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AEMC holds annual meeting
Page 2
Women's Equality celebrated
Pages
Sports
Rage?
P14/C5
COUNTY LIBRARY
no W ACADEMY ST
^HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
September 17, 2003
VoL 71, No. 38 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
PERQLi
Weekly
35 cents
County
Festival fun
Isabel
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Perquimans County
Emergency Management
held a meeting Tuesday at 1
p.m. to prepare for the
arrival of Hurricane Isabel.
Emergency Management
Director Harry Winslow Jr.
had called in representa
tives of fire, rescue, law
enforcement, school, coun
ty, towns and social ser
vices agencies to plan for
the possibility of a direct
hit by Isabel.
Winslow said around 11
a.m. Tuesday that the latest
information he had called
for the storm to pass almost
directly over the county
With no changes, the pro
jected path of the storm put
the eye over the Outer
Banks at 10 a.m. Thursday.
Hurricane winds would
extend 120-130 mhes from
the eye. That would mean
that Perquimans County
would feel the impact of
winds around 1-2 a.m.
Thursday. Winslow said
winds as of Tuesday were
expected to be about 90-100
mph when the storm reach
es the county.
A storm surge of 4-6 feet
is expected up the sounds.
The hurricane is expect
ed to bring six inches of
rain, with the bands reach
ing Perquimans late
Wednesday afternoon. FM
radio station Dixie 105.7
will be called with the
information and will air it
and pass it along to other
stations owned by the com
pany.
Even before the
Emergency Management
meeting, Winslow said
those who live in mobile
homes and in areas prone
to flooding are advised to
seek shelter. Shelters in
Wilson County and Rocky
Mount had already opened
Tuesday morning as
Ocracoke and the Outer
Banks began evacuation.
While no decision had
been made prior to the
meeting on opening the
county’s only shelter at
Perquimans Middle School,
Winslow said if the shelter
opened, it would be late
Wednesday afternoon.
At press time, the school
system had canceled all
after school programs and
activities for Wednesday
and expected to close all
day Thursday. A decision
on opening Friday will not
be made until officials
know exactly what the
storm brings to the county.
.The information will be
broadcast on radio and tele
vision stations listed in the
students’ agenda books
issued at the beginning of
the school year.
Those who opt to go to a
shelter should take non-
perishable food items, med
ications, important papers,
bedding, battery-operated
radioes with headphones,
games or books for children
and other necessary sup
plies. Pets are not allowed
in shelters.
Continued on page 8
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A hayride provided fun for all ages at Winfall Landing moonwalk was a favorite in the kids area in the
Park. The Atlantic Fleet Band was the very popular Hertford Baptist Church parking lot. The Perquimans
finale in downtown Hertford. County High School Marching Pirates are always a fes
tival favotite.
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Festival was a success
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Friday’s rain forced last-
minute changes, but not the
success of the 22nd annual
Indian Summer Festival.
Missing Mill Park,
which was to be the main
venue of this year’s festi
val, was not usable because
of its soggy condition, so
festival organizers moved
everything downtown.
Over in Winfall, WinfaU
Landing Park was wet, but
events there were able to go
on as planned.
The Hearth & Harvest
Festival at the Newbold-
White Historic Site was
canceled because of the wet
grounds.
Even with the changes.
both downtown Hertford
and Winfall Landing Park
were alive with people by
mid-morning.
Entertainers performed,
children enjoyed games
and pony rides, folks
danced in the streets and
festival-goers browsed and
shopped with the variety of
vendors at both sites.
Fearing rain Saturday
evening, the Atlantic Fleet
Band, the festival finale,
opted to start their show
about 20 minutes early
During a musical tribute
to the military forces serv
ing at home and abroad and
the heroes of 9/11, “God
Bless the USA” was sung by
the navy band. The audi
ence gathered to hear the
performance spontaneous
ly stood when the singer
sung the words, “and I glad
ly stand up next to you.”
The early start of the
band’s performance and
the crowd leaving at its end
caused the awards to be
presented by Mary White of
Historic Hertford Business
Association not to be given
during the festival.
Those honors included
kudos to Donna Mummert,
Winfall Festival Chair;
Donna McDilda,
Outstanding Volunteer;
Parker Newbern, Town of
Hertford; Wendy Jewett,
Historic Hertford, Inc.;
Sylvia Wyatt, Volunteer of
the Year; and Susan Harris,
The Perquimans Weekly.
Both White and
Mummert said they were
pleased with the turn-out of
both festival-goers and
entertainers and vendors
after Friday’s day-long
downpours.
Vendors in both places
were pleased with their
sales.
LuAnne Pendergraft,
Tourism Development
Officer at the Newbold-
White House, said
Perquimans County
Restoration members were
disappointed to have to call
off events there, but that
the grounds were just too
wet to go ahead with plans
at that site.
Next year’s festival is
already being planned.
Partnership promotes networking to help business
SUSAN R. HARRIS
One North Carolina
company was buying sup
plies it needed from out of
state, not knowing that a
company within its region
produced those supplies.
Once the owner found
out, he opted to deal with a
fellow North Carolina busi
ness owner.
This type of scenario is
not unusual, and North
Carolina’s Northeast
Partnership wants to set up
a network to make it easier
to find what businesses
need close to home and bol
ster the state’s economy as
a result.
Working together was
the crux of the discussion
at a Business & Industry
Opportunities Luncheon
held by the Partnership at
the Albemarle
Commission Building last
Thursday.
Partnership Chairman
Jack Runion, President and
CEO Rick Watson and
Existing Industry
Specialist Rocky Lane
joined Perquimans County
Assistant Manager Bobby
Darden, North Carolina
Partnerships for Economic
Development Meredith
Norris and other state and
local officials to explain a
new networking program
to several local small busi
ness people at the event.
The latest program to
help business people con
nect is the Buyer-Supplier
Network now being imple
mented in the Northeast
region. To be operated
through the chambers of
commerce, the network
would allow buyers and
supplies to meet electroni
cally to learn what is avail
able in the area.
The hope is that the net
work wUl build strong part-
i
nerships in the region, then
across the state, the coun
try and internationally
Watson said a foUow-up
Schools
earn
passing
grade
Perquimans
earns honors
under state
ABCs
program
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Perquimans County
Schools demonstrated
expected or high growth
under the state’s ABCs
Accountability Program,
according to information
released last week by the
North Carolina
Department of Public
Instruction.
In the official report,
Perquimans Central,
Hertford Grammar and
Perquimans Middle schools
were recognized as Schools
of Distinction, while
Perquimans County High
School was nanled a School
of Progress.
Grades k-5 demonstrated
high growth; grades 6-12,
expected growth.
For the sixth consecutive
year, the overall perfor
mance composite of each of
the schools has climbed,
with the elementary
schools increasing from
79.3 percent proficient in
1002-02 to 87.8 percent profi
cient in 2002-03.
The middle school’s com
posite rose from 83.7 per
cent to 85.4 percent, while
the high school increased
from 69.6 percent to 71.7
percent.
Superintendent Ken
WeUs credits the ABCs suc
cess to the diligence of
quality educators and out
standing students.
“Teachers are working
like never before to put our
children and their educa
tion first,” Wells said.
“Making education better
today than it was yesterday
is what it’s aU about.”
Wells said the challenge
that lies ahead is merging
the new federal require
ments under No Child Left
Behind with the state ABCs
accountability model.
For more information,
visit www.ncpublic-
schools.org.
Nate Smith of the N.C. State University Industrial
Extension Service speaks with Brian Nixon of Majestic
Embroidery and LeAnne Hamilton of Inteliport duirng
the Perquimans County Business 81 Industry
Opportunities luncheon sponsored by the Northeast
Partnership last Thursday.
meeting will be held to
introduce the concept to
the county’s business com
munity
Weekend
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 76
Low: 66
Heavy RainA/Vind
Friday
High:83
Low: 64
Partly Cloudy/Wind
Saturday
High: 82
Low: 62
Mostly Sunny