A small area of Warren County on the border of Halifax County provided the ground for one of the biggest Indian celebrations in the country for the 43rd time this past weekend. Haliwa-Saponi Tribal Administer, Archie Lynch describes the event “as a time for renewal, a time of thanksgiving, a time of home-coming and most all a time of sharing.”  

Throughout the evening they recognized everyone in one way or another, but they always came back to the main theme of the event – “Honoring those who serve their community. “  They were honoring people who serve in the fire departments, local county and state law enforcement, EMS personal, service men and women as well as veterans.  

This year the tribe had a special reason to honor those who serve.  It was on their land in this area of North Carolina that they endured the largest forest fire in years.  It was on a Sunday, February 10 that over 3,200 acres in the tribal land area was burned.  The home fire department fighting the fire was the Arcola Rural Volunteer Fire Department.  Before the five day fired was completely put out every fire department in Halifax County and many in Warren County were involved in fighting.  

The three day festivities started on Friday night when the gates opened at 4 p.m. They continued on through Sunday evening.  During each day of the festivities they held Grand Entry Ceremonies.

The Friday opening Grand Entry was just a warm-up for what was too come on Saturday and Sunday.  As the dancers for the ceremonies were forming the sounds of the drums and chants from various drum groups filled the air.  With names like Southern Drums, Stoney Creek, Red Earth and Red Oak they kept the evening alive with their sounds.   Serving as Northern Host drum was the Stoney Creek Singers, based in the Haliwa-Saponi Community, and the Southern Host Drum was Southern Sun Singers of Pembroke, NC.

 The excitement of the powwow continued to grow and to fill the air.  Families gathered some dressed in their hand made regalia others in street clothes.  Everyone seemed to have the same goal to share and enjoy the evening.  They all showed respect and admiration for one another.

Early on in the evening Josh Guerreor from the tribe served as my information guide.  He was quick to let me know, in kind but forceful way that the outfits they wore were not called costumes they were called regalia.   You could see the pride he had in saying it.

When asked if took our and hours to make the regalia Josh commented that it took months and months and for some a year or more.  “It took me a year to make mine,” he commented. You couldn’t help but appreciate the craftsmanship it took to make even the simplest of the regalia.

The bleachers filled early and there was standing room only when the MC started the program.

As the drums kept playing in the background the master of ceremonies Sandon Jacobs greeted the tribe members guest and visitors with, “I would to take this opportunity to welcome everybody in the house tonight to the east side or Essex, in other words downtown Hollister.”

The grand entry was led by the color guard.  Carrying the American Flag was Justin Hedgepeth. As the color guard made their way around the track hundreds of dancers followed them in a colorful and memorable ceremony.  They Haliwa-Saponi dancers and singers were joined by members of the Meherrin, Lumbee, Waccamaw-Siouan, Coharie, Ojibwa, Tuscarora, Piscataway, Chickahominy, Rappahannock, Cherokee, Sioux, Iroquois, Navajo, and other tribes. 

It was impossible not to notice the dedication, respect and admiration the various members had for everyone. When they talked about the special tent set up for the senior’s citizens the MC reminded everyone to not block their view.

When he talked about the Arcola firefighters and everyone who helped during the February fire it was with respect.  When Jacobs announced the retiring of the colors he invited all the veterans and relatives of veterans to come down and march so everyone could show their appreciation.  At first only a few people made their way down to the center of the compound.  One by one as he persisted to call out for them more and more people made their way down.

You could see this same respect that they paid to one another and their own families.  Whether it was helping one another out with their regalia or making sure each child that wanted to participate in the dancing had the opportunity to do so.  It was impressive to see even the men comment on the craftsmanship of one another’s regalia or moccasins.

For a newcomer this is one event that is worth the time and effort to see and hear. You can go to see the bright colored regalia, the dancing, listen to the drums or just watch people interact.  It is all there in one event every April.

The Warren County Board of Commissioners dealt with a variety of concerns at their April 22 work session. Commissioners Fleming, Davis, Alston and Ross spent the first part of the meeting listening to the Departmental Annual Reports..

Larry West, Director, Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), reported that since 1990 farmers in Warren County had received over $1,400,000 in compensation for various programs. He explained that the SWCD worked with county, state and federal agricultural organizations. SWCD contests for school children included an essay writing contest, a poster contest, a public speaking contest and a Warren County Annual Ecology Field Day.

Robert E. Mitchum, Tax Administration, reported that field work for tax assessment was 90% complete and final reviews would start soon. The initial meeting of the Board of Equalization and Review was scheduled for the current week, with one appeal pending. $275,000 had been collected as a result of the Delinquent Tax Program. He was asked the cost of collecting this money. Mr. Mitchum said there was no cost, as the collection fees were added to each bill. He said Norlina collections were up and Warren County were behind last year, probably because of the slowdown of the economy. Cards had been issued to county employees so that each vehicle could be monitored.  Mr. Mitchum said that the goal was total accountability. He said that tax bills would no longer be on cards, but would be in envelopes. There was a discussion about the cost to the county for gas. Mr. Mitchum said that county cost was about 40 cents below the pump price.

Charles Ayscue, Building and Grounds Supervisor, reported that he was very careful to monitor costs, purchase in bulk and do all work possible in-house. He said that all contracts were negotiated. He advised that they had been doing renovation and were on time and under budget.

Dr. Sue Loper, Library Director, Warren County Memorial Library, said that she had only been in the position since July. She noted that they had a new building and were doing grant writing and fund raising projects in connection with that. One fundraiser was “Fill the Shelves” in which friends of the library could contribute funds for books in memory of someone. She advised that Jimmy Harris had donated $500 to purchase equipment for an oral history project. Mary Lib and Clayton Taylor had donated a microfiche reader/printer and the Historical Society had donated $5,000 for microfiche and supplies. Dr. Loper said that friends of the library had sponsored a Christmas event and raised $2,000. A new initiative for the Library was a program to improve cottage industry visibility. She said that the Library was working to establish a co-operative program to spotlight home grown and handmade items. She said that she was very proud to report that Terry Henderson had received her Associate Degree in Library Science.  

An internet connection for Courthouse Square had been discussed at previous meetings. Marcus Johnson, IT Supervisor, and Marcus Whitaker from Embarq presented a proposal. Commissioner Davis asked why the cost was so high just to make internet access available on Courthouse Square. Discussion of security and liability ensued. Commissioner Ross recommended that IT and Embarq work out what would accomplish the goal. 

A prior meeting had addressed County Administration Building needs and alternatives had been developed. A decision had been made to adopt Alternative 4, at a cost of $178,300. Renovation and possible relocation of the Hendricks Building was discussed. Commissioner Fleming emphasized that the Hendricks family had donated the building, and historic preservation was important. Commissioner Davis said to consider donating the building to the Historical Society. County Manager Linda T. Worth was asked to determine how much land came with the building and get back to the board. All agreed that the Hendricks Building should be renovated.  Mr. Ayscue was asked to look at the building and report back to the Commissioners what was required.

A study group had recommended that the National Guard Armory be renovated for use as a multi-purpose community facility. This recommendation was put on the Agenda for May 5.

The proposed Room Occupancy Tax had been discussed in previous meetings. The Lake Gaston Association and several citizens had written letters in opposition to the proposal. Discussion ensued. Mr. Roland Buchaine spoke against the tax, saying that the timing was not good. Commissioner Fleming noted that improvements to I-85 and potential motels were in the plans. He said that the tax could take up to 2 years to process, so should not be abandoned. It was noted that most of the opposition was from realtors and people who had Lake rentals. Commissioner Fleming suggested that perhaps Lake rentals could be removed from the Tax proposal. The issue was scheduled to be re-visited at the next work session.

Mr. Thomas Harris from the Wise-Paschall Ruritan Group noted that several grants had been received. He said that Lowe’s Stores of Henderson and Roanoke Rapids had provided help to restore the old Warren County High School building. Mr. Harris noted that this building was built in the 30’s by Julius Rosenwald, an African-American Philanthropist. He said the Group intended to sell interest in the building to be used as tax credits. He said that H. G. Reynolds had been awarded the construction project. Commissioner Davis asked if there had been competition. Mr. Harris said there had been. He advised that an application had been submitted for $300,000 to be used for construction/heavy equipment training for the Trade Program. He told of a Memorial Weekend Fish Fry, and invited the Commissioners.

Charles Jefferson from the North Carolina Senior Tar Heel Legislative Group addressed the Board. He said that the 100 county group was working with the legislature on county versus state responsibility for Medicaid. He felt that there would be a net gain for Warren County. However, he said, senior transportation was a problem with the rising fuel cost. Mr. Jefferson explained how crucial transportation was for senior citizens. He asked the Board to consider increasing money in the budget for transportation needed for 2008-2009.

The meeting was adjourned.

‘Women on Mission’ ladies donate stuffed animals for kids in crisis

Cable guys interrupt life in Littleton – Again!

By Maurice Emery
Editor

For the second time in as many weeks the cable guys from Time Warner Cable have managed to interrupt life in Littleton.  About 10:30 a.m. last Friday the Littleton area lost all of its’ phone service because the telephone lines were cut. 

Littleton was not alone, over 42,000 customers from Franklinton to Littleton lost all services dependent on telephone lines.  Banks, cell service and regular phone service were all impacted by the cut. 

According to Embarq Regional Media Relations Manager Tom Matthews what happened Friday was a very rare occurrence.  “The cables consist of many lines that are set up so if they are cut they can reroute the transmission to other line in the same cable and not cause a loss of service.  Last Friday the lines were cut in two places so the back up transmission lines were down also.

One cut occurred off Route 158 in the Littleton area the other was between Franklinton and Henderson on Rt. 1.   The cuts happened at about the same time.  Service was restored by 3:30 p.m. Friday.

When asked what protection there was to insure that cables are not cut, Matthews said that cables are buried deeper than other lines and are marked two ways.  One is by a red post at frequent visible intervals.  The second is by a red tape in the ground above the cable so if by chance someone does dig in the area of a cable the tape serves as a warning. 

Matthews revealed that this was the second time a few days that the telephone lines had been cut by  the cable guys.  He said there was one area of about 6,000 homes that could call within their area, but not outside of their area.  

Time Warner workers were responsible for the lose of water in Littleton two weeks earlier.  Calls to Time Warner in Raleigh were not returned.

It is the responsibility of the person doing the digging to insure that they do not cut into any service lines or pipes in the area.  If you are going to dig you should call 811 a national one call center for all underground utilities.

By Judith Forrest
Special to the Observer

The John 3:16 Center in Littleton held their annual Auction/Flea Market last Saturday. Auction viewing and flea market sales began at 10 a.m. and the auction started at noon. Local vendors and organizations came to see and sell. The weather was warm and clear and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

The Littleton Volunteer Fire Department sold Brunswick Stew and The Littleton Woman’s Club had a sales table. Bea Dwonch, a local craftswoman, came with handmade pocketbooks, scarves, hats and many other items. Local businesses and people had donated all kinds of items for the auction. There were paintings, furniture, baskets, glassware, china, and every item that you could think of. These items were offered to the highest bidder at bargain prices. Bidding was brisk and people loaded furniture and other items into waiting trucks and cars. The proceeds were for the benefit of the many activities of the John 3:16 Center.

The John 3:16 Center is a program of C.A.R.E., a nonprofit 501 c (3) organization. The Center provides a safe and structured environment for youth and their families to learn, grow and flourish as a family unit. The Center offers opportunities for parental and community involvement in the lives of children. It has served Littleton and surrounding communities for several years. Most programs are free of charge and open to everyone. The Center is dependent on both donations and volunteers, which are both solicited and encouraged.

The John 3:16 Center is located at 407 East Avenue, behind the car wash on Highway 158.Their mailing address is PO Box 1541, Littleton, NC 27850. You can visit their web site at www.john316center.org or telephone 252 586-1800.