Eastern Living - March 2019

EASTERN

LIVING N O RT H

C A R O L I N A

Bobbie Parker: Community Activist

Sharon Slade: Lifelong Educator

Joella Brown: Athletic Director

Women Take the Lead: A Celebration of Women’s History Month

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LET’S EXPLORE.

WE COVER THE PLACES YOU KNOW & LOVE AND THE PLACES YOU SHOULD GO & LOVE!

o rt f u a e B

Gates

4

PG. 34

o nG.26 P

B e rt i e

Halifax

PG.10

Hyde

N o rt h a m p t

PG.22

PG. 42

H e rt f o r d

PG. 52

M a rt i n

Tyrrell

Edgecomb

PG. 38

PG. 14

Nash

e

PG. 6

PG. 30

PG.

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Washingto

nPG. 48

FEATURES

IMPORTANT WOMEN IN 58. 12 NC HISTORY

Meet women who shaped our state

ON THE C OV E R

BEAR FESTIVAL IN

64. PLYMOUTH

Annual festival slated for June

Angela Bryant is leaving a lasting legacy from her years of service. Photo by Adam Jennings

66. MESSAGE OF EASTER

Eastern NC tradition continues for 40th year

70. OUT & ABOUT Events happening in and around the 12 counties

VOL. 11, NO. 2 MARCH 2019 STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS Publisher

Staff

Kyle Stephens

Gene Metrick

kstephens@ncweeklies.com

gmetrick@rmtelegram.com

Editor

jgreen@ncweeklies.com

Jim Green

74.

VIEWS FROM OUR 12

Tarboro High School claims NCHSAA football championship

76.

ALL IN A DAY’S TRIP Meet quaint downtown Hillsborough

Thadd White twhite@ncweeklies.com Creative Services Director Michelle Leicester mleicester@ncweeklies.com Layout & Design Becky Wetherington beckyweth@gmail.com

80.

TIGHT LINES

Luper claims top prize in annual shad contest

82. GRANDMA’S KITCHEN Grandma teaches her children to cook

Advertising Executives Lou Ann Van Landingham

Deborah Griffin dgriffin@ncweeklies.com Lindell Jon Kay lkay@rmtelegram.com Amelia Harper lharper@rmtelegram.com Sarah Hodges Stalls shstalls@ncweeklies.com Jenny White jwhite0225@gmail.com Editorial Contributors

lavan@ncweeklies.com

Corrine Luthy

Jessica Mobley

Sandy Carawan

jmobley@ncweeklies.com

Doward Jones Jr.

Lewis Smith

Janice Hopkins

lsmith@rmtelegram.com

Sylvia Hughes

North Carolina’s

J.W. “Russ” Russell Jr.

Rick Goines

84. MARK IT!

Chowan University is a historic part of state history

86. BIOGRAPHY “Miss Daisy” was driving force for children

Eastern Living Magazine

Sarah Davis

P.O. Box 69, Windsor, NC 27983

Leslie Beachboard

252-794-3185

Tom Harrison

twhite@ncweeklies.com

Meghan Grant

North Carolina's Eastern Living Magazine is published by APG Media Eastern NC, and is a subsidiary of the Bertie Ledger-Advance, Martin County Enterprise & Weekly Herald, Tarboro Weekly and Rocky Mount Telegram.

5

edgecombe county

Story by Amelia Harper

Dr. Valerie Bridges Superintendent of Schools

E Dr.

dgecombe County Public Schools’

schools as a high school teacher, middle

newest superintendent is the first

school assistant principal and elementary

woman to serve in that role in the

principal.

county.

Valerie

is

well-qualified

in business administration from Meredith

for the position. She served as associate

Public Schools, and I hope not to be the

College. For several years, she worked as an

superintendent in Edgecombe County Public

last,” Bridges said. “This is my sophomore

accountant and an auditor for the state of

Schools for more than four years before

year as superintendent. I am proud to serve

North Carolina.

assuming the mantle of leadership.

our community, excited about the plethora

Prior to that, she served as an assistant in

Edgecombe

and

of

Edgecombe

Carolina at Wilmington and a master’s degree

County

superintendent

superintendent

Bridges earned her bachelor’s degree in accountancy from the University of North

“I am excited to be the first female

Bridges

education.

of community support and hopeful for our students’ bright future.”

She was on a successful career track when a new passion changed her plans.

“I really credit my mother for inspiring me

Washington county schools. She has also

Bridges’ passion for students and education

to enter into the field of education,” Bridges

worked in Guilford and Wake county public

is clear. But she did not start her career in

said. “She was a teacher, and I would often bring my kids to her classroom when I was working. I found myself spending more and more time in her classroom. My mother would pique the interest of those students and they were enthralled by her. The way she was able to help those students learn and develop appealed to me. I decided I wanted to do something that would make a difference in children’s live as well.”

However,

serving

as

a

school

superintendent is a new kind of challenge.

“I am aware that being the first female superintendent is a challenge, but I refuse to Dr. Valerie Bridges, center, receives congratulations from Edgecombe County Clerk of Court Carol Allen White after taking the superintendent’s oath for Edgecombe County Public Schools on Thursday at the Edgecombe County Public Schools Central Services building in Tarboro. White administered the oath to Bridges. At Bridges’ side is her husband Ronald Bridges.

6

Thankful for community support

embrace challenges — I work through and around them,” Bridges stressed. “My family raised me to believe that I could do and be anything that I desired. Therefore, my gender has never been a barrier, but instead I use my gender as a bridge to success regardless of my career choice.”

The biggest challenge, she said, is balancing work and family while still taking time to care for herself. That is hard when a leader cares passionately about the people she leads.

“I believe that a caring person — woman or man — can bring a sense of team and a family atmosphere to any organization,” she said. “When you treat people well and care about them and their individual lives, it makes a difference. I’m a mom, wife, grandmother, daughter, sister and friend.

“Leading the school system means knowing when to be “THE” leader and when to be “A” leader, but never forgetting to love and care about the people you lead,” Bridges said.

Bridges said she can succeed in her role because of the support of members of the community.

“The community support in Edgecombe County is heartfelt. Every day, I am inspired by our community’s genuine care and concern for our students, and their resilient belief in a better tomorrow. Edgecombe County is a wonderful place to raise a family, engage in the community and make a positive difference,” Bridges said.

Amelia Harper is a Staff Writer for the Rocky Mount Telegram.

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gates county

Story by Sarah Davis Photos by Sarah Hodges Stalls

Edith Seiling Modest Motivator

A

sk anyone in Gates County about Edith Holmes Freeman Seiling, and one would immediately hear her praises sung in every aspect of Gates County life.

But ask Edith Seiling about herself, and you hear nothing because she is reticent to talk about herself, even demurely denying some of the labels others put on her.

When called an artist, she says, “Oh, I’m not an artist.”

10

But her home is beautifully appointed with her art from lamps to paintings to china to trash cans, as are the homes of her children, Peggy and Billy.

A certified member of the Albemarle Craftsman Guild, she often worked in decoupage before taking up painting, beginning with china painting at age 65.

When asked what led her to painting, especially at an age when many would put down rather than take up a brush, she

explained she had a need, and she found the best way to meet that need was to do it herself.

A broken globe on a lamp needed to be replaced, and when she could find no one else to do it, she began taking china painting lessons, journeying to Virginia Beach every Monday for 10 years to take classes.

She also works in acrylics, and in the summer of 2018, she entered the Community Art Exhibit at Chowan University, winning honorable mention for

her painting “Young Lady.”

Currently exhibiting at Studio 32 in Sunbury along with her daughter and granddaughter, she continues working weekly, joining other artists every Tuesday morning for painting sessions in her garage.

Born Jan. 9, 1919, on the Virginia side of the state line, Edith – named for her father’s sister – spent her early years in Gates County, attending school at Reynoldson Institute and Gates High, from which she graduated

100 and still going strong as salutatorian at age 16.

She then demonstrated her independent streak, choosing not to follow in the footsteps of her Chowan-alumnae mother but instead journeying to Raleigh to attend Meredith College. There she graduated with a degree in biology and chemistry.

Eschewing the often-chosen careers of women in the 1930s of nurse, secretary or teacher, she went even farther from home for school in Louisville, Kentucky, graduating from the State Board of Health School of the University of Louisville, with a fifth-year degree in medical technology and radiology.

After working in Indiana and Clinch Valley, Virginia, she returned to more familiar territory, working at Suffolk’s Lakeview Hospital (later Obici).

After a brief stint in Pennsylvania in 1945 as the new bride of a Pennsylvania-born, Norfolk-stationed Navy man, she returned to Gates County with her husband, Frank Seiling, and for more than 70 years has provided its citizens with continual and continuous leadership.

As the first attendance supervisor for Gates County Schools, following the 1963 funding by the state legislature of a law enacted in 1936, she visited the first family assigned to her because the children were not attending school.

Finding them playing in the woods, she quickly realized why they were not attending school: They were naked – they had no clothes for play or school.

She soon remedied that situation and for many years helped students who would otherwise not have been able to attend school.

As one of the former teachers at Buckland Elementary School said, “If a child had a need, I quietly told Miss Edith, and she quietly met the need ... always.”

Many of those students sought her out in later years, thanking her for what she did for them, explaining they stayed in school – many eventually going to college – because of her and have now been able to see that their children stay in school.

Contributing to all aspects of life in Gates County, “Miss Edith”

may best be known for her work

and plays or collaborating with

as an historian, whether serving

history teachers in high school

as president of the Gates County

classrooms.

Historical Association, securing

She has compiled several

grants for historic restoration and

books of genealogy and authored

preservation, arranging programs

“Pride of the Past, Hope for the

Photo courtesy of Chowan University

11

Future,” a 280-page history of Reynoldson Baptist Church.

When plans were being made for the sesqui-centennial celebration of the church, and someone had the temerity to suggest the task of writing the history of the church might be undertaken by a non-member, she immediately bristled. She was the one to write it – after all, she was the one with the needed materials, compliments of family members who had kept the records of the church for generations.

The book is quoted in Warren E. Milteer Jr.’s article, “Life in a Great Dismal Swamp Community: Free People of Color in Pre-Civil War Gates County, North Carolina,” in the April 2014 issue of the North Carolina Historical Review.

Edith was the one who knew what to write. Pat Familar, branch manager of the Gates County Public Library, calls her “my go-to person” for all matters of genealogy.

“You can ask her about any family, any part of anything related to any place in the county, and she always has the answer,” Familar said.

At 95, she ziplined and rode a motorcycle for the first time; at 90, 95 and 100, she enjoyed dances on her birthday; at 100, she still works out three days a week at the Whaleyville Community Center, a division of Suffolk Parks and Recreation.

When pressed to describe herself, she reluctantly called herself a motivator, a term her daughter said she had never heard her mother use in reference to herself, but an apt one.

“And she is a motivator,” Familar said, “for her family, for her church, for the historical society, for everyone in Gates County. She is Gates County.”

Born a year before women had the right to vote, she has never

12

At 95, she ziplined and rode a motorcycle for the first time; at 90, 95 and 100, she enjoyed dances on her birthday; at 100, she still works out three days a week at the Whaleyville Community Center. run for public office herself, but has motivated others to do so, including the current chairwoman of the Gates County Board of Commissioners, Linda Hofler.

When asked to name a woman in leadership in Gates County, Hofler did not hesitate but immediately named “Miss Edith.”

Rob Buller, assistant professor of art at Chowan University, described her as “a role model for how to stay young.”

At 100, she stays young and remains a role model for leadership to all of Gates County ... and far beyond.

Sarah Davis is a retired librarian and a contributor to Eastern Living Magazine and the Bertie LedgerAdvance.

Edith Seiling paints in her garage studio as her daughter, Peggy Lefler, watches on.

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martin county

Story & Photos by Deborah Griffin

Charlotte Griffin Mayor

C

harlotte Griffin is only one person – but she does not let it deter her.

She adheres to the quote by American

author Edward Everett Hale: “I am only one, but I am one. I can’t do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do. And by the grace of God, I will.”

As mayor of Bear Grass since 2003, Griffin gets a multitude of “somethings” done.

Years of public service have molded her into the quintessential leader.

“You have to be passionate, creative and intuitive,” she said.

She described leading as similar to depositing coins in a piggy bank.

“If I have only one penny and I keep trying, pennies become dollars,” she said.

She cares deeply about the people in

14

One person with the energy of many community and beyond, she added.

“And in

“Life is like a garden. If you don’t tend to the flowers (and try and make a difference) you’ll only get weeds and thistles,” she said.

“Flowers only grow when you dig deep and put in the work. If you never sow a seed because the effort seems useless, then all you will get are thistles.”

She is adamant leaders are not selfseeking.

“If a leader is a leader for any reason other than to serve the entire group, they need to pack their bags and go home,” she said. “If you get yourself elected because her small community.

“But I also care about the entire county and region,” she said.

She is aware any leader’s influence, whether positive or negative, expands exponentially like ripples in the water.

“Most of the time, we don’t even know how far our influence spreads,” she added.

She said leaders see the bigger picture.

“You have to put your personal interests aside for the betterment of all,” Griffin said.

“I have always understood my calling was to

you have a personal agenda or a personal vendetta, you have dis-serviced not only the people you are elected to serve, but you have dis-serviced your own self.

“Leaders need to have a vision and that vision needs to be about the whole – not the part.”

Griffin is concerned about the generations coming up behind her and their involvement in government.

“Whether it is within the framework of our country and its founding principles or within

bettering lives, you can better your

community and beyond” - Mayor Charlotte Griffin the church and its principles, we are only one generation removed from it all being gone,” she said. “We have to instill these principles to the generation behind us. If they fail to get it, they will not teach it to their children and it will be lost.

“If you think about it in those terms, it is terribly scary.”

She admitted politics was a man’s world when she first started.

serve. It is really about a passion – a passion to invest time, energy and your heart in people

Charlotte Griffin shares a smile with Bear Grass Charter School’s Katelyn Winslow.

and situations which arise.”

She said real change only comes when people look beyond their daily routine.

“Most people get up, they go to work, they make a living – they do all these things which revolve around their little sphere,” she said.

“They never really look outside their sphere to see what is happening until it hits them upside the head something is wrong. By that time it is too late to make a difference.

“You’ve got to be willing to invest time outside of your personal sphere if you are ever going to make changes which will better you and those you love.”

And in bettering lives, you can better your

15

“You can’t have

“But the last number of years, women have had immense opportunities. It is easier now, more than ever, to get your voice heard, plant

the mentality

ideas and suggest actions,” Griffin said. “I was always super-conscious I was not considered an equal. My thoughts and ideas were not always viewed a valid or worthy of attention.

(Sexism) is still present to some degree.”

She also said taking credit when credit is due is overrated.

“A successful leader does not mind who gets the credit for a project as long as the end results are achieved,” she said.

Successful leadership means stepping up, she added.

‘Somebody ought

“Be there for the people,” she said. “Not just personally or politically – but in general – be available. Be at funerals and gatherings. If someone calls you up, try to show up.”

Griffin is involved in a multitude of organizations, committees and community

to do something.’

services. She is active on many boards and

You be that somebody.”

leadership roles include those on the Mid-

- Mayor Charlotte Griffin

attends meetings almost daily. Some of her East Commission, Martin County Strategic Economic

Development,

Comprehensive Martin

County

Martin

Transportation Regional

County Planning,

Water/Sewer

Authority, Roanoke River Partners, Martin Community College College Foundation,

“You can’t have the mentality ‘Somebody

word and do things to the best of your ability.

ought to do something.’ You be that

That is the way I live. I never agree to take on

Bear Grass Charter School Board, Bear Grass

somebody,” she said.

a job unless I am able to put in the time an

Educational Foundation and the Southern

effort.”

Albemarle Association.

When

faced

with

an

overwhelming

challenge, she said “First, I tell the Lord about it. Then I ask for wisdom, knowledge and

Effective leaders continue to show up, she said.

She is a member of Macedonia Christina Church where she has had multiple leadership roles.

discernment. Then I ask if He will put words in

“Go to meetings to see if what they are

my mouth. This encompasses everything you

talking about is going to impact you,” she said.

Deborah Griffin is a Staff Writer for Eastern

Sometimes leadership means just being

Living and the Martin County Enterprise &

do and puts your head in the right place.”

She added, “Always be as good as your

16

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nash county

Story by Jenny White Photos by Emma Tannenbaum

Angela Bryant Retired State Senator

W

hen Angela Bryant walked into the gymnasium at G.R. Edwards Junior High School in Rocky Mount on the first day of

school in 1963, she carried the weight of more than just a few notebooks with her.

Bryant, at 11 years old, was stepping into Edwards Junior High School as one of four black children integrating the school for the first time. It was nine years after the historic U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka and a year before the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Blacks might have had the right to go to any school in Rocky Mount, but so far, no one had really tested that theory out.

“I remember being nervous but not really scared,” Bryant recalled recently at her home in Rocky Mount, the same home she lived in for most of her childhood.

“I knew the importance of what was going on and I was excited to be part of it.”

While the Brown v. BOE court case had decided segregation was illegal, integration was slow to happen, especially in the South.

Bryant said in Rocky Mount, a separate but equal philosophy was the norm and J.W. Parker Middle School had just been built for black students to attend.

“Rocky Mount was operating under something called the Freedom of Choice movement. So basically, this was when all schools were technically open to everyone,” she said. “But culturally, it was understood by everyone that the black students went to the black schools and the white students when to the white schools.”

J.W. Parker Middle School was built on the south side of Rocky Mount on Virginia Street, and set to open for the beginning of the 1963 school year for

18

Leaving a stellar legacy General Assembly Representative Angela Bryant smiles while listening to Congressmen G.K. Butterfield speak at a 60th birthday fundraising event at the Four Seasons Restaurant in downtown Rocky Mount. black students. G.R. Edwards Junior High School, also recently constructed, was located just outside of the West Haven neighborhood, for white students.

“So on one hand, you had this nice, new shiny school, Parker, that we were all excited to have, that the African-American community was grateful to have. But on the other hand, according to the law, we had the right to go to that other school where all the white children were going,” Bryant said. “We knew according to the law, we deserved the exact same education the white students were allowed to have at that school across town.”

Bryant said being separate but equal, while never fair, was becoming more and more obvious as unjust and something black people were not going to go along with anymore.

She said the decision for her and three other boys to integrate the Rocky Mount public schools was influenced by what other blacks were doing at schools around the country, the burgeoning civil rights movement and the support from

Her grandparents, Wright Parker and Nannie

community,” she said. “It was a place where

Barnes Bryant Parker, owned Wright’s Chick

white vendors and leaders and business people

Shack, a restaurant and motel.

would come to engage my father and other black

A gathering place for travelers along U.S.

community leaders.”

301, Bryant remembers it was one of only a few

Bryant remembers sitting on a stool at

African-American-owned businesses in the area.

the counter, listening to her father talk with

“It was an intersection of the black and white

customers. When she got older, she worked as a

Angela Bryant, third from left, stands next to then-Gov. Terry Sanford in spring 1963 at J.W. Parker Middle School in Rocky Mount.

white and black community leaders who felt it was time to take a step toward integration.

Also a big factor influencing the decision to move forward with the integration of Rocky Mount schools was the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to Rocky Mount in 1962.

“I got to hear Dr. King speak at Booker T. Washington High School and that had a big impact on me,” Bryant said.

Bryant grew up in the Little Raleigh neighborhood in Rocky Mount.

Her mother, Ethel Lucas Bryant, was a teacher, and her father, Alexander H. “Tuffy” Bryant Sr., was a real estate professional.

Bryant remembers her parents as being community leaders and engaged in the politics of the community.

19

waitress at the shack.

“I grew up having these older people in my life, which I think really influenced me and my interests later in life,” she said.

While listening to her father at work was influential, Bryant said her mother and grandmother probably influenced her the most and molded her into a strong, independent woman.

“I was surrounded by working women and strong women,” she said. “I didn’t know

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any African-American women who didn’t have careers. The reality was that for AfricanAmericans to be middle class, the man and woman in the home had to work. I think that was important.”

Bryant left for college in the fall of 1969 and earned her bachelor’s degree in math and a law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. Bryant returned to Rocky Mount and helped develop the Wright’s Center, an adult day care facility. The center, a tribute to her grandfather, is located in

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In 2003, voters elected Bryant to the Rocky Mount City Council, which established the first African-American majority City Council. Bryant

700 E. Main St., MurfrEESboro, nC 27855 (252) 398-3138

was elected to the N.C. House District 7 seat in 2007 and served until 2012. From 2013 to 2018, Bryant served as a state senator for District 4. She leaves a long legacy as a North Carolina elected official — she was the primary sponsor of 53 bills that were signed into law while in office.

Today, Bryant continues her public service work. In 2018, she was appointed to a fouryear term by Gov. Roy Cooper to serve as a state commissioner of Post Release and Parole Supervision.

Bryant said it’s important to make sure young people know and understand the problems black people faced in the past and the work it took to overcome them.

“And then to take that knowledge, and apply it to today,” she said. “I want young people to know there are individuals and systems still set up to treat you as less and exclude you. Young people of all colors need to know that is our history but it is our current reality as well. I want young people to see that and learn about it, but not let it define them.

“See it as a barrier and overcome it.”

Jenny White is a Staff Writer for the Rocky Mount Telegram and Eastern Living.

20

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beaufort county

Still coaching after all these years 22

Story & Photos by Thadd White

Gennia Wetherington Business Owner

G

teammates

have

anyone

Warriors deep into the state

from what they know.

worked together to claim an

to coach them and I was the

N.C.

School

athletics director, so I did it,” she

“I had an excellent group of

Athletic Association state title

said. “It was one of the most fun

coaches,” she said of the staff

coach – and despite leaving

in

experiences I had coaching.”

who led the softball team. “We all

those professions nearly 14 years

mentor she led a team of

Her best teams were on

ago, she hasn’t forgotten those

coaches who captured back-to-

the softball diamond, where

lessons.

back championships; and as a

Wetherington guided the Lady

her adult life as a teacher and

her

didn’t

Gennia

Gennia Wetherington began

and

“We

ood leaders don’t stray

Independent basketball;

as

a

softball

every

business owner she took what

single day,” her husband, Glenn

was expected to be a sandwich

Wetherington, said. “We wouldn’t

shop and turned it into a dining

be here if she didn’t coach our

experience

team well.”

Street.”

“She

still

coaches

“We wouldn’t be here if she didn’t coach our team well.”

- Glenn Wetherington

“Down

on

playoffs every year.

worked together, and I was lucky to have them.”

Then something happened

Main

In high school, Wetherington went to Lawrence Academy in Merry Hill, where she was part of a team considered by many as one of the best teams in school history regardless of the sport.

She graduated and went on to East Carolina University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business education.

Upon graduating, Wetherington

Gennia admits her husband is on to something.

took a job at Pungo Christian Academy in Belhaven, where she

“I still coach for sure,” she said.

taught and got her first taste of

“I think it’s important to learn

coaching with the school’s co-ed

what motivates each person and

soccer team.

use that to get the best from them.”

back to her alma mater, where she

Getting the best from all who surround her has always been

From there, she was invited

something

at

which

Wetherington excels.

As a high school athlete,

taught and coached volleyball, basketball and softball.

Among the happier accidents was a year she coached the boys

Gennia Wetherington (center) works every day with her husband, Glenn, and her daughter, Ashley Woolard.

junior varsity basketball team.

23

almost by a fluke – but there

Down on Main Street would take

always seems to be a method to

up her time and began working

the madness when it comes to

in the business full time. She has

Gennia Wetherington.

been there ever since.

She was a successful teacher,

As she has led the business

coach and athletic director at

– along with her husband –

Lawrence. She won two state

Wetherington

softball titles and a third was

learned to motivate employees

likely on the way.

just as she did student-athletes.

But there was something else

said

she

has

“I’ve tried to learn what buttons to push – what motivates

on her mind.

“Glenn and I always had

them to get the results we need,”

friends over and cooked for them,”

she said. “I give coaching a lot of

she said. “People always said ‘you

credit.”

should open a restaurant’ as they

She

said

her

coaching

do, I guess sometimes just being

background also extends into

polite.

her view of people.

“One night we were drinking a

“I can see the potential in

bottle of wine and talking and we

people,” she said. “I believe I

decided we were going to try it,”

have a knack for that. I know

she added.

when I’m pushing someone too

The couple found a building in downtown Washington and decided to move forward.

hard and when I’m not pushing them hard enough.”

After four-plus years at the

“It had been a restaurant, but

restaurant, another issue of

there was not a business in here

happenstance occurred. Glenn

when we got here,” she said. “We

brought home items he bought

renovated the space, painted,

from a store that had gone out of

changed the décor and were up

business. He intended to open a

and ready to open within a few

nautical-themed store, but only

weeks.”

in a certain building downtown

The original plan was for

Washington.

Wetherington to keep her job and

“We were on vacation a few

work in the restaurant as well. It

months later and got a call that

didn’t exactly happen that way.

the store had a ‘for rent’ sign on

“I can believe I when I’m when I’m

see the potential in people, I have a knack for that. I know pushing someone too hard and not pushing them hard enough.”

- Gennia Wetherington

Main Street at 102 West Main St. Both businesses are where they “I absolutely love Washington,” Wetherington

said.

“It is beautiful, the people are awesome

and

friendly

and

downtown is amazing.

“We were just going to make

it,” Gennia said. “We called from the beach and rented the store.”

I won’t do.

“If we are in a jam, I’m going to jump in and help whether

and we always say, ‘this is nice,

or washing dishes,” she said. “I

but it’s not Washington.’ And we

am blessed with good people

really mean it,” she said. “This

working for me, and they know I’ll

place is beautiful and we have local people.”

Gennia can often be found

Thus, Nauti Life was born and

in the kitchen expediting orders.

out with just us and our friends

has been going strong for nearly

She said her main priority is

and family. Now we have 45

nine years. Nauti Life is at 112

making sure her guests have the

employees.”

West Main St. in Washington,

best dining experience possible,

across the street from Down on

and she does what’s necessary to

24

ever ask anyone to do something

that’s operating a fryer, cooking

happened,” she said. “We started

Wetherington quickly knew

reason,” she laughed. “But I won’t

“Glenn and I visit other places

received so much support from a few sandwiches and see what

“I gravitate toward telling people what to do for some

are for a reason.

Gennia

make that happen.

never ask them to do something I won’t.”

Being willing to jump in and do the work while leading the team just proves her husband’s point – Gennia is still coaching.

Thadd White is Editor of Eastern Living Magazine, the Bertie LedgerAdvance and the Martin County Enterprise & Weekly Herald.

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25

northampton county

Brown spends life teaching young people

26

Story & Photos by Jim Green

Joella Brown

J

oella Turner Brown is what one might call a lifer.

She grew up in Northampton County and has spent most of her life there, except for a few years in college.

Not only has she spent her life in Northampton County, she has spent a good portion of it in the hallways, classrooms and athletic areas of Northeast Academy.

Brown has been at Northeast Academy “in some capacity,” as she puts it, for more than 30 years.

Currently, she teaches six to seven classes each day, coaches basketball and tennis and serves as the school’s athletics director.

“I’ve done just about everything,” she said, smiling.

Brown grew up in Jackson, just a few miles down the road from Northeast Academy. She attended Northeast starting in 1966.

“I was in the first, first-grade class and went all the way through,” she said.

During her middle and high school years, Brown played softball and basketball.

Athletic Director After graduating from Northeast Academy, Brown went to Louisburg College, where she played for a year in 1978-79.

“I decided it just wasn’t a good fit for me,” she said.

She transferred to Atlantic Christian College in Wilson where she played basketball and club softball.

During Brown’s senior year at ACC, her coach’s husband became ill.

“She knew I wanted to go into coaching, so she asked me if I was interested in being a student assistant coach – if something happened, I would be the assistant coach,” she said.

Brown was the student assistant coach for a year and didn’t play softball. It was her first taste of coaching, but certainly wouldn’t be her last.

She graduated from ACC with a bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education K-12, and her first coaching job was for junior varsity girls basketball team at Northeast Academy in 1983. She also taught English, which was her minor in college.

“I wasn’t nervous coaching

at that level because they were so young and we hadn’t had a winning team in years,” she said.

“I was just trying to teach them the basics and fundamentals.”

She married her high school sweetheart, John Brown, and started a family. Her children – Lyndal and Parker, and later her grandchildren – Alex and Camden, would also attend Northeast Academy.

In 1998, she stepped away from coaching to help care for her son, Parker, who had to undergo several surgeries.

“I still taught a half-day, and having him here with me made it easier,” she said. “However, coaching was out of the question.”

When his health improved

the following year, she returned to full-time teaching and coaching and hasn’t slowed down since.

Brown has coached several sports while at Northeast Academy. Among them are junior varsity and varsity girls basketball, junior varsity and varsity softball, and girls tennis – which was started with Jake Campbell in the 1990s.

As an athletics director, Brown said her responsibilities are different than being a coach.

“As an athletics director, you do what is best for the school,” she said. “You can’t and don’t please everyone as a coach or an AD. An AD must be organized and know the schedules of everyone – not just your sport.”

Joella Brown and her friend and Hobgood Academy counterpart Pamela Tutor.

27

Brown has to consider missed class time, pitch counts in baseball, rescheduling in the event of inclement weather and schoolrelated activities, and other schools’ schedules as well.

A perfect example of the latter is Northeast’s merger with Hobgood Academy for football two years ago due to low numbers at both schools.

“Pamela (Hobgood’s athletics director) and I have worked very hard to make it work,” Brown said.

“It’s an example of doing what we could so our boys could play a game they loved. It hasn’t been easy, but our boys have made

28

lifelong friends they might have never met before – and we have two state championships out of it.”

During her time at Northeast, Brown has seen her school switch leagues,going f rom the Carolina Academy Conference to the Tarheel Independent Conference, lose numbers and then gain them back through the years, witnessed the creation of an eight-man football team and tennis program and experienced many wins, heart-breaking losses and conference and state championships or runner-up seasons.

She also credits her

administration, the faculty, fellow coaches and parents for helping her make Northeast the best school it can be.

She also has worked outside the school at times, including working on a farm with her father, being a secretary for an insurance company and teaching PE and the GED program at Halifax Community College.

“I found (teaching GED programs) very rewarding and did that for several years because I enjoyed it,” she said.

But her love has always been coaching and shaping the lives of the young women on her teams throughout the years.

But she doesn’t focus on the wins.

“I couldn’t tell you how many wins I have,” she said. “I tell our kids that the next game is the most important one, and the last one is over and we use it to work on our weaknesses and improve on our strengths.

“For some, it is all about

records, and we do play to win – but the early years (of her coaching career) taught me to focus on what’s ahead,” she said.

While Brown said she has experienced a lot of proud moments in her 30-plus years associated with Northeast Academy, her favorites aren’t necessarily athletics-related.

“Having these girls come back and tell me how thankful they were. It could be me coaching them or them learning something,” she said. “Everyone is different. I am most proud of the fact they are all valuable contributing members of society with families of their own, and they still find the time to talk to me – it means a lot.

“I consider myself grateful to have been and to be allowed in their lives,” she closed.

Jim Green is a Staff Writer for Eastern Living, and Sports Editor of the Martin County Enterprise & Weekly Herald, the Bertie LedgerAdvance and the Standard Laconic.

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29

hertford county

Story & Photos by Thadd White

Loria Williams County Manager

T

he nature of serving in county

all of our challenges. Eastern North Carolina

world in general has been altered through the

government is change.

will continue to have those challenges until

development of social media and the internet.

That is, unless you happen to

be Loria Williams.

During her entire public management

something happens on the state side.”

While working to meet those new

Williams said too many laws and funding formulas

are

designed

to

help

urban

changes, Williams said she is proud of the accomplishments

of

Hertford

County.

career – spanning nearly three decades –

communities, often at the expense of the

She particularly is pleased with the capital

Williams has only worked two places. She

more rural counties of the northeast.

improvement plan in place.

began in Warren County but has now served

She particularly pointed out grants that

the people of Hertford County for nearly 14

require a 50 percent match as something

improvement

years.

much easier for those in urban communities

history,” she said. “For the past decade, we

to handle than a rural county.

have worked to follow that plan.

Williams is known by her colleagues for her work ethic and straightforward approach.

The direct approach may have yielded a few detractors along the way, but mostly it has yielded results.

Williams was hired in Hertford County in 2005, following a brief courtship by the then county commissioners. It took little more than the backing of the late DuPont Davis, who served as chairman of the board of commissioners, to ensure the residents of Hertford County believed she was the right fit

“I believe in good government. I’m passionate about it and that is the reason I’ve been doing it for so long.”

- Loria Williams

for the job.

“It is the most comprehensive capital plan

in

Hertford

County

“I think we have been forward-thinking in what we’ve done and how we’ve done it,” she added. “The physical plant is in good shape for the next 30 years.”

During her time in Winton, the county has replaced an aging courthouse, built a new 911 Center and administrative building and renovated what is now the Hertford County Department of Social Services building.

All of it has been done without raising taxes.

Williams said the county wisely held on

Nearly 14 years later, Williams has an

In addition to the state challenges, Williams

to proceeds from the one-quarter cent sales

entirely new board, but continues to work for

said she still feels the same mandates from

tax to use for the construction, and received a

the people of Hertford County. She said it is

her own citizens.

grant to pay for the 911 Center.

easy to do because she loves both job and county.

“Hertford County has this way of capturing your heart,” she said. “I love it here.”

“We still have a population longing for economic development,” she said.

Williams said what has changed is the culture of the demand for change.

“While some people pay a lot of money to have grants prepared, we did it in-house and saved the taxpayers money,” she said.

Williams said except for a few buildings

Williams acknowledges working in the

“What has changed is the demand of the

northeastern section of North Carolina comes

how – how quickly and how efficiently - things

with unique challenges, but also with its own

are done,” she said. “As governing bodies and

Williams came to Hertford County after

rewards.

leaders, expectations have been heightened.”

eight years of serving as Warren County

“What’s changed in 14 years? Nothing

Williams said much of that is simply a

manager. She earned that job by working her

and everything,” she mused. “We still have

cultural change; how people react to the

way up through the ranks from clerk to the

30

that need a new roof, the county facilities are in good shape.

Loria Williams (right) speaks with Hertford County IT Director Monique Mitchell.

The one constant in a state of change board to assistant county manager and then county manager.

In 28 years with local government, Williams has served nearly 23 as a county manager.

“I can only chalk it up to the fact I believe strongly and wholeheartedly in county government and what it does,” she said. “I

She said many times chief executive officers only know one thing – whatever their company produces – but county managers know a variety of information.

“I fully believe most county managers could run Nike,” she mused.

One of the reasons for her belief is the way she leads the county.

believe in good government. I’m passionate

“If I had to be honest, my staff would

about it and that is the reason I’ve been doing

probably say my standards are lofty – maybe

it for so long.”

unrealistic at times – but I think that’s why we

Williams said she loved the fact county managers tackle so many things from public

succeed,” she said. “The people of Hertford County expect that from us.”

health and safety, social services, buildings,

While she loves her work, Williams admits

water and almost every facet of a person’s life.

the time for change may be nearly at hand.

She can retire in two years and has started giving thought to the future.

“If I didn’t start thinking about it, that would be unfair to Hertford County,” she said.

“Whenever that time comes, I want to offer them plenty of time to plan for the future.”

Williams also wants to plan for her own when it gets close.

“Hopefully in the second part of my life, I’ll take all I’ve learned and the skills I’ve gained and use them wherever I’m called,” she said.

Thadd White is Editor of Eastern Living, the Bertie Ledger-Advance and the Martin County Enterprise & Weekly Herald.

31

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hyde county

Story & Photos by Sandy Carawan

Sharon Slade

P

Lifelong Educator assionate. Caring. Dedicated.

These are but a few adjectives that

and her inspiration to become a teacher came

she said. “Mrs. Vashti Goodman was the home

not only from home but also school.

economics teacher. I chose her class because

describe the very heart and soul of Swan

“One year, I got my parents to buy me a

Quarter resident Sharon Slade, who for 35

blackboard,” she said. “My siblings and I would

years dedicated herself to serving the children

play school, which I always loved to do.”

of Hyde County Schools in many different ways.

I loved to sew. Her class really influenced my desire to study home economics.

“My

history

teacher,

Mrs.

Brenda

While attending Ben L. Smith High School

MacDonald, was someone you could learn

in Greensboro, from which she graduated in

from, but she was always someone you could

Slade, the daughter of William J. and Eunice

1976, Slade credits two teachers who inspired

talk to.”

“Curley” Burris and the middle child of seven

her to become an educator and train in one of

children, was born and raised in Greensboro.

two areas.

She has always been in love with teaching

34

“I love history and I love home economics,”

Slade said she owes her interest in sewing to her mother.

“My mother started me with sewing. She

Leading Others to Embrace Their Future She said Foods 1 focused on food

loved to sew and I love to sew,” she said.

and time again.

To further her interest, she attended N.C.

preparation and meal management, but

“It’s good to be around children and

A&T University to pursue a degree in Home

Foods 2 instructed students how to start

see them smile and talk to them. But as an

Economics Education.

and manage their own business in the food

educator you have to have the love of kids.

industry.

You have to want the best for their future,” she

Slade added that her love of sewing

“We baked cakes from scratch and

said. “I’ve had some to tell me that ‘I stood on

“When I was in college I would come

decorated them, made different types of

your shoulders’ or ‘If it wasn’t for you, I don’t

home, cut a dress out, sew it at night and wear

breads, learned how to use knives and the

know where I would’ve been. You were there

it to church the next morning,” she said.

different cutting styles,” she said.

for me when I needed you.’

followed her into her college and adult years.

Then in 1980, she started her teaching

She added Teen Living focused on life

“I love kids, I love being around them and

at

management skills while Parenting and Child

I enjoy the positive effect they have on me,”

Mattamuskeet High School in Swan Quarter,

Development focused on the responsibilities

she continued. “Teaching just made me know

receiving the opportunity to share her passion

of nurturing infants and children.

that I was here for a reason. I hope I positively

career

with

Hyde

County

Schools

with children.

With her home economics background, she moved into teaching a variety of Career and Technical Education classes that were not only helpful in preparing students to learn how to cook and care for a child and manage a home but also instrumental in assisting students to explore different career opportunities and develop experience that would teach essential skills coupled with

“Teaching just

affected somebody in life.”

Although Slade is now retired, she likes

made me know

to do volunteer work. She enjoys spending

that I was here for

says, smiling, she enjoys spending time with

a reason. I hope I

occupied by exposing them to different

positively affected

hands-on experience while empowering

somebody in life.”

them to become successful citizens, workers

- Sharon Slade

and leaders in a competitive business world.

time with her mother and her family. She her five grandchildren and tries to keep them opportunities.

Not letting her talent for teaching go to waste, she also enjoys substitute teaching at Mattamuskeet Early College High School.

“I like to sub,” she said. “It keeps me and my mind going.”

“That’s one thing I always told students was

Additionally, she taught Interior Design in

that I wanted them to be productive citizens

which students studied design elements and

“I wanted to get back to sewing and making

so that they could take care of themselves and

principles, created floor plans and explored

dresses for my granddaughters. I haven’t had

they knew what was needed to take care of a

different house designs, furniture styles and

an opportunity yet, but that is one of my

family,” Slade said

lighting.

goals,” Slade said

She also has other plans.

She taught several classes such as Family

During her teaching career, she spent

If Slade had not experienced the guidance

Consumer Science, Information Highway,

nearly 15 years fluctuating between teaching

from her mother as well as her teachers to

Occupational Exploration, Foods 1 and 2, Teen

CTE classes and managing Child Nutrition at

pursue her dreams, she, in turn, may not have

Living, Parenting and Child Development,

the school’s cafeteria.

been in a role to encourage others to pursue

“When I went to the cafeteria for Child

their dreams, become lifelong learners and

For 17 years she taught the Occupational

Nutrition, at that particular time in life I felt

ultimately become leaders. As a result of her

Exploration class in which students studied

like I needed a change. I kept saying, ‘I feel like

choice nearly 40 years ago, Sharon Slade’s

various occupations.

I have to have a change.’ I needed a different

influence and leadership have nurtured many

13

challenge. Believe me, Child Nutrition was

individuals.

different categories and were given hands-

very challenging and it was the challenge that

on activities that involved that particular job,

I needed in my life,” she said. “I enjoyed it.”

Interior Design and Biotechnology.

“Students

identified

jobs

under

whether it was business, education, secretary or stenographer,” she said.

Slade said her love of teaching as well as her love of children has rewarded her time

Sandy Carawan is an English Language Arts teacher at Mattamuskeet Early College High School in Swan Quarter and a regular contributor to Eastern Living Magazine.

35

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37

tyrrell county

Story & Photos by Deborah Griffin

Janie Spencer School Board Member

A

s Janie Spencer reflected back on her life recently, she almost

seemed perplexed.

“It has been almost like a ministry,” she said. “I have a heart for people.”

Spencer

grew

up

in

her

great-

grandmother’s home, where “chickens were in the front and a garden was in the back,” she laughed.

The oldest of six biological siblings among a blended family of 10 children, Spencer lost her mother at the age of 11.

As a result, she had to grow up remarkably fast.

“I was given a lot of responsibility,” she said.

Her father kept the family together, but Spencer acknowledged, “He was hard on us.”

Her values were formed as a result of having to share.

“My (great) grandmother taught me, ‘I have the sugar, you have the Kool-Aid,’ (so we both win),” she said.

An elderly man in the neighborhood had a chicken. Her great-grandmother had a garden.

He would bring eggs and her grandmother would give him collards.

“That way we both ate,” Spencer said.

This upbringing shaped whom Janie Spencer is – a woman full of compassion, who stands up for what she believes is right, even if she stands alone.

Empathy was instilled in her watching how hard her father worked. On cold nights, after clearing roads for the state Department of Transportation, he would come home late and try to warm himself beside their little heater.

38

She recalls him only having a thin jacket.

Spencer vowed one day she would buy him a thicker coat.

In 1972, after graduating from Columbia High School, she landed her first job in New York.

Out of her first paycheck, she shipped her daddy the warmest parka she could find, complete with fur edging around the hood.

Later, she found out he had given the coat to her younger brother, allowing him to have a warmer coat.

That same, kind, giving spirit is implanted in her to this day.

Spencer is executive director of the Tyrrell County Inner Banks Hotline, which provides domestic violence and sexual assault services to women in crises.

She is also a member of the Tyrrell County Board of Education, where she has served for over 20 years. Her time on the school board began when her children were young.

Spencer

had

returned

to

Columbia

from New York and married her childhood sweetheart, Leon. She and Leon, who passed away 16 years ago, had three children.

Her children reside in Jacksonville, Fla., Atlanta, Ga. and Raleigh. She also has six grandchildren, ranging in age from 6 years old to 22 years old.

can put (that vote) out on the table (to express)

coming from,” she said. “This is the road I have

the way I feel about it.”

walked. Then I try to see it from (the other)

If a decision does not go as she had hoped, she doesn’t always feel defeated.

“If I can’t carry the vote, at least I can be the conscience,” she added. “Everybody just needs a fair chance. I want to be that voice (for

board because one of her daughters had been told by a guidance counselor, “She needed to act more ‘white.’ If she did, she would make it in life, no matter what,” Spencer said.

“I thought to myself, ‘how many other children are told this?’” she recalled.

Being on the school board is not an easy task, especially after 23 years, Spencer said.

“It is a five-member board, so three are the majority,” she said. “I am only one vote. But, I

Yet, standing alone can be lonely.

“When parents stop talking to you, it takes a toll – but I keep on going,” Spencer said.

The Tyrrell County School Board represents over 600 children.

others).”

When tough decisions have to be made, Spencer said she reviews them carefully.

“I look at it through the lens of where I’m

“We represent the community. If a decision is not right for the community, I have to be bold and say, ‘That’s not right,’” she said.

After her children graduated, she earned her

“They are my heartbeat,” she said.

In 1996, she decided to run for the school

perspective.”

“Everyone has a purpose, I learned my purpose is to help people” - Janie Spencer

business administration degree from Elizabeth City State University.

Her life’s pathway took her down a road that looped right back to the ideals she was taught as a child.

“Everyone has a purpose,” she said. “I learned my purpose is to help people.”

Spencer formed a nonprofit after-school program under the umbrella of the now defunct Tyrrell Action Group. The program tutored children and gave them incentives to

A life of ministering to others 39

do well in school.

in 2013, she was thrilled to receive a

Support Our Students ran for nine

Distinguished Service Award and ride

years until government funding was

at the head of the festival’s parade.

cut.

She

Former students still approach

for

also received an Academy

Boardmanship

Award

during

Spencer and thank for the time they

the 2017-18 school year by the N.C.

spent at SOS.

School Board Association.

Afterwards, Spencer learned the

But Spencer would like to be

state Department of Administration’s

remembered as Martin Luther King

Council for Women wanted to place a

Jr. said he wanted to be remembered,

hotline in Tyrrell County.

“Every now and then I think about

She was hired as a specialist, and

my own death, and I think about my

two years later became executive

own funeral,” she said. “Every now

director.

and then I ask myself, ‘What is it that

“The first year, we had 10 people

I would want said?’ I’d like somebody

call,” she said. “Now they field calls

to mention that day that Martin Luther

from around 300 people.

The stories break her heart; the

give them all the information we have,” she

hardest are the ones concerning children.

said referring to resources such as shelters.

“Those are the scars of life,” Spencer said.

“It is what keeps me going.”

others. I’d like for somebody to say that

“It is a real battle,” she added.

day, that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to love

Spencer is a member of the church she

somebody.

Her job is not an easy one – especially

grew up in, Salem Missionary Baptist Church,

when she sees women continue to stay with

where she has been an usher for over 20

abusive men.

years.

“We can’t make them leave. We can only

King Jr. tried to give his life serving

“All the other isn’t going to matter.”

Deborah Griffin is a Staff Writer for Eastern Living and the Martin County Enterprise &

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bertie county

Story by Sarah Hodges Stalls

Bobbie Parker Community Leader

L

“Another Albert,” as he is affectionately known, is Parker’s partner-in-crime, office assistant and all around best buddy.

42

egendary actress Audrey Hepburn said, “As you get older, you discover you have two hands: one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”

Aulander’s Bobbie Parker is a living illustration of this idea.

Parker spent her early years residing at Dean’s Crossroads, north of Aulander. While in the eighth grade, she and her family moved into the town. After graduating from high school, she went on to Atlantic Christian College, now Barton College, in Wilson for her undergraduate studies to become a teacher. For postgraduate work, she attended East Carolina University.

Why did she choose education?

“In those days, there were not that many

career options for females, it was nursing or teaching,” Parker explained. “You had to love every minute of it or you couldn’t do it.”

Her 34-year career began at Aulander Elementary School where she taught math.

Later she would move to Southwestern Middle School in Windsor. Her skills would later take her to various administrative positions within Bertie County Schools’ Central Office until her 1997 retirement.

For a time following her retirement, Parker returned to mentor first- and secondyear teachers during a program offered by the district.

“The most rewarding thing probably wasn’t while I was actually doing it,” Parker said. “But it’s been since I retired, when a student will come back and say you were the best math teacher I ever had.”

It is apparent Bobbie Parker, and she is known by both names across the county, loved her career in education but she is well known for what could be considered a second career. This labor of love pays in smiles, hugs and services for others. There is no retirement plan and she truly would love to be put out of business. It is the Bertie County Relay for Life.

In North Carolina, Parker is a true pioneer when it comes to Relay for Life, the signature fundraising event for the American Cancer Society.

Parker lost her mother to pancreatic cancer. Following that journey, she did volunteer work for Hospice, in gratitude for the help shown her family. But one-onone work with individuals was not the most comfortable spot for her.

“Mrs. Lucille Bazemore was the assistant superintendent of Bertie County Schools at the time and she had been doing some work with the American Cancer Society,” Parker said.

in Seattle, Washington, do you think we can do it here?”

The pair sat at the Heritage House restaurant and reviewed what little was known about a then fledgling event. That day it was decided Bertie County was going to hold a Relay for Life event.

Today, that binder is one of Parker’s prized possessions.

“We, Bertie County, became the first official Relay for Life event in North Carolina,” she said.

The longtime local chairperson has now transitioned into a new role. Parker is on the state-level Volunteer Leadership Team as

the area lead for Central and Eastern North Carolina.

Parker’s pioneer spirit and ceaseless passion has garnered her a spot in the North Carolina Relay for Life Hall of Fame. But she would rather talk about what she has seen this event bring to her community.

“To see our county embrace it like it has,” she said. “Everyone works together, pulls together.

That’s the beauty of it.”

The event celebrated its Silver Anniversary in 2018 and contributions to fight against cancer totaling over $4 million.

Now Parker longs for the day it is

Bobbie Parker may be retired from her full-time job, but that does not mean she is sitting still. Between Relay for Life and the town of Aulander, she has no problem staying busy – and loves every minute.

Bazemore went on to introduce Parker and Pam Stalling, the district’s American Cancer Society staff partner. To this day, Parker is not sure why Bazemore thought of her, but many cancer survivors are glad she did. That was 1987, long before anything was known about Relay for Life.

Parker placed her skills and efforts into door-to-door drives, jail-a-thons and bake sales to raise money for the organization.

“That’s how I was giving back, and I was much more comfortable

with that,” she said.

In the fall of 1993, Stallings called Parker and set up a lunch meeting, nothing unusual for the pair. But this day would be the beginning of something very special for Bertie and many other counties in Eastern North Carolina and across the country.

“She pulled out this red, three-ringed binder and it said on the front of it, Relay for Life Activity,” Parker said, hardly containing her smile. “She said this is something they are doing

Giving Back Keeps Parker Going 43

The original, three-ringed binder is a historic memento of how Bertie’s Relay for Life began. Their event was the first one held in North Carolina. no longer needed.

The next chapter to the Bobbie Parker story could be titled, “Willing.”

After college, a bright-eyed Parker ran and was elected to serve as an Aulander town commissioner.

Today, she is once again serving as a town commissioner and also as mayor pro tem.

Parker did not seek election but was elected

44

by write-in vote. She proudly answered the return call to service.

“I’ve really enjoyed,” Parker explained.

“We’ve done a lot of really good things for the town.”

One of those things is the Aulander Peanut Festival, where the town assumes the cost of “pretty much everything.” Entertainment and rides are all free to the residents.

“We want to give back to the community,” Parker said.

With the help of “great volunteers” as she calls them, the town brought back their Christmas Parade.

She feels “a wonderful addition” has been the Christmas Tree Lighting. “That has been my most favorite thing,” she said. “I just love the spirit of it.”

Last year, the town took an un-rented building that they owned and turned it into Santa’s Workshop. The special place for children to visit Santa and Mrs. Claus added a layer of magic to the budding Christmas celebration.

“It was special to me,” Parker grinned. “I loved it.”

In her life, it is her faith and church family that keeps this busy retiree centered.

An active member at Oak Grove Baptist Church, Parker teaches Sunday School and participates in a number of groups and activities.

Sarah Hodges Stalls is a Staff Writer for Eastern Living, the Bertie Ledger-Advance and the Martin County Enterprise & Weekly Herald.

Honored with the American Cancer Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Parker has also been named to the North Carolina ACS Hall of Fame.

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46

Community News at your Fingertips

Thadd White Editor twhite@ncweeklies.com Jim Green Sports Editor jgreen@ncweeklies.com Sarah Hodges Stalls Staff Writer shstalls@ncweeklies.com

Michelle Leicester Creative Services Director mleicester@ncweeklies.com Jessica Mobley Advertising Manager jmobley@ncweeklies.com

Bertie County

• Roxobel • Windsor • Merry Hill • Powellsville • Lewiston Woodville Aulande r • Colerain • Kelford • Lewiston Woodville • Merry Hill Aske • Powellsv wville ille • Roxobel • Aula • Windsor nde r • Cole rain • Kelf ord • Lew iston B1 S Woo dvill e • Mer ry Hill DECEMBER 26, 2018 • Pow ellsv WEDNESDAY ille • SportS B1 Roxobe • DECEMBER 19, 2018

• Kelford Colerainlle • Askewvi •

rteie B Beer–A rceetie Ledg Leddvan gerB –Adva rnce Led ger– tie Grant

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109 S. King St • PO Box 69 Windsor, NC 27983 Phone: 252-794-3185 Fax: 252-794-2835 Founder oss Am eric continues annual trad a ition

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history meets adventure

47

washington county

Story & Photos by Jim Green

Kay Overton Partnership Director

Kay Overton (left) and Sandra Taylor work together at the Washington-Tyrrell Partnership for Children.

T

he goal of Smart Start is for children

Smart Start, the state program enacted by the

County and still resides there with her family,

to enter school healthy and ready

General Assembly in 1993 through agencies

which includes a 10-year-old son.

to succeed.

such as Partnerships for Children and Alliances

Kay Overton is one of the people who has

been trying to maintain that directive for years in Washington and Tyrrell counties.

for Children.

“We have different names but our goals are the same,” Overton said. “Each group is

She attended John A. Holmes High School in Edenton and later East Carolina University in Greenville, where she earned a degree in health education.

Overton has spent the past 16 years as the

different and is governed by a local board

Her first job was working for the Hertford-

executive director of the Tyrrell-Washington

(made up of people from both counties) who

Gates Health Agency through a Duke

Partnership for Children.

decides how the money is spent.”

University Endowment grant, specializing in

The organization administers funds for

48

Overton grew up in Tyner in Chowan

health education and disease prevention.

“I was looking for something a

• Pre-K program at Tyrrell

include maintaining a database

program

of

providing

strategic planning where we

• Child Care for 3-, 4- and

referral information to parents,

determine what the greatest

with what I was doing already,”

5-star child care facilities in

facilitating provider and parental

needs are in our population and

Washington County.

networks, coordinating training

how to meet those needs.”

she said.

Elementary School.

and

and

was an advertisement and in line

little closer to home, and this job

providers

development

• Triple P (Positive Pairing

to providers and participating in

The biggest challenge Overton

Care Referral Coordinator Sandra

Program), which gives parents

community collaborative efforts

and her staff have to overcome is

Taylor and Program Manager

simple tips to manage the big and

to improve services for young

limited funding every year.

Sherri Gilliam) administer state

small problems of family life.

children.

Overton and her staff (Child

“So many children have needs

funds based on state guidelines.

• Raising a Reader, which

• Child Care subsidies, an

and we are only able to fund

The state mandates that 70

allows children to take home a

activity designed to increase the

red book bag filled with quality

number of families receiving

so much each year,” she said.

percent is earmarked for childcare related programs and a

books. The program promotes

subsidies, provide supplements

certain percentage is devoted to

the importance of early literacy

to providers based upon the

child-care subsidies.

and strengthens the relationships

number of children they serve

“After that, our local board

while building early reading skills

and their efforts to enhance

decides how our money is spent,”

in preschool children in Tyrrell

the quality of care they provide.

she said. “The programs must be

Elementary School.

This project aims to increase

evidence-based and can support

• Child Care Resource and

accessibility of child care for

children from birth through fifth

Referral, an activity that serves

families who otherwise would be

grade.”

both counties and provides a

placed on a waiting list because

full-time child care resource

of insufficient funds.

Among the programs TyrrellWashington

Partnership

Children funds include:

for

and referral coordinator and

• Dolly Parton’s Imagination

a program specialist. Services

Library, which was tarted in 1996

by Parton, who wanted to foster a love of reading among her east Tennessee children

county’s and

preschool

their

families.

Eligible children receive one free developmentally

appropriate

book in the mail per month until they reach their fifth birthday.

The books are selected by the

“Things are different every year – programs are different, and the way we do things is different.”

Being a small agency, Overton said one reward is being able to see positive change in parents and children’s lives.

“You can see a difference you’re making,” she said, mentioning parenting classes and the Triple P program. “You hear from parents who have been given the tools to improve the relationships they have with their children.

The childcare providers are very appreciative of the services we give them. We are always looking at ways to make our programs and services better.”

Tyrrell-Washington Partnership

for

County

Children,

a

Dolly Parton Foundation to be

nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, is

age-appropriate and to deliver

located at 125-B West Water St.

positive,

developmentally

For more information, call

important skill opportunities for

252-793-7437

the targeted children.

website at www.twpfc.org.

The best thing about working

or

visit

their

Jim Green is a Staff Writer for

for Smart Start, Overton said, is

Eastern Living and

her local board.

Editor

of

the

the Sports

Martin

County

“They are a huge help. We

Enterprise & Weekly Herald, the

couldn’t get things done without

Bertie Ledger-Advance and the

them,” she said. “They help with

Standard Laconic.

Believing in the mission 49

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51

halifax county

Story & Photos by Thadd White

Elizabeth Conwell Robinson Real Estate Agent

S

Elizabeth Robinson with her constant companion, Heidi.

52

ome people would have been at a loss when the career they had known for 20 years abruptly ended.

While Elizabeth Conwell Robinson was taken aback, she had prepared for a life beyond her years in the school district.

When it was time to move forward, she not only survived – she thrived, becoming one of the top realtors in Halifax County and counting the selling of historic properties among her successes.

“The first year, I think I cried almost every day,” she said. “The second year, I got out and started seeing friends and working more on real estate. By the third, year I sometimes wondered if I ever worked in the school system.”

Robinson never had any intention of leaving Halifax County. She grew up in Weldon and Roanoke Rapids, splitting time with her divorced parents.

“I was a daddy’s girl, so I never left,” she said.

In addition to always having a good relationship with her father, Robinson has been blessed with an excellent mother.

“I still call my mother every night so we can talk about our days,” she said. “I look forward to that every day.”

She began her adult life working in the print shop for

Roanoke Rapids Graded School District. She spent days printing all of the forms and other items necessary to run a school district.

Once the decision was made to close the print shop, she was sent to the school level where she served as a teacher assistant.

“I didn’t have any children of my own, so I wasn’t sure how to handle it at first,” she said. “It didn’t take too long before I knew what I was doing.”

While continuing that work, she decided it was necessary to expand her horizons. Having grown up helping her father with his rental properties and enjoying the opportunity to see listings he may or may not purchase, she had grown to love real estate.

During a summer break, Robinson went to real estate school, though few people except her family knew where she was.

“I knew how difficult the exams were and I didn’t want anyone to know in case it didn’t work out,” she said. “I was able to do it on my first try.

“I guess real estate was in my blood. I have an aunt and a sister who are realtors, and dad had all the rental properties – so it’s part of who I am.”

She began working in real estate part-time and said even as she worked in the school

district she couldn’t wait for the afternoons when she could get to work on what she truly loved.

In 2011, the cutbacks to teacher assistants made by the General Assembly hit Roanoke Rapids.

“I thought, I have been here 24 years – they won’t mess with me,” she said. “I was in the first group they let go.”

Simultaneous to losing her job, Robinson also was lost her father, who was battling cancer.

She said it was one of the most difficult times of her life, but she made it through because of the strength she had gained from him.

Family was always a big part of Robinson’s life, and it was for that reason she searched for a family when she began her real estate career.

“There were several momand-pop real estate agencies here then, but I knew people who worked here at the time,” she said. “I called and Ellen (Heaton) invited me for an interview.”

Robinson said from that day on, she found a home a Heaton Real Estate. The firm’s agents work well together and are all focused on making sure they do their best for their clients.

In the beginning, Robinson did what a lot of real estate agents do – she worked on residential properties. She loved working with homebuyers to find the perfect home and with homeowners to find the best way to market the home they were selling.

Eventually, she expanded into commercial real estate. Never having been one to simply wait for the market to come to her, Robinson studied possibilities and worked hard to not only find a buyer, but also the right buyer.

When it was time to move forward, she not only survived – s he thrived.

She remembered the years it took helping Sheetz find the right property to come to Roanoke Rapids.

“I had two properties I thought would work for them, so I made contact,” she said. “They said they were thinking about coming here and wanted to see the properties.”

When neither of the original ideas were exactly what the company wanted, it took three years for her to help them find the right property.

In addition to helping Sheetz find a location, Robinson was the realtor for Patterson Mansion, which was sold and is currently being renovated.

To date, her favorite project may be the Weldon Mills

Distillery. The former River Mill in Weldon was for sale and Robinson worked with new owners to purchase not only that building but one close by to begin a distillery and event center.

“I think I’m so partial to it because I’m staying involved,” said Robinson, who will coordinate booking for the event center.

“Usually, I stay friends with my clients, but I don’t continue to work with them because they found what they needed. This is different.”

Robinson said she is grateful to her husband, Timmy, who she said is supportive of her and is proud the two make a good team.

She said she doesn’t believe either would be where they are

today without the other.

In addition, she has a “fur baby” named Heidi, who she jokes has sold more real estate than any dog in Halifax County history.

In her spare time, Robinson can be found with her husband and Heidi fishing on the Roanoke River. She said it is something she learned to love from her father and continues to enjoy to this day.

As she looks toward the future, Robinson said she hopes to continue to make Roanoke Rapids and the Roanoke Valley better by finding the right fit for her commercial and residential listings.

“I’m not a person who likes to brag, but I do sometimes ride by places and take pride in the places I’ve sold,” she said.

Thadd White is the Editor of Eastern Living, the Bertie LedgerAdvance and the Martin County Enterprise & Weekly Herald.

Elizabeth Conwell Robinson stands with Bruce Tyler in what will be an event center at the Weldon Mills Distillery.

Change doesn’t stop success 53

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Story by Janice Cole Hopkins

12 Important Women Although born in Harlem, New York City, in March 1825, when CORNELIA PHILLIPS SPENCER was just a year old, her father accepted a position teaching math at the University of North CarolinaChapel Hill and moved his family there. She married James Monroe Spencer in 1855 and they moved to Alabama, but he died in 1861, and Cornelia moved back to Chapel Hill. There she wrote for newspapers and penned her first book.

When the university closed during reconstruction in 1870, she agreed with the decision to try to avoid the political upheaval, but she worked to have it reopen in 1875. She was the first woman awarded an honorary degree from the university and died in 1908.

VIRGINIA DARE is known as the first English child born in the New World. Born Aug. 18, 1587, her parents were Ananias Dare and Elinor White, John White’s daughter.

She would become part of the “Lost Colony” when her grandfather went back to England for supplies and came back to find the Roanoke Colony gone. She was called Virginia after the new land they claimed for England, which they named after the “Virgin Queen,” Elizabeth I. Since the colony was never heard from again, Virginia’s date of death is unknown.

DOLLEY PAYNE MADISON was born May 20, 1768, in the Quaker community of New Garden, North Carolina, which would be in Greensboro today. When just a toddler, Dolley’s family moved back to a plantation in eastern Virginia, where she grew up until she turned 15 and her father moved the family to Philadelphia.

After some problems, Dolley married John Todd, a Quaker lawyer, and they had two sons. However, John and one son died of a yellow fever epidemic in 1793, and she married James Madison in 1794. He became the secretary of state under Thomas Jefferson and then the president of the United States in 1809. History often remembers Dolley as the first lady who saved some of the White House’s important portraits when the British burned parts of Washington, DC, in the War of 1812, although others also played an important role in that.

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in NC History Born in Charlotte in 1922 and graduating from the UNC with a major in romance languages, MARIE WATTERS COLEMAN became

a

code-breaker

for

the army during WWII. Her husband’s

involvement

in

politics after they moved to Asheville led her to become interested, and she served in the state House of Representatives from 1978 until 1994, becoming speaker pro tempore for the last four years. She died in 2018.

CHARLOTTE HAWKINS BROWN was born in Henderson, North Carolina, in 1883, but she was educated in Massachusetts. Her first job was teaching African-American children at the Bethany Institute back in Sedalia, North Carolina, but the American Missionary Association decided to close it down the year after she started. Charlotte worked hard to establish her own school for the children.

She eventually opened the Palmer Memorial Institute as both a day and boarding school. She received national attention for her dedicated efforts and became a popular lecturer and speaker. She died in Greensboro in 1971.

Born in Mississippi in 1932, KATIE G. DORSETT attended several universities before finishing her doctorate at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She stayed in North Carolina, becoming a state senator and eventually majority whip.

After retiring, she remained active in community affairs around Greensboro and was inducted to the North Carolina Women’s Hall of Fame in 2010.

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12 Important Women SARAH PARKER was born in Charlotte and attended Meredith College and graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. After graduation, she served in the Peace Corps in Turkey before coming back home to get her law degree from UNC. She served for several years on the state Supreme Court. In 2006, Gov. Mike Easley appointed her as chief justice of the Supreme Court and she held the position for most of the time until she retired in 2014.

Taking the stage name of NINA SIMONE, Eunice Kathleen Wayman was born in Tryon, North Carolina in 1933.

Her father was a preacher.

With the help of a few local people who recognized her musical talent, she enrolled in the Julliard School of Music in New York. Along the way to success, she ran into some opposition that she thought came from racial prejudice. Not only did she make a name for herself as a versatile musician of many different genres, but she also became active in the Civil Rights Movement. She died in 2003 in France.

MARY ELIZABETH ALEXANDER HANFORD DOLE was born in Salisbury, North Carolina, on July 29, 1936. She graduated with distinction from Duke University in 1958 with a political science major and did post-graduate work at Oxford. She also got a master’s degree in education from Harvard followed by a law degree.

Elizabeth married Robert Dole in 1975. She’s held numerous political offices, including commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission, secretary of transportation, secretary of labor and U.S. senator from North Carolina. She also helped her husband run for president in 1996, and she started to run in 2000 but pulled out before the primaries due to lack of funds and low poll ratings. She was a senator from 2003-09.

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in NC History PATRICIA “PAT” TIMMONSGOODSON was born in Florence, South Carolina in 1954, the daughter of a soldier. She attended the University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill and Duke University Law School. Pat served as an assistant district attorney before becoming a district judge in 1984. Gov. Jim Hunt appointed her to the state Court of Appeals and after she retired, Gov. Mike Easley appointed her to the state Supreme Court in 2006, where she became the first African-American woman to serve there. She was inducted into the North Carolina Women’s Hall of Fame in 2010 and now serves as vice chair on the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Born in Virginia, BEVERLY MARLENE MOORE PERDUE ended up settling in New Bern, North Carolina.

She began her political career as a state representative and then a senator. In 2000, she successfully ran for lieutenant governor, where she cast the tie-breaking vote for the state lottery.

She became the governor of North Carolina in 2008.

Photo by Anna Paschal

JENNIFER PHARR DAVIS was born in Hendersonville, North Carolina in 1985. She attended Samford University and has received national attention as a long-distance hiker. She has walked over 1,200 miles on trails worldwide, including the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, Colorado and the Long Trails in the United States and others in Australia, South America and Europe and set records as well. She has been National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year and an ambassador for the American Hiking Society. In addition, she is an author and speaker.

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WELCOME TO

Story & Photos

by Tom Harrison

Bear-olina!

Plymouth’s North Carolina Black Bear Festival

T

he NC Black Bear Festival, held on the first weekend of June in Plymouth, is continuing its winning

ways as it sends ripples across the country and beyond.

Created in 2015 to celebrate North Carolina’s black bears and educate people about these magnificent North Carolina natives, the festival has developed quite a following. Last year there were approximately 30,000 people at their event from more than 18 states and four foreign countries.

In recognition of last year’s event, the popular Bear Festival won the 2019 “Event of the Year” from the N.C. Association of Festival & Events for the 2nd time in the festival’s four-year existence.

It won the

Rising Star award for the best new festival in its first year and last year won Best Small Event in the eight southeastern states.

So, what’s all the hoopla about?

First, people love bears!

…And the

Albemarle/Pamlico Peninsula has the world’s largest black bears and the highest black bear

64

densities on the planet. In addition, just south

a second barge was secretly added and a duel

train. There is now a black bear museum in

of Plymouth on the Pocosin Lakes National

took place. There are more fireworks surprises

Plymouth called Bear-Ology.

Wildlife Refuge is arguably the best public

planned for this year.

antique shop called Bear Necessities.

bear viewing in North Carolina.

There is an

Creativity has played a big role in the

The Town of Plymouth has adopted the

Secondly, the N.C. Black Bear Festival

success of the N.C. Black Bear Festival. Some

black bear as their brand and painted it on

offers 30 or more activities each year. Their

examples include the world’s first mechanical

their water tower and it will later be on police

goal is to keep this event fresh with new

black bear ride, a children’s bear train ride and

cars and fire trucks. The town created a new

activities each year.

a baby bear dress-up contest.

canoe/kayak launch called Bear Track Landing.

Some of the new events this year are

Last year Bear Fest added a Blackberry

In addition, the Partnership for Downtown

airboat rides, a black bear tent theater and a

Extravaganza because bears love blackberries,

Plymouth just created a new open-air market

bass tournament.

they get ripe in June and they are similar in

called Bear Towne Market. Bears are making a

Some fan favorite events are repeated

name. There was a blackberry-eating contest,

difference in Plymouth!

each year but continue to grow and evolve. For

blackberry pie eating contest and every food

The fifth Anniversary of the N.C. Black Bear

example, the immensely popular Reflections

vendor had a blackberry item on their menu,

Festival & Blackberry Extravaganza will be on

on the Roanoke Firework Show is always full

amongst other things.

June 1-2. The schedule can be found online at

of surprises. Fireworks are fired from a barge on the river.

One year music was added. The next year

The success of this award-winning event

ncbearfest.com. For questions, call 252-793-

goes much further than a weekend festival.

6627. Follow them on Facebook at https://

The community is getting on the bear

www.facebook.com/NCBearFest/

65

Story & Photos by Sarah Hodges Stalls

‘The Message of Easter’ opens its 4oth season on April 11. The 90-minute outdoor drama depicts the last days of Christ as told in the scriptures.

Jimmy Griffin, seen here, has portrayed Christ since the first performance.

A Vision Becomes

O

Reality

ne man’s willingness to follow a vision brought a church family together in ways they could have never imagined.

The late E.T. Taylor of Farm Life had a gift for creativity and all things theatrical. He had no formal training, simply abundant talent and a willing spirit. For many years, he used that talent to enhance children’s plays at Piney Grove Baptist Church in the Farm Life community of Martin County.

In the 1970s, Taylor went in front of the stage curtain with his talents as he portrayed Gov. Charles Eden in the local production, “Blackbeard – Knight of the Black Flag.”

A man of faith, Taylor would begin to share he had been given what some would call a vision; others may call a mission, which would enable many to share that faith.

Jimmy Griffin, also of Farm Life, recalls the day Taylor shared the idea behind what would become a decades-long passion.

It was the day of the Williamston Christmas parade in the late 1970s, Griffin said.

“We were pulling the float and we were right in front of Martin Supply,” he explained. “E.T. said he’d been thinking about something. He

66

said, ‘You know, a lot of churches have a Christmas program.’”

Taylor shared with Griffin his idea of having a program to commemorate the cross and the resurrection of Christ. It would be an Easter play and be presented outdoors.

“E.T. asked if I would consider playing the part of Jesus,” Griffin said.

“And I just, I said, ‘well, I’ll do the best I can. That’s all I can do.’”

Griffin admits he never had any idea it would take off to the extent is has for so long.

That conversation was one part of the journey that brought “The Message of Easter” to life. The 90-minute outdoor drama, which portrays the last days of Christ as told in the scriptures is free to all who attend.

Taylor and company developed the script directly from scriptures, to explain Christ’s death, burial and resurrection to all who attend. April 11 will open its 40th season of sharing and glorifying God’s word.

Taylor started the ball rolling. Many others would play integral roles in getting the first years off the ground.

One of those would be the late S.E. Manning.

“S.E. could make E.T.’s ideas come to life,” Manning’s widow, Nancy, said. “He could hear what E.T. wanted to happen

The Last Supper, pictured here, is one of the most impactful scenes in the 90-minute outdoor drama, ‘The Message of Easter.’ The upper room is one of many buildings on the set constructed by church members.

E.T. Taylor first presented the idea for this outdoor Easter drama to a close circle of friends more than a year before it began. Not trained in theater, Taylor had a gift of creativity and a fearlessness of faith. then see it on the ground. He could put everything together to make it happen.”

That was only a portion of Manning’s contribution. The first year’s performances, held in 1979, were offered in Manning’s front yard. The fellow church member and his family provided use of the land where an outdoor theater could be built.

His only real request was there never be a cost to see the performance or any event at the theater.

Manning’s request remains honored today at the facility that bears his name, sitting on what once was a cornfield.

Since the beginning, every aspect of the performance has been navigated by the church family – from the makeshift set used the first year to the outdoor theater still in place today.

The ladies of the Piney Grove congregation designed and sewed every costume, just as they do today.

Danny Griffin, who grew up in the church with Jimmy Griffin, would step into a technical role from the beginning of “The Message of Easter.”

Educated and skilled in technology, Danny Griffin was a natural fit for the role organizing lighting, music and other needs.

When Jimmy Griffin, only months Danny’s junior, recalled their childhood Christmas plays at church, he now sees there was a plan coming together – even then.

Leslie Hardison, left, and Jimmy Griffin are two of a handful of performers that have never missed a night of ‘The Message of Easter.’ Hardison portrays Peter and Griffin takes on the role of Jesus Christ.

“Danny was the light man when he was 6 or 7 years old. He really was,” Jimmy Griffin said, as he couldn’t help but smile.

He described a young Danny with lights in coffee cans, changing the mood of the scenes with color gels he would interchange in front of the can.

Danny Griffin recalls one Christmas play where he did whatever necessary with the tools at hand to make Taylor’s vision come to life. This skill would prove to be a priceless asset in the history of the production.

“We had the old light wheel and every light we had out,” he said. “I sat with extension cords around my neck (in a classroom off to the side) with a multiplug fixture on it. I actually sat there plugging and unplugging cords to make the different lights for the program,” Danny Griffin recalled.

With a strong history of teamwork to their credit, Danny Griffin and Taylor made a sound team. Today, Danny is still involved with technical maintenance and stays on standby in case of emergency, filling in with the technical crew when needed.

Jimmy Griffin’s family, like many in the church, participated in “The Message of Easter” together. Today, he gives the production credit for

67

the next generation of his family.

“I pretty much owe my family to it,” he said.

A reporter came to cover the church’s outreach mission one year, and she’s still in Farm Life.

One day during the 1988 season, Taylor called Jimmy Griffin and told him there would be a reporter coming from a magazine, urging him to come to the drama site early.

“And he (Taylor) told me – don’t dawdle” Jimmy laughed. “I don’t know if he had a premonition or not.”

That reporter showed great courage, accompanying Jimmy Griffin on an exciting trip to catch pigeons that would be released during the production.

A 1990 wedding would follow and today, Jimmy, Deborah and their sons, Colby and Shane, are all a part of “The Message of Easter.” It is one of many families to carry on generations of participation.

Today, Griffin is one of few who have never missed a performance.

Leslie Hardison, the first and only actor to portray Peter, has likewise never missed a performance.

“It’s been good,” Hardison said.

Admitting he was apprehensive early on, he sees this mission as something that has unified the church through many trials.

One of those trials occurred on Nov. 12, 2000. A large portion of Piney Grove Baptist Church was lost to a fire. Remarkably, the fire stopped short of the fellowship hall where props and costumes were stored. Little was lost that impacted the drama.

“All through the Bible it talks about God using ordinary people,” Hardison said.

His entire family has been a part of the building of the set, performances, workdays and related activities from day one.

He is grateful multiple generations of his family have been a part of “The Message of Easter.”

Season 40 opens on April 11 with the annual Spanish performance. English performances run April 12 through April 14 and again on April 18 through Sunday, April 22. Performances begin at 8 p.m. nightly.

The outdoor theater is located beside Piney Grove Baptist Church at 2925 Piney Grove Church Road in the Farm Life Community of Martin County, north of Washington and south of Williamston between highways 17 and 171.

Follow the event on Facebook by searching for “The Message of Easter” or on the web at www.messageofeaster.org.

Sarah Hodges Stalls is a Staff Writer for Eastern Living, the Bertie Ledger-Advance and the Martin County Enterprise & Weekly Herald.

68

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&

OUT ABOUT! Out & About is a listing of events happening in and around the 12 counties which make up the

coverage region for North Carolina’s Eastern Living Magazine. Those wishing to have an event listed should sent it to: Eastern Living, Attn: Out

& About, P.O. Box 69, Windsor, NC 27983. Email events to Thadd White at twhite@ncweeklies.com.

MARCH 21 New York Theatre Ballet TARBORO - The New York Theatre Ballet will make its seventh consecutive appearance in the Edgecombe Performing Series, under the direction of founder and artistic director Diana Byer. The event will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21 at Keihin Auditorium on the campus of Edgecombe Community College (2009 West Wilson St., Tarboro). Admission is free, but reserved seating tickets are required. The Furman Mathewson Trust of Edgecombe County Memorial Library sponsors the event.

For more information, visit: https://www. edgecombe.edu/community/performanceseries/ MARCH 21-23 Martin Community Players present Oliver!

WILLIAMSTON – The Martin Community Players will present Oliver! at 7:30 p.m. March 21-23 at the Martin County Auditorium. Tickets are available at the door or at Mast Pharmacy in Williamston or Village Pharmacy in Robersonville. Tickets are $15 (adults) and $10 (senior citizens, students). Group rates are available. The Martin County Auditorium in on the campus of Riverside High School, 1260 Godwin Rd. in Williamston.

MARCH 22 Finding Freedom Symposium HALIFAX – The all-day event “Finding Freedom: Freedom Seeking and the Underground Railroad in North Carolina” is planned for 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Friday, March 22 at the Halifax County Agricultural Center. The event will share historical research findings related to the Underground Railroad in N.C. and cover many other topics.

Pre-registration is encouraged. The cost is

70

$15 to attend. The Center is located at 359 Ferrell Lane in Halifax. For more information, call 252-583-7191.

MARCH 22 THROUGH APRIL 26 Senior Art Exhibition MURFREESBORO - The Department of Communication Arts at Chowan University will host the Senior Art Exhibition to showcase the talents of graduating seniors in Communication Arts who produce their own exhibition, featuring individual works in a wide variety of media, depending on the individual student’s artistic, technical and aesthetic focus. This exhibition is free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday through Friday in the Green Hall Art Gallery. For more information, contact Rob Buller at (252) 642-7168 or buller@chowan. edu.

MARCH 23 WELDON – The town of Weldon Annual Shad Shootout is planned for 6 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday, March 23. The 9th annual event will be held at the River Falls Park, and the tournament is open to anglers of all ages. Applications are available at www. historicweldonnc.com, but signups are also available the day of the tournament. For more information, visit www.historicweldonnc.com or call 252-536-4836.

MARCH 23-24 Gaited Horse Show WILLIAMSTON - The Sen. Bob Martin Eastern Agricultural Center in Williamston will host the Gaited Horse Show Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24. For more information, visit www.fourbeatsforpleasure. com or call Shannon Gibbs at 919-2550429.

MARCH 26 SeniorFEST 2019 MURFREESBORO - A Senior Adult Event at Chowan University with Special Guest Tom Key, Faith-Based Performance Artist (nationally celebrated for creating, starring in and co-authoring the musical hit, Cotton Patch Gospel), and afternoon entertainment

by Keepers of Faith, Gospel Ensemble.

Plus, enjoy informative breakout sessions, entertainment and lunch. Registration fee is $15 per person and includes program and lunch. For more information or to register, visit www.chowan.edu/seniorfest or contact Lou Ann Gilliam at 252-398-6317 or seniorfest@chowan.edu.

Storm Ready 2019 WASHINGTON – A Storm Ready 2019 seminar will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 26 in Building 8 of Beaufort Community College. SERVPRO of Bath will offer information for those who have suffered from or are concerned about future loss due to catastrophic storms. For more information, email lobrien@servprobath.com or call 252-923-0213.

MARCH 28-31 Solatido Singer/Songwriters Workshop COLUMBIA – A Workshop for Singer/ Songwriters is planned March 28-31 at Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft. Those attending are encouraged to bring a writing project including songs, stories, memoir, fiction or poems. The school is located at 201 Main St. in Columbia. For more information, email info@pocosinarts.org.

MARCH 29-30 Coronation of Poppea WASHINGTON – The East Carolina University of Music, Department of Opera

Egg Hunt during the N.C. Herring Festival will present “Coronation of Poppea” at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. March 29 and 30 at the historic Turnage Theatre in downtown Washington. Tickets are $20 for general admission, $15 for faculty, staff and seniors and $5 for students with a valid ID. For more information, visit www.artsofthepamlico. com.

MARCH 30 ROANOKE RAPIDS – The Roanoke Canal Museum & Trail is hosting a Half Marathon and 8K on Saturday, March 30. The Half Marathon will begin at 8 a.m. and the 8K at 8:30 a.m. Both races will begin at the Roanoke Rapids Lake Park and take place on the Roanoke Canal Trail. The cost for the Half Marathon is $60, and for the 8K is $30. For more information or to sign up, visit runsignup.com.

MARCH 30-31 March Magic Dressage Show WILLIAMSTON - The Sen. Bob Martin Eastern Agricultural Center in Williamston will host the March Magic Dressage Show Saturday, March 30 and Sunday, March 31. For more information, visit www. sportingservices.net or call Cassidy Sitton at 618-201-3290.

APRIL 2 Ronan Tynan in Concert WASHINGTON – The Beaufort County Concert Association will present Ronan Tynan in concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 2 at the Turnage Theatre in downtown Washington. For ticket information, visit www. gobcca.org.

APRIL 4 & 11 Poetry Writing Class WINDSOR – The Bertie County Arts Council will host a Poetry Writing Class for teens and adults at 6 p.m. April 3 and April 11 at the gallery on 124 South King St. in Windsor.

Poet-in-Residence Nathan M. Richardson will teach the classes. The classes are $10 each for members and nonmembers.

APRIL 5-6 Writer’s Conference WASHINGTON – The 2019 Pamlico Writers’ Conference will be held April 5-6 at the Turnage Theater in Washington. The keynote event is Friday, April 5 and will feature keynote speaker Katharine Ashe. For more information, visit www.pamlicowritersgroup. org.

Critters in Clay COLUMBIA – A workshop titled Critters in Clay is planned for 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. April 5-6 at the Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft.

The workshop, led by Gabrielle Graber, will help students create expressive sculptures in clay. The school is located at 201 Main St. in Columbia. For more information, email info@pocosinarts.org.

Introduction to Cloisonne COLUBMIA – A workshop titled Introduction to Cloisonne will be held from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. April 5-6 at the Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft. The workshop, led by Talya Kantro, will provide students with techniques in the ancient art of cloisonné enamel.

The school is located at 201 Main St. in Columbia. For more information, email info@ pocosinarts.org.

APRIL 6 N.C. Science Festival/Nature Scavenger Hunt SCOTLAND NECK – The N.C. Science Festival will be held from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday, April 6 at Sylvan Heights Bird Park. All visitors will have the opportunity to complete a Nature Scavenger Hunt using the senses of touch, hearing, smell and sight.

Admission is free with paid park admission or membership. Sylvan Heights Bird Park is located at 500 Sylvan Heights Parkway in Scotland Neck. For more information, visits www.shwpark.com.

Opening Exhibit WILLIAMSTON – The exhibit opening for the Watercolor Society of NC 2019 Traveling Exhibition will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 6 at the Martin County Arts Council.

The exhibit will remain on display through May 6. There is no admission fee. For more information, call the Arts Council at 252-7898470 or visit info@martincountyarts.com.

APRIL 8 Fredrick Douglass Speaking Tour WINDSOR – The Fredrick Douglass Speaking Tour will present a performance by poet, author and Douglass historian Nathan M. Richardson at 6 p.m. Monday, April 8 at the Bertie County Public Library. The event is free and sponsored by the Bertie County Arts Council, Albemarle Regional Library and N.C. Arts Council.

Spring Concert WASHINGTON – The Beaufort County Community Orchestra will present a free Spring Concert at 3 p.m. Monday, April 8 at the historic Turnage Theatre in downtown Washington.

71

&

OUT ABOUT! APRIL 10 Mountain Bike Night Ride HOLLISTER – A Mountain Bike Night Ride is planned for 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 10 at Medoc Mountain State Park. The ride, which is suitable for all skill levels, requires mountain bike and helmet. Gloves, water bottle, mini-tool, spare tube and pump are highly recommended. Bring lights! Medoc Mountain State Park is located at 1541 Medoc State Park Rd. in Hollister. For more information, call 252-586-6588.

APRIL 12 Halifax Resolves Day HALIFAX – Halifax Resolves Day is planned for 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Friday, April 12 in downtown Halifax. The full day of activities celebrates the 243rd anniversary of the Halifax Resolves. School group tours and living history activities will take place during the morning. A wreath-laying ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m. at the Colonial Courthouse site. The annual Halifax Day program, sponsored by the Historical Halifax Restoration Association, will take place at 2:30 p.m. and features a guest speaker followed by a reception. Admission is free. For more information, visit www. nchistoricsites.org.

Poetry Slam WINDSOR – A Poetry Slam will be hosted by Bertie County Arts Council Poet-in-Residence Nathan M. Richardson at 5:30 p.m. Friday, April 12 at the Gallery. High school students who participated in the “Paint Me A Poem” residency classes will share their work.

Others in attendance will also be allowed to share. The Gallery is located at 124 South King St. in Windsor.

APRIL 12-14 Spring Theatre Performance MURFREESBORO – The Chowan University Spring Theatre will present Mmmbeth.

Performances will be held at the Turner Auditorium in the McDowell Columns Hall on the campus of Chowan University. Admission is $3. For more information, email hardes@ chowan.edu or call 252-398-6326.

APRIL 13 Morattico Artisan Fair HALIFAX – The Morattico Artisan Fair will be held form 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday, April 13 on King Street in Halifax. The event includes homemade or handcrafted arts and crafts, children’s activities, live music and more. For more information, visit www. historichalifaxnc.com.

The Road to Yorktown HALIFAX – The Road to Yorktown features re-enactors who will bring the town to life and depict the British occupation of Halifax

72

during the Revolution. It will be held from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday, April 13. Visitors will enjoy military encampments, military drill and weapons firing demonstrations. Ongoing living history activities will take place on site and in the historic buildings. Historic vignettes will take place throughout the day to help visitors understand what life was like for citizens of Halifax during the British occupation by Cornwallis’ troops during the American Revolution. For more information, visit www.nchistoricsites.org.

N.C. Science Festival/Earth Day SCOTLAND NECK – The N.C. Science Festival / Earth Day is planned for 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, April 13 at Sylvan Heights Bird Park. Local organizations with an environmental focus will have educational booths and hands-on activities throughout the park. Admission is free with paid park admission or membership. Sylvan Heights Bird Park is located at 500 Sylvan Heights Parkway in Scotland Neck. For more information, visits www.shwpark.com.

ECSU Choir WILLIAMSTON – The Elizabeth City State University Choir will perform at 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 13 at the E.J. Hayes Alumni Center. The Center is located on Washington Street in Williamston.

Night Skies at Pettigrew CRESWELL – The Tar River Astronomy Club will host Night Skies at Pettigrew State Park at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 13. The program, which will be held at the boat ramp, is free and open to families. Pettigrew State Park is located at 2252 Lake Shore Rd. in Creswell. Register for the event by calling 252-797-4475. For more information, email Pettigrew@ncparks.com.

APRIL 18 Chowan University Band Concert MURFREESBORO – The Chowan University Department of Music will present a student band concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 18 at Turner Auditorium in the McDowell Columns Hall on the campus of Chowan University. For more information, email fostem@chowan.edu or call 252-398-6236.

APRIL 19-20 JAMESVILLE – The 70th annual N.C. Herring Festival will be held April 19-20 in downtown Jamesville. The celebration of herring fishing is held each Good Friday and the Saturday prior to Easter.

APRIL 20 Lassiter Swamp Canoe Trip GATESVILLE – A six-hour canoe trip into Lassiter Swamp is planned 9 a.m.

Saturday, April 20 at Merchants Millpond State Park. Participants should bring lunch

and a pair of boots. It is an intensive trip.

Merchants Millpond State Park is located at 176 Millpond Rd. in Gatesville. For more information, email millpond@ncparks.gov or call 252-357-1191.

APRIL 26-27 Rocky Hock Opry Spring Concert EDENTON – The Rocky Hock Opry Spring Concert will be held at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 26-27. The event will be held at the John A. Holmes High School Auditorium. Tickets are $10. For more information, call 252-333-8567.

APRIL 27 Spring Paddle Days Spring Paddle Days on the Roanoke will be held April 27. Participants should arrive at 7 a.m. to sign up and grab breakfast treats. They will be on the water by 8 a.m. for a three to three-and-a-half hour trip. For more information, contact the Martin County Tourism Development Authority at tourism@ visitmartincounty.com.

Save the Frogs Day SCOTLAND NECK – Sylvan Heights Bird Park will host a Save the Frogs Day where visitors can learn the importance of amphibians in the wetland ecosystem. The event will be held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Saturday, April 27. Admission is free with paid park admission or membership. Sylvan Heights Bird Park is located at 500 Sylvan Heights Parkway in Scotland Neck. For more information, visits www.shwpark.com.

Chowan University Spring Choral Concert MURFREESBORO – The Chowan University Spring Choral Concert will be a joyful celebration feature the Festival Mass by John Leavitt, as well as the “Hallelujah Chorus” and other favorites from Handel’s Messiah. It will be presented by the Chowan Singers, Chamber Choir and Community Chorus under the direction of Dr. Benjamin Thornburg and accompanied by Dr. Deborah Kiszely-Papp. It will be held at Turner Auditorium in the McDowell Columns Hall on the campus of Chowan University. For more information, email fostem@chowan.edu or call 252-398-6236.

BoCo Music Festival WASHINGTON – The BoCo Music Festival will be held from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. at the Turnage Theatre in downtown Washington.

The event is free to the public.

APRIL 27-29 Living History Weekend PLYMOUTH – The 29th annual Living History Weekend is slated for April 27-28 in downtown Plymouth. The event will feature events including the Naval Skirmish, Fall of Fort Compher, a children’s recruitment

Bertie High School’s Marching Band at the Roxobel Ag Fest station and vendors. For more information, contact the Washington County Historical Society on Facebook or visit the website at www.portoplymouthmuseum.org.

APRIL 28 Broadway on the Big Screen WASHINGTON – “The King and I” will be presented at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 28 at the historic Turnage Theatre in downtown Washington. The event is free, but a $5 donation is suggested. For more information, visit www.artsofthepamlico.org.

MAY 2 Senior Film Festival WASHINGTON – The East Carolina University Senior Thesis Film Festival is planned for 6-10 p.m. Thursday, May 2 at the historic Turnage Theatre in downtown Washington. For more information, visit www.artsofthepamlico.org.

MAY 3 Pirates of the Pamlico WASHINGTON – Bubblegum Theatre’s Pirates of the Pamlico will be presented at 7 p.m. Friday, March 3 at the historic Turnage Theatre in downtown Washington. Admission if $5. For more information, visit www. artsofthepamlico.org.

MAY 3-4 Improving Your Throwing Skills COLUMBIA – A workshop on Improving Your Throwing Skills will be held 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

May 3-4 at the Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft. The event, led by Andrew Dutcher, will be to help students explore processes to make larger vessels among other topics. The school is located at 201 Main St. in Columbia. For more information, email info@pocosinarts. org.

Feltmaking COLUMBIA – A workshop on the ancient technique of feltmaking where only wool and hot water are needed will be held from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. May 3-4 at the Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft. The instructor is Sharron

Parker. The school is located at 201 Main St. in Columbia. For more information, email info@pocosinarts.org.

Rustic Casting COLUMBIA – A workshop on rustic casting shape, form and temperature will be held from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. May 3-4 at the Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft. The instructor will be Sarah Tector. The school is located at 201 Main St. in Columbia. For more information, email info@pocosinarts.org.

MAY 4 Music on the Corner ROBERSONVILLE – Music on the Corner is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, May 4 in downtown Robersonville. There will be music, dancing, vendors, food and more. Those going are encouraged to bring a lawn chair.

Cruisin’ for a Cure ROANOKE RAPIDS – The ninth annual Cruisin’ for a Cure will be held from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday, May 4 at the Royal Palace Theatre in Roanoke Rapids. There will be a car show, food, raffles and music. Admission is free. The Theatre is located at 500 Carolina Crossroads Parkway in Roanoke Rapids. For more information, call 252-203-1093.

Kiwanis 5K Race/Walk EDENTON – The ninth annual EdentonChowan Kiwanis 5K Race/Walk is planned for Saturday, May 4 at the Historic Edenton State Historic Site. The race is the primary fundraiser for scholarships presented by the Kiwanis Club. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. The Historic Edenton State Historic Site is located at 108 North Broad St. in Edenton.

For more information, email ek5krd@gmail. com or visit www.RunTheEast.com.

Roxobel Ag Fest ROXOBEL – The annual Roxobel Ag Fest is planned for May 4 in downtown Roxobel. For more information, go to the Facebook page “Roxobel Ag Fest.”

MAY 9-11 Old Timer’s Musical WASHINGTON – The 11th Old Timer’s Musical is planned for May 9-11 at the historic Turnage Theatre in downtown Washington. The musical will be presented at 2:30 p.m. (May 9), 7 p.m. (May 10) and 2:30 and 7 p.m. (May 11). Admission is $12 or $10 with a cash discount. For more information, visit www. artsofthepamlico.org.

MAY 11 Our Scaly Friends CRESWELL – Our Scaly Friends: Snakes of Pettigrew State Park is planned for 10 a.m.

Saturday, May 11 at the park office. Attendees should be prepared for a three-mile hike and bring appropriate footwear. Pettigrew State Park is located at 2252 Lake Shore Rd. in Creswell. For more information, call 252-7974475 or email Pettigrew@ncparks.com.

MAY 16 Fine Arts Show WILLIAMSTON – The Martin County Arts Council Fine Art Show is planned for 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 16. Arts for the show must be submitted from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, May 12. The show remains open through July 5. The show will be held at the Martin County Arts Council, located at 124 Washington St. in Williamston.

MAY 23 Spring Concert Series WASHINGTON – The Spring Concert Series will feature Wyldwood from 7-9 p.m. Thursday, May 23 at the Turnage Theatre in downtown Washington. The Beaufort County Traditional Music Association sponsors the event. For more information, visit www.bctma.org.

73

12 Views From Our

Photos by Alan Campbell / Rocky Mount Telegram.

Tarboro High School wins state title

(Above) Tarboro’s Jyron Albritton, left, fends off East Surry’s Logan Ray during a run in the NCHSAA 1-AA state championship game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

(Left) Tarboro’s Clifton Joyner, left, is tackled by East Surry’s Hoyt Bullington during a run in the NCHSAA 1-AA state championship game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

74

The Tarboro football team along with friends and family bow their heads in prayer following the Vikings’ 50-10 win over East Surry in NCHSAA 1-AA state championship game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

Tarboro’s Keon Caudle, left, runs the ball during the NCHSAA 1-AA state championship game against East Surry at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

(Above) Tarboro head coach Jeff Craddock, right, and Tarboro offensive coordinator Ricky Babb celebrate following the Vikings’ 50-10 win over East Surry in NCHSAA 1-AA state championship game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

(Left) Tarboro quarterback Kimani McDaniels, right, breaks away from East Surry’s Mitchell Edwards during a 65-yard touchdown run in the NCHSAA 1-AA state championship game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

75

ALL IN A

Story & Photos by Meghan Grant

Day’s Trip Hillsborough L

ocated right of I-85 in Orange County, Hillsborough, one of the oldest towns in North Carolina,

is the perfect spot for a little day trip getaway from eastern North Carolina.

There is a lot to do, whether it is spending the day antiquing or exploring the historic sites around the town.

Hillsborough is a lovely, eclectic, quaint town with a whole lot of charm.

We planned our trip so we’d arrive in downtown Hillsborough around lunchtime so we could eat at La Place, Hillsborough’s neighborhood kitchen.

The restaurant is located in the old James Pharmacy building, and it has great New Orleans-style food. The food is delicious, the restaurant is beautifully decorated but isn’t the least bit stuffy.

On weekends, there is a Bloody Mary bar with over 40 options and toppings that pair nicely with the brunch menu, and there is always prosecco on tap.

Order the beignets for a starter and the fried oyster po’ boy for your main course.

The

restaurant

is

locatd

at 111 North Churchton St. in

76

Hillsborough with free street parking and a public parking lot.

A great dinner spot is Antonia’s, an authentic Italian restaurant that uses locally sourced ingredients.

Antonia’s changes its menu daily and updates it accordingly on the restaurant’s website.

It’s open only for dinner, so be sure to make time in your trip to have an early dinner here.

Find Antonia’s at 101 North Churchton St. in Hillsborough.

There are so many great things to do in downtown Hillsborough after having lunch.

Churchton Street offers great shops, including my personal favorite, Carlisle & Linny Vintage Jewelry, which has the best vintage costume jewelry at affordable prices.

I purchased a beautiful, vintage brooch, but my favorite part was sorting through the gorgeous collections of jewelry in the shop.

The environment is warm and welcoming – 108 Churchton St. is a great spot to shop for home decor, women’s clothing and gifts.

We also enjoyed strolling the side streets branching off from Churchton and seeing the different architecture in the town.

One of my favorite finds was the Colonial Inn, which has been in Hillsborough since 1838 and has had different names and businesses through various transitions.

It went out of business in 2000, and has since been let go. Someone bought it with the intention of fixing it up, but it is pretty far gone at this point.

It

is

on

the

historic

registry

for

Hillsborough, so it cannot be demolished without permission from the government.

Despite its condition, it is a beautiful building – and you still can feel the charm and imagine it in all its glory.

Down Churchton Street, there is the Riverwalk Greenway, which runs along the Eno River. The greenway stretches for almost two miles and covers some really interesting

“

On weekends, there is a Bloody Mary bar with over 40 options and toppings that pair nicely with the brunch menu, and there is always prosecco on tap.

77

ALL IN A

Day’s Trip

Hillsborough “There are shops that you could spend hours sorting through vinyl records or vintage postcard collections. Spend some time chatting with the shop owners, too. They have fascinating stories and are the epitome of Southern belles.”

78

parts of the area, including the Occoneechee Speedway property trails.

We visited on one of those beautiful, warmer winter days, which made for a pleasant walk along the greenway, taking in the area.

Growing up in Halifax County, I always loved spending time at Historic Halifax, which has translated into finding historic properties to tour and enjoy as an adult.

You’ll want to drive from Churchton Street to Ayr Mount to take in the historic house museum and its surrounding trails.

You could make a day out of spending the day on the grounds of Ayr Mount, especially with the new trail that is part of North Carolina’s Mountain to Sea Trail.

Ayr Mount was built in 1815 and has been beautifully preserved. There are Adirondack chairs that overlook the rolling hills on Ayr Mount and there are places on the grounds for having a picnic of you wanted to bring your lunch.

Another great spot to lose track of time is the Hillsborough Antique Mall.

This is another spot you’d want to drive to from downtown or from Ayr Mount, but the antique shops in the mall are expansive and have such a great selection of products.

There are shops that you could spend

hours

sorting

through

vinyl records or vintage postcard collections. Spend some time chatting with the shop owners, too. They have fascinating stories and are the epitome of Southern belles.

Meghan Brown Grant is the author of I’m FIxin’ To, a lifestyle blog focusing on North Carolina, and a regular contributor to Eastern Living. She lives in Willow Springs with her husband, David, and two dogs.

79

TIGHT LINES

LUPER CLAIMS TOP PRIZE IN ANNUAL SHAD CONTEST

We have a winner of our Tight Lines’ ninth annual Tar River First Hickory Shad Contest.

their season by species: the shad season, the rock -striper season and the trout season.

RICK GOINES

basically year-round.

The shad that are the object of desire are

J.P. Lumper of Rocky Mount caught that

First the shad arrive in mid-winter, about

the hickory shad and the American shad.

Hickory Shad Contest winning fish over

the time that redbud trees bring a splash of

White shad is the nickname commonly used

Groundhog Day weekend on the Tar River at

magenta to the bleak midwinter’s landscape.

by locals for American shad.

“the pipe” on N.C. 97 across from the Rocky Mount wastewater treatment plant.

Hickory shad, the “official fish” of the town

coming of spring, usually arriving when the

of Tarboro, normally show up first, in fishable

dogwood trees burst forth into bloom.

numbers in mid- to late-February. They

“

Waters there are consistently warmer and

fish like it there, as do many anglers. With all the bridge pile driving at Old Sparta, the fish are seemingly bypassing the noisy disruption and seeking more peaceful waters upstream.

Secondly, the striped bass herald the

Trout is basically a year-round fish. Autumn

is the welcome season of trout fishing.

The nice thing about seasonal eastern

average in size about 16 inches. They have an extended protruding lower jaw that looks like a pouting lip, and that is a distinguishing telltale sign that they are definitely a “hick.”

The former Tight Lines first and fifth

American shad grow a little larger,

annual First Tar River Hickory Shad Contest

averaging about 22 inches in length, their lips

winner stated that he fished Old Sparta three

closing together with no protruding lower jaw.

days last week. Nary a fish, as the pile driving

operation in the construction of the new bridge was scaring the fish.

Another former contest winner who also

Congratulations,

J. P. Lumper —

fished Old Sparta recently - our Tar River

gateway into Edgecombe County - observed

that the pile driving seems to have disoriented fish, stunning them with such noise and reverberations that they floated to the surface, then struggled to get away from the danger.

When the N.C. 33-U.S. 64 Business bridge

on Main Street was replaced, pile driving and related disruptions were suspended in March and April to allow spawning runs for Shad and Striped Bass.

Congratulations, J. P. Lumper — he is a most avid angler!

Most eastern North Carolina anglers divide

80

They usually follow the “hicks” a few weeks later.

Spring

is

just

weeks

away,

the

differences between the prognostications of Punxsutawney Phil and Sir Walter Wally

he is a most

”

avid angler!

remain to be seen in 2019, as our weather shoots upward one day and plummets the next. Sometimes it seems both are right. So how does that effect the shad and stripers on their annual spawning run? Great question.

Obviously the anadromous fishes thrive in cold North Atlantic waters where they feed on nutrient rich plankton and krill, fattening up for their winter run to the rivers and creeks

North Carolina fishing is that you’re going to

where they were spawned. You need to know

pull up a variety of fish anytime of the year.

that they do not freeze in salt water, but risk

Those fish eat at the same all-you-can-eat-

freezing in fresh water. So what happens

buffet, so your favorite location is productive,

when fresh water freezes?

The fish naturally know to go deep for saving themselves. Spawning cannot be

bass caught in the Roanoke and Tar Rivers are fishery bred, not wild-spawn bred fish.

action around Grifton has been spotty.

We have not heard any reports from

successful in frigid waters, so they sense

The Shad season opens in Florida and

Grimesland to Falkland on the Tar River. Please

when that time is right. Romance waits for the

Georgia in December, then upward into the

e-mail us with details if you have caught Shad

perfect time at 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Carolina rivers by mid-February and later in

along the Tar, with nice big file size pictures.

A check of eastern North Carolina waters

Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and beyond.

indicates the water temperatures are too low,

Isolated reports say the Shad have

but we know our beloved shad are on the way.

appeared in the Cape Fear and Neuse rivers

There are millions of shad swimming down

and their tributaries. The first Hickory Shad

the eastern seaboard, heading to their native

was reported as caught on the Neuse River

rivers. Their goal is to return to the exact spot

on Jan. 7 by Hailey Madison Walker close to

where they were spawned.

the Spring Garden Landing near West Craven

Do you realize that these fish have a DNA

Middle School. Congratulations to Hailey!

With temperatures supposedly climbing above freezing, it should bring on the Hickory Shad.

With recent changes in striped bass rules on the Tar River, it would be logical to assume pile driving would be suspended during the spawning season in Old Sparta.

We shall check it out and share what we

fingerprint, so to speak? Their scales have a

Mitchell Blake says this is the earliest

specific selenium count that is marked at the

Hickory shad caught on hook and line above

spot where they were spawned.

the Cape Fear watershed in his memory.

Catching fish? Good for you. Please share

A scale sample can determine the exact

There was good water flow and temps in the

your fishy snaps with us at CarolinaAngler@

spot of their birth. So a fish that was spawned

50s creating perfect conditions. Of course,

gmail.com.

in Pitchkettle Creek would not be found near

that was before this polar vortex system fell

See you on the water, my friend.

Fishing Creek or Swift Creek or anywhere else.

upon us. Just last week, first Shad were noted

Rick Goines is a freelance outdoors columnist

It is this very accurate genetic marker that

at Pitchkettle Creek and various spots along

in eastern North Carolina, and a regular

allows fish surveys to reveal that all striped

Contentnea Creek as far up as Hookerton. The

contributor to Eastern Living.

discover.

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Grandma’s

Kitchen

In days gone by, family meals were an

other can prepare a meal for the family.

breakfast as he put his own touches on

important part of the day. It was a time

Cooking a meal together is good

it. My mom woke every morning as he

for families to connect and put aside all

time spent together as well. When

brought her a cup of coffee. He washed

problems and just enjoy themselves.

my two youngest children, Thadd and

dishes, vacuumed floors or whatever

In our day, it is often overlooked as

Scott, were growing up, I tried to teach

else he could do to help her.

people hustle here and there to other

them how to run a household. Since

Both Thadd and Scott clean house,

commitments. But it is still important

both husband and wife work outside

wash clothes and cook. As usual for the

because it is a time that allows everyone

the home now, work at home should be

male cook, they take what is traditional

to unwind, enjoy each other’s company

shared, too.

and add their own touches. Just as often

and be with those who love and accept

A good example was set for me

as not, they come up with completely

them with no reservations. Every family

because my father, Sidney Scott, always

new and different creations. Their food

should require that a certain number of

cheerfully helped at home. I woke up

is always good; just ask any of their

nearly every morning with my father

family and friends.

meals be spent together every week.

All men and women should be able to put a good meal on the table. If one of them is detained for some reason, the

singing as he fixed breakfast for my mom and me.

His was not always the usual

Scott goes completely on his own with cooking, which is exactly his personality. Thadd, however, has taken my lasagna recipe and then perfected it in his own way.

He also used a cobbler recipe I have used for many years as it is the best I have ever put in my mouth. To be honest, it is a recipe I got from Melody Johnson. Once I ate some of her cobbler, I was hooked.

Since it is not possible to give Thadd’s recipe for lasagna (it is different every time), I will give you mine and you can feel free to add or delete to make it yours. I have added to it myself. I use the sauce for both lasagna and spaghetti.

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Lasagna Put one and a half pounds of ground beef in a large pot. Add onion, green pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Add in 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 bay leaf and a shake of red pepper.

Cook, stirring until ground beef is browned and then add: 1 can of petite diced tomatoes 2 small cans of tomato paste 2 regular cans tomato sauce Cook 45 minutes to an hour slowly While sauce is cooking, cook lasagna noodles and drain You will need 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese and 8 oz. of shredded parmesan.

Line your pan or dish with a little sauce, then layer as follows: Noodles – sauce – cheese – noodles – sauce – cheese

Cobbler 1 cup sugar 1 cup flour 1 stick butter 1 egg 1 large can of peaches or any other fruit Drain fruit Beat egg with sugar and flour Pour fruit in 8X8 pan Sprinkle flour mixture over fruit Melt butter and pour over flour mixture being sure to cover all Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees

Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour. Cool 15 minutes before cutting.

Sylvia Hughes is a retired newspaper editor and columnist residing in Windsor. In addition to three sons, she has a gaggle of grandchildren, many of whom love cooking with her just as she did with her mother and grandmother.

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Main Street at College Street in Murfreesboro, Hertford County

MARK IT! Title To Begin Here

MARKER TEXT ID: A-19 - Chowan University Opened 1848 as Chowan Baptist Female Institute. Became four-year college, 1992. A university since 2006. Two blocks south Rabore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam Information courtesy of the voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources ea rebum.

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howan

College,

now

Chowan

University, a four-year institution affiliated with the Baptist State

Convention, traces its origins to the May 1848 meeting of the Chowan Baptist Association, where a group of Baptist deacons recommended that a regional school for girls be created. On October 11, 1848, Chowan Female Institute opened in Murfreesboro with an initial class of eleven students. Renamed Chowan Female Collegiate Institute in 1850, the school featured a curriculum that included math, the sciences, history, and the language and fine arts. Tuition in 1850 was $113 for five months, a substantial cost at the time.

In 1910 the school was renamed Chowan College, and began granting four year bachelor degrees. Fifteen years later, Chowan College was granted state accreditation, and in 1927 received a $25,000 gift from tobacco magnet Benjamin N. Duke. Four years later, after a failed attempt to merge with Meredith College in Raleigh, Chowan College began enrolling men.

Although the college had remained open with an all female student body during the Civil War, the absence of male students during World War II forced the college’s closing from 1943 to 1948. In 1949 the school reopened as a twoyear institution, providing education on a junior college level.

During the 1980s, debates were held over whether to return the school to a four-year program. In 1992, the college again began offering bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees, awarding such diplomas in 1994. The

REFERENCES William S. Powell, Higher Education in North Carolina (1964) William S. Powell, ed., Encyclopedia of North Carolina (2006) Chowan University website: http://www.chowan.edu Original Date Cast: 1939-P

84

name of the school officially changed from Chowan College to Chowan University on September 1, 2006. In the early 2000s the institution had nearly 800 students and over 80 faculty members.

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Eastern Living October-November 2017

95

85

biography

B

Story & Photos by Sarah Hodges Stalls

Mrs. Daisy

drove many in the right direction

Born and raised at the doorstep of Beaufort

When she was not on the school bus,

Many that know Mrs. Daisy may not

and Martin counties, Daisy Woolard is as

she was looking after her students from the

realize she was the third generation of her

well recognized as any politician.

school cafeteria. Her first assignment was in

family to take care of the children of the

Her staunch faith, illustrated by her daily

1971 at Bear Grass High School. There she

community. Her mother, Joanna Corey, first

walk, has been a spiritual light to many that

learned the lunchroom ropes with longtime

fed the students of Farm Life Elementary

crossed her path.

manager Evie Hodges. She would also serve

School along with Woolard’s Aunt Mandy,

an

at Rogers Elementary School before going

her mother’s sister. Lottie Griffin, Mrs.

administrator or a classroom teacher, but

She

may

have

never

been

to the post she is best known for – Farm Life

Daisy’s grandmother, cared for and fed the

that did not stop “Mrs. Daisy” from teaching

Elementary School.

students of the old Corey School, which

the countless students that crossed her path in the Martin County school system.

Most of her career was spent at Farm Life Elementary School.

“I just love children and I loved driving the school bus,” she said.

86

“I was at Farm Life for 25 years,” Woolard said.

She drove Bus 40, one of the school’s three buses. Arthur Woolard, her husband of 69 years, drove Bus 74, and her partner in the cafeteria, Marie Williams, drove Bus 3.

was a predecessor of Farm Life Elementary School, located at what is now N.C. 171, south from the Farm Life Elementary School campus.

To hear her talk about her childhood, it is apparent things were not easy nor simple.

for strong, positive influences. Now 92 years old, Woolard is one of the first mentioned when former students talk about people who made an impact on their lives.

“I lived pillar to post,” she said.

strong, positive influences. Now

With age and her faith, she found her own

92 years old, Woolard is one of

ideas of what love should look and feel like.

the first mentioned when former

Anyone that knows this mother, grandmother,

students talk about people who

great-grandmother

great-great

made an impact on their lives,

grandmother will tell you she’s been sharing

the author of this article included.

and

that love ever since.

“The thing about Farm Life,” Woolard said, “it’s a loving community. Everybody looks at people like they are somebody.”

And parents around the neighborhood trusted Mrs. Daisy to treat their children as her own. Every day, she did her best to show each child the love and concern she felt they needed. And she never hesitated to instill her tremendous faith into anyone that was receptive.

“They had taken prayer out of schools, but they didn’t say we couldn’t have it on the school bus,” she said as she smiled and patted her hands. “We had devotion right on the bus.”

When the sad day came that the beloved Farm Life Elementary School closed, Mrs. Daisy was transferred

to

Williamston

Primary School. She may have been in a new environment but her mission was the same – to take care of the children in her path, show her. Even after she stopped driving the school bus, she still rode for three years as a monitor for students with special needs.

“I wish I could have kept driving but it was not to be,” she said.

Sad that the practice would not be accepted

Mrs. Daisy not only kept her hands full caring for children all her career, she had 10 of

did what she could while she could.

her own at home. Today, she is blessed to still

“Every child that rode my bus had to learn a The regular occurrence fostered positive discussions in many homes, sometimes when they would not have happened without her involvement. She was known by parents and the community alike as a woman who saw every child as the same and as special.

She saw many changes in the school system over the years. Some of her fondest memories include one of, if not the first, black female principals in the county school system.

have eight of her 10 children living along with more than 60 grandchildren, 30-plus greatgrandchildren.

She remains a fixture of her cherished St. John’s Church of Christ outside Washington, where she has held many leadership roles, from the Missions Committee to the Children’s Sunbeam Choir.

Reporter’s Note: I was privileged to be one of the students reciting Bible verses on Bus 40 at Farm Life ––Elementary School in the late 1970s

“Sweet as she could be and a head full of

and early 1980s. The cafeteria manager that

knowledge.”

Mrs. Daisy got her start with, Evie Hodges, was

woman rise through the ranks to be principal.

Farm Life Elementary School may have been a small, rural facility but it did not lack for

Age may have slowed Daisy Woolard, but you can still see the passion when she speaks of things important to her like God, her family and her years of service to Martin County Schools.

grandchildren and nearing a dozen great-great

“Mary Andrews was special,” she recalled.

She took great pride in seeing a young black

Daisy (center) with surviving sisters Rosa (left) and Doris (right).

God’s love and work hard for those who hired

today, Mrs. Daisy takes comfort in knowing she

memory verse (from the Bible),” she said.

“

“

Farm Life Elementary School may have been a small, rural facility but it did not lack

my paternal grandmother.

Sarah Hodges Stalls is a Staff Writer for Eastern Living, the Bertie Ledger-Advance and the Martin County Enterprise & Weekly Herald.

Mrs. Daisy fed looked after the nutritional needs of countless students over the decades. Years later many realized she also contributed to their spiritual strength as well.

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PARTING SHOTS

Thadd White at the Roanoke River in Plymouth.

Long before I became editor of Eastern

state, and Hertford County has been blessed

100-year-old Edith Seiling, who has helped

Living, the idea for this magazine’s theme was

by her work. Gennia Wetherington was an

support leaders throughout Gates County.

in my mind.

amazing coach when she was at Lawrence

While Jim Green helps readers learn about

Academy and Pungo Christian Academy and

Joella Brown, who as a coach and athletic

is continuing that work as a business owner.

leader at Northeast Academy – long before

For years, the two newspapers I edit featured stories for Women’s History Month.

Our staff often talked about how women

I also had the good fortune to meet

have been leaders in our nation for a long

Elizabeth Conwell Robinson, who is a

time, but it took longer for them to take their

successful real estate broker in Halifax County.

places in eastern North Carolina.

It’s true that some women have been in

Through our stories, you’ll meet some wonderful people throughout the region.

most women were in that role. He also helps readers learn about Kay Overton, who has spent 16 years at the Washington-Tyrrell Partnership for Children and is a big believer in its mission.

their leadership roles for decades – but now,

Deborah Griffin introduces you to Bear

the northeastern portion of our state has

Grass Mayor Charlotte Griffin, who has been

female leaders in all facets of government,

a driving force in northeastern North Carolina,

private enterprise and civic organizations.

and Janie Spencer, who has given so much to

For Life – not only in Bertie County, but in

the Tyrrell County Board of Education.

North Carolina – and continues that work

We felt it was right to celebrate the women in our leadership structure and what they have accomplished.

You’ll also meet former state Sen. Angela Bryant, as Jenny White tell

Sarah Hodges Stalls tells us about Bobbie Parker, who has been a driving force for Relay

today.

Sandy Carawan tells us the story of Sharon Slade, who spent years helping and feeding

...now, the northeastern portion of our state has female leaders in all facets of government, private enterprise and civic organizations.

children in Hyde County, and her story will be one of your favorites.

We’ll be back in May when we feature stories about all things barbecue.

Until next time, remember … all who wander are not lost. Continue joining us as we wander through Beaufort, Bertie, Edgecombe,

In this edition, you’ll meet some fascinating

us of her storied career of helping people,

women who have done so much for the

and Edgecombe County Public Schools

success of our region.

Superintendent Valerie Bridges, who is

Nash, Northampton, Tyrrell and Washington

thriving with community support, according

counties.

I was pleased to be able to reconnect with two women I worked with in the past and

to our story by Amelia Harper.

introduce them to our readers. Loria Williams

First-time contributor Sarah Davis will

is one of the best county managers in our

have you enthralled as you read the story of

90

Gates,

Halifax,

Hertford,

Hyde,

Martin,

Thadd White is Editor of Eastern Living Magazine, the Bertie Ledger-Advance and the Martin County Enterprise & Weekly Herald.

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