•I
Don't forget to change
your clocks this weekend.
Eastern Standard Time returns
early Sunday morning.
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October 27, 2004
Vol. 72, No. 43 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
P11/C6
HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
"E
X JLIVV^idIIVLI^S
Weekly ^
Wreck claims
lives of three
Homecoming time of year
ERIN RICKERT
A Perquimans County
woman and her two chil
dren were killed on impact
when their vehicle failed to
stop for a tractor-trailer
Sunday evening.
Around 8 p.m. that night,
Lynette Bloodworth, 29,
and her daughter Bohbi, 7,
and son Steven, 5, were
traveling across US 17 from
Woodland Church Road
toward their home on
Chapanoke Road.
Bloodworth failed to stop
as she turned in front of a
Monarch Foods tractor-
trailer driven by Wilma
DoUins, 47, of Hertford.
Authorities said DoUins
saw the vehicle but was
unable to stop the tractor-
trailer before it crashed
into the right passenger
side of Bloodworth’s vehi
cle.
“It was a real bad one,”
said Sgt. Tom Griffin with
the North Carolina
Highway Patrol. “The fami
ly was killed on impact as
best we can tell.”
Perquimans County
Schools Public Information
Officer Brenda Lassiter
said that six ministers were
on-call Monday at
Perquimans County
Central School where the
children had attended to
assist teachers and stu
dents with the loss.
DoUins sustained only
minor injuries in the acci
dent.
Funeral arrangements
for he Bloodworths are
being handled by Twiford’s
Funeral Home, Elizabeth
City.
PHOTO BY ERIN RICKERT
PCHS seniors were the loudest section at the homecoming pep rally Friday afternoon. The rally offered about
an hour of activities and cheering in preparation for the game later that evening. For more pep rally photos
and a game wrap-up, please see page 10.
Park honors long-time
Authority chairman
SUSAN R. HARRIS
The dedication of a new
park off White Street in
Hertford earlier this month
proves what can be accom
plished when agencies, gov
ernment units and. civic
groups work together.
The Henry
C. Stokes Jr. Rotary
Centennial Park was dedi
cated with recognition
given to aU those involved
in making access to the
waterfront a reality:
Hertford Housing
Authority, Albemarle
RC&D, N.C. Department of
Environmental and
Natural Resources,
Hertford Rotary Club,
College of The Albemarle
and the Town of Hertford.
The park features a pier
with a covered area that
even before the park’s dedi
cation was drawing people
to it every day. There is a
launching area for canoes
and kayaks, a parking lot,
picnic tables, a basketbaU
area, a memorial plaza and
landscaping.
The Town of Hertford
has for years sought to
open waterfront areas to
the public. Using public
access grant funds, areas
such as Missing MiU Park
and the municipal park
have been developed. The
long-range town plans
included expanding parks
for public access.
Working with the
Hertford Housing
Authority, Albemarle
RC&D and the Department
of Environmental and
Natural Resources, the
town secured a grant for
the development of a park
off White Street.
The Hertford Rotary
Club became interested in
the project as a way to note
the work of long-time
Henry Stokes, a Rotarian and long-term chairman of
the Hertford Housing Authority Commission, cuts the
ribbon at the new Hertford park dedicated in his
honor by several local agencies. With Stokes are his
wife, Bettie (left), Hertford Housing Authority
Executive Director Rhonda Waters and Hertford Mayor
Sid Eley.
Rotarian and chairman of
the Hertford Housing
Authority Board of
Commissioners since its
inception in 1961, Henry
Stokes.
The Rotary is a world
wide service organization
that will celebrate 100 years
of service in early 2005.
Local members sold bricks
in the park’s memorial
plaza to help raise funds for
the park. During the dedi
cation, the last brick was
laid, with Stokes inserting
a gold brick in the last open
spot on the plaza.
Continued on page 7
Beechtree Inn adds fine dining restaurant
ERIN RICKERT
The fruits of three years
of labor finally paid off for
Beechtree Inn owners
Jackie and Ben Hobbs last
week, when their 10-year
dream of opening a restau
rant finally became a reali
ty
The fine dining restau
rant that sits next to the
Inn provides seating for 48
guests for what Jackie calls
“American cuisine with a
historical setting.”
The building’s 1800s
charm was restored and
Jackie’s husband Ben
handcrafted the majority of
the furniture in the build
ing.
The restaurant is cur
rently open Wednesday
through Saturday, but the
Hobbses said they plan to
add on Monday and
Tuesday once things are in
fuU swing.
“We’re going to add days
as we grow,” Jackie said.
She said the restaurant
III
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mr
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PHOTO BY ERIN RICKERT
Ben and Jackie Hobbs cut the ribbon for their new
restaurant on the grounds of their bed and breakfast,
Beechtree Inn.
opens at 5:30 p.m. but they
request guests have reser
vations, because the num
ber of people who reserve a
seat determines closing
time.
Elizabeth Jones, their
chef from Raleigh, will
ensure no visit to the
restaurant is the same with
a newly prepared menu
each night.
The restaurant’s first
course featured: Chevre
salad, pan roasted cod, she
crab soup, grilled choice
rib-eye steak, Caesar salad,
peanut soup and chocolate
grand Marnier cake or
Knobbs Creek bourbon
pecan tart, both with vanil
la bean ice cream.
Although right now
their restaurant serves
only two salad and three
entree choices, the Hobbses
said they plan to add three
more entree choices and
one more salad to their
nightly menu.
Ben is also finishing the
upstairs of the restaurant,
which will add two rooms
and offer guests more seat
ing.
The Chamber of
Commerce welcomed the
restaurant to the business
community with a ribhon
cutting last Thursday.
To make a reservation,
call 426-7815. The Hobbses
suggest reserving a table a
day in advance for those
who are diabetic, lactose
intolerant, vegetarian or
who follow strict diets like
Atkins. Jackie said they
would try to accommodate
these individuals if enough
notice is !given.
HaUoween
options available
Family fun
offered in
county
ERIN RICKERT
Though our calendars
tell us Halloween lands on a
Sunday this year, residents
celebrating the holiday
have several choices that
will allow area youngsters
to enjoy the festivities with
out staying out too late.
Little ghosts and goblins
interested in the tradition
al door to door trick-or-
treating around their
neighborhoods should
expect to head out a little
earlier this year.
Hertford Police Chief
Dale Vanscoy said the town
will celebrate Halloween
from 5-8 p.m. on Sunday to
ensure a safer holiday.
Trick-or-treating in
Hertford’s downtown with
area merchants, however,
wiU take place from 3-5 p.m.
on Saturday. Parents and
children are encouraged to
bring the little ones to this
safe and less scary
Halloween option.
Those who want to^keep
out of the cold and reserve
their weekend for other
activities should attend the
annual Safe Trick of Treat
on Thursday from 6-8 p.m.
at the Brian Center on Don
Juan Road. r
Children up to sixth
grade should come dressed
in their costumes and
ready to participate in a
variety of activities like
crafts, a costume contest
and other games.
Cathy Johnson, Brian
Center administrator, said
children who attend also
have the opportunity to
trick-or-treat and collect
candy from residents at the
center.
“We thought it would be
a good thing to do in the
community,” Johnson said.
“We feel it will be benefi
cial to the residents.”
And if you are looking
for a Halloween alternative
all together, weU The Holy
Ghost Party hosted by New
Hope United Methodist
Church and Cale Retreat
and Conference Center wiU
take place at the center
Sunday from 3-9 p.m.
The event will feature
costume contests open to
all ages and will be held at
3:30 and 7 p.m. — scary cos
tumes are requested not to
attend the event.
Jo Anne Jones, who has
helped coordinate the
event, said contest prizes
will be awarded to individ
uals in several different cat
egories.
Games designed for
youth to preteen partici
pants will be available for
prizes.
Hotdogs will be served at
6 p.m. and a hayride and
campfire will take place
after dark.
“It [the party] is just a
safe alternative to
Halloween,” Jones said.
“We really want this to be
very family oriented.”
She said this is the third
year the event has been
held at the conference cen
ter and the group hopes at
least 100 children attend.
Weekend
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 66
Low: 52
Few showers
Friday
High: 69
Low: 56
Mostly Cloudy
Saturday
High: 78
Low: 60
Parry Cloudy