WIZS Radio Henderson Local News 08-07-24 Noon
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Vance County Vipers Football Jamboree Moved to Wednesday, Aug. 14
The Vance County High School football Jamboree has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 6 p.m., but Head Coach Aaron Elliott is trying to look on the bright side and make the best of the situation, brought on by the approaching Tropical Storm Debby and forecasts of heavy rains.
In the “plus” category, Elliott said it will allow players to get in a few extra days of practice before that first scrimmage. The team has had just one day of contact practice, so a few additional days will be good.
Another positive is that the game field is in good shape. With recent rains, Elliott said “It’s all been Mother Nature – we’ve got the game field looking real good.” The field drains really well, he said, although Tropical Storm Debby’s contribution may result in some sideline ponding situations. A few extra days after the storm moves past should be enough time for sufficient drying.
In the “minus” category, however, is the number of teams available to attend the Jamboree. Franklinton and Wakefield had been on the list, but once the event was rescheduled, they had to drop out because they have other scrimmages going on that day.
Bunn is still in the mix, however, and Elliott said he’s in talks with a couple of other schools to see if they can participate to bring the total field to between 4 and 5 teams.
As far as a scouting report of the Vipers thus far, Elliott said his guys are doing a good job with the X’s and O’s but need to button down a bit with regard to being more disciplined on the field. Not the type of discipline that goes along with bad behavior, but the discipline that comes with knowing your job, remembering routes and not jumping offsides.
Cleaning up those little things will mean a lot as the Aug. 23 season opener approaches.
Be sure to listen to WIZS all season long for Vance County Friday Night Football and for coach interviews on Thursday SportsTalk programs at 12:30 p.m.
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TownTalk: Way to GROW! Festival
Back for its second year as a way to build community with an emphasis on entrepreneurship and downtown development, the Way to Grow! festival is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 24 along Garnett Street in Henderson.
Gateway CDC Founder and President Heather Joi Kenney said the non-profit may have provided the impetus for the weeklong activities that will culminate with the daylong festival, but she wants – and needs – the community to participate.
The theme is “Bloom Together, Cultivate Community” and it’s a metaphor for how Kenney sees growth for Henderson.
“The more we come together, the stronger we’ll be,” she said on Tuesday’s TownTalk. She said everyone must be conscious about how the community gathers and how to show support for others.
“I can’t water one part of the garden and not the other,” she said. If you consider Henderson like a garden, each segment of the community needs to feel that nurturing from other segments. “It helps show our diversity,” Kenney said. A festival like Way to Grow! is one way to show support, she said. It’s a way to say, “We see what you’re doing and we’re going to support you,” she said.
There’s still time to register to be a vendor. Go to the Gateway CDC website at https://thegatewaycdc.org/ for details about becoming a vendor. Schedules will be posted soon on social media and the website to include scheduled events leading up to the festival, which will occupy Garnett Street, from around Montgomery Street all the way to Sadie’s Coffee Corner and Vance Furniture, where the main stage will be.
Live music will be performed throughout the day, including Real Entertainment featuring Willie Hargrove and other groups as well, Kenney said.
There will be a Youth Village, hosted by Henderson’s own Jayden Watkins, a teenage pastor, and author. It’s a way to show youngsters that their community values them and wants them to feel special.
There will be an opportunity to get creative, too, Kenney said. Stop by the lot between the Henry Dennis building and the Gateway building and spend a little time helping to paint a canvas that ultimately will be displayed at Gateway.
In addition to this project, local artists are invited to bring some of their finished works to brighten up spots along Garnett Street.
“We have a lot of things to offer in downtown,” Kenney said. She pointed out a couple of new restaurants that add to the fabric of Garnett Street.
It’s events like Way to Grow! that help bring attention to downtown, and Kenney is hopeful that growth will continue.
“I want more vibrancy, more life” for downtown, she said.
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Cooperative Extension with Michael Ellington: Fall Gardening
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Perry Memorial Library – Summer Reading Program Big Success
Participants of the first Story Time at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market will be nice and dry Wednesday morning (or were nice and dry depending on when you are reading this) and safe from the rains from Tropical Storm Debby.
It’s National Farmers Market Week, and Perry Memorial Library is joining in the celebration by hosting Story Time, beginning at 10 a.m.
Youth Services Librarian Melody Peters said the market provides a great location to take story time on the road. “It’s a gorgeous facility – bright and airy…and covered,” she said on Tuesday’s The Local Skinny!
The story time program is geared for children 0-5, and Peters hopes the forecast of rain won’t dampen participation.
Participation in the library’s summer reading program was spectacular, Peters said.
More than 2,000 children and adults attended 50-plus programs over two months, she said.
They read and read, and read some more, logging 144,000 minutes in their reading logs.
“We were rockin’ and rollin’,” she said. No need to grab the calculator – that is 2,400 HOURS of reading over the summer. Wow!
She said it was great to hear from folks who were returning to the library after a long hiatus. Others were bringing grandchildren, and still others were young people who may not have been gung-ho about reading.
Youngsters who expressed such a sentiment to Peters didn’t get a lecture about how important reading is. Rather, she asked them what they’re interested in and then helped them find books on the topic. The general attitude went from ‘aww, man, do I have to read?’ to ‘ can we have some more books?’ and Peters couldn’t be happier.
“When kids get excited (about reading), I’m ready to give more,” she said. “Now, they’re coming to the library…that’s a ‘win-win’ for me.”
Visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/ to learn more about the programs and services available at your local library.
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WIZS Radio Henderson Local News 08-06-24 Noon
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Local News Airs on WIZS M-F at 8 a.m., 12 Noon and 5 p.m.
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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Stink Bugs
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The Local Skinny! Salvation Army
Major Beth Mallard is the Salvation Army’s new Corps officer serving at the Henderson location.
The organization made the announcement in mid-June; Mallard is one of a couple of dozen corps officers that assumed their new assignments across the Carolinas.
Mallard succeeds the husband-wife team of Captains Joshua and Amanda Keaton, who served at the local Salvation Army for about two years before accepting new roles as district youth secretaries for the organization’s Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi district.
The Salvation Army’s mission is to meet human needs in the name of Jesus Christ. In addition to having church services at the Rock Mill Road facility, the Salvation Army also runs a food pantry, after-school program and a Family Store & Donation Center at 218 Raleigh Rd.
There will be a huge furniture sale on Saturday, Aug. 17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m at the site of the former family store at 222 W. Montgomery St.
Tune in at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13 when Maj. Mallard will be a guest on TownTalk.
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WIZS Radio Henderson Local News 08-05-24 Noon
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TownTalk: William Coker, Vance County Animal Services Chief
For Vance County Animal Services Director William Coker, the name of the game is cultivating partnerships. Community partners raise awareness when it comes to reducing the pet population. Corporate partners provide space for adoption and vaccination events. And, individual partners fall in love with the cutest little pups or kittens and give them forever homes.
Partnerships are what keep Coker and his staff hopeful that animals find their way out of the shelter and are adopted into households where they’ll get the care they deserve.
There are several upcoming adoption events at area retailers for prospective pet owners, as well as a rabies vaccination clinic where dogs and cats can get their annual – and state-mandated – rabies vaccine for just $5.
The first adoption/vaccination clinic will take place Saturday, Aug. 10 at Tractor Supply from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
“We have people who come every year to get their dog or cat updated on rabies,” Coker said on Monday’s TownTalk.
If you bring your pet for its rabies shot and want to take a look inside the adoption trailer, Coker said that’ll be just fine.
The next two clinics will take place on the same day – Saturday Aug. 24 – one at Cross Creek Outdoor Supply and another at Petco, located on U.S. 158 Bypass.
The Cross Creek clinic will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the Petco clinic will operate from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, Coker noted.
In addition to providing a location for the community clinics, Coker said he’s grateful to local retailers who donate pet food to the shelter.
“They’re a big help to us,” he said. “They donate to the shelter and in return, (we) donate it out into the community.”
It’s difficult to see pet owners surrender family pets to the shelter because they can no longer provide for them. Coker and his staff try to help in any way they can to keep pets out of the shelter. Sometimes, a donation of pet food is all they need.
“We do have a lot of people who are up against it,” Coker said of the financial strain that faces some pet owners. “We take each surrender case by case,” he said, adding that he and his staff can offer a solution for a short period of time, they’ll do it.
But they can’t do it alone. “We’re bringing in a lot of animals,” he said. Intake usually goes up in the summer months, but this summer has been unusually high. One recent day saw 33 animals come into the shelter. In July, the shelter took in 70 kittens alone.
Over the past few months, Ruin Creek Animal Protection Society has been able to remove 90 kittens and cats from the shelter and transport them to points North, where they can be adopted through a number of rescue organizations.
“Ruin Creek is my best friend,” Coker said.
RCAPS helps by physically moving dogs and cats from the Vance County shelter to rescues and adoption groups up the East Coast. Over the past few months, RCAPS has taken 90 kittens and cats on their freedom ride to forever homes.
It’s not a problem unique to Vance County, Coker said. The wave of kittens and puppies is a direct result of curtailed spay and neuter programs forced during COVID-19.
“We push our spay and neuter programs hard,” he said. Residents who receive any type of government assistance can have their pet spayed or neutered at the shelter free of charge.
Even if you don’t receive any government assistance, the price to spay and neuter is still reasonable, he said. Call the shelter to set up an appointment.
“That’s all we have to combat this,” Coker said, referring to the no-cost/low-cost spay and neuter program. “The main thing, though, is to stop the problem. Adoption clinics and rescue groups in other parts of the country are solutions to the ongoing challenge of pet over-population.
The Vance County Animal Shelter is open to the public Tuesday-Thursday 10 a.m to 2 p.m. and half-days every other Friday and Saturday. You can also call the shelter at 252.492.3136 on Mondays between 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to make a spay/neuter appointment.
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