To the Editor:

In the regular Board of Directors meeting of the Brady C. Jefcoat Museum on April 23, 2015 it was unanimously agreed that we would continue to have our regular BBQ and Fried Chicken Dinner on our normal Friday of the Watermelon Festival and we would encourage all the other civic clubs to continue their fund raising event on schedule.  We understood at that time there would be a NO WATERMELON Festival this year.

But this all changed when we read the wonderful editorial in the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald on Saturday, April 25.  The financial support promised by the Herald and the power of the press caused an emergency telephone meeting of the Board of Directors of the Jefcoat Museum.  As a result it was agreed by all board members to donate 10% of the profit from the BBQ and Fried Chicken Dinner to the Watermelon Festival Committee to help offset the expenses of the festival.

The Jefcoat Museum applauds the actions of the News-Herald and urges all citizens of the Roanoke-Chowan area to support this effort in any way that they can.  The North Carolina Watermelon Festival is too wonderful an event to throw on the garbage heap as if it no longer has any value to anyone.

Brady C. Jefcoat Museum

Board of Directors