Farm Fresh opening

draws thousands

With initial crowd estimates ranging from 500 to 5,000, Western Tidewater residents welcomed Suffolk’s new Farm Fresh supermarket in a &uot;remarkable&uot; way.

Opening yesterday afternoon, the store attracted a parking lot overflowing with cars and lines of first-time shoppers wrapped all the way around the outside corner of the 67,000-square-foot building.

The initial link in the city’s newest shopping center, the Farm Fresh Super Savings Center estimates that some 11,000 people came through the store Sunday…a parade that helped bring in an unspecified total for first day sales. Company officials said turnout was heavier than expected.

&uot;I didn’t even know this many people lived in Suffolk,&uot; one woman said. But a quick survey of those in line around her revealed a variety of people living outside the city – from Windsor, Ivor, Smithfield, Franklin, Sunbury, N.C. – spent the afternoon here.

According to Mayor Andrew B. Damiani, the draw is just what the city hopes Farm Fresh and the Suffolk Shopping Center can produce.

Council critic recuperating at home following surgery

Sam Callis is alive, well and living on Sleepy Hole Road. And even though it’s been a little more difficult lately, he’s keeping up with current issues in his city.

The difficulty stems from recent shoulder surgery for a torn ligament. Sam’s doctor told him the problem frequently plagues athletes. It could have resulted from his waving his arm in city council sessions, making his point. He’s been doing that for some time now.

Sam was ambling his way out to check his mailbox one morning this week, checking to see if any of the four daily papers he subscribes to had arrived. Yep, four dailies and two weeklies.

He likes to keep up o the news.

&uot;I don’t sleep like I ought to,&uot; Sam said, settling himself down on the spacious front porch of his 100-year-old home. &uot;But I’m feeling better. I did go out yesterday and pick a bucket of tomatoes with one hand.&uot;

Raphael is back

Raphael Urio, Suffolk High School’s exchange student from Spain, enjoyed his first year here so much that he has returned for his senior year.

Raphael, who left the States in June for his native Madrid, arrived in Suffolk last Tuesday and is again the guest of Robert Rayburn.

Especially happy to Raphael is the Suffolk High School basketball and tennis coach. Raphael led the Raider team to the district and regional tennis titles last spring and was undefeated at the No. 1 singles position going into the state playoffs.

Aside from his tennis ability, Raphael is an excellent student, popular with his classmates.

Two Suffolk girls

win tennis titles

Suffolk entries captured two championships and generally performed well in the Peninsula Tennis Patrons Association’s unranked junior tournament this past weekend at Hampton.

Accounting for the championship were Ann Perry, who defeated Laura McNeeley of Williamsburg, 6-2,2-6,7-5, for the 12-and-under girls’ honors, and Elizabeth Ellison, who beat Molly Bagnell, another Suffolk entry, for the 14-and -under title, 6-2, 6-0.

In addition to the two championship winners, Suffolk’s sent one other participant into the finals. Ed House, Suffolk’s 121-and-under champion, made it to the final round where he lost to Kip Layman, 5-7, 6-1, 7-6. Jason Stroupe, who beat House for Suffolk’s 10-and-under title, made it to the semifinals in the tournament.

Compiled by Allison T. Williams