Oltman honored
Pages
Hoops wrap-up
Pages
Selection of Christmas tree
Page 9
December 10, 2003
Vol. 71, No. 50 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
P15/C6
PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
Perquima]:js
Weekly
Christmas comes to town tip*
pain of grief
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Floats and bands, Scouts
and emergency vehicles,
and even Santa braved
Saturday’s frigid breezes as
the annual Perquimans
County Chamber of
Commerce Christmas
parade made its way
through Hertford.
The parade was led by
local law enforcement
agencies and the newly-
formed Perquimans
County High School ROTC.
Serving as grand mar
shalls were the department
heads of county emergency
services agencies, honor
ing the outstanding job
their members did during
and after Hurricane Isabel
blew through the county in
September.
“Despite the cold and the
wind, it was an enthusias
tic crowd and the partici
pants were equally enthusi
astic,” said parade chair
Wes Hostetler. “All but two
or three showed up, and
two of them were from out
of the county.”
Chappell Hill Baptist
Church and Hertford
Grammar School PTA tied
for The Perquimans
Weekly Best in Parade
Award. They will share a
$100 prize.
Winners in the individ
ual categories were:
School: Hertford
Grammar School, first;
Beacon Academy, second.
Civic: SPCA of
Perquimans County, first;
Perquimans County Senior
Center, second; Holiday
Island Community, third.
Church: Chappell Hill
Baptist Church, first;
Hertford Pentecostal
Church, second; Bagley
Swamp Wesleyan Kids,
third.
Santa got off downtown
to hear the Christmas wish
es of boys and girls, head
ing to the warmth of
Inteliport and its new
Cyber Cafe.
Strolling carolers and
musicians touted down
town after the parade, con
tinuing the holiday cheer.
Historic Hertford, Inc.
dedicated the plaza beside
Woodard’s Pharmacy and
the new period lighting
that has been installed
downtown and across the S-
bridge.
Downtown businesses
offered a respite from the
,tisffte*ss
1'^
^ e 1 h r '■'!
1. ^ Ji rt -
M
during holidays
Chappell Hill Baptist Church (above) and Hertford Grammar School (below) tied for
The Perquimans Weekly Best in Parade Award. Both won first place in their cate
gories.
MISP*'
The Elizabeth City Fire
Department escorted
parade grand marshalls,
the department heads of
county emergency ser
vices agencies, in
Saturday's parade. The
agencies were honored
for their tremendous
efforts during and after
Hurricane Isabel wreaked
havoc on Perquimans in
September.
bitter cold as shoppers
could find a variety of gift
items in welcoming shops.
(Please see page two for
more photographs of the
parade.)
For most people, the
holidays bring about a
time of joy and celebra
tion.
Family get-togethers,
home-cooked dinners and
fanlily traditions are just
a few of the many cher
ished activities.
Yet, for those who have
experienced the loss of a
loved one, the holidays are
often robbed of their joy.
Instead, these and other
important days, become a
time of loneliness and
sadness.
What’s more, through
out these seasons, we are
constantly bombarded
with happy family images
through cards, television,
commercials, movies and
magazines. 'The contrast
between what we see and
how we feel, only ampli
fies the loneliness within.
Brook Noel, co-author
of the noted book “I
Wasn,t Ready to Say
Goodbye: surviving, cop
ing and healing with the
sudden death of a loved
one” (Champion Press)
and author of the new
book, “Surviving
Holidays, Birthdays and
Anniversaries: a guide to
grieving during special
occasions” (Champion
Press) offers these tips for
easing grief’s grip during
the holidays:
Be prepared for the
ambush: Deep pain and
sadness, as if the death
had just occurred, can
surface at odd moments.
Anticipating these
ambushes is half the bat
tle. Know that they are
part of the grief process.
Talk, talk, talk: With all
the celebrations and hap
piness that surround us,
we may feel awkward
bringing up anything that
isn’t equally festive. But
we must release our feel
ings through talking to
others. If we don’t, our
feelings will lodge within
us creating a dark sad
ness. The only way to get
past our sadness is to
move through it. If you do
not have someone you can
talk to, consider free
online support, like that
which is found at
Www.griefsteps.com
Grieve in your own
way: Sometimes societal
and religious beliefs
impose rules like time
limits for grief, what we
should wear, how we
should behave, when and
where we should talk
about the death and to
whom. It is important not
to weigh ourselves down
with societal expecta
tions. We must find our
own way through to
embrace life again
Hold a grief session:
The goal of a Grief
Session is simple. Set
aside 20 minutes each day
where we are safe to expe
rience our feelings. When
we don’t do this, we let our
feelings build inside our
hearts and they cause sad
ness and depression.
Create a support group:
Chances are that other
family members and
friends who were close to
your lost loved one will be
having equal difficulty
with these difficult days.
Consider asking one or
more people who are fac
ing similar emotions, to
gather for a support
group.
Choose activities wise
ly: During holidays and
other busy seasons, not
only do we have to face
our grief, but we often
have many other commit
ments and people that
need our attention. As you
look at the upcoming diffi
cult days, take a personal
“emotional inventory.”
Decide ahead of time how
much you can handle dur
ing the holidays. Then
make sure you don’t take
on more than feels right to
you.
Do not try to outspend
grief: As you face your
holiday shopping, beware
of the common pitfall of
trying to “outspend ‘ your
grief When we are feeling
a hole or ache inside,
human nature often leads
us to purchase items to fill
that hole.
Let your body lead you:
Grief affects us all differ
ently. Let your body lead
you. If you feel tired'sleep.
If you feel like cry ing'cry.
If you are hungry'eat.
Don’t feel you need to act
one way or another. There
are no “shoulds” right
now, simply follow the
Browns open Planters Ridge in commerce centre Continued on page 14
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Planters Ridge is a nat
ural extension of Lyl
Brown’s landscaping busi
ness.
Brown has offered full-
scale landscaping, from
mowing to installation to
reconstruction, for over
eight years. Opening a lawn
and garden shop will allow
he and his wife, Natalie, to
provide even better service
to the community.
The Chamber of
Commerce sponsored a rib
bon cutting at the grand
opening of Planters Ridge,
located in the Perquimans
County Commerce Centre
on Harvey Point Road, last
Friday.
The Browns enjoyed a
busy weekend as communi-
The Chamber of Commerce sponsored a ribbon cut
ting celebrating the grand opening of Planters Ridge,
a full-service lawn and garden and gift shop in the
Perquimans Commerce Centre, on Friday. Lyl and
Natalie Brown, along with their son, Landon, cut the
ribbon to officially open their new business venture.
Planters Ridge carries everything from Yankee candles
to topsoil.
ty residents browsed and
shopped in their new store.
Some purchased the fresh
Christmas trees and poin-
settias offered in Planters
Ridge. Others did some
Christmas shopping, choos
ing from a variety of gift
items including Yankee
candles and accessories,
wind chimes, flags. Eagle
pottery, garden accessories
and more.
Lyl Brown said the shop
offers a full line of lawn
and garden supplies,
including seasonal annuals
and perennials, trees and
shrubs, and hanging bas
kets.
Also available to
Planters Ridge is mulch by
the yard, sand, rock and
topsoil. Delivery is also
available.
The couple chose the
commerce centre as the
home for their business
because they believe it will
become a business center.
“I feel like this is where
Hertford is growing,”
Brown said.
The location is also con
venient, being just off U.S.
Highway 17.
Through Christmas, the
Browns will open the shop,
Monday—Saturday, 8
a.m.—8 p.m. and Sunday,
1—8 p.m. to aUow plenty of
time for shopping.
The Browns invite
everyone to stop by and see
them at Planters Ridge.
They’ll find that the couple
is committed to offering
good product with good,
friendly, hometown ser
vice.
Call 426-3636 for more
information.
Weekend
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 62
Low: 36
AM Clouds PM Sun
Friday
High: 56
Low: 32
Sunny
Saturday
High: 52
Low: 40
Mostly Sunny