TownTalk: Stay Safe With The 9pm Routine

/by

It’s just good sound advice, but coming from Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow, getting into a #9PMRoutine, it sure sounds like something everyone in the area should pay attention to.

Barrow joined John C. Rose on Town Talk to discuss how a few simple steps at the end of each day could give residents peace of mind about their safety.

“We’re supposed to feel safe in our homes,” Barrow said. A nationwide campaign that is #9PMRoutine reminds folks to lock their vehicle doors, close and lock exterior doors of the home and turn on exterior lights to keep yourself from being an “easy victim” of crime.

Grownups may remember growing up in a time where nobody locked their car doors and may not have even locked their doors at night, but they also didn’t have all those shiny, portable electronic devices – GPS systems, cell phones, computers – that are easy targets for theft.

The main idea of the #9PMRoutine is just that – getting people in a routine that they remove their valuables from their cars and remove the temptation for would-be thieves.

“Portable things that you can easily walk away with that have value” are what thieves are looking for, Barrow said.

Additionally, he said his department gets lots of calls about firearms being stolen from vehicles. Barrow suggests that those gun owners who support the Second Amendment right to bear arms also need to know the responsibilities associated with that right.

“Be responsible about how you leave it in your vehicle,” he said.

Visit the Henderson Police Department’s Facebook page to learn more about the #9PMRoutine.

Schools Survey Seeks Input From Community As Part Of Strategic Planning

/by

There’s still one day left to help Vance County Schools as school officials plan for the next few years.

Members of the community are being asked to complete a survey to share opinions and information as they begin creating a strategic roadmap for 2022-2025, according to information from VCS Director of Communication and Marketing Aarika Sandlin.

The information from the surveys will help guide school officials with the planning  process, Sandlin said.

The survey will be open until 5 p.m. Tuesday, Mar. 22.

There’s a link to the survey on the Vance County Schools website, https://www.vcs.k12.nc.us/ or find the link here:

https://forms.gle/LQuo7s5TW7dzpk4a8

Vance GOP

Vance GOP Convention Mar. 22

/by

The Vance County Republican Party will hold its annual convention on Tuesday, Mar. 22.

The convention will be held in the Family Life Center of South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church, 905 American Rd., Henderson, according to information from local GOP Chairman Jimmy Barrier.

Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. and light refreshments will be available. The convention kicks off with precinct meetings at 6:30 p.m., followed by a business session at 7 p.m.

On the agenda to speak at the convention will be GOP district and state dignitaries and many candidates running for seats at the local, district and state level in the May 17 primary election.

Guests are welcome to attend the convention, Barrier said, but only county residents who were registered Republicans on or before Jan. 31, 2022 may take part in voting on convention issues.

Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market

Vance Farmers Market Advisory Board To Meet Mar. 31

/by

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market Advisory Board will meet in person at the Market on Thursday, Mar. 31 at 2 pm.

Primary agenda items will be reviewing the 2021 season and reporting on preparations for the 2022 season, according to information from Paul McKenzie with Vance County Cooperative Extension.

The meeting is open to the public. Registration is requested (but not required) as it will help us plan for sufficient spaced-out seating.

For more information or to register: 252.438.8188 or paul_mckenzie@ncsu.edu. The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is located at 210 Southpark Drive in Henderson.

Find more information on the Farmers Market at http://go.ncsu.edu/vcrfm.

Plant A Tree In Honor Of Arbor Day

/by

-story courtesy of N.C Dept. of Agriculture

Today is Arbor Day in North Carolina, a day to remember the important role trees play in the lives of the state’s human residents, but also to the many animals who need wildlife habitats to thrive.

This year marks the 150th observance of Arbor Day, which first was observed in Nebraska in 1872, according to information from the N.C. Department of Agriculture.

“Trees clean our air, filter our water and are essential to wildlife habitats, which are benefits to all of us,” said N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.

One goal identified in the recently updated North Carolina Forest Action Plan is to conserve and enhance the sustainable management of urban forests. Planting trees and responsible urban forest management at the local level including community involvement and participation in urban forestry recognition programs are critical to sustaining healthy forest resources in North Carolina.

“Planting trees is an easy way we can all contribute to the sustainable management and preservation of North Carolina’s forests for future generations,” Troxler said.

North Carolina is fortunate to have a variety of state forestry programs that protect forest resources by supporting landowners and communities with tree-planting, site preparation and forest improvement, said David Lane, state forester. Among these are cost-share programs such as the Forest Development Program and the Urban and Community Forestry grant program, both managed by the N.C. Forest Service. The NCFS Urban and Community Forestry program also oversees the application and award process for Tree City USA, Tree Campus Higher Education and Tree Line USA.

Learn more about N.C. Forest Service urban and community forestry programs and services at www.ncforestservice.gov/Urban/Urban_Forestry.htm. Learn more about the updated North Carolina Forest Action Plan at www.ncforestactionplan.com/.

 

The Local Skinny! Around Old Granville: Canadian Immigrants

/by

We’ve learned from history lessons in school about immigrants who traveled from faraway places, their worldy possessions often fitting in a small suitcase, passing by the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor to begin their new lives in America.

But did you know that there was a contingent of immigrants who came here after the end of the Civil War to what is now Vance County – all the way from…Canada?

A local man named Samuel Jones Parham got into the real estate business at a time when land prices had tanked as a result of the breakup of the huge plantations during Reconstruction.

Although Parham wasn’t single-handedly responsible for “the Canadian invasion,” Mark Pace quipped, he did go to an area in central Ontario to talk up the great land deals in the area.

“He made a connection in central Ontario,” Pace told Bill Harris on the Around Old Granville segment Thursday’s The Local Skinny! To be specific, he sold land to several families in the towns of Hamstead and St. Mary’s.

Pace said 25 families – for a total of about 400 people – relocated from Canada to Vance County between 1871 and 1873. The majority of these immigrants were first-generation Canadians whose families had come from Scotland, Pace said.

Scotland and Canada both were subjects of the British Crown back then, Pace reminded, and there was a lack of land ownership. “The motivation (to immigrate) was to own your own land,” he said.

Most of the families settled along Sandy Creek, between Vicksboro and Epsom, he said. Families with last names like Buchan, Dickie, Fox, McMillan, Pyree, Stewart and Smith were among those who came south to the United States with the dream of owning property.

“Some of their great- and great-great-grandkids are still here today,” Pace said.

Interestingly enough, there began a reverse migration of sorts back to the same area of Ontario – thanks to a crop called tobacco. Tobacco was being planted – and harvested – in that same area, and many people from here would go back to Canada to work during the growing season.

Samuel Parham died in 1880; his widow died in 1903. Although her husband was a mayor of Henderson, her name is perhaps better known because the original hospital in Henderson was named in her memory: Maria Parham.

Click Play

McGregor Hall

McGregor Hall Presents “Living with Ruthie Mae” Sunday At 2 PM

/by

Tickets are still available for Sunday afternoon’s performance at McGregor Hall of Garrett Davis’s play “Living with Ruthie Mae,” and patrons are reminded that the mask mandate has been lifted for indoor spaces.

The show had to be rescheduled from mid-January, and all tickets from that original date will be honored with the same seat selection. The show begins at 2 p.m.

“Living with Ruthie Mae” is a comedy about that one sweet family member who doesn’t know when to go home – the most recent work of the North Carolina playwright – and features Shirley Jones of The Jones Girls and American Idol finalist Scott Savol.

According to information from McGregor Hall, “per our local and state health guidelines, we are no longer requiring masks to be worn in our facility. However, we do encourage our patrons to exercise their personal judgment on what is best for the health and safety of you and your family when visiting McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center.”

Visit https://www.mcgregorhall.org/ to purchase tickets online.

Corbitt Trucks

TownTalk: Corbitt Preservation Event To Be Held On April 9

/by

When he looks at one of those old Corbitt trucks, Charles Powell sees so much more than an old vehicle that just happened to be manufactured right here in Henderson in the early part of the 20th century – he sees, in his words “magnificent pieces of equipment.”

Powell, president of the Corbitt Preservation Association, and plenty of other Corbitt Truck enthusiasts are looking forward to gathering again in a few weeks to share their love of the locally produced vehicle with others.

There will be a Spring Fling and Open House on Saturday, April 9 in the area of the Bennett H. Perry Museum, which also is home to the preservation association. This is the 20th year for the event, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine.

“You can’t just look at it as a hunk of metal,” Powell told John C. Rose on Thursday’s Town Talk. What some may see as utilitarian vehicles of a bygone era, Powell and other Corbitt truck fans see as history on wheels.

There will be some Corbitt trucks parked along Church Street in front of the museum so folks have a chance to see them up close.

The preservation association was all set to have the open house last year, but COVID-19 quashed those plans. Powell said the open house for the museum is a great way to let the community know that the museum is here for them to enjoy.

“I think everybody’s ready to get out,” Powell said. “People have been inside for so long – I think they’re really going to like these events.”

There are half a dozen or so car shows or other similar events across the state that Powell and others either drive or trailer some of the old Corbitts to, including the Got To Be NC festival in Raleigh and another at the Transportation Museum in Spencer, near Salisbury.

“It takes quite a bit to get these vehicles loaded up and hauled to a show,” Powell explained. Some of the vehicles are between 70 and 100 years old, so driving them is often out of the question.

Some of the ones who have loved and cared for the vehicles are getting older, too, he said. He’d love to attract some younger folks to become members of the preservation association. Membership dues were waived during the pandemic and Powell said anyone interested in becoming involved need do nothing more than show up at a meeting – the next one is May 15 – or come out to the spring fling and sign up.

Find the group on Facebook at Corbitt Preservation Association or at https://corbitttrucks.com/

Click Play