Special Olympics Polar Plunge 2018

The Vance County Polar Plunge for Special Olympics North Carolina is Saturday, February 3.  You must preregister by Friday, January 5.

Contact Crystal Allen at 252-431-6091 or vance@sonc.net for more information.

Freezin’ For A Reason – Polar Plunge – Check in at the Satterwhite Point Glasshouse between 9:30 and 10 a.m. on February 3.  Prize giveaway from 10 until 10:30 a.m.  JUMP! at 10:30 a.m.

Allen is the Local Coordinator in Vance County.  She also works for the City of Henderson.

In a release of information, Allen wrote the following:

“Our athletes are not charged any fee to participate in the program, and we need your support! We will be having our annual Polar Plunge Fundraiser on Saturday, February 3rd, 2018. This will be an event where courageous participants raise funds for our program to jump in Kerr Lake. In order to keep costs manageable for this event, we are asking for donations from the community. If your business provides $50 or more to the Polar Plunge, we will put your name and logo on our T-shirts, which will be given to each participant. Checks can be made payable to Special Olympics Vance County at P.O. Box 1556, Henderson, NC 27536. Please mail checks in by January 8th, 2018 in order to have logo put on the T-shirts.”

Allen also wrote, “Thanks to the continued support of communities across North Carolina, Special Olympics is proud to say we now serve more than 38,000 athletes. Here in Vance County, we currently have a basketball program, a volleyball program, and a bocce program that provide opportunities for athletes to compete locally and across the state. In the future, our local program plans to add more sports and competitions to increase participation and opportunities, creating long lasting growth and success.

“Special Olympics strives to provide children and adults with intellectual disabilities hope for a healthier, longer, and more fulfilling life through sports training and competition that keeps them engaged in regular physical activity within a structured peer network. Through participation in Special Olympics our athletes achieve goals, build self-confidence and improve their overall health and well-being.”

John Penn Citizen of the Year Nominations Due Jan. 3

— courtesy of Granville County Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber’s Meetings/Recognitions Committee requests that individuals and businesses give careful consideration to nominating an outstanding citizen to receive the 2018 JOHN PENN CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AWARD.

The nomination form is available on our website by clicking here, or at one of the Chamber’s offices – 1598 NC 56, Butner or 124 Hillsboro St., Oxford. Nomination forms must be received by January 3rd at one of the office locations or via email to ginnie@granville-chamber.com.

Presentation of the John Penn Citizen of the Year Award, as well as other community services awards, will be presented at the Chamber’s annual banquet – Monday, January 29, 2018.

Quilting classes start up again at VGCC in January

— courtesy VGCC

As the cold winter weather brings to mind the original use for quilts, Vance-Granville Community College’s long-running Quilting program resumes in January, with three 14-week class schedules.

Peggy Stocks of Manson teaches the classes that will meet on Wednesday mornings from 9 a.m. until noon, starting Jan. 10, and on Thursday evenings from 6-9 p.m., starting Jan. 11.

Velvet Boyd of Warrenton, a former student of Stocks, teaches the class that will meet on Wednesday evenings from 6-9 p.m., starting Jan. 24. All the classes are held in Building 5 on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County.

Students come to VGCC from near and far because a Quilting class, particularly one that lasts as long as 14 weeks, can be difficult to find. At a cost of $100, which comes out to less than $2.50 per hour of instruction, the class is also quite affordable.

Stocks has been teaching the art of Quilting for VGCC’s Continuing Education division since 1995. She has been a quilter since 1980. She credits the VGCC Quilting program’s longevity to the fact that many people come back again and again to take the class and continue learning, but adds that beginners are always welcome. “The students who are new get help and inspiration from those who have done it for a long while,” Stocks said. “I just love doing it. I’ve learned from many other people, and I use my experience to teach others. There’s a lot to learn. It’s not as simple as you might think.”

A student works on a quilt in a VGCC classroom.

VGCC Personal Enrichment Coordinator Gail Clark noted that Quilting students benefit from talented instructors. “Peggy focuses on hand-quilting, and many students are able to complete their quilt in a single semester, following her hands-on, personalized instruction,” Clark said. “Peggy’s students also get together to create and donate quilts. Some of her students have entered quilting contests and received ribbons and awards.” Both Boyd’s and Stocks’s quilts have represented VGCC in state community college system art exhibitions, as well. Boyd has been quilting for 20 years and went from taking VGCC Quilting classes to teaching them in the early 2000s. Her students work on a combination of hand quilting and machine stitching.

Stocks said the appeal of a quilting class goes beyond learning skills. “It’s all about taking some time out of your busy schedule to enjoy fellowship with the other students, to be creative and to do something worthwhile – something that doesn’t involve an electronic screen!” she said.

Clark said that men and women of all ages find the classes to be fun, thanks largely to their patient, helpful teachers.

Registration can be completed online at www.vgcc.edu/schedules/personal-enrichment or at any VGCC campus. For more information, contact Gail Clark at (252) 738-3385 or ped@vgcc.edu. VGCC will be closed from Dec. 21, 2017, through Jan. 2, 2018.

–VGCC–

(VGCC is an advertising client of WIZS.)

2 Hour Delay Vance Schools Jan 2, 2018

Vance County Schools will operate on a two-hour delay, January 2, 2018 for students and staff due to our extremely cold conditions.

2 Hour Delay Granville Schools Jan 2, 2018

Due to the forecast of extremely cold temps Tuesday, January 2, 2018, all Granville County Public Schools will operate on a 2 hour delay for students and staff.

Search Party Formed To Look for Mike Bowes

A Henderson man, Michael Bowes, has been missing for just over a week.  A search party has formed, consisting of 45 or so people who are friends and family.  They meet this morning at the local Hardees.

The group was organized by Donna Ayscue.  She said, “He even missed Christmas with his children, and this is not like Mike.  He wouldn’t a never done that.  There’s got to be something wrong.”

In addition to the length of time he’s been missing, there is concern for Bowes’ health, the fact that it’s been so cold and whether he may be injured.

Ayscue said it’s not known if he needs help and can’t get any, “so that’s why I arranged a search party so we can go look around for him.”

The search party had information about a couple of good places to look for Bowes, and so that’s where they started according to Ayscue.

Another individual who participated in part of the search, who asked to remain anonymous, said some areas searched included Gun Club Road, the road on which Bowes is a resident, John H. Kerr Dam and near Hibernia on Kerr Lake.

Areas near Fox Pond Park and Greystone mine were also searched, and so “we covered some ground,” Ayscue said.

Apparently when Bowes last left home he said he would be right back.

Both Bowes and his vehicle, a silver Kia with NC license plate EBS 5850, are missing.

Anyone with information is asked to please contact the Vance County Sheriff’s Office at 252-738-2200.

Attempts to reach anyone at the Sheriff’s Office for additional information or to confirm an official missing persons report have failed as of this time.

A group on Facebook called “Our Missing Hearts” has listed information about Bowes if you click here.

The Daily Dispatch here in Henderson has a full printed article in today’s paper, and there is a picture of Bowes if you click here.

WRAL TV 5 in Raleigh has an update with Bowes’ picture if you click here.

 

Interview with Karen Clayton 12/29/17

 

 

Town Talk 12/29/17

News 12/29/17

Magician Lozoff at McGregor Hall Jan. 6

— courtesy McGregor Hall

The New Year Kicks Off With Magic & Mystery As Celebrity Joshua Lozoff Brings His ‘Life Is Magic’ Act To McGregor Hall On Jan. 6, 2018

HENDERSON, N.C. (DECEMBER 28, 2017) — Prepare to have your mind blown on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, as McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in Henderson, N.C., kicks off the New Year with a magical performance theater goers will never forget — Joshua Lozoff: Life Is Magic.

Audience members will likely remember Lozoff from his days acting on the TV show “Cheers” or performing on the big screen in movies like “Clueless.” After his show at McGregor Hall, you’ll never forget Lozoff for his sleight-of-hand mastery.

Lozoff has been studying and sharing magic around the world for nearly 20 years. Today, Lozoff is regarded as one of the top magicians and recently had the honor of being one of only two magicians to receive an invitation to perform at the World’s Fair in Japan. He spent two weeks as a featured performer for the USA Pavilion, entertaining visitors from around the globe.

The award-winning documentary Metacarpus, about the power of the human hand, featured Joshua’s sleight-of-hand mastery alongside an orthopedic surgeon and sign language interpreter.

Joshua’s motto is “Life is Magic,” and he walks his talk by performing everywhere from penthouse suites to the slums of Guatemala City; sharing magic with Fortune 500 CEOs, folks on the street, and everyone in between. Joshua says, “the most beautiful thing about magic is how it appeals to everyone. I can go from a black-tie gala to a backyard barbeque, and everyone has a few moments in time which transcend our ordinary reality; moments of awe, of astonishment, and just a flat-out fun time.”

His performances combine his love for the art of magic, and his fascination with psychology as well as the powers of observation and influence. In one moment, he makes a drawing come to life just by pointing; in the next, he predicts an audience members choices even before they know it themself. “Audience members will be amazed by Joshua’s magic and mental demonstrations,” said Mark Hopper, Vice President of McGregor Hall’s Board of Directors. “We are honored to kick off the New Year at the hall with his caliber of magical, jaw-dropping entertainment.”

Tickets are on sale for $17 or $20 plus sales tax. Group and student rates are available.

Tickets can be purchased directly at the McGregor Hall Box office, which is open Monday through Friday from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Box Office is located at 201 Breckenridge Street in downtown Henderson. The Box Office can also be reached by phone by calling (252) 598-0662. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.McGregorHall.org by using the secure and trusted purchasing platform, eTix. Online fees apply.

Joshua Lozoff: Life Is Magic is the first of several performances to be held in 2018. The lineup through April includes:
Daddy’s Boys: Broken Promises – January 13, 2018
Al Stewart and The Empty Pockets – February 17, 2018
Karen Peck & New River – February 23, 2018
Masters of Soul – March 3, 2018
Hotel California –  March 16, 2018
The Talleys with Tribute – April 7, 2018
Rod of God – April 14, 2018

For more information on these performances, visit www.McGregorHall.org.

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(McGregor Hall is an advertising client of WIZS.  This is a press release from McGregor Hall.)