The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County and its people
up for spring
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The
PER®0;iHANS COUNTY LIBRARY
110 Wv ACADEMY ST
HERTFOPiiD MC £'7944
March 30, 2000
Vol. 68, No. 13 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Weekly
r
School board doesn't want power to tax
ANNA GOODWIN MCCARTHY
Correspondent
The Perquimans County
Board of Education does not
want the power to tax.
In regular session Monday
night, members voted down a
resolution that would support
giving taxing authority to the
Board.
“It wUl create hostility if we
accept this,” said Board
Member Helen Shaw.
Members unanimously
voted not to approve the resolu
tion.
If the resolution had been
approved it would have
requested that “the North
Carolina General Assembly
grant local boards of educa
tion the authority to levy taxes
to provide for the local educa
tional need of the children
they serve.”
Board Member Thomas
Riddick said the resolution
was not justifiable.
Presently county commis
sioners are in control of the
appropriation of funds.
According to the resolu
tion, “the existing school fund
ing arrangement in North
Carolina often puts elected
members of the board of edu
cation at odds with the bud
getary and taxing decisions of
another locally elected body
elected by the same constituen
cy: and whereas, the decisions
concerning the local needs of
an individual school system
should be made by those who
are the most knowledgeable
about school system needs.
“County commissioners
have no special expertise in
education matters nor a legal
duty or authority to govern the
school systems,” the resolution
continues.
Even though the relation
ship with the county commis
sioners and the school board is
favorable now, the school board
needs to look beyond the pre
sent circumstances, said board
member Wallace Nelson.
“However, I am still not con
vinced that this resolution is a
better way,” said Nelson.
As long as the county com
missioners make reasonable
decisions, the resolution
should not be approved, said
board member Charles
Cheezum.
If the school board finds
that the school system's needs
are not being met by the coun
ty commissioners, the resolu
tion could be considered at that
time, said board member
Marjorie Rayburn.
The school board and coun
ty commissioners discussed
the issue at a joint meetiitg in
late winter. Only commi^ibri-
er Bert Hayes appeared open to
consideration of the 'ided.
Likewise, Nelson has been the
only school board member to
publicly say the plan may haw
merit. Others on the elected
boards point to the positive
working relationship the'two
bodies have enjoyed in the past
as a reason the measure is not
needed here.
Spring
Weekend
set for May
Success of first
effort leads to
second event
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
A second Perquimans Spring week
end is set for May 19-21.
The event wUl open with a pig-
pickin’ on the courthouse green,
tagged Pig-Out in Perquimans. Pork
barbecue and fixings in the local tra
dition wUl be served as diners enjoy
the quaint downtown area alive with
entertainment and shopping.
Saturday will be a full one as
homes, businesses, churches, and pub
lic buildings open their doors to
tourist. Sponsored by Preservation
North Carolina and the Perquimans
County Restoration Association, the
seif-guided tour features some of the
state’s most significant restored his
toric properties. The tour wUl contin
ue on Sunday afternoon.
Saturday evening features another
social highlight of the weekend, a
Garden Party at the Wood-McCaUum-
Winslow House on Front Street. This
dressy gathering with refreshments
has become the premiere fund raiser
of the Perquimans County
Restoration Association.
This year’s weekend will also
include an expansive Antiques Show
& Sale organized by the Antique
Dealers of Perquimans County The
historic Morgan Building will be the
site of the show.
The first Perquimans Spring week
end was held last year, and was a
tremendous success, according to
LuAnne Pendergraft, Development
Officer stationed at the Newbold-
White House. The events are orga
nized cooperatively by several groups
united in their desire to preserve and
promote the rich heritage of the coun
ty while encouraging economic vigor.
Preservation North Carolina and The
Perquimans County Restoration
Association are the lead organizers
with Historic Hertford Business
Association and Antique Dealers
Association of Perquimans County
also sponsoring events.
Pendergraft said organizers plan to
make the Spring Weekend a biennial
event after this year. It will be held in
years when there is no biennial tour in
neighboring Chowan.
Proceeds from the tour wiU assist
Perquimans communities pursue des
ignation as National Register Historic
Districts. The garden party wiU bene
fit PCRA in its ongoing efforts to pre
serve the county’s cultural heritage.
Profits from the dinner wiU go to fur
ther efforts to preserve the downtown
area. The antiques show and sale is
one of several activities organized by
the antique dealers to promote the
county as a destination for those seek
ing antiques and period collectibles.
For tickets or information, caU the
Newbold-White House at 426-7567.
Bye-Bye, Birdie
PCHS students
rehearse for
the upcoming
performances
of the
Broadway hit,
"Bye-Bye,
Birdie" on
April 6 and 7
at 7:30 p.m. in
the school
auditorium.
Admission to
the musical is
$4 for adults
and $1 for stu
dents.
Only 42 percent
of census forms
returned so far
Census Bureau Director
Kenneth Prewitt released the
first public report on
America's response to Census
2000 Monday The figures show
that 42 percent of the question
naires have been returned so
far.
Release of the first response
information launches a pro-
gram by the Census Bureau to
provide daily reports on initial
response rates for every state,
county and local jurisdiction
in the country over the next 16
days.
Most communities can com
pare their 2000 performance
with their record in the 1990
census.
Prewitt has challenged the
country to surpass its 1990 ini
tial mail response rate of 65
percent, and set a goal for the
coimtry and most communi
ties to increase their 1990
response rates by at least 5 per
centage points.
“A national response rate
that reaches 70 percent would
signal that the country has
reversed its decades-long
decline in civic participation,”
the director said. “It is too
early to know whether we can
reach that goal or even match
the 1990 response rate. By
reporting the cumulative ini
tial response rate every day
the Census Bureau invites the
country to watch this story
unfold.
“Although 42 percent of the
households have returned the
form, that leaves 58 percent not
heard from. The success of
Census 2000 is in the hands of
the American people.”
Daily updates on the per
centage of households that
have mailed back their Census
2000 questionnaires are being
posted by the Census Bureau
on its Web site,
http://www.census.gov, as part
of a grassroots campaign to
encourage census participa
tion called How America
Knows What America Needs.
The figures reflect the rates as
of the close of business, two
days before. The report is
updated daily at 6 p.m.
The Census Bureau will
post initial response rates a
final time for these entities on
the Internet on April 18.
Old Timers Day approaches
Old Timers Day is fast
approaching.
ALS Foundation Old Timers
Day Committee member Keith
Vaughan said signed memora
bilia from the Boston Red Sox
(including Trot Nixon),
Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona
Diamondbacks, Oakland A’s,
New York Yankees and other
teams has either arrived or is
on its way to Hertford. The
items win be sold during the
silent auction.
Tickets for the barbecued
chicken meal to be served fironi
11 a.m.-2 p.m. are available:^
Woodard’s Pharmacy • .‘tj
To volunteer to help on 014
Timers Day, a benefit for the
Jim “Catfish” Hunter ALS
Foundation and Perquimans
Athletic Boosters, call
Vaughan at 426-7460, ^dgar
Roberson at 426-5363, or Susan
Harris at 426-5728. ’’
Police secretary issues APB
for department history
Hertford Police Department
secretary Betty Thornton has
issued an APB for aU former
members of the department.
Who was the first police offi
cer hired by the town of
Hertford? When was he hired?
What was his salary? What are
the names of all the officers
who have served the depart
ment?
Thornton hopes to answer
these questions and more as
she gafiiers information for a
history of the department.
Thornton is a history huff,
and thought it would be inter
esting to find out about the
beginnings of the town’s police
department and the changes
that have come over the years.
Very few early records can be
found to help her in her quest.
Those who may know the
names of former officers, the
years they served and other
information are asked to caU
Thornton at 426-5587 from 1-3
p.m. daUy
She is also coUecting memo
rabilia, including uniforms
and other gear, and pho
tographs of officers and the
department. Her ultimate goal
is to put together a scrapbook
and items pertinent to the his
tory of the police department
to share with the public.
HHBA gears up
for Spring Fling
The Historic Hertford Business Association is
organizing its annual Spring Fling, set for Saturday,
May 13,9 a.m.-2 p.m. The event wUl again cooincide
with Old Timers Day.
Display, food, information, craft and art booths
are avaUable for rent through Frankie Eason at
Hertford Cafe and SheUa HarreU at BaUahack Cards
and Crafts. Fees begin at $35 for display, information
and craft booths, and move up to $75. Electricity is
avaUable. For more information on booth rental,
contact Eason at 426-5593 or 426-5737.
Spring Fling is a mini street festival featuring
entertainment on the courthouse lawn; arts, crafts,
food and other products for sale; and shopping in
downtown Hertford.
HHBA wUl soon be seUing tickets for the Pig-Out
on the Perquimans, part of the Spring Weekend.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 71
Low: 51
Thunderstorms
Friday
High: 70
Low: 52
Scattered Showers
Saturday
High: 72
Low: 49
Isolated Tstorms