saBBafi
Second marriages
Page 2
School notes
Rages 6, 7
Sports update
Rages
November 6, 2002
PERQUIMANS * COUNTY'LIB^^15*fcl'V'ED^
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Vol. 71f No. 46 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Perquimans
Weekly .t.
Tilley to remain sheriff Rabies reported
in Perquimans
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Before yesterday, Eric
Tilley was an untried can
didate. Thanks to the out
come of Tuesday’s election,
Tniey knows he can win an
Hertford
featured
on TV
If you see an ad for
Hertford while watching
you favorite movie or
sports team play on cable
Ty you are not dreaming.
Several downtown busi
nesses banded together to
promote historic Hertford
as a business and tourist
destination on a made-for-
cable-television commer
cial. The 30-second spot
invites the audience to
“Come Home to Hertford”
to shop in friendly home-
owned stores, see local
points of interest and enjoy
Southern hospitatlity
According to Main Street
Program Manager Belinda
Washlesky the commercial
will run 360 times between
Oct. 29 and Dec. 29 on
Lifetime, ESPN and Arts &
Entertainment cable TV
channels. The area of cov
erage runs as far north as
the Virginia line (with the
exception of Elizabeth
City), as far west as Rocky
Mount and as far south as
New Bern.
V Those responsible for the
commercial are Frankie's
Hertford Cafe, The
Heritage House, Hertford
Hardware, Hertford Main
Street Program,
■ftertfordshire Antiques,
Historic Hertford Business
Association, InteliPort,
Market Street Antiques,
The Tin Rabbit, White's
Dress Shoppe, The
Wishing Well and
Woodard's Pharmacy
election, and in fact did
defeat challenger David
Shaffer 2,369-983.
Tilley was appointed by
the county commissioners
to fni the unexpired term of
Ralph Robinson, who four
years ago ousted incum
bent sheriff David Lane.
Robinson brought Tilley
back to Perquimans
County as his chief deputy,
and Tilley was subsequent
ly appointed when
Robinson died in office.
Tilley was the
Democratic candidate,
while Shaffer earned the
right to appear on the ballot
by petition.
Results are unofficial.
Halloween in Hertford
PHOTOS BY SUSAN HARRIS
Ghosts, goblins, witches,
pumpkins, ghouls, kisses
and more were spied in
downtown Hertford last
Thursday evening,as the
Historic Hertford Business
Association again wel
comed trick-or-treaters
for Halloween. The young
and the young at heart
enjoyed collecting candy
and visiting with friends
and neighbors as they
walked the main business
block. Several parents
said they appreciated the
merchants' participation
in the safe, fun activity
that allowed their chil
dren to trick-or-treat dur
ing daylight hours and
had them back home in
time for supper.
Periauger one step closer to reality
ALICE BREWIN
staff Writer
Hertford was host to
some fine examples of boat
building last Friday and
Saturday. The Periauger
Project is coming closer to
reaching its goal of budd
ing the first replica of the
little-known boat.
The Perquimans County
Restoration Association
has partnered with the
North Carolina Maritime
Museum in Beaufort and
East Carolina University’s
Program in Maritime
Studies to reconstruct this
important piece of mar
itime history
According to Monty
Spindler, chairman of the
the project, the boat was a
victim of its own populari
ty
“There’s no remains.
This is the only one of its
kind,” Spindler said.
Spindler also noted the
Doat’s popularity in the
urea, noting they weren’t
lonsidered special, and
herefore weren’t pre
served.
Periaugers are simdar to
many boats that were used
in colonial America.
Spindler points out the
likeness of both name and
type with the pirogue, a
boat associated with south
ern Louisiana.
Spindler is also quick to
note the number of volun
teers that have so willingly
donated their time and
skids to this project. Most
notably are boat budders
Jerry Zed, director of the
project, and Frank Aubert.
Aubert recently made and
donated a mahogany canoe
for an auction item at the
Periauger Gala.
Instructor Bill
Abbruzzese from the
Maritime Museum in
Beaufort taught oar build
ing techniques to the volun
teers.
The Hertford volunteers
contsructed ten periauger
oars, or sweeps as they
were called in colonial
times. They wid also con
struct the mast for the boat.
The hud wdl be construct
ed at the N.C. Maritime
PHOTO BY ALICE BREWIN
Local volunteers construct the oars for the periauger
to be built at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort
this spring.
Museum in Beaufort.
Whde the skdled volun
teers felt they could handle
the sweeps, the mast wid be
attempted after they
observe some master boat
builders from the Maritime
Museum in Manteo.
Contruction on the hud
should begin in Beaufort in
May
The Restoration
Association has worked
diligently on research and
raising funds for the pro
ject. The periauger will be
housed at the Newbold-
White Historic Site, and
wdl be one more step in the
organization’s continuing
efforts to interpret life at
the site in its early years.
SUSAN R. HARRIS
It’s hard not to cry when
you watch the classic movie
“Old Yeller.” The agony
that comes when the famdy
pet contracts rabies and
eventuady must be put to
death is tough to watch.
Sadly, the heart-wrench
ing ending to the movie is
still true today in some
cases, although with
advances in medical tech
nology, domestic animals
no longer have to be in dan
ger of contracting rabies.
At least, not unless their
owners fad to get them vac
cinated against the disease.
Perquimans County is
experiencing what veteri
narian Ruston Howed con
siders an epidemic of
rabies, and he, county offi
cials and the SPCA are
doing what they can to
encourage people to make
sure animals get the rabies
shots required by law for
dogs and cats.
Howell said the state
diagnostic lab recently con
firmed a case of rabies in
the Beech Springs commu
nity. Dogs were attacked by
a raccoon that later tested
positive for rabies.
Hunting dogs may be
most at risk for contracting
rabies, Howed said. Dogs
are let loose to run and may
come in contact with a
rabid wdd animal. A dog’s
owner may not realize that
the animal has come in con
tact with a rabid animal
untd the dog begins to dis
play signs of rabies three
or four months later.
Dogs and cats cdlowed to
roam freely are also at
greater risk of contracting
rabies than animals kept
inside or in secure pens.
Howell said dogs and
cats should have shots
when they are very young,
with a booster one year
later. From there, a booster
is needed every three years.
The cost of the vaccina
tions at rabies clinics, such
as the ones held this sum-*
mer and this fall by the
SPCA, is $5.
“You’re talking about a
few dollars to prevent
acquiring a fatal disease,”
Howed said.
Rabies virus that infects
the brain causing a change
in behavioral patterns. It is
almost invariably fatal to
animals. Humans can
acquire this dangerous dis
ease as wed through con
tact with infected animals,
according to Albemarle
Regional Health Services.
Although rabies is usu
ally transmitted through
the bite of an infected ani
mal, the virus can be trans
mitted by contact with
infectious saliva or brain
tissue. The bite from an
infected animal may not
become inflamed, red or
tender.
A rabid animal may
show signs of the disease,
including changes in tem
perament, including wild
animals losing their fear of
humans. Animals may be
easily agitated, showing
aggression even towards
inanimate objects, make
repeated and unusual
sounds, and become unco
ordinated. Eventually the
animal can no longer stand
and death is certain.
Humans can avoid help
avoid contact with the dis
ease by making sure pets
are vaccinated, not petting
or feeding unknown ani
mals or wildlife and not
coming into contact with
animals engaged in unusu
al behavior. Even animals
that appear normal can
have the disease. Pet food
should not be left outside at
night and garbage can lids
should be secured.
People bitten by a sus
pect aniamal should wash
the area with warm water
and soap. The animal con
trol officer should be con
tacted. Some people do not
need further treatment.
Relatively few require the
post-exposure rabies vacci
nation, but it is important
to seek medical attention
immediately.
The post-exposure treat
ment is five rabies vaccina
tions in the arm spaced out
over 28 days and a final one
time dose of rabies
immune globulin.
Rabies is most common
ly found in raccoons,
skunks and foxes. It has
infected dogs, cats, horses,
cattle, bats and bobcats in
North Carolina. The dis
ease is rare in small
rodents, opossums and rab
bits.
Howell cautioned
against dog and cat owners
vaccinating their own ani
mals. He said it is illegal to
possess rabies vaccine
unless you are a licensed
veterinarian. It is also a
misdemeanor for anyone
other than a veterinarian
or someone certified by the
state to give rabies vaccina
tions to administer the
shots. Those who vaccinate
animals owned by another
person may be also be
charged with the practice
of veterinary medicine
without a license.
The state has prosecuted
17 people under these state
statutes. State veterinary
officials caU veterinarians
regularly to see if they are
aware of anyone breaking
these laws and investigate
those turned in to them by
veterinarians and citizens.
What’s more, Howell
said if a dog or cat has been
vaccinated by someone not
authorized by law to do so
and the animal bites a
human, the dog is consid
ered unvaccinated
Continued on page 3
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 62
Low: 43
Mostly Sunny
Friday
HiGH:64
Low: 45
Mostly Sunny
Saturday
High: 69
Low: 50
Partly Cloudy