PAGE 3
Baker earns
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PAGE 3
Chowan-Edenton
Optimists host Fourth
of July fireworks
PAGE 4
Orr: Rustic French
cherry clafoutis easy
summer dessert
250 Holmes alumni gather for one last assembly
School to be demolished
in Aug. for new high school
BY VERNON FUESTON
Staff Writer
EDENTON — Thursday,
June 29, was a night for
nostalgia and memories as
about 250 John A. Holmes
High School alumni and
others gathered for one last
assembly in the 76-year-old
school building. The build
ing will be demolished in
August, making way for a
new school to be built in the
same spot.
Before going into the
gymnasium, most alums
took a few minutes to look
at the walls and trophy
cases in the school’s lunch
room. There they walked
past pictures and paused
in front of mementos that
mark the high school’s sto
ried past.
After three-quarters of a
century, there was a lot of
history to admire. Conspic
uously posted on a far wall
was a 1980s photograph of
President Ronald Reagan in
the White House Rose Gar
den holding an Aces jersey
and a replica of the Edenton
Teapot, presented to him
by visiting Holmes High se ¬
niors.
Inside the trophy cases,
four of them, were prizes,
plaques, photos, and certif
icates won over the years,
including several recogniz
ing the high school’s sev
eral state football cham
pionships. Prominently
displayed is the school’s
championship game ball
from 1954.
The Holmes High School
building has seen its share
of changes and social rev
olutions. Built during the
post-World War II years,
generations of Chowan
County youth have passed
through its doors. They wit
nessed Sputnik, the Cold
War, the Korean War, the
Kennedy assassination, the
Civil Rights Movement, Viet
nam, school integration, the
Clinton impeachment, the
9-11 terrorist attacks, and
Desert Storm.
John Mitchener recalled
the night he was inducted
into Holmes High’s Mono
gram Club. The year was
1958, and the club required
an initiation. Mitchener
found himself at Beaver
Hill Cemetery, strapped to
a tombstone with ropes.
It was the middle of a
See HOLMES, Afi
VERNON FUESTON/CHOWAN HERALD
Edenton-Chowan Schools Superintendent Michael
Sasscer addresses about 250 school alumni and others
at a final assembly held in the J.A. Holmes High School
gym Thursday, June 29. The 76-year-old school building
will be demolished in August, making way for a new
school to be built in the same spot.
On the same team
FOCUS awarded
additional $7.2M to
expand broadband
REGGIE PONDER/THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Gathered in the Perquimans Board of Elections office after filing for town office in Hertford Friday, July 7, are (l-r)
council candidates Keith Rouse Sr. and Rhonda Waters, and mayoral candidate Ashley Hodges.
Rouse, Waters, Hodges to run as team
Trio only filers in Hertford;
White files for Winfall mayor
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
HERTFORD — Keith
Rouse Sr. and Rhonda Waters
filed as candidates for town
council in Hertford and Ashley
Hodges filed as a candidate for
Hertford mayor as the filing
period for the November town
election opened Friday, July 7.
Elsewhere in Perquimans,
Preston White filed for mayor
in the town of Winfall He was
the lone candidate to file in the
county’s other municipality.
The three candidates who
filed in Hertford Friday said
they plan to run as a team, or
what Rouse called a “trifecta,”
and will be campaigning for
one another.
Hodges, a town councilor
who currently serves as the
town’s mayor pro tern, was the
first candidate to file when fil
ing opened at noon.
Rouse followed shortly
afterward, and Waters also
completed the filing process
in the first few minutes of the
filing period.
Hodges said he ran as part
of team four years ago with
Jerry Mimlitsch and Eamell
Brown. Hodges and Mim
litsch were elected to the
town council and Brown was
See HERTFORD, Afi
1.7K more in 2 counties
to get high-speed internet
From staff reports
A large communications
cooperative is growing its
partnership with Chowan
and Perquimans counties
to expand access to broad
band service in rural areas
of both counties.
Gov. Roy Cooper an
nounced last week that
FOCUS Broadband will
receive two additional
grants totaling $7.2 mil
See EXPANSION, A2
VERNON FUESTON/CHOWAN HERALD
Hackney High files to run for Edenton mayor in the
Nov. 7 town election at the Chowan Board of Elections
Office, Friday, July 7. Assisting High is elections official
Susan Campbell.
lion through the Growing
Rural Economies with
Access to Technology
program to expand ser
vice to rural homes and
businesses in Chowan
and Perquimans coun
ties.
The funding is part of
the Completing Access to
Broadband program that
supplemented last year’s
GREAT grant program.
Of the total grant funding,
$3.2 million will be used to
expand high-speed internet
Historic Commission denies pier request
Panel cites disruption to
scenic vista, safety concerns
BY VERNON FUESTON
Staff Writer
EDENTON — After two
years of consideration, the
Edenton Historic Preserva
tion Commission ruled this
6 ■ 89076 47144
Vol. 88, No. 28
WWW.PerquimansWeekly.com
@2021 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
week to deny an application
by Vince Burgher to build a
pier across Granville Street
from his property, Pem
broke Hall.
The commission voted
to deny Burgher’s applica
tion on a 4-2 vote, with only
members Jessica Otley and
Linda Thornton voting to
approve it. Chairwoman
Lisa Baker and mem
bers Tim Newbern,
Peggy Ann Vaughn
2 and Paul Hicks vot
ed against approval.
Member Frances
Moffit did not attend
CHOWAN HERALD
The Edenton Historical Commission has denied
Pembroke Hall owner Vince Burgher permission to
construct a pier on this site on South Granville Street
and West Water Street.
Five file in Edenton
for Nov. 7 election
Hackney, Bergeron, Gilliard,
Green-Overton, Sellers file
BY VERNON FUESTON
Chowan Herald
EDENTON — Four can
didates filed Friday, July
7, for election to the town
of Edenton’s three open
council seats and one filed
for the mayor’s position.
As expected, Hackney
High filed to run for mayor
in the Nov 7 town election.,
The First Ward councilor
had already announced
he wasn’t seeking re-elec
tion to council, saying he
planned to seek the town’s
top elective post instead.
Mayor Jimmy E. Stallings
has already said he doesn’t
plan to seek re-election.
Two candidates filed Fri
day to run for Hackney’s
First Ward seat. Stephanie
Bergeron and Travis Gil
liard, both of whom had
already announced they
planned to run, officially
See REQUEST, Afi
See EDENTON, Afi