COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Columbia Theater: 

 Glimpses of the Past 



Inside an 



old movie 

 theater in 

 Columbia, 

 Hunter Jim 

 gives folks an 

 earful about the 

 abundance of 

 fish and wildlife 

 in Tyrrell 

 County. 



Dressed 

 in a plaid shirt, 

 khaki pants 

 and an orange 

 hunting cap, 

 Hunter Jim nods 

 and smiles as he greets each visitor to the 

 Columbia Theater Cultural Resources 

 Center. 



"So what brings you out this way, 

 stranger?" asks Hunter Jim. "Don't often 

 see people out in the woods this far. You 

 hunting, fishing or just enjoying the 

 scenery? Doesn't matter much, they're all 

 great here in Tyrrell County. There's 

 something special about this part of the 

 world — we got all the woods, water, 

 wetlands and wildlife you could want, so 

 it's a paradise if you like to get outside." 



Although Hunter Jim seems human 

 as he talks, blinks and moves his eyes, he 

 is actually a fully animated robot donated 

 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 



With his colorful accent and sharp 

 memory about Tyrrell County traditions, 

 Hunter Jim is the featured attraction at the 

 resource center in downtown Columbia. 

 Two floors of the restored theater are 

 filled with donated artifacts that highlight 

 human uses of the Albemarle-Pamlico 

 region's resources. Opened in October 

 1998, the facility is operated by the 

 Partnership for the Sounds. 



Helen Craddock, administrator of 

 the Columbia Theater, distinguishes 

 the facility from the North Carolina 

 Estuarium, also operated by the partner- 

 ship. "The estuarium focuses on ecosys- 

 tems, in contrast to the theater, which 



Hunter Jim greets visitors 



focuses on 

 the human 

 interaction 

 with the 

 environment," 

 she says. 



To 

 showcase 

 Tyrrell 

 County's 

 strong farming 

 tradition, a 

 variety of 

 relics — from 

 a 20-gallon 

 stone butter- 

 churner to 



natural underwear — offer a glimpse into 

 the hard life of people who worked the 

 land. There is also a variety of kitchenware 

 used before World War II — from cast- 

 iron utensils to heavy cookware. 



Wander upstairs to find artifacts from 

 the shipwreck of the Estelle Randall, 

 including glass bottles and a clock. The 

 ship sank and burned in 1910 while 

 docked in Columbia. For war buffs, there 

 is a small military display with a Korean 

 War infantry uniform and a Christmas 

 card from a soldier in World War U. 



To recreate the atmosphere of an old 

 movie theater, the downstairs exhibits look 

 like movie sets with backdrops and 

 directors' chairs. In the forestry exhibit, 

 youngsters can practice sawing a plastic 

 log. The 'To Catch a Fish" set includes an 

 old shad-boat mast and herring dip net. 

 The farming exhibit features an old potato 

 grader used by countless generations to 

 sort potatoes. 



"We raise a lot of Irish potatoes in 

 Tyrrell County," says Craddock. "It's a 

 rite of passage for children to work on a 

 potato farm." 



Columbia Theater Cultural Re- 

 sources Center, 304 Main St., Columbia, 

 is open Tuesday through Saturday from 

 10 am. to 4 p.m. Admission is $2 for 

 adults, $1 for children 5-1 7. For more 

 information, call 252/766-0200. - A.G. 



Corrosion Lurks 

 in Salt Spray 



Long before you see the 

 ocean, you begin to taste the 

 hint of salt in the air. But 

 coastal property owners 

 should know of the corrosive 

 effect salt has on buildings. 



"Salt spray is tossed into 

 the air by breaking waves," 

 says Spencer Rogers, North 

 Carolina Sea Grant coastal 

 engineering specialist. 



While erosion, storm 

 surges and wind damage may 

 get more attention, corrosion 

 can wage a subtle but expen- 

 sive war on metal connectors. 

 Corrosion is greatest on first- 

 row houses, but some effects 

 are found a mile away. 



"Corrosion engineering is 

 often not intuitive," Rogers 

 says. Corrosion-resistant sheet 

 metals may be selected during 

 construction at limited 

 additional cost. Protective 

 coatings can be added to 

 existing metal connectors. 



Need specific informa- 

 tion? Rogers worked with the 

 Federal Emergency Manage- 

 ment Agency to develop a 

 technical bulletin offering tips 

 to safeguard coastal homes. 



For a free copy of 

 Corrosion Protection for Metal 

 Connectors in Coastal Areas, 

 FEMA TB-8-96, call Rogers 

 at 91 0/256-2083. Copies are 

 also available on the Web at 

 www.fema.gov/MIT.techbul.htm. 

 The FEMA hotline is 800/480- 

 2520. -K.M. 



COASTWATCH 



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