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Indian Summer,
Hearth & Harvest
festival guide
Inserted inside
IIrQUIMANS county LIBRAk| ^ | 2002
110 W academy ST Ti
HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
Iks^CSITOTS
September 11, 2002
Vol. 71, No. 37 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Festivals
Saturday
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Organizers are praying
for good weather as
Saturday, the day of the
annual Indian Summer
and Hearth & Harvest fes
tivals, approaches.
A full day of shopping,
playing, food, entertain
ment, boat rides and a
look at Perquimans’ his
tory is on tap.
New to this year’s festi
val will be a talent contest
and diversity sing at
Missing Mill Park, spon
sored by The Wishing
Well and A&D Neon.
The talent portion of
the competition will
begin at noon.
Contestants are Lindsey
Casper, Holly Jones,
Brittany Perry, Crystal
Pulley, Jessica Townsend,
Holly Winslow, Franklin
Samuel, Deanna Evans,
Tiffany Mills, Jessica
Reynolds, Amy Williams,
Tiffany White and Savina
Vaughn, Razi Lane, Riaz
Lane and Michelle
Rogers. The winners will
be announced just before
2 o’clock.
After that, many of the
contestants and several
other local talents will
perform in what is billed
as the Dueling Diversity
sing-off. The program will
feature music from the
‘50s through the present.
“Music is a big part of
what makes America
such a great place,” said
show organizer Connie
Townsend of A&D Neon.
“Every song tells a story
and each era plays an
important role in the ones
to come. ... Our area is so
rich in talent and we are
all blessed to have such
storng musical roots.”
Music will be provided
by Backroads Karaoke.
Another anticipated
component of the festi
vals is the Hertford Main
Street Program Window
Decorating Contest.
Judges will reward cre
ativity in dressing store
windows with this year’s
theme “Go Native
American.”
Marta’s Style Sharing,
Smith’s Jewelry,
Hertfordshire Antiques,
Gregory’s, RBC Centura,
Inteliport, Frankie’s
Hertford Cafe and The
Tin Rabbit have all
dressed up store windows
for the festival contest.
The winners will be
announced on Saturday.
Free buses will shuttle
festival-goers between the
five venues: downtown
Hertford, the Newbold-
White House: A Quaker
Homestead, Municipal
Park, Missing Mill Park
and Winfall Landing
Park.
Boaters are reminded
the the Hertford boat
ramps will be closed on
festival day.
Indian Summer
Festival kicks off with a
street dance downtown
Friday at 7 p.m.
For complete festival
information, including
vendors, venues, enter
tainment schedules, shut
tle information and more,
see the official festivals
program book inserted
into this week’s
Perquimans Weekly.
Perquimans
Weekly
Residents to navy: Keep out
SUSAN R. HARRIS
The speakers rotated to
the microphone every 3
minutes for over 2 hours,
but the message stayed the
same: No OLF in
Northeastern North
Carolina.
The was the message
heard by US. Navy officials
and an overflow crowd of
over 700 at a public hearing
at Perquimans County
High School last week. The
hearing was held by the
Navy to get comments from
area residents on the envi
ronmental impact of an
outlying landing field in
Perquimans County.
Negative impact on
migratory birds and
wildlife were among the
environmental issues
pointed out to the Navy.
However, the most over
whelming point made by
speakers was the negative
impact the noise of the
Superhornets on the area
will have on the quality of
life here.
Government officials
told of negative impact on
quality of life, heritage
tourism and economic
development. Feirmers and
agribusiness representa
tives told of the negative
impact of taking away
prime farmland and conse
quences for poultry and
livestock growers.
Educators declared that the
noise so near schools would
not be conducive to student
achievement.
Several who spoke had
served in the military, and
said they are patriotic and
proud to have served. They
stated that they appreciate
the need for fighter pilots to
train to be ready to defend
the United States. However,
II
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PHOTOS BY SUSAN HARRIS
Perquimans County residents attended an information
session and public hearing about the environmental
impact of a military outlying landing field in
Perquimans County. During the information session in
the Perquimans County High School cafeteria, resi
dents learned exactly where an OLF would be located
in the county and its impact, and could make written
statements. The fan at right, however, tells how all
who spoke at the public hearing feel: No OLF in
Perquimans County.
they questioned the fair
ness of saddling North
Carolina with the noise of
the Superhornets while the
Hampton Roads, Va. area
would reap the economic
benefits.
Retirees said their
moves to Perquimans
County had provided posi
tive economic benefits for
the county, a place they
chose to retire because of
its tranquility. They
warned that an outlying
landing field would halt the
development of subdivi
sions geared toward
retirees, thereby negatively
impacting the tax base and
local business community.
Navy spokespersons said
that full production of the
Superhornet was autho
rized by Congress in 2000.
The Department of Defense
proposed home-basing 10
squadrons plus fleet
reserves of the fighter
planes on the East Coast.
Ten squadrons is 130
planes, with 32 reserve air
craft.
The Navy initially con
sidered 77 sites for the
Superhornets, but nar
rowed that down to 20 air
fields. Three — Oceana,
Cherry Point and Beaufort,
S.C. — met most or all of
the needs of the planes.
From there, officials
noted siting alternatives,
including putting the
entire fleet at any of the
three bases, or dual siting.
They have determined that
the best alternative is bas
ing six squadrons at
Oceana and four at Cherry
Point, but said they have
not precluded other alter
natives. The preferred plan
would call for outlying
landing fields. While-
Fentress in Chesapeake
could accommodate the
Oceana squadrons, the
Navy determined that
building a new OLF would
be better.
The planes will perform
51,000 operations each year.
Perquimans, Bertie,
Washington, Hyde and
Craven counties in North
Carolina and Burke
County, Ga. were deter
mined to be prime loca
tions for an OLF to support
the squadrons. At present,
officials said, Washington
and Craven counties are
the preferred alternatives.
Craven County is lobby
ing to host the OLF, and
wants the planes at Cherry
Point.
Navy offic ials said the
OLF would create 300 tem
porary jobs during con
struction, and possibly 35-
50 jobs with a payroll of
$1.2-$1.5 million per year
plus about $90,000 in annu
al service contracts.
The end of the comment
period is Oct. 2. A final
Environmental Impact
Study will be published in
early 2003 and a record of
the decision on the OLF
will be made next spring.
911: We remember well
ALICE BREWIN
AND
SUSAN HARRIS
Last September, our
lives changed. Millions of
Americans were horrified
by the news that terrorists
had attacked the United
States.
We gathered for prayer
services, for salutes to
heroes and America, for
tributes to those lost, to
support those who lost
loved ones.
Juanita Bailey reflects
about how she felt last year
on Sept. 11.
“I didn't have anyone in
New York, the Pentagon or
the towers,” Bailey said.
“When I saw it, I couldn't
believe it was happening. I
was thinking to myself, 'I
can't believe anyone would
do that.'
“It makes me empathet-
ic to those who lost loved
ones. It makes me appreci
ate life more..not take sim
ple things for granted, like
taking a child to a movie. It
still bothers me that some
one would dislike a coun
try so much to do such a
thing, but I guess that's*
what we're coming to.
“I personally think it's
different if you have lost a
loved one there. You're
empathetic for those left
behind. You feel help
less...how can you help?”
As days wore on and
warnings of the possibili
ty of more attacks, per
haps by contaminating a
water supply or targeting a
filled sports stadium, gov
ernments and school sys
tems kicked into action
Local governments dis
cussed security for their
water systems and were on
heightened alert.
Perquimans County
Schools, judged the fifth
safest in the state,
reviewed policies.
“(We made) no policy
changes...We looked at our
field trip policy. Currently,
our policy for out-of-state
field trips is fine but, let's
say they were going to
Washin^on, D.C., and we
got a warning, we would
cancel the trip. We just try
to use common sense,”
said Superintendent Ken
WeUs.
Central School
Principal Billy Stallings
echoed Well’s statements.
“Safety was always a
concern to begin with,”
Stallings said. “Since Sept.
11 it is even more so now.
We have taken time to
recheck, re-look,
revisit...our policies. We
also have been making the
children aware and are not
hiding things from them.”
At Perquimans Middle
School, Principal John
Dublin said students are
handling the anniversary
of Sept. 11 well. His school,
like all the others in the
county, will hold an obser
vance on Wednesday.
From a business stand
point, some owners have
seen changes since Sept.
11.
“In our Antique shop
(Grandma’s Treasures) we
have seen a drop-off in
tourist traffic,” said co
owner Gene Boyce. “It was
n't anything like the year
before. We have seen a big
difference^ Most of our
purchases are made by
tourists.”
There will be two public
observances on
Wednesday. The local
Woodmen of the World
organization will hold a
tribute to the heroes and
those lost on Wednesday at
10:30 a.m. at the Albemarle
Commission Building. The
day is being held in con
junction with President
George Bush’s designation
of Sept. 11 as Patriot Day.
A flag and flag pole will be
donated to the Albemarle
Commission and will be
dedicated during the ser
vice.
At Perquimans County
High School, an open
house will be preceded by
an observance at 5:30. The
high school band and cho
rus will perform during
the tribute.
The open house will fol
low.
Main Street shows growth
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Main Street Program
Manager Belinda
Washlesky presented her
program statistics for the
past year to Hertford Town
Council Monday night.
The summary noted that
a total of $820,697 was
invested in the Main Street
Program area last year,
including $400,582 in public
money and $420,115 in pri
vate funds. Private invest
ment included the pur
chase of four downtown
properties: 109 West Market
Street by Robar Holdings,
LLC; Market Street
Antiques; 115 West Market
Street by Steven L.
Bembridge; and the former
Gingerbread Inn and
Bakery on the corner of
East Market and Church
streets. Interior and exteri
or renovations, signage,
and painting were all com
ponents of the private
investment.
The largest portion of
public investment was the
$235,110 spent hy the coun
ty to complete courthouse
expansion. Natural gas
installation, grants. Main
Street expenses and Visitor
Center costs made up other
public money.
Main Street businesses
netted 18 new jobs and
seven business expansions
last year.
Washlesky said high
lights of the year included
receiving grant funds, cre
ating a full-color “Come
Home to Hertford”
brochure which has been
distributed to all North
Carolina Welcome Centers
and 28 sites on the Historic
Albemarle Tour, complet
ing a 5-year strategic plan,
continuing work on the
period lighting and decora
tive traffic signals, land
scaping the Visitor Center,
and earning recognition for
Best Public-Private
Partnership in Downtown
Revitalization for the
Visitor Center project.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 77
Low: 56
Mostly Sunny
Friday
High: 81
Low: 63
Mostly Sunny
Saturday
High: 83
Low: 66
Mostly Cloudy