Old friends gather

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September 1, 2010

Calvin Adkins Sports Editor The Daily Southerner Wed Sep 01, 2010, 10:40 AM EDT

PRINCEVILLE — Three years ago, Robert Dancy organized a cookout with his childhood friends. Some of them were friends who he hadn't seen in more than 20 years, and others were those who still live in their quaint little neighborhood of about 2,200 people. They ate, played basketball and talked profoundly and proudly about growing up in the oldest town in America charted by blacks.

What started off as just a gathering among old friends turned into an organization named the Princeville Old School Legends.

The Princeville Old School Legends (POSL) is an non-profit organization that seeks to improve the economic and social welfare of the town through volunteering, scholarship funds giveaways, and participate in and organizing civic activities. There motto is, "Remembering the Past, Nurturing the Present and Preparing for the Future."

Dancy. 48, named the organization in honor of the Princevillians who paved away for him. Dancy grew up in Princeville on Tyson Street. Dancy's great grandmother, Abbey Pender Morning, was among the original slaves who crossed over the Tar River as a freed slave.

"It wasn't my idea alone, a lot of us had the same idea I was the one that got it together the first time," Dancy said. "We wanted to do something because it was some of our friends that we had not seen in 20 or 30 years. We missed each others. Organizing the Princeville Old School Legends gives us a time to reunite and talk about old times, show our ancestors and the older citizens of Princeville that we appreciate what they went through."

One of POSL's most successful events is the annual reunion that will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The three-day affair consists of a Meet & Greet at the old Truck Stop building at 6 p.m. Friday night; Children festivities will start at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Truck Stop then at 7 p.m. a semi-formal banquet will be held at Princeville School. The festivities will carry over to Sunday when they will attend church services at 11 a.m. at Mount Zion Primitive Baptist Church and conclude with an Old Timers vs. Young Bloods basketball game.

Guest speaker for the banquet will be Edgecombe County Clerk of Court Carol Allen White and the guest entertainer will be "The Golden Platter," Milton Bullock. Bullock was a member of the Platters in the 1960s.

"We're fortunate to have a quality entertainer such as Mr. Bullock to assist us on this occasion," said POSL President Milton Anthony. "One of several good things about him is that his vision is like ours and that is helping the seniors and the children of our community.

"It's also a blessing to have Mrs. White as our speaker. She has a wealth of knowledge about our county and the laws of the land. I'm looking forward to hearing her. I'm looking forward to all three days.”

Bullock, who has traveled all across the country as The Golden Platter, said he was elated to perform on his native soil.

"As a youngster in the '40s and '50s growing up on Main Street in Princeville, it was one of the most memorable times of my life. My peers and friends were from meager means, but we had each other. I recall vividly how we used to take the wooden boxes put some 'baby carriage' wheels on the back and run doubled 2x4 slabs nailed together with a 'T' bar at the end that swiveled with two small wheels on the front with two ropes or cables running back to the box serving as our stirring wheel.

"Hopefully this event will be the beginning of recapturing some of those golden values that prepared most of us back then for the future in which we lived to experience. Similar values that we might be able to share with our young folks today."

Last year's event proved to be the best yet with more than 300 people combined attending. Guest speaker for that banquet was former town manager Harvey White. This year POSL are hoping that the numbers will increase.

"You can call us an up-and-coming organization that is going to help put Princeville on the map with our humanitarian efforts," said POSL President Milton Anthony. "We are going to be visbile in the community doing whatever we need to improve our town. We take pride in being the oldest black town in the country and we want to leave a legacy that our forefather could be proud of."

Cost for attending the three day event is $50 for a family and $30 for one person. For more information contact William Earl Glast at 919-696-8742 or Calvin Adkins at 567-8245.

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