DATE: Saturday, October 11, 1997            TAG: 9710110683

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY PAM LOWNEY, CORRESPONDENT

DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY                    LENGTH:   69 lines

FRED FEARING CAST A MAGIC SPELL OVER A YANKEE

I hadn't met Fred Fearing personally when I moved here last fall to escape soul-numbing Michigan winters.

But he was one of my rescuers, and I look forward to honoring him with the rest of the population Saturday on Fred Fearing Day.

Starting in 1983, Fearing and the late Joe Kramer made the Rose Buddies famous with boaters around the world. Bearing roses and refreshments to the complimentary slips at Mariner's Wharf, they spread Elizabeth City's reputation as a harbor of hospitality for travelers.

Fearing will be the guest instead of the host at a reception Saturday on the Waterworks Deck.

My husband Bob and I plan to attend out of gratitude for the Rose Buddies' role in leading us here - and we have never owned a boat.

Fearing and the others who carried on after Kramer's death in 1987 helped earn the city a place in Norman Crampton's book, ``The 100 Best Small Towns in America.''

Bob and I used the book to narrow our choices when we decided to move away from gloomy weather and grouchy city dwellers.

Although plenty of other towns in the book offered sunshine and friendship, the Rose Buddies snagged our interest like a thorn snags a shirtsleeve. We visited here with our daughter Katie in July 1996.

When we spotted the jaunty octogenarian smiling and waving in his goodie-laden golf cart, we couldn't have been more excited if he'd been John Paul II in the Popemobile. The people, waterfront and historic districts charmed us, the nearby Outer Banks dazzled us - and we moved here two months later.

We've amazed some people with the tale of our relocation, but I expect to hear even more amazing tales involving Fearing at the reception.

Boaters at the docks earlier this week said news of the event was all along the Intracoastal Waterway, so people should be swapping not just local stories, but global stories.

The visitors I met regretted they couldn't stay until Saturday, but were content to have enjoyed a Rose Buddy welcome.

``We've run into some wonderful people, but nothing as hospitable as this,'' said Shawn Black, who grew up in Alabama and lived in New York City 12 years. ``Fred's really made it worth the trip.''

Black and her husband, the Rev. Jeffrey Bornemann, were en route from Long Island to Florida aboard the Snow Goose.

``You'd think if they do it all the time, it would get old, but it was beautiful,'' Marian Irwin said of the previous night's wine-and-cheese party on the Waterworks Deck. ``We were really impressed. It was a nice way to meet all the other people (docked at the wharf).''

Irwin and her husband, Jack, were aboard Movin' On, going to Florida or the Bahamas from Sandusky, Ohio.

I felt like a Rose Buddy as I offered Steve and Margaret Watterson a ride from their boat, Witch of Endor, to Fearing's yard a few blocks away. He sometimes hosts smaller groups there under the shady branches of a huge pecan tree.

The Wattersons, from Bay Village, Ohio, on their way to Key West, were polite as I tried to play tour guide, but clearly were eager to join Fearing and their fellow travelers. Steve Watterson, slapping Fearing on the back and pumping his hand, said, ``I've been hearing about you for years!'' The couple then joined the animated conversation.

Fearing and I observed from the golf cart. He showed me a log of visitor comments; but he said he has no idea how many people he's greeted: ``I'm scared to keep a count. It might wear me out.''

On the other hand, the longtime widower values the company. Using me as an example, he said, ``I met you, and I assume I made a friend. These people come back.''

Alabama-native Black understands why. ``He's definitely a Southern gentleman. There's nothing like a Southern gentleman.''

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