Front Porch Living April 2011

‘Magic’ remains in Ahoskie Theater

Chowan UniversityGives Back

Play Ball!

4 Front Porch Living

Inside this editionHonky TonkingGood music, good friends keeps‘em coming back every Fridaynight to the Lasker Grand OleOpry.6

Giving BackChowan University students involve themselves in a numberof volunteer projects in theRoanoke-Chowan area.

10Freshness grows hereLocal nurse discovers ‘greenthumb’ and growing list of sat-isfied customers.

Roanoke-Chowan area youthand adults enjoy America’s pas-time and the great outdoors. 28

The Guitar ManGerman native moves southand shares his love of musicwith local youngsters. 36

Play ball!

Aulander All-StarSierra Jernigan takes

a look at a pitch during the 2010

postseason. Jerniganis among hundreds oflocal youngsters to

participate in local leagues.

20


Tommy Knight lays down the licks at the Lasker Grand Ole Opry.

Good music,good friendskeeps ‘em coming backevery Fridaynight to theLasker GrandOle Opry

Honky tonking

or the most part, the single stop-light in Lasker stands lonely as itsways in the breeze, reflecting its

green, yellow and red colors at theempty crossroads below.

In the small town located in south-eastern Northampton County, it’s usuallyas quiet a church mouse. However , thatall changes one evening out of the weekinside the walls of the Lasker Grand OleOpry down the Lasker Golf CourseRoad, not far from that lonesome stop-light.

To a passerby the opry looks like yourtypical gray, large storage barn sittingout back of the home of Calvin and Bar-bara Jean Daughtry. The only clue thatthe building might be something specialis a faded sign out front bearing thewords: LASKER GRAND OLE OPRY.

Each Friday, people from all overNorth Carolina and Virginia pack theopry’s side lawn, which doubles as aparking lot, pay the $7 cover charge andcut loose on the wooden dance floor tothe sounds of traditional country music.

“We just pick and grin and have agood time,” Barbara said.

F

Story and photos by Amanda VanDerBroek

See OPRY page 7

Front Porch Living 7

As this sign indicates, the Lasker Grand Ole Opry favors a family atmosphere.OPRY FROM PAGE 6

It all began in 1975, when what nowhouses the opry was just an electricalshop/storage building. Barbara recalleda group of musicians seeking a place topractice their instruments and it wasnatural for the Daughtrys to open theirdoors.

The family tree boasts a long line ofthose with musicaltalents. Calvin him-self is a musicallegend and playedwith Jackie Strick-land and the Blue-birds. His musicalaspirations took himto various venuesaround the region,including the Moon-light Room outsideof Norfolk, Va.

“I played everything up there (onstage) except the piano and drums,” hesaid. “Before I lost my leg, my favoriteto play was the steel guitar.”

Calvin said his sons are also talentedin music. And then there is the Daugh-

trys’ “American Idol” finalist grandson,Chris, who has gone on to find successwith his band bearing the family sur -name. Chris was raised in Lasker untilhe was 14 years old.

“I guess you could say that he sanghis first song (“Achy Breaky Heart”)out here,” Barbara said of her now fa-

mous grandson. Calvin’s musical connections help the

opry get its first crowd the night itopened. He said he had been playing at301 Club outside of Emporia, Va. for 16years when he started building the opry

as an electrical shop, an occupation hedid on the side.

“I told them over there when I left Iwas going to be playing at my house,”he said.

After a trip to Nashville, Tenn. to per-form and due to his love of countrymusic, Calvin decided to name his

dance hall after“the home ofAmerican music,”The Grand OleOpry.

“We hadtwenty-somethingthe first night weplayed and thenthe crowd keptgetting biggerevery Fridaynight,” he said.

Along with the crowd, the opry grewas well, needing more space. Bathroomswere added along with seating areas anda stage for the musicians. The Daugh-trys make sure there’s no bad behaviorwith a few simple regulations, including

See OPRY page 8

“We had twenty-something thefirst night we played and then the

crowd kept getting bigger every Friday night.”

- Calvin Daughtry


OPRY FROM PAGE 7

no smoking and no alcohol.Over the 26 years the Lasker Grand

Ole Opry has existed, the dance hall hasbuilt a lar ge band of followers whocome from near and far, including nearby Roanoke Rapids, Gaston, Ahoskieand Emporia, Va.

Burchell Smith of Colerain recalledhis first time at the opry several yearsago.

“I came with a friend the first time,”he said. “He wanted me to meet awoman down here and when we leftgoing on back I told him, ‘Red, youhave just carried me to Uglyville’.”

Though it wasn’t love at first sight forSmith and the woman he was pairedwith, it was just the beginning of hislove affair with the Lasker Grand OleOpry.

Now, Smith travels one hour with hiswife of two years, Clara, from his BertieCounty home for the music, friends and

dancing. “We’re very friendly with all of

them,” he said of the opry crowd. “It’ ssomething like a social. We never haveany problem, it’s...”

“It’s a friendly atmosphere,” saidClara, completing her husband’ s sen-tence.

With so many long time and loyalregulars, the crowd at the Lasker GrandOld Opry tends to be a little more ma-ture than others in the typical socialscene.

“We have some age on us but weenjoy it,” said Charles Burnette ofRoanoke Rapids.

Though the opry’s band began as col-lection of practicing musicians, a bandof regular locals now play at the facilityeach Friday, including Mary Griffith ofLake Gaston on bass, Gene Scott ofGaston on drums, Tommy Knight ofBoykins, Va. on lead guitar, Roy Brown

Jr. of Faison’s Old Tavern on keyboardand John Suiter of Garysbur g on thesteel guitar.

Brown has been playing and writingmusic since he was nine years old andhas played with the opry band for morethan a decade. For Brown, the opry hasallowed him a creative outlet for hismusic.

“It’s unique to have something likethis,” he said. “It’s a nice thing to lookforward to every Friday.”

Music, dancing and friendship are acommon theme at the Lasker Grand OleOpry and it is that fellowship which theDaughtrys say keep so many comingback.

Barbara said her son asks if she evergets tired working and running the opry.

“I say, ‘yeah, I get tired,’ but I thinkof all the people that are waiting for thisdoor to open,” she said. “So the yearskeep going by and we keep doing it.” �

The Opry’s dance floor is always crowed with couples on Friday night in Lasker.


These members of Chowan University softball team pose for a photo at the Habitat for Humanity project in Ahoskie.


Chowan students volunteer to aid local projects

Story by Thadd WhitePhotos courtesy of Chowan University

Giving Back

hey come for an education anda chance to grow as people.

Some of them also have theopportunity to play collegiate sports,become members of the Student Gov-ernment Association or make life-long friends.

But, as much as they receive fromChowan University, many of the stu-dents are determined to make surethey leave as much as they take.

“When I came to Chowan to playsoftball , I wanted to be more thanjust a student-athlete,” senior TriciaGorman said. “I wanted to give backto the community I call my secondhome and be able to say that I helpedmake the community much betterlater in life.”

It is that type of belief in makingMurfreesboro and Hertford County atrue second home that makes ChowanUniversity students stand out when itcomes to volunteer service.

The college students have volun-teered with Habitat for Humanity ,Adopt-A-Highway, Relay for Life,Make-A-Wish, Missions trips, read-ing to students at Riverview Elemen-tary School and serving as rolemodels and leaders at the Girls andWomen’s Day in Sports.

All of these have been done tomake the community they haveadopted a better place.

“The fact that I am not from thisarea, but attend the school in thisarea is a big reason for my commu-nity service,” junior Victoria Lewissaid. “This has become my new homefor four years and I receive joy byhelping others here.

“I especially enjoy helping mycommunity because I know my smallcontribution will make a significantdifference,” Lewis added.

Senior Antoinette McCullough saidthe community surrounding Chowanwas much like the campus itself.

“What made me want to give backis the fact the community is a lot likethe Chowan campus in that every-body knows everybody and they allact as family,” she insisted. “It was-n’t so much doing community serv-ices as much as it was helping thefamily.”

Some of the students said they giveback because of how much they havebeen given.

“As a student-athlete, I get oppor -tunities that others may not beblessed with,” junior Allie Kolezyn-ski said. “I want to make sure that I

give something back to this commu-nity.”

One of the programs that is impor-tant to senior Bryan Harris is readingto students at Riverview.

“A group of us came up with theidea of how great it would be to readto the younger children of Murfrees-boro,” Harris said. “People alwayssee on television how NFL, MLB orNBA players do charity and read tokids. I feel that being a student-ath-lete in the NCAA, I don’ t have togive money or be famous to giveback to young kids.

“The knowledge that I havelearned from people that God hasplaced in my life, I would like topass it on to others,” Harris added.

Lewis was also happy to have beeninvolved in a program involvingRiverview, but it was of a dif ferentnature.

Lewis was part of a group of col-lege students who cleaned up theschool’s nature trail.

“It took all day , but with the helpof members of sports teams atChowan, we finished in a day andgave the kids a place to have safe funand adventure,” she said. “The hard-est part was raking leaves. We also

TBrittany Gunner volunteers for clean-up duty at Riverview School.

See GIVING BACK page 12


picked up trash so the trail could beclear and able to walk through.”

Senior Thomas Bird has been in-volved with more than half a dozencommunity service projects sincecoming to Chowan, but said his fa-vorite was a recentcanned food drive.

Members of theChowan Student-Ath-lete Advisory Com-mittee spearheadedthe drive to benefit theRich Square CreecyTraining and Commu-nity Center.

“The woman at theTraining Center wasextremely grateful,”Bird said. “It was nice to donate andgive kids food for after school andalso to see that a li t t le bit of ef fortfrom all the student-athletes was ableto make a big difference.”

Elizabeth Miller is a junior atChowan who has participated in nu-

merous missions trips through theschool, works with Habitat for Hu-manity and Relay for Life and is avolunteer at All God’s ChildrenUnited Methodist Church in Aulan-der.

She said that she has learned a lotthrough that service.

“From my service at Chowan, Ihave found that there are people withneeds everywhere you go,” she said.“I have been blessed to see thesmiles on the faces of people I have

helped.”Jasmine Joe is a freshman at

Chowan who has already been in-volved in nearly a handful of com-munity service activities. Theyincluded cleaning up a school, help-

ing with elderlyat a local churchand landscapingthe new BaptistChildren’s Homein HertfordCounty.

During the lat-ter event, Joesaid she had amoment thattouched her.

“We laid sodfor the front yard of the house and avery large back yard,” she said.“When one of the ladies from the or-ganization spoke to me, she told meof a boy who came to one of thehomes and was happy about having atoothbrush because he had never had

“From my service atChowan, I have found thatthere are people with needs

everywhere you go.”- Elizabeth Miller

GIVING BACK FROM PAGE 11

Hertford County Habitat for Humanity was assisted on a project by members of the Chowan University softball team.

See GIVING BACK page 13


one.”While what they’ve

given to the communitythey’ve adopted duringtheir college years isundeniable, most of thestudents said they hadgotten back even more.

“I’ve gotten back ahome away from homebecause I’m very closewith a lot of the peopleI’ve met over my fouryears here,” McCol-lough said.

“I feel that helpingyoung kids is the mostbeneficial thing I cando,” Bird added. “Ithink kids should haveequal opportunity to besuccessful in life andbeing able to af fectthem in a positive man-ner is great and rewarding.”

The reasons and rewards for volun-

teering in a community that has be-come a second home are varied. Onething is for certain Roanoke-Chowan

communities are better places be-cause of those students who want togive back to their college home. �

GIVING BACK FROM PAGE 12

Riverview School’s nature trail was cleaned up by members of Chowan University’s volleyball team.

‘Magic’ remainsRalph Hewitt (center) directs Hope Miller and Brandon Jager as a practice is underway for the May performance of “Willy Wonka”.

See MAGIC page 15

Ahoskie’s Gallery Theatre is still a theatrical gem

nlike his peers within the profes-sion of acting and directing, RalphHewitt claims he is not supersti -

tious.However, that doesn’t prevent him from

strongly believing there is somethingmagical, something mystic about thefamed Gallery Theatre in downtownAhoskie.

“I do believe that actors, actresses leavea little piece of themselves at each venuethey perform,” said Hewitt, the Gallery’ sExecutive Director. “I believe those of usthat follow can feel that, can feed off thatenergy.”

If that is indeed the case, then the act-ing energy is boundless within the wallsof the Gallery Theatre. Ten years before itwas used as a cinema beginning in 1928,the then Richard Theatre was home to thelikes of vaudeville-era acts that passedthrough Ahoskie via the Atlantic SeaboardCoastline Railroad.

“I consider this theater, or any theaterfor that matter, a very sacred place,” He-witt stressed. “There’s a transformationalenergy that exists between the performerand the audience. You can see, you canfeel that energy being exchanged when theactor/actress and their audience are both

engaged in the performance. It’s much thesame case of an athletic team connectingwith their fans.”

Over the course of his acting, directingand theatrical management career, Hewitthas helped nurture and encourage othersto experience life on stage.

“I have a knack for seeing something in-side of people, especially young people,that they cannot see in themselves,” hesaid. “I connect with people, some morequickly than others. With a youngeractor/actress, you first build a layer of selfconfidence and then add on the layers ofacting skills. Instructing adults is a bit

Story and Photos by Cal Bryant

U

simpler, but you still have to get themover their shyness to perform. Once that’sremoved, the sky is the limit.”

For three local performers, The Gallerygives them a chance to put their talents ondisplay.

Jordan Martin, 13, a 7th grader atRidgecroft School, used the theater’s an-nual Summer Youth Workshop as aspringboard. He has been involved in 10performances over the last seven years.

“It started with me wanting to do some-thing over the summer so I joined theyouth workshop,” Martin said. “I liked itand have done it ever since. I get to showpeople what I’ve got inside my soul, myheart … show my talent.”

Another local teen, 17-year -old Ger-maine Jordan, a student at HertfordCounty Early College High School, alsoused the summer workshop to launch hisacting career.

“It’s always been my dream to becomea professional actor ,” said Jordan whohad a role in The Gallery’s recent per -formance of “Once on This Island” and isnow cast in one of the lead roles in theupcoming performance of “W illyWonka.”

“The best part is being on stage andseeing the audience smile; I love to en-tertain others,” he added.

Meanwhile, Sherrie Jager of Ahoskiehas made the transition as a backstageproduction assistant to the spotlight. Shehas an on-stage role in “Willy Wonka.”

“My kids got me involved in TheGallery,” she explained. “My youngest,Carson (age 9) got involved in the sum-mer workshop and had a role in ‘Once onThis Island.’ My oldest (Brandon, age 11)is in ‘Willy Wonka.’ They love it and nowI love it; I guess you could say we’re be-coming a theater family.

“The Gallery is a great way to exploreyour creativity,” Jager added. “Plus Ihave a chance to see the young people in-volved, including my own, grow and ma-ture as actors.”

When the Gallery is not hosting the-atrical performances, it does open itsdoors for use in other areas of entertain -ment. That fact has allowed Hewitt to

witness, first-hand, the vast array of tal-ent the local area has to offer.

“We are blessed with an enormousamount of talent here in our four coun-ties,” Hewitt said, referencing Bertie,Gates, Hertford and Northampton. “I’dlove to have some of those individuals onthe Gallery Theatre’s stage on a regularbasis.”

One way, Hewitt said, to tap into thattalent base is through peer pressure.

“In many cases, we recruit new talentby way of our current cast members,” henoted. “There will be a certain part of acertain play that one of our regulars willknow of a friend or acquaintance thatwould perfectly fit the role.”

Another avenue of recruitment isthrough the local high schools that of fertheater within its academic curriculum.Hertford County and Gates County highschools have drama classes. Meanwhile,the freshmen English classes at Bertie’ sSTEM High School just recently per -formed from the novel, “To Kill a Mock-ingbird.”

“Theater is a perfect learning tool as itteaches different people from diversebackgrounds how to work together andaccomplish a task,” Hewitt observed.

Such is the case of the Gallery’s currentproduction, “Willy Wonka.”

“The underlying theme of ‘W illyWonka’ is that the main character is look-ing for a successor to take over his choco-

late kingdom,” Hewitt said. “He passesout golden tickets to potential successors,but each ticket has a flaw. The lesson hereis admitting your flaws.”

“Willy Wonka” is scheduled for stageperformances on May 5, 6, 7 at 8 p.m.and May 8 at 4 p.m.

Volunteers at workStaging four performances per year on

a shoestring budget takes the work of un-selfish people. Hewitt knows that withoutthe Gallery’s long list of volunteers thetheater would be forced to close its doors.

He said the volunteer hours invested instaging a production are staggering. Fromthe outset of element design and concept,to set building, to weeks of rehearsals tothe actual performance itself, the totalhours put in by volunteers could easilyexceed 3,000 per production, especiallyin musical performances.

The Gallery’s fiscal year begins Oct. 1and shortly thereafter the theater beginsreceiving its quarterly funding from theNorth Carolina Arts Council.

“We have to be very resourceful in howwe spend our grant funding,” Hewitt said.

To help supplement the state’s funding,which Hewitt said has declined by $1,000per year over the past three years, theGallery is on the annual budget of boththe Town of Ahoskie and HertfordCounty local government.

“They both recognize the importance of

MAGIC FROM PAGE 14


See MAGIC page 16

From left, Tommy Hurdle, Bobby Hoggard, Ellen Whelan, Ralph Hewitt and Mike Spruill per-form a skit during the annual Christmas production at Ahoskie’s Gallery Theatre.


“They both recognize the importance ofthe arts and we are very appreciative ofthe funding they give us each year ,” He-witt noted.

While there are the normal bills to pay –utilities and building upkeep – the lion’ sshare of the money is used to stage pro-ductions.

“We have to pay a publishing house forthe rights for the words and music,” He-witt said. “There are rental fees for theplaybooks and we also have to pay a roy-alty fee for each performance of thosewords and music. It’ s very easy to gothrough a couple of thousand dollars for aperformance.”

Since plays are developed months in ad-vance, a contract must be in place with thepublishing house and a security fee paidbefore the event can be advertised forcasting calls.

“We’ll start planning very soon for what

we want to produce during the next fiscalyear,” he said.

Once the cast is assembled for the nextproduction, the rehearsal process begins.Musicals are more time consuming topractice due to the number of elements tolearn … some, Hewitt said, more complexthan others.

“Once we’ve mastered the musical ele-ment, we’ll block off each scene … learn-ing the entrances, exits, and allmovements on stage,” Hewitt stated. “Allof the movements, all of the dance rou-tines are carefully choreographed.

“In a play, we start with a read-throughof the material for each character,” Hewittadded. “Then comes the set design andwhen all the pieces are put together, we’llblock off each scene, just like a musical.”

That’s a lot of work for even a seasoneddirector such as Hewitt to handle. That’swhy he’s thankful for some new blood

within his ranks. “We’re very fortunate to have added

Gwen Merriman to our crew as technicaldirector,” he said. “She joined us lastspring and her expertise in planning anddesigning has been very welcomed. Herhusband, Boyd, besides being an actor isalso our go-to guy in building props.We’re also happy to welcome HopeMiller, a very talented dance instructorover in Gates County, to help us with thatelement. They all take a lot of pressure offmy shoulders so I can concentrate on di-recting.”

While the names of the cast and crewmay change, The Gallery's purpose to pro-mote and advance cultural interest in liv-ing theatre, art, music, and crafts hasremained unchanged. What has made itwhat it is today are just simple hometownfolks who keep alive this theatrical jewelof the Roanoke-Chowan area. �

MAGIC FROM PAGE 15

Cast members of “Willy Wonka” practice fortheir upcoming production. Those membersinclude, (large photo) Sherri Jager, Dashia

Faison, Germaine Jordan, Erion Holly, OrrionGatling, Karrisa Gatling and Brandon Jager.Shown in the smaller photos from left are,Erion Holly and Ralph Hewitt; Jordan Martin

and Hope Miller; and Orrion Gatling and Kayla Wolverton.


Venerableold theaterstill stands

tall

Story and Photo byCal Bryant

eptember 13, 1928 … a headlinein the Hertford County Heraldproclaimed, “The New Richard

Theater Opens Saturday With FourShows, Two In The Afternoon, TwoAt Night.”

Eighty three years later , it’s tabooin journalism to have such a wordyheadline, but with the exception of afour-year span, nothing over thatsame time frame has prevented theold Richard Theater from still pro-viding entertainment to this veryday.

The venerable old brick building inAhoskie’s downtown business dis-trict now goes by the name of theGallery Theatre. There, just l ikethose that performed in the theaterjust after the turn of the 20th cen-tury, the Gallery continues to of ferquality entertainment with live stageproductions.

Audiences at the Gallery have en-joyed a wide variety of theatrical

productions over the years, rangingfrom comedy to musicals and every-thing in between. Additionally, theGallery hosts an annual SummerYouth Workshop, now in its 45thyear, for aspiring young actors andactresses.

That stage has delighted audiences

spanning two centuries.Erected in 1906 as a focal point of

Main Street commercial l ife, thebuilding now known as The GalleryTheatre began as a storefront nick-elodeon in a “railroad town.”

As Ahoskie grew, so did the build-ing. The area known as the lobby was

S

The Gallery Theater, located on Ahoskie’s Main Street, provides an avenue for the arts in the Roanoke-Chowan area.

‘The Richard’ transforms into

‘The Gallery’ where the arts

are alive and well

See THEATER page 19


built in 1918 and was used as a townmeeting place and for railroad circuitperformers who supplied weekly liveshows such as dog acts, juggling actsand comedians. There was a placeupstairs for the performers to rest orshower before or after their acts.Those in town for longer periods, theGarrett Hotel was located across thestreet.

Eric Garrett and his father , J. R.Garrett , planned and built the NewRichard Theatre, complete with a$30,000 pipe or gan that includedbellows large enough to require adouble brick foundation for support.

The new portion of the theatre cre-ated the L-shaped extension to thebuilding. A balcony was added alongwith six false boxes along the audi-torium walls, which eventually heldspeakers when the "talkie" moviescame along. The older portion of thebuilding itself boasted a theatrehouse Phoenician in concept and lob-bies with a Spanish motif. The still-used elegant ticket cage is

reminiscent of the heavy Edwardiandesigns used by Thomas Lambe.

In 1966, under the guidance of theWomen's Division of the AhoskieChamber of Commerce, a group ofinterested citizens began an exten-sive clean-up and repair campaign toThe Richard Theatre and The GalleryTheatre was born.

The Chamber’s Women’s Divisionnegotiated and signed a lease for thebuilding and sold $25 "stocks."

After extensive clean-up and struc-tural improvements, volunteersbegan producing plays, sponsoringart exhibits (many times from localartists) and hosting other culturalevents. Dedicated officers and boardmembers kept activities movingthrough both good and bad times.

Stock sales, private and corporatedonations, the support of the Townof Ahoskie and a variety of grantsmade it possible for the theatre tooutright purchase the building onJanuary 1, 1982. More financial helpcame in 1983 from the National En-

dowment for the Arts. Between1987-88, the lobbies were renovated,air conditioning and heating systemsinstalled, a permanent sign erected,the stage rewired and an electriclighting board purchased.

The significant improvements thathave occurred over the years weremade possible through a number offinancial sources, including the an-nual "Friends of The Gallery" funddrive; grants received from the NCArts Council; donations made byarea residents; and grants receivedfrom Z. Smith Reynolds, Hanes, andBryan Family Foundations (thesemonies paid for the annex at the backof the theater, which is built on a lotdonated in 1992 by Ruth M. Bouldinand Jessie M. Curry in memory oftheir grandparents, Dr . and Mrs.Jesse H. Mitchell, and their parents,Mr. and Mrs. Carl H. Mitchell).

The Gallery remains one of theonly true living theater spaces innortheastern North Carolina bornfrom the vaudeville era.�

THEATER FROM PAGE 18


Freshness grows hereMichelle Richard opened her greenhouse three years ago with the help of the local Mennonite community.

Local nurse discovers ‘green thumb’ and growing list of customers

See FRESHNESS page 21

t’s perhaps the best kept secret garden inHertford County.

On Boone’s Bridge Road, a ruralthroughway that weaves its way through thecountryside just outside of Como near theHertford and Northampton County line, iswhere fresh salads grow.

There you will find a greenhouse calledHodgepodge Lodge filled with vegetables,fragrant herbs and even edible flowers.

It all began as a dream for MichelleRichard, one she now desires to share withothers. She simply wanted to providehealthy, fresh and af fordable produce for

families.There, in the middle of the greenhouse,

surrounded by green, luscious lettuce, bor-age in bloom and chocolate mint plants tak-ing root, it’ s hard to imagine Richardsomewhat considers herself as a bit of anovice. She said the experience has beenone filled with lessons.

“It’s been more error than trial,” shequipped. “I feel very blessed to have thisand, of course, I would like to have it domore good for more people.”

Hodgepodge Lodge began three yearsago, when Richard, a long-time registered

nurse who lives with her mom, Arlene, waslooking for something she could work on athome during her days off.

“I always had a secret dream to have agreenhouse, but I didn’ t know anythingabout them,” she said. “I had friends from(Severn Mennonite) church who found aused greenhouse with all of the fixings forsale.”

Richard purchased the greenhouse andher church friends went to the location topick it up. The support from her fellowMennonites didn’t stop there as nearly 25adults and their families came to help con-

Story and Photos by Amanda VanDerBroek

I

struct the greenhouse and all its inner-work-ings, including raised garden beds, irriga -tion, heating and ventilation systems andbrought in nutrient-rich top soil.

In return, Richard helped feed the hungryworkers during lunchtime.

“I wouldn’t have been able to afford it ifthey wouldn’t have provided all the labor,”Richard recalled. “Just about everybodythat could come, came from our church; itwas sort of like a barn-raising each time.”

After the construction of the greenhouse,Richard set about finding her stride in theworld of produce, and expanding on whatshe grows along the way.

With Hodgepodge Lodge, Richard is ableto grow produce for at least three seasons,chiefly fall, winter and spring. The summerproves to be harsh for vegetables in thegreenhouse as Richard chooses not to uti-lize pesticides.

“The biggest problem with (my green-house) is keeping it cool in the summer. InNorth Carolina, because of the insects, you

almost do better(gardening) out-side,” she said.

Richard said hervegetables are notconsidered organic,but rather are pesti-cide-free.

“The difference isthat to be certifiedorganic it takesseven years and Ididn’t start withDurasoil (an or -ganic soil),” shesaid. “I’ve releasedladybugs and lace wings; I use hot pepperspray and or ganic sprays for the vegeta-bles.”

This year, Richard is branching from herregular vegetables (lettuce, spinach, toma-toes, cucumbers, peppers and carrots) intodecorative hanging baskets and herbs tosell. She has also begun to make herbal

vinegars. “As it gets too hot for the lettuce and

spinach, I’m going to hopefully be havingcut flowers and pretty baskets, and tastybaskets as far as the herbs go,” she said.

While some have suggested Richard stickto raising flowers, she has always felt theneed to do something a little more useful.

Front Porch Living 21FRESHNESS FROM PAGE 20

See FRESHNESS page 22

The greenhouse also features herbal vinegars offered for sale.


“As Christians we believe we should earna livelihood that benefits society,” she saidof being a Mennonite. “Rather than grow-ing tobacco or something harmful we wouldrather grow beneficial things and providebeneficial services.”

Richard often sells the freshly picked pro-duce in nearby Murfreesboro on Saturdaymornings in the front of the Chowan TireShop. Families and average everyday citi-zens are her intended customers, givingRichard a chance to not only provide tastyfood at an af fordable price, but promotehealthy living.

“As a nurse I see the health benefits andas a consumer I see the price,” she said. “I’llgive you an example: a typical bag of babyspinach in the grocery store is $3.59. I al-ways thought that was for a half-pound, it’sfor five ounces, which means a pound ofthat spinach would cost around somewherearound $11.50. I sell it for $5.”

The greenhouse has proven to be a class-room of sorts for visiting children, whoRichard said are always welcome. The col-orful rainbow of plants has a way to illicit

curiosities from the young visitors aboutthe dreaded vegetable.

Richard said as a child she found it hardto enjoy her veggies.

“As a little girl I remember vegetablesjust didn’t have much taste, everythingwas store bought,” she said. “It loses a lotof taste and value as it sits on a shelf.”

She recalled a friend’ s child who re-cently visited Hodgepodge Lodge whileshe was pulling up Rainbow Swiss Chard,inciting an interesting response from theyoung boy,

“He started smacking his lips,” shesaid.

Richard said when children visit theyoften get interested through involvementand, of course, sampling the tasty of fer-ings of the greenhouse.

“What I’ve found is that children aremore fascinated if they can pick the carrotor broccoli or helping plant it they’re moreinterested if they have a part in doing it,”she said. “I try to find something interest -ing for children when they come by; some-thing interesting that they can taste. When

vegetables are fresh they’re sweet.” It’s the very experience she hopes to share

with more people, but in the meantime sheenjoys Hodgepodge Lodge as her own pas-time.

“It’s a wonderful hobby in the winter tobe out there. It’ s cold outside, but verysunny in the greenhouse,” she said. “It’ s avery pleasant place to be.” �

FRESHNESS FROM PAGE 21

Shown here is the construction of the greenhouse in 2008.


View from the Front Porch

Lee Stokes (left) shucks a steamed oyster for Reggie Askew, oneof the numerous ticket holders attending a March 4 fundraiser for

the Gates Emergency Ministries (GEMS) Food Pantry at A&W Outback near Eure.

Wade Askew removes a bucket of oysters from the steamer.Wade and his wife, Ann, hosted the GEMS fundraiser that generated over $2,500 in cash and a truckload of food

for the GEMS Food Pantry.

Karen Utt was one of two lucky ticket holders to win a squirrelfeeder, handmade by Joe Greene (right), as a door prize at the

March 4 fundraiser to benefit the GEMS Food Pantry.


Prosecutor Gilmer (Tyra Heckstall) awaits an answer from BobEwell (Deantre Nichols) as the students take their first shot at

drama during high school.

Melissa McPherson (the bailiff) holds the Bible for Kena Bell (SheriffTate) to use as she takes the oath to tell the truth.

During their reenactment of the Trial of Tom Robinson from To KillA Mockingbird, Bertie STEM student Angel Prince (right) plays

Atticus as she questions Luke Davis (Tom Robinson).


Tyra Heckstall (Mr. Gilmer, the prosecutor) questions Kayla Britt(Mayella Ewell) during Alicia Heffner’s class production.

Angel Prince (Atticus) is discussing the case with Sheriff Heck Tate(Kena Bell) as part of the production of the Trial of Tom Robinson.

Play ball!

Whitney Castelloe attempts to avoid the tag ofCaroline White as the two take part in a practice

session for the upcoming softball season.

Local youth and adults enjoy annual pastime

Story by Thadd WhitePhotos by Thadd White and Bruce Ramsey

See PLAY BALL page 30

he sounds and the smells bringback the childhood of mostadults.

It takes only a few days of warmweather as winter turns to spring beforesomething inside of us in North Car -olina’s northeast are getting the urge toget out on a ball field.

The whir of the bat, the sound of theball snapping from a leather glove on a

good throw – it all brings back theyounger days of playing baseball andsoftball throughout the region.

And those wanting to take to thosefields can find them throughout theRoanoke-Chowan region as each andevery county in the area has multipleopportunities for youngsters to engagein baseball and softball.

Bertie County boasts a trio of oppor-

tunities for youngsters to play thegames of summer – Davis Park, theAulander Youth League and the BertieCounty Recreation Department all offersome forms of baseball and/or softball.

Hertford County has opportunities inAhoskie where a variety of age groupstake to the field to play America’s pas-time. The same is true in Gates Countyand Northampton County where recre-

T


ation departments add to the summer fun as wellas offering a few private leagues.

Ahoskie has just completed a new recreationcomplex that boasts three of the nicest ballparksin the region while Northampton County’s fieldsare also new. Aulander has renovated the JohnAsa Drew Field of Dreams while other localvenues have nice ballparks.

Northampton County Recreation DirectorJames Roberts has been involved with his de-partment’s baseball and softball leagues for adozen years. He said the good feelings aboutseeing a child record their first hit or catch neverchanges.

“It makes me feel good,” he said. “It touchesyour heart when you see a child have an oppor-tunity to play for the first time.

“Then you have the chance to see them growup and see how they develop and learn the gameand how much they improve,” he said. “It makesthis job very rewarding.”

Those smiles make it rewarding for anyoneinvolved in the spring and summer leagues ofthe region.

In Aulander, those smiles had been gone forseveral years before the Aulander Youth League(AYL) formed and restored what is now theJohn Asa Drew Field of Dreams.

“We wanted something for the kids in theAulander and Millennium areas to do during thesummer,” said AYL’s Billy Drew. “Those of uswho were starting it all played for my father (thelate John Asa Drew) in the Tri-County Leagueso we decided to restore the field and name itafter him.”

Drew said the field was originally done forgeneral use, but eventually a league wasformed. What started as a four -team LittleLeague quickly developed into 10 teams forbaseball and softball.

He said he found it hard to describe what ithad been like to see the children play.

“Oh, I can’t put into words what it means tosee those kids,” he said. “W e don’t get paid –we’re all volunteers. The reward we get is see-ing the kid out there smiling and playing.

“Over the last several years a lot of them havestarted calling me ‘Uncle Billy’ and to see afive-year-old run to you and hug you, that’s spe-cial,” he added. “It’ s a community baseballleague. We’re all about the kids.”

Mary Beth Hill has been involved in baseballand softball at Davis Park for almost her entirelife. She began by playing at the park in Wind-sor before turning to coaching and then to ad-ministratively leading the summer recreation

PLAY BALL FROM PAGE 29


The action is fast and furious as teammates battle for the ball while participating in the Bertie County Recreation League.

A member of the Aulander All-Stars applies the tag to a sliding Ahoskie All- Star.This action came during the 2010 post-season.

An infielder prepares to release the ball during action at Davis Park in Windsor.


program.“The ball park was the place as a child

and teenager you looked forward to goingto,” Hill said. “It’s part of me. I grew upthere.”

She said after completing her eligibilityby aging out, she wanted to stay involvedso she began coaching.

“It wasn’t too long before I started hav-ing children of my own and I wanted mychildren to have that same feeling that Idid,” she said.

Hill called her years working in the sum-mer leagues “a joy” and said she wasproud of the good play and wholesomefamily atmosphere at the park.

In her 25-plus years of coaching andserving at Davis Park, Hill has been in-volved in every league and coached all ofthem except boy’s Junior League Baseball.During that time, she enjoyed all of them,but one stood out.

“Little League was the most fun for me,”she said. “They were old enough that itwas easier to teach them. It was the mostrewarding because you work with them in

the beginning of the year and teach themand by the end of the season you can seehow much they’ve picked up and howmuch they’ve progressed.”

Baseball and softball began at the GatesCounty Community Center more than adozen years ago. Recreation Director LuluEure said she thought it was a good timefor the county to come together.

“We wanted to of fer countywide base-ball and softball so all the kids could par -ticipate,” she said.

Eure said that since she helped build thefields, it was especially nice to see them inuse.

“Having built the fields, which I see thelights on and people playing on everyfield, it’s a good thing to see,” she said.“It’s a place where the county’ s citizenscan get together and the kids seem to havefun.”

Eure said it was always nice to see theyounger kids involved.

“It’s cute to see them in their uniformsand see them all excited,” she said.

Jacob Harrell also grew up in the recre-This youngster darts between basesduring a Bertie Recreation League contest.




ational leagues of the Roanoke-Chowanregion.

“I began playing baseball at four or fiveyears old – as soon as they let me,” he said.“Times were different then and all I caredabout was playing baseball. For me, theyhaven’t changed much because I still caremost about being on a baseball field.”

The time he spent honing his skillsthrough the Ahoskie Recreation Depart-ment leagues helped Harrell become astandout baseball player who earned theopportunity to play collegiate baseball.Following that collegiate career, he knewwhere he was headed next.

“The day I stopped playing baseball, Iknew what I was going to get into and thatwas coaching,” he said. “I was never a guythat was blessed with the talent to playafter college, so I knew I was going tocoach.”

Some of that coaching has been done onthe same Ahoskie Recreation ballfields inwhich he grew up playing. He has helpedJustin Freeman run the summer leagueprogram for the last several years.

“I couldn’t ask to work with a better guythan Justin,” Harrell said. “He loves the

kids and I’ve enjoyed it. I was that kid 10years ago and I like helping them the waypeople helped me back then. Hopefully, itis something they’ll remember in years tocome.”

Harrell said it was already rewarding tosee some of his former players in the recre-ation leagues using their talent on the jun-ior varsity and varsity levels at local highschools.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to havegood players and kids who want to playbaseball,” he said. “I’ve been able to seesome of them playing varsity and juniorvarsity. They didn’t learn everything theyknow from me, but to see them use some-thing I taught them is a great feeling.”

And it is that great feeling – the one ofpassing along great traditions of goodbaseball and softball as well as spendingquality family time at the ball park - thathas kept the Roanoke-Chowan’s baseballand softball fields full of youngsters andtheir parents for many years.

Judging by the number that are alreadygetting started in the coming months, that’sa legacy not likely to change for our re-gion anytime soon. �

Pitcher and catcher talk strategy during agame at Davis Park in Windsor.


ThThee GGuuiittaarrMMaann

Story by Cal BryantPhotos by Sara Bolton

astering a musical instrumentis one thing … performinglive on stage is a totally dif-

ferent experience.For a group of local youngsters,

they have discovered a man capableof teaching both.

Bon Lozaga was born in a countrytorn in half by political dif ferences.Fifty-six years later he’s teaching as-piring young musicians the true mean-ing of togetherness … putting asidetheir diversity for the common goodof keeping the music alive.

“I’ve been into music ever since Iwas a kid,” said Lozaga, born in Ger-many in 1955. “I began to play pro-fessionally when I was 22; travelingall over the world and had some prettybig record deals. But nothing com-pares to what I’m doing today. I’m thehappiest I’ve ever been.”

While the mean licks he lays downon a guitar can still vibrate the wallsof his stage, Lozaga has found anotherside of his vast musical talent, that ofsharing it through teaching youngpeople the art of playing a stringed in-strument. In March, his local studentsperformed live on stage for the firsttime during a recital, of sorts, atChubbies Sports Bar and Grill on Jer-sey Street in Ahoskie.

“I don’t know who enjoys it themost, the students or the teacher ,”Lozaga said with a smile. “Most ofthe kids started out with nothing, noprevious training, so getting them togo up on a stage to perform in front ofa crowd was a bit of a shock. Nowthat they’ve done it, have heard the

M

German nativepasses on

love of music


See GUITAR page 38

The guitar students of Bon Lozaga (left)were put through their first live

performance during a “Jam” recital heldin March at Chubbies in Ahoskie.


GUITAR FROM PAGE 37

crowd’s reaction, they want to do itagain. They’ve bought in to what I’mteaching … it’s not just about the les-sons, it’s about the music, the per -formance.

“I teach my kids real music, I teachthem to read music and you don’ tfind a lot of that style left,” he added.“I teach a lot of theory and harmony.They get a deeper understanding ofthe actual music and that allows themto branch out and try new things.They teach me as well, they keep meinformed of all the new bands theyfollow. Some of it is pretty good.”

A star is bornBorn to a German mother and a Fil-

ipino father in Germany in 1955,Lozaga said he was a military brat.

“My dad was in the U.S. Army whomet and married my mother while hewas stationed in Germany ,” he said.“I lived in Germany for the firstseven years of my life.”

Lozaga is old enough to rememberthe days of German divide.

“Even when I was 22-23 and play-ing professionally, if we had a gig inBerlin we had to go through ‘Check-point Charlie’,” he recalled. “Y ou’dpull up and there’d be tanks there,guys with machine guns; the barbedwire fence … the whole nine yards.We had a one day VISA to play andget out.”

After his father ’s overseas assign-ment was completed, the family set-tled in New Jersey where his dad wasstationed at Fort Dix, located southof Trenton. His mother still residesthere, living in the same house thefamily purchased in the 1960’s.

His first break came with the Euro-pean band, Gong, a group signed bythe famed Virgin Records, owned bythe legendary Richard Branson.

“We did a bunch of records withRichard before switching to AristaRecords,” Lozaga said. “W e wereplaying all over the world, the major-ity of those gigs were in Europe sincewe were an English band based out ofLondon. It was basically performingin England, Germany , France, Italy

and Belgium.”At that time, Lozaga

was basically an un-known musician in theUnited States. Thatchanged when thegroup launched amajor tour in the U.S.and Canada, perform-ing over 50 gigs ayear. They were splitinto a spring tour andwinter tour while thesummer months weredesignated for work inthe studio cuttingtheir newest album.

The group remainedintact from 1977-1981.

“We broke up in theearly 80’s and despitetrying we could neverget it back together ,”he said. “We couldn’tget it back to the levelwhere we once wereso everyone justdrifted apart and wentand did their ownthing.”

For Lozaga, his “own thing” wasthe restaurant business in New Jer -sey.

“My wife (Susan) and I startedthree restaurants and all my familyworked there, including my fatherwho was a cook in the Army. We weredoing quite well,” he recalled.

Every year, Lozaga took a vacationto the western U.S. to visit friends.During one of those numerous trips,his airplane nearly crashed. Some-thing inside his soul clicked; he knewwhere he actually belonged and re-turned to his first true love…pickingup a guitar and creating magic withhis skillful hands.

“I sold all my restaurants and havebeen broke ever since,” he said with aslight chuckle. “That’s the life of amusician.”

Nowadays, his music takes him toU.S. cities as well as of fering guitarlessons to local youngsters. He has

his own band – “T iny Boxes.” Thegroup performs its “jam band” rock-n-roll style in North Carolina (Char -lotte, Asheville, Raleigh,Greensboro) as well as in Richmond,Va. and points further north.

“We attract two to three thousandper show; we’ve got it rolling now ,”he said.

Moving SouthWhile it’s a common practice for

Northerners to relocate south of theMason-Dixon Line, most make a bee-line for the more populated areas …Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta or any-where in Florida. Moving to Roxobelis an entirely dif ferent story, espe-cially if there are no previous con-nections that attracts a Jersey familyto the rural expanse of Bertie County.

Lozaga explained that his daughterhas lived in Wilmington, NC for thepast 14 years. Meanwhile, his sonwas still residing in New Jersey , but

See GUITAR page 39

Bon Lozaga joins with one of his students, Cody Harrell, asthey jam on stage at Chubbies Grill in Ahoskie.


has since relocated to Roxobel and isa student at Chowan University andworking, as a cook, at Tavern 125 inMurfreesboro. Another daughter hasmoved to Colerain. His three grand-children (ages 4,7 and 10) are alsonow residents of North Carolina.

“We were looking to live some-where in between and somewherethat was cheap,” he noted. “And theother thing is that other than mymusic, I’m a falconer (a person thathunts wild quarry in its natural habi-tat by means of a trained raptor). Iwanted a place that was flat and wideopen and you can’ t get any flatter ormore wide open than Bertie County ,and I say that in a good sense.”

Searching the Internet, he andSusan discovered an old, 1900’ s erafarmhouse in Roxobel. They pur-chased the dwelling six years ago,fixed it up and now call it as home.

“At first it was just me and mywife, but now some of the band mem-bers will come and stay for a shortwhile as we base our tours fromhere,” Lozaga explained. “It’ s moreof a centralized location for the fam-ily and the band.”

Since becoming a citizen of north-eastern North Carolina, Lozaga saidhe had learned a lot about its peopleand the way of life here.

“I can honestly tell you we reallylucked out when choosing this placeto live,” he said. “There’s some greatpeople here, so warm, so friendly . Iguess they thought the circus hadcome to town when we first moved in… I had all these musicians herefrom all over the world speaking dif-ferent languages, but they have ac-cepted us. I love it here.”

Lozaga formed a close bond with aRoxobel icon, Charlie Vaughan whounfortunately lost his battle with can-cer last year.

“Charlie and I got pretty tight,” hesaid. “Charlie was a great guy and Idid all I could to help him, as did somany others, during his courageousbattle against cancer . I miss himevery day.”

The quiet, rural nature of the localarea has also served as a catalyst forLozaga to feel more at ease as hewrites and creates his style of music.

“There’s not a lot of stress here thatyou find in a bigger city ,” he said.“It’s very laid back and easy going.Because you’re not fighting traf ficevery day or stressing over hightaxes, you become so much more atease and that has helped me with mymusic, which includes the writingend of it.”

Passing it onFor Lozaga, the love of music is

best shared with others. For that rea-son, he loves to teach others the craftof picking a guitar.

While in New Jersey he offered les-sons to 50 youngsters per week at amusic store. It’ s different here, hesaid, where he teaches two days perweek in a back room at Mug ShotzCafé on Main Street in Ahoskie; useshis residence for a few other studentsand goes to the homes of the major -ity of his pupils.

Lozaga added that his teaching phi-losophy was simple….“Anything thatinspires you to want to play more orpractice more, then do that. If it’ sgoing out and watching a band per -form, then that’s fine.”

“My teachings here are more inti-mate than what I was doing up in Jer-sey,” he said. “There, I was in a littlebooth and the parents would droptheir kids of f and leave; just kind’apush them on you for an hour or so.There were a lot of kids there thatdidn’t want to take the lessons, rathertheir parents forced them to. Here,the kids want to learn and I have hadgreat interaction with their parents.They are appreciative of what I’mdoing, the level I’m taking their kidsmusically. It’s so much more personalhere. That’s another reason I love itdown here, you get a chance to inter-act with people because they’re sofriendly. When I lived up in Jersey ,you wouldn’t know the family livingthree houses down from you.”

After touring the world as a musi-cian, it does stretch the imaginationsomewhat to learn that Lozaga, aswell as his family , appears contentwith his current lifestyle.

“We’re not planning on moving;like I said before, I love it here,” heconcluded. “We’ve got a garden; weraise chickens; we’ve got it all goingon over in Roxobel. I’m an avidhunter and you can’ t be an avidhunter in the northeast (U.S.). Downhere I fit right in.”

He plans to have another “jam”recital at Chubbies later this summer.

For more information on how jointhe “Bon Movement” or for lessons,call 252-344-2197. �

Bon Lozaga and Trevor McKeel perform during a recent recital held at Chubbies.

GUITAR FROM PAGE 38


atios are typically the go-to spot forwarm weather outdoor meals. Whetherhosting friends or simply enjoying a re-

laxing meal under the evening sky , home-owners tend to spend as much time aspossible on the patio once the weather warmsup.

Because it's such a high-traf fic area, thepatio should be protected from wear and tear.Wear and tear on the patio can result fromMother Nature or be a byproduct of all thosespring and summer evenings spent relaxingoutdoors. Fortunately, there are a handful ofways homeowners can keep their patios look-ing pristine through the summer party season.

• Stain the concrete. Staining concrete pro-tects it from natural elements, which cancause the color of a patio to peel or flake.Concrete stain penetrates deep and infuses theconcrete with a permanent color that's lesslikely to fall victim to the elements. Stains aregenerally solid-color stains or acid stains.Solid-color stains, as their name suggests,provide a more even and solid look, whileacid stains provide a more marble-like ap-pearance. While neither are likely to fade orpeel quickly, over time an additional coat orstain might need to be applied to counter nat-ural factors like sunlight.

•Cover the furniture. Patio furniture canvary significantly in price and quality. Home-owners who picked up a few plastic chairs at

the nearby grocery store might not feel furni-ture covers are worth the investment. Forthose with more expensive patio furniture,durable furniture covers that can withstandyear-round weather are a sound investment.Waterproof and heat-resistant fabric is ideal,as the furniture will be vulnerable to spring

rains, summer showers and high temperaturesduring the summer party season. Coversshould also fit snugly around the furniture toprovide optimal protection.

•Consider retractable awnings. Retractableawnings might cost a little money , but theycan also pay homeowners back over the longhaul. First and foremost, retractable awningsprotect patio from sunlight and ultravioletrays in hot weather. A retractable awning canalso protect friends and family membersshould an unexpected summer shower appearor keep them safe from sunburns during sum-mer afternoons when the UV index ishigh.When placed near a window, retractableawnings can lower ener gy bills. Suchawnings can keep sunlight and ultravioletrays from entering the home. This lowers thetemperature indoors, which reduces relianceon air conditioning units to maintain a com-fortable temperature. These awnings can alsoextend the life of furniture, which tends tofade when placed inside windows that getheavy sun exposure.

•Plant trees. An eco-friendly way to main-tain and add to a patio's aesthetic appeal is toplant trees around the patio. Trees can protectthe patio from sunlight and ultraviolet radia-tion while providing some shade for friendsand family members who want to spend somequality time outdoors on hot afternoons. Inaddition, trees can create a serene setting to apatio, adding to its relaxing nature. �

Protecting your patio…and what’s on it!

P




Proper nutritionis vital to battlemiddle-agespread

rom political power, to fashion andeven to team loyalty in today’ sworld of professional athletics,

change is inevitable.But what about change inside our bod-

ies?In the earlier stages of life, individu-

als, at least those without medical com-plications, were able to throw caution tothe wind. It did not matter how littlethey slept or what types of food wereconsumed, those young bodies werestrong enough to maintain a healthy me-tabolism.

However, as the body’ s clock sur -passes age 40 and progresses beyond,hormonal and metabolic changes beginto occur.

As age increases, BMR (Basal Meta-bolic Rate) heads in the opposite direc-tion. BMR is the rate at which your bodyburns energy. Those with higher ratesburn that ener gy more ef ficiently …they also feel better , think clearer and

are able to maintain a healthy weight.It’s normal for BMR to decrease withage; however, the ef fects can be less-ened through proper diet and exercise.

How does one navigate through amaze of information for those lookingfor mid-life advice on nutrition? DebbieKlingler – a Registered Dietician, Li-censed Nutritionist and Certified Dia-betes Educator at Roanoke-ChowanCommunity Health Center in Ahoskie –

said the best course of action was tostart that search locally.

“Take advantage of your local re-sources first by asking your doctor or bycontacting your local community healthcenter to inquire of a listing of certifiedor registered dieticians/nutritionists,”Klingler said. “If you prefer to go italone, there is plenty of free adviceavailable through websites.

Klingler said one of her online fa-

F

Story by Cal Bryant

What’s in your fridge?

Making wise choices when shopping leads to healthy eating habits.

See FRIDGE page 45

Front Porch Living 45FRIDGE FROM PAGE 44

vorites was www.calorieking.com.“There are even apps you can down-

load to your iPod or other handheld de-vices that can be used to track your dailyintake of calories,” she said.

Unhappy mealsFor parents with a busy lifestyle, but

trying to remain within a budget by eat-ing at home, thename of the mealgame has aNASCAR feeling… we want it now;we want it fast.Typically, foodpreparation underthose circumstancesmay indeed take the“checkered flag”but the victory laneparty is spoiledupon receiving the bad news from thebathroom scales.

Instead of bowing to the traditionalfast lane foods such as ‘bur gers, fries,pizza and mac-and-cheese, the family

cook can score a victory by of feringbroiled or grilled entrees. Pasta dishesare also quick to prepare, as are steamedmixed vegetables. Not only are these of-ferings delicious, they are nutritious forthe entire family. There’s no time likethe present than to introduce young chil-dren to the benefits of healthy eating, es-pecially with a growing concern

worldwide of childhood obesity and analarming number of adults diagnosedwith diabetes.

“Nobody wants to stand in a hotkitchen and cook after spending a long,

hard day at work,” Klingler noted. To avoid that chore, Klingler said ad-

vance planning is the key.“Plan out your weekly meals for the

family, or for an individual livingalone,” she said. “Go to the grocerystore with that plan. Prepare dishes thatwill cover a few days and refrigerate orfreeze them. Frozen cooked vegetables

are quick to thawand serve. I’m alsonot against pur -chasing healthyfrozen meals; justadd a salad andyou’ve got aquick, nutritiousmeal.”

Klingler addedthat baked pota-toes are quick andeasy to prepare.

She also suggested preparing nutritiousmeals in a crock pot as a time saver.

“I would also promote healthy eatingfor all age groups by encouraging at-home cooks to experiment with different

“I would also promote healthy eating for all age groups by

encouraging at-home cooks to experiment with different

preparation methods.”- Debbie Klingler

See FRIDGE page 46

46 Front Porch LivingFRIDGE FROM PAGE 45

preparation methods,” Klingler said.“Instead of the old bacon grease method,use olive oil. A simple test with that isto shred cabbage, stir fry it in olive oiland then steam the cabbage for tender -ness. Preparing familiar foods in a dif-ferent way creates variety and newflavors.”

Armed with a new , healthy diet, theroad to proper nutrition is also pavedwith exercise.

Klingler sympathized with those thatcould not work in an exercise routinedue to time constraints at their job or athome, but she still stressed the need fora daily workout to supplement a diet.

“Keep a pair of tennis shoes and t-shirt in your car . If you are at an eventwhere you are waiting for a child orgrandchild to complete an athletic prac-tice or piano lesson, get out and walk,”Klingler suggested.

Feeling fullAs far as for the nutritional value of

consuming liquids, studies reveal thatwith the progression of age, the body be-gins to register a lessened feeling of

fullness from the calories associ-ated with what a person drinks.Consuming liquids in-betweenmeals leads to overeating later.

Try this … instead of drinkingan eight-ounce glass of orangejuice, eat an entire orange anddrink a 12-ounce bottle of water .It will give you a feeling of beingfull and research has shown youwill still feel that way until normalmealtimes arrive.

“We have a volume problem,”Klingler admits. “Why do we like toover eat … it’s simple, we love food andwe love to eat. We love to have fullstomachs, but be reminded that as weage, insulin resistance becomes a bigissue. We begin to lose muscle mass andwhat was once muscle converts to fat.As the fat levels increase, it leads to ahigher risk of diabetes. In turn, thatleads to higher risks for other chronicdiseases.”

Klingler said three words were key asmen and women reach middleage….fiber, fiber, fiber.

“Fiber in your diet helps you feel

full,” she stated. “I would suggest forthose ages 45 and over to increase theirconsumption of fruit and vegetables;they’re high in fiber and low in calo-ries.”

Low calorie beverages are also an im-portant part of a proper diet.

“Steer clear of the high calorie bever-ages and keep a close eye on your intakeof carbohydrates,” Klingler said. “Justdoing away with two regular soft drinksor two other types of sugary drinks, likeKool-Aid, per day will lead to a weightloss of a pound per week.”

That’s change we can all live with. �

Green salads with light dressing are low in calories.


A Conversation With…Q: What has your senior year been

like thus far?A: My senior year has been excit-

ing; filled with anticipation of col-lege and also readiness to graduate.

Q: Which part of it did you or doyou look most forward to?

A: I had looked most forward toplaying sports this year . Now I amlooking forward to walking acrossthe stage, with honors.

Q: Have you chosen a college? Ifso, how did you go about makingyour decision?

A: Yes, I will be attendingMethodist University in the fall.Their softball program is what firstattracted me to this school and onceI made my first visit I knew this waswhere I wanted to be.

Q: What are you most looking for-ward to as you prepare for college?

A: What I look forward to mostthis coming fall is my freedom. Iwould say I have lived a pretty shel-tered life and now I'm ready to meetnew people and do things on myown.

Q: What do you think GatesCounty High School has taught youthat will help you the most as youprepare to leave for college?

A: This school has taught me howto deal with people in a close envi-ronment. With everyone knowingjust about everyone, getting along isa necessity if you want to have anice high school experience.

Q: What is your favorite subject inschool?

A: My favorite core subject ismath; my favorite elective is dance.

Q: What do you plan to major inwhile attending the college of yourchoice and what made you decide onthat major?

A: I plan on majoring in Chem-istry and taking that to a graduateschool and pursuing a Pharmacy de-gree. I decided this because I alwayswanted to be in the medical field,but I never wanted to do anythinghands-on.

Q: What extracurricular activitieshave you been involved in duringyour high school career?

A: I have been heavily involved insports. I have been a 3-sport athleteevery year in high school. And Ihave been involved in Beta Club anFCA (Fellowship of Christian Ath-letes).

Q: What kind of community activ-ities have you been involved withoutside of school?

A: Outside of school I participatein helping coach youth girls basket-ball and softball teams at the localCommunity Center. Also I am heav-ily wrapped up in AAU softball.

Q: What adult mentor has playedthe biggest role in your life andwhy?

A: I would say my sister has beenthe greatest mentor . Even thoughshe's only four years older than me,everything I have done is an attemptto reflect her accomplishments. Sheis the common big sister: a bullysometimes, but more a great rolemodel and fantastic supporter.

Erica

Bradley

Erica Bradley is a senior at Gates County HighSchool who resides in Hobbsville. She is thedaughter of Dr. Jerry and Adrienne Bradleyand has one sister, Jalisa. She attends St. JohnAME Zion Church in Sunbury. She has been anactive participant in athletics during her youthand began playing travel softball at 10 yearsof age. She has played basketball, soccer andsoftball at the Gates County Community Cen-ter and has played basketball, softball, vol-leyball, soccer and run cross-country atCentral Middle School and Gates CountyHigh. She has received numerous trophies,awards and recognitions for her athletic abil-ity.



Ahoskie Rotarians Dan Joyner (foreground) and RichardJernigan man the skillets as they fry up homemade

sausage from Godwin’s Country Meats as part of theclub’s annual fundraiser on March 3.

Sue Lassitershows off her“flipping” style

as she andother membersof the Ahoskie

Rotary Clubserved-up

thousands offlapjacks during

their annual Pancake andSausage Dayheld March 3.

Ahoskie RotaryClub member

Bill Earley (left)dishes out hotpancakes to awaiting cus-tomer as theserving line

grows longeron March 3 inside theAhoskie National

Guard Armory.


evern, a little town with a big heart.For many who reside here, Severn’ smotto sums up exactly how they feel

about their community. If you’re in doubt, justask Town Manager Marshall Lassiter.

“Severn is the best town in NorthamptonCounty,” he said. “We have the best peoplehere than any other place.”

Severn, with a population of 253, oftenwears its heart on its sleeve. Signs advertisingupcoming Severn Volunteer Fire Departmentor Conway-Severn Rescue Squad events dotthe sleepy streets; the Severn CommunityBuilding is still used for various events andfour churches still thrive within the commu-nity.

Its streets often stand quiet, lined withquaint one and two-story older homes, and itsskyline is marked by storage buildings andsteam rising from local industries. However ,there are still echoes of Severn’s once boom-ing past, one created by a more than 100-year-old rail line in the heart of town.

Nine stores, theaters, barbershops, an auto-mobile dealer and an inn were all once part ofSevern’s past.

Town documents collected from citizenstell the story of the beginnings of what is nowSevern. It all started with a post of fice, oper-ated by Matt Edwards, located at a cross roadsknown as Cross Lox. The post of fice wascalled Meherrin, believed to have been namedafter a tribe of Meherrin Indians who lived onthe banks of the river nearby (the MeherrinRiver). The post office served the people ofthe rural community and from these commu-nities came most of the original families whohad a hand in developing the town of Severn.

Before the town developed there was, theconstruction of the railroad near the soggylowlands. In 1887, the Seaboard RailroadCompany built a branch line which ran fromBoykins, Va. into North Carolina for severalmiles.

“The most recognized origin for the name

Severn came from the railroad,” said Lassiter.“They had an engineer, not a train engineer ,but a land surveyor and his name was SevernAyres. His name stuck.”

Lassiter said Ayres lived for some time justnorth of what would become the town. Headded about five years ago, the town receiveda visit from a woman from England whosefamily name was the same as the town’ snamesake.

“She felt that this Severn Ayres was defi-nitely related to her family,” Lassiter said.

Soon after the railroad was completed, twoyoung brothers named George and Bill Pru-den from Seaboard built a saw mill near thetracks. At the time, there was only one smallhouse in the village owned by Peter Martinand was located on the west side of the rail-road. Martin was a farmer and worked landseveral miles away along the presentVaughan’s Creek Road.

A commissary was built by the Prudens

near the saw mill to supply workers with theirfood and supplies. As the mill grew, many ofthe young men from the surrounding commu-nities began to move to the railroad tracks withtheir families.

Severn soon began to blossom as theSeaboard Railway built a station and its firsttwo stores were built and eventually a drygoods store open. The post office out at CrossLox was also brought into town when Ed-wards opened his store. He was the town’ sfirst postmaster.

African-Americans also played a role dur-ing Severn’s early settlement. With the con-struction of a new post of fice, Jim Martinbecame the town’s second postmaster. Oneresident recalled Martin in a narrative givento the town of Severn. “People rememberedhim as the ‘one-arm postmaster ’ because hehad one of his arms amputated,” the citizenwrote.

The first blacksmith shop in town was

Incorporated: 1919Population: 253

County: Northampton (1741)Major Highways: NC 35

Railroad, water bring life to ‘Cross Lox’Story and photos by Amanda VanDerBroek

S

See SEVERN page 51

Severn’s entryway sign sums up the warmth of this small town.


owned by a black man named Jim Boone. Theshop was located near the Prudens’ commis-sary. He later worked for W.E. Glover whoopened a blacksmith shop on the opposite sideof the railroad.

Among the other early commerce in thetown was an automobile dealer/shop, Pied-mont Automobile, owned by Henry PaulHowell. The first car owner in town was JunieWhite who owned a Reo. In 1918, BuckHowell opened a movie house on the secondfloor of his store and his son, Henry Paul, op-erated the silent movie machine.

One year later, the town was incorporatedwith Charlie Simons as the first mayor.

Joseph W. Barkley, who has lived eithernear or in Severn for most of his life, recalledthe town’s numerous stores.

“You could buy anything you wanted,” hesaid.

Barkley said the early stores were supportedby the farmers who worked the land aroundthe town.

“Back then you didn’t have all of the farm-ing equipment like they do now, there were alot of people living on farms,” he said. “That’show these stores thrived.”

Essie Mae Benns, who has lived in Severnfor more than 60 years, recalled the manystores in town as well.

“On Friday, Severn was full of people downthere,” she said. “Y ou could buy material,clothing and groceries. The stores were nice.”

Barkley also recalled the town’s first bank(constructed in 1916). He said the bank waslocated in a store that also housed a barber -shop and the post office.

As the town grew in both size and popula-tion, the need for schools and churches grewas well.

There was early education for both blacksand whites.

The first school for blacks was a one roomwooden named Swamp Chapel School andIdell Harris was the first and only teacher atthe time. In 1912, when a new church wasbuilt, the old church was used as a school.

The school soon received a funding boost,notably from Julius Rosenwald, a white phi-lanthropist from Chicago, who made his for-tune as president of Sears, Roebuck, and Co.He gave away much of his earnings to Jewishcharities and for the education of African-Americans. He contributed to the building ofmore than 5,000 rural schools for blacks, in-cluding Severn’s very own RosenwaldSchool, built across the railroad tracks fromFirst Baptist Church.

When the state assumed financial respon-sibility for the school, the name was changedto Severn Graded School. In 1951, when Sev-ern High School was consolidated with Con-way High School, Severn Graded Schoolbecame Meherrin Elementary and SevernHigh School became Severn Elementary. In1967, Meherrin Elementary was closed andthe students were assigned to Willis Hare El-ementary.

The first school for white children wascalled the Log Cabin School, located nearCross Lox, and used in the late 1800s.

Barkley remembered attending the secondschool, located near the current UnitedMethodist Church.

“It was a two-story, not very big because wedidn’t have all that many people, framed,wooden building,” he said. “It had a bell andit rang every morning when you were sup-posed to be in class.”

Barkley said school’s classrooms were lo-

cated on the first floor while an auditoriumwas on the second story.

“It was used for chapel, entertainment,graduation,” he said. “Each room in the schoolwas heated by a potbelly stove. Somebodyduring the day had to go and keep gettingbuckets of coal to feed the fire until 11 a.m.”

Just as important as education in Severnwas a spiritual growth. The town boasts fourchurches, all of which have deep ties withinthe community.

Severn Methodist Church was organized in1815 under the name Providence MethodistChurch. The first building was four milesnorthwest of Murfreesboro and served theMethodists of the area, including those ofMurfreesboro, for 60 years. In 1875, the

See SEVERN page 52

SEVERN FROM PAGE 50

Essie Mae Benns has lived in Severn for 60 years.


church was brought closer to Severn. In 1916,a white wooden framed church was con-structed at its present day lot brick veneer wasadded in 1950.

First Baptist Church's history spans a periodof 121 years in the community . Before theCivil War, blacks, who were within walkingdistance worshiped at Roberts Chapel Churchin Pendleton. In 1866, they withdrew fromRoberts Chapel and worshiped under a BushArbor in the swamp lands a short distancefrom the present First Baptist Church. Soon,Rev. Patterson of Raleigh officially organizeda church known as Swamp Chapel BaptistChurch. The first building was a smallwooden structure and was located between theBush Arbor and the present site. Later, a largerwooden building was built and the name waschanged to First Baptist and in 1960s thebuilding was brick veneered.

Severn Baptist Church had its beginning inFebruary 1892 with the organization of a Sun-day school. On July 19, 1896, a meeting wascalled to organize the church. A wooden struc-ture was constructed near where the presentday church stands. The white framed churchwas sold in 1924 for $800 to the Macedonia

African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.). In thelate 1920s the brick Baptist Church that isused today building was built.

Macedonia A.M.E. Church began with asmall group of worshipers in a wooden build-ing in the Macedonia community near Pendle-ton in the early 1800s. In 1924, thecongregation pulled up stakes and moved toSevern. The building they purchased from theBaptist Church was moved by mules to thepresent location on the corner of Church andSouth Streets, where it is still located.

Benns lives in the shadow of MacedoniaA.M.E. and once was a member of the churchas well as a Sunday school teacher.

“I did love to go to church here,” she said.“Everybody was so nice.”

She recalled coming to Severn in 1941. “My husband (Rex) was from Severn and I

lived over near Boykins, Va.” she recalled.“When he fell in love with me, we got marriedand moved here.”

Benns recalled moving to the tiny town andnot being all that impressed with it.

“I thought it was the ugliest place,” she gig-gled. “But after I got here and lived here Icame to like it.”

In the late 1940s, Severn experienced an in-dustrial boom and many of its current indus-tries like Hampton Farms, a lar ge peanutcompany, Meherrin Chemical and ResinallCorp. moved in providing jobs to those in thelocal areas.

Benns worked at Hampton Farms for 40years grading peanuts. She said her job helpedher get out and meet more people, allowingher to shed that first impression she had ofSevern.

Both Benns and Barkley recalled drinkingfrom the spring located near the BaptistChurch and adjacent to the canal system thatflows through town, keeping the town frombeing flooded.

“That was some good water ,” said Benns.“Everybody drank water from that spring.”

“That’s where all the stores got their water,”said Barkley.

Not only does the water reportedly tastegood, but there’s a legend attached to it. Theysay if you drink from the spring you’ll returnto Severn. While there’s no definitive way toprove this, many of those who have drankfrom the spring are still living in their belovedSevern. �

SEVERN FROM PAGE 51

n 2009 only 70 percent of high school graduates en-rolled in college. This decision will affect you for thenext couple of years of your life and also the career

that you will pursue.Choosing a college may be very hard and stressful for

a teenager if they do not know what they want to do withtheir life. As a junior in high school you should start try-ing to figure out what you would like to do in life andwhere you want to go to college. If you do not know whatyou would like to do with your life you should researchdifferent careers and try to find one that you may be in-terested in. Your teachers and counselors at school alongwith parents and adults in your community can be veryhelpful when it comes to choosing a career. They can helpshow you the different lifestyles and responsibilities ofbeing an adult and having a job.

When you become a senior in high school you need tostart looking at dif ferent colleges and trying to decidewhich ones you would be interested in going to. Youshould also start applying to dif ferent colleges early inyour senior year. Also, you should start applying for fi-

nancial aid and scholarships.The guidance counselors atschool are there to help youwith all of these things as wellas your parents.

You should start your finan-cial aid process as soon as youcan because it is on a first comefirst serve basis. In 2009 morethan 244 million dollars wasawarded in scholarships, moneyoffered by a long list of variousorganizations. Scholarships arean important part of college be-cause of the way the economyis today. Times are tight for a lot

of families in the United States and college costs are get-ting higher each year.

Factors that can hold you back from your ideal collegeinclude the distance away from home. Most students areready to move out and be on their on, but sometimes it isbest to stay at home with your parents. They can give youmotivation and help you stay on track. It will also becheaper.

Commitment to the field that you plan on entering isalso a major factor because you do not want to enter a col-lege that does not have the field that you plan on major -ing in.

Academic pressure is a problem more often than notbecause students do not realize how hard the courses ac-tually may be. You should try to choose a college that hasa SAT and ACT average similar to your own.

If you do not like being part of large classroom settingsyou should try to find a college that has small classroomsizes.

You should also consider whether or not you want tolive in a rural area or in a city, depending on the locationof the college or university.

When you decide what college you want to go to, youshould let that college know. Then you should make surethat you have all the information the school needs. Youshould also start looking at the courses that you need toregister for.

You also need to inform the other colleges you appliedto that you have decided to enroll elsewhere.

Choosing the right college will be one of the biggestdecisions of your life. It is a life changing experience andyou need to take college seriously, not as a chance to partyall the time. I would encourage all high school students toconsider enrolling in a college. Seize this opportunity nowto make something of your life.. �

(This column was submitted by Donna Mizelle, Bertie High School Senior.)

College – seize the opportunity to learn

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Front Porch Living April 2011