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ERQUIMANS
"News from Next Door"
SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 - SEPTEMBER 17, 2013
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PHOTO COURTESY PAM HADDEN
Lindsey Harrell (left) performs with Brian Bleakley of The Original Rhondels Friday, opening night of the Indian Summer Festival.
Harrell won a contest sponsored by Historic Hertford Inc. to sing with the group. See more Festival photos pages 7-8.
Estimates: As many as 5,000 attended
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
T he name on the banner
said “Indian Summer”,
but the weather last
weekend for Hertford’s big an
nual festival felt more Uke faU.
Cooler weather and the
popular singing group The
Original Rhondels drew out
a larger than normal crowd
Friday night. Susan Cox, who
organized the entertainment,
estimated at least 3,000 people
attended, and Sheriff Eric liUey
believes it could have been
closer to 6,000. Tilley said npt
all of the people were there at
once, but filtered in and out as
the night went on.
“I’m extremely pleased,” said
Lynne Raymond, the chairman
of the festival and president of
Historic Hertford Inc., which
put on the event.
Turnout for Saturday was
also strong.
“I think Friday night’s crowd
generated more people to come
downtown on Saturday,” Cox
said. “Of course the weather
was great. Any festival all turns
on the weather.
The Rhondels are re
ally popular. I know we were
packed Friday night. We had
as many as we can handle. It
SI
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Libby Frey and Pete Evans dance
Rhondels, Friday evening,
helped that the weather was
about 10 degrees cooler than it
normally is.”
New to the schedule this year
was a guest singer. Lindsey Har
rell won a drawing held by the
festival’s chief sponsor — His
toric Hertford Inc. — and with
it the rights to get on stage and
sing with the band.
while the crowd gathers to enjoy a performance by The Original
“It was fun,” she said. “I got-
to meet the guys and I love
Hertford.”
Harrell, 31, graduated high
school in Hertford and has lived
in Edenton for the past eight
years.
She foimd out about the con
test from her sister. She had to
do a search on Google to get an
idea of what the Rhondels sing.
“When I did I said ‘I know
that song, they sing it?”’
Singing in public wasn’t
anything new for her. She sings
at weddings and performed the
national anthem at a Edenton
Steamers baseball game.
See FESTIVAL, 11
S-Bridge
hearing
is Tuesday
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
The public will get a final chance to
review and comment on plans to re
place the S-Bridge in downtown Hert
ford at a hearing 'Tuesday at the Perqui
mans County Recreation Center.
A pre-hearing open house will run
from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m. with the for
mal presentation at 7 p.m.
Three options remain on the table,
according to Teresa Gresham, a consul
tant working with the N.C. Department
of Transportation.
“Right now the DOT does not have a
preferred alternative,” she said.
'The input provided by the 'Tuesday
hearing will be factored in with the
data already available to make the de
cision on which option is best for all
concerned.
Two of the options carry traffic
through downtown on Church Street.
'The third uses Edenton Road Street.
All three options ultimately end on the
WinfaU side of the river but not at the
same location.
dot’s plans are to complete the final
designs next year and start right of way
acquisition in 2016. Actual construc
tion isn’t schedule to start until about
2018. Both the right of way purchases
and construction are based on the draft
See S-BRIDGE, 11
State: Grant
funding to
be delivered
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Hertford officials were assured last
week that the state will release the re
maining funds from a $100,000 S'TEP
grant however the money needs to be
spent by the end of the year.
Hertford got caught up in a dispute
between the state and the N.C. Rural
Center — the agency that approved
the S'TEP money for Hertford. About
$25,000 has been spent to date, but
Hertford was banking on getting the re
maining $75,000 in time to complete the
projects by the end of this year.
Until Mday Hertford had heard
only that an extension through Dec. 31
was approved, but had no word on the
money.
Friday Town Manager Brandon
Shoaf got assurances from Gov. Pat
McCrory’s oflice that the funds would
b© r0i0BS0d
“We have funds until Dec. 31, 2013,”
Shoaf said. He added that he was told
there probably won’t be any extensions
after that.
'The money wiU help fund the con
struction of a nine-slip marina behind
the Hertford Police Department, pay
See STATE GRANT, 11
Tourism board to support
funding for Beividere event
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
'The board that oversees the
spending of tourism tax money
agreed last week to give a Bei
videre group $500 to promote a
6 89076 47144
two-day event in October.
It’s the first time the Tour
ism Development Authority has
granted such a quest, but chair
man Ed Muzzulin said it probably
won’t be the last. 'The TDA wants
to support groups in townships
around Perquimans County that
want to create opportunities to
draw more tourism.
Doug Layden, the owner of
See FUNDING, 2
Frierson sworn in new register of deeds
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Even before there was a
Perquimans County, people
were taking the time to re
cord important details about
it. Over the decades records
of births, deaths, marriages
and property transfers were
kept and cataloged for the
ages.
Now that’s up to Jacque
line Frierson.
See FRIERSON, 11
Min F4.1
I «•"« r it
' /'* f
* »'t| r •
1
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Jacqueline
Frierson (right)
was sworn
in Sept. 3 as
Perquimans
County
Register of
Deeds. She’s
pictured with
her husband
Bradford (left),
son Brian
and Judge J.
Carlton Cole.
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