Washington the Magazine March/April 2018

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Tradition

From food to family, Beaufort County celebrates its heritage

FEATURING Generations come together to revive an old eastern N.C. tradition

MARCH/APRIL 2018 WASHINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 1

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In this issue

FEATURES & DEPARTMENTS SUGARS AND SWEETS

IN EVERY ISSUE

29

8 10 24 50 52 56 60 62 66 67

SWEET TRADITION: Perseverance the key of butter mint success

29 HOME TO EASTERN NC 34

LASTING LEGACY: An eastern North Carolina tradition is resurrected for the next generation

Publisher’s Note The Scene What's in Store Cast a Line What's to Eat Calendar Word on Wine Dining Guide Why I Love Washington Advertiser Index

34 MUSEUMS FROM HOME 41

PRESERVING HISTORY: New museum comes to North Carolina’s oldest town

41 SNOW DAY 47

47 6 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

A WAY OF LIFE: Hunting tradition thrives in Beaufort County

ON THE COVER Cauldrons steam on a chilly January day, one reserved for a good, ol' fashioned, eastern North Carolina hogkilling. Read all about this community tradition on page 34. (Photograph by Vail Stewart Rumley)

Publisher Ashley Vansant Editorial Kevin Scott Cutler Ben Deck Michael Prunka Vail Stewart Rumley Contributors Richard Andrews Robert Sands Advertising Director David Singleton Marketing & Sales Theresa Futas Cecilia Prokos Amy Whitaker Distribution Sylvester Rogers Art Direction Elizabeth Reed Contact information Washington the Magazine P.O. Box 1788 Washington, NC 27889 Advertising inquiries 252-946-2144 Ext. 221 Subscriptions & change of address 252-946-2144 Washington the Magazine is published six times a year by Washington Newsmedia, LLC. Copyright 2016, Washington Newsmedia, LLC

A NOTE FROM ASHLEY

COMING HOME TO HERITAGE

T

radition is everywhere in Beaufort County.

Ever since Edward “Blackbeard” Teach first set his boots upon the protruding hilltop riverbanks in what is now Bath (and even before), our region has been defined by a past rich in history and steeped in tradition. Those traditions are the focus of this edition of Washington The Magazine; and the more we dug into these stories, the more we found.

Speaking of pirates, the Historical Bath Foundation recently opened the Historic Bath Exhibit Hall and contributor Ben Deck gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how the new museum came to be and delves into a few of the historical treasures — such as its most notorious denizen — that they aim to keep everpresent and preserved for the future.

Few things are more traditional than an eastern North Carolina hogkilling, and Beaufort County’s Doug Boyd recently put one on to share the knowledge with the next generation. Vail Stewart Rumley provides an inside look on how these events were born of necessity, and now bring a community together on page 35.

There are not many winter experiences in the East more popular that duck hunting — Michael Prunka writes about how two dedicated teens broke the January ice and brave bitter cold to carry on a time-honored tradition on page 47.

And there’s hardly a sweeter tradition than the sweet treats of butter mints by Washington’s Betty Parvin. This eastern Carolina sugary staple is but a sample of the many after dinner delicacies that were made from what was on hand… and made delicious. We are treated to a tempting primer by Vail Stewart Rumley on page 29.

Naturally, our region has more tradition than this edition has pages.

So, there’s little doubt you’ll see more of these historical time capsules in the future editions. It’s a nice way to keep our heritage close to the heart.

Ashley Vansant, Publisher

We would love to hear what you think about Washington the Magazine. Email us at news@ Write thewashingtondailynews.com or write to P.O. Box 1788, Washington, NC 27889. Letters chosen for publication to us may be edited for length and clarity. All submissions become the property of Washington the Magazine.

8 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

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THE SCENE WATERCOLOR EXHIBIT Students of Lemonade Art Gallery co-owner Carol Mann and friends gathered at Arts of the Pamlico’s Turnage Theatre gallery for the opening reception of an exhibit of their work.

Landscapes, still lifes and portraits of people and places abounded — the one requirement was that each work was painted outside of Mann’s watercolor classes.

Carol Mann, Jane McCotter, Carolyn Parsons

Deborah Parker, Jodie Berry

Karen Engmann, Ann Jones

10 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

Wendy MacDonald, MJ Peters

Georgia Hayes and Kat Barwick

Candace Woolard, Teresa Swain, Jeremy Ambrose

Jennifer Sable, Jean Thompson

Diana and Jeff Barwick

Meghan Bailey, Kathy Beckel

Thad Aley, Shannon Loughlin

Deborah and Roland Wyman

Laura and Dian Darre

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 11

THE SCENE Arts of the Pamlico Gala Jan. 27, supporters of the arts turned out in their finest attire for Arts of the Pamlico’s annual gala. Due to demand, the event was moved from AOP’s Turnage Theatre to the Washington Civic Center. Live music and live performances were interwoven with dinner and dancing for the nonprofit arts organization’s popular fundraiser.

Sharon Owens, Jane Olsen, Jayne Misell, Marty Bell, Garleen Woolard, Lisa Hodges, Hazel Arnold, Carol Keech, Rebecca Clark, Laura Darre, Alan Mobley

Bob Jones and Deborah Carter

Teresa and Reg Burgess

Marcus and Lilly Jones, Angi and Hunter Gibbs

12 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

Jerol and Sonya Selby

Marsha and Hodges Hackney

Melissa and David Johnson

Jerry and Gloria Arnold

Mia and Chuck Williams

Mike and Patti Walsh, Bill and Ann Cummings, Joe and Ginger Gehres

Gail and Pat Kenefick

Ed and Shirley Mann

Jeffrey and Rima Jacobs

Lisa Hodges and David Carraway

Jim and Pam Harris

Gayle Watson and Paul Hager

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 13

Bruce and Sandra Swan

Kevin and Kathie Matsil

Robert and Allison Sands

Bob Diefendorf, Marilyn Bram

Andy and Susan Hill

Moses and Elizabeth Moye

14 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

Maggie Gregg, Don Stroud, Emily Rebert

Mary and Ledrue Bolder

Bobby and Lisa Clark

Christy and Damon Walcott

Clay Johnson and Debra Torrence

Denise and Anthony Canino

William and Thad Aley

Ed Futrell, Becky Avery, Katherine and John Tate

Abbott and Hillary Tunstall, John and Heather Thienpont, Neil and Meredith Loughlin

Charles and Clarissa Phillips

Nan and Chris McLendon, Julie and David Howdy, Kathey and Jeff Rumley, Clarissa and Charles Phillips

Meg Howdy, Summer Howdy, Delores Clark

Siena Ward and MJ Peters

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 15

THE SCENE ‘Heart of the Pamlico’ Poet Laureate Feb. 3, the Pamlico Writers’ Group announced the winner of the inaugural “Heart of the Pamlico” poet laureate. Following a competition at Arts of the Pamlico’s Turnage Theatre, in which poets read their own work in front of judges and audience, Malaika King Albrecht was named poet laureate. The poet laureate’s role will include promoting poetry throughout eastern North Carolina.

Molly and Stephen Pleasants

Sharon Owens, Doris Schneider

Malaika King Albrecht, Eileen Lettick

Marlissa and Nick Murray, Jennifer Tanner, Laura Camino, Brandi Sanchez

16 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

John and Kristie Williams

Bill and Carolyn Myers

Kyle Reeves, Amani Albrecht, Malaika King Albrecht, Serena Albrecht

Marni Graf, Carolyn Goelz

Michael Archer and Deborah Doolittle

Marty Silverthorne, Angela Silverthorne

Ashlyn Batten, Sherri Moore, Amber Decker

Sherri Hollister and Tammy Cooper

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 17

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THE SCENE HISTORIC BATH EXHIBIT HALL SOFT-OPENING S u p p o r te r s , co n t r i b u to r s a n d o t h e r stakeholders gathered Jan. 21 at the new Historic Bath Exhibit Hall for the soft-opening of Bath’s museum, a Historic Bath Foundation project. Located in the Old Bath High School, and part of the ongoing renovations of the building, the museum will house pieces of history from North Carolina’s oldest town, but its first travelling exhibit is befitting: artifacts from the pirate Blackbeard’s ship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, as the pirate hailed from Bath.

Penny and Wayland Sermons

Josie Hookway and Betsy Boxer

20 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

Jordan Cantrell, Dick and Becky Leach

David Johnston and Pat Axness

Joe and Robin Suggs

Kelly and Selden Taylor

Gene and Susan Roberts

Jim and Emily Albera

Surry Everett and Ken Friedlein

Brenda Poole and Mike Godley

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 21

THE SCENE ANNUAL CHAMBER BANQUET Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce recognized leaders in the business community at the chamber’s annual awards banquet held Jan. 25 at Arts of the Pamlico’s Turnage Theatre. Entrepreneurs, small and large businesses, nonprofits and more were given a nod for the work each contributes to bringing business to their communities.

Amy Johnson, Marin Van Staalduinen, Teresa Van Stalduinen

Ronda Lyons, Russell Smith

Tim Fulcher, Amie Fulcher, Lentz Stowe

22 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

Rachel and Jamie Midget

Charles Phillips, Chris McLendon, Clarissa Phillips

Heather Thienpont, Janice Rich, Elizabeth Moye

Elise Manning, Joy Jarvis, Ben Johnson, Walter Manning

Linda Boyer, Mia Williams

Sally Love, Ann Marie Montague, Meg Howdy

Abbott Tunstall, Tom Atkins

Jaclyn Cullipher, Liz Liles, Valerie Kines

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 23

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SWEET TRADITION Perseverance the key of butter mint success STORY AND PHOTOS BY VAIL STEWART RUMLEY

“I almost always make my mints green. To me, mints are green.”

T

hose are the words of 83-year-old Betty Parvin. She’s sitting in her Smallwood kitchen, a room with plenty of counter space and natural light. The kitchen has to have plenty of counter space, because for many decades, Parvin has used it for a specific purpose: making butter mints. The real butter mints, not store-bought.

These are the ones that melt in the mouth in a flood of buttery sweetness.

For many, they are the taste of childhood, and of special occasions — baptisms, weddings, any reception of the past. In white, pastel green, blue, yellow, pink, they could likely be found on a white tablecloth in a cut-crystal dish.

They are an eastern North Carolina delicacy, one that very few people know how to make anymore, though a few are learning.

The final product looks sweet and melts in the mouth, but the recipe takes work and a lot of attention to detail.

Cutting a long, handcrafted “snake” into bite-sized mints is the last part of the butter-mint making process.

“Betty used to give them to us when she’d just drop in, and everyone would hoard them at our house,” said Doogie Hodges Mason, recalling childhood visits accompanied by the sweets.

Parvin is now passing the tradition along to Mason, the goddaughter of Parvin’s sister, Julia Litchfield. It’s a deceptively simple recipe: two cups of sugar, half a cup of water, half a cup of butter, heat, pour and pull. But those three ingredients can be temperamental — looking away for a moment can mean the difference between mints and hard candy; mints and a buttery pile of sugar.

Pulling the candy too hard can also make the mints grainy. Every step of the way is

a matter of timing.

“It’s so precise, you just can’t go and wing it,” Mason said.

But that’s exactly what Parvin’s mother did, many decades ago. By day, Elizabeth Hoyt worked at Lewis’ Ladies Clothing Store in downtown Washington, but in the evenings, she would be standing over a stove, “Mrs. Bogart’s” butter mint recipe in hand. The recipe, Hoyt had; the direction, she did not.

“She would work all day and come home at night and try and try and try,” Parvin said. “Everything went wrong, but she wouldn’t quit. That was determination — that she really stuck with it until she conquered it.”

30 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

Hoyt did, indeed, conquer the sweetness, and for many years would earn a side income for her much-in-demand mints. As a girl, Parvin would help her mother cut the mints — the last part of the process before simply putting them in an airtight container, preferably tin, and letting them “cream.” Eventually, Parvin would follow in her mother’s footsteps, making butter mints for so many special occasions.

“She made them for my wedding. That was back in the day when you didn’t have wedding dinners, it was a reception and you had cookies,” Mason said.

These days, it’s only on special occasions that Parvin pulls out her candy

Lifelong butter mint make Betty Parvin dispenses sweets wisdom in her Smallwood kitchen as Doogie Hodges Mason checks the candy’s progress.

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 31

thermometer and slab of marble and goes to work — for First Christian Church’s annual Cookie Express in December (Parvin seemed surprised her mints sold out) or when she’s helping Mason perfect the practice.

“I don’t take orders anymore. I don’t even know what to charge now,” she said.

Parvin’s happy to share her buttermint-making knowledge, however. On this January day, she and Mason are comparing temperature readings on respective thermometers as sugar, butter and water come to a boil, Parvin dishing out advice that is 70 years in the making.

First, there is no multitasking.

“It keeps you stuck right there looking at that thermometer,” Mason said.

In between the medium and mediumhigh settings on one of Parvin’s stove knobs is a hand-drawn red mark reserved for making butter mints. The two women are keeping close eye on the thermometer while discussing the merits of different food dyes and the price of peppermint oil ($30 a bottle at CVS).

Though conversation is fine in person, if the phone rings, Parvin has a history of making short work of the call.

“For my folks, if I say ‘I’m pulling mints,’ then they know I’ll talk to you later,” Parvin laughed.

It goes fast, which is why phone conversations aren’t possible. And it goes something like this: Two cups of sugar.

Half a cup of water.

Half a stick of butter.

Twelve drops of peppermint.

Two drops of dye.

(What color y’all gonna want?)

Coat a cool marble slab with butter.

Place sugar, water and butter in a pan on medium-high heat with candy thermometer.

Butter mints are simplicity: two cups of sugar, half a cup of water and half a stick of butter. Here Betty Parvin makes exact measurements.

Heat to 255 degrees.

(Just say it’s 255 on Betty Hoyt’s thermometer. … Don’t stir it.)

Pour onto buttered marble.

Add the drops of peppermint evenly.

Add the dye.

Start folding edges over as it cools and knead a bit to spread the dye and peppermint.

(Slow down at this stage. If you push

32 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

it too hard, it will turn to sugar. It will get grainy.)

Keep folding it over as it cools.

(It’s hot — you can blister your hands. ... Pick up the edges that have cooled on the marble, fold it over, fold it over, and then pick it up.)

When it’s cool enough to pick up, stretch and pull the candy.

(Continue to stretch and pull it until it

Doogie Hodges Mason lays out the “snake” of finished candy—a 1-inch hand-molded rope that will be cut into bite-sized pieces.

no longer drops.)

Make a “snake,” about 1 inch in diameter, then cut the candy “snake” with scissors.

Let sit until the individual pieces dry out.

(If you take them up immediately, they’ll stick together, and you’ll never be able to separate them. … I don’t like it when they stick together.)

Once dried, place the mints in an airtight container.

(They usually cream overnight, so I do store them in a tin box. That seems to be the best thing to keep them in. It keeps them from drying out.)

And enjoy.

The making of butter mints is an old tradition, but with enough patience and practice it can become a new one. The key, according to Parvin, is to not give up: “You can’t turn away from it. You have to stick with it.” ⋇

April 20 - 21, 2018

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Tickets: $30 advance, $35 event day & group rates for 15 or more $20 each Call (252) 482-7800 online at ehcnc.org MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 33

LASTING

LEGACY

Friends, neighbors and family gathered at the Boyd family’s Village of Yesteryear mid-January including (left to right) Fred Tetterton, Brian Respess, Austin Douglas, Steven Whitley and Bill Tipton. The men keep an eye on boiling cauldrons, overseeing the making of souse.

34 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

An eastern North Carolina tradition is restored for the next generation STORY AND PHOTOS BY VAIL STEWART RUMLEY MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 35

Longtime friends Jim Woolard, Doug Boyd and Alexander Peartree take a break after the first stage of the hogkilling, with witch they had plenty of help.

C

ommunity: it’s built on commonalities; it’s built on friendship and family. It can also be built on longstanding traditions, dating back to a time when people had to rely on one another for survival.

Some of those traditions still exist, though these days, they may be few and far between. But on an unseasonably warm Friday in January, a old tradition was resurrected, a community was recreated as generations of knowledge were passed down to the next generation at an old-fashioned eastern North Carolina hogkilling.

The location was a place Doug Boyd fondly calls “the Village of Yesteryear,” a collection of buildings — a tobacco barn, stock barn, tobacco grading room, Wade Lilley’s old store that began its life as the Woodard’s Pond School, Polly Boyd Wallace’s house — all once located on Boyd family land, but moved to Five Points by Doug Boyd’s father, Carmer Boyd.

There’s history there, in the walls of each building, and when Doug Boyd sent out word that he was hosting a hogkilling, history was on his mind, the kind of history that can only be passed down through experience. And the next generation was invited to watch and learn.

36 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

Generations pitch in with the salting of hams on the second day of the Boyds’ hogkilling.

“Me and my buddy, Jim Woolard, are pretty much the youngest guys we knew who know how to put on a hog killing, and we’re old to them, so we thought we’d put a little of our legacy, culture, and pass it down to them,” Boyd said.

And the next generation came — all generations came. There were those who grew up when hogkillings were a weekly occurrence during the winter, when friends and neighbors turned out to lend a helping hand, knowing the help would be reciprocated. There were people who’d been to one or two growing up, but not in decades. And there were the twentysomethings, who’d grown up hearing about hogkillings, but had never been to one. They were there to soak up the knowledge of their elders.

For Boyd, it’s all about legacy. While he didn’t grow up attending hogkillings,

when he married Tammy Black, he also married into the tradition of his father-inlaw, Phil Black, and his brother, Frankie Black, owners of Black Brothers Farm.

“My father-in-law died in November.

The hogkilling was kind of our thing; that was really a bonding thing for me and him. He taught me everything I know about hog killing. When he passed away, it became more and more important to have this hogkilling and pass it down to the next generation,” Boyd said.

But it’d been about three years since Boyd had participated in one, and about 15 since the last whole hog killing. So that Friday morning, Boyd paid a visit to longtime friends Ronnie and Richie Huettmann at Acre Station Meat Farm to brush up on his skills.

“I’m not afraid of industrial espionage to make me look a little smarter,” Boyd

laughed.

By Friday afternoon, the lesson in legacy had begun: a demonstration came first, along with the expectation to watch, learn by example, then take over.

“When we started the hogkilling, I stopped everybody before and gave them a 10-minute spiel about what we were doing and why we were there,” Boyd said. “I said, ‘If we have to pick up a pig after this first pig, there isn’t going to be another hogkilling.’”

Indeed, the younger generation watched and learned.

“The heritage and culture of eastern North Carolina is alive and well. It runs in their blood, in their voice — they can’t help it,” Boyd said. “You might not see it, but our culture, the southern culture, of our young people — it’s so instilled in them.”

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 37

The heritage and culture of eastern North Carolina is alive and well. It runs in their blood, in their voice — they can’t help it.

Austin Douglas (right) gets some perspective from Wayne Alligood. Alligood, Dal Latham and Phil Garris were on hand to make sure the younger generation “did it right.”

38 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

From the actual killing, scalding, shaving, hanging, gutting and refrigeration on Friday to the processing Saturday of 2,100 pounds of pig into 500 pounds of sausage, 420 pounds of hams, 150 pounds of pork chops, 40 to 50 pounds of souse and 140 pounds of bacon and salt pork — traditionally used as flavoring for summer vegetables on the farm — the Village of Yesteryear was alive with activity: young children pitched in, helping to salt hams, sausage was ground, seasoned and cased, huge hams tagged and weighed, ribs cut. Ronnie Huettmann

was on hand to explain where cuts of meat come from; the elders, such as Phil Garris, Wayne Alligood and Dal Latham, observed, ready to “show them how it’s done.”

The Boyds fed a crowd of friends, family and neighbors at lunch Saturday: fried chicken and collards, potatoes, along with Garris’ traditional hog stew and a pile of desserts. By Saturday afternoon, everyone who’d pitched in walked away with homemade sausage and, perhaps, pork chops, a gift for two days of their volunteered labor.

“It’s a long process and a lot of work, and that’s why people buy their sausage at Food Lion,” Boyd laughed.

But more importantly, both the younger generation and the oldest one walked away knowing the tradition will continue.

“It was such a great event, and we had so much fun, we went ahead and scheduled another one for the second weekend of January next year,” Boyd said. “It does my heart so good that our heritage is alive and well.” ⋇

One of the youngest faces at the hogkilling was Garris Holland, who absorbed the scene as his grandfather, Phil Garris, preps hog stew in the background.

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 39

Professional Solutions

A reception for the Historic Bath Exhibit Hall gathered investors, volunteers and other stakeholders to celebrate Bath’s new museum.

PRESERVING HISTORY New museum comes to North Carolina’s oldest town

I

WRITTEN BY BEN DECK | PHOTOGRAPHY BY VAIL STEWART RUMLEY

t’s home to 300 years of history, the pirate Blackbeard and fond memories of generations of children who spent summers on the creek.

North Carolina’s oldest town may be small, but a dedicated group of volunteers is working to lift Bath’s public profile, preserve its history and one of its historic buildings at the same time.

The Historic Bath Foundation, a nonprofit founded in 1999, launched the opening of the Historic Bath Exhibit Hall in a renovated wing of the old Bath High School building — a renovation organized by the Old Bath High School Preservation group in 2005. The 1920s structure was slated to be demolished at one point, and construction of the museum represents a major milestone for all the stakeholders invested in the project.

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 41

During renovation by Stocks & Taylor, the old Bath High School’s main hallways were preserved. (Right) A young Edward Teach, or “Blackbeard” the pirate gives an entertaining history lesson during the Historic Bath Exhibit Hall’s soft opening.

“There’s just a lot of excitement in Bath for having a museum to display historic artifacts,” said Jerry Waters, president of the foundation. “This is the culmination of a goal for hundreds of people.”

The opening of the museum coincides with the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the death of the pirate Blackbeard this year.

The foundation’s primary mission is to raise funds to aid the Historic Bath Commission and the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to acquire and restore historic properties in Bath, according to the foundation website.

The preservation of the high school building is a collaborative effort, and portions of the building have been renovated and converted into a library, gallery and town offices.

The foundation acquired ownership of the northwest wing of the building,

and gutted the wing for exhibit space to illustrate the history of Bath and the Pamlico River region. The first exhibit is fitting: a major traveling exhibition of artifacts from Blackbeard's ship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, Waters said.

The museum also will house several artifacts and exhibits on an ongoing basis. “Strong gifts and loans” of artifacts are providing a wealth of history to be put on display in Bath, said Gene Roberts, vice president of the foundation.

Those artifacts include 18 illustrations printed in 1590 by Theodore DeBry from drawings made in the Albemarle and Pamlico regions

by John White, governor of the colony sent by Sir Walter Raleigh; historic maps; antique firearms; and other rare collectibles. Long-term plans are to create a lasting Blackbeard exhibit, plus other displays of historic etchings and maps celebrating the early Sir Walter

42 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

Raleigh expeditions along the Pamlico River in the 1580s; movie posters and other artifacts commemorating Bath as the inspiration for “Show Boat,” the popular book, Broadway musical and movie; and early weapons and other relics tracing the history of the Pamlico region and the state’s oldest town. The foundation has received assurances from state officials that artifacts donated to the museum will remain in Bath, Roberts said.

“It’s been a long haul,” he said, adding that it is “a great relief to see the first floor completely finished.”

The museum also will help correct a deficiency in the area, Roberts said. Bath is one of the few historic communities in eastern North Carolina that does not have a museum, and it is not on the radar of people interested in seeking out that history.

“I think this is a major step in correcting that,” Roberts said.

President of the Historic Bath Foundation Jerry Waters welcomes guests to the newly renovated Historic Bath Exhibit Hall (above). The space has come a long way since the start of the renovation

by Stocks & Taylor (right).

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 43

One of the many artifacts rescued from Blackbeard’s ship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, this cannon is part of the traveling exhibit that will be on display when the Historic Bath Exhibit Hall officially slated to open on March 2.

44 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

The preservation of the high school and conversion of the northwest wing into the museum also was a considerable challenge, considering the age and condition of the structure, said Matt Carr, general superintendent for the project. Stocks and Taylor Construction of Washington took on the job.

Carr described the initial phase of the work as “peeling the onion” to determine the condition of the structure. In the case of the high school, much of the first floor had to be gutted and replaced with appropriate materials and designs.

“That also is part of the fun,” Carr said.

Clearing out the dilapidated portions of the first floor provided a “nice, clean canvas to work with,” he said.

Stocks and Taylor was committed to doing justice to that canvas, though. Carr said the renovation effort included matching new materials and designs to original features such as the trim and wainscoting, and where possible, original materials were preserved and refurbished.

Some aspects of the building were updated to modern standards, such as replacing brick piers with footings made from steel-reinforced concrete, Carr said. In other places, though, original materials such as hand-sawen structural timbers were kept intact. Some of that wood is so dense that nails cannot be pulled out of it, and it is superior to materials available these days, Carr said.

The redesign also paid homage to the original blueprint. The museum space maintains the main corridor of the high school in the same orientation as the original structure, and while classrooms were combined to make larger exhibit spaces, architectural features indicate where walls once stood.

The second floor of the museum wing includes climate-controlled storage space, and the school’s administrative offices were converted to office space and a gift shop for the museum.

“It’s a nice-looking space,” Carr said.

The opening of the museum will be a major accomplishment for the foundation, but those involved will not be resting on their laurels, Waters said. More sections of the high school need to be preserved, and there is plenty of history in Bath to preserve and honor, Waters said.

“There’s a lot more work to be done,” he said. ⋇

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One local hunter stands ankle deep in broken ice and chilly water, inspecting the boat before heading out for the day.

46 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

The teenage group packs into the boat, finding space wherever they can around the equipment. They brace themselves for a cold day hunting ducks.

A way of life Hunting tradition thrives in

BEAUFORT COUNTY WRITTEN BY MICHAEL PRUNKA | PHOTOGRAPHY BY CATHY BELL AND LIANE HARSH

T

heir elders instilled it in them. Their fathers and uncles were taught by the generation preceding them, and so on and so forth.

Hunting, in many ways, is a way of life in eastern North Carolina. It’s a tradition passed down from fathers to sons. Children are brought out for their first excursions at a young age. Their slumber is interrupted so as to procure a

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 47

The group inches along Runyon Creek, breaking through the icy surface as they go.

coveted spot in the woods. Their youthful nature is to move around and make noise, but they’re taught to combat that.

Wilson Peed remembers going out hunting for the first time. He was tracking deer with a friend of his father.

It snowballed from there. Young hunters grow up and graduate to going on excursions with peers.

“Just the memories with friends.

That’s about it,” Peed said. “Going out on a boat, that’s an all-day thing in the swamp. You get things you can’t forget.”

There’s a group of friends that will get together. Sometimes there are a half dozen or more. Sometimes it’s just two or three. Peed and his friend, Clayton Clark, are 17 years old; both took up duck hunting at about 11 years old. They both know that it’s not for the faint of heart.

“There ain’t nothing easy about it,” Clark said. “You’ve got to love it. It’s not something Joe Blow can do out of his back yard. If you want to do it, you’ve got to love it.

“I went out to Belhaven a lot this year. We’d get out there at 4 o’clock in the morning and there would already be boats out there. … There would be boats pulling in behind us. Then, as we’re leaving the boat ramp, a few more boats are pulling in. … There’s a lot of competition.”

However, that competition was nowhere in sight in early Januar y.

Peed and Clark braved the bitter cold temperatures after the snowstorms that hit the area. Cloaked in layers upon layers of clothes, the two had to break through four or five inches of ice covering Runyon

48 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

Creek just to get going. It took them an hour, and the day didn’t get much easier from there.

Once they got out into the river, Peed and Clark saw nary another soul the entire time they were hunting — and they were out about all day for two days in a row. They saw some ducks they don’t normally find thanks to the ice.

“When it pays off, it pays off really good. You can’t explain the feeling you get when it pays off,” Clark said.

Peed added: “You’ve got freezing hands because you just set out 40 decoys.

Working birds all over, you just get so excited. You’ve really got to experience it to know what it feels like.”

All the hard work paid off with plenty of food to go around. Clark likes his duck sliced into strips, grilled, laid in

jalapenos, topped with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon. Peed doesn’t like cream cheese, so he’s fine just to wrap it in bacon and stick a toothpick in it.

There’s a cyclical nature to the sport.

“People that used to go hunting a lot — older people that used to go hunting a lot and can’t — they don’t have a lot of game,” Peed said. “I just provide for them. My mom will cook whatever we want. She’ll fry it up or put it in the crock-pot. It all tastes real good.”

That’s the way it is, they said. Clark said he wants his future children to be hunters. Perhaps one day when he’s not able to get out anymore, he’ll have kids bringing him bacon-wrapped duck with jalapenos and cream cheese. ⋇

Ducks begin to accumulate as the day goes on — surely the sign of a successful outing.

Turns are taken chipping away at the ice to make a waterway path for the hunting excursion.

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 49

CAST A LINE

March comes in like a lion and out like a rockfish STORY AND PHOTO BY CAPT. RICHARD ANDREWS

S

pring is a wonderful time to be a fisherman. It’s a season of transition, which yields great weather, great fun and adventures which make lasting memories on the beautiful waters of our Pamlico River. We are very fortunate to have such a bountiful and consistent striper fishery in our estuary.

Anglers on the Pamlico can catch them yearround, and stripers give anglers a quality moving target at times when the speckled trout, puppy drum and flounder fishing is slower.

March is one of best fishing months of the year. As the red maples put a fiery glow to the banks, the white flowers of the dogwoods remind us of winter’s last snowfall and the bald cypresses and bottomland hardwood species along the riverbanks turn a bright, glowing green, the American and Hickory shad migration is in full swing up the Tar River. The prespawn stripers are gathering in the upper reaches of the Pamlico near Washington and feeding heavily in preparation for their annual spring spawning run up the Tar River. The stripers are full of roe and milt, and therefore much larger than they would be during the late spring and summer. On the Pamlico, anglers consistently encounter stripers in the 2530-inch class, which may range in weight from 10-20 pounds. These are no small fish caught on light tackle. Witnessing a 30-inch, 15-pound striper attack a bait on the water’s surface is truly remarkable and one of my favorite types of light tackle fishing.

March fishing in the Tar-Pamlico cannot be discussed without mentioning the spring shad migration. One of my favorite pastimes of early spring is fishing

CAPT. RICHARD ANDREWS

Capt. Richard Andrews and Nathan Edwards, of Spring Hope, show off the striper they caught on the Tar River.

for the “poor man’s tarpon” or shad, especially on fly rod. They are aptly named because of their amazing fighting ability on light tackle and ability to make acrobatic leaps in attempt to throw your hook. The first shad of the year are often caught in the middle of February, and the fishing usually peaks in mid-March and is over by the first week in April.

On the Tar, we have two species of shad: Hickory and American (white) shad.

Like striped bass, Hickory and American shad are anadromous fish, which means they live most of their life in saltwater and spawn in fresh water. Each year, they make the long trek in from the Atlantic Ocean (many of the fish that spawn in North Carolina spend much of the year in the Bay of Fundy in eastern Canada). The area between Tarboro and Rocky Mount is the primary spawning ground for the

50 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

Tar River shad. Other rivers such as the Neuse and Roanoke experience similar shad migrations. While the Roanoke hosts a greater quantity of shad consisting of mostly Hickories, the Tar is known for a better variety with its abundance of mature female white “roe” shad, a much sought after catch by local shadsters.

Whether your preference is shad or striped bass, conventional or fly tackle, we have a variety of fisheries in diverse locations for your next fishing adventure.

Look us up on the web at tarpamguide. com for more information on our yearround professional guide services.

Capt. Richard Andrews is a resident of Washington and the owner of a local year-round guide service offering fishing excursions on the Pamlico and nearby rivers. He can be reached at 252-9459715 or richard@tarpamguide.com. ⋇

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MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 51

WHAT'S TO EAT

52 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

TASTY AND TASTEFUL

traditions for the table WRITTEN BY KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER | PHOTOS AND FOOD PREP BY VAIL STEWART RUMLEY

O

ur mothers still do it, as did their mothers, and their mothers before them.

At first signs of serious illness in a household, friends and neighbors come to the rescue with delicious casseroles and other dishes to aid in the recovery process. And moments after word is received of a death, folks rush to the pantry or grocery store in search of ingredients for signature dishes to provide solace for the grieving.

Perhaps Aunt Ida is best known for her mouthwatering country ham. Likewise, sweet Miss Eula from down the street can be depended upon to drop off her famous macaroni and cheese. And it’s a lucky household indeed where Mrs. Marjorie from church visits with her banana pudding!

While such traditions are withering on the vine in some parts of the country, they are alive and well and thriving here in Beaufort County.

Enjoy these time-honored recipes which are, as usual, culled from the Washington Daily News’ Pamlico Pantry collection of local fundraising cookbooks.

And bless you ... ⋇

COUNTRY HAM Jenny Peel St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Bath

Whole country ham; 1 cup vinegar; water.

Get ends cut off of ham at grocery store. Wash and soak overnight in water. Next day discard water. Put ham in large roaster and add one cup vinegar and six cups water. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Put ham in oven and let it come back to 500 degrees and cook 20 minutes, covered. Turn off oven for three hours with ham in it. Turn oven back on and bring to 500 degrees and cook 20 more minutes. Turn off oven and leave ham in oven overnight and don’t open door until next morning. (Good to start at 5 p.m.) Nice and tender.

CHICKEN & RICE CASSEROLE Margie Willis Old Ford Volunteer Fire Department

1 cup uncooked rice; raw chicken pieces of one chicken; 1 can cream of chicken soup; 1 can onion soup; 1 can water; salt and pepper, to taste.

Grease 9 x 13 dish with butter. Put rice in bottom of casserole dish. Lay raw chicken pieces on top. Mix cream of chicken soup, onion soup and one can of water together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour soup mixture over chicken and rice. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 53

HEAVENLY ONIONS

BLACK WALNUT POUND CAKE

Vail Stewart Rumley

Eloise Tackett

In honor of Franke Kugler Rumley

The Wilkinson Center, Belhaven

5 sweet onions, sliced; 12 ounces of mushrooms, sliced; 1 clove of garlic, chopped; 1 cup of chicken broth; 1 cup of half and half; ½ teaspoon nutmeg; flour; 4 tablespoons of butter; a package of sliced Swiss cheese; 1 tablespoon of soy sauce; salt, pepper; 1 cup of breadcrumbs (preferred rosemary-olive oil or Monterrey sourdough) Saute sliced onions in 2 tablespoons of butter until transparent. In another pan, cook mushrooms in the other two tablespoons of butter until liquid forms. Add garlic, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken broth and let simmer for five minutes. Add flour, a teaspoon at a time, to thicken the mixture. Add half and half and let simmer for several minutes.

Add more flour until the consistency of creamy soup, then mix in soy sauce.

Fill a 9 x 13 dish, layering onions and Swiss cheese. Pour mushroom mixture over top, then cover with bread crumbs. Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes.

3 cups sugar; 1/2 pound butter; 1/2 cup Crisco; 5 eggs; 1 cup water; 3 cups plain flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 cup chopped black walnuts.

Mix sugar, butter and Crisco. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Mix in water, flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Then add walnuts. Pour into a greased bundt pan and bake one hour at 325 degrees without opening door.

54 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

GRAPE SALAD Noel Wallace & Eula Edwards First Free Will Baptist Church, Washington

2 cups seedless green grapes; 2 cups seedless red grapes; 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese; 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream; 1/2 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 4 ounces chopped pecans; 2 tablespoons brown sugar.

Wash and dry grapes. Cut grapes in half. In a large bowl mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Add grapes and mix well. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans. Refrigerate.

BAKED BEANS Laura McNair St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Bath

1 (28-ounce) can pork and beans; 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 teaspoon yellow mustard; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 3 dashes Tabasco sauce; 3 tablespoons ketchup; 3 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar; 1/3 cup molasses; 2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped; 2 strips bacon, cut in pieces.

Mix all and place in medium sized baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour and 15 minutes. Serves six to eight.

OLD FASHIONED NANA PUDDING Carolyn Cox Smyrna

Original

Free

Will

Baptist

Church, Blounts Creek

1 box vanilla wafers; 3 large bananas, sliced; 1 cup sugar; 4 egg yolks; 2 tablespoons flour; 2 cups milk; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 8 ounces whipped topping.

Mix together sugar, egg yolks, flour and milk. Stir over medium heat until boiling.

Remove from heat and add vanilla. Layer bottom of two-quart baking dish with vanilla wafers. Top with sliced bananas. Pour half of pudding over top. Repeat with second layer.

Refrigerate for one hour. Serve topped with whipped topping.

SAUSAGE EGG BAKE Sue Fish First Presbyterian Church, Washington

1/2 pound French bread, but into 1/2 inch cubes, crust removed; 1 1/2 pounds breakfast sausage; 16 well beaten eggs; 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese; salt and pepper.

Brown and drain sausage. Lightly grease an 11 x 9 baking dish. Arrange the cubed bread evenly on the bottom of the pan.

Sprinkle the sausage over the bread; add the beaten eggs and top with cheese. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cool for five minutes before serving.

EASY MACARONI & CHEESE Barbara Smith First Presbyterian Church, Washington

1 pound macaroni, cooked as directed; 10 to 16 ounces mild cheddar cheese cut into cubes (depending on how much cheese you like); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; 2 eggs, beaten; whole milk (enough to cover macaroni and cheese).

Place cubed cheese in bottom of 9 x 13 Pyrex dish. Add cooked macaroni over the cheese. Salt and pepper can be added to beaten eggs mixed with enough milk to cover macaroni. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly. Serves eight easily.

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 55

SPICY PIMENTO CHEESE Vail Stewart Rumley 2 cups of extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated; 8 ounces cream cheese, softened; green onions, tender tops thinly sliced; 4 ounces pimento, diced; 10-20 pickled jalapeno slices, chopped; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle chili powder; dash of Worcestershire sauce.

Mix all ingredients together and serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

HASH BROWN POTATO CASSEROLE Lily Smith Christ Vision Church, Blounts Creek

1 (32-ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed; 3/4 cup butter, melted; 1/2 cup onion, chopped; 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted; 2 cups sour cream; 1 cup shredded cheese; 2 cups corn flakes.

Combine potatoes, 1/2 cup butter, onion, soup, sour cream and cheese; stir well. Spoon into a greased 2 1/2-quart casserole dish. Crush cereal and stir in remaining butter. Sprinkle over potato mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE Jo Jacobs The Wilkinson Center, Belhaven

3 cups cooked sweet potatoes, mashed; 1 cup sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 eggs, beaten; 1/2 stick margarine, melted; 1/2 cup milk; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; 1 cup brown sugar; 1/3 cup flour; 1/2 stick margarine, melted; 1/2 cup pecans, chopped.

Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, margarine, milk and vanilla. Mix well and put into a casserole dish. To make topping: Combine brown sugar, flour, margarine and pecans. Mix well; place over sweet potato mixture in casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Serves eight.

56 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

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OUT & ABOUT

CALENDAR MARCH

First Saturdays

Thursday Night/Saturday Morning Jam

Historic Bath Visitors Center Children’s crafts and programs offered free on the first Saturday of each month. Call 252-9233971 for more information.

All Month

Turnage Theatre Open jam Thursday nights from 6:30–8:30 p.m. and every Saturday morning from 10 a.m.– 1 p.m. Musicians and fans are encouraged to attend and play.

There is no admission fee. For more information, visit www. bctma.org or call 252-946-2504.

Tuesday Night Jams Turnage Theatre Rock the Pamlico — join area musicians in every Tuesday Night for a jam set to some of the best rock music! Free. 6:308:30 p.m. Call 252-946-2504 for more information.

March 2

Historic Bath Exhibit Hall opening reception Old Bath High School Help welcome a new museum to North Carolina’s oldest town and view the hall’s first exhibit: artifacts from Blackbeard the pirate’s ship, Queen Anne’s Revenge. Call 252-923-3971 for more information.

March 3

Movie Matinee Turnage Theatre “The Wizard of Oz” (1939), 4 p.m. Dorothy Gale is swept away from a farm in Kansas to a magical land of Oz in a tornado and embarks on a quest with her new friends to see the Wizard who can help her return home in Kansas and help her friends as well. Call 252-946-2504.

March 8

Dueling Pianos Turnage Theatre Back by popular demand — listen to pianists “outduel” one another in a program that spans generations of popular music. Presented by the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce. 7 p.m. Call 252-946-2504.

Senior Dance

Washington Civic Center Singles and couples over 50 are welcome to come and dance the night away. 7 p.m. Admission is $8. 50/50 drawing. Door prizes. No alcohol/no smoking/ no children.

March 10

Downeast Regional Spelling Bee Turnage Theatre Spellers from across eastern North Carolina vie for a trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. 1 p.m.

Call 252-946-9168.

Night Out with Angels N Camo

Tar Heel Variety Theater 4th Annual Night Out with Angels N Camo, 5 p.m. Help raise money to make a child’s hunting or fishing dream outing come true. Meal catered by The Filling Station, silent auction, live auction and entertainment.

Single tickets are $50, couple tickets are $80 and a table

58 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2018

sponsor (which includes a table sponsor only giveaway) is $350.

Call Lisa Adams at 252-4026575 for more information.

Youth Talent Show Turnage Theatre Listen to performances from the next generation of musical talent. Sponsored by the Beaufort County Traditional Music Association, 7 p.m. For more information, visit www. bctma.org or call 252-946-2504.

March 16

Jazz & Blues Night Turnage Theatre Free blues and jazz in the gallery from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Call 252-946-2504.

Movie Night

Turnage Theatre “The Dark Crystal” (1982), 6:30 p.m. On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal, and so restore order to his world.

Call 252-946-2504.

March 17

Broadway on the Big Screen Series Turnage Theatre Watch the Broadway hit “Riverdance,” on the big screen at the Turnage Theatre. 2 p.m.

Call 252-946-2504.

March 22

JD Joyner and Friends Turnage Theatre Guitarist JD Joyner invites some of his talented friends to join him for an evening of entertaining songs and

instrumentals. Family friendly.

Free admission; donations appreciated. 7 p.m. Sponsored by the Beaufort County Traditional Music Association. For more information, visit www.bctma. org or call 252-946-2504.

March 23

Reverse Raffle Washington Civic Center One of Washington (noon) Rotary’s biggest fundraisers of the year. 7 p.m. For information, call Steven Wood, 252-946-7151.

March 24

“The Edge” Shamrock Obstacle Challenge Athletic Edge, Washington A fun-filled day with obstacle course challenges for the entire family! Music, food, fun prizes and so much more! For more information call Laura Horton at 252-975-0003 or Liz Liles at The Blind Center at 252-946-6208.

Historic Bath Program

Bath State Historic Site Visitors Center Learn more about colonial life and the history of Bath through this series of guest speakers.

Call 252-923-3971 for more information.

March 31

Beaufort/Hyde Special Olympics Rabbit Race Festival Park Join us for our 3rd-annual Rabbit Race benefiting Beaufort/ Hyde Special Olympics! This race is a certified 5K/10K and a 1 mile fun run. (If you are not a runner, we also welcome walkers.) 8 a.m. For more information, or to register, visit www.runtheeast.com.

APRIL

All Month Thursday Night/Saturday Morning Jam Turnage Theatre Open jam Thursday nights from 6:30–8:30 p.m. and every Saturday morning from 10 a.m.– 1 p.m. Musicians and fans are encouraged to attend and play.

There is no admission fee. For more information, visit www. bctma.org or call 252-946-2504.

River Roving Educational River Tours

North Carolina Estuarium Learn about the history and habitats of the Washington waterfront. These boat tours cruise the Pamlico River Wednesdays through Fridays at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. starting April 5. No admission fee or other cost is involved for the tour, but advance reservations are required. Riders should check in 15 minutes in advance. Children must be at least 6 years old to ride; a responsible adult must accompany children under 16. Call 252-9480000 for reservations. Visit www. partnershipforthesounds.net/ for more information.

Tuesday Night Jams Turnage Theatre Rock the Pamlico — join area musicians in every Tuesday Night for a jam set to some of the best rock music! Free. 6:308:30 p.m. Call 252-946-2504 for more information.

Farmers’ Market

Downtown Washington Th e m a r ke t r u n s eve r y Saturday from April through October. A great place for the whole family to spend the morning talking with local farmers or maybe searching for a unique present. Our market

features local growers of fresh fruit, vegetables, plants and flowers. You never know what might find, the products are always changing! Call 252-9471487 for more information. 8 a.m. to noon, at the corner of Water and Bonner streets.

Science Saturdays Aurora Fossil Museum Join us each Saturday in April for a little bit of science and a lot of fun with our Science Saturdays series. For more information, check the Aurora Fo ss i l M u s e u m Fa ce b o o k page, visit our website at www. aurorafossilmuseum.org or call 252-322-4238. 1 p.m.

April 2

Easter Egg Hunt Susiegray McConnell Sports Complex Join other Easter egg hunters at this annual affair held by City of Washington. 2 p.m.

April 7

The Ghosts of Duncan’s Tavern Historic Bath Explore the ghostly history of North Carolina’s oldest town at this nighttime event. Call Historic Bath State Historic Site at 252923-3971 for more information.

April 8

Broadway on the Big Screen Series Turnage Theatre Watch Broadway hit “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill,” about the life and times of blues great Billie Holiday on the Turnage Theatre big screen. 3 p.m. Call 252-946-2504.

April 12

Senior Dance Washington Civic Center Singles and couples over 50

are welcome to come and dance the night away. 7 p.m. Admission is $8. 50/50 drawing. Door prizes. No alcohol/no smoking/ no children.

April 14

Spring Tour of Homes Downtown Washington Washington Area Historic Foundation’s biennial Spring Tour of Homes and Gardens, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tour Washington’s downtown historic homes, including homes on East and West Main streets, East Second Street, and area downtown gardens.

April 20-22

Cycle NC Coastal Ride Washington T h e f u n - f i l l e d we e ke n d will offer three days of cycling and features some great coastal Carolina food, music and festivities. The CNC Coastal Ride will also include many off-the-bike recreational activities in the Washington area. Historic walking tours, kayaking, boat cruises, great local restaurants and live entertainment will fill time away from the bike and provide a taste of spring in coastal North Carolina. This event requires registration.

Call 919-361-1133 for more information.

April 20

Jazz & Blues Night Turnage Theatre Free blues and jazz in the gallery from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Call 252-946-2504.

Movie Night

Turnage Theatre “ S a t u rd ay N i g h t Feve r ” (1976), 7:30 p.m. A Brooklyn teenager feels his only chance to succeed is as the king of the

disco floor. His carefree youth and weekend dancing help him to forget the reality of his bleak life. Call 252-946-2504.

April 21

ECU Storybook Theatre Turnage Theatre Watch “Really Rosie!”, a performance by East Carolina University’s children’s theatre group Storybook Theatre. 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door.

Call 252-946-2504 for more information.

Rock the Pamlico Concert

Turnage Theatre Rock the Pamlico concert with Off the Cuff lead singer Joey Brinn, 7 p.m. Call 252-946-2504 for more information.

April 28

BoCo Music Festival Downtown Washington 10 a.m. Annual music festival in downtown Washington. Stay tuned for details about this everexpanding event. Presented in association with the Beaufort Co u n t y Tra d i t i o n a l M u s i c Association. Call 252-946-2504 for information.

Washington Marine Market Downtown Washington If it is nautical, you’ll find it here. Buy, sell and trade at this waterfront market. 10 a.m.

Call 252-947-1487 for more information.

April 30

Three Redneck Tenors Turnage Theatre A combination of comedy and opera performed by Three Redneck Tenors, 7:30 p.m.

Sponsored by the Beaufort County Concert Association.

Call 252-948-1431 or visit www. gobcca.org.

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 59

WORD ON WINE

Do you know the difference?

WRITTEN BY VIRGINIA FINNERTY

Full-bodied red wine

T

Light-bodied red wine

all, short, narrow bowl, wide bowl, with or without a stem, glass or crystal — why so many different types of wine glasses? Well ... honestly, I’m pretty certain most wine enthusiasts will endure drinking out of a juice glass, plastic cup, even a paper cup, if that’s all that’s available. However, for the true and full experience and enjoyment of drinking wine, one must use the appropriate glass. Cynics might say it’s all a ruse to get you to spend your money on yet another thing. Nevertheless, they would be wrong!

Rosé or spicy red wine

Sparkling wine

Starting with the material used for the wine glass, crystal or glass?

All crystal is glass, but not all glass is crystal. Traditionally, the lead content of glass has determined whether something is classified as either glass or crystal. The presence of lead softens the glass in crystal, making it easier cut; it also increases its weight and causes it to diffract light. A regular low or no-lead glass is usually not as heavy as crystal, and will not diffract light through it.

Because the lead in traditional lead glassware has a tendency to leach out, it has been replaced with barium

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Light-bodied white wine

Fortified sweet wine

carbonate and zinc and titanium oxides in today’s crystal glassware.

These lead-free glasses feature similar properties as conventional lead crystal, like the ability to enhance the wine’s aroma and flavors as well as temperature control. They also have a similar refractive index to lead crystal, but are lighter in weight.

Shapes — why so many different ones? The different shapes are designed to enhance the enjoyment of the many different styles of wine. It has been said that “a wine glass controls the tasting experience.”

The Rim — A very thin rim is very important for the best tasting experience. A thick “rolled” rim will distract from the wine as you sip. The best wine glasses have a “cut” rim, smooth to the touch that does not interfere with the wine as it flows out of the glass and into your mouth.

The Bowl — The bowl serves many purposes; in the bowl is where you will find the most difference between glasses. All wine glasses have bowls that are tapered upward with a slightly narrower diameter than at the bottom. This shape is what directs the wine’s aroma toward your nose. The bowl shape and size varies according to the wine. Red wine glass bowls are larger and wider than those of white wine glasses to provide a larger surface area to allow the wine to breathe.

Champagne is all about the bubbles; therefore, in order to keep them glasses for sparkling wine have a very small and narrow bowl.

The Color — Wine glasses of bright color and artful designs are appropriate when the emphasis is on the appearance and beauty of the glass.

However, when the emphasis is on the wine and the wine tasting experience the best wine glasses are clear. A crystal-clear glass allows you to appreciate the beauty and nuances of the wine.

The Stem — Allows you to hold the wine glass without the warmth from your hands changing the temperature of your wine, or making fingerprints on the bowl and taking away from the visual pleasure of your wine.

The Foot — Allows the glass to stand.

The most important thing you can do to take wine-tasting experience to a higher level is to choose the correct glass that will emphasize the characteristics of your favorite wine. The chart from Wine Folly (previous page) the gives you the basic glass shapes and which wines perform best in these shapes.

Virginia Finnerty is the owner of Pamlico House Bed and Breakfast and its in-house wine shop. ⋇

RIM

BOWL

STEM

FOOT

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 61

DINING GUIDE

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DINING GUIDE

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 63

DINING GUIDE

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DINING GUIDE

MARCH/APRIL 2018 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 65

WHY I LOVE WASHINGTON

A spectator of that celestial canvas WRITTEN BY ROBERT SANDS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY VAIL STEWART RUMLEY

I

love sunsets.

Most evenings, at the close of my daily walk with our puppies, I end up one block from our cottage at the far west end of Havens Gardens. I climb up over the railroad tracks and make my way to the small promontory that looks out on a lone cypress tree. At sunset, the western sky comes alive with vivid colors etched over clouds, the reds, oranges and scarlets set against the deepening blue sky. My cypress tree frames this natural feast of colors, and I take a photo or two, maybe five or six, then stand there for a little while longer, enjoying the dying embers of the day. This astral spectacle never fails to move me, even though the dogs don’t experience that same emotion — the ducks who fled once we climbed over the tracks sit on the water far enough away for safety, but close enough to drive them slightly batty. Occasionally, we arrive as night has almost swallowed the remains of the day, stars and muted colors share the same sky. The sunset simply makes me feel alive and humbled to be an audience to its daily show.

That is what I l love about Washington: the nature that surrounds and articulates with the town and invigorates in me the feeling of being alive. I can’t lie, it was the drive over the Route 17 bridge my wife, Allison, and I made coming into town that first captured our hearts. The river, the waterfront, the white puffy clouds hanging over the horizon downstream, the colors of the boats and the sails, the gulls that circled and the ducks that paddled; we felt the compelling naturalistic and magnetic draw of this

place, before our intellectual brains came to their own conclusion after we had spent time here.

Certainly, I embrace the just-right pace of Main Street, and would even enjoy a pace slightly less sedate as Washington stretches to bring in new business. I admire the history captured in the stately homes of the historic district and buildings downtown. I appreciate a daily newspaper, and I know there is power of giving in Washington to see to the at-risk populations that live on the edges in any community. I enjoy walking to my destinations when I don’t feel like driving, and I anticipate our strolls across town and the ¾ of a mile round trip on the promenade that we two-legged and four-legged Sands walk daily, and the

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three doggie relief bag dispensers that are located along the way, for the dogs, of course. These and many other things about Washington I am grateful for and taken together could be what many would say is why they love Washington. I would be hard pressed not to agree.

But for me to really talk about loving a place like Washington, I come back to that feeling I look forward to every evening when the dogs pull me over the tracks to get to the ducks, when my Charlie Brown cypress tree welcomes me to another act of nature taking a bow at the end of the day. It is that feeling of a tuning fork going off in my soul as I stand a spectator dwarfed in front of that celestial canvas that I love about Washington. ⋇

ADVERTISER INDEX A-1 Awards & Promotions, 57 Acre Station Meat Farm, 65 Arendell Parrott Academy, 67 Arts of the Pamlico, 65 AssureVest Insurance Group-Ryan Whitford, 18 Beaufort County Community College, 45 BERTIE County Peanuts, 19 Big Bargain Furniture, 27 Bloom Women's Apparel, 27 Carryout by Chrislyn, 65 Century 21, 5 Coldwell Banker Coastal Rivers Realty, 4 Cottage Junkies/The Graceful Goose, 28 Daughtridge Patio & Hearth Shop, 51 Dellinger's Pawn, 27 Eastern NC Realty, 19 Edenton Historic District, 33 El Charrito, 64 Executive Personnel Group, 18 Farm Bureau Insurance, 19 Feyer Ford, 9 Gail Kenefick/Coldwell Banker, 57 Gerri McKinley/Coldwell Banker, 18 Golden Super Buffet, 65 GW Walker, 27 Market Street Pub, 19 Mauri Evans State Farm Insurance, 57 Moss Landing, 5 Nationwide Alton, 5 On The Waterfront, 62 Petals and Produce, 63 Professional Staffing Solutions, 40 Rachel Ks, 63 Red Heron Cafe, 64 Rich Company, 28 Robinson Jewelers, 67 Secret Garden Gallery, 27 Servpro, 51 Sloan Insurance, 27 Southern Grace Boutique, 51 Southern Nest Antiques, 27 Springshire, 13 Stewart's Jewelry Store, 7 Tayloe's Hospital Pharmacy, 57 The Meeting Place Cafe, 64 The Wine Crate, 63 United County Respess Real Estate, 27 Vidant Hospital, 3, 68 Vinnys Pizza and Subs , 62 Washington Seafood & Crab Co. , 66 Washington Yacht & Country Club, 4 WHDA, 2

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