VCS to Hold District-Wide Family Engagement Night at Vance Co. Middle School

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-Information courtesy Vance County Schools

The Vance County Schools Family Resource Center will host a District-Wide Family Engagement Night at Vance County Middle School on Thursday, February 27, 2020, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided and childcare will be available for those age 12 and under.

Two sessions will be offered: “EOG & EOC Prep/Reducing Test Stress” and “Dealing With Peer Pressure/Bullying Uncovered.”

Don’t miss the special performance by VCS students.

Vance County Middle School is located at 293 Warrenton Road in Henderson.

News 02/26/20

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West End Baptist

Mayor Ellington Provides City Updates to West End Community Watch Group

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-Notes courtesy Claire Catherwood, West End Community Watch

The speaker for the most recent West End Community Watch held on February 18 was Mayor Eddie Ellington. The mayor is currently serving his second term of office. Ellington’s family has lived in Henderson for four generations. In addition to serving as mayor, Ellington works for Charles Boyd Chevrolet in public relations.

Mayor Ellington was pleased to announce that the police department is now fully staffed. Further, the city is in a good financial state, with a balance of $44 million dollars. This figure is 43% over the mandated requirement for city governments. No increases in taxes have been imposed in recent years, nor are they expected.

The City now has a new manager, Edward Blackmon. Blackmon replaced recently retired manager Frank Frazier. The City and County are working well together.

The Economic Development Commission has mobilized a delegation of people who organize tours for prospective industries. Tommy Hester plays a large role in hosting these events.

There have been many economic projects in recent months. Mentioned were – The M.R. Williams expansion, the Vescom expansion, Mako Labs, Maria Parham’s cardiac unit expansion, Life Flight’s helicopter pad addition at Maria Parham, improvements to the living quarters in the oldest firehouse in the state, the building of the outdoor pavilion in downtown Henderson, Sadie’s Coffee Corner, Biscuitville, Popeyes and Starbucks.

Mako was given a half-million dollars in incentives and has hired 200 employees. Maria Parham’s expansion added 25 new jobs. Sadie’s plans to soon add wine and cheese to its offerings. Henderson is close to being accepted for the NC Main Street Program.

Four hundred houses and businesses have been demolished. Included in the list were Howard Johnson’s Hotel and Mazatlán Mexican Restaurant and the adjacent hotel.

A $400 million dollar grant has been awarded towards the upgrade of the Kerr Lake Regional Water Plant. Water from Kerr Lake is being sold to Oxford.

In recent years, there had been six Henderson murders in a short span of time. At that time, Henderson had a severe shortage of police officers. A call to the Governor resulted in the mobilization of the SBI and Federal agents in Henderson. They remain active in Henderson.

As a result of state and federal involvement, area police salaries were studied. It was found that Henderson was not paying the equivalent of neighboring communities. Police salaries have not yet caught up, but improvements are being made.

Ellington commented that it is easy to criticize and complain about everything. Those present were encouraged to use what they heard at this meeting to help change the dialogue. A lot of good is going on in Henderson!

VGCC Logo

VGCC Offering Free Entrepreneurship Training Retreat

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center, in partnership with the Economic Development Commissions and Chambers of Commerce of Franklin, Granville, Vance & Warren counties, is offering a FREE all-day entrepreneurship training retreat entitled “Fostering An Entrepreneurial Mindset: The Entrepreneur in Us All” on Thursday, March 12, 2020.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Granville County Expo Center located at 4185 US-15 in Oxford.

 This session features the well-known Ice House Entrepreneurship Training program based on the book “Who Owns the Ice House? Eight Life Lessons From An Unlikely Entrepreneur.” Inspired by the life story of Pulitzer nominee Clifton Taulbert and the life-changing influence of an unlikely entrepreneur, the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program is an experiential, problem-based learning program that immerses attendees in experiences that develop entrepreneurial skills and mindsets.  They will learn to:

  • Identify and Evaluate Opportunities That Others Overlook
  • Embrace an Entrepreneurial Mindset as a Life-Skill
  • Identify and Overcome Self-Limiting Beliefs
  • Take Imperfect Action to Test an Idea
  • Map Out an Opportunity Canvas and Share It
  • Interact With Local Entrepreneurs and Business Counselors

Local successful entrepreneurs will speak to the group during the lunch break to share some things about their personal stories and local chamber and economic development directors will be on hand to observe and talk with attendees as well.

Morning coffee, snacks and lunch will be provided and each participant will receive a copy of the “Who Owns the Ice House” book. To register, go to https://www.vgcc.edu/coned/small-business-center/#schedules and click on the class title.

This project received support through a grant from NC IDEA.

Town Talk 02/25/20

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Aycock Rec. Center to Offer Spring Water Aerobics

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-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Program Superintendent, Aycock Recreation Center

The Aycock Recreation Center will offer spring water aerobics classes for both swimmers and non-swimmers from April 1 through June 30, 2020. Classes will not be held on April 10 or May 25.

Classes will combine low and high impact exercises with a focus on strength building, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility and having fun!

Classes will be offered Monday – Wednesday – Friday from 10:30 – 11:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.; Tuesday – Thursday from 7:15 to 8 p.m.

The cost is $1 for members and $2 for non-members.

Contact:

Lauren Newlin, Aquatics Program Supervisor

lnewlin@ci.henderson.nc.us ~ (252) 438-3160

News 02/25/20

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Town Talk 02/24/20: Jarvis Discusses Focus 20/20 Economic Takeaways

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Listen live to WIZS Town Talk on 100.1 FM/1450 AM at 11 a.m. all this week as Dennis Jarvis, director of the Henderson-Vance Economic Development Commission (Mon); Eddie Ellington, mayor of Henderson (Tues); Michele Burgess, president of the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce and Diane Cox, executive director of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments (Wed); and Pam Hester, director of Vance County Tourism (Thurs), discuss the local economy and last week’s regional economic development summit.

Dennis Jarvis, director of the Henderson-Vance Economic Development Commission, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Monday at 11 a.m.

The first in this week’s Town Talk series featuring community leaders, Jarvis addressed last Thursday’s Focus 20/20, the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments’ Economic Development Summit held at the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in downtown Henderson.

Despite the predicted snowy weather, Jarvis estimated over 300 attended the summit, including representatives from the Chamber of Commerce and the local governments of Vance, Granville, Franklin, Warren and Person counties.

“We had good participation regionally and great participation locally in the 27536 and 27537 zip codes,” said Jarvis.

Keynote speaker for the event was Doug Griffiths, author of the bestselling book, “13 Ways to Kill Your Community.” Griffiths works with communities across the US and Canada to identify and overcome challenges that prohibit sustainability and economic growth.

Among the takeaways from the event, Jarvis said Henderson and Vance County will need to respond proactively to a national decline in its three largest economic sectors: manufacturing, agriculture and healthcare. “There is a precipitous drop on the national and state level for these three sectors. We have to be cognizant moving forward of how we parlay this 10 years from now versus today.”

Jarvis said despite that challenge, both the service and retail sectors in Vance County have rebounded significantly in recent years as evidenced by the opening of Biscuitville, Sadie’s Coffee Corner, Planet Fitness, Aldi and Badcock Home Furniture, among others.

Starbucks, Harbor Freight Tools and Popeyes are also in the works for Henderson, with Popeyes and Harbor Freight slated for the old Henderson Mall location on Dabney Drive, according to Jarvis.

To hear the interview with Jarvis in its entirety, including more on the local economy and takeaways from the Focus 20/20 summit, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

The Kingsmen & The Perrys to Perform Gospel Hits at McGregor Hall

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-Information courtesy McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center

The Kingsmen and The Perrys, two gospel music greats, will be performing at McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 20, 2020, at 7 p.m.

For more than half a century, no group has secured such a far-reaching legacy as The Kingsmen. Through the late 1970s and 1980s, they recorded hit after hit, including “Old Ship of Zion,” “Beautiful Home,” and “Saints Will Rise.” In 1981, “Excuses” became The Kingsmen’s biggest hit of the era, steady at number one for 18 months, making it the longest-running number-one song in Southern Gospel Music History.

If you have ever seen The Perrys in concert, you have undoubtedly sensed the power and conviction with which they sing. From the high-octane, hand-clapping hit, “I Wish I Could Have Been There,” to the anointed anthem, “If You Know Him,” the Dove Award-winning group has been delivering soul-stirring performances across North America for nearly five decades.

Tickets for this event may be purchased by:

DROP-IN: 201 Breckenridge Street, Henderson, N.C. Monday – Friday 1:30 – 5:30 p.m

CALL: (252) 598-0662 (M-F 1:30 – 5:30 p.m.)

CLICK HERE: www.McGregorHall.org  (Use the eTix official site, online fees apply)

(This is not a paid advertisement)

Liberty Christian Church Announces All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Supper

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-Information courtesy Liberty Christian Church

Liberty Christian Church, Hwy 39 South in Epsom, will hold an All-You-Can-Eat Pancake & Sausage Supper on Thursday, March 12, 2020.

The cost is $8 and the meal will be served from 5 until 8 p.m.

The public is invited to attend.