THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 11, 1994 TAG: 9409090263
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sun Spots
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
Friday, Aug. 26
3:15 p.m. - Main Street, Franklin
``Hey,'' says George Allen, as he greets a friend on the sidewalk in front of his appliance store.
``Did you get to the (Franklin-Southampton County) Fair?'' A grin spreads across his face.
The woman shakes her head and says she wasn't able to make it to the big event the previous weekend.
Allen did, he says.
And he loved it.
Holly Dunn, country singer and one of the featured entertainers, came out into the audience and sat on his lap.
It was a thrill to last a long time, Allen says as he and the woman walk inside the store where his wife, Betty, is working.
She says she's promised to cut off the legs of the pants he wore that day and frame them. ``It's a shame to waste a good pair of pants,'' she says, ``but I guess it's worth it.''
- Susie Stoughton
Monday, Aug. 29
2 p.m. West Washington Street, Suffolk
Lucille, who decorates the window of her alterations shop with a seasonal theme, is reminding those who pass by that summer vacation is coming to a close.
Three bright yellow, toy school buses and a smaller mini-bus complete with tiny passengers stand in a line with a miniature American flag posted at each end of the window frame.
``I bought one bus and while my sister and I were decorating the window, she told me that I needed more,'' Lucille says. ``So, I went back and bought more. And I even put gravel under the buses.''
- Shirley Brinkley
Wednesday, Aug. 31
4:55 p.m. - Post Office, Suffolk
The sign on the counter has been there for at least two months, apologizing for any temporary inconvenience due to the broken air conditioner.
``It looks like your `temporary' is becoming permanent,'' says a customer at the counter as fans circulate the humid air.
``You want to take this marker and write `permanent' on there?'' the clerk asks. ``We deserve an award.''
- Susie Stoughton
Friday, Sept. 2
11:45 p.m. - Aboard the Cricket near the mouth of the Nansemond River
Suddenly, the salt spray splats the woman in the face as she sits on the flying bridge.
``You know, I was just about to tell you we sometimes take it over the top,'' says Bill Stetzer, who is navigating the boat through choppy waters.
``I guess it's too late.''
- Susie Stoughton
SUnday, Sept. 4
3 p.m. Behind the Chuckatuck Volunteer Fire Department
Apparently angered by his owner's orders to stop the sunrise barking serenade, Wally, the golden retriever, chews his way to revenge - and freedom. The dog is long gone when his owner awakens a couple of hours later.
Grabbing a leash and couple slices of ham (always good for bribing a runaway), the frustrated owner begins her search where she had found the dog the last time he escaped: the empty ballfield behind the fire department.
When she sees the reddish dog sunning on the field, she extends her delectable peace offering. It is only as the animal is licking his chops and the woman goes to snap a leash onto his collar that she realizes she is feeding - an impersonator.
Curling up under a nearby tree, the golden retriever seems to gloat with laughter.
- Allison T. Williams by CNB