VOLUME XXIII NO. I
THE LOST COLONY
OPENS ITS I7TH
SEASON SATURDAY
New Director, Many New Lead*
ing Characters, Good Choir
and Good Organist Put On
Creditable Performance
By CATHERINE D. MEEKINS
Opening on Saturday night,
June 29, for its 17th season, the
Lost Colony got underway at Wat
erside Theatre on Roanoke Island
with a good performance. Consid
ering the fact that the show is
headed by a new director, with
most of the leading characters
played by newcomers to the show,
it went remarkably well. Being
the opening night, there ‘were a
few rough spots that undoubtedly
will be ironed out within the week.
The chief trouble seems to be
that most of the new leads have
not yet had time to become ac
customed to projecting their
voices in outdoor theatre. This is
an art not learned on an indoor
stage. The music, directed by El
wood Keister for the second year,
is a decided improvement over last
year’s performance. The choir is
strong and well-balanced, except
for a slight weakness in the
blending of the soprano section.
Hedley Yost at the organ for the
second year gave strong support
throughout the show.
A few minor changes have been
made in staging, but the show re
mains practically the same as be
fore. In lieu of a historian relat
ing the struggles of the colony,
Captain John White now acts as
historian, telling the story in the
first person, thus giving it a more
personal touch and a more direct
appeal to the audience. The part
of John White is played by Earle
Rankin in a most authentic man
ser.
The Indian dances, as usual, are
colorful, and of tremendous audi
ence appeal. Perhaps they are a
little more mechanical this year—
somehow they seem to lack the
spontaniety that should be there,
although they are still well exe
cuted. The milkmaid dance re
mains as it should be—simple and
countrylike, with no fancy ballet
steps. The Indian solo dancer,
Glynn Sprinkle, gives an excel
lent performance in the part of
Uppowoc. John Lehman, returning
to the show after an absence of
two years, has put in many hours
of hard work and instruction as
choreographer.
Diane Rousseau, as Eleanor
Dare, and William Walsh as John
Borden play the female and male
leads very well, but need to learn
a little more about outdoor voice
projection. Walsh’s part lacks a
little of the fire with which it has
formerly been played, but that
will improve as the show moves
on into the season.
Mary Wood Long plays Queen
Elizabeth in her usual dynamic
style. Edward Reeves as Sir Wal
ter Raleigh gives the part a
courtly dignity. Ray Smith, as
“Old Tom,” shows a fine under
standing of the role, but seems to
rush headlong into some of his
speeches, without the usual delib
erateness which has previously
characterized the early entrances.
His performance in the final
scenes seems to have slowed down
to the usual tempo.
Page Williams has stepped into
the role of Dame Coleman, the
midwife, in fine style. Marjalene
Thomas plays Joyce Archard even
better than in previous years.
Hal Furr makes a forceful and
stately Chief Wanchese. John
Meadows plays the part of Simon
Fernando well, but could make it
a little more colorful. The part of
Master of the Queen’s Ceremonies,
played by Richard Newdirk, seem
ed rather colorless on opening
night. Philip Amadas, played by
William Watson, seemed to have
diction trouble. Chief Manteo,
played by Charles Briggs, showed
need for more deliberation and
force. Ananias Dare, played by
George Perry, was well done, but
again the outdoor voice projection
problem was discernible. Steve
Stephenson plays the part of Fa
ther Martin with a fine under
standing of the part.
Cora Mae Basnight of Manteo
is a natural for the part of Agona,
the Indian role played for many
yean by* the late Grace Davis, also
of Manteo.
Director Burnet Hobgood, re
placing Clifton Britton who was
for a number of years director of
the drama, has done a terrific
job.' He has > had the odds stacked
against him, being new and hav
ing so many other new actors
working with him, but he has
turned out a show of which he
may justly be proud.
’Hie realism with which the mas
sacre scene was played was made
evident by a small boy in the back
of Waterside Theatre. His father
moved from his seat and the boy
must have thought he was going
toward the stage, for he called
out in a terrified voice “Daddy,
don’t co down there. The Indians
See LOST COLONY, Page Five
■
THE COASTLAND TIMES
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA
TOWN'S NEW STREET LIGHTS INAUGURATED
THROWING THE SWITCH to officially turn on Manteo’s new street
lights climaxed a brief ceremony Monday evening in which Virginia
Electric land Power Company presented to the town a modern up-to
date street light system consisting of twelve 6000-lumen lights and
thirty-six 2500 lumen lights. Mayor Martin Kellogg is shown pulling
the ribbon to place the lights in operation as R. H. Goodmon, Vepco’s
Carolina division vice-president, looks on.
The town has granted Vepco a 30-year electric franchise and has
also entered into a 30-year contract with the company for street light
ing. This was done in connection with the sale of the Roanoke Utilities
electric system to Vepco, which was completed Monday also. (Aycock
Brown photo
TO PREACH SUNDAY AT
WATERSIDE THEATRE
THE REV. GEORGE E. STOKES,
Jr., a native of Norfolk but cur
rently rector of St. Paul’s Episco
pal Church at Clinton, Will be
guest minister at the second in a
series of Sunday morning worship
services at The Lost Colony’s Wat
erside Theatre near Manteo next
Sunday morning.
The Lost Colony Chorus under
direction of Dr. Elwood Keister,
with George E. Perry at the or
gan, will provide the music and
anthem for the services.
After graduating from Maury
High School, Norfolk, and Lees-
Mcßae College in Banner Elk, the
Rev. Mr. Stokes received his AB
degree from the University of the
South, Sewanee, Tenn., where he
made Phi Beta Kappa in 1947, was
a member of The Order of the
Gownsmen and also a member of
Alpha Tau Omega fraternity
there. He received his Bachelor of
Divinity degree from the Virginia
Theological Seminary in Alexan
dria, Va., June 1950.
Prior to his call to the Clinton
Parish, he served as minister of
Haymarket Parish in the Diocese
of Virginia, where he served as
president of the Prince William
County Council of Churches and
was secretary of the Valley Con-
See SERVICES, Page Five
DARE TEACHER ALLOTMENT
FOR COMING YEAR GIVEN
The allotment of teachers for
the 1957-58 school year fcr Dare
Countjfs schools by th? State
Board of Education was announc
ed this week by Mrs. Mary L.
Evans, county superintendent.
This allotment is slightly revised
from the tentative allotment made
earlier by the state.
Several changes in schools are
to be made as a result of’ the
state’s allotment, which is as fol
lows: Manteo, 10 elementary and
7 high school, Manns Haibor, 1
elementary; Kitty Hawk, 4 ele
mentary; Wanchese, 4 elementary;
Stumpy Point, 1 elementary; Cape
Hatteras, 8 elementary, 4 high
school; and Roanoke, 2 elemen
tary, 1 high school.
Manns Harbor lost one teacher
this year, resulting in the fourth
grade being assigned to the Man
teo school and thus leaving only
grades one through three at
Manns Harbor. Because of crowd
ed conditions at Manteo, the state
agreed to assign a teacher to
Stumpy Point again for one' more
year only. This year’s allotment
also results in the loss of one
teacher at Kitty Hawk.
TWO FOREST FIRES
BURN 10,000 ACRES
DURING PAST WEEK
Two forest fires, which have
burned more than 10,000 acres of
woodland in Tyrrell and Hyde
counties, were reported under con
trol Wednesday.
According to reports of the
state foresters, the flames subsid
ed Tuesday in Hyde County in
the area around Pungo Lake,
where swampy woodland has been
burning since late last week. The
fire in Tyrrell County, which
started when a flaming Air Force
jet crashed there Saturday, also
was reported under control.
The firefighters had been ham
pered by very dry conditions and
heavy winds. However, the winds
shifted Monday. Total damage will
not be known for several days.
Prisoners and volunteers have
been used at both fire sites. In ad
dition crews and tractors from the
North Carolina Pulp Co. and the
West Virginia Pulp and Paper Co.
have been used in battling the
Tyrrell fire. The land that burned
in Tyrrell is owned mostly by the
Kent Lumber Co., but West Vir
ginia owns much valuable wood
land in that area.
THREE-POUND POMPANO
CAUGHT NEAR HATTERAS
Pompano have been more nu
merous in the surf on the southern
end of Hatteras Island this year
than ever before. That has been
"especially true for anglers who
go after them with rod and reel.
Several of these fish, claimed by
most persons who have eaten
them as the best of anything that
swims in the ocean, have been
landed with rod and reel. They
weigh up to three pounds each.
VEPCO COMPLETES PURCHASE OF ROANOKE UTILITIES SYSTEM
...JOBaSWri^^MI ItM 1 J
i Bb ' *
1 »< M
S! < ; i ij Jrp
,1!
A| BRIER CEREMONY held Monday at noon at the Bank of Manteo officially completed the sale to
Virginia Electric and Power Company by Roanoke Utilities of Roanoke Island’s electrical distribution sys
tem, which was begun thirty-three years ago by W. B. Fearing and the late M. K. Fearing and was oper
ated by the Fearing family until Monday.
Pictured at the passing of Vepco’s check for $200,000 as the basic payment for the system arc, left
to right: M. K. Fearing, Jr. and W. B. Fearing, vice-president and president respectively of Roanoke
Utilities; R. H. Goodmon, vice-president of Vepco’s Carolina division; and W, R. Pearce, cashier of the
bank, who was waiting to accept the check for deposit.
The Fearings began their system in 1924 with a diesel generator at Manteo. Their lines were ex
tended until they reached 16 miles up the beach to N ags Head in 1936, when they began buying poyer
wholesale from Vepco and sold their beach lines to the larger company. (Aycock Brown photo):
MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, JULY 5, 1957
4-YEAR-OLD GIRL
KILLED WALKING
AT NAGS HEAD
Debbie Brock, a four year old
Elizabeth City girl who lives on
Harrington Road, was fatally in
jured Tuesday night about 9
o’clock at Nags Head when struck
by a 1949 Oldsmobile, driven by
Robert Bruce Best, 17, of Kitty
Hawk. Best who was southbound,
struck the child while she was
walking on the road.
Best was released by patrolman
W. E. Brown, and allowed to go
to his home at Kitcy Hawk pend
ing complete investigation of the
circumstances.
The child, taken to Elizabeth
City hospital in am ambulance,
died on arrival at the hospital.
The mishap occurred 50 feet
south of the Nags Head Beach
Club.
The little girl was the daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. C. K. Brock and
the granddaughter of Mr. and
Mrs. W. K. Leary of Camden,
formerly of Nags Head.
MANTEO LINESMAN HURT
IN ACCIDENT FRIDAY
Raymond Wescott of Manteo,
linesman now for Virginia Elec
tric and Power Company, suffered
a fall from a pole on which he
was working directly behind Fear
ing’s Case in Manteo Friday morn
ing at 9.20 a.m. His fall was brok
en somewhat by a guy wire on
which he fell but which caught
him in the middle of his back.
Preliminary examination by Dr.
W. W. Harvey did not disclose
any broken bones, but he was
transferred to Albemarle Hospital
in Elizabeth City for further ex
amination and treatment.
GOVERNOR GOES BACKSTAGE AT LOST COLONY
IfexWwli W ■ ml &
\ ....
\ WMr -
’I .» ALm
■ W 1
TWO OHIO NATIVES met and exchanged greetings backstage at the
special governor’s preview performance of The Lost Colony on Thurs
day evening of last week. Ohio’s Governor William O’Neill, at left, is
shown with Ray Smith of Cleveland, Ohio, who this year plays Old
Tom Harris in the historical drama.
In addition to Governor O’Neill, other governors who attended the
special performance as guests of Governor Hodges of North Carolina
were: Stephen L. R. McNichols of Colorado, Herschel C. Loveless of
lowa, George Docking of Kansas, Orville L. Freeman of Minnesota,
George B. Timmerman, Jr. of South Carolina, William G. Stratton of
Illinois, J .Hugo Aronson of Washington, John E. Davis of North Da
kota, Joe Foss of South Dakota, and George D. Clyde of Utah. (Aycock
Brown photo)
GOVERNOR AND MRS. HODGES WELCOMED
A HEARTY WELCOME is extended to North Carolina’s Governor
Luther H. Hodges, left, and Mrs. Hodges by Earle Rankin, Governor
White in the Lost Colony cast, on their arrival at the Manteo Airport
by plane Thursday morning of last week. Governor Hodges came to
Manteo from the National Governors Conference in Williamsburg, Va.,
and governors of eleven other states accepted his invitation to visit
Dare Thursday and Friday for two days of sight-seeing, fishing, and
rest and relaxation. (Aycock Brown photo)
BIG SUNFISH LANDED BY
CANNADY IS RELEASED
Capt. Buddy Cannady, skipper
of the cruiser Wahoo, lassoed an
ocean sunfish estimated to weigh
more than 500 pounds Monday,
and towed it to Oregon Inlet. Aft
er many had seen the fish, he
towed it back to the Inlet and re
leased it while it was still alive.
DARE'S OUTSTANDING
FARM AGENT RESIGNS
Mg: O
■B ®
lb J Jl
■ Wfc • * *
I ■ I I
■HU-:-/ .*
ROBERT S. SMITH, Dare County
farm agent since July 1945, re
signed this week for health rea
sons. He plans to remain in Man
teo where he has a home, along
with his wife and two young sons,
Spencer and Paul. His successor
has not been named.
Born and reared in Pitt County,
Mr. Smith graduated at State Col
lege and went to Warren County
Jan 1, 1940 as assistant county
agent. He remained there until he
came to Dare County.
One of Mr. Smith’s projects has
benefited the entire state. When
the Navy abandoned its facility on
Roanoke Island, he enlisted the in
terest of a Manteo newspaperman,
Victor Meekins, with the result
that the Roanoke Island 4-H Camp
was established in 1946. An aver
age of 5,000 4-H Club boys and
See SMITH, Page Five
SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS
TO BE HELD AT MANTEO
JULY 9 TO AUGUST 16
The Roanoke Island School of
Fine Arts, sponsored by the Roa
noke Island Historical Association,
is scheduled to be held this year
from July 9th through August
16th. Registration for the school
is to be held this Saturday, July
6, between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
at the Community Building in
Manteo.
The school is sponsored each
summer by the association in con
nection with the annual presenta
tion of the historical drama The
Lost Colony, with the purpose of
providing instruction -in the thea
tre arts, supplementing the train
ing of the company of The Lost
Colony, and training residents of
Dare County for future partici
pation in this drama of their
county’s history.
The faculty is made up of mem
bers of the staff and company of
The Lost Colony. The list of in
structors and the classes they will
teach is as follows: Dr. Elwood
Keister, Voice Class; Miss Nancy
Francis, Children’s Chorus; Miss
Ellen Walter, Advanced Dance
Technique and Beginner’s Dance
Technique; Miss Kathleen Hart
sock, Dance for Children; William
I. Long, Stagecraft or Playwrit
ing; Mrs. Irene Rains, Costume
Execution; Dr. Elisabeth Welch,
Voice and Diction; and Mrs. Mary
Long, Make-Up for the Stage.
Classes are open to any member
of the company of The Lost Col
ony and to any permanent or tem
porary resident. of Dare County.
There is no tuition fee, and at
tendance is voluntary, but be
cause each class has certain ob
jectives to attain and serious
See FINE ARTS, Page Five
Single Copy 7#
BIDS ON NEW ROAD
IN DARE EXCEED
STATE ESTIMATES
Highway Commission Last Thurs
day Withholds Approval of
Bids for Relocation of
U. S. JSB
Approval was withheld by the
outgoing State Highway Commis
sion Thursday of last week on the
low bids opened two days earlier
for the project to relocate High
way L S. 158 on Dare County’s
beaches. Further consideration of
the bids was ordered because the
total of the low bids exceeded by
$247,627.77 the amount set aside
for the work.
Chief Engineer W. H. Rogers
Jr. said it was possible that the
additional funds needed might be
obtained from those allocated for
primary roads. The problem was
left for the new highway com
mission taking office July 1.
The project calls for the grad
ing and paving from a point 1.4
miles east of Currituck Sound
Bridge for a distance of 15.3 miles
south to Whalebone, for which F.
D. Cline Paving Company of Ra
leigh bid $888,777.77. For moving
the buildings, Crouch Brothers of
Mooresville bid $62,650.
SAILOR STATIONED
AT BUXTON KILLED
IN WRECK THURSDAY
Dare County’s seventh highway
fatality this year, the second this
week occurred at 1:15 am. Thurs
day morning on the Nags Head-
Oregon Inlet highway near the
Oregon Inlet ferry dock. James
Lee Stuart, 19, stationed at the
Naval base at Buxton, was killed
instantly when his speeding car
went out of control and overturn
ed.
According to Patro'.nan O. L.
McCullen, lhe investigating offi
cer, Stuart was driving a 1952
Ford south at an indicate! speed
of 90 to 100 miles per hour when
he entered a curve and lest con
trol of the car, which then swerv
ed back and forth across the road
for a distance of 1200 feet before
overturning in the sand Stuart
died instantly of a crushed head,
and the bar was described as a
total loss; a passenge- in the car,
another sailor stationed at Buxton,
escaped w : thout injury however
According to the patrolman,
some whiskey and also empty beer
cans were found in the car.
The car belonged to Stuart’s
mother, who lives in Muskegon,
Michigan. The victim's father is
reported to have been killed in the
Korean conflict.
BIDS OPENED FOR NEW
MANTEO HIGH SCHOOL
Contracts Held Up Because Electrical
and Plumbing Bids Exceeded Esti
mates; To Be Re-Advertised
The letting of contracts for con
struction of the new Manteo High
School was delayed Tuesday after
noon when the Dare County Board
of Education found that low bids
for both the electrical and plumb
ing work exceeded the estimated
amounts.
Rejecting all bids for the elec
trical and plumbing work, the
board decided to revise the speci
fications and to advertise for new
bids on these two phases to be
opened on July 25. In the mean
time, the board is holding in abey
ance bids for the general contract
for the building.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the board
also approved contracts for two
new teachers for the coming
school year: Mrs. Hilda Ballance
at the Cape Hatteras elementary
school and William W. Tarkington
at the Manteo elementary school.
MRS. MARIA M. LEWARK
DIES IN NORFOLK SUNDAY
Mrs. Maria Midgett Lewark, 76,
died Sunday morning at 11 o’clock
in a Norfolk hospital after a
short illness.
She was a native of Rodanthe
but had been living in Manteo
for the past 68 years. She was
the daughter of the late Bannis
ter and Sobrina Midgett and the
wife of William V. Lewark. She
was a member of the Mt. Olivet
Methodist Church.
eßsides her husband she is sur
vived by two sons, William D.
Lewark and Rondal O. Lewark of
Manteo; three sisters, Mrs. Oren
da Simpson, Mrs. Colinda Bar
nett and Mrs. Nettie Midgett of
Manteo; one brother, Etheridge
Midgett of Freeport, Long Island,
N. Y.; and six grandchildren.
Funeral services were conduct
ed Tuesday afternoon at 2 o’clock
in the chapel of the Twiford Fu
neral Home in Manteo by the Rev.
Louis A- Aitken, pastor of Mt.
Olivet Methodist Church.
Burial followed in the Mt. Oli
vet Cemetery.