May 2010 Tyrrell County’s Country Magazine Published Monthly www.ScuppernongGazette.com Issue # 33 Cover Photo by Neli Lemme
Mar 17, 2016
May 2010 Tyrrell County’sCountry Magazine
Published Monthly www.ScuppernongGazette.com
Issue # 33 Cover Photo by Neli Lemme
May 2010
Relay For Life of Tyrrell County, NC
click on linked text above
June 4, 2010
at Eastern 4-H Center
5 Teams
52 Participants
nnn
Tyrrell Safe Neighborhoods Yard
Sale
The Tyrrell Safe Neighborhoods will be sponsoring a YARD SALE on April 30th - May 1st at the corner of Main and Broad Streets beside Pledger Hardware. All donation items are welcome for the sale and can
be brought to the sale on either day. For more information please contact Sue Griffin at 252-796-2331.
May is a month to celebrate our
mothers, grandmothers, great-
grandmothers, friend-mothers,
mother-in-laws,
and life in
general. There
are so many nice
ways to say
thank you, - like
getting a tree
sapling and
planting it at
Mom’s or your
house together. Don’t forget to the
a photo, of mom and the tree.
I am sure that the family members
and friends of Tyrrell County’s
Relay for Life group were
especially happy
at the annual
RfL Survivor
Celebration. My
husband and I
are both cancer
survivors and
support the cause
whenever and
wherever we can.
- We are truly looking forward to
the inaugural IBX Arts event. - IL
z Quote of the Month zMother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.!
~William Makepeace Thackeray
DEAR READER
P U B L I S H E R S : I N G R I D A N D N E L I L E M M E
2 0 1 0 M A Y I S S U E
Man of the MonthLeRoy Copeland
Couple of the MonthLaVonda & Tracy Godwin
Baby of the MonthStephen’s little brother
Owen Spruill
A very Happy Mother’s Day
to Bridget Etheridge Spruill
MAY2010
Photo by Neli Lemme
May 2010
...On the Board Walk...
Couple of the Month
LaVonda & Tracy
Godwin of Tyrrell
County, NC
Teen of the Month
Alex Simmons
of
Columbia, NC
Kid of the Month
A pretty young lady who
had a fine catch at Lake
Mattamuskeet recently
Man of the Month
Leroy Copeland
of Tyrrell County
Hot Tip of the Month
A ‘Downeast Custom
Fishing Rod’ by
Bob Thomas of Swan
Quarter 212-926-5121 Movie of the Month
"TiMER, When will
you find the one"
Sponsor of the Month
Travis Creek Wood
Products of Tyrrell
County, official sponsor
of the 1st IBX Arts
event, May 29th
www.traviscreek.com Website of the Month
The new Town of
Columbia, NC web-
site www.townofcolumbianc.com
It is TIME to register for the inaugural IBX Arts Show
BY MAY 14TH TO RESERVE YOUR EXHIBIT SPACE!
please follow the below link for registration. We have simplified due to not
being able to reach everyone by phone. Thanks for your participation in this
wonderful opportunity! - Tom Kilian www.IBXarts.com
May 2010
Our ‘Kid of the Month’ with her catch at Lake Mattamuskeet
SAVE THE DATE
An Annapolis-based
C h r i s t i a n m u s i c a l
group, will perform at
the Columbia Christian
Church on Thursday,
June 25 at 7:00 p.m.
The show, “Life on the
E d g e ” , i s a yo u t h
musical about real life
and the choices we
make.!
For more information
v i s i t
www.SoulSearchers.org
Photo by Dom Lemme May 2010
Teen of the Month
http://www.facebook.com/alex.simmons1?ref=ts
Scuppernong Gazette any suggestions for a Teen of the Month?
Brooke Brickhouse
What do you base it on?
Scuppernong Gazette
good person, good reputation and liked by many
Lauren Roughton
Alex Simmons :)
Shari Swain Roughton
I agree with Lauren - Alex Simmons!!! :)
A TYRRELL
CRAZY QUILT
BY WLILLIAM WEST
All of them are gone now, those
whose names or initials are
embroidered onto a “crazy quilt”
now owned by my elder daughter,
Lynn Mann, who lives in Raleigh.
Sometime in the mid-1920s a
Tyrrell County church held a
raffle to raise funds by having
subscribers write or print either
their names or initials onto red or
white patches of cloth. The pieces
were then sewn together to make
a quilt cover and the church
ladies embroidered over the
names and initials, red on white
or white on red. All of those
subscribers must surely have
passed away by now but the old
quilt tells us that they once were
part of the fabric of Tyrrell
County.
!My great-uncle, Jim West, won
the cover and presented it to my
parents, Luther E. West and
Rosaline E. Beasley, as a wedding
present when they married on
December 23, 1929.! Therefore,
the cover must have been
assembled at least a year or so
earlier. I was told that Uncle Jim
subscribed five dollars, but in
those tight times my guess is that
the usual subscriber paid a dollar
for his or her subscription. There
is mystery -- Uncle Jim belonged
to the Cabin Swamp Church of
Christ, just down the road from
his home. However, Cabin
Swamp Church of Christ was not
organized until 1932 by Miss
Lillian Sawyer, Annie West, Jim
West and Tom Godwin. Was the
raffle a fund raiser for the old
Sharon Church or Malachi
Chapel Free Will Baptist Church?
I doubt that anyone now living
can answer that question for me.
Sometime around 1938 some of
the ladies of the Cross Landing
Community met with my mother
and paternal grandmother, Lily
Liverman West, at my
grandparents West’s crossroad
store and used the cover in
making a quilt. All of those
people are now deceased and the
old, time-worn quilt is one of my
daughter’s prized possessions.
The old quilt shows its years, as
do I. It is stained in places and
has two holes, probably made by
a mouse, when it was stored in a
trunk years ago.
There are surely many other
family heirlooms in Tyrrell
County that the readers of
“Scuppernong Gazette” would
enjoy learning about. There must
be home-made furniture,
embroidery, quilts, feed bag
apparel, and many other such
items in trunks, attics, or in
corners. For example, I was
probably 13 or 14 years old when
I visited Kermit Walker’s home.
On their mantel was a
large,!intricately incised, cow
horn. I believe that it was a
“blowing” horn rather than a
powder horn. Does anyone in the
Walker family know the current
whereabouts of the item?
I have a hand-written note of my
paternal great-grandfather, Whit
Liverman, who ran a store in
Cross Landing, which reads,
“Received of J. E. Liverman four
dollars and 60 cents for 23 gallons
of grape juise (sic) and the same
bein (sic) part payment on one
note that I hold against him of
twenty dollars to be due on the
first day of November 1890. Sept
the 21st 1890. (signed) H. W.
Liverman.” Imagine, 23 gallons
of Scuppernong grape juice for
$4.60, or twenty cents per gallon.
The note and some old hand-
written tax receipts were found in
the attic of the Anne Liverman
Place when my parents bought
the farm in 1936. For example,
Nancy Liverman’s tax for 1825
was $1.16. A. Liverman’s tax for
1831 was $4.00, and Frank
Liverman’s tax for 1866 was
$1.30.
!History really comes alive when
you can hold such items in your
hand. A worthwhile project for
Columbia school students would
be the locating of historical
May 2010
May 2010
documents, family heirlooms, etc.
and making a data base for those
who might wish to refer to such
materials for term papers, etc. As
a high school teacher, years ago, I
passed around for my students to
handle and examine Confederate
States and various state’s Civil
War era paper money, ancient
Greek and Roman coins, Native
American artifacts and many
other items.
!On one occasion I held a
demonstration out on the school
yard. We were studying the War
for Independence and to
illustrate the fact that our poorly
trained soldiers and militia-men
were no match for superbly
trained British troops I carried
my old muzzle-loading squirrel
rifle to school. British infantry
loaded and fired by ranks, with
the first rank firing, then kneeling
and reloading while the second
rank fired a volley. The
Americans fired a volley and then
usually ran away, especially early
in the war. I took my old squirrel
rifle and the class outside so that
I could demonstrate what loading
the rifle entailed. With today’s
rules and regulations a teacher
would be hauled before a judge
for taking such a weapon onto
school grounds. Oh, I almost
forgot. When I loaded the rifle,
using powder, cloth wadding and
no bullet, I asked who wanted to
fire the weapon. All of the boys
held back but one of the girls
took the rifle and blazed away.
Even though the demonstration
occurred over 50 years ago you
can bet that she still remembers
the incident even though I don’t
know what else she might
remember from my history class.
Photos & story by William West, a
native of Tyrrell County
May 2010
Letty Swain-Hernandez proudly models "A Day at the Beach" in the Dress Your Lamb contest.
Tyrrell County 4-H Livestock Show 2010 participants.
Hannah Swain with her Grand Champion Lamb.
Quinton, Brendon, and Cameron Reynolds steady their
lambs and listen to the judges.
Dress Your Lamb participants pose for the crowd.
Cloverbuds Mallorey Smith, Lydia Swain, and JohnMark Swain line up their lambs for the judges.
Chelsea Gerhart shows off her
swine to perspective bidders
as Laurence "Bucket" Swain
starts the bidding at auction time.
4H2010
Photo and captions by "Cottage Photography and Design by Christy Maready"
her phone # 252-394-4094
May 2010
FISH POND
MANAGEMENT
BY STEVE GABEL
We are blessed with a
considerable amount of quality
fishing here in the northeast
part of North Carolina. We
have creeks, rivers, bays, sounds
and the ocean that offer a vast
amount of fishing opportunities
for a host of different species.
However, there is one body of
water that is often overlooked
when a person thinks about
fishing and that is the farm
pond. In a well-managed farm
pond, there is no season, the
weather rarely prevents you
from fishing, and you can
almost always catch fish.
However, a good farm pond
does require some management
in order to maintain a quality
level of fishing. That quality
begins with the construction of
the pond. A well-constructed
farm pond rarely has water
shallower than 3 feet, to prevent
aquatic weed infestations, nor
very much water deeper than 10
feet, to reduce the amount of
unproductive water and
potential of water quality issues
in the pond. Well-constructed
ponds also often have irregular
shorelines that act as structure
for the fish congregate. Some
ponds may also have irregular
depths with abrupt rises and
drop-offs that also serve as fish
attractors. Some pond owners
like to mark these areas of
irregular depths either with
markers or maps so they can be
easily located.
Establishing an algae bloom on
the pond is also very important.
Algae give the water its green
color and are the base of the
food chain in the pond. It is also
critical to shading out the
bottom of the pond to control
aquatic weeds. Plankton in the
pond feeds on the algae and the
larval fish in the pond, in turn
feed on the plankton. The small
fish feed on the larval fish,
which are eaten by larger fish
and so on up the food chain
until you get to the top predator
– the fisherman.
Another critical element in
assuring quality fishing in a
pond is the stocking process. It
is very important to begin a
pond with a good balance of
predator and prey fish. While
there are a variety of fish that
can be stocked, most ponds are
stocked with 500 to 1000, 1-2
inch long bluegill per acre in
the fall of the year, which is
followed by 50 to 100, 1-2 inch
long largemouth bass per acre
in the following spring to early
summer. This will allow the
bluegill to reproduce once
before stocking the bass, which
will give the young bass plenty
of food for rapid growth.
Maintaining this predator to
prey balance is equally
important. It is generally
recommended that 5-10 pounds
of bluegill be removed from the
pond for every pound of bass.
Fishing in a new pond should
improve for the first 3 years at
which time, if properly
managed, it should level off and
remain a prime fishing
pond." " "
If you would like more information
about managing a pond for fishing,
please contact me, Steve Gabel, at the
Chowan County Extension Center
office (252-482-6585, or e-mail
May 2010
“...there is one body of water that is often overlooked when a person thinks about fishing and that is the farm pond. In a well-managed farm pond, there is no season, the weather rarely prevents you from fishing, and you can almost always catch fish.” ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! - Steve Gabel
Please register for our inaugural IBX Arts Show
BY MAY 14TH TO RESERVE YOUR EXHIBIT SPACE!
please follow the below link for registration. We have simplified due to not being
able to reach everyone by phone. Thanks for your participation in this wonderful
opportunity! - Tom Kilian www.IBXarts.com <<
Photo by Neli Lemme May 2010
BLACK GOLD
POTATOES
MISSING THE SMELL
OF A FRESHLY
PLOWED FIELD
BY JEANNE
SIMMONS DAVIS
“Just remember, Jeanne. He’s
tall, and he’s important.” This
is exactly what I told myself
moments before I met Gregg
Halverson. I undoubtedly was
psyching myself to not say
anything stupid on my interview
with the man that was
purchasing Mr. Durwood’s
Farm. It’s quite difficult to hide
your roots when you grew up
someplace called Frying Pan.
Mr. Halverson was about to get
a taste of pure country. I’m
proud of that. I just didn’t want
him to get a taste of pure stupid
on the side.
I walked into the tiny office
trailer, greeted with the familiar
green chair and pictures of the
Gum Neck Flood. I wasn’t
really sure what to expect, and I
couldn’t tell you now who else
was in there. The only face I
remember other than Gregg’s
was wonderful Mr. Durwood. I
felt a moment of sadness I guess
for the legacy that was about to
change hands. “You’re gonna
have hard shoes to fill, Mr.
Black Gold, North Dakota.” I
thought to myself. I was
approaching this I guess as ‘City
meets Country’, or ‘Welcome to
the Other Side of the World’.
Gregg was always generous and
kind, but strictly business and
intolerable of disrespect or
incivility. He demanded your
attention, but I for some reason
became comfortable being
myself. Blonde-ness and all.
Gregg Halverson is by far one
of the most understanding
gentlemen I have ever met.
Whatever fear of failure I had
when I first met him
disappeared almost
immediately. He made things
incredibly interesting and fun.
It didn’t take me long to realize
that although some things were
changing drastically, the part
that was its foundation would
remain the same. He provided
me with opportunity, and family
and new friends, both at home
and in several different states.
The friends I made at home
though, the friends that stayed
the same and are still there, are
by far some of the best I’ve ever
known.
Those friends are Black Gold’s
foundation. Long, late night
waits, planting, harvesting,
mowing, driving and driving
and driving. These were things
that bound the employees.
There was dedication unlike
anything I’ve ever seen and in
some sense, I believe honor. I
was privileged enough to work
with these people for one
season. I learned about
commitment, and working
every day from sun up to way
after sun down. I learned about
helping to get the job done, no
matter what the job. I learned
about why it’s important to keep
the beer iced on the back of the
truck. I learned about GPS in a
brand spankin’ new John Deere
tractor. I learned about how
good it feels in the middle of
July to have air conditioning in
those suckers, too. I learned
how to cook, how to care for
and how to love. I learned how
to make unpleasantness a little
more bearable and I learned
how to handle over -zealous
truck drivers that thought I was
purdy.
Lunchtime became the widely
anticipated event of EVERY
day. What would Mr. Buddy
(Hopkins), or Ronnie (Hewitt)
or anyone be cooking up out in
the shop?
May 2010
" I honestly don’t know
where these gentlemen learned
to cook, but I have never had a
better cheese biscuit or pork
chop in my life. Unfortunately
there were days that I would
have to man the kitchen and
whip us up something. Thank
goodness these days were few
and far between, and my part
usually only consisted
of running up to
“Mr. Buddy’s Store”
to pick up
provisions. We
certainly ate well.
The nights we
would wait on
trucks were actually
the most fun for me.
Some of the crew
would bring cards;
others would have
music, just good old
summertime fun. During the
day, the hustle of trucks loading
and unloading, sweat and rotten
potatoes filled the air. On the
afternoons we could ‘knock off ’
early the cold beer would come
in, resulting in joking and
laughing around the tailgate
before heading home our
separate ways to spend a few
precious moments with our
loved ones. It seems like we
didn’t see much of anyone else
but each other that summer.
Kudos to the guys that are still
there today, still dedicated and
planting. These guys truly make
sacrifices to make the farm a
success. I think Gregg
Halverson realizes this. I also
think he truly appreciates it.
The next time you’re in Gum
Neck, take a moment to think
about the growth and change
that has happened there in the
last few years. Think about that
ever so tiny map dot and the
opportunity that lies within for
some of us. I of course found
my wings again and flew from
Tyrrell County. I reside near
Lake Gaston on the Virginia
side. The landscape is hilly and
curvy, but always beautiful and
green. I can’t help but think of
the familiarity of home though,
and sometimes I miss the smell
of a freshly plowed field. I miss
continuous squares with rows as
straight as arrows, the way a
potato plant blooms, and what
millions of blooms look like
along Highway 94 in early June.
I am also deeply appreciative of
the instruction I received from
these fellas on ‘How- to- Pass -
Large –Farm- Equipment -
Safely –on- Narrow- Roads’.
There are many lessons I
learned with this
incredible group of
gentlemen.
# There are
lessons of friendship
and forgiveness and
loyalty. There are many
opportunities that I
experienced with them
that I will never forget,
such as our trip to
North Dakota and
friendships that will
never be broken. I often
wonder how everyone is doing,
and how things are going for
Mr. Black Gold, North Dakota.
I think he did an outstanding
job. And yes, I would probably
say that out loud.
BY JEANNE
SIMMONS DAVIS
FORMER BLACK
GOLD EMPLOYEEwww.blackgoldpotato.com
May 2010
Ladies of the Month Lacey Brinn & Kim Westover
Photo by Neli Lemme May 2010
Photos by Neli Lemme
Business of the Month Scuppernong Mill House Antiques & Collectibles
Bakery & Cafe
The old Scuppernong Millhouse store is today not just a place of good talk and great coffee, but also home-
baked bakery goods; besides a treasure chest for everyone who loves antiques and collectibles. People of all ages
stop by for their daily sweet tooth treat and many remember baker Kim Westover ( green shirt), formerly Kim’s
Sweet Tooth of Columbia, when she had her little shop across the street, just a few years ago. And here she is
once again Back on Main! - And Lacey Brinn, she makes a mean expresso that especially middays draws in
people for a ‘lifter’. The feeling at the Cafe is inviting and cozy, people like to hag out there. The Cafe is open
Monday through Friday from 7 am to 5 pm and Saturdays from 7 am to 2 pm, closed on Sundays. They serve
a good soup, sandwich, drink and dessert for $5 (includes tax) every day and you may take out.
May 2010
A QUICK & HEALTHY WHITE PERCH RECIPE: Mix lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder and Worcester sauce in a bowl. Spread fish fillets on aluminum foil and salt and pepper. Pour mixture over fillets. Spread several pats of margarine on top the fillets and seal aluminum foil. Place on hot grill about 4 inches above coals and cook for 20 minutes or until fillets are flaky to the touch of a fork. This recipe would also work in a oven by replacing the aluminum foil with a baking dish. Flounder, striped bass, black bass, white bass or most any white meat fillets could be substituted for the white perch.Photo by Neli Lemme May 2010
M A Y I S S U E 2 0 1 0
To:
SCUPPERNONG gazette436 Bridgepath RoadColumbia, NC 27925Tyrrell Countywww.scuppernonggazette.com [email protected] & [email protected]
www.scuppernonggazette.com
www.visittyrrellcounty.com
May 2010