The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County and its pfoph?
Lady Pirates earn
berth at state 1-A
softball championship
tournament
Page 6
May 27, 1999
Vol. 67, No. 21 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
The
013105 10/09/1999 *C20
SRQUIi^'iANS COUNTY uIsRARY
110 M ACADEM Y ST
RTFORD NC 27944
Perquimans
Weekly
350
Visitors flock to Spring Weekend
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
E^tor
Beautiful weather and some
of the most architecturally sig
nificant structures in North
Carolina brought visitors to
the county last weekend.
A homes tour organized and
promoted by Preservation
North Carolina and the
Perquimans County
Restoration Association
brought out a barrage of histo
ry buffs from far and near.
There were over 400 tourists
who visited the county over
the two-day event, according
to Peter Rascoe of
Preservation’s Edenton office
and Chris Lane, president of
PCRA.
“It was probably one of the
most amazing experiences for
me,” said Lane. “We certainly
expected it to be good, but we
didn’t expect it to be fantastic
and it really was. There were
over 250 at the garden party,
which is more than we’ve ever
had. All the bed and breakfasts
were full. People shopped
downtown. The restaurants
benefited. It was just wonder
ful.
“Everyone that I talked to
said that it was by far one of
the nicest weekends that
they’ve ever spent,” Lane .
added. “They said it was a step
above the renowned tours
they’ve been on in the past.
They were real impressed that
it was the homeowners giving
tours and not tour guides.”
Lane said people from all
over North Carolina and
Virginia came for the tour.
“If there have been any
naysayers about heritage
tourism, I think that this
(weekend event) has proved
the point that people wiU come
t.
"'A
DAILY ADVANCE PHOTO
Tourists Mary Dean and Ken Winchester of Virginia Beach, Va.
get a tour of the Newbold-White House from PCRA member and
volunteer Chuck White. The couple were among over 400 who
toured 24 of the county’s historic buildings this weekend.
here,” Lane said. “I can just
envision many more opportu
nities like this for us.
Lane said perhaps other
events in the county can take
advantage of the area’s rich
historic resources.
Rascoe said his organiza
tion was also pleased with the
event, tagged Perquimans
Spring Weekend.
“It was a huge success,“
Rascoe said. “All the com
ments I heard was it was a
great tour. Really everybody
liked it. I think we accom
plished what we started out
doing, which was to bring in
out-of-towners and show them
what the county has to offer.
Now I hope we’ll continue with
that effort.”
Rascoe said one of the high
lights of the tour for many his
tory buffs was the four houses
underoing restoration. He said
being able to see the way struc
tures were built in the 19th
century was fascinating for
many tourists.
Lane said PCRA received a
grant to promote the tour and
the group paired with
Preservation, which expanded
PCRA’s resources not only in
assistance, but use of
Preservation’s mailing list.
The advertising and promo
tion definitely made a differ
ent as many of the tourists
were from the Hampton Roads
target advertising market.
The Historic Hertford
Business Association also
played a part in the weekend,
hosting the Pig-Out in
Perquimans event on Friday
night. Visitors and home folks
were able to enjoy barbecue
and live entertainment from
local musicians on the court
house lawn. Many browsed
through the downtown shops,
which stayed open until 8 p.m.
In addition, the Perquimans
Arts League Gallery was open
aU weekend showcasing local
works.
According to Lane and
LuAnne Pendergraft,
Development Officer with the
N.C. Department of Commerce
headquartered at Newbold-
White, aU the groups who par
ticipated in the weekend
enjoyed success.
Lane, Rascoe and
Pendergraft all said the fami
lies who opened their homes
are owed a debt of gratitude.
“It’s a lot of work and a lot
of worry,” Rascoe said. “We
owe them a lot.”
Be prepared for
hurricane season
For many. Memorial Day
is a time to enjoy cookouts,
reopen the family pool,
enjoy that first boat ride of
the season.
But for emergency man
agement coordinators in
North Carolina, Memorial
Day means hurricane sea
son is upon us. Gov. Jim
Hunt has proclaimed May
30-June 5 Hurricane
Awareness and
Preparedness Week in the
state.
“For the next six months,
the possibility of one, or
more, hurricanes hitting
our state wUl be very real,”
said Hunt. “We are seeing
an up-swing in hurricane
activity in the Atlantic, and
Dr. William Gray predicts
that this year there will be
14 named storms, nine of
them becoming hurricanes
and four of those will be
powerful ones. I want all of
our people to be prepared for
whatever this hurricane sea
son may bring.”
Perquimans County
Emergency Management
Coordinator Ray Cullipher
said people should use
Hurricane Awareness and
Preparedness Week as a
reminder to put together a
three-day emergency kit. He
said every household should
have an emergency kit on
hand. Sometimes, once
weather forecasters predict
a storm is on the way, stores
fill up as people go after
items at the last minute.
This can mean stores run
short of supplies that can
become critical if a bad
storm hits.
An emergency kit should
be packed in an easy to
carry, water tight container
such as a large plastic trash
can or a cardboard box lined
with a couple of heavy trash
bags.
The following items are
essential to the kit; 1 gallon
of water per person per day,
and water purification kit or
bleach; first aid kit and first
aid book; pre-cooked,non-
perishable foods such as
canned meats, granola bars,
instant soups and cereals;
baby supplies; non-electric
can opener; anti bacterial
hand wipes dr gel; blanket
or sleeping bag per person;
portable radio or portable
TV and extra batteries;
flashlight and extra batter
ies; essential medications;
extra pair of eyeglasses;
extra house and car keys;
ABC-type fire extinguisher;
food, water, leash and carri
er for pets; cash and change;
and seasonal change of
clothing including sturdy
shoes.
Sanitation supplies to
have in the kit are large
plastic trash bags, tarps and
rain ponchos; large trash
cans; bar soap and liquid
detergent; shampoo, took-
paste and toothbrushes; fem
inine hygiene supplies; toi
let paper, bleach and rubber
gloves.
Enough supplies should
be stored to last at least
three days, preferably seven
days, in one place.
For more about storm
safety, contact the N.C.
Emergency Management
Division of the Department
of Crime Control and Public
Safety at call (919) 733-3219
or visit www.ncem.org.
Locally, call 426-5751.
PCHS junior delivers baby in Elizabeth City shoe store
By GRACE DAVIS-NERNEY
The Daily Advance and
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
ELIZABETH CITY —
Tytianne Walker was shooed-
in to this world last Tuesday
night — literally.
The newborn’s mother, Lisa
Walker, gave birth to her in
Payless Shoe Store in
Elizabeth City’s Jordan Plaza,
“I felt a few labor pains but
thought I had plenty of time to
pick up her father from work
on Highway 17 North (and get
to Albemarle Hospital),”
Walker said Wednesday.
Tytianne had other ideas,
however.
: ’ Walker quickly realized she
needed help and pulled into
the first place she saw people.
It happened to be Payless Shoe
Store.
Walker saw Michelle Nixon,
the only customer in the store
at the time.
“I need help. I’m having a
baby,” was their introduction.
Although Nixon is only 16, she
took control of the situation.
While store employees called
the rescue squad and Walker’s
sister Cythia White, Nixon had
Walker lie down.
The Perquimans County
High School student hoped
that would keep Walker calm
until paramedics arrived.
Again, Tytianne had other
plans. She arrived right there
by the cash register at 8:41
p.m.
“I try not to panic easily,”
Walker said.
Clearly Nixon doesn’t
either. Without any training
or previous midwife experi
ence, she delivered Walker’s
iiii
I’m 16,1 should
be doing this...AII
I wanted was
some shoes.”
Michelle Nixon
Age 16
After delivering a baby
in an Elizabeth City
shoe store last week
baby.
“I kept thinking, ‘I’m 16, I
shouldn’t be doing this,”’
Nixon said. “All I wanted was
some shoes.”
Nixon said at first Walker’s
baby didn’t seem to be breath
ing.
“So I put my finger in her
mouth and cleared out the
mucus and rubbed her back.
Pretty soon she started crj'^ing
and I knew she was OK,”
Nixon said.
The 16-year-old said she
then handed Tytianne to her
mother and said, “You take
over, I don’t know what I’m
doing.”
Walker thinks otherwise.
“She seemed to know what
to do,” she said.
Five minutes later, the para
medics arrived. Both baby.
who’s 18 inches and weighs
just over 4 pounds, and mother
are doing fine.
Nixon’s mother said her
daughter called her after 9
p.m. crying.
“I was afraid she’d been in a
wreck or something,’’ said
Margie Nixon of Hertford. “I
tried to get her to calm down.
She said she was in a shoe
store, then I was afraid she’d
been robbed or something. I
just kept trying to get her to
calm down and then she told
me that a lady came into the
store, her water broke and she
delivered the baby right there.
I think when it was all over,
she realized what had hap
pened. It happened so fast that
she didn’t have time to think
about anything. She just want
ed to help her out.
“She was upset, but she was
proud of herself, too,” Nixon
continued. “We’re (her father,
Billy and mother) just real
proud of her and glad that both
the mother and the baby are
all right.”
Margie Nixon said she
called the hospital after talk
ing with MicheUe to check on
the newborn and its mother.
The nurse told her that the
ambulance was enroute with
the pair, but that from all
reports, both seemed to be
doing fine.
Apparently babies in a
hurry are in vogue right now.
“We have had three babies
born before they got to the hos
pital in the last three weeks,”
said an Albemarle Hospital
J
DAILY ADVANCE PHOTO
Above: Sixteen-year old Michelle Nixon (ieft) recounts how she heiped new mom Lisa Waiker
deiiver her baby giri, Tytianne, Tuesday night at Payless Shoe Store. Top: Walker enjoys a
moment with Tytianne in their Aibemarie Hospitai room.
maternity ward nurse nursing.
Wednesday. “That’s unusual.” “This was a sign, I guess,”
Nixon said she has been that that’s what she ought to
thinking about a career in do, she said.
As for delivering any more
babies, the 16-year-old says
she’ll probably “lay off for
awhile.”