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‘'News from Next Door"
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2021 $1.50
©SCANME
PAGE A2
Scholarship
foundation making
season merrier for
teachers, families
PAGE A6
Perquimans
girls lock down
on defense to
cruise past John
A. Holmes
PAGE A6
Turnovers,
fouls plague Per
quimans boys in
loss to Aces
White, Tilley, Huddleston file in Perquimans
REGGIE PONDER/THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Perquimans County Sheriff Shelby White signs
election filing paperwork Monday afternoon to
officially begin his campaign for re-election.
Filing for county offices to
continue through Dec. 17
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
Four incumbent officehold
er and a first-time school board
candidate filed for the March
8 primary election in Perquim
ans County as the filing period
opened Monday afternoon.
Sheriff Shelby White and
Clerk of Superior Court Todd
Tilley were the first two to
file, followed closely by Bren
da Huddleston, a first-time
candidate for the Perquimans
Board of Education. They
were followed later on by
Anne White, chairwoman of
the school board, and Fon-
della Leigh,
vice chair of
the Perqui
mans Board
of Commis
sioners.
White and
Tilley both
said they are
HUDDLESTON prou d to run
on their re
cord in office.
Huddleston writes books
and has campaigned for a
gun range for the Perquimans
Sheriff’s Office. She’s seeking
one of three open seats on the
school board.
Huddleston said she wants
the schools to steer away
from divisive topics.
“I definitely am wanting to
bring people more together
rather than to separate us,”
Huddleston said.
Huddleston said Critical
Race Theory is one thing she is
concerned about. She said she
has been told that it’s not being
taught in the schools but she
believes it may be coming in
under the guise of other topics.
“I don’t think it’s good for
our children or our communi
ty in general,” Huddleston said
of the theory that is taught in
some college courses. “And
I love this small-town atmo
sphere in this community.”
Huddleston said she is join
ing the Durant’s Neck Ruritan
Club this week.
White said he has worked
hard to keep the community
safe and has been active in
interacting with the communi
ty. He said he believes he has
done a good job of overseeing
the transition to handling law
enforcement in the town of
Hertford under a contract with
the town that took effect July 1
of this year.
The community and officers
are adjusting well to the transi
tion, White said.
Tilley said his office is cur
rently transitioning from a pa
per system for recordkeeping
to an electronic system. He
said he wants to see that tran
sition through to completion.
The filing period for the
March 8 primary election
continues through Dec. 17.
Candidates may file at the Per
quimans Board of Elections
weekdays between 8 am. and
5 p.m.
Christmas is here
PHOTOS BY REGGIE PONDER/THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
The Perquimans County High School band marches in the Hertford Christmas Parade, Saturday.
Trio of events get season underway
Large crowds turn out for
illumination, kickoff, parade
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
Perquimans County
residents kicked off the
Christmas season in style
last weekend with the
Grand Illumination, Christ
mas Kickoff and Hertford
Christmas Parade.
This was the first year
for the Kickoff event,
which was held at the Per
quimans County Recre
ation Center on Saturday.
“We really would like
to do this every year,”
said Amy Tinsley, one of
the Kickoffs organizers.
“We’re trying to make this
a big weekend — some
thing we can continue ev
ery year and make it bigger
every time.”
The Rhythm Run 5K was
held as part of the kickoff
event and drew 26 runners.
Between registrations
and sponsorships the run
raised $5,600 for the Mi
chael Steven Higgins Me
morial Scholarship Fund.
“That’s a lot of money,”
said Lisa Higgins, Michael
Steven Higgins’ mother.
“I’m very grateful.”
See CHRISTMAS, A3
The FFA group from Perquimans Middle School
marches in the Hertford Christmas Parade, Saturday.
Commerce adds
Hertford to state
Resiliency effort
Initiative to help small towns
recover from pandemic
From staff reports
The town of Hertford
is one of 16 communities
in the state that the N.C.
Department of Commerce
has added to its Communi
ty Economic Recovery and
Resiliency Initiative.
The Department of
Commerce announced last
week that 16 additional
communities are being as
sisted with their econom
ic recovery following the
coronavirus pandemic.
The newly selected
CERRI conununities are
distributed throughout
BROWN
the state’s
Prosperi
ty Zones.
Named
as par
ticipants
in the
Northeast
Prosperity
Zone were
the towns
of Hertford and Hamilton
in Martin County.
Hertford Mayor Earnell
Brown said the town al
ready had been pursuing
grants to assist in econom
ic and community devel
opment as it begins to im
plement the Riverfront and
Conununity Development
See COMMERCE, A3
Vaxx booster clinic
in county Dec. 16
ARHS reports two new COVID
deaths in Perquimans
BY JULIAN EURE
The Daily Advance
With all adults 18 and old
er now eligible for COVID-19
boosters, Albemarle Re
gional Health Services plans
to host a mass drive-thru
clinic offering the shots in
Perquimans next week.
The clinic at the Perqui ¬
mans County Recreation
Department in Hertford
on Thursday, Dec. 16, from
10 am. to 1p.m. is part of
a second round of mass
booster clinics ARHS is
hosting across the region.
The regional health agen
cy also reported two new
COVID-19 deaths in Perqui
mans last week. One per
son was between the ages
of 50 and 64, the other was
See BOOSTERS, A3
Carolina Moon presents comedy ‘Angels Broadcasting’
Christmas-themed play will be
performed Saturday, Sunday
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
Carolina Moon Theater will
present the Christmas-themed
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Vol. 87, No. 49
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@2021 Perquimans Weekly
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Comedy “Angels Broadcasting,
Inc.” in two shows this weekend.
At presstime tickets were still
available for Angels Broadcast
ing, Inc.,” which will be present
ed Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday
at 3p.m. in the theater at 110 W.
Academy Street in Hertford.
“This is a comedy and the gen
eral idea with it is that God is in
structing the angels because he
wants the Nativity documented,”
explained Lynne Raymond of Car
olina Moon Theater.
Tricia Bosco portrays the angel
Beatrice; Paul Hotz plays the an
gel Michael; Dana Nicholas por
trays the angel Gabriel; Mary Sue
Rieger is the angel Gloria; and
Rick Pronto is cast in the role of
God.
Colleen Brown directs the one-
act play, which takes about 45
minutes to perform. The play was
written by Cindy Rock Dlugolecki,
Tickets are $10 and may be pur
chased online at carolinamoont-
heater.org.
This is the third play that Car
olina Moon Theater has present
ed on the stage at its new home.
There has also been a music night
on the stage.
Carolina Moon Theater pres
ents plays and also music nights,
which feature bands or soloists.
The stage is also home to the Al
bemarle Community Orchestra.
Historic Hertford Inc. leases the
building, which formerly housed
the Perquimans County Library,
from Perquimans County.
The building has been exten
sively renovated to serve its cur
rent purpose as the home to His
toric Hertford Inc. and Carolina
Moon Theater.
“This was all done with
See PLAY, A7