City of Henderson firefighters know that the next call they get could involve saving someone’s life. It’s what they train for.
For the past seven or eight years, however, the firefighters at Central Station One on Dabney Drive have taken to the street – literally – to help fight a different battle, one that can be just as deadly as a house fire or car crash.
Firefighters take to the busy street in front of the station to conduct their “fill the boot” campaign and donated all the proceeds to the Angel Fund at Maria Parham Health’s Cancer Center. This year’s three-day effort netted a whopping $19,611, which Chief Tim Twisdale presented to cancer center staff on Monday afternoon. In remarks to the group following the check presentation, Cancer Center Director Kimberly Smith remembered former Chief Steve Cordell, who lost his battle with cancer in January 2023. “This was always something special to him,” Smith said of the Angel Fund project. “So we decided we were going to name it the Steve Cordell Angel Fund moving forward.”
City Manager Terrell Blackmon said this is the second year that Cordell has not been a part of the check presentation. “He was a big, strong proponent of this effort,” Blackmon said.
Chief Twisdale presented the check to hospital staff, and said he hopes the tradition will continue. “It warms our hearts to be able to do this every year,” Twisdale said. “We count you guys as a big part of that blessing…taking care of us and the community.”
Thanks also go to all those who donated over the course of the three days of the campaign, Battalion Chief Lee Edmonds said later. None of it would be possible without community support, he said.
Those tall boots got filled while firefighters held up traffic with their singing, dancing, just having a good time to support a good cause, Twisdale said.
The coins and bills that added up to the more than $19,000 donation helps cancer patients with transportation, medicine, food and more, said MPH Social Worker Hope Breedlove.
“Transportation is a huge barrier to care,” Breedlove said, adding that the Angel Fund has provided 1,072 rides since mid-January 2024. That averages out to about 5 rides per treatment day.
One gentleman had to come to the clinic twice a week for treatment, and it wasn’t that he didn’t have a car – he simply was too sick to drive himself.
“A lot of good people come into the clinic – this is great to help them bridge the gap,” she said.
Heather Endecott is an RN who works in the clinic side of the cancer center. She said the Angel Fund, in addition to the transportation support, has helped provide oral chemotherapy to some patients for years, indicating that the much-needed medications are helping people get effective treatment and live longer lives.
The Angel Fund has helped 78 families with gas, 66 families with food and countless others get medicine.
“Medication is a big area that we spend a lot of time helping (with), life sustaining medicines, medicines to control their symptoms, medicines to keep them out of the hospital, medicines to keep them from having to call 911 in the middle of the night,” Smith said.
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Officials Brave Chilly Temps For Epsom Park Groundbreaking Dec. 6
/by WIZS StaffThe long-awaited Epsom Park is one step closer to completion following a recent ground-breaking ceremony to turn over those first shovels full of dirt on the property of the former Epsom School.
Franklin County purchased the 7.62 acres at the corner of Eaves Road and N.C. 39 way back in 2006. A sign marked the site as the “Future Home of Epsom Park” for years, and that dream is becoming a reality some 18 years later.
Thanks to a $434,625 grant from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Authority’s Trust Fund – which was matched by Franklin County – the park is embarking on Phase 1, which Franklin County Parks and Rec Director K.P. Kilpatrick said should be complete by fall 2025.
Phase 1 will feature paved walking loops, a multi-purpose field, sand volleyball, cornhole and playground, as well as a picnic shelter and restrooms.
Kilpatrick spoke to the group gathered at the groundbreaking ceremony that chilly, breezy Dec. 6 morning and said the park will stand as a symbol of what can be accomplished when people and entities work together.
“Creating a space for one another,” he said, “brings the promise for a brighter future.”
District 2 Commissioner Roxanne Bragg said the park has been a dream for the Epsom community for a long time, and she looks forward to having the community in her district be able to enjoy its amenities.
Visit https://www.franklincountync.gov/county_services/parks___recreation/index.php
and click the Epsom Park link on the left side of the page to view site plans, maps and a video of the groundbreaking.
WIZS Radio Henderson Local News 12-12-24 Noon
/by WIZS StaffClick Play to Listen. On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
First United Methodist Church of Henderson – Tag Sale Shop
/by WIZS StaffWhat: The Tag Sale Shop sponsored by the United Women in Faith (UWF) of First United Methodist Church. The tag sale fills 7 rooms and 3 hallways in the church education building with vintage/antique furniture, cookware, flowerpots, rugs and accessories – brass, china, glassware, toys, framed prints, and linens. Furniture includes beds, sofas, easy chairs, side chairs, dining tables and chairs, tv tables, coffee and end tables and cupboards/china cabinets. Many Christmas items are available: themed dishware, pillows, ornaments, angels, linens and decorative items and gifts.
When: Tuesdays and Thursdays through December 19th. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: First United Methodist Church, 114 Church Street, Henderson, NC
Why: Shop for others or yourself while donating to the mission ministries of UWF. These ministries reach our local community through the work of ACTS, Boys & Girls Club, children’s programs at the “Y”, supplemental weekend food packs for 25 Pinkston St. Elementary students each week during the school year, 16 Sunday soup kitchens, a clothing closet, school partnership projects with Dabney and Pinkston St. Elementary Schools, and the men’s and women’s shelters and the church’s Good Neighbor Ministry which assists local families.
Beyond county borders funds are given to the Methodist Children’s Home and Methodist Retirement Home, AGAPE Christmas gifts for children and youth in Armenia, and worldwide hunger and disaster relief. This year the disaster relief includes hurricane devastation in western North Carolina.
Call: 432-2997 for more information.
Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: The Power Of Presence
/by WIZS StaffCooperative Extension
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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Sunrock Awarded $6.2M Project To Improve Southern Granville County Intersection
/by WIZS StaffImprovements to a busy intersection in southern Granville County are set to begin soon, now that the N.C. Dept. of Transportation has awarded the $6.2 million contract to Raleigh-based Sunrock Industries, LLC, which has an operation in Butner.
Work on the N.C. 56 intersection at West Lyon Station Road could begin as early as this winter, according to NCDOT spokesperson Kim Deaner.
The project will realign West Lyon Station Road near I-85 and N.C. 56 (East C Street, Butner) to provide greater separation between the intersections, improve safety and reduce congestion. Work will include installing water and sewer, storm drains, curbs, gutters, asphalt and striping.
The project also will include work on the bridge on N.C. 56 over the interstate.
Completion is expected in summer 2026, but the timeline doesn’t include any planting, reforestation or placement of permanent vegetation.
VGCC Community Band Winter Concert Dec. 16
/by WIZS Staff–information courtesy of VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel
The holiday season has officially begun, and the VGCC Community Band is back in action this month to present its annual Holiday Concert.
This year’s event will occur on Monday, Dec. 16, at McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in downtown Henderson. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will last about an hour. Admission is free to the public.
“Nothing is better than a big old-timey band concert,” said band director Brian Miller, “and the Vance-Granville Band is delighted to present to you our Winter Concert in the heart of historic downtown Henderson. We invite everyone to this free event featuring Christmas music, band classics, popular music, and classical music!”
Concertgoers can expect to hear festive favorites like “Feliz Navidad” and “Good King Wenceslas” alongside music from blockbuster soundtrack composer Michael Giacchino.
Some songs will be performed by the entire 39-piece band, while others will feature smaller groups.
Betsy Henderson, department chair of Fine Arts at the College, echoes Brian Miller’s invitation to the community. “This concert always kicks off my holiday season; it’s a lovely way to spend an evening. I urge you to come get into the holiday spirit with me!”
The VGCC Community Band contains both VGCC students and non-student adult community members with a wide range of abilities and experience. Participants represent the College’s four-county service area and beyond, some traveling from as far away as Virginia. The VGCC Community Band rehearses every Monday evening at the College’s Main Campus Civic Center in Henderson, and there is no membership fee for participating.
To learn more about the band, contact Director Miller at bmiller9302@vgcc.edu.
(This story was originally posted Dec. 6, 2024.)
Home And Garden Show
/by WIZS StaffOn the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.
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TownTalk: Apollo Style Talent Show From Connie Ragland Productions
/by WIZS StaffWhen the lights go down inside McGregor Hall Saturday afternoon, all the hard work of the musicians and other performers will be put to the test – it’s showtime.
Connie Ragland Productions and Reclaiming Our Youth presents “Showtime at McGregor Hall,” a talent show modeled after Showtime at the Apollo in New York’s Harlem Theater. The curtain rises at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14 on what Connie Ragland bills as a showcase of creativity, communication and celebration.
Tickets are on sale at etix.com and at the McGregor Hall box office – get them early, because the price goes up on the day of the show. Youth tickets are $15 and adult tickets are $20.
As Jayden Watkins puts it in a video he produced to promote the show, the audience will experience an “unforgettable night of talent and inspiration.”
Ragland said 10 acts will take the stage during the show. Auditions were held a month or so ago, at which time the performers were selected to compete. Four youth and six adults are included in the competition. Each act will have five minutes to perform and the audience will vote on each category with applause. A cash prize will be awarded to the winning youth and adult performer.
“There are many, many talents that are being displayed,” Ragland said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.
A DJ will keep the audience engaged between acts during the 2-hour show, making them “feel good and get them in the right spirit for Christmas,” Ragland said.
The show is for the whole community, she said, adding that she strives to represent all ages, cultures and backgrounds. “It’s for everyone,” she said. She would like to dispel the misconception that the show is just for one race or one generation.
“Entertainment is entertainment,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who’s providing the entertainment. We’re talking about building a better community, we’re trying to make Henderson better…we need to just start coming together and not being so separate with everything.”
To learn more, contact Ragland at 252.590.0303. or email her at connierag@gmail.com.
Purchase tickets at the McGregor Hall website, www.mcgregorhall.org, and click on Buy Tickets on the right side of the page.
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WIZS Radio Henderson Local News 12-11-24 Noon
/by WIZS StaffListen On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
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TownTalk: MPH Cancer Center’s Angel Fund Gets $19K Infusion From Fire Dept.
/by WIZS StaffCity of Henderson firefighters know that the next call they get could involve saving someone’s life. It’s what they train for.
For the past seven or eight years, however, the firefighters at Central Station One on Dabney Drive have taken to the street – literally – to help fight a different battle, one that can be just as deadly as a house fire or car crash.
Firefighters take to the busy street in front of the station to conduct their “fill the boot” campaign and donated all the proceeds to the Angel Fund at Maria Parham Health’s Cancer Center. This year’s three-day effort netted a whopping $19,611, which Chief Tim Twisdale presented to cancer center staff on Monday afternoon. In remarks to the group following the check presentation, Cancer Center Director Kimberly Smith remembered former Chief Steve Cordell, who lost his battle with cancer in January 2023. “This was always something special to him,” Smith said of the Angel Fund project. “So we decided we were going to name it the Steve Cordell Angel Fund moving forward.”
City Manager Terrell Blackmon said this is the second year that Cordell has not been a part of the check presentation. “He was a big, strong proponent of this effort,” Blackmon said.
Chief Twisdale presented the check to hospital staff, and said he hopes the tradition will continue. “It warms our hearts to be able to do this every year,” Twisdale said. “We count you guys as a big part of that blessing…taking care of us and the community.”
Thanks also go to all those who donated over the course of the three days of the campaign, Battalion Chief Lee Edmonds said later. None of it would be possible without community support, he said.
Those tall boots got filled while firefighters held up traffic with their singing, dancing, just having a good time to support a good cause, Twisdale said.
The coins and bills that added up to the more than $19,000 donation helps cancer patients with transportation, medicine, food and more, said MPH Social Worker Hope Breedlove.
“Transportation is a huge barrier to care,” Breedlove said, adding that the Angel Fund has provided 1,072 rides since mid-January 2024. That averages out to about 5 rides per treatment day.
One gentleman had to come to the clinic twice a week for treatment, and it wasn’t that he didn’t have a car – he simply was too sick to drive himself.
“A lot of good people come into the clinic – this is great to help them bridge the gap,” she said.
Heather Endecott is an RN who works in the clinic side of the cancer center. She said the Angel Fund, in addition to the transportation support, has helped provide oral chemotherapy to some patients for years, indicating that the much-needed medications are helping people get effective treatment and live longer lives.
The Angel Fund has helped 78 families with gas, 66 families with food and countless others get medicine.
“Medication is a big area that we spend a lot of time helping (with), life sustaining medicines, medicines to control their symptoms, medicines to keep them out of the hospital, medicines to keep them from having to call 911 in the middle of the night,” Smith said.
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