THE PEANUT PARADE & FESTIVAL
PEANUT PARADE, NUT RUN, CUPOLA MARKET and CAC GALA in PICTURES
"There is courage, loyalty, and affection reflected in Odin's eyes ...It made me think...", Adachi
THE NUT RUN
Many Costumed Nuts Ran Like Shells Never to Crack at the Finish...
The Nut Run’s 15K Nutty Challenge tested runners who completed both the 10K and 5K races, with their combined times determining the standings. Mark Cagle, 57, of Belhaven, captured first place overall in 1:04:31.46. Edenton’s Ryland Elliott, 38, finished second in 1:06:33.52, followed by ...
THE SACK RACES
Adult Sack Race Participation Increases Competition...
Age and size no barriers as sack race hosts
Kids of all ages enjoyed this year's sack races. This year saw an expanded field of racers, obviously taken in by the success of last year's race. Along with toddlers, this year's competition sprouted a larger group of adult competitors participating.
PEANUT PARADE
Peanut Parade Marches Edenton Into Fall ...
The rain held off Saturday as Edenton welcomed the spirit of fall when the 51st annual Peanut Parade and Festival brought runners, tractors, colorful floats and families together for a day celebrating community and Chowan County’s agricultural heritage.
COLONIAL MARKET
Colonial Market Brings Artisans and Collectors to Cupola House Gardens
When the floats and tractors finished their journey down Broad Street Saturday, visitors kept the celebration going with a stop at the Cupola House Colonial Market. It turned out to be another amazing shopping experience on Broad St. where shopping among the creative artisans turned into lengthy conversation.
CAC 50 GALA EVENT
A Golden Evening Celebrates 50 Years of the Chowan Arts Council
Beneath a white tent glowing with strings of lights, the Chowan Arts Council celebrated its 50th anniversary Saturday evening, with a Golden Gala that brought art enthusiasts, auction supporters and a wonderful group of well dressed tent full of community members enjoying an evening of entertainment.
Colonial Market Brings Crafts and Community to Cupola House Gardens
When the floats and tractors finished their journey down Broad Street Saturday, visitors kept the celebration going with a stop at the Cupola House Colonial Market. It turned out to be another amazing shopping experience on Broad St. where shopping among the creative artisans turned into lengthy conversation.
The third annual market was organized by the Cupola House Association in conjunction with Edenton’s Peanut Festival weekend, the event offered a convenient place to browse before and after the parade.
Beneath vendor canopies, tables displayed jewelry, artwork, books and decorative items. The Cupola House Association displayed kitchen towels almost too pretty to use. Old North Pewter offered a number of pieces with a story to tell. Seasonal wreaths hung overhead at the Edenton Woman’s Club booth, where necklaces, bracelets and earrings invited a closer look. Members wearing club aprons greeted visitors amid displays that ranged from framed art to holiday decorations.
Nearby, Julia Townsend of The Peanut Factory offered a creative example of giving discarded materials a second life. Green, amber and clear drinking glasses made from recycled bottles stood in rows beside mesh bags of tumbled glass. A sign explained that the organization recycled Edenton’s glass waste into drinking glasses, connecting local craftsmanship with resourcefulness.
The market also gave its youngest visitors an opportunity to create something of their own. At a craft table, children leaned over brown paper bags, carefully adding decorations with colorful markers. Stickers, yarn and a basket of beads spread across the table offered plenty of possibilities, while adults helped nearby.
Those small moments added to the market’s appeal: children concentrating on their projects, shoppers examining jewelry and neighbors pausing to talk beneath the canopies.
GFWC Edenton’s Woman’s Club First Vice President Karen Parks offered one of the high points of the market. Ham and Biscuit sandwiches, prepared by Jerry Parks disappeared as rapidly as they were offered.
Before the event, organizers reported that vendor participation had grown each year and anticipated filling the garden to capacity. Saturday’s varied displays offered visitors opportunities to find a gift, or simply enjoy browsing.
The historic surroundings gave the marketplace a character of its own. Built in 1758 by Francis Corbin, the Cupola House overlooks Edenton Bay. Its preservation grew from a community effort in 1918, and the restored house and formal gardens provided a fitting backdrop for an event that brought local organizations, vendors and families together.
With the 51st annual Peanut Parade traveling south along Broad Street toward the waterfront, the market was a natural next stop. Its afternoon hours gave parade goers time to linger and explore.
Across downtown, the festival’s lineup also included the Farmers Market, educational booths and food trucks on East King Street, and “Peanuts on Porches” musical performances near the Courthouse Green.
MOVIE REVIEW
ADACHI'S REVIEW PROMOTES DOG HUGS
By Darryl Adachi
The fifty-first and latest edition of the reality television game show Survivor recently began its new season on CBS. The basic premise of the series is that a group of strangers is isolated in a remote location and forced to work together and compete in challenges for rewards. With minimal tools and food, the contestants must build shelters, make fires, and forage to survive the elements. By competing in and winning physical and mental challenges, contestants can earn items such as food or gear.
The TV series came to mind as I watched The Heart of the Beast, currently playing at the Taylor, although I doubt that any of the contestants who have appeared on the show over the past 25 years would have made it through what Brad Pitt and his canine companion managed to endure during their first day or two in the Alaskan wilderness.
Pitt plays James Belmont, a retired Army Special Forces veteran. He and his loyal but traumatized combat German Shepherd, Odin, fly a seaplane deep into the Alaskan wilderness in search of peace and quiet. While piloting the plane, James suffers a heart attack, causing a violent crash in a remote, unforgiving region. Although both survive the impact, James is weakened by his heart condition and injuries. Stranded miles from civilization, the pair must navigate a brutal 58-mile trek back to safety while facing harsh weather, rugged terrain, wolves, and bears.
This is somewhat different from what Survivor contestants are expected to do. In one challenge, contestants had their hands tied behind their backs and were forced to tear chunks of meat from a massive hanging roasted pig carcass using only their teeth. They then ran over and spit the chewed meat into a basket to see who could accumulate the heaviest pile. Another challenge had them flying kites, while yet another involved shuffleboard. No wolves. No bears. No frozen mountains to traverse. Survivor is less a show about survival than it is a show about grown-ups being asked to do silly things.
The Heart of the Beast offers its audience a genuine survival story, so much so that you quickly realize you want James with you if zombies ever take over the world, as movies would have us believe they eventually will. It would prove fruitless to go up against James in any of the Hunger Games, and he would have given Mad Max a good run for his money.
Over the course of several days, James survives plane crashes, falls that would leave most people bloody and battered, multiple heart attacks, and wounds that would leave most of us curled up in a ball and whimpering in pain. The movie has its share of intense moments—so much so that a friend decided that enough was enough and left before the movie was over. The more hardened (and perhaps slightly more masochistic) among us chose to stay until the end and were rewarded with a sequence that all devoted dog owners could easily relate to.
Pitt is very good in his role as James, but the film belongs to Odin, portrayed by a German Shepherd named Uber (official pedigree name Makovon Heisenberg), who worked as a real-life mountain rescue and companion dog in New Zealand. Odin is the canine version of John McClane from Die Hard, the ultimate survivalist, seemingly incapable of being overwhelmed by any challenge.
There is courage, loyalty, and affection reflected in Odin's eyes, along with a fierce determination to do whatever he can to protect his human companion. It made me think—briefly—about possibly getting a second dog, more along the lines of Odin. I don't wish to be misunderstood here. My little Enzo is a wonderful companion whom I love dearly, but would he be able to track me down and drag my unconscious body out of a river, I wonder? Or would his emergency assistance be limited to simply licking my face? Something to consider.
While many may immediately see this film as an action-heavy blockbuster, it actually focuses more on the quiet, powerful, and unconditional bond between a wounded man and his dog as they rely on each other to endure a series of life-threatening challenges. While few of us may share our lives with a dog like Odin, we can certainly relate to the inexplicably deep connection and devotion that people and dogs share. The Heart of the Beast affords viewers a good reminder of that, and if only for that reason, this 100-minute film is worth the price of admission.
Warning: Chances are the film will bring tears to your eyes (no worries—Odin doesn't die) and give you good reason to hug your dog when you get home.
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