The Local Skinny! Wellness Event July 17 at Freedom Life Church of God

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UPDATE – Freedom Life Church of God, located at 1001 Martin Creek Rd. in Henderson – The Community Event Vaccination Celebration by Alternative Learning Center and Granville Vance Public Health HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED due to the threat of storms/rain.  The NEW DATE IS July 17, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be a mobile vaccination, free food, praise dancers, PPE distribution, COVID education, raffles and prizes, grill/cookout, music and lots of fun!

A local church is partnering with the Granville-Vance Health Department and Wake Forest-based Alternative Learning Center and Community Engagement, Inc. to host a free “Calling All The Shots” wellness event, which includes a mobile vaccination clinic, free food and giveaways.

Crishna Murray, of the Wake Forest organization, said a co-worker attends Freedom Life Church of God in Henderson and they worked together to get the event organized for Saturday. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the church, located at 1001 Martin Creek Road in Henderson.

Murray told John C. Rose on Thursday’s The Local Skinny! program that her organization strives to connect people to resources in the community.

The mobile vaccination station will be open to anyone wishing to get a COVID-19 shot, she said. It’s just one of the resources available at the event, which is designed to “celebrate wellness and (help) get people more involved and honor the community,” Murray said.

“It’s going to be lots of fun,” she said. In addition to meeting people’s needs, there will be raffles, prizes, hot food off the grill… and we will be happy to get you the resources you need in the community.”

Alternative Learning Center is a North Carolina non-profit corporation that focuses on personal and professional development for community members, according to information on its webpage.

Murray, who is also the author of children’s books, said she is passionate about the work ALC does. “This is my life’s work. I am humbled to offer support,” she said. “I want to see everybody win, I want to see everybody happy and I’m going to do my part while I’m here on earth to make sure that happens to the best of my ability.”

Ramp Construction Projects Give Residents ‘Bridge’ To, From Home

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Granville County Senior Services is working with a group of volunteers to build ramps for residents who are in need of an alternative to stairs to safely get in and out of their home.

Garman Troup, a retired contractor, has been instrumental in this effort for the past few months, according to a statement from Granville County public information officer Lynn Allred. Troup and a diverse team of volunteers construct the ramps for Granville residents’ homes.

Granville County Senior Services Director Kathy May said when her agency receives a referral for a ramp, Troup goes to the home to measure and then calls upon his team of volunteers.

“Everyone needs to have easy access in and out of their home for reasons of safety and quality of life,” May said. “When someone finds himself in a wheelchair or having to use a walker, steps become a dangerous barrier. That’s why the work of these volunteers is so important and is so greatly appreciated.”

Troup is the former housing and home improvement director of Resources for Seniors in Wake County. He and his wife, Teresa, recently moved to Oxford. During his 35-year career in Wake County, he constructed more than 2,500 ramps and now shares his experience through his volunteer work with Granville County Senior Services.

So far, volunteers have included health workers, family members, local church members, clients’ neighbors and others interested in being part of a great experience to benefit members of our community.

Granville County residents benefitting from donated ramps over the past three months include a widow returning home from double knee replacement surgery; an amputee returning home after rehabilitation; a stroke survivor who needed a safe way for her children to transport her to and from her home; a man with a degenerative illness who suffers from repeated falls; among others.

Troup said no experience is necessary to be a ramp construction volunteer; on-the-job training is provided. Current volunteers range in age from 18 to 80, and are from Granville as well as nearby counties.

Requests for ramps can be made to the Granville County Senior Center in Oxford, 107 Lanier Street. A needs assessment will be made following the request.

“Each time a ramp is built, someone is ‘set free,’” Troup said.

For more information or to volunteer to help or donate materials for the ramp project, please contact May by phone at 919-693-1930 or through email at kathy.may@granvillecounty.org.

Farmers Market ‘Twilight Market’ Tuesday, June 29 3-7 PM

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Pat Ayscue has been on the job as manager of the Vance Regional Farmers Market for a few weeks now and says she’s been listening to farmers and vendors to try to find ways to best suit their needs.

Ayscue told WIZS News Friday that Tuesday’s “twilight market” is just one way to float new ideas at the farmers’ market – a kind of feasibility study, if you will.

The twilight market will be from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will be just like any other market day, she said, just a different time frame.

Folks are usually “out and about” on Saturdays, looking for a market open during the morning hours, and she hopes that providing some flexibility during the week will create more interest. Those who work Monday through Friday can’t always get to the Wednesday market. And it would allow folks who work on Saturdays time to visit and shop as well, Ayscue said.

“If I could get (customers) to show up during the week like they do on Saturday,” it just may be by making the hours more flexible.

“Farmers are out there working all the time,” she said. Her job is to listen to their conversations and learn what it is they are looking for and what it is they need.

The Twilight Market will be open Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover 06-24-21 – Problem Solving

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

TownTalk: Buzz Into The Bee Jubilee June 26 at Granville Expo Center

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Get up close and personal with bees – without getting stung – at the 5th annual Bee Jubilee Saturday in Oxford.

Christi Henthorn, president of the Granville County Beekeepers Association, and event organizer said there will be something for everyone at the event, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Granville County Expo Center, 4185 Hwy 15 South in Oxford.

Henthorn told John C. Rose on Thursday’s Town Talk that, in addition to supporting local vendors and bee enthusiasts, the Bee Jubilee is an opportunity to learn about these mighty pollinators.

“The vast majority of our food is either directly or indirectly related to pollinated plants,” Henthorn said. That funny-looking cucumber in your summer garden or the ill-shaped zucchini is more than likely the result of inadequate pollination, she said.

Bees are not the only pollinators, she noted, adding that bats and birds, butterflies and even annoying wasps are pollinators. And just because it buzzes does not make it a honeybee, she said. Bumblebees and carpenter bees may be pollinators, but they are not honeybees, she added.

The local vendors all have a focus of bee- an agriculture-related items, Henthorn said. There will be a silent auction and a live auction that starts at noon. See photos of the items that will be auctioned on the beekeepers’ Facebook page.

The Oxford Farmers Market will set up at the Expo Center on Saturday as well, she said. So If you go to their normal market spot downtown, they won’t be there. There will be inflatables for the kids to play on and half a dozen or more food vendors, from gourmet coffee to frozen treats.

Bee documentaries will be shown indoors, and vendors will be  outdoors under the covered arena space. The Granville Gardeners will be selling plants as well.

“Make sure when you come you mill around the whole facility,” Henthorn said.

Most counties in North Carolina have a beekeepers organization, she said, and it’s important to call a beekeeper if you find a swarm of bees on your property.

“Granville County beekeepers has a ‘swarm patrol,’ a group of beekeepers who are trained to capture swarms and remove them from wherever they are – in a tree or in a house. These people are comfortable around bees and they are willing to remove them safely. The hotline is 919.892.3670.

For complete details and audio click play.

 

TownTalk: Drive In To Job Fair Friday At Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre

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The Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre’s main feature on Friday is not the latest Hollywood movie – it’s a 5-county job fair sponsored by the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments. Forty employers will be on site to talk to prospective job seekers about their employment opportunities.

Desiree Brooks spoke with John C. Rose on Thursday’s Town Talk and said the job fair is definitely a team effort, thanks to valuable partnerships with Vance-Granville Community College, NCWorks, Chambers of Commerce and other governmental entities. The job fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“When we started promoting this, we were thinking we should be able to get 20 to 25 employers,” Brooks said. But thanks to efforts by the local chambers, economic development directors and others, the job fair exceeded that expectation.

In addition to employers from Vance, Granville, Franklin, Warren and Person counties, there will be other resources at the job fair, including KARTS, Granville-Vance Public Health, Granville County Department of Social Services and VGCC.

Having so many employers all in one central location is a good chance for job seekers to meet face-to-face those who are looking to hire employees. “They are looking forward to meeting people in the five-county area – it’s a great opportunity to meet them in person,” she said.

For complete details and audio click play.

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SportsTalk: Ray Noel and Granville Central Look Forward to New Conference

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Granville Central High School Atletic Director Ray Noel was obviously disappointed at his school’s 3 – 1 loss at the hands of Perquimans County on Wednesday night in the Eastern finals of the state baseball playoffs but is looking forward to a new conference for the upcoming school year.

Perquimans County had won its previous playoff games by scores of 13 – 0, 10 – 0 and 10 – 0 but Granville Central held them to only 3 runs and was leading in the bottom of the 5th inning but came up short in the end as they were unable to put together a rally at the end.  Graduation will certainly have an impact next season. “We’ll lose three seniors and two of our top hitters are seniors,” Noel said. However, Noel feels that next season’s team has an excellent chance of having a good year.

Next year will find Granville Central playing Oxford Webb, South Granville, Vance County, Carrboro, Southern Durham and the Durham School of the Arts in a new conference. While the School of the Arts does not participate in football the other schools will present a challenging schedule. It should be a football season that is closer to normal than last season when the team only played six games in the spring due to the pandemic.

Covid has also pushed spring sports back with programs such as track and wrestling still playing. The track team will finish this weekend in the state championship.

Like so many other schools in the area Granville Central is a small school that shares players among its athletic programs which impacts activities like basketball workouts. There have been no basketball jamborees or camps this spring because so many of the players are involved in other sports.

Noel said that the boy’s soccer team, which won last year’s conference championship is poised to have another strong season and he feels good about the growth that soccer has seen in recent years. He also feels the football team will also be competitive next season and looks forward to seeing big crowds at games this year which began to return with Granville Central’s playoff run in baseball.

For complete details and audio click play.

 

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SportsTalk: Richardson has Crossroads Christian in preparation for next year

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Crossroads Christian Athletic Director Scottie Richardson is deep into the school’s Summer Season, which consists of workouts for the various athletic programs and figuring out how to plan work out and practice times. “We have an internal master Excel-Google spreadsheet,” Richardson joked about how the school’s coaches stay on top of things during the off season. Since Crossroads is a small school the various programs tend to share players and Richardson said one of the challenges is time management and organizing schedules so there is no overlap.

Richardson said that basketball camps have seen excellent participation over the last couple of weeks and that all sports are currently engaged in preparations. “Hopefully, it will pay off end-season,” Richardson said of all the work that coaches and students are currently putting in. “We try to make it a year round program,” Richardson added.  The boy’s basketball team has been especially busy travelling to UNC-Charlotte and UNC-Pembroke to participate in basketball camps playing nine games in three days and then following that up with a home and away Summer exhibition versus Oxford Prep. Richardson said it was a great experience for his team.  Last Covid prevented the team from engaging in any type of off season workouts and camps.

Not only did Covid take a toll on schedules but there was also a financial impact on the school. Richardson said that $15,000 was lost in concession sales last year. Volleyball and basketball are the big revenue sports for the school and Richardson hopes this year will be a return to normal.

Richardson said that this year teams are also engaging in activities together off the court and fields as well helping them to develop a unity that will transfer to games during the upcoming school year.

Richardson added he is looking forward to fans and students returning to stands and bringing a renewed school spirit to the games.

For complete details and audio click play.