Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vipers Look To Move To 4-1 Against Carrboro

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“We don’t win future games from what we did in the past,” were the words of Vance Co. High School football coach Wilbur Pender when discussing the Viper’s upcoming matchup with Carrboro. The Vipers are coming off a 21-20 victory last week over Northern Durham and are looking to open their conference schedule against Carrboro with a win.

Pender said the team has had a great week of practice and said the team is back in rhythm after a two week lay off due to a Covid exposure. The effects of the layoff are quickly fading and preparation for Carrboro is the key to a victory Friday night. “If we don’t prepare well, we won’t play well,” said Pender.

The Vipers are looking to clamp down on the mistakes made last week. Six penalties in the first quarter against Northern Durham eliminated two touchdowns but Coach Pender was impressed that they were able to overcome those mistakes. “We kept fighting and chipping away,” Coach Pender said. That included two big 4th down conversion late in the game to allow the Vipers to overcome a Northern Durham lead.

Carrboro is an improving team with a strong rushing game and Pender says that the Vipers have been working on getting players to the ball, gang tackling and making sure they have the fundamentals down.

The Vipers play Carrboro at 7 o’clock Friday night.  You can hear the game on WIZS beginning at the conclusion of the Joy Christian Center broadcast at approximately 6:45 tomorrow evening.

 

Vance County, NC

The Local Skinny! Architecture Survey Is Underway In Vance County

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Nine Oaks, Hibernia, Blackenhall…these are names of some great, historical Vance County homes. Unfortunately, they no longer exist. Either destroyed by disaster, allowed to slowly deteriorate or, in the case of Hibernia, swallowed by the creation of Kerr Lake. However, Vance County still has many pieces of historic architecture still standing. Some of these are homes. Some are commecial buildings. Just how many is the aim of a survey being conducted the N. C. State Historic Preservation Office.

Vance and Person Counties have been chosen as the subject of a comprehensive survey of historic buildings and landscapes planned from 2021-23. Funding for this architectural survey comes from the Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund (ESHPF), administered by the National Park Service, for hurricanes Florence and Michael. Because the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared a major disaster in Vance County following both storms, the county is an eligible location for planning projects intended to document degree of damage from past storms as well as provide preparedness for future disasters.

As national emergencies arise, Congress may appropriate funding from the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) to provide relief for historic preservation projects in areas impacted by natural disasters. The HPF uses revenue from federal oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf to assist a broad range of preservation projects without expending tax dollars. In 2018, hurricanes Florence and Michael, as well as Typhoon Yutu, caused extensive damage to communities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, the Northern Mariana Islands, South Carolina, and Virginia. Congress subsequently passed Public Law 116-20 to provide ESHPF assistance to these six states and one territory related to damages from these storms.

North Carolina has chosen to allocate funding to support the survey of historic resources to determine the overall degree of damage, as well as provide data for resiliency planning for our state’s treasured cultural resources. Vance County was selected from among other eligible counties because the State Historic Preservation Office (HPO) has not previously conducted a comprehensive architectural survey of the county. The 2021-2023 architectural survey will intensively document historic buildings and landscapes from the early 19th century through the 1970s, including those in Henderson and rural areas. Data gathered during the survey will assist Vance County in planning for the preservation of its historic resources.

The State of North Carolina has hired hmwPreservation, a Durham, N.C.-based cultural resources consulting firm, to complete the project. Heather Slane and Cheri Szcodronski are serving as Principal Investigators. Preliminary fieldwork started in mid-August. A survey of rural Vance County is currently taking place now and continue into early 2022. A survey of the town of Henderson is anticipated to occur in late 2022 and early 2023. The project will conclude no later than September 2023.

An architectural survey entails documentation of buildings and landscapes that are at least 50 years old. Fieldworkers take photographs, draw site plans, and collect oral history from people they meet on site. They conduct a limited amount of archival research to establish countywide patterns of historical development. hmwPreservation will also identify properties that appear to be potentially eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, either individually or as historic districts. National Register properties are potentially eligible for state and federal tax credits for certified historic rehabilitation. The Vance County Comprehensive Architectural Survey will culminate in a final report that analyzes the history of the county through the lens of its historic architecture.

At the conclusion of the survey, the HPO will share the final report and geospatial data collected during fieldwork with the National Park Service and will retain all materials from the survey as part of the statewide architectural record. Public access to the information will be available through HPOWEB, the HPO’s geographic information system, which is accessible online at http://gis.ncdcr.gov/hpoweb/. The survey material will facilitate the environmental review necessary for state and federal undertakings and will aid in planning for future economic and community development projects. Survey products also will be useful for the continued development of heritage tourism programs in Vance County.

An identical survey was completed in Franklin County in April of 2018. The Franklin County Historical Preservation Committee is currently working toward the publication of a book on the historic properties located in Franklin County. Historic Preservation can entice tourism at a local level which has economic impacts. Vance County would be smart in following the Franklin County Commissioner’s example and form their own Historic Preservation Commission with an eye towards a publication that would promote tourism in Henderson and throughout Vance County.

For more information on the Vance County Comprehensive Architectural Survey, contact Elizabeth C. King, Architectural Survey Coordinator for the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, at elizabeth.king@ncdcr.gov or 919-814-6580, or Heather Slane of hmwPreservation, at heather@hmwpreservation.com.

 

TownTalk: Veteran Uses Wood Working To Help Combat PTSD

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Perhaps Walter Craig remembers his father’s admonition as he’s in his workshop building wooden toys for children and others to enjoy. Son, the carpenter and farmer would say, it takes a lifetime to grow a tree, but it only takes an idiot 15 minutes to screw one up.

Craig, a U.S. Army veteran, took up woodworking after finding himself in need of something to keep him out of the recliner and doing something good for others. Today, his toy cars, helicopters and more can be found in 14 states, as well as on Guam and in Australia.

But they’re not for sale. “Then whoever’s got a dollar can buy one,” Craig said. “I get to determine who’s worthy of getting one. He gives them away, sending them to fellow veterans and others who can use a little cheering up for one reason or another.

Craig talked about his time in the military, how it shaped his life after he retired and more on Thursday’s Town Talk, when guest host Phyllis Maynard joined John C. Rose for another program in a series about military veterans and PTSD.

Craig, a retired 1st Sergeant, spent 20 years in the U.S. Army and eventually became a master mechanic. He worked on Cobra, and then Apache, helicopters and was key in the development of the prototype of the “Hellcat” missile.

He credits an older brother – he had 11 siblings growing up – for his decision to enlist in the Army. He followed that brother around Ft. Hood in Texas for a couple of days in the late 1960’s, he said. But his brother was in an armored division and he suggested Craig go into aviation “because it was up and coming.”

Having the experience of being a helicopter mechanic helped Craig ultimately find woodworking. At the time, now retired from his civilian job as a prison employee, he decided he wanted a model of a Cobra helicopter. His search came up empty, so he decided to build one himself.

After that, he built a bunch of wooden toy cars for the local credit union’s toy drive. And from there, his new mission was up and running.

An online visit with an Army buddy prompted Craig to send him a wooden copter. “He was having PTSD problems,” Craig said. “If us vets don’t stick together – who’s going to help us if we don’t help each other?” That wooden replica is a reminder of all the things that he has gone through and survived, he added. It’s a way to say that what he’s going through now is “a piece of cake.”

Craig turned 72 earlier this month, but he celebrated his 19th birthday in Vietnam. Now, more than a half century later, he sees younger combat veterans returning home from tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the mistreated Vietnam vets are the driving force” behind making sure the latest veterans to return home don’t suffer the same fate.

The woodworking for me is a natural spinoff. Didn’t do anything for 3 years. After prison work.

“There are people out there that don’t really want a handout, what they want is a hand up.,” Craig said. “If I can help one man or one woman get over the hard spot they’re in, then it’s well worth it.”

 

 

Leaf Collection ‘Season’ Kicks Off Oct. 18, But Not Before

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The City of Henderson has announced that leaf collection season will begin in October, and provided guidelines to residents to ensure proper placement to the leaves can be picked up.

Between Oct. 18, 2021 and Jan. 14, 2022, residents may places rows or piles of loose leaves and pine straw along the roadsides for the Public Works Department to collect. Be advised, however, that residents who place leaves or pine straw curbside before Oct. 26 or after Jan. 15 will find a $75 charge added to their monthly sanitation bill.

According to information from the city, rows or piles of leaves or pine straw shall:

  • be placed behind the curb not to interfere with vehicular or pedestrian traffic.
  • not be placed in an open ditch, gutter or street area as this can interfere with the city’s storm drainage system.
  • be free of trash and debris such as glass, cans, rocks, limb cuttings, etc. as this may damage collection equipment.
  • not be placed on top of your water meter.

The collection will be on a two- or three-week rotation, depending on weather conditions and leaf accumulation. Residents may bag the leaves and pine straw or place them in containers, but it is not required.

For more information, contact the public works department at 252.431.6115 or 252.431.6030.

Vance County Schools Announces Partnership with Boys and Girls Club

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— press release courtesy of Vance County Schools

Vance County Schools is excited to announce a partnership with the North Central North Carolina Boys and Girls Club through a 21st Century Grant. This partnership will provide an afterschool program for students in grades 3-5 at Carver Elementary and New Hope Elementary.

Dr. Bennett, VCS Superintendent, shared, “The Boys and Girls Clubs of North Central North Carolina are so supportive of our students. Many of our students attend the local Boys and Girls Club here in Henderson, but to have two school-based afterschool programs is an added
blessing.”

The programming will include academic support as well as enhanced experiences for our participating students. Additionally, dinner will be provided each day of programming at their respective school. As part of the grant, these students will also be afforded the opportunity to
participate in a summer program at their elementary school for several weeks.

The ribbon cutting ceremony for New Hope Elementary’s Boys and Girls Club program will take place at the school on Friday, October 1 at 4pm. Principal Letitia Fields shared, “An onsite program gives our scholars the opportunity to receive additional academic support, as well as
participate in real world enrichment activities that promote social emotional well being and career readiness. We are elated to have this opportunity for our students at New Hope Elementary.”

Carver Elementary’s ribbon cutting will take place on Wednesday, October 6 at 4pm at the school. Stephanie Alston, Principal at Carver, shared, “I am overjoyed to have this opportunity at our school knowing that it is satisfying so many needs for our students, our parents, and
helping us to provide an additional way to close gaps created during the pandemic. Families that have returned back to work now have support to assist students with homework while they may work after school-hour jobs. We are truly grateful and ecstatic to have this opportunity now within our Eagles’ Nest!”

Bennett shared, “Students and families at New Hope and Carver Elementary are so excited to have this opportunity in their community. I look forward to a continued partnership with the Boys and Girls club as we seek to enhance the experiences available to our students. This is truly another win for our community!”

Home and Garden Show

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • Vance County Regional Farmers Market Update.
  • If finished with your garden consider planting a cover crop to protect the soil and add nitrogen to your garden for next year. Example – Crimson clover.
  • Avoid using organic soil amendments when planting trees and shrubs unless you can amend a large area.
  • Start winterizing equipment that you are not going to use until next spring.
  • This is a good time to make herbicide applications to vines and woody brush you want to eliminate. This includes things like english ivy, poison ivy, wisteria, briars, tree saplings, etc. Use a brush killer that will kill the root as well as the top part of the plant.
  • Start assembling your leaf gathering equipment. Have a plan on what to do with your leaves this year.
  • Do you have any mixed spray solution in any of your garden sprayers? Use it up now before you forget what it is, and before we get freezing temperatures.
  • Soil samples need to be taken now to make soil amendments!
  • If you have shrubs with major dieback, consider replacing them this fall. Shrubs with dieback may continue to survive, but they almost never look good and treating them is impractical to impossible.
  • You can plant beets, sweet peas, bulb onions, mustard, lettuce, collards, arugula.

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TownTalk: Fight For Misty BBQ Oct. 2

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She’s done a lot of research since her diagnosis, and Misty Bailey says the heart condition she deals with daily affects 60 out of every 100,000 people in the U.S. That makes cardiac sarcoidosis relatively uncommon. There’s no quick fix, but there are treatments that can help make patients like Bailey feel better. Not well, but better.

Bailey takes upwards of two dozen pills each day and sees a team of doctors to manage her condition and the side effects of medication and the toll all of this takes on her body. She and her husband call those specialists “-ologists.” There’s the endocrinologist, the ophthalmologist, the neurologist, and, of course, the cardiologist, to name just a few.

All this care takes time – and money. And that’s where the “Fight for Misty” team kicks in. A barbecue fundraiser will be held on Saturday, Oct. 2 at Bailey’s church, Harriet Baptist Church, located at 1354 Ruin Creek Road. Pickup is from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Baileys, along with Amy Bowling, were on Town Talk Wednesday to talk about the fundraiser and to increase awareness of the disease, which is described as a chronic inflammatory condition, which has no cure.

The barbecue is $10 per pound. There also are t-shirts, stainless steel tumblers and silicone wrist bands – all emblazoned with “Fight for Misty” – available for purchase. Tickets are available before the event, but drive-ups are welcome.

Bailey said she is humbled and honored to feel the support of people, some of which she doesn’t even know. When she sees folks wearing “her” t-shirt, it evokes emotions of appreciation and gratitude. It also keeps her motivated as she learns to live with a chronic health condition.

“They’re spreading awareness and they don’t know me personally – they want to support me (and) they want to help people that need the help,” Bailey said.

“Even for those who I don’t know that have supported me through t-shirt sales, BBQ, and donations, you all have made me feel special. I can’t tell you thank you enough and how much your support means to me,” she said.

In April, Bailey had a port placed so she could receive infusions every six weeks to reduce the inflammation around her heart. Her rheumatologist said this could continue for several years. Sometime within the next five years, she said “Afib will start showing itself,” so that will have to be dealt with. Afib refers to arrhythmia, when the heart doesn’t pump and beat in proper rhythm.

Dealing with all the side effects takes its toll, she said.

“The hardest part of this heart disease is when I am laughing and having a great time,” Bailey said. “Some people start to think, ‘She looks absolutely fine there. It doesn’t seem like she is in any kind of pain. In fact, she is going out having fun!’”

But, she said, she wants to reply, “Did you know that I had to save my energy all week long just to go out that one night?”

As she continues to manage the daily challenges she faces, Bailey said she feels like she is called to be a voice for this disease. “As long as I have the strength to do so, that’s what I will be doing,” she added.

“A lot of people don’t even realize they have cardiac sarcoidosis until it’s too late,” she continued.

“And I was almost that person.”

 

Click Play to hear Misty

CultureFEST Downtown Oxford on Saturday

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Downtown Oxford is the setting for Saturday’s CultureFEST, which will showcase a variety of multicultural artistic performances with a street fair vibe – food trucks, crafts and more await participants who visit Littlejohn Street between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Ajulo Othow and Oxford Mayor Jackie Sergent are among the event planners, and they talked with John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk about their hopes for the event, both in the short-term and in the long-term.

The John Chavis Historical Society has sponsored several multicultural festivals in the past few years, but Othow said new partnerships with the city of Oxford and with the Downtown Oxford Economic Development Commission have created new opportunities.

“It just felt like the best time to expand it and bring it into downtown Oxford,” she said, “making it more accessible to the entire community.” Othow said she is grateful to city leaders for making the opportunity available and being willing to partner with the Chavis historical society.

“For me, this is huge,” Sergent said. She has attended the previous multicultural festivals, and marveled at many of the performers, especially the Chuck Davis African American Dance Ensemble of Durham.

The dance ensemble will perform at CultureFEST, Sergent said.  But there will also be cloggers and Hawaiian dancers as well.

Whether you’re interested in Latino music or learning about the Procession of the Queen, CultureFEST has a little something for everyone.

“Too often, we’re in our own little worlds and we miss out” on experiencing food, music and dance from cultures we may not be familiar with, Sergent noted.

In addition to the Hawaiian dancers, some of the other performers include Mexican folk dancers Dance Ortiz, St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church drummers, a storyteller from Chapel Hill and more.

After the festival concludes, a number of downtown restaurants will be open and serving some unique fare not usually on the menu. “They’ll be offering something that is a little out of the ordinary for them,” Othow said. Downtown Oasis is going to have spanakopita, for example, and Tobacco Wood Brewing Co. is going to offer Caribbean-style jerk chicken.

“We’ve gotten one festival figured out,” Sergent said, referring to the Hot Sauce Contest. “Now it’s time to get another one down – to highlight the talent, tastes, music…that other cultures bring to the table.” CultureFEST will be smaller than the hot sauce festival, but it has the opportunity to grow in the future, she said.

Call 919.693.9133 for more information.

 

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