Home And Garden Show

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

  • Check soil moisture before tilling soil. Tilling soil that is too moist makes clods.
  • How do we come up with recommended planting dates?
  • Check temps in greenhouses and cold frames when day time temps will be 70 degrees F Provide ventilation to prevent cooking your plants growing in these structures.
  • Which plants should be direct seeded, and which should I use transplants?
  • ID all your plantings with variety and planting date popsicle sticks and a permanent mark work well.
  • Compost your kitchen scraps. Get a countertop bin to hold scraps, then periodically empty into compost pile or bin.
  • Check garden equipment. Tillers, sprayers, weed trimmers.

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Programs For Youth At Perry Memorial Library

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If Perry Memorial Library looks more like an artist’s studio than a library this afternoon, you have Melody Peters and Alice Sallins to thank. Peters, the library’s youth services director and Sallins with the local arts council, are teaming up for the March Kids Connect program.

Kids Connect is geared toward elementary-age students, Peters said it’s fine to bring older or younger siblings. Peters has a word of warning: Kids should come dressed in “paint friendly” clothing, because there will be painting!

Today’s project involves art, and Sallins will talk to the children about art and how they can express themselves through art.

“Learning happens through play, the arts, and discovery,” Peters said on Tuesday’s bi-weekly library segment of The Local Skinny!

April’s Teen Life Hacks involves a different kind of art – poetry. But it’s poetry with a twist, Peters said. Bull City Slam Team is coming to the library on Tuesday, April 11 at 4:30 p.m. to entertain, inform and enlighten youngsters about spoken word.

“They are amazing!” Peters said. “It’s poetry, but it’s performed, it’s personal, it’s original work. It is just powerful.”

So many young people may think that poetry is boring, but Peters said the April 11 program will change their minds. “It can be lively and reflect you in a whole different way of expressing yourself,” she said. This program is geared toward tweens and teens, 6th grade and up.

And then on Thursday, April 13, students off for spring break can gather at the library from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. to get some first-hand experience with cooking and some STEM activities. Register for this activity online, Peters said. She hopes to have at least 20 participants come to the library to get some tips on cooking and proper nutrition from community partners at the N.C. Cooperative Extension.

Register for this activity here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSer-QeW_IAgx8E4Vozpx9YRYArvW-YjXxpDiDmC7blRB_oTZw/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0

Visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/ to find out about all its programs and services.

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Chamber, Rotary Join Forces To Present “State Of The Schools” 2023

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The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Henderson Rotary Club, invites you to attend “The State of Vance County Public Schools Address and Luncheon” on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 12 noon.  Dr. Cindy Bennett, VCS Superintendent, will be the keynote speaker bringing you updates, goals and accomplishments of the public school system.

“We would like to thank the Henderson Rotary Club for being the sponsor for all three of these events,” Wilkerson said. “We are happy they recognize the need to keep our businesses and citizens informed.”

This address is the 3rd local address planned by the Chamber’s Governmental and Public Affairs Committee.  Chamber President Sandra Wilkerson said it’s important to make reservations early – the two session held in 2022 sold out, she said. Call or email the Chamber to reserve your seat. Tickets are $30; or reserve a table of 8 for $240.

The event will be held at Henderson Country Club.

RSVP by calling the Chamber at 252.438.8414 or email Wilkerson at sandra@hendersonvance.org.

The Local Skinny! Pink With A Passion Cancer Walk

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The second “Pink With A Passion” cancer walk planned for Saturday, April
15 in Warren County grew out of one woman’s desire to pay it forward. And Amena Wilson wants to see all the colors of cancer represented. This year’s theme, in fact, is “Fight cancer in all colors,” Wilson told John C. Rose during Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!.

“We are celebrating all types of cancer survivors,” Wilson said. “It’s going to be a day with great meaning,” she added, filled with music, testimonies and encouragement for anyone whose lives have been touched by cancer.

Wilson is president of the nonprofit group, which she founded after a 2017 breast cancer diagnosis – thus, the color in the organization’s name.
Wilson said she hopes there will be all colors associated with particular cancers present for the event, which will be held at the Warren County Rec Complex from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

It’s going to be “a day of celebration for patients, survivors, caregivers,” Wilson said. There will be food trucks and vendors, as well as music and other entertainment throughout the day.

Walkers are encouraged to wear whatever color represents the cancer that has affected them or loved ones they’ve cared for. “It’s going to be a day with great meaning,” she said.

This event is NOT a fundraiser, Wilson emphasized; rather, it’s just a small way to show support and encouragement to cancer patients and to survivors.

And it’s not just for Warren County residents – “we welcome anybody, near and far…we would love to have you,” Wilson said.

Wilson can be contacted at 252.213.5735 to learn more.

Here are some common cancers and their colors:

Lung cancer: white
Brain cancer: grey
Breast cancer: pink
Liver cancer: emerald green
Lymphoma: lime green
Prostate cancer: light blue
Stomach cancer: periwinkle blue
Bone cancer: yellow
Leukemia: orange
Skin: black
Colon: dark blue

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Home And Garden Show

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

  • Keep your Garden notebook or app up to date. Ex planting dates, fertilizer schedule
  • Make plans to visit a public garden this spring to get inspiration and ideas for your own landscape.
  • Purchase a good soil thermometer.
  • If you direct seed crops in your vegetable garden, monitor soil daily to ensure the seed bed has adequate moisture.
  • Order Honeybees ASAP for pollination.
  • If you have plans to do some landscaping this spring, don’t wait to plant trees and shrubs.
  • Check garden equipment. Tillers, sprayers, weed trimmers.

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The Local Skinny! The Importance of Rabies Vaccines for Pets

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Did you know that state law requires pet owners to have their pets vaccinated against rabies?

The statute states that all owned cats, dogs and ferrets must be vaccinated for rabies. It’s important to keep all vaccinations up-to-date, but especially rabies, said veterinarian Alex Besermenji with Franklin Animal Hospital.

Besermenji spoke with Bill Harris Tuesday during the recurring Pets and People segment of The Local Skinny!

“Rabies is a viral disease,” Besermenji explained, most commonly seen in wildlife like raccoons, coyotes, foxes and bats. Unvaccinated pets that are bitten by rabid animals face a bleak outcome. The disease is incurable, he said.

“Once the virus enters the nerve system, it works all the way up to the brain. There is no cure.”

Although rabies isn’t often seen in cats, Besermenji said the feral cat population may be more at risk than our domesticated tabbies and torties.

The fact of the matter is, any mammal may contract rabies. And prevention with a one-year or three-year vaccine given at the vet’s office or at clinics offered regularly be local animal shelters is what keeps all our furry friends safe.

Franklin Animal Hospital is located at 501 W. Mason St. in Franklinton, just off U.S. 1.

 

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The Local Skinny! The Viking Experience

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The Vikings are coming, the Vikings are coming – back. For the second annual Viking Experience, that is, to be held Mar. 25 and 26 at The Barn at Vino in Stem.

Hanna Reid, co-owner of the company that is part history lesson, part entertainment and part immersive experience, spoke with Bill Harris on Monday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

Last year’s event was such a success, they’ve upped their game for this year, Reid said.

“We were packed out last year,” she said of the interest and attendance. “We didn’t quite expect to grow out of the Expo Center in just one year.”

But folks came from as far away as Ohio and from all up and down the East Coast to attend the two-day event. And so far this year, things are shaping up for another successful event.

Activities begin at 10 a.m. each day; Saturday’s program ends at 6 p.m., with a dinner theater at 6:30 p.m. Activities end at 5 p.m. on Sunday. Day passes are available ($18 for Saturday and $15 for Sunday), or you can choose a $30 weekend pass. There are several add-on tickets available that get you into extra activities like “the fairy experience,” escape room and fight pits, Reid explained.

And of course, there will be vendors everywhere, selling craft items, as well as local food and drinks.

There will be music, education classes, dancing, and a family friendly theatrical day court program for everyone to enjoy. She said her mom (the other co-owner) counted up and close to 500 people, from performers and vendors to volunteers and support crew, will join forces to put the weekend events together.

“It’s a really humbling thing to see how many people make this event,” Reid said.

A cast of at least 30 will be present over the course of the weekend to act out a storyline that has Queen Hanna the Red (Reid) confront another warlord who fancies conquering the Queen’s land.

With one foot in the history and the other in fantasy and entertainment, The Viking Experience is sure to delight.

Visit www.thevikingexperiencenc.com to purchase tickets online and avoid the lines that weekend.

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S-Line Rail Corridor

The Local Skinny! Latest On S Line Rail Service

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Plans for the proposed S-Line are chugging along, and Vance County commissioners got an encouraging update from NC DOT officials at their meeting earlier this week.

If all goes the way it’s supposed to, Henderson and Norlina will be stops along a yet-to-be completed passenger rail line that will connect the Washington, D.C. and the Northeast Corridor rail system all the way to Florida.

Julie White, deputy secretary for multi-modal transportation with DOT, joined Rail Division Director Jason Orthner and Ryan Brumfield, DOT’s integrated mobility division director at Monday’s meeting.

“We continue to see support of the corridor and interest from the U.S. DOT to invest,” Orthner stated.

This stretch of rail line that includes seven stops from Sanford to Norlina in North Carolina, is expected to serve up to 25 million passengers when it’s completed, sometime close to 2030. It will connect Raleigh and Richmond, VA.

Grant funding provided $950,000 for conduct studies for each of the proposed stops in Henderson and Norlina. There were multiple listening sessions in each area to gather community input and explain the project over the course of the past year or so.

The two local stops proposed in this stretch of the S-Line project are among seven, with others being Sanford, Apex, Wake Forest, Youngsville and Franklinton.

Ridership in North Carolina has increased steadily over the past five years, with the exception of 2020 when COVID-19 was in full force. In 2022, more than a half million people hopped on a train to get from Point A to Point B, according to information the trio shared with commissioners.

People are leaning into rail for transportation needs, Orthner noted. A fifth train is being added to serve the Raleigh to Charlotte market and this year roundtrip service between the two major urban areas is scheduled to begin.

The impact on the local economy could be big, and local leaders have been involved in discussions about potential station, or hub, sites in recent months as plans continue to progress.

This project has been in process since the early 1990’s and the corridor rail was acquired from CSX in 2020. Since then, there have been lots of studies and grant awards to keep the whole thing “on track,” no pun intended.

Brumfield said the community interest in creating the rail service has added to the success of the project. The creation of “mobility hubs” involves much more that a building where people wait to board a train, he said. It’s an activity center of transportation and a meeting space where energy ripples out into the wider community, positively affecting quality of life and accessibility and making communities more vibrant.

Commissioners asked questions, from length of time to get from Raleigh to Richmond (2 -2.5 hours) to what type of train traffic Henderson could expect to see along its portion of the rail line (continued freight service and faster passenger service).

Right now, CSX runs trains about 25 mph in the area, but high-speed service means that passenger trains could reach between 80 and 110 mph on northbound and southbound runs.

This project is one of 10 that the NC DOT Rail Division has across the state.

In their presentation to commissioners, the DOT team noted that this construction project will result in one of the most technologically advanced railroads in the Southeast, providing:

-110 mph passenger railroad

-91 new grade separations

-concrete ties

-high speed switches

-high level platforms

-freight bypass tracks

-positive train control and

-advanced signal systems

 

Once the Raleigh to Richmond link is completed, it will connect North Carolina and points farther South to Washington, DC and points up the Northeast Corridor, where rail service is a critical transportation component for commuters and other travelers.

Benefits to our region include:

  • Direct connection between urban centers by as many as 25 million passengers by 2040
  • Additional capacity and over and hour in travel time saved between NC and VA
  • Backbone of regional multi-modal connectivity including commuter rail, transit and active transportation
  • Critical to further expanding the NC passenger rail system
  • Provides freight network resiliency
  • Environmental benefits
  • Expands service to disadvantaged and underserved regions

WHAT’S NEXT:

  • Prepare and submit grant applications. There’s a grant funding match provided by the State Transportation Improvement Plan would combine local funding with state and federal grants. Application due April 21.
  • Develop and implement the first phase of the S-Line will be Raleigh to Wake Forest
  • There’s $4.5 billion available from 2022 FRA (a federal-state partnership)
  • Grant funding for ROW, final design and constructions.

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Home And Garden Show

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

  • Select Plants that grow well in zone 7
  • Cut back ornamental grasses, liriope and mondograss.
  • Remember PPE when doing your garden chores.eye protection, gloves, hearing protection
  • Try to get evergreen shrub pruning done soon, if any need it.
  • Honey bees are swarming now if you see a swarm contact Cooperative Extension
  • Buy a grow light to improve success with indoor seed starting.
  • Check for mice in greenhouses and storage areas.
  • Add some native flowering plants to your landscape (perennials, shrubs, small trees).

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Upcoming Events At Perry Memorial Library

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When Melody Peters joined the staff of Perry Memorial Library back in July 2022, she was faced with the challenge of drawing teens back through the library doors. Story times are great for little ones, and older patrons were clamoring to return after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but teenagers?

What’s a youth services director to do?

So, she created a “Life Hack” series and a “Survival Skills” series.

If you’re just hearing this now at 5 p.m., you’ve still got a little time to race down to the library on Breckenridge St. to participate in a resume building session. NC Works and Vance-Granville Community College reps are on hand until about 6 p.m. to help understand the importance of resumes, and to walk through mock interviews.

The Survival Skills continues next week with a shirt-making session. Last time, the group – which Peters said included 6 guys and 4 girls – made themselves mittens out of fleece.

“I’m hoping that same group comes back – and brings some friends,” she told Bill Harris during Tuesday’s recurring library update on The Local Skinny!

Participants can either make a tank top or bring in a favorite shirt that may need some mending.

If the mitten-making workshop is any indication, the shirt workshop will be a success. “They seemed to be really enjoying the task,” Peters said of the mitten exercise.

“When you see it complete, you can feel proud of yourself,” she said.

Other upcoming events at the library geared for youth in the community include:

Saturday, Mar. 11

11 a.m. to 12 noon – FAFSA info session. Parents, bring your high school students who may be ready to complete the FAFSA document, an online document that colleges and universities use to determine financial aid eligibility.

“It can be overwhelming,” Peters said, “but you can do it.”

Tuesday, Mar. 21

4:30 p.m. Kids Connect

Local artist and Vance County Arts Council member Alice Clark will do art activities with the kids.

 

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