TownTalk: Blackmon And Ellington Attend Chamber Business Meeting

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It’s a well-used analogy, but one appropriate for the situation that Henderson and the surrounding community finds itself in, according to City Manager Terrell Blackmon: The seeds for growth and improvement have been planted, and now the area is beginning to see those seeds sprout. But some onlookers may not be convinced until the flowers bloom.

Blackmon was a guest on Monday’s Town Talk with John C. Rose and he said he was among a group of local city and business leaders to come together to late last week to discuss ways to cultivate and nurture those tender sprouts as they continue to grow.

“They’ve been in progress,” he said. “It just doesn’t happen immediately…you have to plant seeds and allow them to grow.”

Blackmon used the analogy to describe the various projects that the city is a part of, as well as the 4-point strategic plan endorsed by the City Council at its 2022 planning retreat.

The meeting was one way for business leaders to hear about progress being made to make Henderson and the surrounding area more inviting – from its physical appearance to attract new residents, to the regional water expansion necessary to provide the infrastructure needed to attract new industry.

They gathered at Clearview Church in Henderson and speakers included Mayor Eddie Ellington, Ronald Bennett, president of the local Chamber of Commerce, Greg Etheridge, president of the local Rotary Club, Tony Mills with Henderson Police Department and Brian Boyd, who acted as facilitator for the meeting, which lasted about an hour.

“I was sitting in a room with a group of people that have a vested interest in this community,” Blackmon said of the gathering, a follow-up action from the recent letter presented to the City Council from concerned business about the negative image of the city.

That letter, Blackmon said, underscored some concerns that the city already was in process of addressing, but it also served to heighten expectations and showed that the business community was interested in improvements that were being done around the city.

Blackmon provided an update on progress being made in the council’s four priorities of its strategic plan – improving the image of the city, recruitment and retention of employees, safe, affordable housing and revitalization and redevelopment.

“They see that the city is growing and they want to make sure we’re doing it in a way that improves the overall appearance of the community,” Blackmon said of those who attended the meeting.

Projects like the regional water expansion and housing codes are just a couple of current projects. “Those things don’t sound real sexy, but the provide the infrastructure for the growth that we’re about to see happen in the community,” Blackmon said.

In his remarks to the group, Mayor Ellington said he is most interested in his hometown being the best it can be.

“I’m happy to see this traction and momentum,” Ellington said in a follow-up interview with WIZS News on Monday. “The only way to get better is to address them,” he said of concerns from the community, “admit it, and hit them head-on.”

Ellington said one concern he has is code enforcement in housing. The city council’s recent adoption of revised minimum housing code will surely help in a couple of areas of the city’s strategic plan priorities.

Ellington said staff shortages across city departments – from police officers to street maintenance crews – makes a tough situation even more difficult.

Code enforcement is not an easy job, but Ellington said it’s a key component in making progress. “That’s what’s so desperately needed,” he said, adding that he advocates beefing up the code enforcement staff to be able to adequately address violations across the city.

Blackmon said he is pleased to see that business leaders seem to be more interested in what’s happening in the city and are attending council meetings. “I’m very appreciative of seeing involvement” at council meetings.

“It shows me that they care about this community,” Blackmon added.

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City of Henderson Logo

The Local Skinny! Ellington, City Leaders Assess Needs During Ride-Around

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A contingent of city officials completed a ride-around through a couple of the city’s wards to view for themselves some of the concerns that residents have with the state of some properties in their neighborhoods.

Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington told John C. Rose on Monday’s segment of The Local Skinny! that he was among those who hopped in cars and cruised some of the city’s streets in Wards 3 and 4. Code enforcement, he said, must be “at the forefront of our mission.”

Ride-arounds are just one way for city officials to get firsthand accounts of how properties are being maintained – or not maintained, as the case may be.

“I’ve been through these wards myself,” Ellington said, “to see what people are faced with. Just to see it firsthand, we’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said.

The mayor recalled a recent chat he had with a resident, who invited him off her porch to take a short walk.

“We walked down the street and around the corner,” he said, and what he saw was not good.

“A lot of it was gut-wrenching and disappointing,” he said of pockets of neighborhoods that are not maintained properly.

Some folks have beautiful yards and porches, yet “two houses down, they’re falling in, cars in the yard, abandoned.” City residents don’t deserve that kind of inattention, he said.

Others who participated in the ride-around included City Manager Terrell Blackmon, Police Chief Marcus Barrow, Recreation and Parks Director Kendrick Vann and City Attorney Rix Edwards.

The next ride-around will cover Wards 1 and 2, he said. It’s a good way for the city’s residents to be assured that their concerns are being heard and addressed.

“I just want the residents to keep the faith. We’re moving and we’re looking forward to a bright future,” Ellington said.

 

 

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Vote Daily To Keep Two Local Products In Running For “Coolest Thing Made In NC” Contest

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Two Vance County businesses are in the running for a statewide honor, and voting is now underway to choose the “Coolest Thing Made in NC” by the N.C. Chamber of Commerce.

Now it’s up to the community to vote via email to make sure the local businesses get to the next round.

Henderson-Vance Chamber President Michele Burgess told WIZS Thursday that not one, but two local products have been nominated and she said it’s a “really BIG deal.”

For the past few years, the NC Chamber has held a statewide contest, she said.

“Two of our Henderson companies were named!  Way to go, Country Snacks Mfg. for your pork skins product and MARS Petcare for your Nutro Dog Food!” Burgess said in an email statement to WIZS.

Burgess said she nominated the County Snacks pork skins because Carolina Country Snacks recently was named the Chamber’s Small Business of the Year. “And then to see that MARS was also selected is just icing on the cake,” Burgess noted. “Both are worthy products for sure.”

Visit coolestthingmadeinnc.com , search for the two products, and vote!  “The 10 semifinalists will be announced on Thursday, Sept. 8, and that doesn’t give us much time to take action,” Burgess said. A total of 80 products are in the first round, but Burgess is encouraging the community to vote for the two Vance County products to keep them in the running for the ultimate award.

The field of candidates narrows with each round of voting, and the winning product will be revealed on Thursday, Oct. 6, the day before National Manufacturing (MFG) Day. October is Manufacturing Month, and MFG Day, organized nationally by the NAM and The Manufacturing Institute, highlights the rewarding career opportunities of modern manufacturing.

A couple of details about the voting process:

 

  • A voter may vote once per day per valid email address.
  • Use valid email addresses; invalid addressed will be expunged from vote totals.
  • Nominated products will advance through multiple rounds of voting, with the products receiving the highest votes in each round moving to subsequent rounds.
  • Vote totals will be reset at the beginning of each round.
  • Paid advertising to promote a product is not allowed. (Don’t think I didn’t consider this before reading the rules!) If a nominee is found to have used paid advertising to promote their product in the contest, they will be disqualified.  Nominated companies are encouraged to utilize social media, press, and other channels to promote their product in the contest, but they may also take a hands-off approach if they choose.

Attention, Farm Families! Apply For A Chance To Be Featured During 2022 N.C. State Fair

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– Information courtesy of N.C. State Press Office

 

Has your farm family got what it takes to be one of the 11 families recognized this year at the N.C. State Fair as a Farm Family of the Day?

If you are proud to be an N.C. farmer, work hard to contribute to the state’s No. 1 industry and love both farming and the N.C. State Fair, you could be one of the lucky ones selected.

The “Farm Family of the Day” program, sponsored by Tractor Supply Company, is returning for its second year to recognize and celebrate more of our state’s rich agricultural heritage and the farm families that are behind our $92.9 billion agriculture and agribusiness industry.

Applications can be found at https://ncstatefair.org/2022/Attractions/FarmFamilyOfTheDay.htm The deadline to apply is Sept. 16.

“The State Fair’s earliest beginnings sought to elevate the understanding of new agricultural practices and technology. Helping people make the connection between farming and the food they enjoy is one of our top missions at the NCDA&CS each year,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.

“Thanks to Tractor Supply Company, this program can help tell the story of and celebrate our farm families. Farmers are out there every day working to grow the food, fiber and fuel that we need to survive.”

Families recognized as Farm Family of the Day honorees will be awarded an N.C. State Fair gift basket including fair tickets to use on any day of their choice during the 2022 N.C. State Fair, ride passes and additional swag from Tractor Supply Company and the N.C. State Fair. Families will be chosen by both nomination and application.

The 2022 N.C. State Fair is set for Oct. 13-23 at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. The fair offers an experience unique to North Carolina for all who attend, and is an unparalleled value with free entertainment, thrilling rides and games, thousands of animals, endless family activities, competitions, vendors and creative deep-fried delights. For more information, visit https://www.ncstatefair.org/2022/index.htm.

NCDOT

Volunteers Needed For NC DOT Fall Litter Sweep

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The N.C. Department of Transportation is looking for volunteers for the Adopt-A-Highway Fall Litter Sweep, which runs Sept. 10 – 24.

Each April and September, the department calls on volunteers to help remove litter from roadsides. Volunteers from local businesses, schools, non-profits, churches and community groups play an important role in keeping North Carolina’s roads clean.

“The Litter Sweep is a great opportunity to get outdoors with family and friends and work alongside NCDOT to ensure North Carolina remains a beautiful place to live and work.” says David Harris, a state DOT roadside environmental engineer.

Volunteers can request gloves, safety vests and bags from their local county maintenance office to prepare for the cleanup event. DOT maintenance crews devote one week of their time to pick up litter and collect the orange bags that dot roadsides after volunteers have finished their work.

Cleanup supplies, such as reversible orange/blue trash bags, gloves and orange safety vests, are available from the local NCDOT county maintenance yard office.
​The following link contains contact information for each county’s local litter management coordinator.
Visit the Litter Sweep webpage for more information.

LEAP Grants Totaling $20K Awarded During Tuesday Teacher Convocation

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Information courtesy of Aarika Sandlin, VCS Director of Communication & Marketing

The Vance County Public School Foundation (VCPSF) awarded eleven Vance County School teachers with Learning that Extends Actual Performance (LEAP) mini-grants at the 2022-23 convocation on Aug. 23 at McGregor Hall. A total of $20,000 was awarded, made possible through the VCPSF and a $10,000 donation from MAKO Medical.

The LEAP mini-grants provide financial resources and support to teachers so they can enrich classroom learning experiences. The funded projects reflect the pillars of the Vance County Schools’ strategic plan – equity & inclusion, high performance culture, innovation and experiential learning.

Following is a list of this year’s LEAP grant recipients, their schools and the winning projects;

  • Frank Brown, Vance County High School – Communicator Headsets for Public Safety Course: Communicator headsets will expand the 9-1-1 telecommunicator program to help train students for the workforce
  • Lillian King, Carver Elementary – Amplifying Student Voices: A school-wide project that is intended to promote student participation in classrooms with tossable, ball-shaped microphones called Q-balls.
  • Milton Lima, STEM Early High – Cymatics in Action: Students will build and engage with cymatic experiences using Tesla coils, oscilloscopes, speakers, wiring and cymatic plates, that will encourage class discussion and enhance hands-on classroom experiences.
  • Claudel Richards, Dabney Elementary – Math Reads with Flexibility: Standing desks and flexible seating will be provided to make reading more accessible for all students. Math storybooks and resource books will assist teachers with implementing strategies that cater to the needs of all learners.
  • Debbie McCune, Carver Elementary – Science Fun for Everyone: Second grade students will participate in In-School Science Field Trips with interactive, educational and fun science activities.
  • Loricia Martin, E.O. Young Elementary – Learning at All Levels: Sensory rugs, ottomans, and counter-height stools will be used to foster comfortable learning at all levels during instructional blocks.
  • Ginger Glover, Vance Virtual Village Academy – Dream Believers: Dream Believers are a group of elementary students who create projects that will inspire creativity and imagination. These projects will be donated to various organizations within the Henderson/Vance community.
  • Cynthia Nnameka, Vance Virtual Village Academy – Lab Days with Lab Kits: Sixth to eighth grade students will participate in critical thinking and hands-on experiences that correspond with NC Essential Standards.
  • Amber Baker, Ebony Watkins and Alexandra White, E.M. Rollins STEAM Elementary – LaserSTEAM: LaserSTEAM encourages hands-on experience for students that will engage students in reading, learning and writing.

Following its initial $10,000 donation in April 202w to fund the LEAP grants, MAKO Medical issued a challenge to the community to double the difference, making a commitment to match every donation, totaling up to $10,000. VCPSF reached the milestone in July, receiving over $10,000 in community donations since May. MAKO presented the additional $10,000 from the MAKO match at the VCS Convocation, which was attended by all Vance County Schools staff, members of the Vance County School Board of Education, the Vance County Public School Foundation, MAKO representatives Clever Prince and Mikey the Shark, as well as representatives from area businesses.

Learn more about the VCPSF at vcs.k12.nc.us and follow them on Facebook @The Vance County Public School Foundation.

Vance Charter Cheerleaders Close To Goal For A Spot In Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

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The Vance Charter School cheerleaders are in the home stretch of their fundraising efforts that will result in performing in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City – they are just $12,000 shy of making their goal.

Head Coach Stacey Long said the group needed to raise about $30,000 for the trip, which would pay for the students but not the chaperones.

“It’s going great,” Long told WIZS News. “We are down to the last $12K – we would love to wrap this fundraising up. She had said they needed to have all the money in by Sept. 1, which is one week away.

The group got the invitation in early May, and Long said to her knowledge, they’re the only cheerleading group in the area ever selected to march in the parade, known for its giant balloons, festive floats and marching bands. The girls will march along the 2.5 mile parade route, then stop and perform at Herald Square in front of Macy’s flagship store.

The cheerleaders have fanned out across Henderson and Oxford, visiting businesses and delivering informational flyers in hopes of drumming up additional donations.

“The girls are pretty excited,” she said. “They are sacrificing not having the holiday with their immediate family,” but an invitation to appear in the parade may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Long said she and assistant coach Shelley Whitehead have worked diligently alongside the cheerleaders to bring the fundraiser to the community’s attention.

If you can help, phone Long at 919.691.3279 or send a message via the

Vance Charter Cheer Leading Facebook page.

The best way to make a financial donation is to send a check to the school:

 

Vance Charter School

Attn: Coach Stacey Long

2090 Ross Mill Rd.

Henderson, NC 27537

Perry Memorial Library

Perry Library Bookmobile Fundraiser Off And Running

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Longtime residents of Henderson and Vance County may remember seeing the old bookmobile parked under the shade of a tree alongside the old H. Leslie Perry Library. The paint was a faded blue, but the sight of that vehicle out in the county meant that if the readers couldn’t get to the books, then the books could get to the readers.

The Perry Memorial Library staff is resurrecting that concept and recently announced that it got a $100,000 grant to get a sleek, new bookmobile on the roads of Vance County once more.

The price tag for a new bookmobile, however, is $160,000. A fundraiser is going on now to make up the difference and so far, citizens, business owners and non-profits have stepped up to provide $31,000.

The base of the bookmobile is a 22-foot Morgan Olson Step Van, and the vehicle will be equipped to meet the needs of the people who will use it – all types of technology will be on board to allow for books to be checked in and out, for use of the computers located inside and new library patrons can have their library cards printed on site. There also will be a lift to accommodate handicapped patrons.

Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce President Michele Burgess said her group’s education division is focusing on ways to improve the county’s literacy rate, and it fully supports the library’s efforts to get a bookmobile on the road to serve the community. She noted that nearby counties have multiple branches to serve patrons and other counties already have bookmobiles to serve outlying areas, but Vance County has only the one library in Henderson.
“Having a Vance County bookmobile to travel up to Townsville, out to the Middleburg area, and over to Kittrell is going to provide a tremendous service,” Burgess said.

To learn more about how to make a donation to the bookmobile project, visit the Perry Memorial Library website at:  www.perrylibrary.org.  Or mail your check to:  Perry Library Bookmobile Fund, 205 Breckenridge St., Henderson, NC 27536.

If you have questions, contact Christy Bondy, assistant librarian at 252.438.3316 or email cbondy@perrylibrary.org.

 

Business owners can make tax-deductible donations at the following sponsorship levels:

  • Platinum – $5,000+ – your name and company logo will appear on the back of the bookmobile
  • Gold – $2,500 – 4,999 – your name/business name will be listed on the back of the bookmobile
  • Silver – $500 – $2,499 – your name/business name will be acknowledged inside the bookmobile as a silver donor
  • Bronze – $250 – $500 – your name/business name will be acknowledged inside the bookmobile as a bronze donor
  • Supporter $1 – $249 – your name/business name will appear on the library’s website as a bookmobile supporter.

 

TownTalk: Brick Power Team Event Benefits Local Church

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Think you’ve got what it takes to compete at The Brick?

If you have to ask what The Brick is, you may want to be a spectator rather than a competitor – The Brick is where The Brick Power Team gets its name and it is the site of an upcoming bench press contest.

Harry Orr, a member of the weightlifting team, said the Oct. 15 event will benefit Freedom Life Church of God, located right next door to The Brick on Martin Creek Road in Henderson.

It’s a tangible way to say thank you for the support the church has provided The Brick Power Team, Orr told John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk.  (Click to Play Audio – TownTalk: Brick Power Team Event Benefits Local Church)

“We’re trying to give a little bit back to our church for helping us and supporting us through these events,” he said. “We’re like a ministry outreach from the church – we’ll find somebody with some kind of need” and then host a fundraiser bench press event.

“Every little bit helps,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s a lot we can give…we enjoy doing it – and use weightlifting to make it happen.”

A recent recipient was the local American Legion, he said. Adult competitors pay $40 to register and teens pay $30, but Orr said they’re not sticklers on strict rules and regulations – Orr said he’s grateful to sponsors for their help in defraying the cost of things like food and trophies for the first- and second-place finishers in the various categories.

Competitors can weigh in between 8:30 and 11 on the morning of the competition, which should begin around noon. Previous events have pulled competitors from Wake Forest, Raleigh, Greensboro, Greenville and Roxboro, and Orr said he hopes that folks will turn out in October to participate or to cheer the competitors on.

“We go by weight classes and age,” Orr said, in determining the different categories for the competition. There are classes for teens, and men’s and women’s master classes, as well as open classes determined by weight.

There’s been a 75-year-old winner and a 10-year-old winner, he said. The youngster weighed about 100 pounds and he benched more than 100 pounds.  “We’ve got some real tough competitors in this sport,” he added.

For Orr, it’s a time to do what he enjoys doing – he’s been lifting for more than 30 years, he said. “It’s a great event to put on – we have a good time doing it.”

And the competitors probably get a little charge out of flexing their muscle in front of  others. “Everybody likes to show off a little bit,” Orr said.

Orr may fit that description as well, when he’s in a competition. But he was a bit more subdued as he shared an accolade that will be bestowed on him and some others from Vance County in just a couple of weeks at Aycock Rec Center: Orr will be inducted into the N.C. Power Lift Hall of Fame on Saturday, Sept. 10.

In 2011, Orr was ranked #1 in the 55-59 class of the American Challenge. It’s a lot of hard work on his part to train and practice, but he gives the credit to God.

“God’s been good to us, giving us the ability to do it,” he said.

Call Orr at 252.432.4196 or email him at horr2553@yahoo.com

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