6th Annual Small Business Summit – October 24th

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The summit is designed to help you make the holidays pay off for your business.

“I am pleased to announce that the Small Business Center at Vance-Granville Community College will host its 6th Annual Small Business Summit next Tuesday, October 24 from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Lake Gaston Lions Club. This year’s theme is Making the Holidays Pay Off,” said Tanya Weary, director of the Small Business Center at Vance-Granville Community College.

Registration includes a free lunch and discussions on the following topics:

  • Shop Local – Buy Local – Invest Local to Gain More Business for You and Your Area
  • Holiday Event Planning for the Small Business Owner
  • Take Photos Like a Pro to Get More Business with Your Social Media
  • Get Social! Grow Your Business!

To register and for more information including a map, click here, https://www.ncsbc.net/workshop.aspx?ekey=530370043.

Weary told WIZS News in her email, “Event brought to you in partnership with VGCC’s SBC, CenturyLink, Chamber of Commerce of Warren County, the Warren County Economic Development Commission, and the Lake Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center.”

Community Partners of Hope

Major Plans and Funding for CPOH

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— by Susan Rose and John C. Rose

Collaboration, Partnership and Funding Increases Community Partners of Hope Ability to Share The Dream

Community Partners of Hope, operator of the local men’s homeless shelter, met Thursday night at First Presbyterian Church, and the meeting was described by organizers as a “Celebration of Partnership.”

A generous grant has been awarded from Triangle North Healthcare Foundation.  Brenda Gant, a former instructor at Vance Granville Community College, was introduced as the grant writer to begin the community partnership health initiative.

Joel Rice, CPOH board member and housing specialist with Cardinal Innovations Healthcare, said there will be a team of four employees who will rotate to be at the homeless shelter full time.  Rice has provided invaluable guidance over the years, and he said volunteers and meals will still be needed.

More community partners were announced in this health initiative, as this is about more than giving someone a place to sleep for a night.

Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow and Brian Short, the director of Henderson-Vance Emergency Services, will be helping shelter residents get necessary identification so the men can seek treatment.  Actual ID cards are needed so the men can get help.

Dr. James Kenney, of Beckford Medical Center, will be helping with primary care including things like screening for blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.

George Daye, Raemac Transportation, is going to provide transportation to/from health services.

Kaine Riggan, Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission director, has plans to help the shelter find a permanent home.

Mrs. Jeanne Harrison and Ann Grant, with Alliance Rehabilitative Care, will be helping with substance abuse screening and treatment.

Lisa Harrison and Shauna Guthrie with the Granville-Vance Health Department with be helping with patient support and education among other things.

Krystal Harris with the Vance County Department of Social Services will be helping the men to connect to other healthcare services or alternatives.

Lori Giang, CEO/Executive Director, and Nicole Banahene, Director of Partner Relations, with NC MedAssist are going to help with prescription and over the counter medications needed for treatment.

Dr. Ron Cava is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Community Partners of Hope.  Cava is the Senior Minister at The First Baptist Church.  He conducted the meeting and emphasized there would be no homeless shelter without the First Presbyterian Church.  The Presbyterian Church has provided the space needed for the homeless men’s shelter each year it has operated.

The Triangle North Healthcare Foundation mission is to encourage, support and invest in quality efforts that measurably improve health in the Triangle North region.  Val Short is the Foundation Executive Director.  Carolyn Powell is Program Specialist.  Dr. Roddy Drake is Chairman of the Board.

The CPOH health initiative project is to provide basic health screening, treatment and support for homeless men, with a focus on reducing morbidity due to substance abuse, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes or prostate disease.

CPOH Foundation Partners include:

Triangle North Healthcare Foundation (tnhfoundation.org)

United Way of Vance County (unitedwayvance.org)

NC Community Foundation (nccommunityfoundation.org)

The Frances Abbot Burton Powers Fund

CPOH can be found online at https://sites.google.com/site/cpohope1/home

CPOH is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hopepartners

News 10/20/17

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@SVHS_Athletics at Warren County and @GCHS_PANTHERS @NorthernVanceFB

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Vance County Friday Night Football coverage on WIZS this week will feature Southern Vance at Warren County and Northern Vance hosting Granville Central. Join us on air and online for the live play by play. 1450 AM on your radio dial and wizs.com on your phone, tablet and smart TV. Airtime is 6:45 for a 7 o’clock kickoff.  You can also use the Tunein Radio App.

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Scouting Report — Southern Vance at Warren County — Friday 10/20/2017

Going into tonight’s games, Roanoke Rapids, Southern Vance and Warren County are jostling each other for third place in the Northern Carolina Conference (South Granville and Bunn are both 5-0 NCC).  All three teams are 4-2 in the league, but Roanoke Rapids has an edge with a 7-2 overall record and a win over Warren, while Warren has a 6-3 overall record, and Southern Vance is 5-4 after winning 4 of their last 5 games, including a surprising but decisive 44-27 victory over Roanoke Rapids.  Tonight’s meeting between Southern Vance and Warren County could sort out that group, since a win for the Raiders would put them in front of both of the other teams by way of head-to-head wins.  A win for the Eagles, on the other hand, would severely damage Southern’s chances for a playoff spot, since the Raiders would drop to 5-5 overall.   Roanoke Rapids is idle this week, getting ready for its own showdown with Warren County next Friday.

The teams are evenly matched, at least on paper:  Warren County scores an average of 29 points per game, and allows 25.  Southern has gotten better every week, and now averages 30 points scoring per game, while allowing 28 points.   These stats suggest that both teams have trouble on defense.  Both teams are also prone to mistakes, and penalties and turnovers nearly cost the Eagles an upset loss to Webb last week, when Webb forced an overtime with a late field goal, and the Eagles had to win it with a 3-point kick of their own.  Warren will not have to worry about offsetting field goals tonight, since Southern Vance has no kicker, even for extra points.  This has not been much of a handicap for the Raiders so far – their only close loss, a 34-30 disappointment to Bunn, would not have been helped by a kicker.  Against Warren, however, with the teams so close on paper, three points may well decide the outcome.

Much is riding on tonight’s game for both teams, and the determining factor could well be who scores the most in the first quarter, and how effective each pass defense can be.  Raiders QB Elijah Stewart has only thrown 2 interceptions this season, but Warren’s secondary has 10 picks, with Cornell Hendrick has accounted for an amazing 8 of those himself.  Eagles QB Cornelius Davis has been picked off 8 times this season, but the Raiders have been a easier to pass against, with only one takeaway.

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Scouting Report — Granville Central at Northern Vance — Friday, October 20, 2017

One and seven Northern Vance had an open week to regroup from a 54-7 thrashing from Bunn, and to find its way back to the winning ways that began on September 29 with the Vikings’ first victory of the season, a 17-14 squeaker over 1A conference member Louisburg.   Tonight and next Friday the Vikings have  the opportunity for back-to-back wins over 1A Granville Central and 2A Webb, which would improve their record to 3-7, and give them some momentum going into their season finale – the Optimist Bowl against Southern Vance (currently 5-4, 4-2).  Northern Vance is grouped with Webb, Louisburg and Granville Central at the bottom of the Northern Carolina Conference, all at least 3 games back of Warren County, which currently sits right in the middle of the pack.  All four teams suffer from similar deficits – low scoring an soft defenses – but Northern and Granville Central both have one conference win, and tonight’s match up will move one of those teams one game above that bottom level, at least for a week.

On paper, Granville Central has a slim advantage over the Vikings.  The Panthers from Stem are 3-5 overall, and won their two nonconference games (a 7-6 thriller over 2A Bartlett Yancey and a 33-8 morale booster over regional 1A doormat KIPP Pride). But GC was rudely introduced to its new 2A conference mates with a 46-0 loss to Roanoke Rapids in their conference opener.  The Panthers showed spunk in their 50-19 loss to Southern Vance (in the Raiders highest scoring game of the season), and took a 38-7 licking from Warren County.  Then, however, after a 28-0 nonconference loss to North Duplin, the Panthers defeated cross-county rivals J. F. Webb 20-14 and held Bunn to 17 points, although they were unable to score themselves.  Granville Central averages just under 11 points per game on offense, and allows over 25 points.  Northern Vance has scored 8 per game and has allowed opponents 31 per game.  The Vikings should therefore hope that tonight’s game will be a low-scoring affair, like their 17-14 win over Louisburg, while the Panthers will be looking for a game like their 20-14 win over Webb.  The final outcome could therefore be decided by a field goal or a two point conversion.

CLEAN UP OF LOCAL CEMETERY

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We have been asked to announce:

A group of volunteers is needed on Saturday, October 21 from 9-5 to clean up a local family cemetery that is in desperate need of repair. The cemetery is over 100 years old and includes graves with the following surnames of our earliest settlers: Ayscue, Joseph, Kittrell, Lufsey, May, Pentergrass, Roberson, Robertson, and Robinson. The cemetery is located on Hwy NC-39 S at the crossroads of Southerland Mill Road and Cross Creek Road. For more information, please call Joyce Duke at 252-438-8861.

News 10/19/17

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Show Shine Shag & Dine 2017

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Show Shine Shag & Dine 2017 — click for more

East Coast Drag Time Hall of Fame and Reunion — click for more

It’s a world-class car show, Drag Times Hall of Fame reunion and weekend full of fun, and it’s all happening right here in downtown Henderson with an anticipated economic impact in Vance County of about $2 million.

Nancy Wilson, director of Vance County Tourism, appeared on WIZS’s TownTalk this week, and you can hear the audio here.

This week and weekend roughly 35,000 people will come from all over the United States and parts of Canada to participate in and see the 16th annual Show Shine Shag and Dine in downtown Henderson.

Wilson said, “They love our little town.  They never have negative things to say about our area, and they come back year after year, so they must like it.  They enjoy coming here, and they have great things to say about the restaurants and the staff that waits on them, and we do not get any negative feedback.  It’s amazing.”

These types of events can also become the face of a town like Henderson.  During the TownTalk episode today, Wilson said she had and demonstrated an effort to work with our new Vance County Economic Development director and the new director of the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission.

As a part of the Saturday morning and afternoon event downtown, the Corbitt Preservation Association will have its annual display of Corbitt Trucks at the corner of Montgomery and Williams Streets.

There are also other events during the weekend on Friday and Sunday.  Be sure to check out www.kerrlake-nc.com for a full list.

For the weekend’s event schedule, click here for a downloadable, printable PDF.

Two New Restaurants Open Downtown Saturday

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— courtesy Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission

Downtown Carves Path As A Culinary Destination

Two new local eateries will open in downtown Henderson Saturday, bolstered by fascade and start-up incentives from the Downtown Development Commission. Factoring in long-time landmark George’s, the three downtown restaurants will boast an impressive resume chocked with big-name culinary influence.

Cherie Pittman, owner and Executive Chef at Next Door Bistro, has spent the last decade with Greensboro cafeteria chain Food Express. She joined them right out of culinary school as a manager and worked her way through the corporate ranks to become district manager, then head corporate chef – opening new locations and developing menus.

“I’ll incorporate the lessons I learned in those ten years with my passion for healthier comfort foods,” shared Chef Pittman. She and her husband Daniel have recently lost a collective 100 pounds on the Keto diet, a low-carb health regimen using the method of Ketosis.

Photo by Kaine Riggan, pictured (l to r) are Chef Ali Onsoy of George’s, Chef Llew Sutton of Uncle Llew’s and Chef Cherie Pittman of Next Door Bistro.

Just around the corner on Montgomery Street, Llew Sutton brings expertise from several of the Triangle’s top franchises to his Italian eatery called Uncle Llew’s Restaurant. In addition to Mellow Mushroom and Raleigh Beer Garden, Llew spent six years opening new locations for Ruckus in Cary, Apex and Morrisville. He also worked with renowned regional entrepreneur Bobby Goodnight as Executive Chef for Sass.

“We will offer flatbread pizzas, pastas, salads and sandwiches, in the beginning, but hope to extend our pizza offerings with the addition of a wood-fired pizza oven,” admits Sutton, whose wife Nikki will manage the front of house operations.

“The DDC uses USDA funds to extend very low-interest loans to promising entrepreneurs investing in the downtown business district,” shares Kaine Riggan, downtown’s Development Director. “We believe our community will support the strong insurgence of culinary talent we’re seeing and the DDC is committed to nurturing that growth.”

Riggan plans to help Sutton with the purchase of the pizza oven and is leading a collaborative marketing effort for the three restaurants as well, starting with a photo shoot for the three chefs at downtown’s Daniel Hendley Studios in early November.

The third Chef became Executive Chef and partner at George’s of Henderson last Fall. Ali Onsoy worked as a chef at George’s Oxford location since 2007 prior to the Henderson move. Interestingly, he also served as a chef in the Turkish military before coming to the United States. Onsoy’s Turkish influences can be spotted in George’s menu specials and in the restaurant’s décor.

The three restaurants will be open Saturday in conjunction with the 16th Annual Show, Shine, Shag & Dine, downtown’s largest event, hosted by Nancy Wilson and Vance County’s Tourism and Development Authority.

Getting There:
Uncle Llew’s Restaurant – 130 W. Montgomery Street
Next Door Bistro – 219 S. Garnett Street
George’s Restaurant – 210 N. Garnett St.

News 10/18/17

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World War II Aircraft at RDU Airport

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— courtesy NCDOT

(https://www.ncdot.gov/aviation/ and https://apps.ncdot.gov/newsreleases/details.aspx?r=14365)

RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation and the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority are proud to host the Collings Foundation’s Wings of Freedom Tour, giving people in the Triangle a one-of-a-kind chance to see living aviation history.

The tour features four living WWII aircraft – a B-17 Flying Fortress, a Consolidated B-24 Liberator, a B-25 Mitchell bomber and a P-51 Mustang – as well as educational displays and activities from NCDOT, RDU International Airport, the USO, the N.C. Museum of History, the National D-Day Memorial, Civil Air Patrol, SAS’ Data On The Fly STEM project, Wings of Carolina, and more.

This is a rare opportunity to visit, explore and learn more about these unique pieces of aviation history. Visitors are invited to explore the aircraft inside and out, with tickets costing $15 for adults and $5 for children under 12. Veterans of the Second World War will be admitted for free. General admission tickets are available only at the event, not online or by phone. Visitors may also experience the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take a 30-minute flight aboard these rare aircraft.

The aircraft will be open to the public at the following times, with the reserved flights taking place before and after the public openings:

Thursday, Oct. 19: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 20: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 21: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 22: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Visitors should arrive at the airport via the Lumley Road entrance, to avoid creating traffic back-ups in the arrival and departure areas of RDU. Signage will be in place to guide motorists to Lumley Road via I-540. Parking for attendees is at RDU Park & Ride Lot 2 (near the observation deck), with handicap parking next to the event entrance. A shuttle bus will take attendees from the parking lot to the entrance.

For more information, or to reserve a flight in one of the aircraft, please call the Collings Foundation at 800-568-8924 or visit collingsfoundation.org.

***NCDOT***

Click Here For Parking Map