August 2010
August 2010 Tyrrell County’s Country Magazine Tyrrell County’s Country Magazine Published Monthly
Published Monthly
August 2010
August 2010
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Cover Photo by Ashlee King
Cover Photo by Neli Lemme
Fall in Love with SWAMP ROSE MALLOW OR WILD COTTON Hibiscus moscheutos ssp. lasiocarpos (Cav.) O.J. Blanchard An upright, perennial that can grow to 6 feet in height with hairy to glabrous woody stems that die back to the ground in the winter. The alternate leaves are triangular to ovate in shape, rarely with two lobes near the base, densely covered with soft hairs; undersides of the leaves are gray to gray-green in color. The flowers, produced from May to September, are held in clusters near the top of the plant; each flower is up to 6 inches across, petals white to pink, with a dark purple spot at the base; stamens are fused together and extend outwards beyond the petals. The fruit is a capsule covered with long, stiff hairs; seeds are rounded and brownish. Find a list of Tyrrell County’s Special Wildlife and Plants http://www.visittyrrellcounty.com/EcoTourism/Wildlife&Plants.htm
The blossom shown is the swamp mallow. At one time the blossoms could be seen beside the western end of Scuppernong River bridge but most of the ones that I saw in Tyrrell County were white in color. Specimens turn up in various moist places in the county. I once saw swamp mallow blossoms near Edenton that were decidedly pink in color. Tyrrell County is blessed by a host of attractive wild flowers but most folks pay little attention to them because they are so ordinary. I have appreciated wild flowers since childhood and miss species that I have not seen there since that time because of changing ecological conditions such as soil drainage, lack of periodic woods fires and roadsides no longer kept cut back by prison labor. Some of those species were wood lily, dwarf iris, silky camellia, fringe tree (grandsire's beard), rose-bud orchid, and both orange and white fringed orchids. - William West www.ScuppernongGazette.com
August 2010
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PUBLISHERS: INGRID & NELI LEMME / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF SUNNY LEMME
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Quote of the Month
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Today more than ever, families are deciding to take educational vacations versus just another day at the beach.
DEAR READER
It Can be You !
The 1st Tyrrell County 2010 -2011 Relay for Life meeting is held on Monday August 9th at 5:30pm in the DSS Conference Room. We desperately need more volunteers for the new season! Please e-mail Vicki Waters at vwaters@tyrrellcounty.net for Movie Under the Stars!
August 17th, 2010 @ 8:00 PM 10:00 PM - Columbia, NC A night of fun for 4-H'ers watching a movie, at Mr. Bobby
When most people hear ‘ecotourism’ they think of a backpacker trekking through lush lands in faraway locations or traveling via camels in vast lands. However, what most don’t realize is there are ecotourism opportunities in their backyards, particularly throughout The Sounds region. The various wildlife refuges, and Mrs. Myrtle's house on the water, before school starts. Bring towels and blankets, relax on the lawn, enjoy the scenes. For
natural boardwalks, trails, and bird watching sites offer explorers a chance to learn about and participate in the protection of local environments. Today more than ever, families are deciding to take educational vacations versus just another day at the beach. The Sounds region offers families multiple educational opportunities. xox direction and info, call Bridget 796-1581.
more information. www.ScuppernongGazette.com
August 2010
Business of the Month Willie's Seafood
August 2010
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Photo by Neli Lemme
...On the Board Walk... Couple of the Month
Samantha and Wayne Roughton
Organization of the Month Our
Pocosin Arts Center
Boat of the Month
The Tuna Taxi of Swan Quarter, NC as seen here at Cypress Cove Marina
Hot Tip of the Month
CLUBMAN'S JERIS Hair Tonic at Mr. Bobby’s - This Is The CLASSIC!
Website of the Month: www.columbiaibx.com Welcome to Columbia, North Carolina ...
Event of the Month Girl’s Night Out
Business of the Month Willie's Seafood
Girls ages 8-16 are invited to attend…
GIRL’S NIGHT OUT Sponsored by IBX Hotline
WHEN: AUGUST 13, 2010 Y SCHOOL CAFETERIA WHERE: TYRRELL ELEMENTAR TIME: 6:00PM-11:00PM BY “LACEY”, MUSIC BY ACTIVITIES: MANICURES & HAIR GAMES, FOOD, MAKE “NAT”, MAKEOVERS BY “STAFF”,
Teen of the Month Miss
YOUR OWN DESSERT BUILDING, FUN, LEARN OBJECTIVES: FUN, SELF ESTEEM TO STAY SAFE, AND MORE FUN
LOTS OF FOOD FUN & ACTIVIT Please call 796-5526 to Register
IES
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Megan Spencer
Movie of the Month HANGOVER is hilariously funny
August 2010
Teen of the Month Megan Spencer Megan Spencer is an easy going person and gets along with pretty much everyone. Friends and family mean the world to her! - Megan about Megan: “I am 17 years old and going to be a senior this year. I am very active in 4-H, Im actually thinking of going to school to become a 4-H Agent, I love to read, I like to hang out with my friends and go to the movies (the average teenage stuff) lol. This summer I have a job that keeps me pretty busy everyday, but I like it. I play sports in school, volleyball and softball.� - Her favorite quotations are: "Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it" by John Maxwell and "You don't need anybody to tell you who you are or what you are. You are what you are!" by John Lennon
< In this photo left to right: Danielle Davis, Chelsea Gerhart, Megan Spencer, Savannah Westover, Jessy Williams
In this photo below left to right: Chelsea Gerhart, Jessy Williams, Angus Spencer, Megan Spencer, Shirone Tyrease Ford Junior, Savannah Westover
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." Relationship Status: Single - Looking For: Friendship Religious Views:Jesus rocks :)
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August 2010
Kids of the Month ~ The children in this photo who visited the Pocosin Arts Center recently.
Girls ages 8-16 are invited to attend…
GIRL’S NIGHT OUT Sponsored by IBX Hotline
WHEN: AUGUST 13, 2010 WHERE: TYRRELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CAFETERIA TIME: 6:00PM-11:00PM ACTIVITIES: MANICURES & HAIR BY “LACEY”, MUSIC BY “NAT”, MAKEOVERS BY “STAFF”, GAMES, FOOD, MAKE YOUR OWN DESSERT OBJECTIVES: FUN, SELF ESTEEM BUILDING, FUN, LEARN TO STAY SAFE, AND MORE FUN
LOTS OF FOOD FUN & ACTIVITIES Please call 796-5526 to Register
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August 2010
“SPARKY”
BY WILLIAM WEST The follow-up story on "The Bear's Little Brother" that details the life of "Sparky," our pet raccoon of more than 50 years ago. Sparky, a raccoon, was the most intelligent and mischievous animal that we ever had for a pet. He came into our lives through odd circumstances. We always had a big garden at Pappy Beasley’s place, and it paralleled a narrow tongue of swamp on the North and a wider swamp on the South side. On one occasion, we had several rows of corn in the “roas’n ear” stage and a raccoon began raiding the patch. Thedie, my stepfather, took our two yard dogs to the garden where they picked up the ‘coon’s trail and they soon barked “treed.” Thedie shot the big ‘coon and just about the time that it hit the ground, the younger dog “treed” again. He was barking at a hole in an old stump, and when Thedie investigated, he found a tiny ‘coon kit so young its eyes were still closed. Tender-hearted Thedie wrapped the little fellow in his jacket and took it to the house where he and Mother www.ScuppernongGazette.com
offered it warmed milk in my sister’s doll-baby bottle. He drank, prospered and was soon drinking milk from a regular baby bottle. We named him Sparky but little did we know just how much of a spark he would add to our lives. In retrospect, it seems as though Sparky was destined to enter our lives. My mother was suffering from the cancer that would eventually take her life, and Sparky did much to keep her mind on him and his antics.
There were few dull moments with him around and he lightened her days. I was a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at the time, but when I returned home on weekends I caught “minners” and tadpoles to place in a dish of water in Sparky’s pen. True to his Latin name, lotor, meaning “the washer,” Sparky would “fish” with his sensitive hands. Upon catching a
critter, he “washed” it briskly before eating, but he ate grapes, pecans, etc., without washing them. Sparky’s favorite food was raw egg and he ate it by placing it large end down, grasping it in his hands, biting around the egg’s small end and then lapping the egg from the shell. His first pen had a wooden floor, but when Thedie built a larger pen with a self-cleaning, chicken wire bottom Sparky’s method of working eggs failed. When placed in his new pen, he tried to open the egg we gave him as usual but the egg tipped over and its contents spilled through the wire. We then gave him another egg and he took it directly to his food dish, an action that I interpret as insight or a show of intelligence. He thoroughly inspected his new quarters, found a knot hole and examined it carefully. Any hole, even one made by my cupped hand, apparently suggested “crayfish hole” to him and he examined it carefully. Crayfish are among a raccoon’s most prized foods. Incidentally, I enjoy “mudbugs” too, especially in a good Cajun “crawfish” etouffe, but I wouldn‘t turn down a “mess“ of them boiled with potatoes, lemon slices and Cajun spices like those I had in Louisiana. ...continues.next page...
August 2010
Jeris Hair Tonic Dicovered at Mr. Bobby’s E-BAY: CLUBMAN'S JERIS Hair Tonic 14 oz. (No Oil) $14.95 - This Is The CLASSIC! Hair Tonic In The LONG-NECK Green Bottle! You Saw In Barbershops For Years...Still Around, But Becoming Hard-To-Find...14 oz. Long-Neck Bottle. At Mr. Bonny’s 602 Main Street, Columbia, NC, 27925
Man of the Month Mr. Bobby Mitchell 95 Years Young
and going strong! Bobby Mitchell starts his business day around 6:00 am on Saturday
mornings to get his Barber Shop going. He is happily married to Ms. Myrtle! More or less. Photos Ingrid Lemme
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August 2010
...continues... Sparky was like a child in the “terrible twos.” Whenever he was allowed to run free and things got quiet, it was time to see what he had gotten into. On one occasion, Mother let him roam around the roofed back porch that connected the kitchen/ dining room to the main house. She had hung an onion sack full of pecans on the porch wall and soon realized that Sparky was unusually quiet. When she investigated, she saw that he had climbed up onto the sack, pulled the mesh apart and was reaching in for pecans. The floor was littered with discarded shells. Sparky’s getting into my wine jug was reported in “The Bear’s Little Brother.” That caper proved the truth of what John Lawson wrote in his account of a journey into Carolina in the first decade of the 18th century -that raccoons seek out “rotted fruit.” Given the opportunity, Sparky drank my wine until he tied on a big buzz. The result was hilarious! Pappy Beasley had “rheumytiz” in his hip and he rested on a “day bed” with a ruffled cover that draped to the floor in the living room. At night, when we gathered there, Sparky made a game of hiding under the day
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bed and sneaking up behind me and “attacking” as I lay on the floor with my back to him. He would sneak up, nip me on the ear, then run and hide, only to repeat the game. Sometimes he bit a little too hard and I would cuff him. The next time he sneaked up he nipped ever so lightly and then ducked lest I swat him again. Sparky also enjoyed pestering our two dogs. Thedie parked his Chevrolet in the shade of a large oak in front of the kitchen. The two dogs often tusseled nearby and Sparky would sneak up, nip both of them and then run and climb up onto the car’s front tire where the dogs couldn’t get to him. They soon gave up trying and began tussling, only to have Sparky “attack” again. Grape season was one of Sparky’ favorite times. He went with us to the big overhead arbor that supported two, large, James grape vines and a Scuppernong vine. He crawled up into the vines to feast on grapes, biting them to remove the pulp and juice and discarding the hulls. As surely as we ignored him he would sneak up, reach down, and pull our hair with his teeth, then scamper away, inviting us to chase him.
When Christmas morning arrived, our four cats, two dogs and Sparky all received presents. I had shot birds for the cats and there were treats for the dogs and a wrapped package for Sparky. It was a cellophane sack full of grapes, raisins, nuts, etc., and he would reach into the opened sack and select a prize with one hand. When my mother passed away, my sister and I moved to my grandfather West’s house. Thedie, my step-father, moved to Gum Neck to look after his mother after his father, Mr. Clyde Cahoon, passed away. Pappy Beasley had passed away some time earlier so my sister and I would have been left alone. One day Sparky nipped a little girl who was visiting my sister on the foot. He had grabbed her around the ankle and she became frightened and snatched her foot away. Pop Stuart, concerned lest Sparky’s antics lead to someone’s being really hurt and filing a lawsuit, destroyed him later while I was back in school. It was a sad end for a favorite pet. I believe that Sparky would have managed very well in the wild.
BY WILLIAM WEST A NATIVE OF TYRRELL COUNTY
August 2010
L
ady
of the Month Ms.Anna Brickhouse - A True Southern Belle With the memories of the Old South fading, unfortunately so are the ideals and values of true Southern Ladies. Ms. Anna is a delightful, sweet Southern Lady and smiles and acts like one. She is charming and graceful and she would never wear white shoes before Easter or after Labor Day. Ms. Anna is patient and kind, loves to read, likes chocolates, good company, her family, her friends and her neighbors. She lives with her son, Dr Alan Brickhouse, in Tyrrell County. www.ScuppernongGazette.com
August 2010
SUMMER WEEKENDS OF MY CHILDHOOD
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BY SUSAN HOLMES JACKSON Summer weekends of my childhood were spent in a twostory white house in Gum Neck. The house had been my mother’s home, as well as the home of my great grandparents. Willy and Alice Smith, my grandparents, were the only residents by the time I was old enough to remember weekend visits. They may have been the only residents, but on weekends and holidays, the house was alive with their children returning home with their children-running in and out, eating, talking, arguing, counting the bats that came out of a hole in the side of the house at dusk, and watching television. In the cool of the evening, most of us would end up sitting in the yard with Granddaddy, who loved to lie in the grass, shaded from the hot summer sunset by the cedars that lined the front yard. The children would play outside most of the time, coming in only to eat, get something to drink, or tattle on one of our cousins. We played in the mud, in the old hen house--where ever www.ScuppernongGazette.com
we could use our imaginations and some of the junk lying around. Sometimes, in late summer, we’d get some poke berries, mash them to a pulp, and use sticks to write on the only cement in the yard--the septic tank cover. We loved to go for walks down the dirt road, and occasionally we’d turn up the path to the old home-place,
where most of our parents had been born. We would creep up to the abandoned building that sat in the shade of a few giant sycamores. I don’t recall if there was a door on the house or not, but I remember as you walked into the front of the house, the stairs were to the left. The older grandkids would tell the younger ones that a baby would cry if they started walking up the stairs. Of course, we never heard a sound except
the wind blowing in the trees, but one of us would yell, “Did you hear that baby cry?!” and we would all run as fast as we could until we got back to the road. I remember my mother’s Ford LTD loaded with children, Gramma or another adult, crab nets made from chicken wire, spools of thick string, and bags of chicken necks, wings and legs. We’d get to our crabbing spot, and start tying the chicken pieces to lengths of string. Once we saw our lines moving, we’d slowly pull the line, hand over hand, towards the water’s surface. Just below, we’d see our prey holding on to the chicken, enjoying its last meal. Someone would stand beside us with the chicken wire net, and just as slowly as we reeled in our catch, they would dip the net into the water, and scoop up the crab. We’d catch as many as we could eat, and head home to Gramma’s, where she would cook them in a pressure cooker. Her kitchen table would be covered with newspaper and a couple of bottles of mustard.
August 2010
One of the most fun things we did on Gum Neck weekends was to take a drive on a s w e l t e r i n g d ay t o Engelhard, drive up the old logging roads, and go crabbing. www.ScuppernongGazette.com
August 2010
We’d sit and pick our own crabmeat, dip it in mustard, and pop it into our mouths. Nothing tasted like summer time like steamed blue crab with mustard. That was our second favorite meal at Gramma’s. Our first favorite meal was breakfast. And not just any breakfast. After we had woken up and gotten dressed, we sat down for the morning meal. Gramma would ask us what we wanted to eat. A collective shout went up: “CHOCOLATE AND BISCUITS!” Our grandmother already had a large pot of chocolate sop on the stove, as well as a couple of pans of homemade biscuits hot from the oven. We’d all have a plate, but we all ate it in a different way. Some would sop the chocolate with their biscuits, while others (me) liked their biscuits split open and chocolate spooned on top like a sweet gravy. When Granddaddy had cows, we’d have fresh cow’s cream, other times, it was simply a can of evaporated milk to add richness, as well as a few calories, to our decadent breakfast.
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Both of my grandparents are gone now. Grandaddy died peacefully 35 years ago on a hot August afternoon, while taking his afternoon nap under the pecan tree. Gramma lived to be 98, and had only stopped driving a few years before she passed away two years ago in June. I find it interesting that they both passed away during the warm months. Those precious memories now have the sting of sadness
go back to the two-story house on Jonestown Road, where laughter, adventure, fun, and most of all, love, reigned.
GRAMMA’S CHOCOLATE
Gramma made her chocolate on the stove. It took probably 20 minutes from start to finish, and she stood there the whole time, stirring the pot so it wouldn't stick and burn. I brought this yummy treat to the 21st century by making it in the microwave. 4 TB cocoa 3/4 cup sugar 5 TB all purpose flour 2 cups milk 1 TB butter or margarine
as well as joy. As with all things, however, life goes one. Sometimes, when I catch a whiff of a cornfield after a steamy summer rain, smell the brackish water of a canal, or feel the sting of a yellow fly on my leg, I long for those hot, humid summer days to come back. And I can always go back--in my mind, I can always
Sift together the cocoa, sugar and flour in a microwavable bowl. Add milk and stir until all is blended. Cook on HIGH for two minutes, and stir. Continue to cook at twominute intervals, stirring each time, until thickened. Remove from microwave, add butter, and stir until melted. Pour over hot biscuits and serve with cream or evaporated milk.
August 2010
THE FAMILY REUNION On July 10, 2010, almost 100 descendants of Thomas Q. and Henrietta Davenport Smith gathered for the first “official” Smith family reunion. From as far away as Michigan, Florida and Tennesee, and as close as Virginia, Elizabeth City and Columbia, family members descended upon Tyrrell Hall for fellowship, first meetings and great food! The Tyrrell Smiths, descendants of James “Jim” Smith, were introduced to family members from Elizabeth City who are descendants of Mahala Ann “Annie” Smith Sawyer, Jim Smith’s sister. Annie moved to Elizabeth City after she married, and family members lost touch over the years. We really enjoyed spending the day with them, and so thankful they could come. One of them brought a scrapbook, and shared some photos the Tyrrell family had never seen.
One of Willie Smith’s grandsons, Randy, brought his laptop and a scanner, along with a stack of CD’s, and many family members brought photos from their family albums. Randy was scanning photos more than he was visiting, and created photo CD’s for the family members to take home
and enjoy. Our great-greatgrandparents would be amazed at the tools we have available for remembering and getting to know one another in this 21st century. Food was plentiful, as the family is blessed with some good cooks, and no one left with an empty stomach. We feasted on barbecued pork, cooked by Alvin Smith and Alvin Smith, Jr. The tables inside groaned
under the weight of delicious side dishes and desserts. Our hearts were filled as well. Laughter abounded, as well as a few tears, remembering those who weren’t there to share this wonderful day. All of the cousins that I grew up with were there, and we had a great time reminiscing about the old days. Though I can’t believe that we are old enough for “old days” yet! We enjoyed seeing our relatives and relished each other’s company so much, we’ve decided that we have to have another reunion next year, and it would be great to get together every year. The days of spending almost every summer weekend together are gone, but we can stay connected, only if we make the effort. We don’t want to say that we wished something had been done differently. We only have one family, and we want to make new “remember whens” for years to come. By Susan Holmes Jackson
PROMISE, CURLY AND SNOWBALL BY
WILLIAM WEST While I was growing up in Tyrrell County, my family had a succession of dogs and cats but the three that stand out most vividly in my memory were a male black cur named Promise, a white-and-black, female, partSpitz named Curly and a black tomcat named Snowball. I named Promise after a dog that I had seen in a movie but he was not to be “my” dog. He and my little sister, Betty Sue, bonded and became inseparable. We lived in the country and Betty Sue rambled along the field edges, ditch banks, roadsides, etc., for wildflowers from which she made bouquets for Mother and A’nt Esther. Mrs. Esther Jackson, our neighbor across the road, was “A’nt Esther,” to Betty Sue although we were not related. It was common to see Betty Sue, with her hand on Promise’s shoulder, rambling along the roadside, picking flowers. If she walked fast or ran, so did he, and when she ambled along, Promise matched her pace. We didn’t worry about child predators then, but I am sure that Promise would have “eaten alive” anyone who messed with his buddy. www.ScuppernongGazette.com
Promise carried his tail curled over his hips and Betty Sue kept his toenails and rear end painted with red fingernail polish. I doubt that any other Tyrrell County dog ever sported a red “tail light.” She would also drape an old baby blanket over his back, climb on, lean over and hug his neck while he became her “horse.” A few years ago a former neighbor recalled having seen my little sister riding her “horse” around our yard. She also used Sook, our brood sow, as a horse and rode her around the hog lot. Once in a while our family walked the mile from Pappy Beasley’s house to the Selby Place (where Vera Clough now lives) for a fishing/picnic outing. Mother or I paddled slowly along the shoreline toward the mouth of the river while my father fished for “chub,” or largemouth bass. Promise rambled along the nearby shoreline, where he occasionally flushed a wood duck from her nest. The poor duck barely made it to the water, apparently suffering from a broken wing. She flopped along, always just out of Promise’s reach and he would follow her almost to the middle of the river where, almost miraculously, her wing healed and she flew back to her brood. Promise either never
learned the ducks’ trick or he just enjoyed the chase. We continued on up the shoreline until we reached a small, sandy beach with small cypress trees growing out in the water. There, we had our picnic lunch, “swam,” and then fished back to the boat landing. When we decided to fish on the opposite side of the river, about a mile wide at that point, Promise swam along with us until he became so exhausted that we took pity on him and pulled him into the boat. He thanked us by shaking vigorously and drenching us. Promise and a female dog that we called Becky were always waiting for us at the gate when we arrived home on the school bus in the afternoon. During one summer, my first cousin, Ollie Vera Beasley, was visiting us and as she was riding my bicycle around the yard and Promise jumped up and tore her dress. From that day he was a marked dog to Pappy Beasley. Ollie Vera was the apple of his eye and “that damned dog” had attacked her. So, one day during the following school year Promise and Becky were not at the gate when we got off of the school bus. Mother told us that Pappy had shot both dogs and dumped their bodies into a roadside ditch. Pappy told us that August 2010
the dogs just ate too much and that we couldn’t afford to keep them any longer. True, times were tight but our dogs ate table scraps and his justification simply did not satisfy us. It was strange to us since Pappy doted on Buster, his old dog, that had died sometime earlier of old age. Sometime later we acquired Curly, a beautifully marked, female, white-and-black partSpitz and a black sooner dog we called Chinook. Curly was small but probably the most beautifully marked dog that we ever had. Curly, Chinook, and our cats, Snowball (coal black, of course), Boots (a white Persian), and a “yaller” cat accompanied me when I returned home from college on weekends and went out into the woods with my .22 rifle to shoot birds for the cats. The dogs didn’t eat the birds but they were always part of “the gang.” On mornings when I had returned home from college, both Curly and Snowball would stretch up and touch the back door knob, begging Mother to open the door for them. When she opened it, they both raced up the stairs to my room to awaken me. I was still a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when my mother died of the cancer that she had www.ScuppernongGazette.com
fought for three years. In fact, it was two days before final exams in my junior year. Thedie, my stepfather, wanted to move back to Gum Neck to look after his recently widowed mother so Betty Sue and I went to live with our grandparents West. Curly and Snowball went with us and Curly soon became Pop Stewart’s dog even though he said he didn‘t like dogs. Pop was a no-nonsense person who would not stand for
any questioning of his authority. Curly “minded” him and followed him everywhere. Pop didn’t own a car so I gave him my “new” bicycle, which he rode to Columbia. I arrived in town soon after he had gotten there and saw him in front of Mr. Tom Yerby’s store, showing off the bicycle’s features to Mr. Tom and some of his friends. Curly always waited in the front yard for Pop’s return home. There was a small, sandy depression there in which the sand was cool in summer and that is where Curly waited.
One day when Pop returned Curly did not get up to greet him as she usually did. She had died, probably of a heart attack, and Pop buried her on the edge of the garden. Sometime later Betty Sue saw that someone had placed flowers on Curly’s grave and asked who put the flowers there that night at the supper table. Pop remarked, “I did it and I don’t want to hear anything more about it.” He really was not the tough old bird he pretended to be. Snowball always greeted me when I returned home from college, expecting me to shoot birds for him. He was a born hunter and rambled widely to hunt birds, mice, rats and other game. On one such occasion, Snowball met me but he was just a shadow of the cat that I had known. He apparently caught and ate a mouse or rat that our neighbor, Mr. Mayo, had poisoned. I never saw Snowball again. As cats often do, he had gone away to die. Promise, Snowball, Curly and all the rest are gone now but they are not forgotten.
BY WILLIAM WEST A NATIVE OF TYRRELL COUNTY
Bill appreciates e-mail from our readers at william.west40@yahoo.com
August 2010
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August 2010
The Old Columbia Theater The old Columbia Theater building is still there. The Columbia Theater Cultural Resources Center is housed in the old Columbia Theater built in 1938 by German immigrant Fred Schlez. The Columbia Theatre was the finest movie palace around, and everyone came to town to see the movies. The Columbia Theater closed in the late 1960s and was vacant until 1995 when the Partnership for The Sounds began renovating the building. The Columbia Theater Cultural Resources Center opened in October of 1998.
The Columbia Theater Cultural Resources Center is an environmental and cultural history museum focusing on human interaction with the environment in The Sounds, especially as witnessed through the heritage of farming, fishing, and forestry. Exhibit areas help tell the story of how people have made use of the region's resources through the centuries, while a variety of antiques and other items show visitors some of the common household and business wares of eras past. Our writer William West, a native of Tyrrell County, wrote: “ I found the article about Mr. Schlez to be quite interesting. As a youngster I attended Western movies at the old theatre on the location where Mac's oyster bar was located. One of my cousins has a billy club that Mr. Schlez turned on a lathe, made of mahogany, which he gave to my grandfather West. Pop West was at one time Columbia's town policeman and tax collector. I vividly remember the "William Tell Overture" record that Mr. Schlez played before the movie began. When WWII began, a Tyrrell County citizen remarked that "we" should shoot "old man Schlitz" because he was a German. Yes, we had knotheads back then too.” Hours of Operation Tuesday - Friday| 10 am - 4:00 pm, Occasional Saturdays, Admission $2 adults, $1 students, children 5 and under are free. www.partnershipforthesounds.org/ColumbiaTheater.aspx
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August 2010
POCOSIN ARTS FOLK SCHOOL By Feather Phillips Serving Tyrrell County and Eastern North Carolina since 1995. Pocosin Arts has had the pleasure of serving our community for the past fifteen years. IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING-Our programming and outreach have reached every single child in the Tyrrell County Schools through our longstanding artists’ residency programming. We have had the pleasure of hosting performance artists such as the African American Dance Ensemble, Flamenco Vivo, Tarradiddle Players. We have hosted visual artists in book arts, pottery, mural painting, nature journaling, and metal work. We have hosted professional poets, story-tellers and song-writers. AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING--The school bus stops at our studio on Main Street to drop off students for our after school programs in pottery, drawing and music. In addition we offer three dance classes at Madge Van Horn Auditorium on Friday afternoons. New this summer is our summer Arts Camp, four consecutive weeks of hands-on arts classes for children. TOURISM DEVELOPMENT-Pocosin Arts has welcomed visitors to
our gallery since opening in 1995. We have met people from all over the world who want to learn about our community and are interested in local, hand-made works of art. Students in our programming support local businesses. LIFE-LONG LEARNERS--Pocosin Arts adult education program includes open studio opportunities for a handbuilding clay group, a carving club and Pocosin Arts Metals guild. In addition
Pocosin Arts offers weekly classes and weekend workshops in photography, drawing, painting, creative writing, pottery, metals, fiber arts, carving and so much more. We have hosted students from fourteen different states in our adult education program. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT--Teachers and working artists participate in Pocosin Arts programming to learn new skills, to network with other professionals and to learn new trends in their respective fields.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT-The Town of Columbia’s Small Town Economic Prosperity plan, “Town of Columbia VISION 20/20” supports the efforts of Pocosin Arts and lists among its 12 priorities: “actively support efforts of the Pocosin Arts Board of Directors to expand facilities and programs of the Pocosin Arts Folk School and Gallery” “establish a fund to aid and encourage small business development, especially in the arts and crafts…” Pocosin Arts has been awarded a substantial grant from the NC Rural Economic Development Center to create a new program, the craft metals business incubator. The incubator program will combine fine metal-smith skill development with business and entrepreneurial training. This program will launch in January of 2011. Because of the extraordinary opportunity the NC Rural Center has provided by funding the creation of our craft metals business incubator, we are focusing our program development and fund-raising efforts in a different way for 2010. Our Board has decided to postpone the 2010 auction in favor of developing several smaller opportunities for artists and donors to support our programming.
We have been able to continue to serve our community and our region because of the generosity of our donors, volunteers, students, and partnering organizations. Without the help of so many, Pocosin Arts would not be able to continue. We hope you will consider making a contribution to our annual sustaining campaign so that we can continue to serve. www.pocosinarts.org
The Wizard of Oz at the Waterside Theatre
Take a journey over the rainbow and see The Lost Colony present the timeless classic The Wizard of Oz. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss your chance to spend an evening with Dorothy and her friends as they take an amazing adventure through the colorful and wild world of Oz. Featuring over fifty actors and technicians from The Lost Colony cast and crew, as well as seventeen local munchkins, The Wizard of Oz will have four performances only: July 30, 31 and August 6, 7 at 8:00 pm under the stars at Waterside Theatre in Manteo.Â
Tickets are on sale now. Sabrina Bradley (left) and Stephanie Lloyd (right) will appear as the Glinda the Good Witch and Dorothy Gale in the classic American musical The Wizard of Oz. Members of The Lost Colony Company are currently rehearsing for two weekends of performances of the musical at Waterside Theatre on July 30, 31, and August 6 and 7. All lower level tickets are $20. Upper level tickets are $15 and $10 for children 11 and under. Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at 252-473-3414 or visiting www.thelostcolony.org
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Photo by Mike Crowder
436 Bridgepath Road Columbia, NC 27925 Tyrrell County 252-796-4513 email: nelip@mac.com www.ColumbiaNC.com
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August 2010