February 2010
Meet the Valentine’s Couple Scuppernong River Pearls Tyrrell County Wild Game Supper Local Ladies Showcasing ...On the Board Walk... $10 on a Mission... Global Warming? ISSUE # 30
Tyrrell County’s Country Magazine
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www.ScuppernongGazette.com
COVER PHOTO BY NELI LEMME
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PUBLISHERS: INGRID AND NELI LEMME
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Quote of the Month
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“Friendship is the great chain of human society." --James Howell, British historian and writer
DEAR READER
Love is
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves." nnn
I have been my entire life in love. Love is wonderful, it keeps the world go round and is the reason for living. But I don’t think that I have ever been more in love than with a man that came 6 month ago into my live. He is the most handsome male, but has at times quite a temper when it doesn’t go his way. His eyes are
unquenchable desired to live life to the fullest, to His glory and His Here it is, the end is coming, It’s honor. Meanwhile I write to tell you just 10 hours and 2010 will be racing how much I’ve enjoyed the along towards 2011, and like I’ve magazines and look forward to the done for all these many decades, I’ll next issues that you are sending to continue to hold on as tight as I can, me. May God richly bless you and not because I’m not ready for the your creative works, during the journey, but because I’m enjoying life coming year. May you continue to here on earth, and until God call me hold high the standards that you home. He has given me the deep and have established. May the masses be
Reader of the Month
blue like the Carolina sky and his hair is blond, I admit he does not have too much of that, hair I mean. I see him daily and can’t get enough of him. He lit a light deep in my soul of an intensity that makes me speechless and turns me into a fool. His name is David and I am his grandmother. xox - IL blessed and enlightened, through you insight and wisdom. May the One through whom all of this is endowed, look, see, and say, well done my child! - G Ed Rhodes, Charleston, SC www.fmctanks.com Mr. Rhodes, we thank you so very much for your wonderful and kind words. Neli and I are always happy when we hear from our readers.
...On the Board Walk... Baby of the Month
Sweet Allie "Grace" McLaughlin, Parents: Megan Jones & Scott McLaughlin, Born: May 8, 2009. xox
JAN 26TH
Relay for Life Kickoff
Couple & Family of the Month
Michael and Miriam Fauth, read their story in this issue.
JAN 29TH
Chicken BBQ Church Event
Sharon Spruill and
Teacher of the Month Mrs. Rana Rawls, Columbia Middle School Principal
Nan Liverman
FEB 6TH
Local Ladies Showcase
Man of the Month Mr. Rhett White Columbia Town Manager (left)
Ladies of the Month
FEB 14TH Valentines Day
FEB 26TH Columbia Theater
Get Better Soon Ty Fleming.
Movie of the Month "Leap Year", a romantic comedy that follows one woman’s determined quest to get married to the perfect guy…
Visit him at home or on his facebook page
Business of the Month CL’s Barber Shop
Ladies of the Month Sharon Spruill & Nan Liverman
Photo by Ingrid Lemme
Man of the Month Rhett B.White
Columbia’s Town Manager
Photo by Ingrid Lemme
www.ibxwm.com
Tyrrell County Wild Game Supper ...baked rockfish, fried deer, barbequed bear, roast quail, baked shark...by Jimmy Fleming The 1998 Wild Game Supper was held on Saturday night, February 7th. Although the night was cold and soggy, a large crowd gathered about 6:30 p.m. at Tyrrell Hall to enjoy a feast of wild game dishes such as baked rockfish, fried deer, barbequed bear, roast quail, baked shark, and many other assorted treats. After the meal, the O'Kaysions played great dance music until after midnight. This party is an annual event and a wonderful opportunity to see some folks you probably haven't seen in awhile. It was another great event and I would certainly recommend that you get your tickets for next year and come out and join us at The Tyrrell County Wild Game Supper. Jimmy Fleming updated: “Hello Ingrid ... I don't think there has been another Wild Game Supper since this one ( seems the folks who were planning and executing this event aged out and no one took it over)”. Jimmy Note from the Editor: Stop at Flemz Market and say hello to Jimmy.
Helpful Hints for Planning a Wild Game Supper 1.
Secure a keynote speaker.
Consider choosing someone with a professional athletic background or a known outdoorsman. 2.
Secure a location and date.
A community center, civic center or auditorium. Remember that you want to reach lost people. A weeknight may be better than weekend to eliminate conflicts folks may have with their schedule. Many people are hunting and fishing on Saturdays. This way people can come straight from work to the event. 3.
Charge admission.
Keep cost to a minimum ($5.00?) But remember that many folk are skeptical of free stuff from churches. 4.
Sell tables.
Encourage people to buy a whole table and invite their lost friends. It also gives men ownership and they can sit with their friends. 5.
Music.
It is a good idea to have some background music to help people relax. Maybe some Blue Grass or good pickin’ music. (not the Sunday morning choir!). 6.
Establish a follow-up committee.
Have a team of men who will visit within one week of the banquet. If a person checks that they would like more information about your church, you will want to have packets to mail them. 7.
Decision cards.
Place cards and pencils at every table for people to fill out. These are to be taken up at the conclusion to be eligible for door prizes and to determine commitments. 8.
Secure good door prizes.
Guided fishing trips, fishing tackle, hunting supplies, coolers, flashlights, tools, gift certificates, etc. 9.
Committees.
You will need help with the banquet. Set up, cooking, security, clean up, coordination of veggies and desserts (possibly ask church Sunday school classes to help with this), sound system, usher to collect cards, etc. 10.
Tickets.
Sell tickets at church, but also at local hunting/ fishing stores. 11.
Serving lines.
You will need one line for every 75 people. Have a server for each item. This will cause the line to go faster and people will not take too much food. Canned soft drinks are the easiest to distribute during the serving. 12.
Guests.
Invite local game wardens, boat dealers, taxidermists, hunting and fishing store owners, local guides, etc. to come display their products at the banquet.
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Local Ladies Showcasing On February 6th, 2010, several ladies of the community will showcase a variety of products at the Soundside Community Building from 8 AM to 2 PM. Casey Armstrong will show Tupperware, handmade jewelry, and handmade hair bows. The jewelry will consist mostly of earrings and bracelets made from glass beads. She will have beads on hand to create personal orders. Sandi Brickhouse Smith will show Mary Kay and homemade
monogrammed stationary. She will have her computer and printer to create cards of your choice. Susie Swain will show Gold Canyon Candles. Marie Midgette will show handmade beaded jewelry and have beads on hand to sell. Leigh Anne Schreckengost will show floral arrangements and wreaths. Pam Swain will show Kelly’s Kids: monogrammed children clothing and accessories. All ladies will have merchandise present to sell and will take orders for other merchandise you may want. Come support ladies of the community, shop for yourself, and buy gifts for your loved ones! For questions, contact Casey Armstrong at 252-394-5858.
Business of the Month CL’s Barber Shop
Photos by Neli Lemme
2010 RIDE TO A WISH: SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 2010
completing a lap around the lake, riders will head north back to Columbia and the after-ride events.
north and south via US-17, and is conveniently located about 2 hours south of Hampton Roads, VA.
The Ride to a Wish is a challenging 50/100 mile course, winding through scenic Tyrrell County. All proceeds from the ride will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern North Carolina to grant the wish of an extraordinary seven-year-old named Eleora. Eleora, a North Carolina native is visual and hearing impaired, hypotonic, and severely mentally and physically handicapped. Together, we can ride to her wish.
Columbia NC is located on US-64 in Tyrell County, the least populated county in the state. Columbia is about 2 ½ hours east of Raleigh on US-64, and about 45 minutes west of Nags Head. Columbia is also easily accessible from points
2010 Registration is Open!
Tyrell County was selected for its low-traffic roads, beautiful scenery, and historical significance. Riders will begin and finish in the town of Columbia, which was established in 1793 along the banks of the beautiful Scuppernong River. The course heads south through farmlands and marshes to the north shore of the largest natural lake in North Carolina, Lake Mattamuskeet. From there riders will circumnavigate the lake, having an opportunity to see marshes, cypress trees, and migratory waterfowl. After
To register online, please click the “Register Today” button on the right. Once the new window opens you may enter your information at Active.com. www.ridetoawish.com
BENEFITTING
Photo by Neli Lemme
GLOBAL WARMING? Monday, January 11, 2010 Despite the uproar, whether you are a believer or not, I have undeniable, scientific proof of global warming. All I had to do was take a look outside of the Office this morning. The Albemarle is under ice...but not just any ice - Polar ice. Apparently Greenland and The Ross Ice Shelf have broken free in the temperate waters of the Atlantic, floated towards Diamond Shoals, became beached, drifted through the Oregon Inlet, and drifted upstream and parked itself in the Albemarle. After removing the seals from our dock, and scaring off the dueling Narwhals, Bulls Bay may finally be at peace. Seriously, for what many people believe about global warming, I offer a contradiction. Is this cold spell, which is colder than last winter, which was colder than last winter, the beginning of a global freeze? The past couple of summers have been cool and wet. Well - not hot and dry, anyway. Rare was the night when I put extra blankets on my bed, but this occurrence has become the norm.
Trees, grass, and dirt are getting their due, too. The ground is like concrete...it's a temporary solution to the swampy front yards of many Tyrrellineans. The thaw will come back, as will the swamps. In the mean time, mosquitoes, yellow flies, and fire ants are struggling to hang on. The fire ants can go ahead and go...their invasive. The mosquitoes provide enough food for bats and other neat summer life to make their hindrance bearable. You guys may stay, but only some of you... Our Environmental Education programs contain many activities concerning global weather patterns and warming and/or lack thereof... Whether the earth is warming or not, it certainly will warm up here in the summer. This summer is filling extremely fast with campers, both old and new. They'll enjoy the fun in the sun, but also our new REC HALL...nobody will enjoy this more than me, though. It will be a pleasant alternative to a Conference Room on a Rainy Day. It will have heat and air and all of the other modern conveniences our technology allows. It will have to come out of it's current state of ice before work can speed up, but its well on its way...
Anyway, if you get a chance, go and see the Scuppernong River...It's completely iced - a once in a lifetime occurrence, at least that's what I have been told. Before moving here I had never seen the Atlantic, the Sounds, or the Scuppernong...now 2 of the 3 are iced...I had never seen iced waters in Alabama, either. I am enjoying it, but carefully...I'm not sure if the Earth is actually heating, cooling, or being just plain erratic...but in the meantime, I 'll just bundle up!
BY CHASE LUKER Jan 12th, 2010: ...Weather is finally warming - all that ice I talked about is GONE! We have several groups headed our way in the coming days...February September are slammed, but there is still time to book something... Enjoy the day... http://eastern4h.blogspot.com Backdrop photo: January ice flow, Albemarle Sound Bridge - Tom Kilian
Scuppernong River Pearls...
Would you believe that gem-quality, freshwater pearls were once found in Scuppernong River and Albemarle Sound? When I was a child my father told me that pearls could be found in the black, freshwater mussels that we found with our feet while wading in the bay where Vera Clough now lives. Treadwell Howlett then lived there and the Howlett boys, Jimmy and Billy, helped me find mussels buried in the bottom mud of the bay.
BY WILLIAM WEST The mussels were 2 ½-3 inches wide, 1 ½ inches thick, 5-6 inches long and covered by a black, horny material on the outside. Inside, the shells were shiny, sometimes with a “pearly” orient, and varied from white to dark pink in color. The mussels were usually buried in the mud with about one-third of their length exposed. Sometimes they would use their muscular “foot” to move to another location and we could follow their trails. Usually searching in water about chest deep, I found the mussels with my feet, dug them out of the mud with my toes, caught them between my feet, swept down with both arms, brought my feet and mussel upward, then reached down and grabbed the mussel. The edge of an oyster knife blade was used to scrape the shell’s thinner edge to make it easier to insert the knife blade between the two valves of the shell and cut the adductor mussel. The shell was then easily opened and the treasure hunt began. A rare “lump” in the mantle, or thin outer edge of the mussel’s body, indicated an enclosed pearl. Pearls found within the mantle were usually round, oval, or button-shaped and smooth surfaced. Their color could range from white to dark pink, sometimes
with a greenish orient. Orient refers to the “pearly” glow of pearls and in the finest specimens a prismatic color effect. Most often the pearls that I found were baroques, or those that were oddly shaped. I found far more, but poor quality, pearls embedded within the body of the mussel, often within the muscle tissue, and occasionally in the shell’s hinge area. Mussels and other shellfish begin to form pearls because of an irritation. A grain of sand, bit of trash, etc. that enters the shell irritates the creature’s delicate skin just as a pebble, grain of wheat, etc., that gets into our shoe and irritates our foot. We simply remove our shoe and dump out the irritant but the shellfish cannot do likewise. Often, the larval form a fluke penetrates and irritates the mussel‘s flesh. So it begins to secrete nacre, the same substance with which it secretes its shell from cells within its mantle. Once begun the process continues and nacre is laid down as a concentric series of shingle-like sheets and/or prismatic crystals that radiate outward. The pearl’s orient is determined by the evenness of the layers. The pearl continues to grow in size. Sometimes it may break through the skin and become attached to the inner surface of the shell to become a blister pearl. I once found a blister pearl in an Albemarle Sound mussel that was roughly triangular in shape and measured an inch across. Unfortunately it was not of gem quality. The largest, fine quality pearl that I found, also in Albemarle Sound, was kidney-shaped, half-an-inch long, 34 pearl grains in weight and dark pink in color with a greenish orient.
...Scuppernong River Perls.
Pearls are formed of the same material as the creature’s shell. One type of mantle cell secretes the pearly nacre. A different type cell produces conchiolin, a horny organic substance which covers the outside of the shell. The mussel extends its mantle outside to form the horny, chitin layer.
Folks in Tyrrell County often eat oysters and occasionally find a pearl. Such pearls always resemble small quartz stones and are never of gem quality, whether cooked or uncooked. Edible oyster pearls are formed of the same substance as the shell in which they are found. The oyster shell is not “pearly,” therefore the enclosed pearl cannot be of gem quality. Neither do oyster, nor other, pearls continue to grow after they have been removed from the shell. The earliest English explorers on the North Carolina Coast wrote that they had collected a string of pearls “as bigge (sic) as Rounceval peas” to present to her majesty, Queen Elizabeth. Unfortunately, their boat capsized in rough water and the pearls were lost. Those pearls must have been found in freshwater mussels. Could they have been found in Scuppernong or Alligator River or Albemarle Sound? Over the years I gathered a small quantity of pearls worthy of use in jewelry. Utilizing another hobby, I made gold items of jewelry for my wife and two daughters: a gold ring with small, pink pearls; ear posts with matched pearls; a small gold cross with three small, pink pearls; and a gold star with a 3mm faceted North Carolina emerald at each point of the star and a pink pearl in the center. The star pendant was for my younger daughter’s fifth birthday, hence an emerald that I had found at Crabtree Mine in Mitchell County and faceted for each of her five
years.
I traded the best of the baroque, jewelry-quality baroque pearls to a jeweler friend, who had them mounted in a gold brooch. That brooch is now in the collection of the Laura Robbins Gallery at the University of Richmond. Many years ago, a lady in Patterson, N.J., cooked a “mess” of freshwater mussels for her husband, and he found a perfect, half-inch diameter pearl in one of them. Had cooking not ruined the pearl it would have been worth a small fortune. The royal regalia of European kings and queens is studded with freshwater pearls. You can see freshwater pearls from British streams in the regalia of England in the Tower of London. Julius Caesar invaded the British Isles for their freshwater pearls. In a Native American grave excavated in Illinois, archeologists found a quart of mussel pearls that are thought to have been sewn onto a cloak. In another burial a perfectly spherical mussel pearl that measured 1 inch in diameter. In both cases, acidic ground water had weathered and ruined the pearls for use in jewelry. There are no freshwater mussels of the species in which I found pearls in either the Scuppernong River or Albemarle Sound, that I know of, today. Mussels are filter feeders and sensitive to changes in water quality. Agricultural and manufacturing chemicals that have polluted the river and sound killed the mussels. Opening any surviving mussels would be unlawful today in any case because most, if not all, mussel species are now considered endangered and protected by law.
WRITTEN BY WILLIAM WEST, A TYRRELL COUNTY NATIVE
On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck the nation of Haiti, causing catastrophic damage inside and around the capital city of Port-auPrince. President Obama has promised the people of Haiti that "you will not be forsaken; you will not be forgotten." The United States Government has mobilized resources and manpower to aid in the relief effort. Here are some ways that you can get involved. Donate • Contribute online through http://clintonbushhaitifund.org • Text “QUAKE” to 20222 to charge a $10 donation to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund (the donation will be added to your cell phone bill). • Find more ways to help through the Center for International Disaster Information http://www.usaid.gov/helphaiti
Photo by Neli Lemme
$10 ON A MISSION Incredibly, I will be carrying more art supply then food! - It will be my task to help the children of an orphanage to express themselves and what they have been though to start a healing process. In the morning I will be with another missionary as we will have some recreation time with the children, then I will be teaching 2 sets of 250 at a time with one translator and four dinka helpers that would be like a student teacher. The money you sent has purchased 20 boxes of crayons, enough for 60 kids to have four crayons a piece. Some children have never held a crayon! - I will have ages pre school - 15 years old.
- Yes we are making a difference one at a time! Tom Kilian, Columbia, NC www.DarfurChristianMission.com
Our Story……Michael and Miriam Fauth
I had just celebrated my 30th birthday when I made the decision to go to live in Israel and made plans to leave London, and all necessary travel arrangements. I have family in Israel, and had visited there many times, but this time I wanted to go to live in Jerusalem. Once there, as you do - in the truly vibrant city of Jerusalem - I met many interesting people and stayed in various places including a wonderful Christian Arab families house in the heart of the Old City and a very old hostel by the Damascus Gate.
My journeys and friends I had made lead me to a house on a hill over looking the Ancient Walls of Jerusalem. Here lived an American family. After realizing the predicament that Lesa, the young mother was in, I offered to help her with her children and housekeeping. She was pregnant with baby number 6, and not feeling very well at all. My first few weeks helping, lead me to an offer to live with them. I accepted the offer, as I really could not stay at the hostel indefinitely, plus it was lovely to be around the family. This is where I met Michael. The first time I saw him, I actually heard him! He was playing guitar in his room, which I now know as one of his many talents. I then learned he was the brother of the father of whom I was helping. A bit of background about Michael. He was born and grew up in Jerusalem. The house where we met was the house he grew up in. At this point in his life, he was working as a carpenter with his brother. This was his trade since finishing serving in the Israeli army for 3 years. Michael and I gradually began to talk , over family dinners and
“Elite” Israeli coffee. Many of our conversations were stories he would tell about the army and life in Israel. I would share about my family in England, and about my relatives in Israel and all the amazing people and experiences of living in Israel. I loved watching him play with his nieces and nephews, which I now know is another one of his gifts; he is wonderful with children. We began to spend more and more time together and slowly our relationship began. Circumstances around us began to change, his brothers family had to leave to return to America. This meant we could not stay in the house any more We knew we were committed to each other, and wanted to stay together, but I made the decision to go home to England. Michael the followed me a couple of months later, and we stayed with my family. England was a place where Michael felt he could not settle, so he once again traveled, this time to Manteo North Carolina, to his brothers house. And then, onceagain I traveled and joined him there. There we stayed, the year was 1997, and on 26 June our first baby, Elana Ann Fauth was born. This was the year the completion of our lives began. We were parents. The next part of our journey brought us to Columbia, we found our “old” house in town. It was a very big step for us to buy a house and now that step is 8 years behind us. We moved here when Elana was 4, and our beautiful new daughter Layah just turned one. Continues ....
Couple of the Month: Michael and Miriam Fauth Columbia has turned out to be a safe place to raise our children. We are very thankful for the friends we have made over the years, and for all the opportunities we have had for our children to belong and participate in the community. Columbia has been our home now, for a while, but writing this has caused me to think back. I went all the way to Israel which lead Michael and I to meet, and now we are both many, many miles away from either of our places of birth. Here in America.
It was not planned, but is seems it is for now, our path in life. It has brought us many positive qualities to our lives for which we are thankful. By Miriam. Note from the editor: Thank you for sharing your wonderful love story with us. We are delighted to meet ya’ll.
Don’t Miss February 26th Columbia Theater to Host “A Tradition of African-American Spirituals” COLUMBIA, NC - The Partnership for the Sounds will present its annual event, “A Tradition of AfricanAmerican Spirituals,” on Friday,
Photo by Ingrid Lemme
Once again we are extending this invitation to the public. If you have an artifact or special piece from African or African-American descent that you would like to share, please contact us and we will provide room for its display at the Theater. The Partnership for the Sounds is a non-profit organization promoting environmental stewardship and cultural tourism on the Albemarle-Pamlico peninsula. For more information, contact PfS at 252.796.1000, or the Tyrrell County Visitor’s Center at 252.796.0723.
February 26, at 7p.m., in the Columbia Theater Cultural Resources Center. Our theme this year is “Beyond Beulah Land – Still Feeling the Spirit”. Each year we ask individuals for artifacts to place on exhibit at the Columbia Theater during the month of February.
Swan Quarterly & Scuppernong Gazette SCUPPERNONG gazette 436 Bridgepath Road Columbia, NC 27925 252-796-4517 nelip@mac.com ilemme@mac.com
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