Granville County Soil And Water Sponsoring Scholarships To Conservation Workshop At N.C. State

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-information courtesy of Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood

Granville County Soil and Water Office will sponsor two Granville County high schools students to attend the annual conservation workshop at N.C. State University scheduled for June 16-21.

The Resource Conservation Workshop is a weeklong program that involves study and hands-on participation in a wide range of conservation topics, according to information from Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood. The students will stay in campus dorms under the guidance of live-in counselors during their week’s stay.

Rising high school juniors and seniors who live in Granville County are eligible to apply for the program, which will provide real life experiences learning how to manage natural resources in today’s global environment. Find a sample agenda here:  https://www.ncagr.gov/soil-water/swcrcw-sample-agenda/download?attachment 

“Having served as a counselor at this workshop for several years, I believe that it’s a great opportunity for students to experience a taste of college life while expanding interest and passion for degrees in conservation  like environmental science, agriculture, or natural resources,” said Byron Currin, Granville County ‘s Natural Resource Conservationist. “I think it’s a great way to build connections, add a great experience to your resume, and even earn a college scholarship. I can’t speak highly enough of this program and its importance to furthering the aims of Granville County and North Carolina natural resource conservation.”

The application can be found at https://www.ncagr.gov/soil-water/swcrcw-application/download?attachment. Completed applications should be sent via email to  byron.currin@granvillecounty.org or may be dropped off at the Soil and Water Office, 518 Lewis Street, Oxford.

Applications are due by Monday, May 13 and will be reviewed by the Soil and Water District Board of Supervisors at their May meeting.

There’s an informational video about the workshop from the Durham County Soil and Water Office at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QiBfkAUPtE

Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Building A Culture Of Winning At Vance Co. High School

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Vance County High School Athletic Director Philip Weil has been on the job for less than a year but he is working to change the culture at the high school.  Weil and Head Football Coach Aaron Elliott were guests on Tuesday’s SportsTalk. Weil, who came from Las Vegas, Nevada, said he had goals for his first year.  “I wanted to bring new ideas and new projects to the school.  We still have more to accomplish,” Weil said.  Part of what he is attempting to do is build a culture of winning. “It takes a commitment to excellence to build a winning program,” Weil said.

Where does that start?  “It all starts with Coach Aaron Elliott,” Weil added.  Coach Elliot’s Viper squad won the conference championship last season and has the program on solid footing.  That winning culture has already filtered down form Elliott to the women’s basketball and softball teams as they have found success on the court and the field this season.

Weil also said that women’s flag football, coached by Elliott, will begin this May. “It’s probably going to be the next sanctioned sport,” Coach Elliott added.  Sixty-five young women are ready to hit the field for tryouts with the first game scheduled for May 23rd against Southern Durham.  The flag football program is a collaboration between Durham County Schools and the Carolina Panthers.  Durham County reached out to Vance County to become involved in the league.  The 7 on 7 league will likely play four to five games this year with a full season expected in January of 2025.

Elliott is also busy with his usual duties as he prepares the Vipers for the spring football game on Friday, May 3rd at 8pm at Viper Stadium.

When Weil was asked where he sees Vance County High School athletics in five years, he had two word answer: “State titles.”

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Cooperative Extension with Wykia Macon 04-16-24

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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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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Events At Perry Memorial Library 04-16-24

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The U.S. celebrates National Tea Day on April 21, and Perry Memorial Library is hosting a special tea party and book sale to commemorate the beverage that people enjoy all over the globe.  Whether you’re a faithful patron or a newbie to the library, Melody Peters and the staff invite you to join in the fun.

The tea party will be from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, and participants can sample teas from around the world, Peters said – “something other than iced tea,” she said.

Kids will have a chance to decorate some special cups and plates for the occasion – they also can create some cool party hats.

“We hope there will be a lot of activity,” said Peters, who is the library’s Youth Services director.

Whether you like green tea, a chai or a traditional Earl Grey, come have a cuppa at the library and shop for some books at the Friends of Library sale – books and tea make a great combination.

The April Kids Connect STEM program will celebrate Earth Day just one day late on Tuesday, Apr. 23 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. After a short hike around the library to pick up whatever litter may be lying around the landscape, the group will create bird feeders with cardboard tubes, twine, sunflower butter and bird seed, Peters said.

“We’ll be outdoors in nature and explore outside” the library environs, including a stroll through the Story Walk installation while they’re at it.

This program is geared for elementary school students, siblings of all ages are most welcome to participate, Peters said. No registration is required – just show up.

Visit www.perrylibrary.org/ to learn more about all the programs and services the library offers.

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TownTalk: Pink With A Passion Holds Cancer Survivor Walk This Saturday

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The third “Pink With A Passion” Walk will be held Saturday, Apr. 20 at the Warren County Recreation Complex on U.S. 158 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Organizers Amena Wilson and Elaine Tunstall-Smith invite the community to come out to the event to celebrate cancer survivors and to support others who may be facing their own battles with the disease.

When Wilson faced her own breast cancer diagnosis in 2017, she wanted to do something positive to show her appreciation for the support she had received – a way to embrace the “pay it forward” attitude.

So she organized a walk. Now, in year three, Wilson and others have joined forces to create a day filled with healthy activities, food trucks, music and more – even a mammogram bus that will offer free mammograms.

“We are a breast cancer organization, but we serve all types of cancer,” Wilson said. This year’s theme is “We’re Stronger Together and Better In Unity.”

“We’re looking forward to joining the community…trying to (boost) awareness for healthy living,” said Tunstall-Smith. “It’s our way of giving back.”

Tunstall-Smith said she and Wilson have been friends and classmates, so she was quick to volunteer when Pink With A Passion was formed. “I felt so fulfilled,” she said, of that volunteer experience, “I felt like I was doing something for the community, my church, my God.” That’s when she jumped in with both feet.

Pink With A Passion “is about people and how we can be of assistance to people in a medical crisis,” Tunstall-Smith continued.

Wilson said the organization will make a $2,000 donation to Maria Parham Health’s Cancer Center, which will, in turn, share with cancer patients who need help to pay for gas to get to treatments, medicine and more while they are receiving care.

The reason for the event is a serious one – cancer and its effects on families and caregivers – but Saturday’s walk will provide a chance for celebration and community fellowship as well.

Tunstall-Smith said she hoped to see a good turnout to the event – bring your lawn chairs and expect to have an enjoyable day among friends and supporters.

Pink With A Passion has developed a reputation for being a support system for cancer patients, who need only to call on one of the volunteers if they need help with anything from getting a prosthesis to a ride to the doctor, Tunstall-Smith said – any type of assistance “to let them feel they are not in the battle by themselves.”

Come for the camaraderie, come for the information, come for the exercise by taking a few laps around the track or come for the giveaways, Wilson said. Just come out to show support for those who are battling cancer themselves, or who are caring for a loved one with cancer.

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TownTalk: A Busy Spring For Rebuilding Hope

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When you drive through the Rebuilding Hope campus on April 26 to pick up plates of that delicious barbecued chicken, sides and dessert, you’ll get a pretty good view of the property, which for so many years was the site of the Coca-Cola Bottling Co.

If you choose to park and eat in, Rebuilding Hope founder and director Randolph Wilson said you probably won’t recognize the interior as a place where those iconic green glass bottles were cleaned, filled and capped, but he gives a tip of the hat to the facility that has served its new owners so well over the past seven or eight years.

The fundraiser runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wilson invites the public to stop by and pick up plates; no advance ticket is necessary, but feel free to call 252.438.5132 to reserve plates. Orders of five or more plates can be delivered, he said.

“Just drive up or drive in,” Wilson said. “We’ll sell until we run out.”

At a recent gathering to celebrate the facility, located at 414 Raleigh Rd., and its new lease on life as home to Rebuilding Hope, Wilson said the president of the former owner, Durham Coca-Cola, came to see how the facility had changed.

“He was pretty much blown away,” Wilson said. “There’s not another building in this town that fits this ministry like a glove” the way the former Coke plant does.

The room that once housed the bottling equipment has been transformed into meeting space, complete with projector and sound capability.

The warehouse that used to store pallets of Coca-Cola products ready for distribution now has different areas for plumbing and electrical supplies, tools and hardware.

Trucks can drive through and get loaded with lumber. And there’s a walk-in freezer and walk-in cooler convenient to the loading dock, so deliveries of surplus food items in need of temporary storage can be easily rolled off trucks and into the coolers.

And the garage area behind the main building now is a tool shop and a storage area for shingles and other supplies for the various projects that Rebuilding Hope undertakes.

The summer Servants on Site program uses a lot of those shingles to repair and replace roofs for residents in the area, Wilson said. This year, SOS participants will gather June 24-28 to work and enjoy fellowship with others while doing God’s work in the community.

This year’s deadline to register is May 1, Wilson said. Visit https://rebuildinghopeinc.org/ to sign up your youth group.

The SOS program is an opportunity for youth groups to find out what’s going “in our own Jerusalem.”

Local youth groups are signed up so far, and another group from the western part of the state. There’s room for more, Wilson said.

“(SOS) touches their life in a way they didn’t expect,” Wilson said. “It’s amazing to hear the young people talk about what it means” to participate in the weeklong event.

At a recent meeting in Elkin, he said he heard from the dad of a previous SOS participant, who reported that the experience had been life-changing.

“We also accept volunteers year ‘round to help with projects in the community,” Wilson said. Their teams build more than 100 wheelchair ramps in any given year to allow residents easier access in and out of their homes.

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SaddleRock Farm Hosts “Henderson Spectacular” For Community On April 27

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The folks at SaddleRock Farm are gearing up for the “Henderson Spectacular” on Saturday, Apr. 27, when the property will be open to the public for a host of activities and fun for the whole family.

Farm owner Larry Johnson and his granddaughter-in-law Emily Parker are weaving in a religious theme into all the activities that will be taking place on Saturday, Apr. 27.

The event is taking place just a few weeks after Easter and they want to spread the word, especially about The Greatest Story Ever Told.

Gates open at 11 a.m. and the fun continues until 3 p.m. Come early, Johnson advised, so you’ll have a chance to enjoy all the activities that are in store.

“I’m blessed to be a part of it…I’m glad to have it at the farm – it’s special,” Parker said in a recent interview with WIZS.

“Our farm furnishes the location,” Johnson said, and New Sandy Creek Baptist Church is a primary sponsor for this year’s “Spectacular,” which will feature horse rides and hayrides, inflatables for the kids to play on, puppet shows and much more.

Then there’s the food – think carnival food like popcorn, sno-cones and drinks to go along with all the outdoor fun – “all for zero cost,” Johnson added.

The farm is a for-profit endeavor, providing riding lessons, field trips and birthday parties throughout the year. But it’s important to Johnson to give back to the community, and hosting the event is his way of going that.

“When I bought that farm, I didn’t buy it for the public, I bought it for my family. Not too long after that, God spoke to my heart and said he had provided that farm…not just for my family but for other people. So when we opened in April 2010, we had a pretty big dedication service and we dedicated that farm to the Lord and his work. We do have to make a living – the farm does have to support itself, but it is dedicated to the Lord and every opportunity we have to provide any service that people can learn more about the Lord, we do that.”

SaddleRock Farm is located at 1786 Weldon’s Mill Rd., Henderson.

Spring Street Missionary Baptist Plans Community Event

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Spring Street Missionary Baptist Church is holding a picnic at Henderson Heights on Saturday, Apr. 20 that is free and open to the public.

There will be hotdogs and hamburgers to enjoy, as well as a bouncy house and face painting for the children, said pastor AnTori D. Brown.

The church is located at 511 Orange St., but Brown said Saturday’s event is a way to minister to the larger community.

“We get inside of the church and we want to stay there,” Brown said on Monday’s segment of The Local Skinny! Having programs outside the church building is one way to let people know “that God has fallen in love with them…our objective is to reach the masses by way of ministry.”

The community is invited to join residents of Henderson Heights, the corner of Beckford and Andrews avenues, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. for a day of fellowship, food and fun.

As revitalization efforts continue in the downtown area, Brown said he wants Spring Street Missionary Baptist to be a “beacon of light” in the community. “We want to revitalize our commitment and spirituality to God,” he said.

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