Staff report

Want your child to beef up his telephone manners?

Or learn basic table etiquette that will make him as comfortable eating spaghetti in an upscale Italian restaurant as munching on a hotdog at the ballfield?

These are just a few of the things that children enrolled in the etiquette course offered through Riddick’s Folly will learn this summer. The course that begins next week will cover an array of topics: table manners, setting a table, how to properly use napkins and silverware, how to gracefully eat &uot;complicated&uot; foods such as pizza and spaghetti, and basic introductions to golf and tennis.

The courses will be taught by Betty Thomas, a 37-year veteran etiquette instructor who moved to Smithfield four years ago. Her career includes founding two Raleigh, N.C., etiquette schools and hosting her own call-in radio and NBC television shows.

Two eight-week courses, designed for children between the ages of 6 and 12, will begin this week. One will run from 2-3 p.m. June 24, and meet every Tuesday through Aug. 12. The other will be held from 2-3 p.m. June 26, and meet on Thursdays through Aug. 14.

Cost is $25 per week, which may be paid by credit card or paid weekly.

Call Robin Rountree at 934-1390 for more information or to reserve a spot.