Corbitt Trucks

TownTalk: Corbitt Trucks Roll Into Henderson On Saturday

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The Corbitt trucks are rolling in to town this weekend for the annual car show – not as many as rolled out of town during the vehicle maker’s heyday, but that’s ok with Ken Stegall.

He is one of the locals who helps keep the memory of the Corbitt truck alive and well, and he said if the weather’s nice, there could be a dozen or more vehicles on display during the Show, Shine, Shag and Dine event in downtown Henderson Saturday.

Take the 1926 fire truck, for example. It’s one of only six that the Corbitt Preservation Society knows about that rolled off the line here in Henderson. It originally was sold to a Washington, D.C. area hospital for the insane, Stegall said on Tuesday’s TownTalk.

“When we found it, it was in really bad shape,” he said. Untold hours of loving restoration went into giving it new life. “We’re going to have it there Saturday,” Stegall said.

He said he hopes the oldest running Corbitt vehicle will be on display, too. It’s locally owned, he said. There should be some farm tractors on display as well.

Not sure whether the big 6 by 6 military truck will make it, but Stegall said that’s the one that put Corbitt on the map.
The one that John Richard Hedgepeth has restored “is probably as good or better today than when it came out of the factory,” Stegall said. “That military truck is immaculate.” Corbitt in Henderson spit out 3,400 during 1939 and 1945. There were others that manufactured the vehicle, he noted, but they all used the Corbitt design.

Stegall welcomes any and all interested in volunteering with the museum or in other ways to join the preservation effort. Membership fees have been discontinued in favor of donations, he said, to encourage more people to join the likes of founders Charles Powell and the late Mac Renn to celebrate the Corbitt Trucking Co.

Before it was producing vehicles with gas-powered engines, Corbitt was producing horse-drawn buggies.

“They were making as many as 250 buggies a month” in Henderson, Stegall said. But finding one of those buggies has proven to be a challenge.

“Something we are desperately looking for is a Corbitt buggy,” he said. “That’s the thing we made the most of in this county,” he said.

Surely there’s a buggy out there somewhere with that iconic Corbitt tag under the chassis.

 

 

The Local Skinny! Oakwood Cemetery To Host ‘Sip And Stroll With Souls’

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The second annual “Sip and Stroll With Souls” in Louisburg’s historic Oakwood Cemetery promises to shed some light on some of the dearly departed who find their eternal rest there.

Dorothy Cooper is one of the event organizers, and she told WIZS’s Bill Harris on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny! that the Oct. 29 tour is shaping up to be another success.

There’s an online registration on the Louisburg Historic District’s website, Cooper said. Find the link here: https://www.louisburghistoricdistrict.com/ and click on Events/Tickets.

A $10 donation per person helps the group with its ongoing efforts to clean, restore and repair gravestones in the cemetery, one of two owned by the Town of Louisburg.

From 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., participants will have the opportunity to visit a dozen or so different gravesites, with docents on hand to provide some history on the person buried there.

In some cases, the docent is a relative of the deceased; expect to see some docents in period dress and others with family portraits on display.

“We had a really great time last year,” Cooper said, adding that a good number of participants were from outside Franklin County. She said it’s always interesting to uncover new family connections and learn more about distant relatives.

“Some people are find out about family that they didn’t know before,” she said.

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Cooperative Extension With Paul McKenzie: What Works in the Garden

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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VGCC Logo

Online 911 Telecommunicator Program A New Option For VGCC Students

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Information courtesy of VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel

 

Vance-Granville Community College (VGCC) has teamed up with Richmond Community College to offer a new 911 telecommunications program to residents of Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties.

The two community colleges recently signed an agreement which allows VGCC students to enroll in RichmondCC’s online associate degree program in 911 Communications & Operations. VGCC students will complete a majority of the core courses and the work-based learning portion of the program through RichmondCC while completing other general education requirements at VGCC.

“VGCC is pleased to partner with Richmond Community College to offer the 911 operator degree. Collaborations like these allow us to offer needed training and credentials to our community while being fiscally responsible,” said VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais.

The online degree program provides a pathway for individuals who are interested in starting a career in this field, as well as providing skills enhancement for those already working as 911 telecommunicators.

The college curriculum program was developed when the NC 911 Board reached out to RichmondCC about a need for standardization in training 911 telecommunicators, plus a need to help elevate this career field. The college worked closely with the NC 911 Board and the NC Department of Information Technology to construct the online program.

“We appreciate Vance-Granville coming on board in this collaborative career training partnership to give 911 telecommunicators, who are true public servants, better educational opportunities and career growth,” said Dr. Dale McInnis, president of RichmondCC. “We look forward to working with our neighbors in the Piedmont.”

Unique in the state of North Carolina, RichmondCC’s 911 Communications & Operations program welcomed its first class of students during the fall 2023 semester.

 

RichmondCC has been reaching out to other community colleges in the state to make the 911 telecommunications program and its resources available to more students. VGCC is the fourth NC community college to create such a partnership with RichmondCC; Bladen Community College, Gaston College, and Stanly Community College will also be extending the program to their students.

Richmond County is located near the South Carolina border; RichmondCC’s main campus is located in Hamlet, located roughly between Fayetteville and Charlotte.

For more information about the online 911 Communications & Operations associate degree, call RichmondCC at 910.410.1700. For more information about VGCC, visit https://www.vgcc.edu/.

Upcoming Blood Drives To Support American Red Cross

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The American Red Cross needs donors to sign up to give blood to help meet their goal of 10,000 weekly blood and platelet donations. To sweeten the pot, all donors who come out between Oct. 21 and Nov. 9 will get a $10 gift card by email to a restaurant of their choice. Donors also will be automatically entered to wins a $5,000 gift card; one winner will be chosen at random each week during Oct. 21-Nov. 7, Red Cross officials said. See details at RedCrossBlood.org/Lunch.

As cold and flu season quickly approaches, the Red Cross reminds donors that they can still give blood or platelets after receiving a flu vaccine, as long as they are feeling healthy and well on the day of their donation. Likewise, there is no deferral or wait time for those receiving the updated COVID-19 vaccine.

Donors have been stepping up lately, which is good, but demand continues to outpace donations and the Red Cross has several upcoming blood drives in the four-county area.

Upcoming events are noted below:

 

Henderson

10/23/2023: 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Henderson Family YMCA, 380 Ruin Creek Rd.

11/7/2023: 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Maria Parham Health, 566 Ruin Creek Rd.

11/7/2023: 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Vance Granville Community College, 200 Community College Rd.

11/8/2023: 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Kerr Vance Academy, 700 Vance Academy Rd.

 

Stem

10/31/2023: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Granville Central High School, 2043 Sanders Rd.

 

Louisburg

10/21/2023: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Rock Spring Baptist Church, 34 Rock Springs Church Rd.

 

A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

To make an appointment, use the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).  

TownTalk: Show Shine Shag And Dine Is This Weekend!

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This weekend’s Show, Shine, Shag and Dine in downtown Henderson promises to bring car enthusiasts from all over to get their fill of fins, treads and gleaming chrome. And don’t forget all those horses under the hood.

The fun begins on Friday afternoon with a BBQ and cruise-in at Satterwhite Point on Kerr Lake and continues through the evening at Southern Classic Car, LLC on Horner Street.

The action continues all day on Saturday as nine blocks of Garnett Street transform into a festival jam-packed with fun for the whole family.

“It’s quite the challenge to get all of this pulled together,” said Pam Hester, Vance County’s tourism director. Hester, along with fellow tourism staffer Norman Dickerson, and organizers Charles Bowman and Danny Stanton were guests on Monday’s TownTalk to give a little peek about what festivalgoers can expect.

It’s the 21st annual event, and registration of the old cars – 1994 models and older – will be from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.

The annual Corbitt truck show and reunion will take place along Garnett Street between the city fire station and Sunrise Biscuit. Check out vehicles that were made right here in Henderson at Corbitt Truck Company.

More than 30 awards will be given to winners in a variety of categories; the awards ceremony will take place around 3:30 p.m.

Hester said folks who come back year after year can expect to see many familiar things, including those Corbitt trucks and food vendors. But they also will see some new features, including a performance by Jimmy Barrier and the Sound Barriers, who are on the schedule for the first time this year.

“It’s just a whole lot of pieces…that fall together at the right time and right place,” Hester said of the annual event. “And there are new pieces every year.”

Because there’s no pre-registration, Dickerson said the number of participants is sort of a surprise every year.

“Generally, if it’s a beautiful day…attendance and participation’s usually through the roof,” Dickerson said. “The weather is a big factor,” but he said the number historically is around 400. That’s folks who drive in or trailer in. their hot rods, creampuffs and classic cars.

Stanton was in charge of the drag cars last year, and he’ll be overseeing that aspect again this year. “I’m trying to get the race cars back involved as much as possible,” Stanton said.

“You get a lot of maybes, but (also) some definites,” he said. The drag racers will be on display near the old train depot at Montgomery and Garnett streets.

Beer & Gear’s Jeep Jam will convene again at Curtis White’s real estate office. Any make, model and year of Jeep is welcome, and Carol Terwilliger and her volunteers hope for another good showing this year.

Stanton said he’s likely going to be showing off his ’55 Chevy during the weekend. He’s redone the interior and juiced up the engine a bit so that “it makes a little noise.”

“I’ve been a car guy all my life,” Stanton said. “I’m really looking forward to the weekend.

Want to learn more about getting your drag racer in the show? Contact Stanton at 252.432.5544.

See the flyer at http://www.kerrlake-nc.com/images/flyer-2023.pdf

 

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The Local Skinny! Henderson Mayoral Contest

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Significant updates and changes have occurred since this original audio post above on Oct. 16.  It is strongly recommended that you review the new information available in bold below.

UPDATE 5 P.M. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 18, 2023

Mayoral Runoff Election Early Voting Starts 10-19-23

Geocoding issue resolved

WIZS Radio 5pm News Segment 1 From 10-18-23 Henderson Municipal Election Canvass

Click Here to Play – wizs.com/wizs-radio-5pm-news-segment-1-from-10-18-23-henderson-municipal-election-canvass/

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UPDATE 4:30 P.M. TUESDAY, OCT. 17, 2023

The Vance County Board of Elections has called for a “recess” in the post-election canvass process – that 10-day window following an election that officials have to verify and certify results.

This action comes one week after the Oct. 10 nonpartisan municipal elections in Henderson that included contests for four City Council seats and a four-candidate field for mayor.

A runoff had been set for the mayoral contest, but those plans also were put on hold earlier today, per the N.C. State Board of Elections. The recess means that none of the contests have been certified.

In a meeting held at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Vance Board of Elections Chair James Baines issued the following statement:

“The Vance County Board of Elections is recessing Canvass completion for the Municipal Election that occurred on 10-October-23 because the State Board of Elections has not yet completed the investigation regarding the geocoding issue. Canvass will reconvene once the State Board of Elections notifies the County Board of the completion of the investigation and resolution to the issue.”

As elections board members explained, the process of certifying election results considers all contests as one process; results must “be submitted to the state at once,”  board member Cathy Clodfelter said Tuesday. So because all of the results have not been certified, none of the contests has been certified.

Earlier Tuesday afternoon, Vance County Board of Elections Director Jennifer Cocklin informed WIZS News that early voting – set to begin in two days’ time – would not begin as previously announced.

Cocklin read the brief statement to WIZS News from the state board of elections:

“The results of the 10-October-2023 Vance County municipal election have not been officially declared by law, therefore the run-off election cannot be called for at this time.”

A glitch in geocoding is at the heart of the issue, and elections officials acknowledged the state board of the possible problem. As part of election coverage to announce the unofficial results on Oct. 10, WIZS included a statement from Baines that was issued after the polls had closed:

“The Vance County Board of Elections is aware of a geocoding issue that may have caused some voters in the city of Henderson elections to receive a ballot in Tuesday’s election that did not have the correct alderman ward contest. The County Board immediately notified the State Board of Elections, which is working with the county to determine how many voters’ ballots were affected. Election night results are always unofficial, and the post-election canvass process will ensure that the votes are counted correctly for each contest. Election officials will provide additional information about this situation as it becomes available.”

Cocklin provided few details about next steps, but she said she has provided information to the state board as it is requested.
“They’re asking us and we’re providing information as quickly as we can,” she said. “The only thing I know is they are working on it,” she said, “meeting every day – at least once every day.”

Just in case you need a refresher course in civics, here’s some information from the state board of elections website:

“Results on election night are unofficial. Canvass is the official process of determining if the votes have been counted and tabulated correctly, resulting in the authentication of the official election results.

For close elections, the canvass period is especially important. During this time, elections officials count absentee ballots that came in before the deadline and research provisional ballots to determine whether they should be counted.

In every county, the canvass meeting when the results are certified is 10 days after Election Day. Because elections thrive on transparency, the canvass meeting is open to the public.”

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Fire Ants

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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