Volume 20, Number 18
Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall
www.TownTimes.com
Friday, September 25, 2015
Controversy swirls around headlining band By Mark Dionne
name and its use of the Confederate flag. The Confederate battle Controversy has returned flag, known today as the Conto the Durham Fair over federate flag, has frequently the booking of Confeder- been the subject of controate Railroad for versy, and the issue rose Durham the headlining again to national prominence show on Sunday, after the murder of nine AfriFair Sept. 27. Some can-Americans in a Charlesresidents have ton, South Carolina church objected to welcoming the by a white supremacist this country band to the fair be- past June. In July, South Carolina cause of its association with the Confederacy, both in its removed the Confederate Town Times
Confederate Railroad, like many country acts, uses Confederate flag imagery in its marketing and look, such as its Facebook banner. Many residents have expressed discomfort that a band using such imagery has been invited to play at the Durham Fair.
flag from state grounds and Walmart, Sears, Amazon and eBay decided to stop selling merchandise adorned with the flag. Although the Durham Fair Association booked the band prior to the Charleston massacre, the announcement was made soon after the victims’ funerals. Michael Good of Durham said, “The timing, in my See Controversy / Page 2
Szewczyk holds off Raney for BOS seat By Mark Dionne Town Times
In a rare local primary, on Wednesday, Sept. 16, John Szewczyk defeated Rob Raney for an automatic seat on Durham’s Board of Selectmen. The unofficial results, announced at the Korn school polling location shortly after 8 p.m., had 507 votes, with 265 going for Szewczyk and 241 for Raney. The 24-vote margin was larger than the one-half of 1 percent margin that would trigger an automatic recount, according to Republican Registrar of Voters Pam Lucashu. Raney was the endorsed Republican Party candidate, but Szewczyk, a twoterm incumbent on the BOS, collected signatures to force a primary. At Korn shortly after the results came in, Raney offered congratulations to Szewczyk, who he said ran a hard-fought campaign.
“I knew he would work hard and that’s exactly what he did,” Raney said. “I’m overwhelmed by the turnout,” Raney said of the contest, which was only open to the 1,421 registered Republicans of Durham. “Thirty-five percent for a primary is incredible. It goes to show that the people of Durham cared, they got involved. And that can only make for a healthy community.” With Szewczyk’s victory and the Durham Democrats’ lack of a First Selectman candidate, the next BOS will be unchanged. Szewczyk will join Steve Levy as a Selectman and Laura Francis will be First Selectman. There will be other, contested races on the November municipal ballot. Szewczyk, who was not at Korn on primary night, commented by e-mail, “I am grateful to the Durham See Primary / Page 6
Ready for the fair Fo u r t h - g rad e r M a rl e e Geyser of Durham carries her frog, Big Fat, into the Durham Fair Youth Building on Saturday, Sept. 19 – drop off day for many fair
exhibits. Marlee created Big Fat to enter in the “Frog Creation” category, a special class created this year in memory of Ralph D’Errico IV. Big Fat, and the other
frogs, will be displayed in the Youth Building at the Durham Fair, which kicked off Thursday and wraps up Sunday. | Mark Dionne / Town Times