Join H-V Chamber For “State Of Health Care 2024”

The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce is hosting the first “state of” session for 2024 on Tuesday, April 23 to discuss local health care. The deadline to register is Thursday, April 18. Tickets are $30.

Guest speaker for the lunchtime event is Bert Beard, CEO of Maria Parham Health.

The lunch and learn will begin at 12 noon at Southern Charm Event Center, 200 S. Garnett St.

Beard will share updates on a variety of health care topics and is scheduled to discuss what’s happening locally as well as at the state level with Medicaid expansion and access to health care, among other topics.

Call the Chamber office at 252.438.8414 to learn more or email Tanya Wilson at tanya@hendersonvance.org to reserve your seat.

Franklin Co. Commissioners To Form Capital Committee To Study School Facilities’ Needs

-information courtesy of Franklin County Public Information Officer James F. Hicks III

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to support creation of a Capital Committee in response to the Franklin County Schools Report, published in September 2023.

“The Board wholeheartedly supports establishing a Capital Committee to address the school capital needs for Franklin County Schools,” said Chairman Harry Foy, who added that the commissioners also would support visiting school facilities and working with the school board and county staff to address capital needs.

In addition to visiting facilities, the committee also will “plan, prioritize, and consult data, other experts and resources as needed to recommend mutually agreeable and cost-efficient capital projects.”

Part of Franklin County’s mission states that the county strives to “create a bright future for our county’s students and residents by keeping educational goals and facilities current and relevant to the economic demands of the County.”

Commissioners directed county representatives on the committee to prioritize projects to ensure compliance with N.C. General Statutes and other legal requirements, with an eye on maintaining cost-effective priorities that recognize the impact on taxpayers and support improvements of the educational environment through compliance with goals and a commitment to safe schools.

“The Board of Commissioners and the Board of Education are in agreement that capital needs must be addressed for Franklin County Schools,” Foy said.

The committee is comprised of two members from the board of commissioners, two members from the board of education, the county manager or designee, school superintendent or designee, chief of Auxiliary Services, assistant county manager and the finance directors from Franklin County Schools and Franklin County.

Corbitt Preservation Association To Hold Spring Fling Saturday

The plan for Saturday’s Spring Fling at the Corbitt Museum is to have trucks and tractors on display for the public to view and ooh and aah over, but when you’re dealing with vehicles that are as old as the Corbitts that are around here, Tom Burleson said “you keep your fingers crossed.”

The annual event will take place April 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and it’s a perfect time for folks to stop by and learn more of the history about the Corbitt family and its many contributions to the Henderson area, according to Burleson, vice president of the Corbitt Preservation Association.

Burleson himself grew up on Corbitt Road, he said on Wednesday’s TownTalk. And his childhood home was just up the street from the Corbitt mansion, that stood where Wester Realty now stands.

The Corbitts owned The Little Hotel and Mrs. Corbitt ran it back in the day, when Mr. Corbitt was busy cranking out trucks, military vehicles and tractors.

“We’ve got a good story to tell,” Burleson said. “We want to try to interest some younger folks.” His fellow Corbitt enthusiasts have “a lot of snow on the mountain,” he quipped and Corbitt Preservation Association events like the Spring Fling help to keep the history alive.

The association’s members are always on the lookout for Corbitt memorabilia and continue to collect it for display at the museum, located at 180 Church St. One recent addition is a promissory note dated 1917 signed by THE Richard J. Corbitt himself.

The company was founded in 1899 and produced horse-drawn buggies, Burleson said, then it morphed to motorized buggies, then automobiles, trucks and tractors. The Corbitt Company found its niche, however, in military vehicles.

One board member chugs down I-85 in his 1950 model truck that originally was purchased for use by the J.W. Jenkins Oil Co. in Henderson. “He gets some of the strangest looks,” Burleson said, but it’s just one of the trucks and tractors that’s still chuggin’ along.

Hopefully, it will be parked outside the Corbitt Museum Saturday.

Fingers crossed.

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Home And Garden Show

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

  •  Farmer’s Market Opening
  • Get your soil samples turned in
  • Lawn mower safety
  • Purchasing transplants
  • Provide green house and cold frame ventilation
  • Check indoor seedlings daily

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VGCC Logo

TownTalk: VGCC Hosts Career Fair April 25

With Vance-Granville Community College’s graduate career fair and mixer just over a week away, Director of Career Services Dr. Krystal Foxx said she hopes the VGCC Civic Center will be filled with people from all across the community who want to mix and mingle with area employers to learn about jobs.

It’s not just for current students and graduates, Foxx explained – the Thursday, Apr. 25 event is open to anyone in the community who’s looking for a job, or a different job.

During the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., participants can visit with 46 employers from across the region to learn about job openings. There will be on-the-spot interviews available, too, she said, so come prepared.

“We have quite a few employers coming that are looking for individuals in the applied tech program, in health care, business and government,” Foxx said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

“We’re excited about the opportunity and looking forward to hosting on the 25th.

Preregister online at www.vgcc.edu/career-services and then select the Career Fairs option on the right side of the page; the first 100 people who sign up AND attend will get a special treat from Chick-fil-A, she said.

It’s more than just a job fair, Foxx noted. It’s a chance “to learn more about the richness of the companies in the community and how they can continue to be productive citizens and give back to the community through the professions and the work they do,” she said.

The college’s career services department guides students in areas such as preparing resumes, effective interviews and job search strategies, she said.

“Our college is putting career selection at the forefront,” she said. A career fair “solidifies that we are there to support their career endeavors.”

The www.vgcc.edu/career-services page also has a list of employers who will be at the fair.

“We know that there is a demand for job opportunities right now,” Foxx said. “We really want everyone to take advantage of that…we want our local employers to feel supported and to be able to recruit from the local community.”

To learn more, phone 252.738.3466 or email careerservices@vgcc.edu.

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Wanna Be In A Movie? Casting Call For ‘Resurrecting Eden’ April 20 At Clearview Church

There’s a movie being made right here in Henderson, and producers want to give locals first crack at a casting call on Saturday, Apr. 20.

Budding performers are encouraged to “bring your A game” – A for Acting – when they head over to Clearview Church to meet with producers of “Resurrecting Eden,” the setting of which is Back to Eden Plantation off Satterwhite Point Road.

According to information from the Rev. Dr. Almice Floyd Gill, pastor of Blessed Trinity Ministries, the film’s director and producers will be on hand at the casting call, looking for local talent to be part of the film.

Kenneth Spellman owns Back to Eden, and he’s been working for several years to create a living museum of sorts at the historical property, once owned by the Wortham family. Among the structures on the property is a house where enslaved people lived before the Civil War.

Clearview Church has partnered with Spellman and it’s there that anyone interested is invited to participate. The casting call will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Clearview Church is located at 3485 U.S. 158 Business.

“This is an exciting time – I can’t wait to see it unfold,” said Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce President Sandra Wilkerson. “Kenneth is dedicated to Henderson and the community and insisted that the casting call start right here in Henderson prior to reaching out to larger areas of the country.”

Local businesses also have the chance to get their name up in lights, as it were, by becoming a film sponsor. Sponsorship levels range from the Bronze level – $500 – all the way up to Iridium – $20,000.

For more information and to register for the casting call, phone 252.572.2358.

 

VCS Taking Applications For Early College Admission For Rising Sophomores, Juniors

-information courtesy of Vance County Schools

Vance County Early College is accepting applications for high school transfers for incoming sophomores and juniors through April 30. Interested students should complete an application and return it to the VCS district office by close of business on April 30, according to VCS Chief Officer of Communication & Innovative Support Aarika Sandlin.

Decision letters will be mailed out by May 15.

Visit the Vance County Early College website (vcec.VCS.k12.nc.us) for the application. Scroll down to Quick Access Information and click on the School Events icon.

The Local Skinny! Council Approves Creation Of Board To Oversee Main Street Program

The Henderson City Council voted unanimously Monday to create a downtown advisory board that will take responsibility for overseeing the city’s Main Street program.

This action was taken as a way to stay in compliance with the state’s Main Street program, given a decision in March by the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission to divest itself as the active board of directors and committees of the Main Street program effective June 30, 2024, according to information presented Monday by City Manager Terrell Blackmon.

One requirement for continued accreditation is that the program have a board of directors representing district stakeholders and
community members. The new advisory board will consist of between 5 and 7 appointed members who would be selected following an application process.

Blackmon said he has had conversations with state Main Street staff and they are aware of the changes that will be taking place. He added that city staff would continue to work in partnership with the HVDDC, but the city-appointed board would be responsible for the Main Street program.

The Main Street approach is centered around economic development strategies designed to transform the downtown area and revitalize and strengthen the downtown economy. Henderson re-established its Main Street designation in 2020 and uses a four-pronged approach to attain its goals: economic vitality, design, promotion and organization.

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TownTalk: Garry Daeke Discusses ‘Week Of The Young Child’ Activities

That group of shiny pinwheels planted out front of the Franklin Granville Vance Smart Start office is a visual reminder to us all of the joys that children bring into our lives.

The pinwheel gardens that may be seen in other places across the tri-county area are symbols of joy, happiness and fun, said Garry Daeke, development coordinator at FGV Smart Start. “That’s what we want our children to remind us” of, he said on Tuesday’s TownTalk.

As part of The Week of the Young Child celebrations across the area, the FGV Partnership is hosting several events to promote awareness as it shows support for early learning, the healthy development of young children, as well as the adults – teachers, parents and caregivers – throughout the community.

Unfortunately, the main public event, Family Night, scheduled for Thursday at Vance-Granville Community College, will NOT be held as planned because of the risk of severe weather, Daeke said. It will be rescheduled.

He spoke by phone with WIZS from Sugar N Spice day care during Time Out Tuesday, when a group of select childcare advocates were “sent” to Time Out at as part of a fundraising effort. They could leave their time out spots when they’d reached their fundraising goal, Daeke explained.

It’s just one way the community bands together to support and promote child-centered programs in the three-county area, he said.

“It’s been a great morning so far for me,” Daeke said. Wednesday is Health and Nutrition Day, and he said he’d be at New Beginnings Child Care to enjoy some outdoor activities and healthy snacks with youngsters there.

Then, the 18-member staff will fan out across the three counties on Friday to visit different day cares and preschools for “Read to Young Children” Day. Daeke said staff will visit different classrooms to read with children – they’ll even bring along some books to share, he said.

 

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