Vol. 130, Issue 156 $.50 EEaasstt SSuurrrryy oonnee wwiinn INDEX aawwaayy ffrroomm ttiittllee Obits ... page 3 Opinions ... page 4 Business ... page 5 Sports ... page 7 Isolated T-storms Classifieds ... page 12 High Low ppaaggee 77 Serving Surry County since 1880. 90 68 For subscriptions, call 786-4141. The Mount Airy News www.mtairynews.com Printed on recycled newspaper Saturday, June 5, 2010 Generations converge for music MEGHANN EVANS heard the sound of young STAFF REPORTER musicians playing some of the very same tunes his fa- The sweet sounds of ther used to play. bluegrass and old-time “Some of those little music played by musicians people can make some of all ages could be heard good music,” said Wayne MEGHANN EVANS/THE NEWS throughout Veterans Jarrell as he sat on the Quinton Berryman, 3, Memorial Park yesterday porch. tries his hand at the fid- Jarrell has been coming as the 39th annual Blue dle for the first time, with Grass and Old Time Fid- to the convention for dlers Convention kicked around 30 years. He can the help of violin maker off. remember when his father, Don Leister. Wayne Jarrell, son of a renowned musician from the late Tommy Jarrell, sat Surry County, used to jam on a porch by the park of- with a variety of musicians fice yesterday selling CDs at the event. He has seen of his father’s music. In some familiar faces among the background could be See MUSIC, page 2 Planning grant END OF YEAR CELEBRATION sought for N.C. 89 corridor TOM JOYCE federal and state funding STAFF REPORTER sources tight these days, lit- tle discussion has been held Mount Airy and Surry on the project in recent County officials are applying months. City officials also for a state planning grant to have been faced with the aid the proposed extension task of determining of utility service to the N.C. whether the sewer expan- 89 corridor west of the city. sion should be considered a Receiving the grant, priority at this time. available through the N.C. Further questions have Rural Center, would require emerged about whether $20,000 in local matching enough customers in the funds, to be split between area would connect to the the city and county. wastewater system voluntar- Mount Airy’s commis- ily to make it feasible, how sioners unanimously ap- much they would be charged proved the city’s $10,000 and if the move would be a share of the expense at a first step toward annexation. meeting earlier this week, Interim City Manager while their Surry counter- Barbara Jones said this MONDEE TILLEY/THE NEWS parts are scheduled to act week that the seeking of the From left, Krystal Young, Mallina Sampson and on the county’s portion planning grant represents a Chelsea Smith enjoy hanging out having lunch at the Monday night. continuation of the efforts end of year celebration for Shoals Elementary School A need for a public waste- aimed at determining the water collection system has exact course to take regard- Friday afternoon. been identified in the area ing the utility extension, stretching from the stoplight at and its funding. Toast in Mount Airy to just be- County government yond North Surry High School. documents regarding the Both that school and grant application state that Gentry Middle School near- Surry “has a need for and by have been fined for intends to plan for the con- wastewater violations in re- struction of a wastewater cent years. And a request for collection system and/or sewer service also came late for water supply and distri- last year from the owner of bution systems” as part of property in that area targeted the N.C. 89 corridor re- for a new Franklin Volunteer gional sewer study. Fire Department station. During budgetary ac- City and county officials tions last summer, the state have agreed that along with General Assembly included the needs of those facilities, a $50 million appropriation homeowners in the corridor to the N.C. Rural Center to could benefit from the utili- provide grants to communi- ty extension that would ties in need of water and MONDEE TILLEY/THE NEWS promote economic devel- wastewater infrastructure MONDEE TILLEY/THE NEWS Shoals first-grader Lucas Zajdel, left, hangs out opment there as well. improvements. But with a $4.4 million Contact Tom Joyce at Austin Perkey lunges for the Frisbee during the Shoals on a tractor with his friend Noah Parr Friday dur- price tag linked to the ex- [email protected] or Elementary School end of year celebration Friday af- ing the Shoals Elementary end of year celebra- tension and money from at 719-1924. ternoon. tion. Authors speak at museum dinner Local student MEGHANN EVANS STAFF REPORTER Stock car racing, the South and bows out of bee writing were the talk of the night at STAFF REPORT the Book and Author Dinner hosted by the Mount Airy Museum of Re- It was smooth sailing gional History last night. for Mount Airy’s Wesley Near 135 people gathered at Cross Lima when he correctly Creek Country Club to hear authors spelled “corsair” (which Sharyn McCrumb and Adam Ed- means a pirate). wards speak about writing. Mc- But “anomaly” (some- Crumb is a New York Times best- thing that is unusual) selling author, and Edwards is proved to be vexing for NASCAR/ARCA race car driver. the Millennium Charter They have written two novels togeth- Academy student during er. Their latest novel, “Faster Pastor,” Thursday’s preliminary Wesley Lima is about a young stock car driver who rounds of the Scripps Na- Forty-eight competitors wrecks his car in a small Tennessee tional Spelling Bee in became semifinalists on town and must teach local ministers Washington, D.C. the basis of their perform- how to drive stock cars so they can Lima gave the spelling as ance in two oral rounds of compete to win $2 million. “anamoly” instead, which spelling in addition to a During their lecture, the authors MEGHANN EVANS/THE NEWS meant he lacked enough 50-word written test. It in- told stories of how they met, talked Adam Edwards and Sharyn McCrumb take turns speaking at the Book points to advance to the cluded such household about writing together and shared and Author Dinner sponsored by the Mount Airy Museum of Regional His- semifinals of the nationally- See AUTHORS, page 3 tory. televised event on Friday. See BEE, page 3 2 Saturday, June 5, 2010 The Mount Airy News, Mount Airy, N.C. www.mtairynews.com PAGE TWO of the event, said there believes this is the case. may be some 3- or 4-year- He has been coming to the MUSIC: olds performing this week- convention since the end in some of the compe- 1970s. In part, he started Continued from page 1 titions. going to conventions to For many people, play- hear Tommy Jarrell play. the near 800 musicians ing bluegrass or old-time He said the style of Jarrell gathered to participate in music is a family tradition dominated things for a the convention this week- that they are born into. while. end. Stacy Boyd from Carroll “Then the older genera- “But I’ve seen a lot of County, Va., plays bass, tion passed away, and it new faces today that I and now his 14-year-old got kind of lean for a haven’t seen before,” he son, Jared, also plays tra- while,” he said. “But now noted. ditional music. Jared could it’s picked back up.” Some of these musi- be found under a tent yes- Clyde Williams from cians are only 3- or 4- terday sanding a guitar Stuart, Va., has been com- years old, barely big that he is making. The ing to the convention since enough to hold a bow or teenager plays the fiddle, the beginning. He said, “A strum a guitar. Three-year- banjo, guitar and man- lot of the older musicians old Quinton Berryman dolin. are gone now.” tried his hand at the fiddle “It’s a family thing,” he But the ones that are for the first time yesterday. said. still around, and the newer His grandfather, Bill Jared thinks the number musicians, spend their Lokes, plays the banjo, of bluegrass and old-time time at the convention and he came down from musicians is declining. He “just out jamming’ and Pennsylvania to attend the said, “There’s just more having a good time,” convention. Quinton also genres of music than be- Williams said. MEGHANN EVANS/THE NEWS tried out a banjo yesterday. fore.” “I enjoy it,” Williams Clyde Williams, Jack Schull, Stacy Boyd, Robert Stowe and Matt Hubbard, clock- added. “You meet a lot of “I hope (he picks) the Still others say tradi- wise from left, jam together before the start of the 39th annual Blue Grass and fiddle so I have someone tional music is on the rise, friends, play a lot of mu- to play with,” his grandfa- especially among people sic.” Old Time Fiddlers Convention. ther joked. in their 20s. Mark Camp- He is a fiddle player convention. Today at the Gary Willard, manager bell from Richmond, Va., and has been influenced by the music of Benton Flip- park grounds, the individ- pen. ual competitions begin at WWhat’shat’s GGoingoing OOnn AtAt PProro Health?Health? Many people come to 9:30 a.m. Willard said the convention to learn there are usually 400 to NEW BABY STEPS TO GREAT HEALTH from other musicians. Sta- 500 people at the conven- ClassCl for f female f l beginners b i who h cy Boyd said, “Any time tion, but this year the num- are overweight & out of shape – you’re around music you ber is closer to 800.