Tag Archive for: #charlesturrentinejr

Local Leaders Planning Town Hall Meeting In Henderson Tuesday, Sept. 3

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Downtown Henderson is the backdrop for a community meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 3 and Charles J. “C.J.” Turrentine Jr. wants to spread the word to encourage attendance.

“We’re going to do a Town Hall meeting in Henderson – something that’s never been done before,” Turrentine told WIZS News.

“I’m encouraging…my generation and a lot of the Black community to come out,” he said, adding that the gathering is free and open to all, regardless of party affiliation.

The community meeting will be held at Southern Charm, 200 S. Garnett St. from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The meeting, he said, is designed “to break the barrier of Republican and Democrat, black and white.”

State Rep. Frank Sossamon is scheduled to take part in a question-and-answer session. According to a flyer publicizing the meeting, participants can place written questions in an issue box for Sossamon and others to answer.

“It’s going to be a great time for our community,” Turrentine said.

The Local Skinny! Chestnut Street Park Revitalization Project

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Charles Turrentine Jr. grew up on Hamilton Street, so it was a short walk down to Chestnut Street Park, where he spent time playing basketball and hanging out with his friends.

The park is due an upgrade, and Turrentine is spearheading an effort to give the park a facelift.

As the old saying goes, all it takes is time and money.

“It’s a collective effort,” he said on Monday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

Turrentine’s church, Davis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, is located across the street from the park, and he said they’ve sort of adopted it, putting into action a plan to make some much-needed changes so the park can once again be a place for the whole community to enjoy.

“We’re really in action with the revitalization effort,” he said. “We want a modernized park that’s open to everyone.”

Rep. Frank Sossamon has joined the effort, and is one of several folks featured in a 2-minute video about the project, which can be seen on YouTube. Turrentine and Sossamon have known each other for a good while, and Turrentine said the pastor-turned-legislator contacted him asking how he could help.

Once the site of a tobacco warehouse, the park was donated by J.P Taylor in the early 1970’s and the surface for all the courts is the original warehouse floor. The plan includes other amenities like installing a cover over the courts, and adding water and electricity.

The first phase will be resurfacing the courts, which will involve taking down the hoops and the chainlink fencing that surrounds the park.

Turrentine said the resurfacing alone has a $20,000 price tag.

Inflation and the spike in construction materials and costs, has bumped the original estimate of about $100,000 to more like $500,000, he said. The fencing alone could cost upwards of $30,000.

He hopes to make some tweaks to the video and use a slightly longer version to help with fundraising efforts. The idea now is to get started at the beginning of 2025, using the rest of 2024 to promote the project and raise money.

There already are different ways to donate, including a GoFundMe page and making a tax-deductible donation at Davis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. All donations will go to fund the project, Turrentine said.

“We have to do it in phases, as the money comes in and we get more support,” Turrentine explained. And he is confident about the success of the project and what it will mean for the community.

“We can change the narrative of Henderson,” he said, putting aside differences and raising money to create a modern park for all to enjoy.

Find the “Every Court Has A Story – Chestnut Street Park” video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTW0q-4CXqA&t=21

‘Worship Without Walls’ to Bring Community Together to Celebrate MLK, Jr.

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On Wednesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program, Charles Turrentine, Jr. with Davis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church spoke of the church’s upcoming “Worship Without Walls” event being held on Sunday, January 20.

The event, to be held outside at the basketball court at nearby Chestnut Street Park at 745 N. Chestnut St. in Henderson, is being held as “an extended celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.”

According to Turrentine, the celebration will begin at approximately 10:45 a.m. on Sunday and will include a live DJ, excerpts from King’s speeches, poetry, open commentary, food and hot beverages. The Vance County High School drumline will also be performing.

“I know it’s going to be a little chilly, but we want to have a good time and bring the people out,” Turrentine said. “We want to show people that the dream Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had has not died. It has instilled us with the power to move on, better ourselves and help the City of Henderson be a better place to live.”

The idea for the celebration is based on Turrentine’s past family trips to Atlanta, GA to take part in the city’s annual MLK celebrations.

Turrentine said it was always an exciting time to see the march in front of King’s home church – the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church – and experience the positive energy. “The whole city would come out; it’s a great experience. We thought we’d bring some of that back to Henderson, on a smaller scale, with the same concept in mind.”

Part of that vision was to hold the event at an outdoor location “without walls” to make it as welcoming and accessible to the public as possible.

The Chestnut Street Park, adopted by Davis Chapel through the Henderson Vance Recreation & Parks Department, is located in close proximity to the church and already serves as a gathering place for the community.

The church does their part to keep the park clean and to serve as goodwill ambassadors by engaging with community members who play basketball there, according to Turrentine.

After the celebration on Sunday, the church and all those willing to assist will be removing trash and debris from the area around the park, all the way down to John Street. Turrentine said that trash collected will be left in bags on the side of the road to be picked up by early next week.

To hear the interview with Charles Turrentine in its entirety, please click here. Turrentine’s interview begins at the 16:00 mark.