Soil, Water Stewardship Week
Rage 2
Pirates win two
F^geB
Cole^ Rogers earn honors
Page6
P5/C4
HERTFORD, NC 27^4-1306
BPWi
April ZB, 2003
Vol, 71, No, 17 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
ion
PeRQUIMA]>JS,
Weekly
Special athletes
Athletes Kali Torrance and
Kaci Chappell get last-
minute instructions from
Nettie Moore as they pre
pare for a running event
The Albemarle Plantation home of Montgomery jn the recent local Special
Spindler will be filled with dapper gents and Southern Olympics games hosted
belles on Saturday, May 17 for the annual Perquimans by Northeastern High
County Restoration Association Garden Party. School.
Spindler to host
Garden Party
xrr»rr
Flowers in bloom, live
jazz music, and a delectable
selection of gourmet treats
will highlight the 12th
annual Spring Garden
Party, Saturday, May 17.
The favorite event bene
fits the education and
preservation programs of
Hertford’s historic
Newbold-White House and
is sponsored by Sprint.
The Albemarle
Plantation home of
Montgomery Spindler is
the site of this year’s
Garden Party.
A highlight of the
evening will be dance
music provided by the
Vince Corozine Jazz
Quartet, as well as food,
libations, music, dancing
and visiting on the lawn.
The menu is includes
fresh herb marinated pork
tenderloin with orange
cranberry coulis; roasted
chicken with pineapple;
Southern country ham
with honey mustard bis
cuits; savory cheese cakes;
shrimp mousse; fresh May
strawberries and assorted
desserts.
Hours of the party are
5:30 — 7:30 p.m. Cost is $25
per person and tickets must
be purchased by May 9.
Checks to the
Perquimans County
Restoration Association
can be sent to PCRA, P.O.
Box 103, Hertford, NC
27944. MasterCard or Visa
also accepted. Call the
Perquimans County
Restoration Association at
426-7567 for credit card
orders or information.
Derrick Wood rears back
to throw the softball dur
ing the recent local
Special Olympics games
hosted by Northeastern
High School.
Harbor Lites to celebrate 25 years of dancing
SUSAN R. HARRIS ^
Elva Harrington called
Steve Casper one day and
said some residents in
Snug Harbor wanted to
learn to square dance.
That caU came 25 years
ago, and, according to
Casper, “We’ve been danc
ing ever since.”
The group, known as the
Harbor Lites, will celebrate
its 25tth anniversary
Friday night at Casper’s
home at 308 Craney Island
Road from 8-10:30 p.m.
Casper said he and the
Harbor Lites hope every
one who has ever danced
with them — and anyone
else who likes to square
dance — will join them
Friday for a student-level
dance.
Hundreds of people have
been a part of the Harbor
Lites over the years, Casper
said.
Each Friday night, the
Harbor Lites still swish the
crinolin at the Snug Harbor
Community Center.
Casper got his start in
dancing by taking a class in
Elizabeth City He said he
liked that type of dance
music and tradition. The
next year, he learned to
call.
Calling square dances
still keeps Casper on the
road, traveling across
North Carolina and to
South Carolina, Virginia,
Maryland, Delaware and
Washington, D.C.
Casper has met dancers
of all ages, races and back
grounds over the years. At
one time, he said, there
were a lot of teens dancing,
but today, the teen interest
has waned.
In fact, the interest in
dancing in the Albemarle
area has decreased over the
years. Casper said clubs in
Ahoskie, Gates and
Belhaven have folded, but
there are active groups in
Currituck and Dare coun
ties.
In addition to dancing,
the Harbor Lites have been
involved in a number of
community service pro
jects over the years. They
have danced at festivals,
church events and other
places over the years.
Casper said square danc
ing is good, clean fun and
provides physical and men
tal exercise and a social
outlet.
Casper enjoys square
dancing so much that he
has spent the past few years
building a barn on his
property where he witL be
able to hold dances one day.
He call is The Onley Place,
the name older people in
the Craney Island area caU
the farm where Casper
lives. He said the Onleys in
Perquimans County start
ed out there.
Casper and the Harbor
Lites hope to dance with
lots of old friends and new
Friday night.
SPCA makes a difference in the lives of animals
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Just over a year after
organizing, the SPCA of
Perquimans County has
made a positive difference
for animals in the area.
The group has worked
with county government to
improve conditions for
unwanted dogs and cats, to
provide more services and
to educate the public about
pet care.
The county abandoned
its inadequate animal shel
ter near Hertford’s sewer
plant after negotiating
with Chowan and Gates
counties to buy into the
animal shelter already
operated by those two coun
ties.
With the infusion of
funds from Perquimans,
construction is underway
at the site to increase its
capacity Workmen at the
site said Tuesday that the
addition is moving well,
but they could not say
when it wiU be ready for
use.
Right now, there are 21
kennels for dogs, all of
which are full, and some
runs house two animals,
according to shelter
employee Ginny White.
Fourteen cats and 12 kit
tens, most kittens too
young to be adopted, are
also housed at the shelter.
When the addition is fin
ished, there wiU be 14 more
dog kennels, as well as
room for more cats.
White said some of the
animals that find their way
into the shelter have been
abandoned and had to fend
for themselves for a long
time.
Shelter supervisor Mary
Bass does everything she
can to find homes for the
animals brought to the
shelter. White said.
“We hold on to them as
long we can,” White said.
“We try to hold on to any
thing and everything as
long as we can. My supervi
sor does everything she can
for animals to find them a
home and to give them that
second chance that they
deserve.”
Animals may be adopted
at the shelter for a $30 adop
tion fee, which pays for
spay or neuter at Chowan
Animal Hospital or Gates
Animal Hospital.
The shelter is unable to
guarantee the health of any
animal. White said, and
strongly suggests that
those adopting pets take
them to a vet for a check-up,
shots and appropriate med
ical care.
In addition to adoptions,
some animals are placed
with rescue organizations
who in turn find them
homes.
The local SPCA and the
Tri-county Animal Shelter
strongly encourage spay
and neuter for animals.
Both groups say it is the
only way to control the pop
ulation of unwanted pets.
SPCA President Andrea
Boone said the SPCA has
found a state program that
wUl reimburse the county
for spay and neuter for ani
mals. The SPCA has sub
mitted information on the
program to the county, and
hopes that it can soon be
offered in Perquimans
County.
The SPCA had also been
very concerned about
euthanasia at the Tri-coun
ty Shelter. Animals were
being roUed into a chamber
and gassed without tran-
quilization. Information
the SPCA had gathered on
this form of euthanasia
indicates that animals suf
fer physically and psycho
logically with this type of
death.
County Manager Paul
Gregory announced at the
April county commission
ers meeting that the county
managers from the three
counties, working with
local vets, had decided that
animals should be tranquil-
ized before going into the
gas chamber. That is one of
the recommendations of
several doctors and ani
mals rights groups to
lessen the trauma associat
ed with the chamber.
The SPCA and animal
shelter said that donations
of food, treats, blankets,
towels and mats are always
appreciated at the shelter.
They also say there is a
need for people willing to
foster animals until perma
nent homes can be found.
SPCA members have
presented educational pro
grams in the schools, and
are willing to give pro
grams to civic and church
groups that wish to know
more about the organiza
tion and its work to protect
animals.
The SPCA will sponsor a
rabies clinic Saturday at
the Senior Center, from 2-4
p.m. Residents are encour
aged to take animals for
shots. Volunteers are also
needed to help with the
clinic. (See briefs for more
information.)
For more about the
SPCA of Perquimans
County, log onto
spca.inteliport.com or
email spca@inteliport.com.
Relay to
honor
survivors
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Thanks to numerous
advances in medicine, a
diagnosis of cancer is no
longer automatically a
death sentence.
The American Cancer
Society through its Relay
for Life event celebrates
these tremendous advances
and honors those who stUl
enjoy life with their family
and friends after a cancer
diagnosis with the Survivor
reception and lap.
Each year, a growing
group of cancer survivors
gathers at Relay for the
most emotional, heart
warming segment of the
event. Together, some
joined by family members,
they walk what actually a
victory lap, signifying their
victory over cancer.
Because of their physical
condition, some ride in golf
carts. But they aU show the
dignity and determination
of someone who has been
through a physically
intense, frightening time in
life.
This year’s Chowan-
Perquimans Relay for Life
Survivor activities wiR take
place at the John A. Holmes
High School Athletic
Complex on May 9,
Registration begins at 5
p.m. After the opening cere
monies at 6 o’clock, the sur
vivors will take the track
for the opening lap.
Registered survivors wUl
receive a T-shirt and sash.
Following the survivor
lap is the team lap, a lap for
£ill team members to walk
together to signify the unit
ed fight against cancer.
The luminary ceremony
will take place at dusk,
around 9 p.m. Votive can
dles are placed in luminary
bags around the track and
are lit to honor those fight
ing cancer and those who
have won their battle with
the disease, as well as those
who have lost their fight
with cancer.
The votives will burn
throughout the night as a
reminder of the purpose
for Relay for Life.
For information about
the survivor reception and
registration, call Sherry
Harrell at 426-5145. For
information about luminar
ies, caU Brenda Newbern at
426-8349.
Weekend
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 67
Low: 49
Mostly Sunny
Friday
High:66
Low: 54
Scahered T'storms
Saturday
High: 71
Low:52
SCAHERED TsTORMS