SportsTalk: Louisburg College Softball Recaps World Series Run
Brice Garand, Head Coach of the Louisburg College Softball Program, joins SportsTalk to speak about the Hurricanes run in the NJCAA DII Softball World Series.
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Tag Archive for: #franklincountynews
VGCC Foundation’s $5M ‘Building Futures Campaign’ Well On Its Way To Goal
The Vance-Granville Community College Foundation’s $5 million fundraising campaign is well on its way, with more than $1 million raised since the campaign kicked off in March.
Building Futures: Empowering Students, Strengthening Communities is a 10-month campaign to raise money to address a funding deficit and ensure the successful completion of two transformational workforce training facilities, namely the Center for Advanced Manufacturing & Applied Technology (CAMAT) and the Transportation Training & Technology Center (TTTC).
The $1,051,000 in philanthropic support demonstrates strong early momentum, donor confidence, and measurable community impact, according to school officials.
Building Futures represents a high-impact workforce development initiative, advancing economic mobility and career pathways for students across Vance, Granville, Franklin, and Warren counties.
While state funding and grants have supported both facilities, increased construction costs have created a funding shortfall. The Building Futures fundraising plan seeks to raise $5 million in transformational philanthropic investment to ensure both facilities open fully equipped with modern technology and industry-grade training equipment.
This investment directly supports student success, workforce readiness, and long-term regional economic growth, while strengthening the talent pipeline for high-demand industries.
The Center for Advanced Manufacturing & Applied Technology will serve as a state-of-the-art training center designed to prepare students for high-demand, high-wage careers in welding, mechatronics, electrical systems, and HVAC.
This facility will expand access to quality jobs, industry-recognized credentials, and upward economic mobility, while supporting employers seeking a highly skilled workforce.
The Transportation Training & Technology Center will expand and modernize instruction in CDL-A and B, heavy equipment operations, and diesel and heavy equipment mechanics.
This facility addresses critical workforce shortages while providing hands-on, career-connected learning opportunities that lead directly to employment and family-sustaining wages.
Together, these two facilities represent a transformative investment in community impact, workforce innovation, and economic development. By aligning education with industry demand, VGCC is advancing scalable workforce solutions, employer partnerships, and student-centered outcomes that strengthen communities and regional competitiveness.
The Building Futures initiative reflects a commitment to evidence-based impact, measurable outcomes, and expanding opportunity at scale—key priorities for national philanthropic leaders investing in systemic change.
Individuals, families, corporations, and philanthropic organizations are invited to participate in the Building Futures initiative through a variety of major gift and naming opportunities. Donors may choose to name classrooms, labs, and more.
For more information about supporting workforce training, transformational giving opportunities, philanthropic partnerships, or community impact investments, please contact the VGCC Foundation at foundation@vgcc.edu or 252.738.3264 or visit www.vgcc.edu/building-futures.
Franklin County Hosts 5-County Beef Tour On June 12
Franklin County is hosting the 2026 5-County BEEF Tour on Tuesday, June 16. Participants will carpool to three innovative beef cattle farms, both large and small, that are participating in the Southeastern US Regenerative Agriculture Project, according to information from Matthew Place of the Franklin County Center of N.C. Cooperative Extension.
There will be lots of networking, but also use of new technology for the cattle producer, demonstrations (grazing forages, rainfall simulator), and expert insights designed to help your farm thrive.
Participants will hear about the latest in agricultural tech and management strategies, including:
- Nutritional Efficiency: Learn how to maximize your herd’s performance while managing costs. Grazing efficiency using the “grazing forage stick”, one free per family.
- Forage & Drones: See how drone technology is changing the game for pasture management, heat checks, etc. See a live demonstration using the forage rainfall simulator.
- Virtual Fencing: Explore the future of grazing without the wire.
- Trade Show during lunch: new Hay Equipment, Seed companies, “No Fence” company, Farm Conservation and more.
- Lunch speaker: Regenerative Agriculture and Programs Available.
Registration is required and the $30 fee includes lunch. The deadline to register is Friday, June 12.
Register at go.ncsu.edu/2026-5-county-beef-tour
For more information, contact Franklin County Center, 919.496.3344, Agricultural Extension Agent Martha Mobley or the Sampson County Center, 910.592.7161, Agricultural Extension Agent Paul Gonzalez.
The link to the tour brochure is Brochure & Tour Map.
SportsTalk: William Hardin Tapped As New Louisburg College Head Baseball Coach
With about 10 days in his new role as Louisburg College’s head baseball coach, William Hardin has hit the ground running, with recruitment in full swing, meeting current players and getting ready for the upcoming season.
But like they say, it’s not work if you love what you do.
“I do care deeply about Louisburg baseball and Louisburg College,” Hardin said on Thursday’s SportsTalk segment with WIZS’s Scout Hughes and George Hoyle.
And now, he’s coaching at the very school that gave him so much as a young junior college athlete who headed off to Elon College (before it became a university) and then settled into a coaching and teaching career at the high school and college levels.
His coach at Louisburg was the venerable Russ Frazier, and Hardin said he’s had many conversations with his former coach since he took the job.
When Coach calls, Hardin says he drops whatever he’s doing.
“It’s like two people taking who have best friends forever,” Hardin said. “All the advice he gives me, I take it.”
Another role model who helped shape Hardin as a coach is longtime AD at Greensboro’s Page High School – and fellow Elon ballplayer Rusty Lee.
Hardin said he learned the value of being proactive from Lee, so when someone calls him to share the name of a possible recruit, Hardin calls. Right then.
“My job is to get on the phone right then and there, not wait a week,” he said.
He’s hitting the recruiting pretty hard now, and he said he has until mid-August to “say yes to as many quality players as we possibly can.”
He said he’s ready to build on the success that previous head coach Blake Herring had with the Hurricanes, and elevate the program a little bit in the process and return to national relevance.
One way to do that is through hard work. Another way is by showing players you’re passionate about your school, your program and your players.
“I do have a lot of passion,” Hardin said. Recruits have remarked about seeing and feeling that passion, which tells Hardin he’s doing the right thing and doing it the right way.
“The day I met the players, I had probably five or six alumni with me who showed up,” Hardin said, which created a “buzz” among current players and in the Louisburg fanbase and alums.
There are some good players coming back for the upcoming season, and Hardin said right now, he’s looking for arms.
“The more arms we get, the more chance that we can win those weekend series,” he explained. He said he’s going to look at those weekend series as if they’re the conference tournament. “We want to win that two out of three, we want to sweep,” so the team can develop that mindset of playing baseball hard for a short period of time.
A pitcher’s speed is great, but Hardin said there’s a place in the lineup for pitchers who can provide long relief, short relief – players he can put on the mound for specific tasks.
“We’re looking for arms that come in and get people out,” he explained. “It’s about hitting your spots and mixing your pitches…throwing off the timing and the balance of the hitter – that’s what it’s all about.”
He’s doing all the things a college head coach needs to do, at a dizzying pace – networking, recruiting, learning, planning and strategizing.
“That’s something I’ve been eager to do all my life, is to be a college coach,” Hardin said. “But there’s only one place I really wanted to be and that’s Louisburg College and that is the truth.”
To be able to coach at the school that gave him his start that included playing college baseball and a career as a coach is not something Hardin takes for granted.
“It changed my entire life, being able to go to school there,” he said.“Everything I have is attributed to Louisburg College.”
He said he’s livin’ the dream right now – a great family, a job he loves at a school that he loves.
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High School Baseball Playoffs
NCHSAA
4A – State Championship Series – Best of 3
Game 1
- Bunn 3 Burns 2
Game 2
- Bunn 7 Burns 5
Congratulations to the Bunn Wildcats on winning the 4A Baseball State Championship!
TownTalk: Franklin County Sends Letter To KLRWS For Terms To Be Met
In a letter to the owners of the Kerr Lake Regional Water System dated May 21, Franklin County Manager Ryan Preble posed a couple of possible solutions to his county’s need for more water.
The six-page letter recounted efforts undertaken by Franklin County over the past almost 20 years to find a way to bring more water to an area experiencing explosive growth, seemingly with no end in sight.
Preble sent the letter to City Manager Paylor Spruill, Warren County Manager Crystal Smith and Oxford City Manager Brent Taylor – Henderson is a 60 percent owner of the KLRWS and Warren County and the City of Oxford each have a 20 percent share in ownership.
In March, Franklin County asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for its own allocation of water from Kerr Lake – 16.7 million gallons a day. That request will be considered but no answer is expected for more than a year.
The regional water system is undergoing an expansion that will increase capacity to 20 million gallons per day, but Preble’s letter states that it would be too costly and impractical for Franklin County to pay as a customer.
In his conclusion, Preble offers the three water system owners “options” and gives the three entities 30 days to accept the terms.
Here’s an excerpt from the letter:
“Franklin has been in discussions within the region about short-term and long-term water supply for at least 19 years (since 2007). Henderson supplies Franklin with an additional 450,000 GPD but that is all Henderson is willing to do given the size of its water distribution infrastructure. Franklin respects that. Short-term, Franklin cannot pay $35 million for 2.5 MGD when there are other potential sellers at a lower cost. Franklin is open to regional discussions, but KLRWS must either agree to sell at an agreed-upon fair market value of a 51% stake in KLRWS or sell a lower percentage interest but give Franklin the right to expand at its cost to develop additional capacity that belongs to Franklin (the Basic Terms). If either of these options are amenable, we would like to discuss terms to move this forward. Any business formation issues (create an authority or a joint venture) are irrelevant unless Franklin is going to solve its supply challenge with a regional solution.
Please indicate your willingness to accept the Basic Terms within thirty (30) days of the date of this letter, by June 21, 2026. If you would like to setup (sic) a meeting after accepting the Basic Terms, please let me know.”
Find the full text of the letter here https://www.franklincountync.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2089/Letter-from-County-Manager-Ryan-Preble-on-Regional-Water-Discussions—May-21-2026-PDF
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The Local Skinny! Maria Parham Franklin Hosting ‘Stomp the Stigma’ 5K May 30
Lace up your running – or walking – shoes for the second “Stomp the Stigma” 5k on Saturday, May 30 in Louisburg to support mental health awareness and care for mental health treatment.
Not feelin’ it for the 5k?
There’s a Family Fun Run and a Kids Dash, too, thanks to event organizers from the Maria Parham Franklin campus, where the focus is on mental health and behavioral health.
Emilee Johnson, vice president of operations at Maria Parham, said this year’s event is shaping up to be another success.
May is National Mental Health Awareness month, a time when mental health professionals emphasize the normalization of seeking help when it’s needed.
Last year’s inaugural event raised about $5,000, Johnson said. “This year we want to do a lot more,” she said on Thursday’s The Local Skinny! This year’s recipient again is First in Families of North Carolina, a local nonprofit that supports people receiving mental health care.
They’ve been able to touch many lives through last year’s donation, Johnson said and they’re very excited and very supportive of this year’s fundraiser.
The stigma that needs stomping is the stigma around mental health and people’s reluctance to talk about it, learn about it and seek treatment for it.
Morgan Barnes, MPH’s manager of Human Resources, said “I feel that mental health is not a ‘someone else’ issue.” It affects us all, she said, from family and friends to co-workers. Whether identified as stress, anxiety, burnout or something else, there are resources available to support and promote positive mental health.
Making treatment more of the norm goes a long way to stomp the stigma, Johnson said. “We’re really excited to do something that benefits the community.”
Mark Speed returns this year, bringing his DJ skills to the day’s activities. Speed is a big proponent of the hospital, Johnson said. “He brought a lot of fun and energy last year to the crowd” she added. Having 150 participants join in the fun last year was a good start. “If we could double that, that would be amazing,” Johnson said. The event provides a fun activity for the community to participate in and also helps support a great cause, she added. “It’s a win all around.”
Everyone who registers at least two weeks before the event will get a t-shirt and swag bag. Register at https://runsignup.com/. There’s also a place on the event’s link to sign up as a volunteer. Register at least two weeks before the event to get a volunteer t-shirt.
The race route takes participants from the hospital, through the town’s historic district around Louisburg College and the downtown area and then back to the hospital, located at 100 Hospital Dr. off Hwy 39.
It’s designed for fun, but for those with a competitive edge, awards will be given to the top three male finishers and top three female finishers. The first 150 to cross the finish line will get race medals.
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(This content was originally published on May 7, 2026.)
TownTalk: Around Old Granville – 250th Anniversary of the USA in Old Granville County Part 2
With the nation’s approaching 250th birthday as a backdrop, WIZS’s Bill Harris and local historian Mark Pace continue their conversation about people, places and events from right here in the four-county area, “Old Granville County.”
Franklin County’s Regiment of Militia was officially formed in January 1779, in the middle of the Revolutionary War. This group of men, along with the Granville County militia, fought the British troops in battles across the Carolinas in the early 1780’s, including the Siege of Charleston, Camden and Charlotte before giving the Brits a fit at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.
Gen. Charles Cornwallis led his troops to major victories, but they met their match at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.
Local historian Mark Pace said the British technically won the battle, but suffered such heavy casualties at the hands of the Patriots – led by Gen. Nathaniel Greene – that it was a hollow victory.
Just a year earlier, Cornwallis had spent 16 days in Charlotte trying to suppress the Patriots in that area, Pace said. Most likely members of the local militia were there as well and contributed to Cornwallis’s description of the then-small town as a “hornet’s nest.”
(A couple of hundred years later, the NBA team that called Charlotte home took note of the description and now the Charlotte Hornets play in an arena called The Hive.)
The Granville County militia performed well at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, Pace said on Thursday’s Part 2 of Around Old Granville on TownTalk.
The Continental Line, akin to a national Army, of sorts, Pace explained, got much-needed assistance from states’ militias. North Carolina furnished about 4,000 or so men to the militia, each county calling up recruits or volunteers to join the effort.
Why did the states feel the need to call up militias in the first place?
Well, it’s probably not the only reason, but back in the mid-1750’s, the Colonists were being required to pay all kinds of taxes to the British Crown. But they didn’t have anyone in England to speak on their behalf, which was how the phrase “no taxation without representation” came about.
Two big taxes “that irritated Americans to no end,” Pace said, were the Stamp Act and the Sugar Tax. The Stamp Act taxed printed materials, from wills and deeds to newspapers and playing cards. The Sugar Act is self-explanatory, but it became a thorn in the side of Americans because of what was the most popular drink at the time – rum, which is derived from molasses. And molasses is made from sugarcane juice.
The Granville militia, in the mid-1770’s was under the leadership of Micajah Bullock, who is buried near Bullock’s Church located along U.S. Hwy 15 South near Creedmoor and Col. John Taylor of the Williamsboro vicinity. Another prominent Granville County resident was Thomas Person, who was a general in the militia. At the time, he was the wealthiest person in the county and he opened up his estate for training purposes during the Revolution.
Pace called Person “the heart and soul of the Revolution in this area.”
During previous “Around Old Granville” segments, Pace and Harris have talked about the significance of Williamsboro, once a prospering center of commerce that today is merely a crossroads that people pass through as they travel N.C. Hwy 39.
The community was named for John Williams, Pace said, whose name can be found among a list of Founding Fathers for this nation.
Williams, along with Robert Burton, John Penn and Benjamin Hawkins, all hailed from the Williamsboro area and were elected to the Continental Congress. Penn signed the Declaration of Independence, but Williams signed the Articles of Confederation. He also became speaker of the N.C. House, and was one of the first N.C. Supreme Court judges.
Sadly, Williams’s home, Montpelier, no longer stands. But it was a hub of activity back then, Pace said.
Montpelier was where N.C. Gov. Burke went when it became clear he needed to evacuate Hillsborough (then the capital) in advance of Cornwallis’s arrival.
Montpelier is also where Leonard Henderson, for whom Henderson is named, is buried.
In fact, Williamsboro had been considered as the state’s capital, but leaders ultimately chose the more centrally located Raleigh.
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SportsTalk: Louisburg College Softball Makes NJCAA Softball World Series
Brice Garand, Head Coach of Louisburg College Softball, joins SportsTalk to speak about how the Hurricanes have made the NJCAA Softball World Series.
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High School Baseball Playoffs – 3rd Round
NCHSAA
1A
- 1Falls Lake vs. 5East Columbus
4A
- 1Bunn vs. 9Clinton
5A
- 15South Granville @ 7C.B. Aycock
NCISAA
1A
- 1Crossroads Christian vs. 4Cape Fear Christian
Virginia High School Regular Season Baseball
- Mecklenburg County, VA vs. Tunstall, VA
High School Softball Playoffs – 3rd Round
NCHSAA
1A
- 5Vance Charter @ 1Bear Grass Charter
- 2Oxford Prep vs. 6Bethany Community
- 5Falls Lake @ 1Robbinsville
4A
- 5Bunn @ 4East Duplin
College Baseball Scores:
Tuesday
- North Carolina @ UNC-Wilmington
- Duke vs. William & Mary
- Wake Forest @ Liberty
MiLB Scores:
Tuesday
- Durham Bulls @ Gwinnett
- Charlotte vs. Norfolk
- Asheville vs. Hub City
- Greensboro @ Jersey Shore
- Winston-Salem vs. Wilmington
- Kannapolis @ Charleston
- Hickory @ Columbia
- Wilson vs. Hill City
- Fayetteville @ Delmarva
Convicted Drug Dealer Gets 21-Year Federal Prison Term In Connection With 2024 Overdose Death In Franklin County
— from the office of U.S. Attorney Eastern District N.C. Ellis Boyle
A federal judge sentenced Cordell Antonio Mendoza to 21 years in federal prison for selling fentanyl that caused an individual in Franklin County, North Carolina to overdose and die. On February 17, 2026, Inmate Mendoza pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell and possess with the intent to sell heroin and fentanyl, and selling of fentanyl resulting in death.
In a press statement issued Thursday, May 7, U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle stated, “Selling poison that you know kills people goes far beyond just run-of-the-mill dealing. The defendant accepted death as the cost of doing business, and went right back to the street to find his next victim after he knew of at least one dead customer. 21 years in federal prison protects the residents of the EDNC for decaes and punishes this murderous scofflaw for his heinous crimes. Simple Lesson: Drugs Kill, Prison Awaits – Do Right.”
In October 2024, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) found an individual at his home in Franklin County who died from a drug overdose. FCSO found fentanyl in the victim’s pocket with the label “Try This” and empty fentanyl bindles in the trash can eponymously labeled “Dead on Arrival.” FCSO and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case and determined that Inmate Mendoza sold the victim the deadly fentanyl just over an hour before the victim was found dead. Two days later, Inmate Mendoza spoke on a recorded telephone call describing how one of his customers had died from an overdose from using his product, before immediately pivoting to say he would keep selling drugs. In November 2024, law enforcement searched Inmate Mendoza’s house and found 102 bindles of a fentanyl and heroin mixture.
“This sentence underscores the relentless efforts of federal and local law enforcement to deliver justice when drug trafficking leads to a tragic loss of life,” said Mark M. Zito, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in North and South Carolina. “The combined dedication of the FCSO, HSI, and the EDNC United States Attorney’s Office demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting the community. HSI will continue to pursue and hold accountable those dealers who knowingly distribute deadly fentanyl, recognizing the devastating impact these actions have on families and neighborhoods.”
“The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office has made addressing drug trafficking in our county a priority and this case and the results of it are proof that we can and will hold those individuals accountable for the tragedies they cause when dealing drugs that kill. I am grateful for our investigators and the relationships we have with HSI and the EDNC United States Attorney’s Office to partner together to enhance our efforts.” said Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White.
Boyle made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. HSI and the FCSO investigated the case and Assistant United States Attorney Casey L. Peaden prosecuted the case.
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The texted above was originally posted May 8, 2026.
Annual ‘Got To Be NC Festival’ May 15-17 At N.C. State Fairgrounds
— Information from N.C. Dept. of Agriculture
The Got to Be NC Festival returns to the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh May 15-17, bringing a full weekend of free family friendly fun and a celebration of North Carolina’s rich agricultural heritage.
Explore the best of the state’s food, farming and agribusiness with agricultural exhibits, live music, carnival rides, food, tractors and more.
“I invite you to join us for the Got to Be NC Festival as we celebrate the people, products and traditions that make North Carolina agriculture so strong,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “From our farmers and food producers to the families who support them, this festival is a chance to experience the very best our state has to offer.”
Inside the Got to Be NC Pavilion at the Agri Supply Expo Center, visitors will discover more than 100 local food companies, wineries and breweries, including 10 first-time vendors. The 50,000-square-foot marketplace showcases a variety of North Carolina-made products, including sauces, snacks, beverages, meats, spices and sweets. Admission to the marketplace is $3.
The Festival also celebrates the farmers behind our state’s No. 1 industry by recognizing a Young Farmer of the Day, presented by AgCarolina Farm Credit and AgSouth Farm Credit. Visitors can also enjoy a big display of farm equipment and vintage tractors in a range of colors, plus a daily tractor parade at 1 p.m. as one of the Festival’s signature events.
The Festival is also heavy on children’s activities including the Kids Corral presented by NC529 Plan, located in the Jim Graham Building. This area features free kid’s crafts throughout the day, educational activities, a North Carolina Commodity Corn Hole Board and Lil Ducky Water Races along with live animal exhibits, baby pigs, hatching chicks.
Educational opportunities will include the N.C. Forest Service exhibit, Southwest Dairy Farmers Mobile Classroom and more. Check out Storytime with Smokey Bear on May 16 at 3:30 and 6 p.m. and May 17 from 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
In addition, over 60 vendors will be offering products for sale, in addition to the many food vendors set up throughout the fairgrounds.
Visitors can enjoy three new entertainment acts, plus a returning favorite horse show. Added this year are The Comedy Farm Magic Review; Pirates of the Colombian Caribbean Aerial Highwire Thrill Show; and The Big Bee Transforming Robot Car – a bright yellow Chevy Camero that transforms into a 15-foot tall robot. Lauryn Zepeda and her trick horse Gringo, who are fresh off setting a Guiness World Record for most tricks performed by a horse in 3 minutes, will also have multiple shows daily.
Musical artists will take over the Got to Be NC stage all weekend with performances throughout the day.
Special events on Saturday, May 16:
- Gates open at 11 a.m. for the super popular Carolina Pig Jig, an all-you-can eat fundraiser for the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford and Central Children’s Home put together by Masonic lodges. Teams from 26 Masonic Lodges from North Carolina and Delaware slow-cook pork all night to be judged for top honors and bragging rights including the People’s Choice Awards. The public is invited to buy tickets to taste all the delicious pork that has been cooked for the competition and vote for their favorites. Tickets are $20 for ages 11 and up, $10 for ages 5-10 and free for those under 5.
- A Kids’ Pedal Tractor Pull will be held at 1 p.m. in the Sam Rand Grandstand prior to the Antique Tractor Pull. Kids ages 2 to 8 can compete for ribbons.
- Antique Tractor Pull, presented by the North Carolina Education Lottery, will take place from 2 to 8 p.m. in the Sam Rand Grandstand.
- The Dinah Gore 4-H Healthy Food Challenge is a team cooking and nutrition competition held in the Jim Graham Building.
Special events on Sunday, May 17:
- From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Action Alley gives kids the opportunity to explore a variety of working trucks used in construction, public service, utilities and more that they don’t normally get to experience up close. This is a fun and interactive activity.
Unlimited ride wristbands are offered for Friday and Sunday. Friday hours are noon to 9 p.m. and cost $30. Sunday’s hours and cost for unlimited ride wristbands are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and cost $35.
Admission and parking are free, while food, rides, games and some exhibits require purchase. Festival hours are Friday from noon to 10 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.