PAGE 3
Hertford,
Perquimans
commit $120K
for riverfront wall
© SCAN ME
PAGE 2
Resident leads
effort to send
supplies to Ukraine
PAGE 6
Lend a Hand
donates food
baskets to
help homeless
families
Board picks Finch-Copeland to fill Lennon’s unexpired term
Retired teacher replaces Lennon
who resigned, left county in Feb.
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
Retired public school teacher
Thelma Finch-Copeland has been
appointed to complete Alan Len
non’s unexpired term on the Per
quimans County Board of Com
missioners.
The county commissioners
voted unanimously at a special
meeting Monday night to appoint
Finch-Copeland to the post.
“I am excited,” Copeland said
Tuesday when asked about the
appointment. “I am honored. It’s
an honor to serve.”
Copeland said she looks for
ward to being a voice for the com
munity.
She said she has lived in Per
quimans County since she was 3
years old.
“All of my teaching experience
was in Perquimans County,” she
added.
Lennon had been elected as a
Libertarian, so state law requires
the person appointed to replace
him also be a Libertarian. Two
Libertarians sent letters to the
board asking to be considered:
Finch-Copeland and Christopher
Richardson.
Richardson said Tuesday he is
not discouraged by the board’s de
cision to appoint Finch-Copeland
to the seat. He said he’s looking
forward to his candidacy for coun
ty commissioner.
Though a registered Libertar
ian, Richardson is seeking to get
enough signatures of registered
voters to get on the November
ballot as an unaffiliated candidate
for county commissioner.
Richardson said he is working
on his signatures to get on the
ballot and currently has about 60.
He needs 399, he said, adding “I’m
pretty confident I can cover that."
Finch-Copeland said Tuesday
she is not a candidate in the No
vember election.
At Monday’s board meeting,
Chairman Wallace Nelson ex
plained that the board had the
option either to appoint someone
at that meeting or establish some
process for further consideration
in order to make the appointment
within a 60-day timetable.
“I would like us to proceed to-
night,” said Commissioner Joseph
See LENNON, All
The community hub
Extra VFD training
helps up Hertford
fire district rating
TYLER NEWMAN/CHOWAN HERALD
Charles Woodard stands next to the counter at Woodard's Pharmacy, the business he took over 50 years ago
in downtown Hertford. A half century later, the business is still thriving. In an era when big-box pharmacies like
Walgreens and CVC are taking over the pharmacy business, Woodard believes his business’s combination of
nostalgia and personability has kept his customer base loyal.
New 5 rating to lower insurance
costs for district homeowners
From staff reports
Thanks to the hard work
of Hertford Fire Depart
ment’s volunteer firefight
ers, Perquimans County
residents who live within 5
miles of the town’s fire sta
tion could soon be eligible
for a cost break on their
home insurance.
According to a press re
lease, the department was
recently reinspected by the
N.C. Department of Insur
ance and the Office of the
State Fire Marshal and, ac
cording to county officials,
Hertford’s 28 firefighters
were found to have logged
over 500 more hours than
the required amount.
As a result of the in
creased training and the fire
department’s performance
on other elements of the
reinspection, homeowners
in the Hertford Fire District
— regardless of how close
they live to a file hydrant
— will have an insurance
rating of 5 if they five within
5 road miles of the Hertford
Fire Station. Those within
6 miles of the station will
still have a rating of 9E. The
change takes effect May 1.
Perquimans Emergency
Services Director Jonathan
Nixon commended Fire
Chief Drew Woodard and
the Hertford department for
the achievement.
“This is an excellent rat
ing for a rural volunteer fire
department and shows the
continued commitment of
all of our volunteer firefight
ers,” he said. ”I commend
you and your department
for your dedication and
commitment to making
your community a safer
place to live.”
NC Insurance Commis
sioner and State Fire Mar
shal Mike Causey also ex
pressed his congratulations.
See FIRE, A10
50 years later, Woodard s still thriving
Pharmacy’s personability,
nostalgia keeps customers loyal
BY TYLER NEWMAN
Chowan Herald
In 1972, the number one
song in America was “Amer
ican Pie” by Don McLean.
The most popular film was
“The Godfather.” And the
Oakland As beat the Cincin
nati Reds in seven games in
the World Series.
A lot has changed since
then.
One tiling that hasn’t is
Woodard’s Pharmacy.
Located at the corner of
Church and Market streets,
in the heart of Historic
Hertford, Woodard’s Phar
macy remains an iconic
Perquimans County land
mark. It’s also a testament
to its owner, Charles Wood
ard’s dedication and service
to his community.
Woodard, a Hertford na
tive, took over ownership
of the pharmacy in 1972,
opening for business on
Jan. 2. Since then, he has
stood watch from behind the
counter as hundreds of thou
sands of patrons have come
and gone over the decades.
The pharmacy’s hall-
mark sign hangs high over
the Church Street sidewalk,
welcoming ail who enter to
experience a slice of bu
colic Hertford where time
moves a bit slower.
Around mid-afternoon
in the autumn, one can
find everyone from the
high school quarterback to
..sheriff deputies wandering
through Woodard’s door,
looking for a cold drink or
a scoop of old-school hand-
dipped ice cream. The usu
al pharmacy customers
dart in and out after saying I
their hellos and picking up
their orders.
All the while, Wood
ard can be found behind
the counter, calmly and
methodically running the
show. That usually means
refilling prescriptions, an
swering phone calls and
greeting old friends.
Everything from greet
ing cards to vitamins to
handmade goods and local
ly produced items can be
See WOODARD’S, A10
PHOTO COURTESY TOWN OF HERTFORD
This is the view of the Hertford Town Council seating
area from the point of view of the public seating in the
newly renovated Horace Reid Jr. Community Center.
‘Perquimans Through the Years’ opens April 1
Library to host series of
exhibits looking back at past
From staff reports
With an infusion of new
Starting in April, the
Friends of the Library will
open “Perquimans Through
the Years,” a year-long se
ries of exhibits at the Per
quimans County Library
that Friends President
businesses changing the
face of Hertford’s down-
town, members of the
Friends of the Perquimans
County Library thought it
was a good time to look
back at the “way we were.”
Brenda Hollowell-White
says will “give the public an
opportunity to take a look
back through time.”
“The board members
of the Friends of the Li
brary have chosen topics
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Vol. 87, No. 12
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All Rights Reserved
of interest for the
exhibits from their
personal collections
and hobbies which
will be displayed
in the showcase in
the foyer as well as
See EXHIBIT, A10
PHOTO COURTESY BRENDA HOLLOWELL-WHITE
Hats, old toys and high school memorabilia will be the
subjects of separate displays during the Friends of the
Perquimans County Library’s upcoming “Perquimans
Through the Years” exhibit series that starts April 1.
Community Center
gets face-lift, re-model
Hodges: Meeting room now
better for public, councilors
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
Hertford Town Coun
cil debuted new desks for
councilors and a renovated
meeting room at the Horace
Reid Jr. Community Cen
ter at the council’s regular
meeting earlier this month.
Interim Town Manager
Janice Cole explained that
the need for the renovation
became obvious when new
ly elected members of the
town council discovered the
height of the previous dais
made it difficult for them to
sit safely and comfortably
during council meetings.
Councilors now have in
dividual desks at a height
that allows their feet to
touch the floor.
Cole said the town is
working on numerous im
provements, with the Com
munity Center just a hint of
things to come.
“The' Community Room
renovation is just a very
small part of the improve
ments that the residents are
going to start seeing shortly
in town,” Cole said.
Town Councilor Ashley
See CENTER, All