January 2010 Hyde County’s Country Magazine

Published Quarterly or whenever we feel like it.

Issue # 16 www.SwanQuarterly.net Cover Photo by Neli Lemme

Hyde County Board of Commissioners

2010

ChairmanGeorge Thomas Davis

(Swan Quarter Township)Swan Quarter, NC 27885

Vice ChairmanBarry Swindell

(Currituck Township)Scranton, NC 27875

Anson Byrd(Fairfield Township)Fairfield, NC 27826

Eugene S. Ballance(Ocracoke Township)Ocracoke, NC 27960

Sharon P. Spencer(Lake Landing Township)

Fairfield, NC 27826

www.SwanQuarter.net www.SwanQuarterly.net

Photo by Neli Lemme

www.hydecountync.gov

Connie BurlesonWe received a wonderful chocolate cake for Thanksgiving and never got to thank Ms Connie Burleson for her ‘sweet Thanksgiving greetings’ or her amazing talent. I can assure you that it was delicious, since I eat most of it! xox

Ingrid Lemme

nnn

Marketing Workshop for Ocracoke Nonprofits &

Small Businesses January  15, 2010 The Ocracoke Foundation, with help from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation

will host a marketing workshop on Friday, January 15 from 9 am until 5 pm at the Ocracoke Community Center. Cost is $20 per person with lunch provided. Guest speaker is Kivi Leroux Miller, President of Ecoscribe Communiations. More information

and register by email to Robin Payne at

robinpayne@earthlink.net

It has been a tuff year for this writer but we love our children and cute grandson David, he is now 5 month o ld and we ta lk to h im d a i l y o n Skype. We h a v e n o w almost 2600 e-m a i l s u b s c r i b e r s and counting... We are glad to hear that the Quarter Grill is open again and

welcome Hyde County’s new Emergency Director, a nice guy with fine credential, who helped

Hyde County a lot in the past and we wish him the v e r y b e s t . H a v e a w o n d e r f u l January and a cozy winter . Hope ya’ll stay

warm. xox Love Ingrid, and Neli and Sunny Lemme.

z Quote of the Quarter z

“New Year's Eve has always been a time for looking back to the past, and more importantly, forward to the coming year. It's a time to reflect on the changes we want (or need) to make and resolve to follow through on those changes...” - About.com

DEAR READER

P U B L I S H E R S : I N G R I D A N D N E L I L E M M E

2 0 1 0 J A N U A R Y I S S U E

Photo by Linda Lemme

Lady of the Quarter

Mrs. Janice Wyantof Engelhard

We met her at Gibbs StoreGeneral Merchandise whereshe had dropped off themail for her daughter. Mrs. Janice works morningsfrom 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. as cashier at the “Far Creek Gas & Grill”.

Small photo: Left, Janice Wyant’s daughter Renee Fisher and co-worker Asley Ballance (middle), both

work at Gibbs, featured with Mrs. Janice Wyant.

www.Twitter.com/InnerBanks

...On the Board Walk...Book of the

QuarterLandmarks of Hyde County, The Mainland & Ocracoke Island

Artist of the Quarter

Jo a n S e a r s i s a n award-winning artist in oil, watercolor, and acrylics.

Lady of the Quarter

Mrs. Janice Wyant of Engelhard, say hello to her at the Far Creek Gas & Grill in the morning

Realtor of the Quarter

Linda Jones of Lake Landing Realty in Engelhard, presenting all of Hyde County

Men of the Quarter

Meet 2 of our Local Volunteer Fire Fighters, helping at the Mattamuskeet Decoy & Waterfowl Festival. Smile of the

QuarterThe nice young woman who runs “The Store” at Ponzer, gave us the grandest smile!

Business of the Quarter

“ THE STORE” on Hwy 264 in Ponzer, NC, Hyde County, ALWAYS FRESH COFFEE! Teen of the

QuarterThe pretty, young lady who volunteered serving cookies and cake at the Mattamuskeet Decoy & Waterfowl Festival.

DYNAM ICUS QUI MUTAT

DEC 14Humanitatis &

Seacula

DEC 23Qui Sequitur Mutationem

JAN 13Mirum est

Notare

FEB 20Mazim Lacer Facer Possim

Website of the Quarter www.hydecountygis.com

Since 1975, Seed Savers Exchange members have passed on approximately one million samples of rare garden seeds to other gardeners. They are a non-profit organization of gardeners dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom seeds.www.SeedSavers.org

MEN OF THE QUARTER

Buying Dinner ‘Fresh’ at Newman’s Seafood

Newman Seafood644 Landing RdSwan Quarter, NC 27885 (252) 926-1288

 Mattamuskeet Foundation wildlife videos win twenty-five film awards!

Lake Mattamuskeet, N.C. – In November of 2006, the nonprofit Mattamuskeet Foundation released a unique wildlife video in DVD format entitled, “A Winter Day – Lake Mattamuskeet,” filmed entirely on Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge in Hyde County. STRS Productions of Washington, N.C., filmed and produced the hour-long video for the foundation. Dr. Lewis Forrest, executive director of the Mattamuskeet Foundation, served as the executive producer for the project. Twenty-two individuals and organizations made the production possible by contributing financially with gifts, grants, and sponsorships. According to Forrest, this video has been very successful in independent film competitions across America and has received ten international film awards. In May of 2009, the Mattamuskeet Foundation released the second video in the Winter Day series, entitled, “A Winter Day – Pungo Lake,” and filmed entirely on the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. Again, Blake and Emily Scott of STRS Productions handled all filming and post-production duties, while thirty-four individuals and organizations sponsored the production costs. In just eighteen months, this film has received fifteen international awards in independent film competitions. Like the Mattamuskeet film, this video has no humans and no narration. Both films present wildlife, the natural sounds of the wildlife, and an original music score to complement the stunning visual scenes. The Pungo Lake film is in High Definition and both films have Surround Sound audio. According to Forrest, “Our research shows that it is unusual for one independent film to receive more than two or three awards, and for these two films produced by a local production company and two individuals who are natives of Beaufort County to have received twenty-five awards is very rare.” Forrest admits that it was necessary for the foundation or STRS Productions to enter the films for consideration for these awards, but independent producers from around the world enter thousands of videos each year in each of these competitions. The judges in the various awards programs evaluate each video independently based on its own merits. Forrest explained that about ten to twenty percent of the films submitted receive an award, and there are usually several levels of recognition. For more than half of the competitions, the Winter Day films received the top-level awards. Forrest said that the Mattamuskeet Foundation and STRS Productions jointly entered thirty-three competitions to win the twenty-five awards, a success rate of seventy-six percent.

            Forrest stated that the foundation hopes to expand the Winter Day series if funding and sponsors are forthcoming. Meanwhile, STRS Productions has produced two more wildlife videos in a separate series, entitled “Refuge – Mattamuskeet,” and “Refuge – Pocosin Lakes.” UNC-TV has agreed to air both of these productions on its eleven-station public network across North Carolina and began broadcasting “Refuge – Mattamuskeet” before Thanksgiving. UNC-TV will premier the “Refuge – Mattamuskeet” in High Definition on December 27 on its new UNC-EX, The Explorer Channel. The Mattamuskeet Foundation is a lead sponsor for the broadcast version of the two Refuge films. STRS Productions is currently filming two more wildlife videos for the Refuge series––on Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge in Dare County and on Swan Quarter National Wildlife Refuge in Hyde County. According to Forrest, “The Refuge series is winning awards in the same competitions that have honored the Winter Day series, further demonstrating that the Scotts are gifted in filming wildlife and producing high-quality educational films.”            Forrest explained that the video, “A Winter Day – Lake Mattamuskeet,” is the first wildlife film ever produced by Blake and Emily Scott. Forrest said that while the Scotts have been producing videos for about fifteen years, prior to this work they filmed large music concerts, training films, conferences, weddings, and other special events. “With wildlife, the Scotts have found their special talent,” Forrest stated, “and they fully deserve the recognition their work is receiving from these independent film competitions.” To order copies of the Winter Day or Refuge films in DVD format, contact Forrest at 252-341-7882. To view short trailers of the wildlife videos on the Internet and to purchase copies online, visit www.awinterday.com and www. refugewildlife.com .

Photo below: Dr. Lewis Forrest, executive director of the Mattamuskeet Found. talking with Mr. Schwindell at the inaugural Mattamuskeet Decoy and Waterfowl Festival in Hyde C o County

Meet Emily Scott of S T R S Production www.startrakstudio.com

Nathan Garrett was very fortunate to take 1st place in Jr swan and goose (both with mouth). And 2nd place in Jr Meat duck. At the Mattamuskeet Waterfowl and Decoy festival. Thanks Hyde County Waterfowl Association for putting on a great event.www.wildfowlerlodge.com We are very fortunate to have the TV show "Flyway Highway" coming down to film a 3 day hunt with us in November. The episode will show in July of 2010 on the Sportsman Channel [147].

www.hydewaterfowl.com

Waterfowl experts discussing decoys at the inaugural ‘Mattamuskeet Decoy and Waterfowl Festival’! 2nd annual festival, November 20th & 21st, 2010 - www.HydeWaterFowl.com

and smiles. It does not seem to bother the kind woman in the red shirt. It’s small inside there, and cozy, with just a few shelves and a counter with all kind of stuff and a sign that says: “ I ‘ll tell you why I came home half drunk, I ran out of money.” and a cash register that seems to be as old as the little house. Photos & story by Ingrid Lemme

Vitae et, nunc phasellus phasellus, donec dolor, id elit donec phasellus ac pede, quam amet. Eget nibh maecenas ac, nullam duis elit, ligula eget pellentesque viverra morbi tellus molestie, mi odio. Sodales nunc suscipit sit pretium. Vel proin, sapien sit, mauris amet in semper dolor. Lacus non pariatur et dolor. Risus mattis. Eu tristique erat a, morbi vel. Tempor quis elit ac maxime et. Amet mauris nec voluptatum, habitant tellus dignissim sed eros.

Selby's Pool Room in EngelhardIf you are a sucker for old stores like I am, you have to stop here. Sherri Selby and her husband Bill run the little store on Goshen Back Road in Engelhard. You’d never know the store was here unless you’re right up on it. No colorful neon sign that sets it apart from the other houses on the street. Built more than 100 years ago, it’s a wood-frame building that belongs into a museum, actually, it is museum, kind of. Sure, Ms Selby sells all kinds of candy, beer and soda with her help of her husband, but as one looks around there are so many wonderful old things to see, including radios, decoys and signs. Nowadays, customers are usually either children buying candy or adults buying beer, a six-pack or some buy a tall can at a time. Both sets of customers pay cash. “We ain’t doing that much business, I’m gonna tell you like it is, it’s mostly beer” she says

In recent years Sabal Minor has emerged as a very desirable landscape specimen. They are planted as singles or in groups in wet, shady areas where many other plants would not thrive.  Minors can also be planted in full sun as long as plenty of moisture is provided and they make a wonderful under-story plant.

< Sabal Minor found by Carl Cornelius along a tributary

of the Pungo River in Hyde County.  Photo by Carl Cornelius

Nursery grown Sabal Minor ten years from seed are now over four feet tall. >

Written by Gary Hollar www.garysnursery.com

Native Sabal Minor in Hyde CountyThe most widely distributed native palm in the continental United States. It is native to NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, TX, OK and  AR. This small palm was the first palm in the United States to be botanically named and described. It is also known as Blue Stem palmetto and Dwarf palmetto. Sabal Minor is native to most of the NC counties adjacent to the coast and several counties inland from the central coastal plain and south.. It is a very cold hardy bush type palm growing beside creeks and rivers here in eastern NC . The most common size found in habitat here is around three to four feet with no visible trunk, however we have found specimens up to ten feet or so in height with small one to two foot trunks in Hyde, Beaufort, Pamlico and Carteret

Counties..

MISS LUTIE JENNETTE

RECALLS TIMES PAST - IN 1954

When one visits Mrs. William JENNETTE at her home in Lake Landing, he feels that this frail, white-haired lady has a treasure of wisdom and memories and Hyde County lore. "Miss Lutie" was born in 1850 in pre-civil Hyde County. When July 14th rolls around this year, she will be 104 years old. Miss Lutie is living presently at her old home in Lake Landing with the family of her granddaughter, Mrs. J.A. WAITS. Mrs. WAITS is one of her 18 grandchildren and her four children are only a few of Miss Lutie's 27 great-grandchildren. She also has two great-great-grandchildren. Only two of Miss Lutie's own five children are living, Jones Mann JENNETTE of Lake Landing and Lawrence JENNETTE of Elizabeth City. Both of her daughters, Mrs. S.D. MANN of Middletown and Mrs. Otis FULFORD of Engelhard, died several years ago. Her third son , W.H. JENNETTE of Elizabeth City, with whom she lived before coming to Hyde County this spring, died early this year. With her soft white hair and dressed in a style reminiscent of

the past, wearing old-fashioned black jewelry, Miss Lutie could be taken for a woman 20 years her junior. Despite her great age and failing sight and hearing, she is amazingly well and active. Far from an invalid, she is up and about almost every day. She climbs stairs easily, refusing help and goes to bed at night only under protes t . Her g reat -grandchildren are her greatest source of pleasure. "Children weren't any trouble in my day", she says. "we had nurses for them. But the children don't bother me," she hastens to add. "They seem to love me so much and are always doing little things for me." As she solicitously warns the older children to "take care of the baby", one can see not only her love for these youngsters but a lifetime of love and care for all the children in her family. The old home where she lives with Mrs. WAITS was built in 1808 and according to her statement (borne out by many who have enjoyed her hospitality) has seen many good times. Today Miss Lutie enjoys the visits of friends and folks. She still welcomes visitors for an interesting chat, for Miss Lutie, unlike many older people, has not been left without f r i ends by the pas s ing o f contemporaries but has made new friends among younger people. She has lived all her life

in Hyde County except for a few girlhood years in Washington and recently when she lived with her granddaughter, Mrs. Reginald BISHOP in Belhaven and her son , W.H. JENNETTE in Elizabeth City. She is the daughter of Samuel BONNER of Lake Landing and recalls a time when Lutie BONNER was "the prettiest girl in Amity Methodist Church." As a young girl during the Civil War, Miss Lutie recalls fleeing to the woods with a young Negro girl when the Yankee soldiers came to their home. During her century and four, Miss Lutie has had a wide and wonderful personal experience. She has also seen many years of history in the making. Having lived through five wars as well as 104 years of the ordinary troubles of humanity, this cheerful old lady has formulated a philosophy of living that is well worth adopting. "I've seen a lot of things happen," she says. "I don't let anything bother me any more. After I have done my best, that is all I can do and there's no sense worrying about it." Which of us can question 104 years of wisdom?

BY LAURA CREDLE

(The Coastland Times - June 18, 1954; pg. 4)

JENNETTE, Lutie BoomerLAKE LANDING - Mrs. Lutie B. JENNETTE, age 104, Hyde County's oldest woman, passed away Thursday, April 7th at the home of her granddaughter, Mrs. J.A. Waits, at Lake Landing. Funeral services were conducted Friday afternoon from Amity Methodist Church at Lake Landing by the pastor, Rev. Angus M. Cameron. Burial was in the church cemetery. Mrs. Jennette was born July 15, 1850, the daughter of the late Mr. & Mrs. Sam E. Boomer of Lake Landing. She spent most of her lifetime in Hyde County, having lived for short periods with descendants in Belhaven and Elizabeth City. Survivors include two sons: Jones M. Jennette of Lake Landing and Lawrence Jennette of Elizabeth City; 18 grandchildren; 27 great-grandchildren; and 2 great-great-grandchildren. (The Coastland Times - Friday, April 15, 1955; pg. 5)

Lady of the Quarter

Lunch at the Mattamuskeet School Cafeteria, the weekend of the Mattamuskeet

Decoy & Waterfowl Festival.

Photo by Ingrid Lemme

Boat of the Quarter Brooke & Kara

Photo by Linda Lemme

The Quarter Grill is O P E N ! The New

Owners are Ms. Kavindra Barrow and

Mr. Ali Kanan. We welcome you and see

ya’ll soon!

Meet Our Ocracoke Light StationOcracoke Inlet was first placed on the map when English explorers wrecked a sailing ship there in 1585. Two centuries later, this was one of the busiest inlets on the East Coast. Ocracoke Inlet was the only reasonably navigable waterway for ships accessing inland ports such as Elizabeth City, New Bern, and Edenton. Ocracoke Village, then known as Pilot Town, developed as a result of the inlet’s use. Pilots, hired to steer ships safely through the shifting channels to mainland ports, settled the village in the 1730s.The U.S. Lighthouse Service recognized that a lighthouse was needed to assist mariners through Ocracoke Inlet. In 1794, construction began on Shell Castle Island, a 25 acre, shell-covered island located between Ocracoke and Portsmouth Island to the south. This site was adjacent to the deepest inlet channel between shallow Pamlico Sound and the ocean. A wooden, pyramid-shaped tower was completed four years later. In addition to the light, a small lightkeeper’s house was built along with several cargo wharves, gristmills, houses, and other facilities.The Ocracoke Island Lighthouse was completed in 1823.Unfortunately, the lighthouse, a great blessing to mariners, was obsolete in less than 20 years due to the migration of the main channel. By 1818, the channel had shifted nearly a mile away. That same year, both the lighthouse and keeper’s house were destroyed by lightning.In 1822, for a charge of $50, the federal government purchased two acres at the south end of Ocracoke Island as the site for a new lighthouse. Constructed by Massachusetts builder Noah Porter and finished in 1823, the tower still stands today. Total cost, including the one story, one bedroom keeper’s house, was $11,359, far below the $20,000 budgeted. The lighthouse stands about 75 feet tall. Its diameter narrows from 25 feet at the base to 12 feet at its peak. The walls are solid brick - 5 feet thick at the bottom tapering to 2 feet at the top. An octagonal lantern crowns the tower and houses the light beacon.The exterior’s solid white coloration serves as its identifying mark to mariners by day. The original whitewash “recipe” called for blending lime, salt, spanish whiting, rice, glue, and boiling water. The mixture was applied while still hot. A fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed in 1854, replacing the old reflector system. Its hand-cut prisms and magnifying glass greatly intensified the light. Early in the Civil War, the lens was dismantled by Confederate troops but was re-installed in 1864 by Union forces. Originally an oil-burning light, the Ocracoke Light was electrified in the early decades of the 1900s. The present light is equal to 8,000 candlepower and casts a stationary beam that can be seen 14 miles at sea. A battery powered back-up light operates during power failures.The Ocracoke Light Station's Double Keepers' QuartersAs duties at the light station increased, an assistant keeper position was established. To house the additional keeper and his family, a second story was built onto the original quarters in 1897 and another section was added in 1929. The double keepers' quarters still stands on the site today, along with a generator house, once the oil supply shed.Keepers performed a wide range of duties. Maintaining the buildings and grounds, hauling oil, trimming wicks, and polishing the lens were part of a well-trained lightkeeper's regulated life. Ocracoke lighthouse keepers fished, hunted waterfowl, raised livestock, and planted gardens. Due to the proximity of the village, the keepers and their families enjoyed a social life on Ocracoke and their children were schooled in the village. The Lighthouse Service provided a traveling library to their isolated employees. Cases of library books were circulated every six months to light stations along the coasts.

Photo by Sunny Lemme http://www.nps.gov/caha/ocracoke-island-lighthouse.htm

Cypress SwampCypress Swamp is a recollection of an early fall morning on one of the many canals leading into Lake Mattamuskeet. This was opening day of the specially permitted Refuge Hunt and all was very quiet as the game had sought their hiding places.

Oystermen Joan recounts her inspiration for this piece: 

“With years of boat shop experience, I happened across a few of these old sailing skiffs.  I never oystered out of one, but the next best thing was putting the old vessels back to work in a painting.  One fisherman is culling oysters at the cull tray while the other works the tongs from the back of the boat.”

Joan Sears is an award-winning artist in oil, watercolor, and acrylics.  She enjoys working  in a still broader variety of media, as well as studying native history, traditional arts and crafts. Joan draws inspiration from the vast and varied natural scenery and wildlife of Hyde County. There are no cities, but farming and fishing villages, and wildlife properties, are prolific: Lake Mattamuskeet, Ocracoke Island, Pungo Lake, Gull Rock, Middletown, Rose Bay, Swan Quarter and Engelhard where she lives.

www.hydecountyart.com

Meet Artist of the Quarter Joan Sears

N o t e f ro m t h e editor: We left our b l o o m i n g C h r i s t m a s C a c t u s , a g i f t f r o m M a r g i e Brooks, with Pat (blue hat) to take care of until we return to Swan Q u a r t e r. P a t ! Don’t forget to water it!

Photos by Ingrid Lemme

A Busy Day at Pat’sNo-Name Gas Station

in Swan Quarter !

http://www.ncarts.org/freeform_scrn_template.cfm?ffscrn_id=598

Unique Opportunity for Hyde County Artists to gain exposure and a market venue. Plans are on-going for a Hyde County website that will promote and offer for sale Hyde County products and services. Local artisans and craftsmen are encouraged to call the CDC for more information and learn how they can become involved! About CDC...The Hyde County Community Development Corp. (CDC) is a nonprofit organization with the goal of promoting economic and community development through job creation; education and training; business development and assistance; and community outreach. P h o n e : 2 5 2 - 9 2 5 - 1 5 1 5 o r e - m a i l hydecocdc@embarqmail.com - website: http://www.ibxarts.org/hyde-county.html

www.SwanQuarterLanding.com

www.Scuppernonggazette.com

www.IBXHomes.com

The Scuppernong Gazette

Radio commercial is playing on Radio 95.9, out of Plymouth. Just in

case you hear it, let us know: ilemme@mac.com

www.magic959online.com

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 0

To:

137 NC HIGHWAY 4527885, HYDE COUNTY

www.SwanQuarterly.net

February 14th, 2010is Valentine’s Day