The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County and its people
Lady Pirates earn
berth at state 1-A
softball championship
tournament
Page 6
June 3, 1999
Vol. 67, No. 22 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
The
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350
Rominger
is Winfall
postmaster
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Every morning, Ken
Rominger puts on his sea legs
to navigate the wavy floors of
the 100-year-old U.S. Post
office building in WinfaU.
The new postmaster weighs
mail on an old, manual scale,
which is calibrated by hand
each morning. There is also a
manual post-marking
machine at the site, probably
built between 1910 and 1029
from what Rominger has
learned.
The service at the post
office has maintained the per
sonal touch customers have
come to expect, while moving
forward with a credit card
rnachine and the latest
stamps.
With 240 post office boxes
and no delivery, one might
think Rominger sits and looks
out the window all day, bored
with his job. Not so.
“For a small post office, .we
do big business,” Rominger
said. “It’s great. It’s fun to
work here. We do a lot of busi
ness.;”
Rominger said it’s conve
nient for employees at
Winfall’s two schools and par
ents of the students to drop by
in the morning or afternoon.
And his box holders generally
stop by daily, so quite a bit of
traffic is generated at the cor
ner of N.C. 37 and Catherine
Street.
Winfall native Shirley
Yates said there’s been a post
office at the intersection as
long as she can remember.
The Perquimans County com
missioner said before moving
to its current home, the post
office sat catty-corner in buiid-
ings no longer open.
Rominger has been digging
through old records at the post
office. He wants to piece
together as much post office
history as he can. Folks who
might have information or
photographs about the post
office and town history are
asked to contact Rominger.
The new postmaster is not
new to Winfall or the postal
service. Rominger married
county native Barbara Dail
and the couple moved to
Winfall in 1994. Both have
become active in the commu
nity. They belong to the local
restoration association.
Barbara is an Albemarle
Hospital Volunteer, and Ken
is a chamber member and
chairman of the Winfall
Planning and Zoning Board.
They also enjoy spending time
with family - Donald and
Debbie Ayscue and sons Craig
and Jonathan of Hertford,
Beverly of Newport News, Va.,
and Ian and Suzanne
Rominger and son Jacob of
' Newman, Ill.
The Air Force veteran was
acting director of
Northeastern North Carolina
Tomorrow, 1983-84. Rominger
has over 13 years with the
postal service.
He was officially sworn in
by Tara Wesley, Post Office
Operations Manager for this
area of the Greensboro
District, on May 20. Wesley
said Rominger was chosen for
the job in part because he felt
that he was a part of the
Winfall community.
“To me, it’s a real privilege
to have the job,” Rominger
said. He said his goal is to
have the best post office in the
state.
Winfall Post Office hours
are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m-
noon and 2-4:45 p.m. and
Saturday, 8:30-10:30 a.m.
April Glean-Up/Fix-Up winners noted
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PHOTO BY SUSAN R. HARRIS
Winners of the county’s April Clean Up/Fix Up contest were awarded prizes donated by individu
als and businesses last week at Farmers Feed and Seed. At the presentation were (left to right)
Vicky Winslow, Tony Lane of Farmers Feed and Seed, Charles Ward, Jim Nodurft of Albemarle
Plantation, Cheryl White, Mike White, Jane McMahon of Covent Garden Inn, Linda Morris and
Shirley Yates.
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The spiffiest lawns in
Perquimans earned accolades
from the county recently.
The county sponsored a con
test in conjunction with its
April Clean Up/Fix Up
Campaign. Residentiai lawns
were entered forjudging in the
best kept or most improved
category. Businesses were also
judged. The contest was coor
dinated by Lewis Smith,
Perquimans Cooperative
Extension Director.
Winners were: Best Kept
Residential — Vicky and
Stanley Winslow, first place,
Mike and Cheryl White, run
ners up; Most Improved
Residential — Thomas and
Linda Morris; and Best Kept
Business — Covent Garden
Inn (Jane McMahon).
Charles Ward gave a $100
savings bond for the Best Kept
Residential. Shirley Yates and
Bert Hayes gave a $100 savings
bond for Most Improved
Residential. Farmers Feed and
Hertford, Hunter highlighted on Fox
Segment to broadcast Sunday
' ‘V ji
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Hertford pharmacist
Charles Woodard, a long
time friend of Jim “Catfish”
Hunter (above), is inter
viewed in his Church Street
drug store last Wednesday
for a show about the pitch
ing legend scheduled for
Sunday on Fox Sports
Network. Woodard’s has
become a sort of clearing
house for ALS information.
Ed Nixon and Pete Hunter
(right) share memories of
growing up with Jimmy and
his friends with Keith
Vaughan, minister of the
Hertford Baptist Church in
the booths in the back of
Woodard’s Pharmacy.
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PHOTOS BY SUSAN R. HARRIS
Seed gave a $25 gift certificate
for Best Kept Residential run-
ners-up. Albemarle Plantation
offered dinner for four for Best
Kept Business. To all of the
winners, Lyl Brown of
Brown’s Landscaping and
Hauling gave $25 in supplies or
service.
The contest was approved
by the County Commissioners
at the request of Chairman
Charles Ward. He said the con
test was a way the county
could encourage residents to
spruce up properties so
Perquimans could put its best
face forward for visitors
expected in May. He also vol
unteered to purchase a savings
bond as a prize. During that
discussion, commissioner
Yates said the contest should
include a most improved cate
gory. She and commissioner
Hayes agreed to co-sponsor
that prize. The businesses
joined after hearing about the
contest.
April was declared Clean-
Up/Fix-Up Month by the coun
ty and both its municipalities.
RELAY is
success
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Over $86,000 in research and
education funds were donated
to the American Cancer
Society through the Chowan-
Perquimans RELAY for Life in
late May.
The most touching tribute
to the importance of cancer
research, according to
Perquimans County RELAY
contact Brenda Newbern, was
the sight of 100 cancer sur
vivors walking a victory lap
during the weekend cere
monies.
Another moving highlight
of the 24-hour fund raiser was
the lighting of the 372 luminar.-
ies that lined the track at
Edenton/Holmes High School,
site of the annual event.
The Albemarle Electric
Membership Corporation team
claimed the Spirit Award. The
Snooky Bond Award for best
all around went to Layden’s
Day Care.
The walk featured a gold
team, meaning at least $400 per
team member was raised; five
silver teams, raising at least
$250 per team member; and
seven bronze teams, raising at
least $150 per team member.
The total raised includes
funds raised by teams, regis
tration fees, business dona
tions, luminaries and T-shirt
sales.
Dail Nixon is valedictorian of PCHS class of 1999
Ji
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Dail M. Nixon
Andrew R. Harris
Ashley E. Hurdle
Two important dates are
around the corner for the 102-
member PCHS class of 1999.
Baccalaureate services wiU
be Sunday, June 6 at 3 p.m. at
Hertford United Methodist
Church. Guest speaker for the
service will be James P. “Pat”
Harrell, superintendent of
Perquimans County Schools
when the class entered kinder
garten in 1986. The PCHS cho
rus will sing under the direc
tion of Lynwood Winslow.
Several local ministers will
take part in the program.
Graduation exercises are
scheduled for Friday, June 11
at 8 p.m. at Memorial Field.
Valedictorian Dail M. Nixon
and co-salutatorians Andrew
Harris and Ashley Hurdle will
be among those class members
to speak during the ceremony.
Nixon is the daughter of
Fenton and Janet Cartwright.
Harris is the son of Phil and
Susan Harris. Hurdle is the
daughter of Donald and Dina
Hurdle.
In case of rain, the ceremo
ny will be moved inside to the
gymnasium. Each graduate
will be allowed five admission
tickets if the ceremony is
moved inside due to space lim
itations. The decision will be
made early on graduation
morning, according to PCHS
principal Elaine Pritchard.