4 THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2,2016
Engel’s talk on Dickens sheds new light on Christmas
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Chowan Herald
The life and times of
author Charles Dickens
will form the centerpiece
around which Professor
Elliot Engel will present “A
Dickens of a Christmas” on
Saturday, Dec. 3.
His presentation will
be offered in a set of two
programs - the first tak
ing place in the afternoon
from 1-3 p.m. and an eve
ning performance sched
uled from 6-8 p.m.
Both will be sponsored
by the Friends of the
Shepard-Pruden Memorial
Libfary and held at the his
toric 1767 Chowan County
Courthouse in Edenton.
Both shows will be fol
lowed by Victorian-style
receptions featuring hors
d’oeuvres that are sweet
and savory, and Christmas
spirits.
Tickets are $40 per per-
■son and may be purchased
at the Penelope Barker
Welcome Center, located
at 505 South Broad Street.
Tickets may also be re
served by calling the wel
come center at 482-7800.
This will mark the first
time Engel has presented
a program in Edenton and
he said he is looking for
ward to the experience.
Engel said his presenta
tion will look at educating
his audiences in a humor
ous way about how the
story Dickens captured in
his classic “A Christmas
Carol” forever changed the
way people have thought
about the meaning of
Christmas and how they
celebrate it.
“My ultimate goal,” he
said, “is to educate. I do
that through entertain
ment.”
Engel, who fives in Ra
leigh, has lectured across
the United States about
Dickens, and his mini-lec
ture series concerning the
world-famous author has
aired on numerous PBS
television stations.
He has also won acclaim
for his work from national
figures such as Stephen
Chbosky, screenwriter of
the movie “Rent,” and co
creator of the CBS series,
“Jericho.”
Chbosky observed: “With
each spoken word, Dr. El
liot Engel brings literature
and history to life. He is
not only an academic, he is
an artist. You will laugh a
lot, you will learn a lot.”
The Dickens theme will
be carried out across the
community’s holiday cel
ebration starting with the
Friday, Dec. 2, Christmas
Extravaganza and Flotilla
and continuing with the
Dickens Christmas Parade
on Saturday, Dec. 10. Also
complementing the cel
ebration will be the live
theater production of “A
Christmas Carol” brought
to life by the cast of the
Epic Music Theatre led by
Laurie Edwards. The mu
sical will come to life at
the historic 1767 Chowan
County Courthouse on
Dec. 9, 10 and 11. Tickets
are $25 and seating is lim
ited so early reservations
are encouraged.
For additional details on
these and other events, go
to www.visitedenton.com.
Wreath
sale to
start
From Staff Reports
Perquimans County
4-H is now accept
ing orders for holiday
wreaths.
The cost for a 26-
inch wreath is $10. For
more information on
placing an order call
the Perquimans Ex
tension Center at 426-
7697. The deadline to
order is Nov. 15.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Gina is a cool and calm Brown Tabby. This young female has beautiful golden eyes
as well as a beautiful personality.
Pets of the Week
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Tall and blonde, Liza is
quite a stunning girl with
a sweet nature. She is
between 5 and 6 years
old and healthy but
heartworm positive. She
will need treatments.
SURVEY
Continued from 1
yes when asked if the fac
ulty works in a school en
vironment that is safe. That
compares to 90.6 percent
two years ago.
One veteran teacher who
was at school Thursday but
not directly involved in the
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fight agreed she still feels
safe.
“It gets worse every year,
but overall T still feel safe.
I’m not threatened and I’d
only be moving other stu
dents along, not trying to
break up the fray.”
When it came another
question asking is “my
school is a good place
to work and learri” 91.7
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percent of local teachers
agreed. That compares to
86 percent two years ago.
The survey was open
statewide for most of the
month of March.
The school system has
recently beefed up security
for an outside threat with
electronic doors that pre
vent someone from enter
ing the building without per
mission. The fight Thursday
involved students already in
the building.
While teachers reported
being safe, many said some
students don’t follow rules
of conduct according to
the survey. Across all four
schools in the system, 30
percent of students said
students didn’t follow
the rules. At Perquimans
County Middle School, the
figure was the figure was 49
percent. That’s an improve
ment over two years ago
when 60 percent of PCMS
teachers said students fol
lowed the rules.
Access to technology was
clearly not a problem for lo
cal teachers - 100 percent
DINNER
Continued from 1
and available from 4 p.m.
until 7 p.m. Those that want
to eat in at the Perquimans
Recreation Center will pay
$10 for a blue ticket and can
dine from 5:30 p.m. until 7
p.m.
Library supporters want
broad based support for the
project so they have distrib
uted the 450 blue tickets
around. Layden said each of
the Ruritan Clubs involved
and the library got 45 tick
ets for the eat-in dinner.
Carolina Trophy got 20, and
tire chamber of commerce
got 25.
said they have access to re
liable communication tech
nology including phones,
faxes and e-mail.
A big majority (86 per
cent) of Perquimans teach
ers said they plan to contin
ue teaching where they are.
That compares to 81 percent
statewide. Two percent of
Perquimans teachers said
they plan to leave educa
tion entirely, compared to 5
percent statewide.
“I see a lot of improve
ments in all areas of the
survey,” said Teresa Beard
sley, the school’s spokes
woman when the report
was released. “ Our school
system is moving forward
and we will continue to
Those who dine in can
hear entertainment from
Mickey Phelps and each Ru
ritan Club will have an op
portunity to talk about the
projects they support. There
will also be a slide show of
what the new library will
look like.
The Belvidere Ruritan
Club is providing the sauce
with financial support from
Durants Neck. Parksville
is doing the noodles, Inter-
County will provide the
drinks, Bethel will be pro
viding little cakes for the
take-out orders, Forestburg
is giving the setups and
plates and Bear Swamp is
providing the bread.
When Perquimans Coun
ty agreed to build a new
library, a portion of the $3
million was earmarked to
furnish it. Both Layden and
Muriel Hannon and other
supporters want to make
EARLY VOTING
Continued from 1
There were 53 that listed
themselves as “other” ac
cording to ncvotetracker.
com, a project of the Civitas
Institute.
In addition to a list of na
tional and statewide candi
dates, voters will be asked
to elect three Perquimans
County Commissioners out
of a list of four candidates.
Voters can only vote for
one, and the top three win
office in December.
Kyle Jones, a Republi
can, is the only incumbent
on the ballot. He’s seeking
a second four-year term.
Other challengers are Alan
Lennon, a Republican and
Democrats Joseph Hoffler
and Charles Woodard.
The Bethel precinct re
mains the most active with
929 votes cast. Following
in second was New Hope
with 560 with Parksville in
third at 525. There were 248
voters from East Hertford
who’d cast ballots and 203
work towards becoming an
elite school system. With
high quality administrators,
teachers and staff coupled
with the amount of resourc
es available to staff and stu
dents, we are well on our
way towards our goal. “
The survey was first ad
ministered in 2002 as part
of the Governor’s Teacher
Working Conditions Initia
tive.
Both Perquimans County
Middle School and Hertford
Grammar School had 100
percent participation from
teachers this year.
The 2016 report can be
viewed at http://www.nc-
teachingconditions.org/re-
sults
sure there is enough to do it
first class.
“This means we can buy a
desk that lasts for 50 years,
not a Wal-Mart desk that
you have to put together,”
Layden said. “We feel if we
put really good stuff in there,
it will last a long time.”
“We want to get state of
the art equipment,” Harmon
said. “A state of the art li
brary should have state of
the art equipment and fur
nishings.”
Library supporters will
also be selfing squares for
a memorial quilt that will
hang in the new library. The
cost for each square is $100
and they’re custom made to
honor some one or some
thing. The quilt sale will be
an ongoing project for the
library.
For more information,
call Layden at 297-2875 or
Harmon at 312-6348.
from West Hertford. The
Belvidere precinct had the
fewest number of votes cast
at 131.
Early voting hours today
are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thurs
day and Friday the hours
are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Perqui
mans will hold one Satur
day of early voting, on Sat
urday. Hours will be 8 a.m.
to 1 p.m. All early voting
happens at the Perquimans
County Board of Elections
office on Edenton Road
Street.
Perquimans County Reg
ister of Deeds Jacqueline
Frierson, a Democrat, is
running unopposed in that
race.
In a regional race for the
N.C. Senate, Republican in
cumbent Bill Cook is facing
a challenge from Brownie
Futrell, a Democrat from
Washington, N.C. Cook
lives in Chocowinity.
In the District 1 House
race, Republican incumbent
Bob Steinburg is challenged
by Sam Davis, a Democrat
from Elizabeth City. Stein
burg lives in Edenton.