The Local Skinny! Camping, Hiking And More At Kerr Lake

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Bill Stanley says if you just want to throw a line in the water at Kerr Lake, Satterwhite Point and Nutbush are pretty good spots to head to. Now, if you’re headed out in a boat for a day of fishing, there are really too many good spots to count.

Stanley, superintendent of the Kerr Lake State Recreation Area, said that no matter what you choose to do lakeside – camping, fishing, hiking – there are plenty of opportunities awaiting. He spoke with Bill Harris on The Local Skinny!

The COVID-19 pandemic created a ripple effect among camping enthusiasts, which has resulted in a higher volume of campground reservations.

“It seemed like everybody got a camper and wanted to be outside” during the pandemic. As a result, “the campgrounds are staying a little fuller…it’s harder and harder to get a campsite during the week” and especially on weekends.

Reservations are made online through ReserveAmerica Inc.at

https://www.reserveamerica.com/

J.C. Cooper and Hibernia are probably the two most popular for campers. Cooper is located near Satterwhite Point, but Hibernia has more sandy beaches and upgraded campsites, he said.

Stanley said he expects there will be more building projects and upgrades begun in the near future – better campsites and renovated bath houses – that will give Kerr Lake campgrounds “a little facelift in the next few years.”

Maintenance crews manage the “to-do” list – from facilities upkeep to building new trails in different areas. The overall feel of the lake is a little slower pace than other lakes that either have more developed shorelines or are closer to big cities.

There’s a half-mile or so of new ADA-accessible paved trail, as well as hiking trails at Hibernia and J.C. Cooper that campers and locals alike enjoy

“It’s not as busy as Falls or Jordan or any of the other lakes closer to Raleigh,” Stanley said. “Things are not right on top of you (here)…we’re still a little bit of a hidden gem.”

He credits the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the quieter atmosphere. “The Corps has done a good job of protecting the shoreline as best they can,” he said. Fewer homes lakeside makes for quieter surroundings.

Things ramp up, however, when there’s a fishing tournament on the lake. Stanley said there already have been four so far this year, and summer will bring more fishers in search of striped bass and catfish, not to mention prize money and bragging rights.

However you enjoy fishing – whether from shore or in a boat, Stanley reminds everyone they need to make sure they pack one essential item in their tackle box: a current fishing license.

 

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The Local Skinny! Granville License Plate Agency To Open

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The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles will open a new license plate agency on April 11 in Granville County. That’s the good news – but wait, there’s more!

The agency will be located at 120 Roxboro Rd. in Oxford, which is the same location as the previous office, according to information from NC Department of Transportation spokesperson John Brockwell.

Linda Jordon is the new owner/operator. The office will be open from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, except on state holidays.

Granville County residents have been without a license plate agency since November 2022.

The NCDMV oversees the 127 license plate agencies across the state, but the offices are actually run and managed by private businesses or local governments.

In addition to license plate renewals, the local agencies offer vehicle registration services and title transactions, replacement tags, handicap placards and duplicate registrations.

Services including property tax payments and registration renewals can also be completed online at www.MyNCDMV.gov.

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The Local Skinny! Reflecting On The Chamber Banquet

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Commentary: There is more going on in this speech than just the business portion that’s on the surface.  And while it’s about business and was offered in a business setting and in a business context and does in and of itself have deeper business significance than just what is on the service, is this message not also about life itself?  Should each person everywhere not hear it?  Listen in and decide for yourself.

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2023 Chamber board chair Bert Long, of HG Reynolds, spoke at the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce annual membership meeting and banquet on Thursday, March 30, 2023 and said each chamber year has a theme. He spent some time pondering to help come up with this year’s theme, naming 2023 “A Year of Collaboration.”

The idea is to propel the business community forward, work together or cooperate.

Long said, “In the current environment, working together can go a long way. We need conflict, but hear me out. We need healthy conflict. We must have conversation and spend time to understand each other, and we can’t learn and grow without it.”

“How,” he asked. “It starts by listening. Sometimes business leadership is looked to for answers, but there also needs to be respect. Once we listen, we must respond in a respectful manner. The tone is important.”

Rather than saying “Yes, but…” Long said, “What if we could say ‘yes and.’”

That could make a difference because as Long noted, everyone has a unique perspective but may need to put themselves in the other person’s shoes because that person has also had defining experiences and perspective as well.

We must work at it, he said, and celebrate the success of others.

Long concluded, “Take some time to connect. Explore how you can collaborate. It could be with someone in this very room.”

The Local Skinny! Home And Garden Show 04-05-23

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • Refrain from tilling soil if it is too wet.
  • Too late for broadleaf weed control in lawns.
  • Central piedmont Planting Guide is available from Cooperative Extension
  • Strawberry planting
  • When purchasing transplants look for dark green color, no signs of disease, plants not pot bound.
  • Buy a new pair of chem resistant gloves
  • Add compost to garden and raised beds
  • Plant for pollinators. Aim to have blooming flowers all season long

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Upcoming At Perry Memorial Library

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Although geared for middle and high school audiences, Perry Memorial Library Youth Services Director Melody Peters said the Bull City Slam Team program on April 11 is a community program to which all are welcome.

If she were to call it a poetry reading, Peters knew she may be met with yawns of disinterest. It IS poetry, but it’s so much more, as she explained on the regular library segment on The Local Skinny!

“It’s an evening of spoken word,” Peters said, adding that she likens it more to a live performance than a recitation. “Really, it’s a form of storytelling.”

“It’s interactive, original work, (and) it’s powerful because it’s coming from a place that really matters” to the artist.

Bull City Slam Team practices their art regularly and programs like the one at the library help them be polished and ready to win the competitions they enter.

Students in grades 6-12 have another opportunity at the library to participate in a Spring Break Nutrition Camp. Cooperative Extension agents will work with campers to create healthy recipes from recipe to the plate. “It’s going to be a busy, hands-on” day, Peters said, adding that she hopes future camps can be held over the course of several days.

On April 18, the Survival Skills class continues and participants will be creating their own stuffed animal – a furry frog, Peters said. This program begins at 4:30 p.m.

An after-hours statewide Star Party is scheduled for Saturday, April 22 at Kerr Lake’s Satterwhite Point Community Building.

This program begins at 7:45 p.m. and concludes at 9:30 p.m. Participants will get to use telescopes to check out the night sky, far away from the light pollution created by urban, commercial areas. There will be lots of activities to learn more about astronomy.

No need to register, Peters said, just come on out to 269 Glass House Road and enjoy the fun.

This activity is in partnership with the Kerr Lake State Recreation Area and the Morehead Planetarium in Chapel Hill.

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The Local Skinny! Upcoming Events In Granville County

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Granville Tourism Director Angela Allen has a heap of activities lined up for spring all across the county, from barbecue competitions to gardening expos. Find one – or more – that suit your interests.

Jimbo’s Backyard BBQ Competition takes place Saturday, April 8 at The Barn at Vino in Stem. General admission is $10. There will be all different types of activities taking place during the competition for visitors to enjoy, including live music, food trucks and a multitude of vendors. Allen spoke with Bill Harris on The Local Skinny! to spotlight a few of the events taking place.

Here’s a snapshot of upcoming events:

Saturday, April 22 – the 2nd annual Gardeners Expo, sponsored by The Granville Gardeners. More than 1,200 people attended last year’s free event, and Allen said this year’s event could be even bigger. Visit www.thegranvillegardeners.org to learn more. The event will be held at the Granville County Expo and Convention Center, Highway 15, Oxford from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Thursday, April 27 – Alive After Five kicks off the 2023 season with the Konnection Band in downtown Oxford from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Head on down to Littlejohn Street and enjoy the first of three concerts sponsored by the Granville County Chamber of Commerce.

Saturday, April 29 – Oxford Main Street Arts & Wine Festival, downtown Oxford from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. This free event will feature live demonstrations by a number of artists, as well as food vendors and activities for the kids. Tickets for the wine-tasting are available for purchase at The Hub on Main. Visit their Facebook page to learn how.

Saturday, April 29 – Central Highland Games, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Central Children’s Home, Oxford. It’s all things Scottish throughout the day, as kilted athletes demonstrate just a few of the unique Highland games. There will be bagpipe bands, Highland dance demonstrations and food vendors. The cost is $20 for parking, with all proceeds going to the children’s home. And for a $10 donation, you can try your hand at some of the games yourself.

Check out www.visitgranvillenc.com for a complete schedule of events.

 

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Home And Garden Show

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • Tall fescue care (broadleaf weeds, crabgrass, fertility, mowing)
  • Vegetable gardening planting and preps
  • Planting shrubs correctly
  • Strawberry planting
  • Pesticide safety tips

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The Local Skinny! “Paws For Granville” At The Barn At Vino

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There’s still a sliver of time left to purchase a ticket for the upcoming fundraiser event sponsored by the Humane Society of Granville County. “Paws for Granville” takes place Saturday, April 1 from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $35, but Humane Society President Anne Crews said there’s little time to waste.

“Ticket sales have been brisk,” Crews said on Tuesday’s Pets and People segment of The Local Skinny! If you’d like to purchase a ticket, find Humane Society of Granville County on Facebook before Wednesday, Mar. 29.

The dinner and silent auction event at the Barn at Vino I Stem is the group’s major fundraiser, and the proceeds are split between the Humane Society and the Granville Animal Shelter, both of which use the money to spay and neuter dogs and cats.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun,” Crews said. This year’s selection of silent auction items includes a yearlong pass to any N.C. state park, jewelry from Diamonds Direct, Durham Bulls tickets and a VIP 4-pack to see ‘Six’ at DPAC, just to name a few.

The Humane Society partners with the shelter to help provide services, including spay/neuter programs for low-income pet owners and support of several feral cat colonies across the county.

Cats can have several litters of about kittens a year, Crews explained, so trapping and returning feral cats helps to reduce the cat population. “Before you know it you’ve gone from two feral cats to 40 in one year. We believe in getting in there and spay and neuter” the cats, remove those who are candidates for adoption. A small snip made in the neutered cat’s ear indicates that the animal is “feral but sterile,” she said.

 

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YMCA

The Local Skinny! West End Community Watch Hears Latest YMCA Plans

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Paul Ross, director of the Henderson Family YMCA, spoke to the West End Community Watch and shared expansion plans for what is shaping up to be a bright future for the Ruin Creek Road facility.

Henderson is the smallest city in the state to have a full-service YMCA, Ross told the group at the monthly meeting. The Y now owns 10 acres, having purchased the former county-owned Department of Social Services building, thanks to a generous $1 million donation from Dr. Khanh Vu and wife Elmira Choopani.

Plans are underway to create a “new and improved Y,” which include enlarging the walking track and playing field and building a new swimming pool.

Ross said the old DSS building will be torn down, but when the work is completed, the Y will either have a new or an updated Wellness Building. Ross said the plan is to be able to remain open during all the construction.

About 4,000 members currently enjoy all the programs and benefits the Y offers, but Ross said he projects that number will double once the new Y is finished.

The Y offers a wide variety of activities and classes, including diabetes prevention,drowning prevention for every second-grader in the county, pickle ball, lap swimming, water aerobics and other water activities, Silver Sneakers’ classes, child care, after-school program, a summer youth program as well as access to exercise equipment.
Want to learn more about membership in the Henderson Family YMCA? Simply stop in and discuss different options, including a variety of financial plans. Or visit the website, https://www.hendersonymca.org/

Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon is scheduled to speak at the April 18 meeting of West End Community Watch. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall of West End Baptist Church.

 

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The Local Skinny: The Importance Of Colorectal Screening

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Join a team of health professionals later this month for an educational “lunch and learn” to boost awareness about colorectal cancer.

Maria Parham Health invites the community to a lunchtime event next week to discuss the importance of getting screened for colorectal cancer, held in conjunction with National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

MPH Cancer Center Director Kimberly Smith and hospital social worker Hope Breedlove say the Lunch and Learn event on Tuesday, Mar. 28 will provide information in an informal setting.

Register to attend at https://www.mariaparham.com/events and then just show up at 12:30 for the hourlong program, which will be held in the classroom on the lower level of the hospital. Participants can either enter through the main hospital entrance or come through the cancer center entrance on the lower level. Call 252.438.1605 to learn more.

The program is a time “to sit down and talk about colorectal cancer,” Smith said. “What it looks like, how we prevent it, how we treat it if we need to.”

According to The American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States, excluding skin cancers. The cancer society estimates that in 2023, there will be 106,970 new cases of colon cancer, and 46,050 new cases of rectal cancer.

Breedlove said she is looking forward to sharing information about updated information about colonoscopies. “I’m really excited to be having this lunch and learn to get information out about screening guidelines,” she said. Early detection is key to successful outcomes with colorectal cancer, among so many other types of cancer.

A panel of Maria Parham health care providers will discuss the importance of early detection. The panelists include:

  • Ashley Traversa, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, RN, a Duke Cancer Network nurse practitioner specializing in neuro-oncology;
  • Colleen Truax, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, a family nurse practitioner specializing in gastrointestinal disorders;
  • Crystal Kaplan, MSN, RN, AGACNP is a Duke Cancer Network nurse practitioner specializing in hematology/oncology.

Contact Maria Parham Health at 800.424.DOCS or visit MariaParham.com to schedule your colonoscopy today. For more information about colorectal cancer, visit https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon.

 

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