Ayden Magazine Winter/Spring 2019-2020

Ayden

2019-20 • Winter/Spring

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AYDEN

“One of America’s Best Small Communities to Raise a Family.”  U.S. MEDIA GROUP  2013

A clean, safe and attractive community that encompasses the characteristics of a village.

Our town features an economically thriving retail and service district located in the historic downtown area that’s populated with a variety of residential neighborhoods; all within walking distance to both downtown and a multitude of recreational opportunities.

We are also surrounded by a flourishing commercial and industrial corridor. For more information about our town, visit us online:

AYDEN.COM

4144 WEST AVENUE | PO BOX 219 | AYDEN, NC 28513 | 252-481-5817

contents 6

See ya in the backyard Fryday

12

Bank makes dreams reality

18

Thread enhances downtown

24

Theater for children, by children

30

Unity via sports

ON THE COVER

STAFF ANGELA HARNE PUBLISHER & EDITOR

The bone-in spot plate is one of Fryday Nite Fish’s most popular items on their menu.

AMBER REVELS-STOCKS

p h o to by D o n n a M a r i e Wi l l i am s

STAFF WRITER

DONNA MARIE WILLIAMS

Ayden

STAFF WRITER

TOM LITTLE ADVERTISING REP

BECKY WETHERINGTON

VOL 16 NO. 2— WINTER 2019

LAYOUT & DESIGN

AYDEN © is published biannually by The Standard newspaper.

C o n t ents are the property of this newspaper and the town of Ayden a n d m ay no t be rep ro duced w ithout consent of the publisher.

To a d v e r t ise i n thi s p ub l i cati o n, please contact The Standard at 252-747-3883.

Ayden Magazine

Winter/Spring 2019-20

5

By Donna Marie Williams

Meet us

in the #Backyard T

hey say with time comes great things. This holds true for Tonnia Pollard Wallace and herw husband, Alonzo, who after more than 20 years of planning are living their dream with their restaurant Fryday Nite Fish LLC. Wallace has dreamed of owning her business since she was in middle school.

“Growing up, after age 10 or 11, I always knew I wanted my own business because I didn’t want to be poor. I always felt like if you had your own business you wouldn’t be poor.

That carried on with me throughout life. After about 17, I decided I’m going to buy myself some land, and after I paid for the land, I was going to open up a business,” Wallace said.

She purchased land as a senior at Ayden-Grifton High School but was

unsure about what type of business she wanted to open. This changed shortly after she graduated.

She remembered the fish frys her mother, Gladys “Faye” Pollard Page, would host Friday nights.

“We grew up poor, unfortunately.

My mom used to cook fish every Friday night. That was a delicacy for us.

From the time I was a kid up until I got grown, she cooked fish Friday nights.

(That was) up until her health started failing,” Wallace said.

The Friday night fish frys turned into a community event when Wallace’s family moved to Grifton.

“Mom has always been a family orientated person. She liked to be around people and have big gatherings with music. She would invite everybody. You didn’t have to

Tonnia Pollard Wallace (left) and her husband, Alonzo, opened Fryday Nite Fish April 3, 2019.

6

Winter/Spring 2019-20

Ayden Magazine

Tonnia Pollard Wallace loves to look out her window and see her customers enjoying the food served at the restaurant.

“

The junk tray and the spots are two of the most requested menu items at Fryday Nite Fish.

Some days I will get up and come sit in the building and thank God for all of my customers, all of the bad times, all of the good times, my family support and just everything. I didn’t envision looking out my window and seeing people lined up all the way up the street. I’m humbled.

-TONNIA POLLARD WALLACE,

pay anything. She pretty much

”

OWNER

FRYDAY NITE FISH

business,” Wallace said.

fed the public. We sat around,

Wallace and her husband

ate fish, talked and danced,”

took small business classes at

Wallace said.

Pitt Community College to gain

Knowing how popular and

the “know-how” of operating

well attended her mother’s fish

a small business and received

frys were, Wallace knew it would

certification shortly thereafter.

make a successful business.

“From there, it was a think

“Shortly after high school, I

process,” Wallace said. “We got

decided if my mom was doing

to figure out what to do; we got

these fish frys and doing all

to figure what to name it. We

this stuff and a lot of people

got to figure out how to run a

are coming, that if I make it a

small business. That took some

business the same thing would

years because our kids were still

happen. I played around with

little and in school. My husband

it, and in 2000, I decided

would tell me just wait until the

that I would actually make it a

kids get out of school and we’ll

Ayden Magazine

try to open up a business.”

Wallace waited for her four children to complete their schooling — all the while she kept her dream of the restaurant alive and planned for its opening day.

“I actually have my notepads that are air-dried and aged yellow because they are so old from planning and writing and sketching out a building,” Wallace said.

In 2012, Wallace was ready to make her dream a reality, but then life happened.

“I decided now is the time for us to make our move.

Then my mother got sick and my husband’s dad was sick. I was working, but I had to quit working to help take care of them.

“Then I had a daughter get sick. It was kind of like everything was put on the back burner until all that was squared away.

We were kind of in a mess, so financially, we couldn’t start a

Winter/Spring 2019-20

business even if we wanted to. We had saved, but all the money was taken after I lost my three jobs,” Wallace said.

Wallace’s mother died later that year. She left her daughter an insurance policy to help make her dreams a reality.

Wallace returned to the acre of land she had purchased in high school and began the steps to open a restaurant in Grifton.

Unfortunately, Grifton officials denied her request.

“I came to Ayden after the (Grifton) Planning Board meeting. I was crying. As I was crying, I just drove on a back road, not even knowing this property was here. I stopped in between the two trees out here.

“I wiped my tears and looked and saw a ‘For Sale’ sign. I called my aunt to let her know … I didn’t know if the property was commercial (or residential). I called the realtor’s office and, in fact, it was a piece of commercial property. I spoke to the realtor,

7

and they told me to talk with the town of Ayden,” Wallace said.

Wallace did just that, and the town of Ayden welcomed her with “open arms,” she said.

Wallace’s dream took flight again. All she needed was a building, menu and name.

“We had multiple names. I let my family know we needed to be different. I’m different. I don’t think the way a lot of people think. I figured that we had to be different than any other thing around here.

We had to have a name that stood out and was catchy. My kids initially said, ‘Fry Tonight’s Fish.’ I came up with ‘Friday Night Fish.’

We kept playing around with it,” Wallace said.

The family soon agreed on “Fryday Nite Fish” paying tribute to Wallace’s mother and the community fish frys she hosted Friday nights.

“It’s the perfect name,” Wallace said.

The couple broke ground on their new facility in 2012 at 521 First St., Ayden and began perfecting the menu.

“My menu is pretty simple,” Wallace said. “I wanted to do a simple menu just because we’re simple people. It doesn’t take a whole lot to please me. It doesn’t take a whole lot to please our family. I wanted everything to be simple. I wanted it to be if I was short-staffed, I can jump right in and take care of this menu with no problem.”

The menu features three bonein fish options — spot, croaker and porgies — and three bone-out fish options — trout, flounder and tilapia.

“I only wanted three different types of fish. I didn’t want this great big menu because if I was short-staffed and I didn’t have a whole lot of help, at least I knew (how to prepare) these three fish. I could sell them with no problems and be OK,” Wallace said.

8

Fryday Nite Fish opened its doors April 3, 2019. The restaurant features a 702-square-foot kitchen and an outdoor picnic shelter.

“I am an outdoor person, and I get a thrill off of watching people eat. I don’t know why I’m obsessed with watching people eat, but I didn’t want to be in the inside and closed in with customers. I wanted to be able to walk to the window and look at my customers outside. I wanted them to sit outside and just enjoy themselves. I decided it was going to be outside dining only,” Wallace said. “Plus my business consultant told me in the next 10 years, there is going to be a lot of outside dining. He showed me an article explaining that within the next 10 years, there will be thousands of outside eateries. I said, ‘I’m going to be one of the thousand.’”

Wallace is thrilled to be living her dream.

“It’s the best feeling in the world. The fact that my business is successful, I’m humble about that. I knew I had a hit as I was planning. I knew it would be a hit the day we broke ground here.

It was something that was put in my spirit, and I knew I would be successful. It’s amazing. I can’t even explain the feeling,” Wallace said. “Some days I will get up and come sit in the building and thank God for all of my customers, all of the bad times, all of the good times, my family support and just everything. I didn’t envision looking out my window and seeing people lined all the way up to the street. I’m humbled.”

A customer-favorite menu item is Fryday Nite Fish’s shrimp burgo.

“You get 11 large shrimp on a hamburger bun and a bed of coleslaw for $7. You can’t beat it anywhere else around here.

People come up here and get a shrimp burgo and a cold Pepsi-

Fryday Nite Fish offers outdoor seating options for customers. It is also recognizable by a clothesline on the premises. The clothesline pays tribute to owner Tonnia Pollard Wallace’s late mother.

Cola. That is a quick lunch item,”

down.’ I dream about junk trays.

Wallace said.

Sometimes I feel like I’m just lying

Another customer favorite is

in a bed of fries and somebody

the junk tray, which features a bed

is pouring cheese sauce on me,”

of French fries topped with melted

Wallace said, sharing staff call

cheese, bacon bits, large shrimp

her Momma Bear. “They will say,

and chives.

‘Momma Bear, You have done did

“My goal was to have an

something to these people with

item that stands out. Something

this junk tray. I don’t know what

different that’s going to set us

you did, but whatever concoction

apart, and something everybody

you put in this junk tray, these

is going to like. Something I had

people are going plum crazy.’ I

never heard of before. Something

don’t know if it’s really that, or if

that was going to knock you off

it’s just lunchtime and it’s a quick

your feet. I decided to do the junk

menu item. It’s something you can

tray concoction. We tried it, and

get and eat on your way back to

we loved it. I figured if my family

work or on your lunch break. It’s

loved it, then it’s going to go on the

quick and good. That’s all it is.”

menu,” Wallace said.

Fryday Nite Fish has sold so

Among the top three crowd pleasers is Fryday’s fish stew.

many junk trays, it haunts Wallace.

“My husband’s fish stew and

“Sometimes I can hear my

our fresh spots cause a traffic jam

employees saying, ‘junk tray going

on our side of town,” Wallace said.

Winter/Spring 2019-20

Ayden Magazine

“Some days, our customers have

from our hidden menu. We don’t

to park down the street or uptown

talk about it, we just cook it,”

and walk to the restaurant. On

Wallace said.

Saturdays, the cars are lined up

Some hidden items include

on both sides of the street just to

ox and taters, butterbeans and

get a cup of what he calls, ‘gold

sausage and naked (neck) bones

in a bowl.’ He says, ‘It’s nothing

and potatoes.

spectacular. It’s just good.’”

Wallace’s

mother

In its eight-month existence, taught

Fryday Nite Fish has garnered a

Alonzo how to make the fish stew

unique nickname, The Clothesline

more than 27 years ago, and he

Restaurant, due to the clothesline

proudly credits her for what he

near the picnic shelter.

learned.

“When he makes our stew, I tear up because I wish she was here to see how popular he has become because of her stew,” Wallace said. “As for the spots, we have customers who come to the restaurant sometimes three times a day for them. They want the heads on and split down the back.

People travel from as far as two hours away just to get our spots.

“We’re told our location and taste of food reminds them of their childhood. I’ve seen our customers eat their spots and cry at the same time. It warms my soul when that happens because little do they know I cry too thinking about my childhood.”

Fryday Nite’s menu features four sides, including green beans, honey-buttered corn on the cob, fries and coleslaw.

“Green

beans

weren’t

supposed to go on the menu.

My husband was saying nobody wants green beans with their fish.

We were supposed to have okra.

“My momma always had a line full of fresh clothes. You could smell the laundry liquid. I thought that would represent my mom well, even though she might not like how I have the clothes hanging on the line. That reminds me of my mother,” Wallace said.

In 2020, the owners hope to expand and add the venue, Alonzo’s

#Backyard

Barbecue,

which will offer barbecue items, a hidden menu and a screened-in shelter.

Wallace believes having two restaurants on their property will make Fryday Nite Fish a gathering place.

“Our slogan is, ‘Meet us in the backyard.’ We love our customers.

At no point, do we take all the credit. We know if it wasn’t for the customers being loyal we wouldn’t be able to expand that quick,” Wallace said. “It’s not about the Wallace family. It’s about our customers and loyalty. We’re glad we’re able to offer something to

I said, ‘I guarantee you I will have

bring families here to meet our

more customers eating green

family. We’re so thankful and

beans than I would with okra.’ We

humble about it. We love our

tried the okra thing … the green

customers.”

beans hit the jackpot, and we don’t

Fryday Nite Fish, 521 First St.,

use pork with our green beans

Ayden, is open from 11 a.m. to 7

either,” Wallace said.

p.m. Tuesday through Saturday

The restaurant also features a hidden menu with food items Tuesdays

and

Wednesdays, I will offer an item

Ayden Magazine

or until they sell out of food.

“Everything is cooked to order

inspired by Wallace’s mother.

“On

and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday

… there have been times we sold everything we had,” Wallace said.

Winter/Spring 2019-20

9

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Ayden Magazine

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Pam Justice (left), the branch manager of Southern Bank in Ayden, and her staff (L-R) teller Rebecca Rowland, teller supervisor Chelsea Moye, customer service representative and loan officer assistant Danielle Cooper and (seated) senior teller April Donaldson strive to provide excellent service to their customers.

Southern Bank

S

outhern Bank is committed to Ayden.

“The faces in the bank and the location may change,

but our commitment to the community stays the same,” said branch manager Pam Justice.

Justice relocated from Southern Bank’s Winterville location to the Ayden branch in August 2019 and promptly began working on building relationships with customers.

committed to

community

“I want our customers to know we are happy to serve them,” she said.

Justice also started work on the bank’s exterior.

“I wanted to give the building new life and energy,” Justice said.

She had no idea new landscaping, a sign change and the addition of an awning would spark so much community speculation.

“We were told by customers our building had been sold.

Story & Photos by Angela Harne

12

Winter/Spring 2019-20

Ayden Magazine

We were told our bank was changing its

Pam Justice, the branch manager of Southern Bank in Ayden, reviews a loan application.

name. We are not going anywhere. We are dedicated and committed to Ayden. I just wanted to spruce up our exterior,” Justice said.

“Southern Bank is a mainstay in Ayden. We have built a loyal base here in town.”

Southern Bank was established in 1901 in Mount Olive, which remains the bank’s headquarters. It is the third oldest bank in North Carolina. In 2021, the bank will celebrate its 120th anniversary.

It

opened

its

first

Ayden

location

downtown on the corner of Lee and Third streets.

Justice has perused the bank’s history but could not find documentation showing when Southern Bank opened in Ayden. She did locate information regarding its move to 236 W. Third St., where the bank stands today.

The land was purchased in 1979, and the facility was built in 1981. The bank moved closer to N.C. 11 because “growth was perceived to move closer to the highway,” Justice shared.

One of the bank’s customers remembers

“

playing in the bank vault after elementary

Senior teller April Donaldson assists a customer over the phone.

Justice said.

Ayden is the epitome of “small town USA,” which Justice “loves.”

Her staff teamed up with the bank’s neighbor, Asa Spain, who opened up his garage to them, so they could decorate the Southern Bank Christmas tree float. Her team spent a Thursday evening decorating the float and enjoying pizza with their neighbor.

“It is all about working together for the good

We are all dedicated and passionate to serve our community while providing the best in customer care and service.

of Ayden,” Justice said. “Our bank is growing

- PAM JUSTICE

Justice and her team, which includes

and expanding our reach in communities.

Teller supervisor Chelsea Moye talks to a customer through the drive-thru window.

Southern Bank is really interactive and part of community events. We want to be visible.”

The bank’s chief executive officer Grey Morgan,

regional

vice

president

Jerry

Alexander and market executive Charlie Wells frequent Bum’s Restaurant, where they have breakfast with bank customers.

“That is the beauty of a community bank.

The executives are still in local contact and engaged with the community. It is really neat — small town banking. It makes it fun to come to work,” Justice said. a customer service representative, two

“

full-time tellers and one part-time teller, school, while he waited for his father to pick

are cross-trained to “deliver the highest

him up. His mother worked at Southern Bank.

customer response time,” she said.

“That memory tells me Southern Bank

The cross training also allows her staff to

has had a steadfast presence in Ayden and

fill in at other Southern Bank branches as

longevity in providing jobs to the community,”

needed and vice versa, Justice explained.

Ayden Magazine

Winter/Spring 2019-20

Teller Rebecca Rowland completes a deposit for a customer.

13

children could each purchase a lot.

“We served an entire family. It is exciting to see people realize their dream, and it is a pleasure to help people reach their dreams financially,” she said.

On the other spectrum of life, when children step in to assist their parents, Justice uses her own life experiences to guide here.

“When the parent-child roles switch, and children are navigating finances to figure out the best way to make sure bills are getting paid, I show compassion and offer suggestions and support,” she said.

Justice and her staff are in touch with their customers’ lives from celebrations, like births and anniversaries, to life’s obstacles, like death and illness.

“We are all dedicated and passionate to She and her team have a combined 30 years of experience.

With teenagers opening their first bank account, Justice provides the “mom talk.”

Justice’s first job out of high school was

“It is important to keep your account

as a bank teller. She returned to the field in

healthy. Your first account will impact your

November 2011. In February 2018, she joined

first credit file, which rolls into your first car

the Southern Bank family.

purchase, which rolls into your first home

“Southern Bank offers an individualized

purchase. It doesn’t matter if you have a

touch based on individual needs and the

hundred pennies or a million dollars. How

person’s goals. We want to be part of the

you manage your money can have a dramatic

journey,” Justice said.

impact on your life,” she said of her “mom

Whether is it helping a teenager open their first bank account, assisting a family

talk.” “These interactions bring the greatest joy.”

serve our community while providing the best in customer care and service,” she said.

Justice has immersed herself in the Ayden

community,

joining

the

Main

Street Committee and Ayden Chamber of Commerce.

“Ayden is a bud about to bloom,” Justice said.

Justice plans to spruce up the bank’s interior in 2020.

“We aren’t going anywhere,” she said with a smile.

Southern Bank, 236 W. Third St., Ayden, is

transition finances as the parent-child role

Justice also receives joy when assisting

open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, except

reverses due to age or providing a loan for

customers with land and property purchases.

Fridays when the bank closes at 6 p.m. The

a car or start-up business, Southern Bank is

One customer recently purchased a tract

branch offers drive-thru service and an on-site

alongside their customer the entire way.

of land, which he later subdivided, so his

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Susan Harris stands in her Warrenton shop.

Quilt

Lizzy

Sewists rejoice: A store specializing in sewing machines, fabric and notions is coming to downtown Ayden.

with her sewing machine.

STORY

BY

AMBER REVELS-STOCKS

and I didn’t even know quilting was a thing,”

“Mrs. Emily (Smith) got a new Singer

Harris said. “She had quilt squares in a fresh

Golden Touch and Sew when I was about 11.

pizza box, and she pulled her quilting out. I

Susan Harris is bringing Quilt Lizzy,

That was the coolest machine ever,” Harris

thought, ‘Oh that looks like fun.’”

the first quilt shop in the United States to

said. “My first attempt at sewing was Barbie

Her sister took her to a Wake Forest quilt

franchise, to downtown Ayden. She also

doll clothes. Then, when I was around 12

shop and bought her a quilting book and a

has stores in Warrenton and Wake Forest

or 13, I was at the fabric shop for one day.

bundle of fat quarters, the size of fabric used

and has franchised into Jacksonville. The

You could buy a yard of fabric for $1, so you

to make quilt squares.

store in Warrenton is actually three different

could make a pair of shorts for 50 cents. My

buildings that serve as one operation — one

allowance was $5 a week.”

“I made Fence Rail (a common quilt pattern), and it still hangs in my store today,”

building houses a quilt store, one houses a

She started with that pair of shorts, which

Harris said. “I just kept sewing and sewing.

showroom and studio and the third serves as

looked more like a skirt than anything. Then

I took over my son’s room when he went

an education building.

she continued to make clothing as she got

off to college. … By about 2009, I bought

older.

a HandiQuilter, which I plan on selling in

In Ayden, she plans on having all three services under one roof in the old Worthington building on Lee Street.

“We did duet performances at Christmas time with our respective piano teachers,”

Ayden. It’s a 12-feet frame, so I started finishing quilts for myself and others.”

“I opened my first shop Oct. 1 in 2011, but

Harris said. “So I made her a beautiful dress

This prompted her to start the Quilt Lizzy

I have had Quilt Lizzy as an online service

in red velvet and myself one in green velvet.

website, named after her favorite pastime

since 2010,” Harris said. “I started out in

That was the first time I ever had to fit a

and her middle name, Elizabeth. She started

my house, finishing quilts for people. What

dress.”

finishing quilts for others. Then, she started

happened was I wanted to sell product, but

Eventually, life got in the way. Harris

in most cases, you have to have a brick-and-

became a mother, and as she got busier

mortar location.”

and clothing got more inexpensive, sewing

As one of four daughters, Harris began

clothes fell by the wayside.

selling extra notions, such as rulers and thread.

“You can’t really sell things online like that without a brick-and-mortar store,” Harris

sewing in the 1960s. Her neighbor had a

“I never quilted until my dad died in 1998.

said. “So I was dating a man in Warrenton,

sewing room, and Harris would visit to work

My older sister is a very talented quilter,

so I bought an old building downtown there.

18

Winter/Spring 2019-20

Ayden Magazine

Heidi and Roberta show off their quilts made from blocks from the 2017 Shop Hop.

That was my first renovation.”

Her stores are not just for quilters, though.

Quilt Lizzy has fabric and notions for all types of sewists, including clothing makers. It also has materials for embroidery, vinyl decals and more.

“Downstairs, I’ll have a 3,000 square feet quilt store where I’ll sell sewing machines, long-arms, fabric, notions, and kits,” Harris said. “I will have a warehouse space there in the back. I’ll have a loading dock for the first time in my career, which is wonderful.”

She plans on selling Brother, Baby Lock and HandiQuilter machines.

“These are the best machine lines in the industry. They’re also very popular,” Harris said. “We’ll also be an authorized service center. People can come and bring their sewing machines for repair, who might not be planning on buying anything. Those people will come and discover the other businesses in downtown Ayden.”

Harris also offers classes at her other stores by bringing in nationally recognized instructors. She plans on bringing these classes to Ayden.

“Upstairs, I’m going to have an event

Ayden Magazine

I said, ‘Show me the worst building you have, and I can transform it.’ Not to be braggadocios, but it will be transformative.

- SUSAN HARRIS, QUILT LIZZY space,”

Harris

said.

“Normally,

sewing

machine dealers have to rent a hotel. Part of what made that building ideal for me is that I will have space. I won’t have to drag all my stuff to a hotel, which is very labor intensive.

“We’ll be able to provide the machines for people who are attending classes. They can use different machines and see how they work.”

She flies national educators in to hold workshops for a few days.

“I need this space. I really do. Every

Winter/Spring 2019-20

workshop I hold, I have a waiting list,” Harris said. “I’ll have a space to show people what the instructors are doing. I’ll have an area where I can record YouTube videos.”

This area can also be used for local events.

“I also want to make that space available to be rented out for private functions, such as wedding receptions,” Harris said.

Classes at her Warrenton store include beginner’s quilting, embroidery with an Anita Goodesign instructor and design classes.

Due to Ayden’s close proximity to East Carolina University, Harris also wants to hold special event classes for organizations.

“I plan to have sorority parties where they come in and learn how to use the cutting machines for vinyl,” Harris said. “We’ll teach them how to monogram totes and shoes and the tongues of shoes. We’ll teach them to make pillows and embroider pillows.”

Harris is excited about moving into the old Worthington 5-and-Dime building, which was built in 1904, she said.

“I was trying to get a place in Greenville, and nobody would return my calls,” Harris said. “When I was coming back from Hurricane Matthew (in 2016), I got re-routed

19

Renovation continues on the old Worthington building in Ayden.

20

through Ayden. I looked at all those empty buildings, and I was like, ‘This isn’t but 10 miles from Greenville.’ When I got home, I spoke to the Warrenton town manager and asked who he knew in Ayden.”

The Warrenton town manager scheduled a meeting between Harris and Ayden manager Steve Harrell for mid-December 2016.

“When I got to Ayden, I asked them to show me the worst building in Ayden,” Harris said. “I said, ‘Show me the worst building you have, and I can transform it.’ Not to be braggadocios, but it will be transformative. That building will be gorgeous.”

The old Worthington building had been donated to the town of Ayden the month before, according to Harrell.

“That very day (of the meeting) we walked over there to the building, and she was like, ‘Holy cow, this is exactly what I’m looking for.’ She was so excited,” he said. “We got to talking about what could be done (to help her).”

The Worthington 5-and-Dime had sat vacant for several years before being donated to the town of Ayden.

“The first time we went in, there were old fashioned sewing machines, lots of cloth and sewing supplies in complete disarray, lying on the floor. Most had to be hauled off to the landfill,” Harrell said.

“The roof had caved in over the stairwell in the back. When I first went in, it was full of pigeons. … There were people who did not believe that building was salvageable.”

Ayden planning director Stephen Smith sent a grant application to

Winter/Spring 2019-20

the N.C. Main Street committee, an organization designed to “breathe new life into communities” across the state.

Unfortunately, while Harris and Quilt Lizzy Ayden were eligible, all of the grant money had been committed for the next three years.

“At that point (January 2017), it put a hold on what we’d be able to do,” Harrell said. “We continued to talk with the Mid-East Commission about what was available and to look for grants.”

In early April 2017, Harrell got good news.

“I got an unsolicited phone call from Mr. Dan Becker, who at the time was in the Rural Development Office of the N.C. Department of Commerce. He said that N.C. Main Street had contacted his office and they had half a million dollars in a CDBG-Slum and Blight grant,” Harrell said.

Community Development Block Grants-Slum and Blight are designed to eliminate blights in downtown areas. A recipient does not have to create jobs, but Quilt Lizzy will create eight to 10 jobs.

“They had to vote on it first, but he definitely wanted Quilt Lizzy to get the money,” Harrell said. “The reason they were so high on Quilt Lizzy was that Susan had already gotten CDBG money from the Department of Commerce for what she did in Warrenton and was successful with it. They knew the business and that she was capable of it.”

In June 2017, the grant was approved specifically for Quilt Lizzy.

“This money was approved because it was Quilt Lizzy. That was the only

Ayden Magazine

2.7 million are euthanized.

Spay/Neuter is the only non-lethal way to

solve the problem of animal overpopulation.

reason it was approved by Rural

Development,”

Once the building is open,

Harrell

the town of Ayden hopes to

said. “That was an unsolicited

use Quilt Lizzy as a destination

approval, too. We did not

to draw visitors from across the

ask for that. The Main Street

state.

Program reached out to Rural Development.”

“A destination store is a place

Eastern North Carolina’s Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic

where people want to come to

The Mid-East Commission

shop in that particular store and If you any questions concerning current helped write have an application a place that is different from for the town on behalf of the store. The grant was officially approved in mid-2018.

“The grant itself is a fouryear forgivable loan,” Harrell said. “The money is loaned to her, and for each of the first four years she’s open, 25 percent of the loan is forgiven. If she doesn’t make it to the end of the four years, she has to pay whatever is left back to the Department of Commerce.”

Harris wants to make sure the building is ADA-compliant in addition to bringing it back to its former glory. It took two months to put the elevator shaft in. Until that was in place, Harris could not begin renovations.

what you get in a mall,” Harrell said. “What happens is people come to Quilt Lizzy, and they’re

CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT!

going to get a cup of coffee over at Gwendy’s first or they’ll come out and say, ‘I’ve heard of Bum’s or Skylight Inn but never been.’

While they’re here, they will go to other shops.”

Quilt

Lizzy

has

already

served as a destination store at its other locations.

“In January 2017, the town board and myself went to Warrenton as a day trip to meet Susan and see her operation,” Harrell said. “While we were there, two women came into her store: One from Farmville

“She’s going to increase the

and one from Greenville. That’s

tax value of that building 10

a two-hour drive to Warrenton.”

times. That’s a heck of a return

Quilt Lizzy, 4260 Lee St.,

on investment,” Harrell said. “I’m

Ayden, is expected to open in

hoping that when the building is

2020.

completed and gorgeous, it will

“I am so excited I can’t hardly

entice other property owners

stand it,” Harris said. “It’s going

and developers to try the same

to gorgeous, and I really think it’s

thing.”

going to be successful.”

Ayden Magazine

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Ayden Magazine

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23

Smiles & Frowns Playhouse

Actors (L-R) Katie Brimhall, 17, of Winterville, Jayden Peszko 15, of Grifton and Jaden Powell, 10, of Winterville rehearse prior to the performance of “The Real Princess and the Pea.�

Theater

for children, by children Story & PhotoS by Donna Marie WilliaMS

24

Winter/Spring 2019-20

Ayden Magazine

T

here are not many in this world who can say they traveled down a yellow brick road, discovered a magical land in the back of a wardrobe or followed a white rabbit in a red waistcoat, but the cast of Smiles and Frowns Playhouse have done just that.

Smiles and Frowns Playhouse was established in 1986 when creators Susan Cox and Ellen Pauling moved from Greenville to New Bern.

They discovered Pitt County lacked a children’s theater group and worked with the Pitt County Arts Council to establish Smiles and Frowns Playhouse as the first children’s theater group in the county.

Three years later, Smiles and Frowns separated from the arts council and became a nonprofit organization, according to former artistic director Andrea Croskery.

Not having a home of its own, Smiles and Frowns Playhouse operated from the stages of various Pitt County Schools for about 11 years, until a change in school policy prompted the playhouse to seek a permanent home.

After discussions with Ayden’s former arts and recreation director Andy McLawhorn, Smiles and Frowns Playhouse found a place to call home, Ayden Arts and Recreation, which is housed in the former Ayden High School.

“It wasn’t used much at the time, and he was looking for someone to use it. We are really appreciative of our home in Ayden,” Croskey said.

Having a home base not only allowed for the organization to have a consistent location to hosts practices and plays, but also provided the organization a convenient location to store props, costumes, set displays and more.

“We are very grateful to have a home and storage. It’s huge. The reason a lot of theater groups don’t make it is because of how hard it is to rebuild,” said Susan McCrea, the artistic director of Smiles and Frowns Playhouse.

McCrea first became involved in Smiles and Frowns Playhouse when her oldest daughter was cast in the production of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” in 2006 during Smiles and Frowns 20th year of operation.

“It’s always been a labor of love. None of us make any money with this. All of us are volunteers.

Parents are required, as part of their agreement, to help put the show on. I think that makes us different from other theater organizations. We expect our parents to be hands-on. They are here at rehearsals to monitor. They paint sets, make ribbon curtains, build props, help with the lights and sell concessions,” McCrea said.

McCrea received her first taste

of directing in Smiles and Frowns’ 30th year, when the organization was once again performing “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” McCrea, who was not a fan of the particular style of the production, informed Croskery of her thoughts. Croskery challenged her to “do something about it.”

McCrea did just that and rewrote the play, which Croskery approved.

“I had wanted to direct for a while, and I approached her and she said, “Let me think about it,” which is probably the worst answer you can get back for anything,” McCrea said.

Thankfully, Croskery gave her a shot and allowed her to produce the play.

When Croskery and her family relocated to Clyde, N.C., near Asheville, McCrea was named the artistic director.

Now in its 33rd year, Smiles and Frowns Playhouse has always allowed for children in kindergarten through high school to participate in all aspects of theater, including acting, set design, prop creation, lighting and more.

Artistic director Susan McCrea (center) assists Alexa Hudson (left), 12, of Grifton and Owen Baxter, 14, of Ayden in the sound booth.

Ayden Magazine

Winter/Spring 2019-20

Artistic director Susan McCrea stands beside the wall of performance illustrations. Children at Smiles and Frowns Playhouse create marketing illustrations for each performance.

McCrea stands beside the first play she directed, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”

“Smiles and Frowns Playhouse is a place where children have the opportunity to do whatever part of theater they want to do. We have some kids who only want to act, so they play on stage. We have some that really like the nuts and bolts of things, so they build sets, make props and paint things. We have some that like to work with makeup and hair. The whole idea is we’re giving children the opportunity to be involved in whatever part of theater they want to be involved with,” McCrea said.

Smiles and Frowns Playhouse is open to all children who have an interest in theater regardless of experience level.

“Whether or not they have a background in theater or they’ve gone to a bunch of workshops or if the children are ready to be onstage or whether they just walked through the door, we’re grateful they are here and we’re glad to see them. We hope to be able to engage them in something to make them feel successful,” McCrea said.

Since 1986, Smiles and Frowns Playhouse has produced a spring show and a fall show, except in 1999, when Hurricane Floyd hit.

25

Actors (L-R) Morgan Boyce, 14, of Winterville, Avery Springer, 12, of Ayden and Natalie Dunnigan, 11, of Greenville rehearse “The Real Princess and the Pea.”

For children to become involved, they first need to audition.

“It’s open to everyone. We don’t expect people to come and deliver monologues. Older kids read directly from the script.

They don’t even have to know how to read. If they can’t read, we ask the children to come with a prepared poem of some sort. It can be ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.’

It doesn’t matter. What we are asking is can they follow direction on stage and do they have a voice that if it is not loud, are they understandable,” McCrea said.

“I sit down with all the audition forms and know what show we are going to do. I try to find the right size and type of children to fit the roles we have. Some shows are full of little children. Some of them aren’t.”

McCrea does her best to make sure auditions are comfortable for the children and encourages each child to return for another performance if they are not cast.

“That is when it gets really

“

I love just being on stage and trying to portray a different person than I actually am.

hard. You don’t ever want to break someone’s spirit when there are just not places for that many small children, but that’s how it works sometimes,” McCrea said, adding there are many opportunities for children, age 10 and older, to still be involved in the production, even if they are not cast.

Behind the scenes, children can help with construction of the

26

set, prop design, costumes and lights. There is also no cost to audition, but if cast, the fee is $50.

“Our purpose is to allow children of all ages to be involved in all aspects of theater. We do it on as cheap of a budget as we can possibly manage, so it’s accessible to everyone.

If someone does audition and says, ‘that $50 is going to be a stretch for our family,’ we do scholarships for those kids as well,” McCrea said.

Theater teaches youth a lot.

- RILEY SPRINGER, 17,

ACTOR

“Before technology was the way it is now, theater was a good thing because it helped you be comfortable in front of people. It gives you an opportunity if you are not a sports-oriented person to work as a group and to work together to create something.

Now with the world overcome by screens, it’s a real world thing.

We don’t let them use technology

when they are in this room. If you come and watch a show, you will see children as young as three and four transfixed watching other children do something in real life,” McCrea said.

Theater also helps children grow as individuals.

“I think children who are involved in theater are more engaged in life. They are able to figure out things because they learned how to figure out things as they are acting. I can’t say enough great things about children who are in theater,” McCrea said. “I know that theater is a great way for people to experience things in a safe place. It gives children the opportunity to meet new people, interact with each other, and the opportunity to learn skills that are useful their whole lives.”

Seeing children improve and advance through their performances is McCrea’s motivating factor and favorite part about being the artistic director.

“It’s fun to watch one of the littler children that you cast, who has a teeny mouse size voice. After they have been in a few shows, they can stand at the edge of the stage and hold the attention of an entire audience. It’s great watching

Winter/Spring 2019-20

kids grow up in theater and watch them be comfortable with it,” McCrea said. “I also love that theater kids are really accepting.

Most children who are involved in theater, they come here because they weren’t good at sports or they didn’t feel comfortable.

They didn’t find a peer group they liked. Theater kids are kind. They are accepting and they like being with each other. They watch each other. They help each other. They support each other. It’s really great to be involved in a program where there is a bunch of kids who at the beginning of a production may not know each other and by the end of production they might be good friends.”

The friendships formed at Smiles and Frowns Playhouse are ones Anna Newvy, 16, of Ayden, Caitlyn Dunningan, 14, of Greenville and Owen Baxter, 14, of Ayden will remember for a lifetime.

“Everyone is so nice and accepting. It’s a really nice community to be a part of,” Baxter said.

Brimhall added, “It’s really good to have that family feeling you get with this theater.”

“It’s helped me make a lot of

Ayden Magazine

(Pictured L-R) Jayden Peszko (left), 15, of Grifton and Jaden Powell, 10, of Winterville rehearse one of the opening scenes from “The Real Princess and the Pea.” August Meyer (left), 13, of Ayden and Sophia Chabo, 14, of Winterville practice lines in “The Real Princess and the Pea.” Caitlyn Dunnigan, 14, of Greenville delivers a performance during rehearsal.

new friends. I met new people and got to try a lot of new things,” said Natalie Dunningan, 11, of Greenville For participant Emerson Fipps, 14, of Greenville, Smiles and Frowns Playhouse has helped her explore acting as a way to express herself.

“Acting is a way for me to express myself. I like to dress up, and just fade away, and sink into character. We have a lot of things going on at school, and a lot of things that can stress us out. This is a way to surround ourselves with people we can express ourselves with, and you’re free to be yourself without fear of being condemned,” Fipps said.

Actor Riley Springer, 17, of Ayden added, “I love just being on stage and trying to portray a different person than I actually am. It’s fun to see what other people are like.”

Smiles and Frowns Playhouse is happy to call Ayden home and strives to give back to the community.

“It’s great. We love working with Ayden. They are so supportive of our programs. They allow us to use the theater (and) storage, and in return, we bring a lot of people

Ayden Magazine

here. We also make donations to the city. Sometimes specific to the theater other times to help Arts and Recreation. We have spent over $1,000 fixing the lights. We have given money to replace carpet runners twice,” McCrea said, adding the organization also purchased an aluminum bandstand and scaffolding to be able to work on lights safely, added

“

“It’s going to cost us $70,000, which is a lot of money for a small theater group like we are. What we are going to be doing is writing grants and hopefully find some people who are as enthused about children’s theater as we are.

“The best part, which is the part I really love, is it will be a benefit to the town because being able to program lights with a computer as

Acting is a way for me to express myself. I like to dress up and just

fade away and sink into character.

- EMERSON FIPPS, 14,

air conditioners in the rehearsal space upstairs and assisted the town in installing Roman shades to blackout the theater.

The group also launched the Lighting the Future campaign, which raised funds to replace the lighting apparatuses and change the bulbs to LED. The lights will also be connected to computer software and would allow users to manipulate them to their desire.

“Lighting the Future is the name of a campaign because that’s what we feel we are doing — lighting the future,” McCrea said.

ACTOR

opposed to how we are doing it now … will be much easier. It will also be much less energy. LED’s (don’t throw heat). LEDs also lets you change the color on the fly. It’s nice we can do it in parts. We don’t have to do it all at once. We’re hoping to have it all done in five years.

“We really want to make this theater a place that other people can come to use. We use it and other local organizations use it.

This is an amazing space. As far as I know, it’s the largest amphitheater in Pitt County in terms of its

Winter/Spring 2019-20

house. The best part is this theater was built before amplified sound.

It was designed and is perfectly acoustically balanced so that people are on stage speaking and people in the audience can hear them … there is a certain amount that we don’t want to improve it too much so that we don’t lose the ability to hear an eight-year-old at the back of the house because right now, they can be. We use floor mics. We don’t mic our actors unless they are in a musical. No one is loud enough in a musical.”

The organization also awards the Andrea Croskery Smiles and Frowns Playhouse scholarship to a senior, who has participated in at least three Smiles and Frowns Playhouse productions.

“That was a gift they gave to me after (I worked with them for) 25 years. It was a surprise. A very pleasant one,” Croskery said.

For more information about Smiles

and

Frowns

Playhouse

smilesandfrowns.org online or like them on Facebook.

To contribute to the capital campaign fund, mail checks, made payable to Smiles and Frowns Playhouse, to P.O. Box 1945, Greenville, NC 27858.

27

Kate B. Reynolds Medical Center 205 Martin Luther King Parkway 252-747-4199 Se habla Español. We welcome walk-ins.

We accept insurance and offer care on a sliding fee scale basis to patients who qualify.

Greene County Health Care

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Y’S GRILL D N A & Recreation

“The Pool Room” a common name heard throughout Ayden, has been in operation in downtown Ayden since the 1940s. Renamed Andy’s Grill & Recreation in 1971, the Stocks family bought the iconic business and expanded its services from a pool hall to a restaurant that also serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. “We were Andy’s way before the chain and outlasted them,” said owner and manager Johnny Stocks, whose father, Andy, bought the business in the early 70s.

Stocks has watched his customers grow up over the years and their families expand.

“Being in business 50 years, you develop relationships. Friends and family come to Andy’s when they are in town from D.C. and New York, just like they do at Bum’s and Skylight (Inn). “I have seen generations grow up, like kids who used to come in with their grandparents and now come back with their kids. I love it.”

28

Winter/Spring 2019-20

Ayden Magazine

Everything we make is made from scratch with fresh ingredients and a whole lotta love!

Stop by and enjoy a cup of locally roasted coffee and our tasty goodies, or bring some home for the family to enjoy. Our bakery case is always full of cookies and Gwendy is always trying something new, so you never know what tasty treat you are going to discover at our one-stop goodie shop!

514 2nd Street, Ayden (252) 414-8716 gwendysgoodies.com

Open Tues-Fri 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. & Sat 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Ayden Magazine

Winter/Spring 2019-20

29

CLEATS

w orks to bring communit y together using sports

Story by Amber Revels-Stocks

Two lifelong friends have a vision of Ayden as a unified community that moves forward

while keeping the youth engaged.

into the future together. Devon Garris and

“The main mission is to keep our youth

Daryl Holloway have been friends since they

engaged,” Holloway said. “Decades ago,

were in elementary school.

Ayden was a main sports attraction. People

“We

“OUR GOAL IS NOT JUST TO CONTINUE TO DO THIS IN AYDEN, BUT TO TAKE IT EVEN FURTHER AND JUST CONTINUE TO HELP SMALL, IMPOVERISHED COMMUNITIES.” - Daryl Holloway

30

Through Sports wants to revitalize Ayden

moved

to

would come to Ayden every week and bring

Ayden

around

the

their kids to watch sports. It was very family-

same

time,

and

oriented.

we

played

“It’s not like that now. Our main purpose

basketball together,”

always

is to capture the youth to keep them from

Garris said. “We grew

experimenting with drugs or violence while

up through sports,

also bringing awareness to certain things that

playing

are going on around Ayden.”

basketball,

football, and baseball.”

In

2016,

CLEATS started in 2016 with a softball

they

tournament that the men put together in less

turned that love of

than a month, though it became an official

sports into a non-

501(c)3 non-profit the next year.

profit

organization.

The two men had been talking about doing

CLEATS:

Chargers

something for the community for several

Leading

and

years before that, according to Holloway.

Ayden

However, they could never find the time or

Enhancing

Winter/Spring 2019-20

Ayden Magazine

CLEATS held a 5K color run in May 2018 to raise money for Easter Seals Summer Moore program in Greenville.

“In

2018,

we

had

an

all-nighter

tournament. This year, we had a weekend tournament,” Garris said. “We had enough teams to have a tournament for the whole weekend. It was about eight to 10 teams we had this year.”

Approximately 400 or 500 people came to watch the tournament as well. The tournament is free.

“We always feed the community that comes out, and we try to have a lot for the support to do anything. Then, they found a very important cause.

“During that time, there was a lot of police brutality and killings amongst citizens around the world, just a lot of violence,” Garris said. “We felt like we should do something here, so we tried to do that to bring the community back together.”

Holloway called Garris to suggest a softball tournament to bridge the gap between citizens and local law enforcement.

“We put it together in two weeks. The turnout was good. We had a good response from it,” Holloway said. “Our main goal was to bring law enforcement and community leaders together, so everybody could address different topics or concerns. That was our main focus at that time.”

The original tournament was five or second teams that played in a singleelimination tournament. Then, they moved to a double-elimination tournament.

Ayden Magazine

kids to do,” Garris said. “We have bounce houses. We have a bunch of different games for them to come out and play. This year, we had the big arcade truck, Next Level Gaming, come out. Cornhole, face painting.

We try to utilize the basketball courts and give them a whole bunch of different things to do.”

The men want entire families to come out and spend time together. They also want the children to become familiar with local law enforcement, including the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, according to Garris.

“They come out every year we’ve done it,” he said. “They have an informational booth. They take pictures with the kids.

They help with face painting and show the kids different things about being a police officer.

“It keeps the kids entertained. They’re wore out by the time they leave.”

The tournament is completely free to

Winter/Spring 2019-20

31

and support us and to see that everything

“THE MAIN MISSION IS TO KEEP OUR YOUTH ENGAGED. DECADES AGO, AYDEN WAS A MAIN SPORTS ATTRACTION.”

doesn’t have to cost,” Garris said. “We try

- Daryl Holloway

watch and to participate. The men raise funds through Facebook and plate sales, so they can host the events for free.

It is important for CLEATS to keep their events free.

“We want to get engagement and involvement, just to get people to come out

to get people to come out and have a good time. Then, they will hopefully want to do

members of the community as well. We

things for the community.”

donated all the proceeds to Easter Seals

That desire to keep the event available

Summer Moore program in Greenville,”

to everyone is why Garris and Holloway

Garris said. “We’ve done Christmas shopping

went with a softball tournament instead of

for families during Hurricane Matthew. We

a different sport.

selected families who needed help and took

“Softball is pretty much the easiest sport

them Christmas shopping.”

you can play for all ages,” Garris said. “We

CLEATS has also held two free youth

wanted to get all ages involved, and a lot of

basketball camps to teach kids skills, such as

people can’t go out and play other sports.

ball handling and shooting. They have also

“Softball is easy to learn, too. You

donated to the Greenville All-Stars baseball

swing. If you miss, you miss. If you hit, you

team to help them make it to the Little

run. It’s simple, and a lot of people want to

League World Series, as well as donating to

participate because it’s an easy thing to do

the Ayden-Grifton High School track and

and it’s fun.”

field team.

While they are helping their friends and families, Garris and Holloway do all the planning for all of their events, including the tournament, which continues to grow every year.

“It’s a lot of texting back and forth,” Holloway said. “I live in Greenville, so Devon handles all the logistics and stuff in Ayden.

“When I can make it, I come down, but mainly our planning is through texting and phone calls.”

As the tournament grows, it brings While the softball tournaments are for adults, there are plenty of fun activities for kids, such as face painting by the Pitt County Sheriff's Office.

attention and outside money to Ayden.

“We’re starting to get support from other counties. We have teams from Wayne County, Lenoir County,” Garris said.

CLEATS does more than just the softball tournament, though that is the most visible of their events.

“We’ve done a 5K, which was for all

32

Winter/Spring 2019-20

Ayden Magazine

In spring 2019, they also held a basketball game called “Shoot Hoops, Not Guns.”

this area through the elementary and middle schools. We want to develop some type of

“We also had a basketball game to promote

program where we can address their needs,

gun awareness and reduce gun violence in the

whether it be tutoring or something like that.

community,” Garris said.

Those are the things we’re trying to do within

Members of the community played against a team from the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office in a well-attended game at the Ayden Arts and Recreation Gym. “The sheriff’s office always gives us a lot of support, which we appreciate,” Garris said.

In the next year, CLEATS plans to expand beyond sports-related activities.

“We’ve been talking about adopting a street in Ayden and have community clean-ups,” Garris said. “We want to get the community

the next year or so.”

Holloway would also like to expand CLEATS beyond Ayden’s borders in the future.

“People hear what we’re doing in Ayden, and they want us to come into their communities and do similar events,” he said. “Our goal is not just to continue to do this in Ayden, but to take it even further and just continue to help small, impoverished communities.”

For

more

information

about

CLEATS,

to come out, and we walk and talk as we do

including upcoming events, like “Chargers

the clean-ups. … we’re in the process of trying

Leading & Enhancing Ayden Through Sports-

to develop a mentoring program for kids in

CLEATS” on Facebook.

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Devon Garris (top) and Daryl Holloway (bottom, left) started CLEATS to keep youth engaged in Ayden.

Winter/Spring 2019-20

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Winter/Spring 2019-20

Ayden Magazine

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Ayden Magazine

Winter/Spring 2019-20

35

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Winter/Spring 2019-20

Ayden Magazine