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North Carolina IN THIS ISSUE:
JONES COUNTY RISES FROM HURRICANE DESTRUCTION HOLLANDS SHELTER CREEK REBUILDS & REOPENS ‘MR. FAYETTEVILLE’ ON-AIR FOR 30-PLUS YEARS KINSTON HIGH-SCHOOLERS MAKE CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY
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Editor’s Note
It’s our anniversary!
SE North Carolina www.sencmag.com Issue No. 20
Staff / Credits / Contributions PUBLISHER Jim Sills EDITOR Abby Cavenaugh PRODUCTION/GRAPHIC DESIGN Jillian Williams Content & Photography Abby Cavenaugh Lauren Branch Trevor Normile Michael Jaenicke Daniel Pridgen Michael Spencer CONTRIBUTING Writer Annesophia Richards Advertising Jillian Williams Alan Wells CIRCULATION Lauren Guy SUBSCRIBE: Four issues (one year) $19.95 plus tax lguy@ncweeklies.com CONTACT senc.ads@nccooke.com senc@nccooke.com 1.910.296.0239 ON THE COVER Freelance Photographer Michael Spencer captured this great shot of Richard Johnson in downtown Burgaw. Johnson is heading up the Burgaw Now movement to revitalize downtown. SouthEast North Carolina Magazine is a publication of the Duplin Times and APG Media of Eastern NC. Contents may not be reproduced without the consent of the publisher.
This issue commemorates a number of anniversaries. First, the Fall 2019 issue of Southeastern North Carolina is the 20th, meaning we’ve been in publication for five years. Reaching the five-year milestone may not be celebrated with the hoopla of a silver or golden anniversary, but producing quality, award-winning local content for five years straight is quite an accomplishment. As the editor for the past year, I know how much hard work goes into producing each issue, how we strive to represent the entire region of Southeastern N.C. in a positive, respectful light. We hope to continue to provide entertaining and enlightening content for the next five years — and beyond. The other anniversaries aren’t really something to celebrate, so much as to remember, and reflect. Hurricane Floyd devastated our area 20 years ago; Hurricane Florence did the same, to a further extent, just one year ago. Hurricane Dorian, thankfully, spared most of our area from extensive damage. I’ve documented my own personal experiences with Florence in previous issues, how it flooded my parents’ home, the house I grew up in, and destroyed some family heirlooms and photo albums that are quite simply, irreplaceable. I know my family is not alone. Far from it. So, to commemorate these life-altering storms and their lasting impact, we’ve profiled some phoenixes rising from the ashes ... or the floodwaters, if you will. Jones County, one of the most rural counties in our state with virtually no large towns to speak of, was one of the worst-hit by Hurricane Florence. Trevor Normile tells us about how a group of residents decided to take recovery into their own hands. There’s also the landmark down-home seafood restaurant, Hollands Shelter Creek, which used to be outside Burgaw, practically in the middle of nowhere on
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Highway 53. It was torn down after Hurricane Florence, but owner Steve Holland decided to rebuild and reopen in a new location, Holly Ridge. Continuing with the theme of resilience and resurgence, Annesophia Richards tells us about the Burgaw Now movement, which is dedicated to revitalizing the small town. Also sticking with it, and refusing to fade into retirement, is Fayetteville DJ Don Chase, who’s been on air with the same radio show for more than 30 years. These folks are all survivors, no doubt about it. Another little-known case of history makers who refused to give up is the Class of 1952 from Adkin High School in Kinston. The seniors at this all-black school staged their own peaceful protest in 1951, preceding the Civil Rights Movement by several years. This issue is not all seriousness, though. Believe it or not, the game of Quidditch, made popular in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series, is now a real sport, which happens to be holding its championships right here in Goldsboro. And then there’s a new drive-in movie theater in Tabor City. It’s a blast from the past with modern-day movies that’s sure to make it worth the trip to the state line. We sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed these past 20 issues, and will stick with us for many more to come! Abby Cavenaugh, Editor
SINCE A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, HERE ARE SOME SELECTED PHOTOS OF DESTINATIONS TO VISIT IN SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA ON INSTAGRAM
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Emerald Isle I’ve got all the time in the world so for now I’m just chillin’ #emeraldislenc #mycrystalcoast #bougueinletpier #dronephotography #nccoast @boguewaves
Eastern N.C. sky after a day of rain & storms. No filter needed. #breathtaking #calmafterthestorm #gorgeous #godsgift #godscreation #countryroads #smalltown #southeasternnc @brwneyedgrl_79
Guides to the Good Stuff Join us on social media for insider tips from Southeastern North Carolina natives...
Went to a hound show/water race today. Definitely a new and different experience but it was a lot of fun. A big shoult out to @corabelle_2017 owner of @girlswithhounds and @huntwithhounds_ for letting me tag along! #swimpup #waterdogs #waterrace #SoutheasternNC #lovewhereyoulive #lovewhatyoudo @verumvitaephotography
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Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Some of the most beautiful sunsets in the world are found at home. This is the Intracoastal Waterway in Southeastern North Carolina. The views here— sunsets, wildlife, fishermen, and rolling waters — never get old. @ramblinroseandthedrifter
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SENCMAGAZNE.WORDPRESS.COM Our staff conceived this publication with a very basic idea in mind: to highlight interesting people, places, and events in Southeastern North Carolina in a way that honors the history and idiosyncratic spirit of the region.
Want your photo featured? Simply post photos of what you love about Southeastern North Carolina on Instagram and use the hashtags at the top of the page! Follow us, too!
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Contents
FALL 2019
Features
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Jones County Recovery
Jones County was one of the hardest-hit by Hurricane Florence one year ago. Refusing to be beaten, residents have risen to the challenge of recovery.
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Burgaw Now!
Thanks to the efforts of an out-oftowner, downtown Burgaw is experiencing a rebirth.
Don Chase, radio legend
For more than 30 years, DJ Don Chase has been heard on the airwaves in Fayetteville and surrounding communities.
40
Hollands Shelter Creek
Landmark Hollands Shelter Creek Restaurant was demolished following Hurricane Florence. However, now this seafood mecca has risen from the rubble to begin anew.
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34
EXTRAS
The high-flying Harry Potterinspired sport is coming to Goldsboro in November.
44
Quidditch comes to SENC
Adkin High School Walkout
Prior to the major events of the Civil Rights Movement, a group of Kinston high-schoolers organized their own peaceful protest for equal rights.
10
Play Dates
The weather may be cooling off, but the fun festivals, concerts and Halloween events are just starting to heat up!
13
SnapshotsFloyd & Florence
Mid-September marks the 20-year anniversary of Hurricane Floyd and the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Florence, both of which changed Southeastern N.C. forever.
33
SnapshotsHistoric home tours
Starting with the Back Door Kitchen Tour in Wilmington, fall has plenty of opportunities to check out some of our area’s rich history, by stepping through a door to the past.
50
Folk: Tabor City’s Drive-in Theater
It’s a rarity these days to find a small-town movie theater, much less an operating drivein. Check out what makes Stateline Drive-in a blast from the past that’s fun for the whole family!
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PLAY DATES Spooktacular Events
As Halloween rolls around, people’s thoughts naturally head toward spooky stories, of which Southeastern North Carolina has plenty. We’ve compiled a list of some local places to get your scare on, or just have some tricks and treats this Halloween. • Ghost Walk of Wilmington, nightly at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. through Oct. 31; nightly at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 1-30. This 90-minute ghost walking tour of the city’s alleged most haunted homes and burial grounds is one of Wilmington’s most popular attractions. Cost is $13 for adults and $11 for seniors, students or military. Children age 6 and under are free. The Haunted Pub Crawl, 7:30 p.m., Wednesdays through Saturdays in September and October, and Fridays and Saturdays in November. You’ll find spirits, both alcholic and otherwise, on this tour of “true ghostly tales of murder, mayhem, lunacy, debauchery and more.” Tickets are $17.50, not including the cost of drinks and tips. www.hauntedwilmington.com. • October Paranormal Tours at Poplar Grove Plantation, Oct. 4-5, 6-10 p.m.; Oct. 11-12, 6-10 p.m.; New Moon Tour Oct. 13, 8 & 9 p.m.; Oct. 18-19, 6-10 p.m.; Oct. 2526, 6-10 p.m.; Full Moon Tour, Oct. 27, 7, 8 & 9 p.m.; Oct. 31, 8-10 p.m. Every weekend in October, Poplar Grove Plantation will provide tours, where you’ll hear ghostly tales from 1850 through the 20th century in and around the Manor House, Tenant House, graveyard and grounds. poplargrove.org/festivals/paranormalghosttours/
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N.C. Poultry Jubilee Rose Hill Town Square
NOV
1-2 FRI-SAT
A celebration of the poultry industry and the small town of Rose Hill, the N.C. Poultry Jubilee draws thousands each year. The jubilee will kick off on Friday night with free amusement rides all night and a Wing Cook-Off. Festivities continue on Saturday with live entertainment, a cake auction featuring the 2019 N.C. Poultry Jubilee queens, and numerous arts and crafts vendors. There will also be lots of tasty fried chicken, cooked in the World’s Largest Frying Pan. For more information and a schedule of events, visit www.thenorthcarolinapoultryjubilee.com.
Mumfest Downtown New Bern
oct
11-13 FRI-SUN
New Bern’s MumFest has grown into a huge annual event with crowds numbering over 120,000. MumFest includes loads of family fun, entertainment, attractions, exhibitors and great food. Amusement rides and arts and crafts vendors will be set up downtown. This year’s WRNS MumFest Kickoff Concert on Friday night will feature FILMORE with Mitchell Tenpenny, and Granger Smith featuring Earl Dibbs, Jr. will be the headliners. A 1-mile race and 5K, as well as an RV and boat show are also part of the festivities. A full schedule of events can be found on the festival’s website, www.mumfest.com.
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• Ghost Walk of Pender’s Past, Oct. 11-12, 6 & 8 p.m. This award-winning ghost walk showcases Pender’s mysteries, legends, lore and superstitions from Pender County and the Cape Fear Area. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 910-259-1278, or visit the Facebook page, @Pender County Ghost Walk. • New Bern Ghostwalk, Oct. 24-26, limited sites on Oct. 24, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; all sites Oct. 25-26, 5:30-9:30 p.m. Ghostwalk is a self-guided tour in which you can meet ghosts at 13 different sites in historic downtown New Bern, including homes, theatres, and the cemetery. Actors will share their spirited stories in the very locations that their characters lived and visited. Tickets are good for all three nights, $18 advance tickets and $23 the day of for adults; students, active duty military and Historical Society member tickets are $14, children ages 3-12 are $5, with children 3 and under admitted free. newbernhistorical.org/ghostwalk/. • Halloween at Hubb’s, Clinton, Oct. 25-27, Friday: 6–10 p.m.; Saturday: noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday: 1-6 p.m. Hubb’s Farm has activities for all ages as part of its Halloween celebration. There’ll be a ping-pong ball, tricks and treats, the Rocket Man Express and a “past dark” flashlight maze. hubbsfarmnc.com/. • Pumpkin Pickin’ & Hayrides at Mike’s Farm, Richlands, throughout October. During the month of October, Mike’s Farm’s hayride makes a stop at the Pumpkin Patch. You can walk through the fields and select the perfect pumpkin to bring home. Pumpkins are weighed and run $0.69 per pound with a $3 minimum. www.mikesfarm.com.
NOV
2 SAT
NOV
8
Wilson Center @ CFCC, Wilmington • Tickets: $35-84 Shows at 2 & 7:30 p.m.
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FRI
WE WILL ROCK YOU follows two revolutionaries, Galileo and Scaramouche, on a quest to save rock n’ roll in a post-apocalyptic world where there are no musical instruments and rock n’ roll has died. The story revolves around Queen’s biggest hit songs: We Are the Champions, Radio Ga Ga, I Want To Break Free, Somebody To Love, Killer Queen, Don’t Stop Me Now, Under Pressure, Bohemian Rhapsody, Another One Bites The Dust and, of course, We Will Rock You. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit cfcc.edu/capefearstage.
oct
8
TUE
Patti LaBelle
7 p.m., Crown Theatre, Fayetteville • Tickets: $55-135
Patti LaBelle is one of entertainment’s living legends. She started out as a choir member and later became lead vocalist for Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles, before becoming an award-winning solo artist whose career has spanned more than 50 years. Now 74 years of age, LaBelle shows no signs of slowing down. Several years ago, she introduced Patti’s Good Life, a successful product line that includes a variety of sauces, sweet potato pie, cobblers and cakes. She also stars in her own cooking show, Patti LaBelle’s Place, and has published six books. She released a jazz album and Christmas album in 2017, and continues touring in addition to all her other endeavors. She will perform classic R&B, pop standards and spiritual sonnets live at the Crown Theatre. For tickets and more information, visit www.crowncomplexnc.com/events/detail/patti-labelle.
7:30 p.m. Wilson Center @ CFCC, Wilmington • Tickets $43-92 After selling 20 million records worldwide, Cheap Trick is undoubtedly one of the most influential classic rock groups of the past 50 years. The band was formed in 1974 and is best known for hits like “I Want You To Want Me,” “Dream Police,” and “Surrender.” Tickets and info available at cfcc.edu/capefearstage.
7:30 p.m., Wilson Center @ CFCC, Wilmington • Tickets: $36-88
nov
17 SUN
Kenny G was a staple on pop, R&B and jazz radio during the 1980s and ’90s. He’s sold more than 30 million albums, and is known for his smooth melodies on the saxophone. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit cfcc.edu/ capefearstage.
Amazing autumn theatre & more
“Matilda” Sept. 27-Oct. 6 Fridays & Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. Matinees: 2 p.m. Oct. 5 & 3 p.m. Sundays Thalian Hall, Wilmington
That Golden Girls Show: A Puppet Parody Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m.| Wilson Center @ CFCC A brand-new puppet show that parodies classic “Golden Girls” moments, from an evening of cheesecake, laughter, jazzercise, shoulder pads, sex and the elegant art of the quick-witted put down. Tickets range from $24-67, and can be purchased at cfcc.edu/capefearstage.
“Angelina Ballerina” Oct. 3, 6 p.m. | Paramount Theatre, Goldsboro
Based on the CG-animated series, this musical will have audiences of all ages dancing in the aisles. www.goldsboroparamount.com.
Inspired by the twisted genius of Roald Dahl, the Tony Award-winning “Matilda The Musical” is the captivating masterpiece from the Royal Shakespeare Company that revels in the anarchy of childhood, the power of imagination and the inspiring story of a girl who dreams of a better life. www.thalianhall.org/
plus...Fall Festivals in every corner of senc N.C. Muscadine Festival
• Sept. 27-28, Duplin County Events Center | Kenansville This annual celebration of all things muscadine grape will include wine tastings, muscadineinspired goodies, arts and crafts vendors, and live entertainment both days. For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit www. ncmuscadinefestival.com/.
N.C. Bacon Festival
• Sept. 28-29, Old Homestead Farm | Rocky Point This festival, in its second year, will feature thousands of pounds of bacon, pig races, helicopter rides, vendors, inflatables, live music, a children’s pageant, and much more! Visit the event’s page on Facebook for more info.
N.C. Seafood Festival
• Oct. 4-6, Morehead City Waterfront Three days of amusement rides, vendors, live entertainment, and of course, tons of good ol’ North Carolina seafood. For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit www. ncseafoodfestival.org.
Wilmington Riverfest
• Oct. 4, Downtown Wilmington Held the first full weekend of October every year since 1979, Riverfest runs through Historic Downtown Wilmington on Water Street from the foot of Market Street to Cape Fear Community College. This free, family-oriented celebration has grown into an annual event that draws tens of thousands each year. There will be fireworks, exhibits, music and more. For more information, visit www.wilmingtonriverfest.com/.
Autumn with Topsail
• Oct. 19-20, Topsail Island Started in 1988, Autumn With Topsail is held on the grounds of the Historical Society of Topsail Island and the Assembly Building, which houses the Missiles & More Museum. Events include regional artists displaying and selling their work, live musical entertainment, a variety of food with beer and wine, inflatables and crafts for children! Visit autumnwithtopsail.com for more.
Onslow Oktoberfest
• Oct. 25-27, Jacksonville With plenty of children’s activities, a pageant, softball tournament, food court and of course, a beer garden, there’s something for everyone at Oktoberfest. The event benefits Onslow Community Outreach, which provides basic needs for the at-risk and economically vulnerable. www.onslowoktoberfest.org
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SE Snapshot
North Carolina
Floyd & Florence: two storms that forever altered SENC One year ago: Florence (Sept. 14, 2018) 20 years ago: Floyd (Sept. 16, 1999)
S
eptember 2019 marks the anniversaries of two powerful hurricanes that had disastrous effects on Southeastern North Carolina, in some cases, practically wiping out entire towns and leaving billions of dollars of damage in their wake. Twenty years ago, on Sept. 16, 1999, Hurricane Floyd brought massive flooding to the region— what was then called a 500-year-old flood, never experienced before and probably never to be experienced in our lifetimes again, or so the experts said. Fast-forward 19 years, and here comes Hurricane Florence, leaving even more destruction in some areas than Floyd.
least 56,000 more. Then-Secretary of Health and Human Services H. David Bruton said, “Nothing since the Civil War has been as destructive to families here.”
Hurricane Florence And then, there was Florence. The storm made landfall at Wrightsville Beach as a Category 1 storm on Sept. 14, 2018. Though a Category 1 storm may not seem so bad, it was Florence’s slow movement over Southeastern North Carolina that made it so devastating. When it made landfall, the National Above: Satellite imagery of HurHurricane Center reported that Florence ricane Florence in 2018. Top was moving westward at 6 mph. Florence photo: Flooding in the wake of Hurricane Floyd in the small town lingered for a full three days, dumping a maximum total of 35.93 inches of rain in of Chinquapin. Hurricane Floyd Elizabethtown, making it the wettest tropiAt one point, Floyd was just shy of being a Category 5, the cal system recorded in state history. most powerful and catastrophic hurricane possible, but it weakThe Cape Fear River crested at 61.4 feet — 35 feet above ened before making landfall at Cape Fear on Sept. 16, 1999, as a flood stage— on Sept. 19. Devastasting flooding inundated the Category 2 hurricane with 110 mph sustained winds. Northeast Cape Fear River area in Duplin County, damaging or In addition to the winds, Hurricane Floyd also brought with destroying nearly every home in the Northeast and Chinquapin it a storm surge of about 10-15 feet. The maximum surge oc- communities. Pender County’s portion of the Cape Fear also saw curred near high tide, according to the National Weather Service, flooding that drove hundreds from their homes. Jones County and contributed to extensive overwash, dune loss, and damage to was hit particularly hard, with record flooding that threatened homes on barrier islands such as Oak and Topsail Islands. to cripple the entire county (see Trevor Normile’s story on Jones What made Floyd so devastating to inland residents was the County’s recovery on page 14 of this issue). rain and subsequent flooding. Rainfall totaled 15-20 inches in A total of 40 deaths were attributed to Hurricane Florence some portions of eastern North Carolina. In Wilmington, Floyd’s throughout North Carolina, including the freshwater flooding 19.06 inches of rainfall included a record of 15.06 inches within deaths of at least 11 people, including eight in Duplin County. 24 hours. The flooding was exacerbated by Hurricane Dennis, Hurricane Florence caused $17 billion worth of damage in which had dumped about 10 inches of rain on the area less than North Carolina, and left thousands homeless. a month earlier. “The damage is widespread around Southeastern North A total of 51 deaths were attributed to Hurricane Floyd in Carolina,” Governor Roy Cooper said. “I’ve ... seen farms, North Carolina, many of them drowning deaths due to the flood- homes and churches underwater. And I realize all those reping. resent people.” He added, “Recovery is going to take a long About 7,000 homes were completely destroyed as a result of time ... but we are not going to forget you.” SE the storm, 17,000 were uninhabitable, with some damage to at FALL 2019 | WWW.SENCMAGAZINE.WORDPRESS.COM | 13
One year after Florence: Jones County back on the ‘RISE’
Story & Photos By Trevor Normile
Jones County has just over Jones became a vessel for 20 people per square mile. the deluge – flash floods tore How does a community like through the west before setthis recover from a profound- tling in the east; storm surge ly destructive natural disaster on the coast prevented the like Hurricane Florence? region from draining properly “Resilience, being able to into the Atlantic. hear ‘no.’ And yet ‘no’ When the water firight now doesn’t mean nally receded, it left ‘no’ forever. We have behind a damaged wahad a lot of noes, and I ter system, hundreds of don’t want it to sound flooded homes and one sappy, but small rural already-struggling town areas tend to get forgotwith its very existence Joy ten,” answers Joy Wynne cast into doubt. Wynne after a moment. And still, the recovWynne is the executive ery continues. chair of Jones County RISE, The story of Florence is one a long-term recovery group that Jones County Emergency (LTRG) set up to help coorManagement Director Timmy dinate the county’s healing Pike has probably told countprocess. Whereas to heal a less times by now. And he human, it takes a hulived it; before he took man doctor, to heal an on the county’s emeradministrative area, it gency management, Pike takes an administrative ran the county’s EMS group like RISE (Resystem. But a Biblical cover, Improve, Supflood is an all-handsport, Empower) to apon deck situation, so ply for grants and help with his background in Timmy Pike manage resources. In mechanical work, Pike this case, the group is was also responsible for all-volunteer. keeping the county’s generaWhen Hurricane Florence tors up and running. brought southeastern North “It kind of took us by surCarolina into her crosshairs prise, we weren’t really exone year ago, Jones was pecting the amount of floodcaught in the carpet-bombing ing we got. Our biggest thing that followed. was all of our infrastructure Bisected by the Trent River, collapsed. We lost our in14 | WWW.SENCMAGAZINE.WORDPRESS.COM | FALL 2019
Photo Courtesy of Daniel Pridgen
Left: Shivon Cannon (at left) of RISE speaks to other volunteers inside one of the cabins that the group hopes will soon house work groups coming to help Jones County’s hurricane recovery. Still needed however is a construction manager to help coordinate that work. Right: The notable Trent Restaurant, Pollocksville, sits quiet after flooding damaged the building after Florence. In the bottom left, what appears to be structural damage is visible on the building. FALL 2019 | WWW.SENCMAGAZINE.WORDPRESS.COM | 15
ternet and our phones were voice-over IP, so when we lost our internet we lost our phones,” Pike remembers. “Then we lost our cell service. We had to step outside to the front of the building to get any service whatsoever. So our phone calls were made outside in the rain, that’s how we had to communicate. Then our county water supply went down, so it could not have been much worse.” Wash-outs severed water lines around the county, causing the system to lose pressure. In a moment of forethought, the owner of the mill pond in Trenton lowered the mill’s gate, allowing it to drain five feet before the storm, Pike says, sparing the town at least some of the flooding coming its way. All told, water mains were washed out in six places, draining every water tower in the county. A connection with Craven County’s water system had to be opened to boost water pressure until the broken lines could be fixed (Jones now has cutoffs installed at all the creeks in case of future washouts, Pike explains). Adding to the mayhem was the fact that Jones County was under mandatory evacuation due to the storm’s expected Category 5 strength, but most residents refused to leave. “Twenty-six people got on buses to leave this county,” Pike says. “Then when the storm died down and the flooding came, everybody had to be rescued.”
Restoration of the Jones County Courthouse continues after it was damaged in Hurricane Florence.
The county’s deputies and volunteer fire-rescue force pulled out 300 people on the night of the worst rains. As the water rose, calls went out for help and supplies were airdropped into the area by the Air National Guard. “We were stuck, we didn’t have food, we didn’t have
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water. But I’ll tell you, when the calls were made, we had helicopters landing one right behind another, bringing food, supplies. It was an amazing thing to see,” Pike remembers. “Within 24 hours after we were inundated, we had support, we had our own cell phone tower set up and ex-
tended, we could call anyone we wanted to. We had an organization from Tennessee that was in here, they finally got our radio communication system.” When officials were finally able to take stock of the damage, it was found that around 300 houses were flooded, with more than 700 eligible for FEMA reimbursements for damage. In all, nearly 1,700 people qualified for individual disaster assistance. Not only that, but several schools were damaged, as was the county courthouse, restoration of which is ongoing. Still, the people continue to set things back into place. Disaster recovery, after all, is a marathon and not a sprint. The response Jones County RISE stepped in early during the process, but the nature of LTRG work is frustrating in the beginning, says Wynne. It’s not about grabbing tools as much as it is about learning how a nonprofit should run. She was there when Comfort was struck by flash flooding that separated the stretch east to Trenton into five islands. Wynne, who works with RISE as a volunteer, is a full-time liaison worker with Lenoir Community College and Jones County Schools. Wynne says she experiences a form of survivor’s guilt over the storm. Her home was spared from the flooding, but only just. In a roundabout way, the group started neither
with a committee nor a grand act, but a bologna sandwich. After the storm knocked out power to her brother’s hog farm near Stroud Road, Wynne says he worked roundthe-clock to keep the young pigs fed by hand. One morning after the storm, she was bringing him and his workers sandwiches when she was approached by a neighbor, who asked if she had any extra to spare. “I said ‘absolutely.’ She said, ‘do you have some more ice?’ I said I’d find her some. She started walking, so I said, ‘no, get in my car, let me carry you home,’” she remembers. “We got her to her house and her daughter was on the
porch. They had like three pieces of charcoal on an ittybitty grill on the porch, trying to boil the water they had — and all they had was one pot of water. “We had fared good compared to them, and I thought we had fared badly. I went back and got some more stuff for them, and they were so grateful. I think that’s what sparked it for me, just seeing how desperate — everybody was desperate — but that was even more desperate than I felt. So that’s when I called a few members of the church.” The church, Believer’s Fellowship in Comfort, started out making sandwiches, then whole plates of food. Then came 18-wheelers. The church
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became a full-blown distribution center, and the work continued with RISE, made up of others who all felt the need to reach out to the county. Jones County, Wynne says, was “reeling. [RISE] didn’t exist, so it was just a handful of us trying to get this thing off the ground and running. As far as citizens, it was just neighbor-helping-neighbor. It was survival mode during that time. “Prior to Hurricane Florence, we did not have a longterm recovery group. Years ago, there was some sort of group established then for a pot of money we got. My understanding was that they didn’t really establish as a 501(c)(3), they just kind of
came together for that purpose of distributing that money, Wynne says. “RISE is a ground-up effort.” The situation, as it stands In July, a committee of representatives from several volunteer groups met at an old Woodmen of the World summer camp in the small community of Fort Barnwell, near Dover, just over the county line in Craven. Wynne was there, as were Scott Murphy of MX Network, members of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), Timmy Pike and others. Volunteer groups have agreed to visit Jones County from as far as Ontario. The
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problem is, people need to sleep, and there aren’t any hotels in Jones County. The 40-acre Woodmen camp provides an elegant solution to that problem, with a cafeteria plenty of cabins that can be upgraded with air conditioning. Perhaps, Murphy jokes, the allure of a summer camp with a swimming hole will help bring volunteers, too. Three groups have already been brought into the area this summer, he says. “I’ve had to remind myself along the way that while the initial response after the storm is to just put hands on and help people, long-term recovery is much different. There’s a lot of need; a lot of media here when the waters
were here, but now when you ride through — somebody said recently from the Mennonite Disaster Services, ‘the crazy thing about the floods, is that the tornado, you can see the obvious damage, earthquakes and fires, that’s the same way. But a flood, once the waters are gone, it’s not so obvious,” Wynne explains. Right now, the group functions under KARE (Kinston Area Recovery Efforts) of Lenoir County. RISE has applied for its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, but must operate under a memorandum of understanding with an established nonprofit until then. Wynne says that process is in its end stages, and the group has received
large donations already, including $59,000 from a benefit concert at East Carolina University. With a new resource in the campground to help lodge volunteer groups, the group continues working on closing cases in the county, which includes financial help to families still struggling. For now, RISE says they’re in search of a construction manager to help coordinate building projects (“That has been holding up progress, it is keeping us from repairing homes,” Wynne notes). Of course, volunteers of all shapes and sizes are always needed. Much work remains to be
done. Wynne says that faith in God has motivated her, and the work being done has ratified that faith. Still, many lives in Jones County have not yet been made whole since the storm. “In some cases, it’s a lack of knowledge that anything is available to you, or it’s fear. But you can’t let that ‘no’ stop you,” Wynne says. “Life is not fair, but if we are not the type of people who can reach out to a neighbor, what do we have to carry with us at the end of it?” For more information on Jones County RISE, call 252-397-0336 or email jcwynne16@lenoircc.edu. SE
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Hollands Shelter Creek: from destruction to rebirth Story & Photos By Abby Cavenaugh One year ago, Hurricane Florence forever changed much of the landscape of Southeastern North Carolina. Landmark restaurant Hollands Shelter Creek outside Burgaw was one of the hardest hit businesses. In fact, for several months, its future was in question. Because it was located on a creek in rural Pender County, the flooding was extensive. “We had 12 feet of water,” owner Steve Holland recalls. “It went over the roof and knocked the building off its foundation.”
In October of last year, the building, which had been in the same location for 37 years, was demolished. It was a hard sight to take for many of the restaurant’s faithful customers. Not to mention Holland himself. The damage was irreparable this time, even though the old restaurant had survived other hurricanes, Fran, Floyd and Matthew. Florence was the one that dealt the death blow. “I was going to build back at the old site, but when you lose $1.5 million over 18 years, you decide maybe
you’ve got to move,” Holland says. “Plus, I’m getting ready to turn 72 years old. It’s kind of hard to start over at this point.” However, fate had other plans. They didn’t include Holland retiring. That’s just as well, because as Holland himself says, “I’ve been a worker all my life. I don’t know how to sit down and do nothing.” As it turns out, his old friend Mike Barnes had recently purchased some land in Holly Ridge, and suggested that Holland relocate the restaurant there.
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The site was most recently Bogey’s, a bar/nightclub, and before that, it had been everything from a barbecue house to a topless bar. The building was in rough shape when Barnes purchased it — the ceiling was caved in at one section, the walls were down to the studs ... in short, it was a mess. However, several months later, the building, located at 756 E. Ocean Highway in Holly Ridge, is practically an entirely new property. It’s literally lived up to its name: Hollands Shelter Creek II. It’s a sequel to the original, but like some Hollywood sequels, it’s bigger and better this time. Holland saved as much as
he could from the old restaurant — photos that hung on the walls, antiques that had been displayed in the dining room, even Frank, the giant brown bear that greeted customers for many years. The taxidermy bear went for a swim in Florence’s floodwaters, but Holland said that a friend who’s a taxidermist was able to repair Frank and he can continue to greet diners once more. The green metal roof from the old restaurant has also been repurposed as wainscoting throughout the restaurant. The walls are cypress, reminiscent of the original Hollands Shelter Creek. “I wanted it to look like the
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old store,” Holland says. When he first got into the business, Holland wasn’t particularly looking to start a restaurant that would become a draw for people from all over the state. “I was on Highway 53, looking for a lot on the creek,”
Holland recalls. “I was looking for a camp, where people could come fish and hunt. I stopped at a store there on the creek to ask for directions. We got to talking, and the guy there said, ‘how would you like to open your business here?’” Holland considered the man’s offer, and says he then spent the next 18 days watching how much traffic flowed by the store. “I realized I was gonna starve,” he jokes. However, things changed when Holland decided to buy pre-breaded seafood, cook it and sell it. “At that time, we only seated 18,” he says. “Then, we started having lines of people waiting to get in, so we added 50 seats. And then we expanded the kitchen.” The restaurant expanded several more times over the decades. At its largest, before Hurricane Florence, it was 6,000 square feet, included an attached gift shop and Holland estimates that it served 250,000 people a year. “We cooked about 40,000 pounds of shrimp a year,” Holland says. “We’re probably one of the largest suppliers of catfish and frog legs on the East Coast, and we were probably one of the most popular places to eat in that part of the county.” Customers came from all over to dine at Hollands Shelter Creek. Regulars came from surrounding communities like Pin Hook, Chinquapin, North-
east, Jacksonville, Wilmington and even as far as Raleigh to eat at Holland’s restaurant. Tourists from other states also came in droves. They’d visit Hollands Shelter Creek every time they were in town. Holland was very aware of his clientele — and very devoted to them. A lot of church groups would load up a bus to eat at Hollands Shelter Creek. Folks would hold class reunions there. It was a staple of Southeastern North Carolina culture, even though it was located in the middle of nowhere. Maybe because it was located in the middle of nowhere. Many of the restaurant’s
patrons are elderly, and that’s one of the reasons Holland says he’s kept his prices low, even when many seafood restaurants charge 30 bucks a meal for fresh seafood. “We’ve been able to serve so many senior citizens that couldn’t afford to eat anywhere else,” Holland says. “And we will keep doing that.” Hollands Shelter’s older customers are also one of the reasons he knew he couldn’t rebuild on the old site. “I would’ve had to build 12 feet in the air,” he says. “Older folks wouldn’t have been able to climb that high, and we serve too many customers to have an elevator.”
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While the original restaurant served a quarter of a million customers per year, Holland estimates that Hollands Shelter Creek II will serve 600,000. “There’s a much bigger population here,” he explains. “We used to be in the middle of nowhere. Now, we’re the gateway to Topsail Island.” Hollands Shelter Creek II reopened on July 29, at 7,600 square feet. The dining room is spacious, the kitchen is huge, and there is outdoor dining space as well, on a screened porch. A meeting room, decorated with taxidermy deer, will be able to accommodate special events and meetings. A tree in the backyard will be lit up with festive lights yearround. There’s a full bar, serving local beers from the Salty Turtle Brewery down the road, and wines from Duplin Winery. The decor is rustic, beachy and country all at the same time — like Holland himself, in that way. A large oyster shell from Stump Sound decorates the wall by the bar, and relics of Holland’s storied past can be found nearly everywhere you look. The walls by the restrooms remind customers of the damage done from Hurricanes Floyd and Matthew. The photos of the flooding also remind customers of the spirit of survival that this restaurant embodies. Though the future of the original Hollands Shelter Creek seemed dismal last fall, the revamped/renovated/rebuilt Hol-
lands Shelter Creek II is like the frog that decorates one of the restaurant’s logos on the sign out front: it just keeps hoppin’.
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Hollands Shelter Creek II is located at 756 E. Ocean Highway in Holly Ridge. The restaurant is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. The restaurant may be reached at 910-803-2224, or online at www.hollandsshelter.com. You can also like the Facebook page, @hollandsshelter. SE
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Big resurgence for small town Burgaw Story By Annesophia Richards According to American novelist Richard Russo, our country has always been a nation of small places, and as we lose them, we’re losing a part of ourselves. This sentiment rings true for many in Southeastern North Carolina, especially those who have come to know and love the quintessential small town of Burgaw in Pender County. With its rich history and charming, tightknit community, Burgaw, like so many other small towns across the country, represents a piece of classic Americana that’s slowly slipping away. One Wilmington resident hoping to revitalize Burgaw and bring the downtown area back to life is entrepreneur Richard Johnson. With his new initiative, Burgaw Now, Johnson is setting out to use his background in business and marketing, combined with his love for this endearing town, to help the downtown area flourish once again. Before his time in North Carolina, Johnson spent many years living outside of New
Photo/Abby Cavenaugh
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Photo Courtesy of Burgaw Now 28 | WWW.SENCMAGAZINE.WORDPRESS.COM | FALL 2019
York City, where he started his own headhunting firm before ultimately creating Hotjobs.com in 1996. After turning that business into the sixth-most recognized Internet brand in the world, Johnson sold his company to Yahoo in 2002 for over $400 million. Deciding to seek out a slowerpaced life, Johnson moved his family to the coastal town of Wilmington in 2005, where his focus became more on community and conservation missions. In 2014, Johnson purchased Penderlea Farms in Burgaw, a 550-acre piece of land that had once been used as a nursery. For him, the farm represented a place of solitude where he could take his family out to enjoy the land and the quiet. As he worked over the next few years to beautify the property, Johnson also found himself coming into the downtown area frequently. Having grown up in a small town in Pennsylvania, Johnson fell in love with Burgaw from the moment he first visited. He immediately saw the amount of potential the quaint area possessed, a true representation of small town Americana with warm, welcoming people and true Southern charm. However, he also noticed an increase in the number of vacant buildings each time he came through, as more and more businesses continued to close up shop. The town center seemed to be moving out to the highway and toward the
fast food restaurants and gas stations, rather than holding onto the “mom and pop” vibe in the historic downtown area. “When you look at a town like Burgaw, you see that it really has suffered like many small towns in the country,” says Johnson. “The story of Burgaw is really the story of a lot of small towns in America, the vibrancy they once had, and the suffering they’re now going through. Despite that, Burgaw still has these great bones and this strong sense of community.” Retired superior court judge and town native Gary Trawick has lived in Burgaw for three-quarters of a century. He agrees with Johnson’s sentiment and believes that what makes his hometown so special is its people. He says that having witnessed the downtown area’s deterioration first-hand has been especially difficult. “I’ve held court in every county of North Carolina, and to go into the downtown areas of small towns across our state and see the vacant buildings and the tired look of those remaining makes me sad,” says Trawick. “In my imagination, I can see them as they once were — busy, vibrant, and alive. To come home and see it happening to my town makes me even sadder.” Wanting to turn the tide away from the town’s decline, Johnson set out to see what he could do to help reinvigorate the downtown district. He created Burgaw Now, a campaign
focused on promoting Burgaw and all it has to offer. “Our goal is to bring new businesses in and work very closely with them,” says Burgaw Now operations manager Katherine Stockhecker. “We want to think carefully about what the town wants and not just come in as outsiders and decide what Burgaw needs, but really listen to the people in the town.” In addition to being a residential community, Burgaw is also the government center of the county. Johnson’s current focus is on increasing relationships with many of the town’s pillars. Through conversations with the mayor, the local tourism board, chamber
of commerce, and various shop owners, he hopes to continue an open dialogue to ensure a common goal. “We want to help the development of the town, but not just development for development’s sake,” says Stockhecker. “We want to maintain the essence of the town while helping its business owners, because the more thriving businesses there are, the better for everyone.” Burgaw Now recently purchased five buildings, two of which are currently being renovated to be rented by two new downtown restaurants. Fat Daddy’s Pizza, located at 103 West Fremont Street, is slated to open in late fall,
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Photo/ Abby Cavenaugh while Burgaw Brewing Co., located at 103 South Wright St., will open next spring. Johnson is currently renting out two of the other buildings to the county for use as a temporary courthouse and offices while the town’s iconic courthouse undergoes renovations from damage caused by Hurricane Florence. “The value of a building is what you do inside of it,” says Johnson. “Right now we don’t have people coming to downtown Burgaw looking for somewhere to eat. If we can keep the character of these 100-year-old buildings and restore them, my bet is that as the population moves further
out of Wilmington, people who are in a five-mile radius of Burgaw will want to go downtown and have a nice meal.” In addition to affordable lease pricing, Burgaw Now is helping these first two businesses with their startup costs in order to get them up and running. The organization will also help the restaurants with marketing, using social media and its website, burgawnow. org. “Richard’s background is in marketing and selling ideas, so we’re using those same skill sets and applying them to something that’s more socially oriented,” says Stockhecker. The Burgaw Now blog and website aim to highlight down-
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town businesses that already exist, as well as showcase the interesting pockets of people and business owners with deep roots in the community. The site features videos and stories about places such as Harrell’s, a department store owned and operated by the Harrell family for 116 years, as well as people such as Ideal Barber Shop owner Ray Rivenbark, who has been cutting hair at the same barber chair since 1966. The Burgaw Now campaign hopes to share the significance and history behind these and other downtown Burgaw staples. “Burgaw doesn’t have a river, an ocean, or a mountain to draw people in, so for the downtown to regain its vitality,
it must create its own atmosphere,” says Trawick. “The Burgaw Now campaign is an opportunity to showcase the possibilities when private business and government cooperate to create the best for a town.” Johnson’s vision for the future is that Burgaw will be seen as a bustling, exciting place full of art and culture, but that still holds on to its small-town America vibe. By attracting new businesses to intermingle with what’s already there, Burgaw Now hopes to bring vibrancy and new life back to the downtown district. “We want Burgaw to be a great place for people to live, work, and play, as well as a
destination for people from Wilmington to come visit for a night out or the weekend,” says Stockhecker. “We want to create places for people to shop, eat, and gather together with others in their community.” Although Burgaw Now is currently a private entity, Johnson’s goal is to turn his initiative into a nonprofit foundation. The organization will then be able to use fundraising to provide grants to small business owners in the area and help more social projects that are aligned with bettering the town. This November, the campaign plans to sponsor a popup kitchen at the train depot in collaboration with chef Dean
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‘Back Door Kitchen Tour’ provides unique look at historic Wilmington homes
T
ake a peek behind the doors of nine Historic Downtown Wilmington homes during the 13th Annual Back Door Kitchen Tour on Saturday, Oct. 12. Ticket holders are invited to “come through the back door” and get a closer look at the cooking and living arrangements in a variety of home settings. Docents will be on hand to explain the history, unique features, and the renovations that have shaped the homes over the years. The oldest home on the tour was built in 1810. All but two of the homes were built in the 1800s. Architectural styles range from Greek Revival and 2nd French Empire to a standalone kitchen house. Though the homes have been renovated, they retain many original features, such as heart-of-pine floors, fireplaces, exposed brickwork, and period moldings. Tour tickets are $30 and include a keepsake brochure with a short description of each home and its location. Most homes are a walkable distance within the downtown area. A free trolley that makes frequent stops throughout downtown is also available. The Back Door Kitchen Tour
SE PICKS: Historical Tours New Bern’s Heritage Homes Tour Hosted by the New Bern Historical Society, this annual self-guided tour includes properties in five historic neighborhoods, complete with costumed historical characters, heritage gardening demonstrations, and more. The 2019 tour was held in April; details for the 2020 event have not yet been announced. newbernhistorical.org
Historic Beaufort Walking Tour
is presented by Residents of Old Wilmington. ROW is a non-profit, all-volunteer, community organization. Proceeds from the Back Door Kitchen Tour fund projects and grants to restore, preserve, and improve Historic Downtown Wilmington. To learn more about ROW, visit www.RoWilmington.org. The tour will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are available through Oct. 11 at The Ivy Cottage (3020 Market St.) and Cape Fear Spice Merchants (20 Market St.), and at area Harris Teeter stores. Tickets may also be purchased in advance via the ROW website at www.rowilmington.org. SE
Touted as an easy walking tour for all ages, this tour allows visitors to discover the historic homes in Beaufort that once belonged to the town’s earliest sea captains, seafarers, and merchants. There are about 285 historic homes in the district; of these, many date back to the late 1700s. Tickets are $20. More information on this and other Beaufort-area tours can be found at hungrytowntours.com.
Liberty Hall: History from the Grave Liberty Hall in Kenansville will host a most unusual outdoor tour on October 26 from 6:309:30 p.m. Following a guide, visitors can stroll the grounds and visit with members of the Kenan family dating from 1736 until 1906, when the house was closed due to Annie Kenan’s death. Tickets are $5 per person and will be sold at the event. libertyhallnc.org
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Mr. Fayetteville (and surrounding areas)
WKML Drive-time personality has been staple of region for 30 years Story By Michael Jaenicke Don Chase answers when he’s called a deejay, emcee, drive-time personality, community volunteer or the husband of former news anchor Debbie Tana Chase. God, country music, family, the military, fans and the common man‘s woes rank high on his talking-points list, which also includes a good joke or anecdote. His often-funny, sometime seri-
ous, always entertaining conversations with audiences are heard in Robeson, Bladen, Scotland and Cumberland counties, into the greater Raleigh area, down to Myrtle Beach, S.C., and up and down the North Carolina coast. This fall, Chase celebrates 30 years of morning chatter at WKML 95.7 FM, a 100,000-watt regional radio station that is one of Beasley
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Broadcasting’s gems. His appeal runs from truck drivers to housewives, to country fans to city and government officials, to his contemporaries. His appeal over the past three decades has made him one of — if not the — most recognizable names in a colorful military city that has a bustling, robust and revitalized downtown area.
So to label him Mr. Fayetteville would not be a far stretch for a source the public sees as informative, trustworthy and lovable, while also showing off his offbeat sense of humor. “Early in my career, Larry Law dubbed me the radio mayor of Fayetteville,” Chase said with his trademark laugh that leaves you waiting for his next thought. “That’s hard to live up to.” Law, a key racetrack promoter during racing’s big years in the state, wasn’t far off in donning Chase to a people’s choice voice for the region. Yet while Chase talks a lot, he always knows when to put spaces between his thoughts. Give people openings. But he’s also there to contribute or turn a negative into a positive and frowns upsidedown — if only for a short time. Fair or not, he’s probably as or more recognizable than any top general at Fort Bragg, voted-in politician or sports star. In 30-plus years he’s had six radio partners while also handling the mic by himself many years. He’s survived morning zoo trends, station cutbacks, automation, and remained a favorite voice of the public, which increasingly demands new, improved and different content. Chase has thrived as a radio and public voice that penetrates beyond his “never-met-someonehe-didn’t-like” calling card. His sidekick for the past three years has been Sara Weaver, a much younger announcer who came to the WKML from a military move.
WKML Team Don Chase and Sara Weaver.
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Left: A fan, country music icon Reba McEntire and Don Chase in the 1990s. Middle: Black River's Sarah Darling poses with WKML/Fayetteville staffers bac and PD/MD DeanO. Right: A WKML fan, country singer Lorrie Morgan and Don Chase. “Next to my wife she’s the best morning partner ever,” Chase said. While this sounds like a standard, Chase has a way of conveying it with so much sincerity that honesty ripped through the seams of his thought. His sidekick for the past two years has been Sara Weaver, a much younger announcer who came to the WKML due to a military move. Chasing a dream Chase grew up in Bladenboro, a small town in the farmlands of Bladen County, and began in broadcasting when Al Kahn, who owned WAGR-AM. and WJSKFM in Lumberton, gave him a shot behind the mic. The gig was his audition for a bigger market and Chase said goodbye to his training to become an electrical engineer through Southeastern Community College. Chase’s people skills were motoring his career. He discovered the end of the rainbow and it would provide radiant radio light for listeners in
a growing market period, 1980 to 2000. Regional station manager Danny Highsmith, who has been in radio for nearly a half-century, said Chase has the same appreciation for his job as the day he was hired. “He wrote me a note last week saying how he felt like he won the lottery when he came here to work at KML,” Highsmith said. “But really we were the winners and so were the people of all these counties because people gravitate toward him. Everyone knows him. He’s a top-notch person and talented radio man and he knows his audience.” Chase and WKML have traveled many highways together and have been major players in an annual fundraiser for St. Jude Hospital that has banked more than $4 million for the research facility and children’s hospitals it funds. “Almost $200,000 in two days for this market size is simply crazy and amazing,” Chase said. “And each year it’s always one of the highlights.”
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The station also promotes a concert where Nashville songwriters come and perform the songs singers from Music Row put on the charts — an event called Stars and Guitars. Then there are his many public appearances and shout-outs to firemen, church groups, clubs and civic groups, music fans and callers from all over the region who want to talk or play in radio contests, possibly for tickets but definitely to be in the presence of Chase. Let’s talk Chase, 58, met Weaver, a Fayetteville newcomer via Fort Bragg, four years ago while working together at an event. The combo is a hit as a veteran broadcaster is refreshed by a perky young rising colleague, giving the Regis Philbin-Kathie Lee Gifford model a much needed makeover. “That dynamic itself and our chemistry actually works so well,” Weaver said. “People see our differences and our similarities, and for me the almost dad-daughter
ckstage at the station's St. Jude Big Heart Bash last week, where she performed. Pictured (l-r) are PM driver Larry K. Smith, AM driver Don Chase, Darling relationship. I had always done mid-day so he’s taught me a lot. I try to take as much as I can from him, realizing I have such a great broadcaster and genuine gentleman entertainer.” Paul Johnson, a former station manger at WKML who now hosts the drive-time slot on Beasley Broadcasting’s Sunny AM 94.3, works the same shift as Chase. The two have been close friends for 25 years. Johnson’s first year at Beasley was Chase’s 15th. No one knows Chase better, aside from his wife. Johnson said Chase’s work ethic was once larger than his talent. “First off, he’s the glue at WKML all these years,” Johnson said “It’s the trust factor and personality and his consistency over time that make him lovable. “When I got there it was sort of my job to keep him. He had gotten a few nibbles from (bigger) stations. So Beasley did what it could to raise the ante.” Yet Chase never wanted to wander. “Well, turns out Don found the
spiritual reward for the way he does his job,” Johnson said. “And that more than anythings is why he’s still here. And what makes it work is Don’s genuine desire to be a friend to every listener.” Positivity and acceptance, two big character traits of Chase, feed his aura. “He never says a bad word about anyone and that takes a lot of discipline,” Johnson said. “And he lives by that credo in his life. He brings an optimism, which he turns into useful things on the air.” Johnson few people have seen Chase “work his craft.” Johnson said he remembers morning shows where Chase would “answer phones between breaks and have a talk show in the studio with people over the phone.” “He’s still where he is because he loves the people he serves,” Johnson said. Staying the course While some people are amazed by his longevity in the regional market, Chase, who has no plans of retiring, is sort of like the
moniker his station throws around from time to time, calling WKML a “heritage station” because it has stuck to its morals and format — God, country music, family, community. “They’re going to take me out of the KML studio in a body bag,” he jokes. “It just won’t happen anytime soon. I take nothing for granted each and every day. So why in the world would I want to give up this little piece of heaven? Radio is the same in Fayetteville, N.C., as it is in Fayetteville, Ark. “It’s beyond humbling to talk and work have the good people of this region with a WKML base. They gave me an opportunity of a lifetime.” Chase has been gratefully and gracefully showing his appreciation through his work with his audience, who are “his people, his radio neighbors.” “Lots of people grab the brass ring but few can hold it for 30 years,” Johnson said. “He’s been my best buddy and everybody’s best friend for a long time.” Three decades and counting. SE
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Harry Potter’s Quidditch flies in to Goldsboro Story By Lauren Branch • Photos Courtesy of U.S. Quidditch North Carolina was chosen to be the 2019 host city for the U.S. Quidditch Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship. After competing with many other cities, Goldsboro was the lucky winner, and town officials and residents alike are excited to bring such a unique sport to town. The tournaments will be on November 9-10 of this year and November 14-15, 2020. But what is Quidditch? Both the name and the actual game itself, at first sight, may seem like gibberish and chaos to some, but as you learn more about it, you find it to be very systematic. The game is a mixed gender sport that is played on broomsticks. It combines portions of different games such as rugby, dodgeball, soccer, and tag. Seven players per team play on a field very similar to a soccer field. Most sports only have one ball in play at a time, but Quidditch has four. So as you can imagine, it takes concentration and the ability to focus on multiple aspects at the same time to play this sport. If you have never picked up a JK Rowling book, you may not be familiar with the World
of Wizardry that fans are so in tune with. Rowling invented the game in her internationally known series, Harry Potter. The seven-book series has been breaking records since the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, came out in 2001. Translated into 67 different languages, Harry Potter has become a worldwide phenomenon, selling 450 million copies and making JK Rowling the first billionaire author. So, perhaps it should come as no surprise that two Millberry College freshmen and super fans decided to bring the game to life, organizing a match for themselves and their friends. Xander Manshel and Alex Benepe brought a new experience to not only their own college but surrounding schools as students from various colleges began to organize Quidditch matches. By October 2005, the first rulebook was created, and the first official game was played. Since then, the game has evolved into an international sport that is played all over the U.S. and the world. This year marks 14 years that Quidditch has been played, and there are
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currently 164 teams registered for the 2019 season. Not all teams are at the college level. U.S. Quidditch (USQ) also includes high school, recreational, and both official and non-official club teams that compete over a year-long season. Seven regional tournaments are held each year, and regional winners will participate in the annual U.S. Quidditch Cup, which will be held in Charleston, South Carolina April 18-19, 2020. Goldsboro will be hosting the Mid-Atlantic teams, which consist of teams from not only North Carolina, but also states such as Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and West Virginia. There are five registered teams in N.C., located in Boone, Apex, Chapel Hill, Durham, and Sylva. So why was Goldsboro chosen to be the host city if there are no local teams in the area?
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Internet Photo Left: Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter during a Quidditch match in one of the eight films made from the seven-book worldwide phenomenon Harry Potter series by author JK Rowling. Right: The basics on Quidditch, from the U.S. Quidditch media guide. One of USQ’s goals is to help spread awareness for the sport in areas where it may not be as popular, so organizers look for new cities to host events each year. Also, cities are able to put in bids to USQ if they feel their city would be a good fit. Felicia Brown, interim director of Parks and Recreation in Goldsboro, said she was familiar with USQ and its growing popularity, which is why they decided to put in a bid for this year. She said she believed it is more popular on the West Coast and is now moving east, and she wanted to make sure Goldsboro was ahead of the curve. On June 19 of this year, the USQ organizing team visited Goldsboro and spent a day touring what the city had to offer, and were very pleased when they left. Brown stated, “I definitely think they were impressed with our Bryan Multi-Sports Complex and the area it is in. One person in the group made a comment that other facilities they have been to and were considering were big open spaces like on farmland.” Goldsboro was different because it was close to the heart of
thriving downtown Goldsboro and surrounding areas. So it is good for the tournament to get the word out about Quidditch, and it was good for the teams because there would be lots for players and visitors to do outside of the games. Making guests feel welcomed is important to this Air Force community. Josie Jenkins, communications manager for the Goldsboro-Wayne County Travel and Tourism office, agrees. “Definitely, I would say it was our facility, the place, and the hospitality.” One thing that Goldsboro Parks and Rec has planned for USQ is a player party, which will give players a chance to mix and mingle and also enjoy the city of Goldsboro. “We want to make sure we are catering to the players needs and wants as well,” says Brown. When Brown brought up the idea for the party, the USQ guests were eager to hear more, because in 14 years, no other host city has ever brought up the idea. This is the first time USQ has held their regional games in North Carolina, and Goldsboro
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is expecting around 25 teams and 500 spectators. As a result, steps are being taken to ensure Goldsboro is prepared for the influx of people. “One of the things that we are preparing for is reaching out to hotels to give them a heads up,” says Brown. “We expect the hotels to be at capacity. We are getting the word out to restaurants also so that they will be prepared for it.” Although Wayne County may be new to hosting an event like Quidditch, the diversity of the activities going on throughout the county continues to grow. Brown says she believes that Goldsboro is becoming more diverse, but has always had an element of diversity due to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base brining airmen in from all over the world. This unique sport will no doubt bring a different brand of fun and excitement to the city. For more information, visit www.usquidditch.org. Or, you could also read (or re-read) the Harry Potter series. SE
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Kinston high school was at forefront of Civil Rights Movement Story By Abby Cavenaugh “Carolyn Coefield has lost her red pocketbook.” That was the code Adkin High School students heard announced over the P.A. system — their signal that the walkout in November 1951 was a go. Quietly and orderly, the students gathered their things and walked out of the school, a peaceful protest to the discrimination they felt was coming from the school board. The seniors of the Class of 1952 had organized the walkout themselves just before Thanksgiving break, without any adult supervision, or the adults even having knowledge. “There was nothing they could do to the teachers or the principal because they were not privy to what we were doing,” said Charles Coward, one of the students who participated in the walkout. The walkout at the allblack Adkin High School preceded many of the events that signified the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. “I mean, they were high school students from Kinston,” said Holly Holder, a Kinston native and Duke University student who wrote, directed and produced a documentary film on the walkout, titled “Little Red
Pocketbook.” “I’d never considered change coming from high school students in Kinston.” Dr. Rita Joyner, also a Kinston native, wrote her dissertation on racial segregation in the South, and discovered the story of the walkout during her research. “I was born and raised in Kinston,” she said, “and I never learned about it in history class, or even as an adult. It preceded Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954, it was before Rosa Parks sat on that bus.” The students, who were part of the Class of 1952, organized the walkout in social studies class, after learning about employee-led strikes against auto companies. That gave them the idea for the walkout, and they quietly planned it, gradually letting other students at the school in on their secret. When they walked out of the school, the older students put the junior high students in the middle, to protect them, Joyner said. The walkout was in protest to the Kinston School Board’s refusal to give Adkin High School needed funding. “We were overcrowded,” Coward said. “I was in a class with 42 students at one time. We didn’t have a library, the library was just a converted classroom. We
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didn’t have a cafeteria. We also used a classroom for that. The only gymnasium we had was one that the carpentry students built themselves.” The students had to use hand-me-down textbooks from the other high school in town, all-white Grainger High School. The final straw for the Adkin students came when their requested funding for a new building, gymnasium and vocational facilities were denied, yet again. “My first reaction was that I was astonished that it was student-led,” Joyner said. “It was in their social studies class that they realized they had to do something. It was a peaceful protest.” “We walked out, and we did it in a peaceful manner,” Coward said. “We walked from Adkin to Queen Street. People looked at us, but nobody said anything.” Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, the Kinston Free Press reported the next day: “The parade down Queen Street Tuesday could have easily precipitated a riot and it certainly could set back the progress that the Negroes are making in this community for many years.” “There was no fear in any of us,” Coward said. “It was actually elation.”
Adkin High School Yearbook Photo Some of the students of Adkin High School in Kinston are shown in this yearbook photo from 1952. Seniors at the school organized a peaceful protest in the form of a walkout in November of 1951. The students returned to school the following Monday, after Thanksgiving break, and in a surprise move, the school board approved their request for a new gymnasium. “Adkin changed the course of history in Kinston forever,” Holder said. Holder said she learned about the walkout from her father, who is a history teacher. “Every time it’s been brought up, people don’t know about it,” she said. “It’s exciting for people to realize that this happened in our own backyard.”
Joyner said that she’s pleased Holder created the documentary, so that more people can learn about their own local history. “I am glad that she took it upon herself to choose that topic,” Joyner said. “It is going to raise awareness of the walkout, and the history of Adkin High School and Kinston.” Since writing her dissertation, Joyner has joined the Adkin High School Alumni and Friends Association, even though she never attended. Adkin had closed its doors in 1970, under the
weight of desegregation, and Joyner graduated from Kinston High School in 1980. “This Class of ’52, I don’t think they really grasped the historical significance of what they did,” Joyner said. “They didn’t do it for any kind of fortune and fame.” Holder said that when she made her film, the Adkin alumni were “unbelievably welcoming.” “It was my job to earn their trust,” she said. “It’s important to remind myself that this is 100 percent their story. And this story is so much of a gem. It touches people.”
FALL 2019 | WWW.SENCMAGAZINE.WORDPRESS.COM | 45
Above, some of the seniors of the Class of 1952. Below, student filmmaker Holly Holder in downtown Kinston. Left, a front-page editorial from the Kinston Free Press regarding the Adkin High School walkout.
Photo/Abby Cavenaugh
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Holder’s film has since been screened at a number of film festivals throughout North Carolina, as well as festivals in Texas and even London, England. “I think it’s important to highlight stories that aren’t in textbooks,” Holder added. “I want to shine a light and share the stories of where I call home.” Coward summed it all up with this: “It’s important that our young people know that we fought, when the odds were so much against us.” For more information about the Adkin High School Walkout, or to view Holder’s film, visit http://adkinhighwalkout. weebly.com/.
Photo Courtesy of adkinhighwalkout.weebly.com Above, the original Adkin High School building in Kinston. The school was the first all-black high school east of Raleigh, and was open from 1928-1970. Below, while the original building has since been demolished, a portion of what was once Adkin High School is now home to the Adkin High School Alumni and Friends Association.
SE
Photo/Abby Cavenaugh FALL 2019 | WWW.SENCMAGAZINE.WORDPRESS.COM | 47
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• • • • •
Barn Quilt Trail NC Justice Academy Coharie Intra-Tribal Council Sampson History Museum Village Victor R. Small House
414 Warsaw Rd. Clinton, NC | (910) 592-2557 | www.visitsampsonnc.com 48 | WWW.SENCMAGAZINE.WORDPRESS.COM | FALL 2019
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North Carolina
Our corner of North Carolina offers much more than just scenic beauty... Here are some great places you can appreciate for the good food, good times, history, and old-fashioned SENC hospitality!
travel
ROSE HILL
P lanner LENOIR COUNTY
The
NORTH CAROLINA
P O U L T RY JUBILEE R O S E
H I L L
The CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center offers state of the art exhibits that invite visitors to larn about the ironclad gunboat. The Confederate Navy launched the Neuse in al ill-fated attempt to gain control of the lower Neuse River and the occupied city of New Bern.
SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 3
www.nchistoricsites.org/neuse
FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY NOVEMBER 1ST & 2ND WING COOK-OFF • FRIED CHICKEN LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT • CARNIVAL RIDES ARTS • CRAFTS & MORE!
510 E. MAIN STREET, ROSE HILL WWW.NCPOULTRYJUBILEE.COM LENOIR COUNTY
See the world’s only full-size replica of a Confederate Ironclad.
SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 20 3 www.cssneuseii.org
BEULAVILLE
Kinston-Lenoir County
Visitor & Information Center
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
“Make us your first stop in Lenoir County”
No matter how you slice it...
PIZZA VILLAGE Is Still Beulaville’s Favorite Restaurant!
101 East New Bern Rd., Kinston, NC 252-522-0004
Kinston-Lenoir County
Parks & Recreation Department
Daily Lunch Buffet, Monday ~ Saturday
2602 W. Vernon Ave., Kinston, NC
811 W. Main Street 910-298-3346
252-939-3332
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North Carolina
Movies under the stars: Tabor City’s drive-in
T
Story By Abby Cavenaugh | Photos Courtesy of Sherry Barnes hey once dotted the proceeds to the Harvest Table the landscape food pantry in Whiteville. Movies are $10 for adults, $8 in almost every small town, but for seniors and veterans, and $5 for today, drive- children ages 5-12. Movie-goers can also bring their in theaters are more of a relic own cooler or food and drinks for an of the past additional $10 charge. “All of our real superheroes — than part of our economy’s EMS, fire/rescue and police — are present and honored with a special rate,” Barnes said, adding that an ID is required to future. Sherry Barnes of Tabor City has receive the “superhero” discount. “I’ve had customers tell me things set out to change all that. She opened the Stateline Movie Time drive-in like, ‘My kids can come out and enjoy this and I don’t have to worry theater in February of this year. “It’s kind of a one-woman show aout where they’re at,’” Barnes said. The entire family can enjoy a night right now,” Barnes said. “I do have out at the movies at the Stateline — volunteers who help me out a lot.” When asked why she chose the even the four-legged members of the location outside Tabor City, near the family. Pets are welcome, as long as North-South Carolina line, Barnes they are on a leash, like the potbellied said, “I just decided — well, God pig pictured below. “It’s just a family, Christian place,” decided — that I should have a Barnes added. family business out here.” For the most current listings Though drive-ins may seem nostalgic or even antiquated, Barnes of movies playing at the Stateline strives to show as many new and and other events going on at the drive-in theater, visit the website at current movies as possible. On the theater’s website, she statelinemovietime.com/. SE describes the experience as: “Nostalgic movies in the comfort of your cars or under the stars.” She also taught herself how to run the projector, which connects to three laptop computers. “I learned in three months,” she said. “I’m told it usually takes 18 months.” In addition to the movies, which begin at sunset, there’s a play place for kids and other activities. There’s also a fire pit for roasting hot dogs and marshmallows on those chilly fall nights. A Halloween haunted trail is planned, as well as future concerts by some big-name country music acts. She also sells concessions, donating 50 | WWW.SENCMAGAZINE.WORDPRESS.COM | FALL 2019
FALL 2019 | WWW.SENCMAGAZINE.WORDPRESS.COM | 51
Life insurance is more than a policy, it’s a promise. (910)296-1486 www.ncfbins.com Matt McNeill
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Agent Matt McNeill Kenansville
LUTCF Agency Manager
Brad Rhodes Agent Kenansville
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Agent Kenansville nicholas.bell@ncfbins.com
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Elvis Tucker Agent Beulaville elvis.tucker@ncfbins.com
Duplin County Farm Bureau
308 N. Main Street • Kenansville, NC 28349 151 Crossover Road • Beulaville, NC 28518 THIS ARTWORK CANNOT BE ALTERED, REVISED, RESIZED OR REBUILT BEYOND CHANGING THE AGENT PHOTO OR CONTACT INFO. CONTACT MADGENIUS WITH ANY QUESTIONS AT COOP@MADGENIUSINC.COM
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