The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County and its people
013165, 110Z00 01 **C001
PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
110 N' A'CADEMY ST
HERTFtHRD NC Z7944
Bus drivers test driving skills
Page
Ruritans give Bibles, Rudy Bears
Page 2
Cole named to state commission
Page 3
May 25, 2000
Vol. 68, No. 21 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
The
Perquimans
nr?
MAY 2 4 2003
licrstsircri
Great
lawns
can earn
rewards
-r lf someone offered you a
$100 savings bond and $50
worth of free mulch for just
cleaning up your own yard,
would you be interested? If
your answer is yes, then get on
your gardening gloves, and
keep reading.
The Perquimans County
Board of Commissioners is
now sponsoring the Second
Annual Perquimans County
Spruce-Up Contest, Spruce-up
2000. Private homes may he
entered in the contest for the
best kept landscape, and/or the
best landscape design, and will
be competing for a $100 savings
bohd and free mulch from
Brown’s Landscaping and
Hauling in each category.
Businesses may enter the best
overall landscape contest to
compete for dinner for four at
Albemarle Plantation. Runner-
up prizes will include $25 gift
certificates to Farmers Feed
and Seed in Hertford.
If you are interested in some
marvelous mulch, money, and
more, give this contest a try.
Last year, there were only
three entries for the private
home contests, but all prizes
were awarded, so it is well
worth trying.
A nice, neat landscape has
always improved the value of a
home, but now it can improve
the value of a wallet. Entry
forms are available at the
Perquimans County Extension
Office. All entries must be
rj^eived by June 16. Judging
will be done during the week of
June 19. Call Lewis Smith at
426-5428 for details.
Seniors
honored
Gov. Jim Hunt has designat
ed the month of May as Older
Americans Month in North
Carolina. This year’s theme
“In the New Century...The
Future is Aging,” spotlights
the impact which longevity
will have on nearly every
aspect of our society in the
^coming years.
Older Americans Month
provides the state and the
■nation an opportunity to recog
nize the valuable and often
inspirational contributions
made by the senior population.
This year marks the 35th
anniversary of the enactment
of the Older Americans Act.
This act supports the nation
wide network of state, regional
arid local agencies committed
lo. offering services and oppor-
Junities for older people and
their caregivers.
The Albemarle Commission
Area Agency on Aging is the
-local contact point for these
services in Camden, Chowan,
Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hyde,
Pasquotank, Perquimans,
Tyrrell and Washington coun-
Jies. Some of the services the
agency offers are transporta
tion, home repair, in-home aid,
education, senior games, tele
phone reassurance, congregate
and home-delivered meals pro
gram and a long-term care
ombudsman program.
For information, call the
Commission at 426-5753.
Lady Pirates are champs
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The Lady Pirates took care
of business this weekend in
Raleigh, bringing home
Perquimans’ second state soft-
ball championship in four
years.
Seniors Mindy Roberson
and Kristen Winslow, members
of the 1997 state 1-A slow pitch
championship team, provided
the big game experience as
Perquimans won three
straight in the double-elimina
tion championship tourna
ment at Walnut Creek.
Ashley Copeland, the team’s
short stop and clean-up batter,
earned MVP honors for her
outstanding play during the
tournament. The junior col
lected seven hits, including a
homerun and three doubles,
and seven RBIs. With two outs
in the last inning of the cham
pionship game, Copeland made
a diving stop behind second
base, then stretched to tag the
bag and secure the third out.
Head coach Lisa DeCastillia
said her team went to Raleigh
ready to play and stayed
focused..
The team was welcomed
home in the wee hours of
Monday morning with a cele
bration on the courthouse
lawn and an escort by the
Hertford police and fire depart
ments. At school Monday, stu
dents and staff made posters
congratulating the team.
(See page 7 for more.)
Spring Weekend huge success
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The weather was just what
organizers ordered for
Perquimans Spring Weekend.
The weekend’s events got off
to a great start Friday evening
under Carolina blue skies with
Pig Out on the Green. Diners
enjoyed Perquimans County
pork barbecue and fixings on
the courthouse lawn while lis
tening to live music.
Almost 600 plates were sold
by the Historic Hertford
Business Association, accord
ing to Pig Out co-chairmen
Lynn Lassiter and Harriette
Woodard.
“We had a really good day
for it,” Lassiter said.
Hertford businesses
Centura Bank, Woodard’s
Pharmacy, Hall of Fame
Square, Frankie’s Hertford
Cafe, and the Wishing Well
sponsored the entertainment.
About a dozen high school stu
dents volunteered at the site.
Proceeds from the dinner
will benefit downtown revital
ization and the 4th of July fire
works fund.
Saturday morning, it looked
as if rain might make the his
toric homes tour messy, but
after a few sprinkles, sunshine
filled the skies. Over 300 people
toured 24 significant buildings,
including private homes, busi
nesses, the courthouse and
churches. From New Hope to
Belvidere, tourists saw an
impressive mixture of archi
tecture dating from about 1715
to 1920.
“It was hugely successful,”
said LuAnne Pendergraft,
PHOTOS BY SUSAN HARRIS
Perquimans Spring Weekend got off to a great start Friday evening with Pig Out on the
Green,^ a pork barbecue dinner on the courthouse green. Many diners took advantage of the
beautiful spring weather and enjoyed music and fellowship on the lawn. Several downtown
businesses extended hours to allow late shopping.
Development Officer stationed
at the Newbold-White House.
“We had a real good turnout,
and a good mixture of people
from northeastern North
Carolina and from Virginia,
which was our target audience.
We’re trying to entice people in
Virginia to come down here
and enjoy our area.”
Pendergraft said the tour
was proof of the positive out
comes of teamwork. The tour
was sponsored by the
Perquimans County
Restoration Association and
Preservation North Carolina.
Dealers and shoppers were both pleased with a new addi
tion to the 2000 Perquimans Spring Weekend, an antiques
show and sale at Hertfordshire Antiques in downtown
Hertford.
Spring Weekend historic homes tourists enjoyed viewing the
multitude of architectural styles spanning a 200-year period.
Some of the historic structures are under renovation, some
have been renovated in keeping with the time during which
they were built, and others have undergone numerous
updates over the years.
Pendergraft said the groups
are indebted to the homeown
ers who opened their homes
and businesses to tourists.
The self-guided tour contin
ued on Sunday afternoon.
Saturday evening featured a
well-attended garden party on
the lawn of the Wood-
McCallum-Winslow House on
Front Street which benefitted
the Restoration Association.
Ladies and gentlemen decked
in their spring finery enjoyed
refreshments and entertain
ment overlooking the
sparkling Perquimans River.
The garden party has
become one of the most popu
lar fund raisers sponsored by
the Restoration Association. A
raffle held in tandem with the
garden party allows those who
cannot attend to support the
association’s work.
Nelson:
Schools
must
challenge
gifted
students
ANNA GOODWIN MCCARTHY
Correspondent
School Board Member
Wallace Nelson said that
Perquimans County Schools
needs to provide a more chal
lenging atmosphere for gifted
students.
Nelson said he is afraid that
gifted students will not realize
their potential to succeed if
their needs are not met.
“It’s a sin against society,”
said Nelson.
Approximately 34 high
school students, a significant
ly lower
There are
situations in
which gifted
diitdren are
bored, feel
unchallenged.
Maijorie Rayburn
School board
member
amount of
middle
school
stu
dents
and two
elemen-
t a r y
school
stu
dents
are clas
sified as
gifted
students in the Perquimans
County School System.
Nelson said he found it hard
to believe that so few elemen
tary school students were clas
sified as gifted. :
Superintendent Gregory
Todd said the school system
needs to address issues of
equity, and concentrate on
ending low performance
among its students.
School board member
Majorie Rayburn said she
knows of situations in which
gifted children are bored and
feel unchallenged.
Several parents of gifted
students are frustrated, said
Nelson.
Currently, extremely gifted
students in lower grades are
afforded the opportunity to
study in higher grade level
classrooms for subjects in
which they excel.
Gifted high school students
also have the opportunity to-
take more difficult courses
that prepare them for colle
giate success through
advanced placement instruc
tion, dual enrollment and dis
tance learning.
New to this year’s spring
weekend was an antiques show
and sale organized by the
Antique Dealers Association of
Perquimans County. The sale
took place at Hertfordshire
Antiques, located in the his
toric former Morgan
Furniture building on Church
Street.
According , to Jane
McMahon of ADAPC and
Hertfordshire Antiques, the
inaugural show and sale was
well-received by the dealers
who participated and those
who visited the show.
The first Perquimans
Spring Weekend was held last
year. Pendergraft said from
now on, the event will be held
every other year on even-num
bered years. Edenton’s
Pilgrimage will be held on the
odd-numbered years.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 88
Low: 65
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 87
Low: 67
Partly Cloudy
Saturday
High: 90
Low: 69
Partly Cloudy