TownTalk 05-27-21 Memorial Day Weekend

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Host John C. Rose discusses Memorial Day Weekend travel and honoring soldiers.

For complete details and audio click play.

 

TownTalk 05-26-21 Jayden Watkins Helping Others To Reach ‘Higher Heights’

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Like most teenagers, Jayden Watkins likes to spend time on social media, watching TV and talking with other kids his age. But unlike other kids, Watkins is a preacher, a podcast host and author.

Watkins is completing 7th grade at Henderson Collegiate this year. He and Town Talk host John C. Rose spoke earlier in the week. The conversation was recorded for presentation Wednesday because Watkins is in school when the show airs.

“I love what I do and all the honor goes to God,” Watkins said. His podcast is called The Preferable Podcast, and the title comes from a song that – you guessed it – the young man wrote. The podcast launched in March 2020, “right when we hit the pandemic,” he said, adding that he wanted to create a “platform for people to come and learn how to make themselves a better person and then make a better world.”

The song is dedicated to his community, he said, and he wrote it in response to numerous negative things that were happening in the area. “I was trying to help other people, most of all, to leave the past behind them and reach the heights that God would have them reach,” he said.

“Higher Heights: The Past Is Behind Me And The Future Is Before Me is the title of the book he wrote – when he was a preteen. It contains 40 devotionals and targets young people between 13-18 years.

Watkins will have a book-signing on June 13 from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. at Tiffany’s, 110 S. Garnett St., in downtown Henderson.

Watkins said he remembered getting a little pushback from people when he was writing his book. “’What does a 9-year-old have to say?’” he said he heard from naysayers. That skepticism, which he called a roadblock, “only proves that you are doing something right,” he said. Being told he was too young to be preaching, too young to write a book, served to inspire him to persevere.

“I have a desire to encourage people,” Watkins said. The podcast is one way that he uses social media in a positive way and to provide encouragement. Along with special guests and different perspectives, the podcast includes motivational quotes to help people start their day, Watkins said.

His twin sister, Jaydah, has contributed in her own way to the podcast, Watkins said. He admits that his exposure to music popular with young people was limited, but Jaydah introduced him to hip-hop. When he listened to some of the lyrics, he could better incorporate positive messages to reach his audience.

Way back when Watkins was 9 years old, he preached his first sermon. What he called his “debut message” was given at Spring Street Missionary Baptist Church. Since then, he has preached at Nutbush and Big Ruin Creek. Watkins said he remembers his grandfather recording him as a 9-year-old so he could practice and become a better public speaker.

Yamlet Foster is Jayden’s mom. “She helps me with my ministry,” he said. “She makes sure I have what I need and that I am happy.”

He said he hopes to study political science and biblical studies in college, but he hasn’t decided which school he would like to attend.

Watkins’s book is available for purchase online at retail outlets including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Target.

Click play for Jayden’s TownTalk broadcast audio.

 

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TownTalk 05-25-21 There’s Lots Going On In Granville County – For Locals and Tourists

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From farmer’s markets and flock swaps to sports tournaments and bee extravaganzas, Angela Allen says there’s something for everyone to enjoy in Granville County.

Allen is the county’s tourism director and talked with John C. Rose Tuesday on Town Talk about a variety of upcoming events of interest to anyone looking for ways to get out and enjoy the springtime – and looser COVID-19 restrictions.

All during the pandemic, Allen said she was getting the word out about supporting local businesses. “Now, they can really get out and support them,” she said. And it’s not just local folks supporting local businesses, she said. People from outside the area “want to get on the road and explore neighboring counties – they want to get away,” Allen said. Advertising with a statewide reach has helped her help local businesses, she said.

“We’ve laid the groundwork for people to come and explore the area as we slowly but surely open back up,” Allen added.

It may be something of a new phenomenon, but in the post-COVID world “people are really starting to search in their own backyards to see what they can ‘get into’ and how they can support local businesses,” Allen said.

Click Play or Continue Reading Below.

The Creedmoor Farmers Market is open on Wednesdays from 1-5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is located at the American Legion building, 50 Legion St., Creedmoor. The Oxford Farmers Market is open on Saturday mornings 7 a.m. to noon. It is located at the corner of McClanahan and Lanier streets, near the police station.

If you’d rather go visit the farm itself, check out Lyon Farms in Creedmoor, Christmas Place Farms in Bullock or Dixon Farms outside Oxford for fresh strawberries, plentiful right now.

For a complete list of farms close by or across the state, download the Visitncfarms app, Allen said.

There are a couple of Memorial Day events – one at the Veterans Memorial at City Hall in Oxford and a wreath-laying ceremony at the Butner Gazebo at 10 a.m.

Although traditional media outlets continue to be effective ways to reach a wide audience, social media outlets have also become popular when it comes to “getting the word out” about events. Allen said she used to get information 3-6 months in advance of an event so she could promote it, “that window has gotten a lot shorter” since COVID, she said.

“As soon as I get the information, I try to put it up on website and social media,” Allen said. Sometimes, the event comes together in just a couple of weeks. “It’s a little bit ‘off trend’ now, but in the era of COVID, it can almost be on the day of the event” that people decide to attend.

Creedmoor’s new recreation center will kick off a “First Friday” event for families on June 4 at 7 p.m. The theme for the first event is “Wildlife” – a wildlife expert will show off some special animals and then have a “meet and greet” session, Allen said. There will be food trucks and other activities.

Southern States in Oxford is the site of a June 20 Flock Swap, where folks can find small farm animals, as well as other farm products like eggs, honey, plants. This event is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Granville Beekeepers will host its annual Bee Jubilee on June 26 at the Expo Center on Hwy. 15 south of Oxford. The event will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and beekeepers will share information about bees and pollinators. There will be a bevy of bee products available, as well as a kids zone and a farmers market.

Also on June 26, Dogs Deserve Better of Piedmont will host a Family Fun Fair at The Barn at Vino in Stem. There will be food trucks, live music, outdoor games and more than 40 vendors.

Learn more at visitgranvillenc.com.

(Granville Tourism and specifically visitgranvillenc.com is a sponsor of WIZS and wizs.com.  This is not a paid ad.)

TownTalk 5-24-21 Vance Co. Schools

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John C. Rose and Bill Harris discuss Vance County Schools including graduation, Dr. Anthony Jackson’s resignation and the search for a new superintendent.

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TownTalk 05-20-21 Dan Pezzoni, Historic Architecture Connects Families Then and Now Through Stories

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(Cover Photo Credit: Bill Garrett)

Dan Pezzoni says he always looks in the closets of the houses he visits – but it’s not because he’s nosey. He’s looking for clues that may help him better understand the history of the structure and shed some light about the people who once lived there.

Pezzoni writes about historical architecture and is currently working on a book about Franklin County architecture. He spoke with Bill Harris and Mark Pace Thursday on Town Talk about projects he’s worked on and how his love for historic architecture has grown over the years.

He said he’s written or edited a dozen or so books about a particular county or region’s historic architecture.

He admits that his alma mater, Virginia Tech, had a modernist focus in its school of architecture, but as a new graduate he learned that every state has a program to record historic architecture. He has worked extensively in North Carolina and Virginia, but has also spent time in Nevada for work. There are some “really cool” ghost towns and silver mines in Nevada that date back to the 1860’s, he said. “If you look really closely, they’re really well constructed buildings,” Pezzoni added.

Ghost towns and silver mines aside, Pezzoni said his work is as much about the stories of the people associated with the building as the building itself.

His work in Franklin County began in late 2019 and early 2020, following completion of an architectural survey. Although a book doesn’t always follow completion of a survey, folks in Franklin County decided to have one published.

For complete audio and full details click play.

The homes are part of the “heritage of the people who lived in Franklin County going back 200-plus years,” he said. The connection between the people who loved the home then and those who love and care for the home now provide a powerful connection to ensure the home will continue to be cherished.

Pezzoni said he finds that owners of old homes want to have that special connection – “they get excited about the history of their house, their farm,” he said.

Although editing can sound kind of dry or technical, Pezzoni said he wants to pull together information from multiple architectural surveys – from the 1970’s to as recent as 3 or 4 years ago – into one cohesive compilation, writing in the most engaging way possible.

Sometimes the surveys uncover previously unnoticed structures, he said, or the surveyors may have been influenced by local guides who were interested in a particular style or area. Plus, the maps that were used years ago were aerial maps, so “if you have an abandoned house in a pine forest, it’s not going to show up” on a map.

That’s why he always looks in closets – there may be a scrap of fabric, or a name of a child who dared carve or write his name and a date in a spot where Mama or Daddy would never see.

That’s the kind of information that Pezzoni can use to more precisely re-create the home’s history.

TownTalk 05-19-21 Pacific Organics Supplies Mulch, Potting Mixes Up and Down East Coast

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The name can be a little confusing, Bobby Oakley admits, but Pacific Organics is not based on the West Coast: it is a Henderson-based company, alive and well, creating container potting media from pine bark.

Oakley, who has been with Pacific Organics since its inception in 2004, is getting ready to retire, but he told John C. Rose Wednesday on Town Talk that the business continues to thrive, even during a pandemic.

In fact, business has really ramped up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oakley called it “the Covid effect”: “Who knew that the pandemic would dramatically increase sales?” he recounted Wednesday. “Apparently people stuck at home, a lot of them thought about putting plants in the ground,” Oakley said. He said 3,500 truckloads have been shipped up and down the East Coast this year.

Increased demand for the products that Pacific produces – premium potting mix, pine bark media bases and mulch – created a slightly stressful situation for Oakley in the past year, because it meant having to find additional raw materials and then additional transport.

Oakley said Henderson was a perfect location for the business because of its proximity to interstates for shipping and to saw mills and paper mills, which generate the pine bark that they need to create their mulch and mixes.

The pine bark, a by-product of the mill processes, serves as the key ingredient for the Pacific Organics products. They ship in bulk or in loose form – there’s no packaging at their facility, which sits on 23.5 acres on Peter Gill Road.

Oakley said he loves the nursery business and the nursery supply business. When he was contacted by one of the co-founders back in 2004, he was interested in better serving an underserved market. Plus, he said, although he had a great job at the time, he was “bored.”

“I’m Interested in exploring the next phase of my life,” Oakley said of his retirement.

All I know is I’m going to the beach a lot, and read a lot,” he said. Maybe he’ll even play a little golf again. But being bored will not be on his to-do list.

Visit www.pacific-organics.com to learn more.

For complete details and audio click play.

 

TownTalk 5-18-21 Mobile Learning Lab “Open Bus” Event May 22

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Chalis Henderson gives credit where credit is due. And Henderson credits her father for coming up with an idea that is finally coming to fruition – the Creating Success Mobile Learning Lab.

What used to be a mode of transportation to take students to and from school now brings the school to the students – it’s a former bus.

The public is invited to come check it out on Saturday, May 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Oasis of Hope Ministries, 2495 US 158 bypass in Henderson.  There will be a deejay playing music, as well as food and lawn games for the whole family to enjoy.

Henderson was Tuesday’s guest on Town Talk and told host Trey Snide how the idea for a mobile learning lab came about. She is the executive director of Turning Point Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit whose mission is to be a catalyst for development and empowerment of residents in Vance, Warren, Granville and Franklin counties.

She and her father were talking a few years ago about how they could expand the building where the church was holding its education program. Henderson said she thought of maybe hauling in a shipping container to the church, but then her father said, “Why don’t you use a bus?” That’s when the idea of a classroom on wheels began, she said.

Warren County government gave them the money to buy the bus, and over the past couple of years, that bus has been transformed.

“We want everyone to come out and witness the lab firsthand,” Henderson said. The computers are in place, and there will be a slideshow that will “paint the story of the development of the learning lab,” she said.

They ripped out the bench seats and created a flexible-space classroom equipped with laptops – a comfortable space for children and adults, Henderson said. “It’s been such a rewarding process to see it develop,” she said. “We know it’s going to be a great resource for the community.” Whether it’s children learning something new about technology, or having a session for grownups, Henderson said she anticipates that anyone who participates will leave feeling smarter and more empowered.

Turning Point CDC works to bring resources to rural communities and to bridge the gap that exists between those resources and the people who may need them.

Visit www.turningpointcdc.org to learn more.

For complete details and audio click play.

 

Cardinal Innovations Healthcare

May Is Mental Health Month; Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Links Community To Services

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TownTalk; 11am; M-F; WIZS Radio —

If you, a family member or friend is struggling with mental health issues – especially during the COVID-19 pandemic – a phone call to Cardinal Innovations Healthcare may be the first step to finding help.

May is Mental Health Month, and Thursday’s Town Talk guests discussed a variety of ways that the community can become involved in, learn about, and access services to support families that struggle with mental health challenges.

Monae Davis, member engagement specialist for the Northern Region of Cardinal Innovations Healthcare, spoke with John C. Rose Thursday about resources her organization provides.

She was joined by Diana Talley and Gladys Foster-Young, both members of the Consumer and Family Advisory Committee (CFAC), a group that advises Cardinal Innovations Healthcare regarding community and member needs.

CFAC members are volunteers who share their unique perspectives to help inform decisions and initiatives that improve the health and wellness of its members, Davis said. The Northern Region group supports Vance, Franklin, Granville, Warren and Halifax counties.

“So many people who are in need of services who may not know how to ask for services,” Talley said Thursday. “We talk to the community, we are present at community activities and functions…and are able to come back to Cardinal and say ‘these are the needs and concerns of the community,’” she added.

Foster-Young said the CFAC role is to monitor development of services, identify service gaps, especially for underserved populations, and submit recommendations to the state for ways to improve service delivery.

Both Talley and Foster Young became involved with CFAC because they have family members with mental health challenges. “We have good days and bad days,” Foster-Young said, “but when we look back at where we are now and where we have come from, it’s a miracle,” she said, of her particular family members’ situation.

Anyone over the age of 18 who either receives Cardinal services or has a family member that does is eligible to be a member of the CFAC. The time commitment is about four hours each month; meetings are virtual because of COVID-19 restrictions, but stipends and reimbursement for mileage are available when in-person meetings can resume.

The Northern Region CFAC meets at 6 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month. The next meeting is scheduled for June 8, Davis said.

The pandemic has been stressful for everyone, and Talley said it is important to be honest and recognize when it’s time to reach out for help. People may be suffering from depression as a result of unemployment because of the pandemic, she said.  “Everybody needs help from time to time,” she said. Call 252.430.1330 for information.

Cardinal Innovations Healthcare does not provide direct services to clients, Davis said; rather, it helps connect members – who receive Medicaid benefits – to the services in the community to address their needs in the areas of mental health, substance abuse disorders and intellectual developmental disabilities.

“There is help available,” Talley said. “Reach out, you don’t have to live with these diagnoses alone,” Talley said. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help.”

Visit https://www.cardinalinnovations.org/About/Committees-councils/CFAC?tab=2 to learn more about the CFAC and how to join the group.

For complete details and audio click play.

(Cardinal Innovations is an advertising client of WIZS.  This story and the embedded audio are not paid ads.  Nothing presented is intended to offer medical advice.  Please speak directly to your provider.)