Back for its second year as a way to build community with an emphasis on entrepreneurship and downtown development, the Way to Grow! festival is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 24 along Garnett Street in Henderson.
Gateway CDC Founder and President Heather Joi Kenney said the non-profit may have provided the impetus for the weeklong activities that will culminate with the daylong festival, but she wants – and needs – the community to participate.
The theme is “Bloom Together, Cultivate Community” and it’s a metaphor for how Kenney sees growth for Henderson.
“The more we come together, the stronger we’ll be,” she said on Tuesday’s TownTalk. She said everyone must be conscious about how the community gathers and how to show support for others.
“I can’t water one part of the garden and not the other,” she said. If you consider Henderson like a garden, each segment of the community needs to feel that nurturing from other segments. “It helps show our diversity,” Kenney said. A festival like Way to Grow! is one way to show support, she said. It’s a way to say, “We see what you’re doing and we’re going to support you,” she said.
There’s still time to register to be a vendor. Go to the Gateway CDC website at https://thegatewaycdc.org/ for details about becoming a vendor. Schedules will be posted soon on social media and the website to include scheduled events leading up to the festival, which will occupy Garnett Street, from around Montgomery Street all the way to Sadie’s Coffee Corner and Vance Furniture, where the main stage will be.
Live music will be performed throughout the day, including Real Entertainment featuring Willie Hargrove and other groups as well, Kenney said.
There will be a Youth Village, hosted by Henderson’s own Jayden Watkins, a teenage pastor, and author. It’s a way to show youngsters that their community values them and wants them to feel special.
There will be an opportunity to get creative, too, Kenney said. Stop by the lot between the Henry Dennis building and the Gateway building and spend a little time helping to paint a canvas that ultimately will be displayed at Gateway.
In addition to this project, local artists are invited to bring some of their finished works to brighten up spots along Garnett Street.
“We have a lot of things to offer in downtown,” Kenney said. She pointed out a couple of new restaurants that add to the fabric of Garnett Street.
It’s events like Way to Grow! that help bring attention to downtown, and Kenney is hopeful that growth will continue.
“I want more vibrancy, more life” for downtown, she said.
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TownTalk Airs on WIZS M-F at 11 a.m.
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Maria Parham Clinics Cancel Afternoon Appointments; Planned Surgeries Not Affected
/by WIZS StaffDue to adverse weather conditions, all Maria Parham Health Physician Practice Clinics closed at 12 noon today, Aug. 8. If you have an appointment scheduled for this afternoon, our team will be reaching out to reschedule as soon as possible.
Good news: The hospital itself is fully operational with no loss of power, so all scheduled surgical procedures will proceed as planned.
Donna Young, the hospital’s marketing and communications coordinator and public information officer, said patients can find the latest information at the Maria Parham Health Facebook page.
Mayor Elliott Declares State Of Emergency As Tropical Storm Debby’s Rain, Wind Continues To Pound NC
/by WIZS StaffHenderson Mayor Melissa Elliott has declared a severe weather state of emergency as Tropical Storm Debby continues to bring rain, significant wind gusts and the potential for flash flooding across much of the state.
Although basically a formality, having a state of emergency order in place allows the city to act more quickly if needed to address problems that arise as a result of damage from the storm.
Details are contained within a proclamation issued by Elliott Thursday morning. WIZS News received the information just after 9 a.m.
Information from the National Weather Service that Henderson will experience intense rain and probable flash flooding topped with significant wind gusts over the next 24 to 48 hours as the system makes its way northward.
These extreme conditions have the potential for causing downed trees, power outages, flooding, tornadoes and other damage. Having a state of emergency in place gives municipalities the authority to respond to and mitigate emergency situations that may arise.
Read the full proclamation at https://henderson.nc.gov/
Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Sharing, Pt. 4
/by Bill HarrisListen 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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Criminal District Court Cancelled 8-8-24
/by John C. RoseHon. Henry Gupton, clerk of court in Vance County, told WIZS News criminal district court is cancelled 8-8-24.
Gupton said, “Our district court judge has decided to cancel district court today … Let me be clear. Criminal district (court) is cancelled but not civil district.”
Vance County Schools with Respect to Storm System Debby
/by John C. Rose— UPDATE 4PM WEDNESDAY
Vance County Schools has announced that due to “severe weather predictions for our region, including high winds, heavy rain, and potential power outages, (Vance public schools) will operate on an early dismissal schedule for Thursday, August 8.”
– EM Rollins STEAM Academy will close at 12:00 PM.
– Vance County High School (VCHS) and Vance County Early College (VCEC) will close at 12:30 PM.
With safety as the top priority, the school system said, “We will continue to closely monitor the weather and its impact on our region. A decision regarding school for Friday, August 9, will be made no later than 3:00 PM on Thursday.”
TownTalk: Proper Political Sign Placement
/by WIZS StaffWith the upcoming election just more than three months away, Vance County Republican Party Chairman Jimmy Barrier reminds local residents that although political signs may be placed on private property, campaigners are supposed to wait until 30 days before early voting begins to place signs in public right-of-way spaces. That day for the Nov. 5 election is Thursday, Sept. 5.
“I am pledging that we will continue to follow the rules concerning the placement of signs” Barrier said on Wednesday’s TownTalk. “I just want everyone to play by the rules…as laid out by the state Board of Elections.”
Barrier challenged members of the Democratic Party to do the same, but he said he’s already seen some signs out ahead of the Sept. 5 start date, which Barrier called “blatant violations of the law.”
And although Barrier pledged that members of his party will not remove the offending signs, he said any private citizen is free to do so because the too-early placement of the signs is considered littering, a class 1 misdemeanor.
“We will not damage campaign signs,” Barrier said. “We’re not going to go out there and pull ‘em up – it’s not our job and not what we’re going to do.”
What he and others will do is notify local law enforcement officials including the county Board of Elections, Henderson Police Department, Vance County Sheriff’s Office and district attorney’s office to report violations. Each violation could bring a $50 civil penalty.
“If the signs offend you, people have the right to take them up,” Barrier said, but only from public rights-of-way – NOT from private property where the signs are placed with permission of the property owner.
The city regulates placement of campaign signs and its policies state that they can’t be placed on power poles, in cemeteries or in the grassy triangle northwest of the downtown underpass.
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Home And Garden Show
/by Bill HarrisOn the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.
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WIZS Radio Henderson Local News 08-07-24 Noon
/by Bill HarrisClick Play to Listen. On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
Vance County Vipers Football Jamboree Moved to Wednesday, Aug. 14
/by WIZS StaffThe Vance County High School football Jamboree has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 6 p.m., but Head Coach Aaron Elliott is trying to look on the bright side and make the best of the situation, brought on by the approaching Tropical Storm Debby and forecasts of heavy rains.
In the “plus” category, Elliott said it will allow players to get in a few extra days of practice before that first scrimmage. The team has had just one day of contact practice, so a few additional days will be good.
Another positive is that the game field is in good shape. With recent rains, Elliott said “It’s all been Mother Nature – we’ve got the game field looking real good.” The field drains really well, he said, although Tropical Storm Debby’s contribution may result in some sideline ponding situations. A few extra days after the storm moves past should be enough time for sufficient drying.
In the “minus” category, however, is the number of teams available to attend the Jamboree. Franklinton and Wakefield had been on the list, but once the event was rescheduled, they had to drop out because they have other scrimmages going on that day.
Bunn is still in the mix, however, and Elliott said he’s in talks with a couple of other schools to see if they can participate to bring the total field to between 4 and 5 teams.
As far as a scouting report of the Vipers thus far, Elliott said his guys are doing a good job with the X’s and O’s but need to button down a bit with regard to being more disciplined on the field. Not the type of discipline that goes along with bad behavior, but the discipline that comes with knowing your job, remembering routes and not jumping offsides.
Cleaning up those little things will mean a lot as the Aug. 23 season opener approaches.
Be sure to listen to WIZS all season long for Vance County Friday Night Football and for coach interviews on Thursday SportsTalk programs at 12:30 p.m.
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TownTalk: Way to GROW! Festival
/by Laura GabelBack for its second year as a way to build community with an emphasis on entrepreneurship and downtown development, the Way to Grow! festival is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 24 along Garnett Street in Henderson.
Gateway CDC Founder and President Heather Joi Kenney said the non-profit may have provided the impetus for the weeklong activities that will culminate with the daylong festival, but she wants – and needs – the community to participate.
The theme is “Bloom Together, Cultivate Community” and it’s a metaphor for how Kenney sees growth for Henderson.
“The more we come together, the stronger we’ll be,” she said on Tuesday’s TownTalk. She said everyone must be conscious about how the community gathers and how to show support for others.
“I can’t water one part of the garden and not the other,” she said. If you consider Henderson like a garden, each segment of the community needs to feel that nurturing from other segments. “It helps show our diversity,” Kenney said. A festival like Way to Grow! is one way to show support, she said. It’s a way to say, “We see what you’re doing and we’re going to support you,” she said.
There’s still time to register to be a vendor. Go to the Gateway CDC website at https://thegatewaycdc.org/ for details about becoming a vendor. Schedules will be posted soon on social media and the website to include scheduled events leading up to the festival, which will occupy Garnett Street, from around Montgomery Street all the way to Sadie’s Coffee Corner and Vance Furniture, where the main stage will be.
Live music will be performed throughout the day, including Real Entertainment featuring Willie Hargrove and other groups as well, Kenney said.
There will be a Youth Village, hosted by Henderson’s own Jayden Watkins, a teenage pastor, and author. It’s a way to show youngsters that their community values them and wants them to feel special.
There will be an opportunity to get creative, too, Kenney said. Stop by the lot between the Henry Dennis building and the Gateway building and spend a little time helping to paint a canvas that ultimately will be displayed at Gateway.
In addition to this project, local artists are invited to bring some of their finished works to brighten up spots along Garnett Street.
“We have a lot of things to offer in downtown,” Kenney said. She pointed out a couple of new restaurants that add to the fabric of Garnett Street.
It’s events like Way to Grow! that help bring attention to downtown, and Kenney is hopeful that growth will continue.
“I want more vibrancy, more life” for downtown, she said.
WIZS Your Community Voice — 100.1 FM / 1450 AM
TownTalk Airs on WIZS M-F at 11 a.m.
Click Play!