Amy Lotven/Herald Staff Writer

(Use arrows above to view more photos) Advertisement

ROANOKE RAPIDS - Around 6:30 p.m., Thursday evening, a train rumbled past the Charles ”Poochie“ Fitts building on Jackson Street, drowning out the voice of a man standing at a podium.

”Well, since rail transport interrupted the canal system, it's appropriate (the train would interrupt the dedication ceremony),“ joked Hugh Bazemore, the co-chair of the Roanoke Canal Museum Committee and emcee of the evening's dedication ceremony.

Bazemore joined an array of local officials and project directors in front of the Charles ”Poochie“ Fitts building Thursday for the official dedication of the Roanoke Canal Museum and Trail housed inside.

Speakers from the North Carolina House of Representatives' Department of Transportation, Wildlife Resources Commission and from the design and architect teams praised the imagination and dedication of the local community for its efforts in completing the ”jewel“ of the trail - the new museum.

Mike Cindric of Design Dimensions said he considers the whole trail to be a 7.5 mile museum. ”(The trail) is like a lush green necklace (fitted with) little jewels along the way. Our job is to polish those jewels.“

State Rep. Ed Jones spoke about his relationship with the Fitts, recalling how the two used to sit at the ”Truck Stop“ and talk about the canal. ”He taught me so much about Halifax County.“

Jones's colleague, Rep. Michael Wray, said that with this museum, the new theater district and other planned projects, the region can look forward to a prosperous future.

Architect Frank Holman was also thrilled the building had been named after Fitts. ”I know how much he cared about the project,“ he said.

Holman, who is from Raleigh, praised the cities of Roanoke Rapids and Weldon for their cooperation and tireless work on the museum and trail.

”We were very impressed with the amount of community involvement,“ he said, noting that students from the local high school had helped the architectural team with measurements.

After the ribbon cutting, the crowd flowed into the building to inspect the exhibits, which included historic photos, interactive computer models of the canal system, oral histories and a kid's area.

Jim Frazier, co-chair of the museum committee, took a moment to share his joy with the Daily Herald. ”It's fantastic!“ he said, beaming.

He noted how Fitts was a ”legend“ in town and along with Lloyd Andrew, Sam Oakley, and Edwin Akers, one of the visionaries and forefathers of the canal trail project. It was this team who worked to keep the integrity of the site, by getting it placed on the historical register and allowed the current project to move forward.

For Fitts, the canal was a ”passion“ and it's only right he be honored with this building in his death, Frazier said.

The dedication and opening ceremony will continue Saturday with a Canal Festival featuring fun-filled family oriented activities such as pumpkin-painting, wall climbing, stone-cutting exhibits and much more. The festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the museum.