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

steve_gabel@ncsu.edu ).

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 nelip@mac.com & ilemme@mac.com

www.scuppernonggazette.com

www.visittyrrellcounty.com

May 2010