Potential New Vance County Park Subject of Upcoming Public Meetings
-Press Release, Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks Department
The Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department will hold public meetings to gain input for the possibility of applying for a grant for a new public park on the corner of Williams and Montgomery Street in Henderson.
If successful, this grant will be for a skate park, splash pad, outdoor exercise and fitness stations, a shelter for picnics and a walking trail that will encompass the park.
During these meetings, we will receive input and answer any questions from the citizens of the Henderson-Vance Community. These meetings will be held at the City Council Chambers, located at 134 Rose Avenue, Henderson, on Tuesday, April 23 and Thursday, April 25, 2019, at 6 p.m.
If you have any questions, please contact Kendrick Vann, director of Recreation and Parks, by phone at (252) 431-6093 or email kvann@ci.henderson.nc.us.
Maria Parham Health Reaches Agreement with UnitedHealthcare
-Information courtesy Maria Parham Health
Maria Parham Health is pleased to announce that we have reached a new agreement with UnitedHealthcare. This is a win for our patients who deserve access to quality healthcare here at home, and we appreciate your patience as we worked through this process.
With this new agreement, our hospital* and employed physician* services will be back “in-network” with UnitedHealthcare. You will have “in-network” access to care beginning:
April 25 for hospital services; and
May 1 for employed physician services.
Both commercial and Medicare Advantage insurance plans are included in the agreement.
From the outset, we have been committed to ensuring your healthcare needs would continue to be met, and we are pleased to continue this commitment. Our new contract gives us the ability to continue reinvesting in patient care by recruiting new physicians and caregivers and enhancing the services we provide.
Thank you for the trust you place in Maria Parham Health and our team of caregivers. We look forward to meeting your healthcare needs for generations to come.
*Please note, the contract is between UnitedHealthcare’s insurance plans and Maria Parham Health, its employed physicians, and select Duke LifePoint Healthcare facilities. It does not affect Duke University Health System hospitals or clinics.
Granville Co. Animal Shelter Closed Wed. for Staff Development
-Information courtesy the Granville County Government’s Facebook page
The Granville County Animal Shelter, located at 5650 Cornwall Road in Oxford, will be closed to the public tomorrow, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, for a staff development day. Staff development days are now held on the third Wednesday of every month.
Granville County Animal Control will still be available all day for emergency calls for service. Normal operating hours are Monday through Friday from noon until 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Call 919-693-6749 for more information about services provided by Granville County Animal Management, or visit www.granvillecounty.org.
Pictured is “Cade,” who is available for adoption at the Granville County Animal Shelter. (Photo courtesy Granville Co. Government)
Pins for Pets Bowling Proceeds to Benefit Local Spay/Neuter Programs
-Information and photos courtesy Community Partnership for Pets, Inc.
On March 16, 2019, animal shelter directors, veterinarians, volunteers, friends, family and bowlers got together for the annual Pins for Pets bowling tournament. This event was held at the Palace Pointe Fun Center in Roxboro, NC.
Over $12,000 was raised through donations, bowling fees, bowling lane sponsors, raffle prizes, silent auction items plus a generous matching grant from the VF Fund.
The art was made from old, used bowling pins re-purposed into one-of-a-kind “pin art.” Community Partnership for Pets, Inc. thanks each artist for using their talents to create these fun pieces of artwork.
Proceeds from the event will be used to fund spay/neuter programs in Granville, Warren and Vance Counties, NC.
VGCC Alumnus: Acting in Dinner Theater ‘Feels Like Coming Home’
-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
Vance-Granville Community College holds a special place in the heart of Spencer Nunn, who has returned to his alma mater as a member of the cast of the college’s upcoming Dinner Theater production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical comedy, “Company.”
When the former Warrenton resident first enrolled at VGCC, he planned to complete an Associate in Science degree and transfer to a four-year university to study Marine Biology. As it turned out, his experience at the community college changed his career plans and, in fact, his life – dramatically.
“When I got to Vance-Granville, I was already into acting, since finding theater in my freshman year of high school,” Nunn recalled. “But I thought of theater as a hobby.”
Vance-Granville Community College holds a special place in the heart of Spencer Nunn, who has returned to his alma mater as a member of the cast of the college’s upcoming Dinner Theater production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical comedy, “Company” on April 25 & 26. (Photo courtesy VGCC)
One semester, he considered auditioning for VGCC’s production of “The Importance of Being Earnest,” but a Biology lab session conflicted with the audition time, so he missed it. “Fortunately, I knew one of the cast members and found out that somebody had dropped out of the play,” Nunn said. “I was just in the right place at the right time. I auditioned and got the part.”
Many more VGCC productions followed, including the first four Dinner Theaters. Nunn attended school part-time, while also working part-time. That meant he was enrolled for more semesters than some students, and he had more chances to appear in VGCC plays. “I might be the most prolific actor in Vance-Granville history,” he reflected with a laugh.
Along the way, after spending time studying with VGCC Theatre Arts instructor Betsy Henderson, something clicked for him. “I thought after a while, ‘this makes me happy,’ and I decided to pursue the theatre as a career,” Nunn said. His new plan was to transfer to a four-year university to complete a degree that would allow him to teach drama.
Nunn graduated from VGCC in 2016 and enrolled at William Peace University in Raleigh, where his professors marveled at the amount of college-level stage experience he had. He is set to graduate from WPU with his bachelor’s degree in Theatre Education, and a minor in English, on May 4, not long after the VGCC Dinner Theater. “Later, I’d like to get my master’s and teach at the college level,” Nunn said. “I was not on that course when I started at VGCC.”
There is another significant aspect to Nunn’s experience at the community college: the lasting relationships he formed. In addition to making many friends and gaining a mentor in Betsy Henderson, Nunn started dating one of his fellow student actors, Rachel Pottern, after they appeared together in “Zara Spook and Other Lures.” He proposed marriage to her in front of an awe-struck VGCC Civic Center audience at the conclusion of a Dinner Theater production, “Smoke on the Mountain.” She said “yes,” and they eventually wed in 2016. “So that’s something else I owe to Betsy Henderson and the college,” Nunn remarked. They even had their wedding on the VGCC campus. Originally set to take place in the gazebo outside, the ceremony moved into the Civic Center because of Hurricane Matthew.
His wife is an accomplished thespian herself and graduated from William Peace University right before he enrolled there. Among the four plays in which Nunn has acted at WPU, one was directed by Rachel. He has submitted a proposal to direct a play at the university after he graduates, just as she did.
Appropriately enough, in the new production of “Company,” Nunn plays “Paul,” a young man who is about to get married to “Amy,” played by Rachel. Nunn describes Paul as “a young banker in New York City; he’s very optimistic and overly affectionate at times, but he’s genuine, kind-hearted and loving.”
Spencer and Rachel Nunn are the only cast members in this year’s seventh annual Dinner Theater who were also in VGCC’s first such production (“Our Town”) back in 2013. Their involvement in the show as alumni is in keeping with the celebration of the community college’s 50th anniversary.
“The cast of this show is a lot of fun,” Nunn said. “The music is really challenging. Sondheim is known for complex music. If the cast was not so determined and ego-free, it could be frustrating, but we are all so supportive of each other.” In addition to Betsy Henderson directing and co-starring, Nunn noted that the production benefits from “a fantastic music director, Joanna Li; I feel I understand musical theater so much better after working with her.”
“Coming back to do this show feels like coming home,” Nunn added. “I never regretted going the community college route. I am 100% positive I would not be in the position I am, mentally, emotionally or in terms of maturity if it wasn’t for Vance-Granville.”
His heart, he said, “is at peace knowing I am doing theater because I realized how much it meant to me at Vance-Granville, and now, I want to get on a career path to be able to give that back. Going to the college is one of the best things I ever chose to do, and so many blessings have come from it.”
The dinner theater is scheduled for the evenings of Thursday, April 25, and Friday, April 26. Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. each evening in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus near Henderson. Tickets are available for $30 each through the VGCC website at www.vgcc.edu/dinnertheater.