes to
increase their knowledge and
understanding of business via
computer. Examples of class
subjects include finance, how
to get started, bookkeeping,
taxes, business plan develop
ment and designing web sites.
Most are free to the consumer.
The three computers
hooked into the EEN in
Perquimans County are locat
ed upstairs in the courthouse.
Students take interactive
classes, meaning that they can
interact with other students
and instructors, simulating a
traditional classroom. Most
classes last about 11/2 hovurs,
and most are free.
The EEN was set up in late
1997 by the North Carolina
Technological Development
Authority with a USD A grant
of $250,000. The network is
designed to enhance and devel
op small businesses in small,
rural areas. Classes are sched
uled ahead of time and are
repeated at least twice in a
month to allow more people an
opportunity to enroU.
Higgins said several people
have taken advantage of the
program in Perquimans
County, including the 11-week
FASTRAC, the only course for
which there is currently a fee
and the only multi-session
course.
For information on course
availability or to pre-register,
visit www.een.org; email EEN
Training Administrator
Floretta Campbell at fcamp-
bell@TDA.nctda.org; email
Leo Higgins at
leo@inteliport.com or
2020@inteliport.com; or call
426-2020.