Henderson Christmas Parade

The Local Skinny! Henderson Christmas Parade Is Coming

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It may be hard to believe, but the Henderson Christmas parade is less than one month away.

The parade will be held on Saturday, Dec. 2 beginning at 2 p.m., according to parade organizers. And groups that want to be in the parade have until Nov. 24 – the day after Thanksgiving – to submit an entry form.

The entry form can be found at  www.hendersonncdowntown.org.

Entries will line up on Raleigh Road near the light at Burger King, and then will proceed down Raleigh Road before turning right onto Garnett Street. The parade route continues down Garnett Street and concludes at Rose Avenue, near First United Methodist Church and Sunrise Biscuit.

The parade is sponsored by the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission and the Vance County Arts Council.

 

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The Local Skinny! Grace Ministries Plans 7th Annual Thanksgiving Meal

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The 7th annual Grace Ministries Thanksgiving meal giveaway is taking shape and organizer Bobby West said the plan is to provide 3,000 meals to folks in the community on Saturday, Nov. 18.

In addition to the Grace Ministries location at 215 Crozier St., West said there are a number of locations where individuals across Vance, Granville and Warren counties can go to pick up to-go plates, filled with pork loin, vegetables, stuffing and a dessert.

The event gets underway at 11 a.m., but there’s a lot of preparation that goes in to making that happen, West said on Monday’s The Local Skinny!

He said he expects to feed 1,000 at the Crozier Street location – folks can dine there or pick up a takeout plate.

All the other locations are takeout only, and West said they could use some volunteers to help, beginning at 8:30 on the morning of Nov. 18. “We’re going to need 2,000 plates ready to go by 11 o’clock,” he said.

It’ll probably take 100 or so volunteers that morning, West said, adding that there will be six or seven lines set up to pack all the plates. “We’ll pack them up fast, get them out the door and to the locations,” he said.

It’s their biggest outreach effort of the year, and West said he’s grateful to the churches in the area that help out each year. “We couldn’t without support of the community and other churches,” he said. “God has been so good to us…we just do it as an act of kindness – the world can use some more kindness.”

And cakes. They need cakes – 160, truth be told, West said, for each of those 3,000 plates. If you can help out, give him a call at 252.432.7124.

Monetary donations may be sent to Grace Ministries, P.O. Box 316, Henderson, NC 27536.

Following is the list of satellite locations that will have plates ready for distribution:

  • Grace Baptist Church near fairgrounds;
  • South Henderson Church of God set up last year at Rose’s on Dabney Drive;
  • Room At The Cross, 235 Booth Ave.;
  • Rushing Waters Outreach in Oxford;
  • Norlina Baptist Church, Norlina;
  • Old Aycock gym, Vicksboro Road, by New Sandy Creek Baptist Church;
  • West End Baptist Church, Dabney Drive;
  • Location across from standpipe on Andrews Avenue.

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Davis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church

TownTalk: Davis Chapel Feeding The Hungry And More

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Davis Chapel Baptist Church is hoping to help provide a hot meal as well as clothing items to anyone in the community in need. Organizers call the program “Food for the Soul, Clothes for the Cold” and Charles Turrentine Jr. was a guest on Monday’s TownTalk to provide some details.

On the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, the church is the spot where individuals can stop in between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for a respite at the soup kitchen fellowship, Turrentine said.

“We want to impact people walking down the street…to be a light to them and help them any way we can,” he said.

And beginning in the new year, he said there are plans underway to partner with local schools and churches to provide meals to children when they’re out of school for teacher workdays.

The event organizers invite individuals to help them by making donations of clothing and toiletry items for distribution during the times the soup kitchen is open.

Donations are accepted at Aycock Rec Center, Exquisite Kutz Barber Shop (beside Southern Charm on Garnett Street) and East Side Barber Shop on Vicksboro Road.

“Think about being a blessing to somebody,” Turrentine said.

Davis Chapel Baptist Church is located at 742 N. Chestnut St.

 

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U.S. DHHS Secretary Xavier Becerra Makes Stop In Henderson To Talk About Health Care In Rural Communities

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The secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, made a stop at Medical Arts Pharmacy this afternoon on behalf of his boss – President Joe Biden. Becerra was joined by, among others, Dr. Mandy Cohen, whose reminder during the COVID-19 pandemic to “Wear, Wash, Wait” became second nature for many North Carolinians. Cohen, who during COVID was secretary of the state DHHS, became the new director of the Centers for Disease Control earlier this year.

Chocky White’s pharmacy on Ruin Creek Road provided the backdrop for Becerra and others to talk about access to health care in rural communities and how Medicaid expansion in North Carolina will help to close a gap for those who need access to health care.

In brief remarks to the gathering, Becerra said independent pharmacies like Medical Arts do so much more than dispense medicine. “You’re dispensing love and care and family” to patrons who come in seeking advice and consultation, he said.

Medical Arts is among other pharmacies that participates in the billion-dollar Bridge Access Program that provides COVID-19 vaccines at no cost to people on Medicare, which falls in line with Biden’s pledge to lower prescription drug costs including a $35 cap on monthly insulin for diabetics.

Today’s stop is part of an effort to share with the American public “what we’re trying to do to let rural communities…know that they’re included,” Becerra said. He said the President wants to make sure that, in rural America, you do have access to health care.

And he praised Gov. Roy Cooper’s efforts to get Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, which Becerra said would mean an additional 600,000 on the health care rolls. He said rural communities in states that don’t have Medicaid expansion are 50 percent more likely to lose their rural hospitals.

But it’s not just access to health care, he said. In independent pharmacies like Medical Arts, pharmacists and staff treat clients with respect and dignity.

When White opened Medical Arts in 1971, he was the sole employee in a 600-square-foot space just a short distance from the present location. Now he has five full-time pharmacists, one part-time pharmacist and 27 other employees that work every day to meet the needs of clients across a six-county area.

There are two immunization areas within the pharmacy, and White said folks are welcome to just drop in and get immunized, which surely got Cohen’s attention.

Her persistence in suggesting that North Carolinians stay up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations has been elevated to the national level as CDC director. And now she wants to make sure that everyone get the updated COVID-19 vaccine, influenza and RSV.

“Right now is the right time,” Cohen said. With Thanksgiving just three weeks away, she encourages everyone to be immunized to protect yourself and others.

The Local Skinny! Pop The Hood: Repairing Dents, Dings And Scratches

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For our sponsor, Advance Auto Parts, as part of a paid radio sponsorship on WIZS.

Don’t you just hate it when you get just a little too close to the mailbox with your car and you hear “that” sound – that metal on metal sound, just as you’re lowering your window to pick up the mail?

Even the most careful drivers can probably remember a similar experience, from a drive-thru bank or fast-food restaurant, or even a runaway grocery cart that came to a stop against your car’s side panel, leaving a little dent or ding.

How hard could it be to buff out a scratch, fill a ding or pop out a dent?

The folks at Advance Auto Parts can help you decide the materials you need to tackle the project yourself.

WIZS’s John Stevenson and Bill Harris discussed some how-to’s during the Pop The Hood segment of Thursday’s The Local Skinny!

“It’s not terribly hard,” Stevenson said of doing cosmetic work on your vehicle. “It’s just time-consuming. The more time you take, the better your results are going to be.”

A shallow scratch may be able to be buffed out, for example, but a deeper scrape could require some sanding before you add body filler and then paint.

Did you know that the sticker inside your vehicle’s door jamb is the place to look to find paint codes? The friendly staff at Advance Auto can find the paint to match the code and fix you up with the other items you need to tackle the job yourself.

Armed with a few items and a little bit of patience, you’ll have your vehicle looking great in a jiffy

Until the next time you get too close to the mailbox.

The information contained in this post is not advice from Advance Auto Parts or WIZS.  Safety First!  Always seek proper help.  This is presented for its informational value on and is part of a paid advertising sponsorship.

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Raleigh Theater Critic: “Ragtime: The Musical” Is “Phenomenal!”

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You’ve got three more chances this coming weekend to treat yourself by  attending “Ragtime: The Musical,” which has gotten rave reviews from members of the local community, as well as from a Triangle-based theater critic.

Kurt Benrud called the performance “phenomenal” in a review that appeared in the Triangle Review, a weekly email newsletter that covers theater and the arts in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area.  The play is based on a 1975 book by the same name by E.L. Doctorow. The story takes place at the turn of the 20th century and weaves connections among three very different cultures and backgrounds.

He said “both the venue and McGregor Live! Series’ production of ‘Ragtime’ are first-rate and well worth attending.”

“The acting, the singing, and the choreography are all so excellent and so tightly integrated that it is nearly impossible to address them as separate aspects of the production,” Benrud wrote.

“Director Mark Hopper has skillfully plotted the entrance of the characters in the opening scene, establishing the distinct groupings as well as their interrelatedness. The opening song (and movement) by the full company — “Prologue: Ragtime” — was so well performed that it took my breath away.”

The vocalists were accompanied by a 17-piece orchestra, also conducted by Mark Hopper. There is a lot of local talent in both the orchestra pit and on stage, but McGregor Hall also is drawing talent from farther afield to perform.

Benrud noted the smooth, professional transitions from scene to scene. “The transitions, …while distinct, are smooth and seamless. The ensemble always blends beautifully with the principal cast in terms of the action, the song, and the dance.”

He said every song (and singer) was “spot-on” every time, but he singled out Kelley Keats (as Mother), Kamerin Hull (as Coalhouse), Karen-Leigh Albert (as Sarah), and Joshua Glasscock (as Tateh) for delivering “hauntingly beautiful” renditions of one or more selections.

This is Keats’ first time performing at McGregor Hall, but she has extensive experience as a stage actor. Likewise, Hull makes his debut as Coalhouse Walker, Jr. He is a student at UNC-Greensboro. Albert, who has performed at McGregor Hall before, lives in Woodbridge, VA. And Glasscock has been in numerous McGregor Hall performances during his almost 20 years of theatre work.

No doubt the actors are key to a successful performance, but the stage and scenery are an important aspect. Of the set design, Benrud said “The platform at the back of the stage makes a convincing deck of a ship at key moments, a bridge at others, and a second floor of a residence at still others. It also serves nicely to frame background silhouetted activity, as a street for a marching band, and many other functions.”

He gave kudos to scenic designer Matt Nowell and scenic artist Sarah Burns, too, noting that the “set pieces…are flown in subtly, often to and from shadowed portions of the stage, while the action is on another. Screens and banners are also used effectively.”

The costumes, which were coordinated by Sharon Hopper, were, in Benrud’s words, “amazing.”

The Friday and Saturday shows begin at 8 p.m.; the Sunday matinee begins at 2 p.m. Purchase tickets online at www.mcgregorhall.org or by calling the box office at 252.598.0662 Monday-Friday, 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center is located at 201 Breckenridge St., Henderson.

Crossroads Christian School

SportsTalk: Crossroads Wins Boys Soccer Championship

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Since Spring of 2021 Crossroads Christian School has won five state championships. The school added their fifth last Saturday as the boy’s soccer team defeated conference rivals Bradford Academy 5-1.  “It’s boy’s soccer’s first championship,” said Crossroads AD Scottie Richardson on Wednesday’s SportsTalk.  “Holden Coghill won two games his first season and now a state championship,” added Richardson.  Coghill is the head coach at Crossroads.

Crossroads also had to face another conference rival, Cape Fear, to get to the championship game. “Familiarity with those two schools makes playing them more difficult because it’s harder to keep the kids focused,” Richardson added.  Last year Crossroads lost to Cape Fear in the semi-finals and this year Richardson was determined that would not happen this season.  To keep them focused the team spent the night in Rocky Mount where the tournament was played.  The ate meals together and Richardson said he felt that helped the team stay focused.

Crossroads will lose three seniors off of a team that lost its first game of the season and then peeled off 19 straight wins.  Congratulations to the Crossroads Christian Boy’s Soccer team for winning that state championship.