OXFORD – Mardi Gras festivities begin a few days early in Granville County this year when a local venue transforms into a New Orleans-style party spot.
The inaugural Mardi Gras Bash, set for Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, is a fundraiser to benefit the Granville Unit of the Boys and Girls Club. Event organizers, most of them members of the local club’s advisory committee, say they expect this to become an annual “signature” event for the community.
“We are excited for the community and for the club,” said Irene Nichols, a member of the planning committee. “When you step through those doors, you’re going to feel like you are right down on Bourbon Street,” she said.
The fundraiser will be held at Thorndale Oaks in Oxford. “Thorndale Oaks is such a beautiful spot,” said Jackie Sergent, another committee member. “We are delighted to be able to have our event there,” Sergent said. Thorndale’s chef has created a New Orleans-inspired menu for the occasion. The event is from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., with special recognitions and other activities during the evening. Music will be provided by DJ Jay.
Boys and Girls Club members are creating and decorating Mardi Gras masks for the occasion, which will be available for purchase at the event. Local artist Linda Edwards will lead a workshop at the club to help the children create the masks in colorful Mardi Gras fashion.
The local club is in its fourth year of operation in Oxford. It is part of the North Central North Carolina region, which operates clubs in Granville, Vance, Franklin, Warren and Halifax counties. Each local club has an advisory committee which is responsible for local fundraising annually. The club began at Mary Potter Middle School, but soon needed extra space. Elementary school-aged club members spent part of the afternoons at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. Then the BGCNCNC accepted building space, formerly used by Santa Fe Natural Tobacco. The club officially moved to its new spot in summer 2016.
“This is what true community collaboration is all about,” said Laura Gabel, a local advisory committee member. “We got help from the schools and from a local church when we needed it most,” she said. Advisory committee Chairman Xavier Wortham agrees. “This community identified a need for a Boys and Girls Club,” he said, “and now we need to make sure that this community continues to support everything that the club provides.”
Tickets are $50 a person and are available in downtown Oxford at Stovall’s Gifts, Java Dave’s Cafe, Harvest restaurant and The Purple Bird. Tickets also are available from BGC advisory committee members and online at bgcncnc.com.
For more information, contact Resource Development Director Mary Ann Avery at the BGC corporate office, 919.690.0036.
Mary Ann Avery
Resource Development Director
BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland 02/06/17
/by CharleneTown Talk 02/06/17
/by CharleneBoys and Girls Club fundraiser brings a taste of New Orleans to Granville County
/by WIZS StaffOXFORD – Mardi Gras festivities begin a few days early in Granville County this year when a local venue transforms into a New Orleans-style party spot.
The inaugural Mardi Gras Bash, set for Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, is a fundraiser to benefit the Granville Unit of the Boys and Girls Club. Event organizers, most of them members of the local club’s advisory committee, say they expect this to become an annual “signature” event for the community.
“We are excited for the community and for the club,” said Irene Nichols, a member of the planning committee. “When you step through those doors, you’re going to feel like you are right down on Bourbon Street,” she said.
The fundraiser will be held at Thorndale Oaks in Oxford. “Thorndale Oaks is such a beautiful spot,” said Jackie Sergent, another committee member. “We are delighted to be able to have our event there,” Sergent said. Thorndale’s chef has created a New Orleans-inspired menu for the occasion. The event is from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., with special recognitions and other activities during the evening. Music will be provided by DJ Jay.
Boys and Girls Club members are creating and decorating Mardi Gras masks for the occasion, which will be available for purchase at the event. Local artist Linda Edwards will lead a workshop at the club to help the children create the masks in colorful Mardi Gras fashion.
The local club is in its fourth year of operation in Oxford. It is part of the North Central North Carolina region, which operates clubs in Granville, Vance, Franklin, Warren and Halifax counties. Each local club has an advisory committee which is responsible for local fundraising annually. The club began at Mary Potter Middle School, but soon needed extra space. Elementary school-aged club members spent part of the afternoons at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. Then the BGCNCNC accepted building space, formerly used by Santa Fe Natural Tobacco. The club officially moved to its new spot in summer 2016.
“This is what true community collaboration is all about,” said Laura Gabel, a local advisory committee member. “We got help from the schools and from a local church when we needed it most,” she said. Advisory committee Chairman Xavier Wortham agrees. “This community identified a need for a Boys and Girls Club,” he said, “and now we need to make sure that this community continues to support everything that the club provides.”
Tickets are $50 a person and are available in downtown Oxford at Stovall’s Gifts, Java Dave’s Cafe, Harvest restaurant and The Purple Bird. Tickets also are available from BGC advisory committee members and online at bgcncnc.com.
For more information, contact Resource Development Director Mary Ann Avery at the BGC corporate office, 919.690.0036.
Mary Ann Avery
Resource Development Director
BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
Sixth Annual Great Landscape Day Planned at the MHCO
/by WIZS Staff6th Annual Great Landscape Day at MHCO – March 18, 2017
It’s that time of year again, March 18, 2017 will mark our 6th Annual Great Landscape Day at the Masonic Home! Thank you for your participation in the past as part of this successful Masonic Home for Children’s event. This day of service and charity has grown from one single Girl Scout Troop to over 120 individuals representing families, businesses, churches, Lodges, and civic organizations. The beauty that you and others have given to this Home continues today. Our thanks again for your help in the past and for your consideration of this year’s event. We hope you can join us and will invite others to share in this day of help and fellowship! Come and join us for a good meal (two in fact) and the chance to bring beauty, comfort, and security to the home of a child.
When: Saturday, March 18, 2017 – (NO RAIN DATE THIS YEAR – CALL FOR UPDATES!)
Where: Campus of Masonic Home for Children, 600 College St., Oxford, NC
Schedule: 7:30am – 9am – Continental Breakfast for participants
8:30am – 12:00pm – Landscaping Event on Campus
12:00pm – Lunch and Conclusion of Event
Groups can start after 8:30am and/or leave before 12 noon if needed. Please bring shovels, gloves, wheelbarrow, rakes, and other landscaping implements for your personal use. A needs list of items that can be given as part of the event is available at www.mhc-oxford.org. You must RSVP and sign-up on or before March 10, 2017 to participate and must include the number attending. This is very important to make the most of this day. To RSVP or for more information contact MHCO at 919-603-3930 or jgrimes@mhc-oxford.org.
Thanks,
Jennifer Grimes
Financial Development Assistant & Database Manager
The Masonic Home for Children at Oxford, Inc.
600 College Street
Oxford, NC 27565
News 02/06/17
/by LarryLuncheon to raise funds to support VGCC Culinary Arts students
/by WIZS StaffThe Culinary Arts program at Vance-Granville Community College is holding a luncheon to raise funds to help send students to competitions through the SkillsUSA organization. The Valentine’s-themed luncheon will be held on Thursday, Feb. 16, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the Masonic Home for Children on College Street in Oxford, where the Culinary program is based.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at tinyurl.com/VGCCvalentine.
“Our Valentine’s SkillsUSA Fundraising Luncheon will give students the opportunity to demonstrate both front and back of the house skills, while operating a refined, up-scale event that showcases their work, not only in the classroom, but the kitchen as well,” said Chef Teresa Davis, the VGCC Culinary Arts program head.
She said the menu is set to include, for starters, a choice of poached shrimp cocktail with lemon horseradish cocktail sauce, beef tartare on potato chips with a whole grain aioli, crab cakes, mini chicken and biscuits with Dijon maple glaze, or romaine salad with a creamy Parmesan dressing; for the main course, a choice of butter poached salmon with lemon and dill, Au Poivre steak, or brown butter gnocchi with spinach and parmesan; for sides, a choice of roasted asparagus bacon bundles, roasted Brussels sprouts with candied pecans and cranberries, cheesy scalloped potatoes, or creamy grits with roasted corn; and for dessert, a choice of assorted cupcakes, assorted chocolates or chocolate-dipped strawberries.
SkillsUSA is a partnership of secondary and post-secondary students, teachers and industry, working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA chapters help students who are preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations excel. Among the benefits to VGCC students are opportunities to participate in competitions, which are designed by industry experts and showcase the nation’s top career and technical education students.
In 2016, Culinary Arts student Dustin Gregory of Oxford won a statewide competition and became the first student from VGCC to take part in a national SkillsUSA contest. Several local donors and the US Foods company made donations to help sponsor his trip to the national conference.
For more information about the Culinary Arts program, contact Chef Teresa Davis at davist@vgcc.edu or (919) 690-0312.
–VGCC–
HV Chamber to host Business After Hours
/by WIZS StaffWhether you’re a long-time Chamber member or have just joined our ranks, come out for our upcoming Business After Hours on Thursday, February 16th at 5:15 p.m. This event will be sponsored by Henderson Wellness Center. Join Dr. Brandon Taylor and his staff as they celebrate 15 years in business.
Spend some time catching up with friends, making new business contacts, and enjoying good food and drink at the Henderson-Vance Chamber’s Business After Hours – one of our most popular and successful, on-going networking events!
Thursday, February 16th at 5:15 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.
It’s the perfect way to start wrapping up a busy day.
RSVP is appreciated but not required.
Annette Roberson
Director of Membership Services
Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 1302, 414 S Garnett Street
Henderson, NC 27536
Phone: 252-438-8414…Fax: 252-492-8989
www.hendersonvance.org
Email: membership@hendersonvance.org
Town Talk 02/03/17
/by CharleneThree Graduate Mid-Year from AdVance Academy
/by WIZS StaffVance County Schools: For Immediate Release
Congratulations to the mid-year graduates from the AdVance Academy at Western Vance High School.
Chris Alston, Krystyna Stallings and Jose Hernandez, shown from left in the accompanying photo, have successfully completed their high school education.
They were honored at the academy’s mid-year commencement ceremony on January 26.
Alston and Hernandez are going into the local workforce. Stallings will continue her education at Vance-Granville Community College.
Ken Lavigne to appear at McGregor Hall Tomorrow Night
/by WIZS StaffJoined by a four-piece ensemble, Ken Lavigne takes his audience on a riveting and enchanting journey, retelling his personal campaign to sing at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops.
His performances are told with spectacular songs as well as entertaining and hilarious stories that showcase how Lavigne embodies the spirit of the underdog—audacity, tenacity and ultimately…triumph. Audience favorites include Loch Lomond, Danny Boy, Hallelujah, Bring Him Home and more.
Recognized early for the outstanding timbre of his lyric tenor voice as well as the ease and agility with which he sings, Ken’s career has taken many directions that include his current touring show, The Road to Carnegie Hall.
Since his Carnegie Hall Debut, Ken has regularly performed with multi-Grammy winner David Foster and has had the honor of performing for his Majesty Prince Charles last fall. All the while he continues to earn accolades with symphonies and orchestras internationally.
Show Date/Time: February 4th at 8:00 p.m.
–McGregor Hall