The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County and its people
Three make All-State in track
page 8
Morgan honored by company
page 3
Strawberries are good for you
page 15
May 11, 2000
Vol. 68, No. 19 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
The
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PERQUIMANS COUN
110 W ACADEMY ST\\
HERTFORD NC 2794k-
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Y UIDRARY I
Weekly
Revitalization efforts move forward
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Progress is being made in
the areas of downtown revital
ization and heritage tourism,
Chris Lane said at a public
hearing to inform the public
about Hertford’s designation
as a Main Street community.
Lane, who is president of
the Perquimans County
Restoration Association and
has been a driving force
behind several heritage
tourism initiatives, said much
has been accomplished since
the first heritage tourism town
meeting in December 1998.
Most recently, the Landmark
Design Group has been hired
to look at downtown and the
corridors leading to the down
town area and devise a plan to
make it more attractive. The
first project will he lighting
from the S-bridge down
Church Street back to the by
pass, Lane said. Period light
fixtures were donated to the
town that may be used for the
bridge, which represents a sig
nificant start to the project.
Funds to hire the planner
came from the Northeast
North Carolina Partnership
($10,000) and the Division of
Tourism ($25,000).
A signage project has also
been funded in conjunction
with the National Register
areas. The project wUl include
not only information signs, but
areas to pull off the highway,
read historic information, and
direct tourists to areas of
interest.
In addition, the Newbold-
White House has been selected
as a Save America’s Treasures
site. The designation allows
PCRA to apply for funding for
such expenses as operations. It
also puts the site on all nation
al promotional materials.
Town manager John
Christensen said the town wUl
be looking for someone who is
a preservationist and possess
es promotional, organization
and team-building skills to
serve as part-time project man
ager for the Main Street pro
gram. Main Street is a state
revitatlization program that
Please see HEARING, page 9
Perquimans Spring
Weekend approaches
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Perquimans Spring
Weekend gives local residents
the perfect opportunity to
show off a rich history and the
Southern hospitality for which
North Caroiinians are known.
The weekend is a celebra
tion of the rich architectural
and cultural history of the
county — a time when home-
owners starch the spring cur
tains and throw open the front
doors to friends they know and
friends they will meet during
the activities.
The weekend, scheduied for
May 19-21, begins with an old-
fashioned pork barbecue din
ner on the courthouse lawn.
Pig Out on the Green. For $5,
diners can enjoy this Southern
culinary delight complete with
all the fixin’s while a five-piece
hand plays from the court
house steps. Dinner will be
served from 5-7 p.m. with
downtown shops remaining
open until 8 o’clock.
Saturday will get started at
10 a.m. when the homes tour
begins. Tourists can enjoy the
homes at their own pace, in
any order they choose until 5
p.m. Tours will be from 1-5 p.m.
on Sunday Tickets are $20 per
person.
Homes on the tour range
from the 1730 Newbold-White
House to the 1920 Jesse H.
Baker House.
Saturday evenings’ Garden
Party on the riverfront lawn of
Lucille Winslow on Front
Street wUl feature dapper gen
tlemen, ladies in spring bon
nets, a delectable menu and
entertainment. Party-goers
will enjoy the view of the
Carolina Moon-inspiring
Perquimans River from 5-7:30
p.m.
The Garden Party has
become a popular aihnual fund
raiser for the Perquimans
County Restoration
Association, co-sponsors with
Preservation North Carolina
of the Spring Weekend tours.
Tickets for the Garden Party
are $25 per person.
The first Antique Dealers
Association of Perquimans
County antiques show and sale
will be held in the historic
Morgan building in downtown
Hertford on Saturday, 10 a.m.-5
p.m. and on Sunday, 11 a.m.-5
p.m. Tickets for the event are
$2 in advance and $3 at the
door.
Tickets for all weekend
events are $52 per person. For
reservations or information,
call the Newbold-White
Visitor’s Center at 426-7567.
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Local residents from all walks of life gathered on the courthouse lawn last Thursday to
observe National Day of Prayer.
Community gathers to pray
The community gathered
last Thursday at noon on the
courthouse lawn for National
Day of Prayer.
Residents from all walks of
life joined for the 49th annual
observance of National Day of
Prayer, this year themed
PRAY2K, America’s Hope for
the New Millennixun.
Inspirational music was pro
vided by Step of Faith. Prayers
were lifted by Rev. Keith
Vaughan, pastor, Hertford
Baptist church for forgiveness
of personal and corporate sins;
Paul Gregory, county manager,
for community and national
leaders; Walter Leigh, chair
man, Perquimans County
Board of Education, for
schools and young people; and
Jim Kreps, pastor, Perquimans
Charge United Methodist
Church, for churches and com
munity of faith. Step of Faith
also offered the Lord’s Prayer
in song.
The observance was orga
nized by local ministers.
Old Timer’s Day is set for Saturday at PCHS
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Perquimans County’s Old
Timer’s Day 2000 wiU be miss
ing its most famous co-founder.
But many friends of baseball
legend Jim “Catfish” Hunter
WiU gather to continue the
Mother’s Day weekend tradi
tion at Perquimans County
High School Saturday.
Hunter and his teammates
on the 1963 state championship
Perquimans Indian baseball
team suited up against the
then-varsity PCHS Pirates
squad 20 years ago. The Old
Timers, as they caUed them
selves, were coached by the
man who took them to Raleigh
for the big dance, Bobby
Carter. The state champions
still loved baseball and had
such a good time raising funds
for the baseball program at
their alma mater that they
decided to make the Old
Timer’s game an annual event.
Over the years, players from
the PCHS 1952, 1954 and 1960
state championship teams
came out to play, along with
players from later baseball
squads. A junior varsity game
was added when the Pirates
began fielding a JV team, and
most recently, an Old Timer’s
softbaU game.
Last year’s Old Timer’s Day
was bittersweet as thousands
gathered to honor Hunter at
Memorial Stadium. At 53,
Hunter was suffering the rav
ages of ALS, commonly known
as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Former major league associ
ates, high school teammates,
famUy and friends gathered to
celebrate the kick-off of the
Jim “Catfish” Hunter ALS
Foundation.
Hunter won’t' be in the
dugout for the 2000 Old Timer’s
Day, but the foundation estab
lished in his honor will benefit
from a day of activities at
Perquimans County High
School.
Events will open on May 13
with a prayer breakfast in the
school cafeteria at 7 a.m. The
speaker for the event wUl be
Clyde King. In his 55 years in
baseball. King has done it aU.
He played with Jackie
Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, and
Roy Campanella; managed
Willie Mays and Hank Aaron;
and even pitched against Fidel
Castro. King, a former pitcher
for the Brooklyn Dodgers and
Cincinnati Reds is also the for
mer manager of both the San
Francisco Giants and Atlanta
Braves.
Currently, King is special
advisor to New York Yankees
owner George Steinbrenner.
He lives in Goldsboro with his
wife, Norma.
Tickets for the breakfast are
$5 per person and are stUl
available, but are limited.
Activities wUl continue at
noon when the current PCHS
softbaU team wUl play a team
of former Lady Pirates
— maybe. If the Lady Pirates
wins rounds one and two of the
state play-offs this week, they
are schediUed to play round
three Saturday evening at 7
p.m. at PCHS.
In the event that the 2000
Lady Pirates are in the play
offs, the noon game wUl fea
ture aU former players. The
Old Timer’s Committee
encourages everyone to stay
for the play-off game.
Admission will be $3. Old
Timer’s tickets wUl not be hon
ored for that game, which is
regulated by the North
Carolina High School Athletic
Association.
Two homerun derbies and a
PCHS JV basebaU team vs. Old
Timer’s game wiU be held
before the headliner PCHS var
sity team versus the Old
Timer’s at 5 p.m. The first
homerun derby wUl be at 1
p.m. and is open to high school
students. The fee is $15 for 15
pitches. At 2 p.m., an open
derby wUl be held. The fee is
$30 for 15 pitches. Proceeds wUl
be split between the winners
and the ALS Foundation.
The JV game is set for 3 p.m.
AU-day game tickets are $5
at the gate. Everyone who
enters the gate ages 5 and up
wUl pay. Gates wUl open at 11
a.m.
A barbecued chicken lunch
wUl be served from 11 a.m.
untU 2 p.m. in the school cate-
ria. Eat-in or take-out plates
are $5 each.
Tickets for the breakfast and
barbecued chicken meal can be
purchased at Woodard’s
Pharmacy.
On hand with King wUl be
feUow basebaU greats Goose
Gossage (New York Yankees),
Joe Rudi (Oakland As), and
Jim Pagliaroni (Oakland As).
These former players wUl be
avaUable for an autograph ses-
sionl:15—3:15 p.m. Those who
wish to get autographs wUl
line up by the gjmmasium dooc
by the picnic tables on the
courtyard.
A sUent auction of special
sports memorabUia wUl take
place aU during the day in the
baUpark. Signed memorabUia
that has been donated by for
mer and current players and
teams wUl include the Boston
Red Sox, San Francisco Giants,
Colorado Rockies, former play
ers like RoUie Fingers, George
Brett, Sal Bgmdo, Cal Ripkin Jr.
and Gaylord Perry, and current
players Trot Nixon and Nomar
Garciaparro. ALS sportswear
wUl also be avaUable for sale.
Proceeds from the event wiU
benefit the Jim “Catlfish”
Hunter ALS Foundation and
the Perquimans County
Athletic Boosters.
The ALS Foundation was
established as a non-profit
foundation which works
though advocacy, education,
fund raising, and phUanthropy
to bring an end to amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis and to provide
support to those who are
stricken with this brutal dis
ease.
Hunter died last September
in his Bear Swamp community
home surrounded by family
and friends. He had been
released from Pitt Memorial
Hospital after being treated for
injuries sustained in a faU at
his home.
For more information about
the foimdation, visit the web
site at
www.catfislUumterals.org.
The Historic Hertford
Business Association wUl hold
Spring Fling downtown from 9
a.m.-2 p.m.
Gut to be
cleaned
ANNA GOODWIN MCCARTHY
correspondent
It’s spring cleaning time for
Jenny’s Gut.
The Hertford Town Council
accepted a $16,500 bid from
RusseU Hurdle in a meeting
Monday night for the removal
of silt from the ditch that
drains a good portion of the
town.
Many of the ditches in the:
area needed cleaning out after
Hurricane Floyd, said
Hertford Town Manager John
Christensen.
Christensen said he was
contacted by several property^ ;
owners who felt the towrr:
should clean out the ditches
behind their homes.
“It’s an issue that wiU not go
away,” said Christensen.
The city was never under-'
any obligation to clean out
some of the ditches, said
Christensen. However, it had
been done in the past, and
many people were upset when
they learned that their ditchea
would not be cleaned, said
Christensen. . ,
After the hurricane,” :
Christensen said he and a rep-t *-
resentative from FEMA
inspected aU of the ditches in
the area for damage.
Christensen said that many of •
the ditches had encroach- -
ments such as fences, making
it difficlUt to even attempt to
observe the damage.
Christensen said the repre
sentative from FEMA told him,
the property owners are
responsible for the clean up of
many of the ditches. As a
result, only Jenny’s Gut
received federal funding for
the removal of sUt.
Jenny’s Gut was approved
for funding because it is adja
cent to public property (the
high school), and because it
had a history of being cleaned
out by the town, said
Christensen.
Christensen said there are
approximately 13 ditches in
the town, and he recommend
ed that the Town Council con
sider cleaning the ditches on a
case by case basis.
A study of local streets indi
cates that DOT needs to
upgrade or replace many
signs. Council learned. There
has also been a recommenda
tion made that no parking be
allowed on the west side of
East and West Academy
streets. Residents wUl be noti
fied so they can have input
before the recommendation
goes to the planning board.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 81
Low: 61
Mostly Sunny
Friday
High: 90
Low: 66
Partly Cloudy
Saturday
High: 93
Low: 66
Partly Cloudy