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P The
ERQUIMANS
Warriors aim to
"arrest" cancer
with fundraiser
A2
Hertford Police seek One-Stop robber
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"News front Next Door”
APRIL 8 - APRIL 14, 2009
County gains exposure through articles, visitors
by Cathy Wilson
Stajf Writer
Local tourist attractions
have reqeived a burst of expo
sure this spring ranging from
bus tours to full page articles
in state-wide magazines.
Perquimans County was
featured in the March edition
of the North Carolina Friends
Historical Society, a monthly
newsletter of Quakers based
in Greensboro.
Four and a half pages of
the newsletter were dedicated
to the author’s pilgrimage
through Perquimans, begin
ning at the Visitor’s Center
and the downtown Hertford
area and continuing on to Bel-
videre and the Newbold-White
House. The newsletter article,
which includes photos of the
historic Quaker homestead
and the periauger, was writ
ten by BiU Eagles and tells
about his journey throughout
the county.
The Quaker newsletter
isn’t the only publication in
terested in the history of this
area.
Carolina Currents, the Boat
ing and Waterfront Magazine,
did a two-page spread on the
periauger in its March-April
issue, promoting the historic
wooden boat’s scheduled ap
pearance in the Oriental Boat
Show April 17-19 in Oriental.
Written by Geoff Bowlin,
the article describes much
of the boat’s history as well
as how the periauger became
a sailing history lesson that
not only attracts tourists to
Perquimans County, but to
whatever port the boat may
sail. The article is dotted with
pictures that include locals
sailing the waters as well as
the periauger’s inaugural
launch at the North Carolina
Maritime Museum.
Carolina Currents is a free
magazine distributed bi
monthly at rnore than 700 ma
rinas, boat clubs, stores, visi
tors centers, restaurants and
waterfront locations across
North Carolina including the
Perquimans County Visitors
Center in Hertford.
Then, this month, Caro
lina Country, a publication
of North Carolina’s electric
cooperatives, named Hertford
in its 2009 Touchstone Energy
Ti^avel Guide offering readers
15 historical, recreational or
fun places to visit throughout
the state.
The article, written by Re
nee Gannon, takes the read
er on a walking tour of the
river-side historic town com
plete with lunch at Woodard’s
soda fountain and pictures
of historic homes on Church
Street.
Carolina Country is read
monthly in over 650,000 homes
in North Carolina.
In addition to hosting writ
ers from around the state pen
ning tomrism articles about
the local area, the Visitor’s
Center has also helped with
two tours this year bringing
in groups of people enjoying
the historical attractions and
the down-home flavor of his
toric Hertford.
Mayor Sid Eley and Sarah
Weeks, heritage tourism of
ficer for the North Carolina
Department of Commerce
based at the Newbold-White
House, dressed in period garb
Fishing trip turns into dolphin-watching expedition
Father, daughter boat with
fishy friends in Sound
by Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
A recent day of striper fishing in the Al
bemarle Sound turned into a dolphin watching
expedition for a local dad and daughter duo.
Ed Sanford and his daughter, Rachel, were try
ing to striper fish in the sound about a nautical
mile from the Yeopim River Saturday morning
when a pod of dolphins surfaced near them, in
cluding two that circled their 24-foot boat.
“We were off to a great afternoon of fishing,”
wrote Sanford of his fishing trip. “As we sped
southeasterly, we observed a strange phenom
enon.
Periodically, we saw pointed black objects pro
truding from the water and then rapidly disap
pearing. These ‘things’ were on the port side
about a quarter of a mile in the distance.
“Then, we observed the unmistakable rainbow
leap of a good-sized fish,” he continued. “I slowed
the boat, and Rachel grabbed the binoculars from
the dash. Instantly, there were protruding fins
and jumping fish all around us. I couldn’t believe
it. There were dolphins all over the place...In the
four years that I’ve fished the sound, I never expe
rienced anything like this.”
Sanford said two dolphins began circling the
boat, swimming close enough to allow his daugh
ter to photograph them.
“We counted three pair right near us,” Sanford
added. “They trailed the boat and swam around
us for about 10 minutes. At one point, a pair was
within three feet of the boat while we were going
slow.”
Sanford said he was shocked to see the dolphins
in that area, and was mesmerized by their beau
ty.
“I was not afraid in any way because I knew
that dolphins are very friendly to humans,” he
stated. “They are also very comfortable around
boats and engines. So...there was no concern of
danger.”
He said the Dolphins swam west toward the
sound bridge while the Sanfords continued to
their destination at Bulls Bay.
“After fishing for about an hour without a sin
gle strike, the school of dolphins re-emerged,”
Sanford added.
“They moved in toward the shore and headed
for the Scuppernong River. We counted 20 fins
swimming and jumping in a northeasterly direc
tion. We didn’t catch a single striper, but the expe
rience of seeing these interesting mammals made
ED SANFORD
Dolphins romp in the Albemarle Sound
about a mile from the Yeopim River. Per
quimans County resident Ed Sanford and
his daughter, Rachel, were striper fishing
recently when several dolphins put on a
fishing exhibition around their boat. Sev
eral swam close enough to allow Rachel a
chance to snap a few Dolphin photos.
it a fantastic afternoon!”
While local boaters and fisherman may be
surprised to see bottle-nose dolphins swim
ming the local waters, Kathy Rawls, a biologist
supervisor with the North Carolina Division
of Marine Fisheries, says it has become pretty
normal for dolphins to fish around these parts
as well.
The dry conditions this area has experienced
over time has caused the salinity levels of the
river and sound waters to fluctuate. The brack
ish warm water attracts the dolphins as does
the trout population.
“You might see them in the sound, usually
near the mouths of the rivers,” Rawls said. “But
you could see them even further down in the
river. I’ve even seen them in the Little River.
“If they are here, they’re usually here for a
reason,” she added.
Some dolphins get lost, or if they are sick,
they might wander.
“If they are traveling in a pod, then they are
probably perfectly healthy,” Rawls said. “They
could very easily be from the Pamlico Sound.”
While dolphins are usually very docile and
will swim near boats in an effort to ride in the
boat’s wake, Rawls points out that they are stfil
wild animals, and should be respected as such.
“Just leave them alone,” she said. “They are
pretty to sit back and watch, but remember to
be cautious. Things can happen.
“You don’t want to feed them or cause them
to change their behavior, and you don’t want
the boat or motor to hit them.”
Last summer, there was a caU received at The
Perquimans Weekly office that dolphin had been
spotted in the river by a car crossing the U.S. 17
Bypass bridge.
Staff stopped at several spots along the river,
and saw them just off the county’s commerce
centre, but could not get good photographs at
that time.
and hosted a bus of retired
learners from Old Dominion
University recently
Forty-five guests started
the day with a sausage biscuit
breakfast at Layden’s Coun
try Store in Belvidere, then
toured that area including
the grave site and home of the
legendary Wolfman Jack.
The tour also stopped at
Piney Woods Friends Meeting
where locals, dressed in Colo
nial Quaker costumes, met
them at the door and invited
them inside the church as
Quakers did many years ago:
men in one door and women
See EXPOSURE on Page 5A
NewS-
bridge
schedule
proposed
by Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
The United States Coast
Guard wants to change its
regulations on boat traffic
under the historic S-bridge in
Hertford.
The proposed change would
require a two hour advance
notice in order to open the
bridge for boat traffic.
Currently the draw bridge
opens for boat traffic on sig
nal from 8 a.m.—midnight
April 1 through Sept. 30, and
from 10 a.m.—10 p.m. the rest
of the year.
The new regulation would
allow the draw bridge to open
on signal with a two-hour ad
vance notice from 8 a.m.—10
p.m. May 1—Sept. 30, and
from 10 a.m.—8 p.m. the rest
of the year.
According to the proposal
detailed on the federal regis
ter, the request to require ad
vance notice and cutting back
on the hours is sought by the
North Carolina Department
of Transportation due to the
decreased number of bridge
openings annually
According to NCDOT fig
ures on the registry, the draw
bridge opened 363 times in
2006, 451 times in 2007, and
only 266 times in 2008. The
draw bridge itself was forced
to close for at least two weeks
last year for repairs.
According to the regis
try, changing the regulation
would allow for more effi
cient use of the bridge during
months of infrequent transit.
The Coast Guard does not
plan to hold a public hearing
on the regulation change, but
See BRIDGE on Page2A
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 66 Low: 51
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 68 Low: 54
Scattered T-
Storms
Saturday
High: 67 Low: 49
Partly Cloudy
Police seek store robber
by Susan Harris
Editor
t
A lone gunman robbed a
downtown Hertford conve
nience store last Tuesday
night, but no arrests have
been made in the case.
Hertford Police Chief Joe
Amos said last week that two
store clerks said a white male
brandishing a handgun en
tered One Stop Convenience
Store at the corner of Church
and Grubb streets just before
8:20 p.m.
The clerks reported that
the robber entered the store,
went straight to the counter
and demanded that the cash
register be opened.
He then reached over the
counter and grabbed about
-H
$50 in cash and ran from the
store.
The robber may have left
the crime scene in a light
gray Dodge pick-up truck,
Amos said.
No customers were in the
store at the time of the inci
dent.
The store employees called
911 and Hertford Police offi
cers and Perquimans County
Sheriffs deputies responded.
Amos said the officers im
mediately searched the area
and began interviewing the
clerks.
They also reviewed the in
cident on the store’s security
cameras.
The suspect is described as
a white male approximately 5
foot 7 inches to 5 foot 10 inch-
es taU, weighing around 140
pounds. He has a small thin
mustache, a mole next to his
nose and light brown hair. He
was wearing a gray hooded
sweatshirt and blue jeans.
Amos said the video from
the store’s camera is being
sent to the North Carolina
State Bureau of Investigation
crime lab for image enhance
ment and to have photos of
the suspect extracted.
Amos said the department 
continues to follow up on
leads, but no single suspect
has emerged.
Anyone with information
about this case is asked to caU
the Hertford Police Depart
ment at 252-426-5587.
AU callers can remain
anonymous.
In her Easter bonnet
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
In her Easter bonnet...Kathy Jones is all smiles as she models a
spring hat ready for Easter morning, or a spring wedding during
Saturday's Spring Fashion Show held by Nickalena’s and White’s
Dress Shop.
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