Tag Archive for: #granvillecountynews

TownTalk: Around Old Granville – Major Events Since 1960, Part 3

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People may look back in time and identify particular dates or specific short-term events that are, decades or centuries later, now viewed as being historical. Dates like July 4, 1776, December 7, 1941 are just two particular dates etched into most Americans’ minds as having great significance. Most folks can tell you the importance of those two dates – Independence Day and Pearl Harbor.

But sometimes it’s the regular – the mundane – that are rightly added to that category of “historical events,” and WIZS’s Bill Harris and local historian Mark Pace talked about several in Thursday’s TownTalk segment called “Around Old Granville.”

Take road expansion as one example. Road projects take years (sometimes decades) to complete, but the widening of U.S. 1 from Raleigh to Henderson and later the Hwy. 401 project between Raleigh and Louisburg, both are game-changers for the area.

Harris and Pace wrapped up a three-part series on events since 1960 that have historical significance for the four-county area.

Add to those road expansions the completion of “the Missing Link” that connected I-85 in southern Granville County back in 1973, and Pace said road construction has had a significant impact on the area.

Water systems, like roads, are critical pieces of infrastructure that communities rely on for daily life. A severe drought in 1974, coupled with the need to provide water to Soul City and the possibility of landing a beer manufacturer in Warren County led to the development of the Kerr Lake Regional Water System, Pace said.

“Old Milwaukee wanted to relocate to Warren County,” Pace said, adding that the manufacturer would require a tremendous amount of water. At the time, there wasn’t a water system capable of handling their demands.

Well, it didn’t work out with Old Mil but the water system today processes millions and millions of gallons of water a day. It is completing a huge expansion to grow the amount to 20 million gallons a day.

The area has seen its share of protests since 1960 – some successful and others less so.

Landowners in southern Granville had been upset over the creation of Camp Butner during World War II because they didn’t feel like they were being fairly compensated for the property the government was taking.

Ditto the creation of Kerr Lake in the 1950’s and Falls Lake in the late ‘70’s and early ‘80’s.

Those projects prevailed and are part of the fabric of the community, but there were other protests that caused a stir.

There have been protests against proposed repositories for hazardous materials and waste incinerators, Pace said. In fact, the PCB landfill protests of 1982 is largely credited with being the driver for coining the phrase “environmental justice.”

Pace said it was a “grassroots resistance movement that’s actually been echoed nationwide. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 50 years.”

What events, projects or particular dates will be added to that list of historical events in 50 or 60 more years?

But there could be other events that, for now, are considered regular, ordinary…mundane.

Will it be the Dabney Drive project, long-talked about but – so far, anyway – still in the planning stage?

Will there be “that date” when folks first learned about plans for a proposed data center, sparking a rise in protests and opposition?

Time will tell.

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Granville County Welcomes Siri Emereje As New Tourism Director

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Granville County has selected Siri Emereje as its new tourism director. Emereje is scheduled to begin the new position on Oct. 26, 2026.

He brings to the role more than eight years of experience in destination marketing, tourism development, public sector tourism funding and community and stakeholder engagement. As director of the tourism authority, Emereje will lead Granville County’s efforts to promote the county as a destination, strengthen partnerships with tourism and hospitality stakeholders, and support the continued development of the local visitor economy.

Mallory Richard, chair of the Granville County Tourism Development Authority, welcomes Emereje to the position. “His experience and perspective will be a valuable addition as we continue to strengthen tourism efforts throughout the county,” Richard said in a a press release announcing the hire.

Most recently, Emereje worked as a destination strategist, supporting destination marketing organizations with website content and digital visibility strategies.

“With transition of tourism under the Granville County Economic Development Department umbrella, we want to continue our destination marketing efforts but also look at ways to grow our tourism-based economy,” said Charla Duncan, Granville County’s Economic Development director and TDA board member. “Siri’s experience will be key in that transition, and we look forward to welcoming him as a new developer on our team, focused on tourism.”

Emereje describes his approach to destination marketing as creative storytelling. He finds and shapes the moments that capture the heart of a community, then shares them in ways that make people want to visit, and residents proud to call that place home.

From 2022 to 2026, he served as marketing communications manager for destination promotion with Discover DeKalb Convention & Visitors Bureau, in Atlanta. In that role, he directed marketing and communications for an organization serving three municipalities and unincorporated DeKalb County. He also managed a $1.2 million annual advertising budget and more than 110 integrated destination promotion campaigns annually across digital, social, traditional and experiential channels.

His experience also includes tourism product development and partnership building. At Discover DeKalb, Emereje developed and launched the East Side Hops Trail, a multi-partner tourism initiative designed to drive visitation to local businesses, culminating with the project receiving the Georgia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureau’s “TravelBlazer Award” in 2024. He also led a full destination website relaunch and served as a public-facing representative working with elected officials, hospitality and attraction partners, media, and community and industry organizations.

Emereje holds a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication with a minor in Marketing and a certificate in Advertising, as well as a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from the University of West Georgia, in Carrollton, Georgia. He also holds a Certificate in Business Analytics from Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia. He is a certified Travel Marketing Professional (TMP) through the Southeast Tourism Society and a Professional in Destination Management (PDM) through Destinations International. He is also a graduate of Southeast Tourism Society Marketing College.

Emereje’s industry recognition includes being named a 2025 Destinations International 30 Under 30 Honoree, as well as receiving the 2024 GACVB Travel Blazer Award for the East Side Hops Trail.

The tourism director position is funded in full through county occupancy tax revenues, derived primarily from overnight stays at hotels located in Granville County.

Until Emereje begins, tourism-related communication should be directed to the Granville County Economic Development office, 919.693.5911 or by emailing Stephanie Velazquez, Economic Development program manager, at Stephanie.Velazquez@granvillecounty.org.

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VGCC Announces Partnership With New York-Based Excelsior University

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— Information courtesy of VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel

Vance-Granville Community College is partnering with a New York-based university to provide its students with access to a wide range of online undergraduate and post-graduate degree programs.

Through the collaboration with Excelsior University, VGCC graduates can continue their education and advance their careers, according to a recent press release from VGCC.

VGCC Vice President of Instruction & Student Services Kim Sepich said, “Our partnership with Excelsior University provides Vance-Granville Community College graduates with many options for continuing their education. The flexibility Excelsior offers allows students to pursue degree programs in ways that work for them, which is really important for people managing a variety of life responsibilities.”

In addition to offering a rolling admissions calendar, Excelsior offers other benefits, including a 10 percent tuition discount for undergraduate and graduate students, access to personalized support, more than 40 degree programs and professional development courses and skills training.

These educational partnership benefits are also available for eligible Vance-Granville Community College employees, as well as their spouses or domestic partners and children.

“As the needs of students and employers continue to evolve, it is increasingly important for institutions to create clear and affordable pathways for lifelong learning,” said Excelsior University President David Schejbal. “Through this partnership with Vance-Granville Community College, learners can move seamlessly between institutions, with new possibilities for personal and professional growth at every stage of the educational journey.”

Excelsior University provides online degrees to working adult students in six fields of study that directly align with Vance-Granville Community College’s educational offerings, including programs in Business, Liberal Arts, Health Sciences, Nursing, Public Service, and Technology.

For more information on this partnership, visit www.excelsior.edu/partner/vance-granville-community-college.

To learn about other transfer partnerships available to Vance-Granville Community College students, visit VGCC’s online Transfer Center or call 252.738.3255.

 

TownTalk: MHCO Homecoming October 9-11

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The weekend of October 9, 10 and 11 will feature Homecoming festivities at the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford, but Saturday, Oct. 10 is the big day for the public including food, live music, rides for the children plus the parade route along College Street.

Alvis Billings, MHCO’s annual giving director said more than 30 Shrine units are wheeling into town for Saturday’s parade, which will once again delight parade watchers all along the route.

You won’t want to miss it – it’s the biggest Shrine parade in the state. The parade steps off at 10 a.m., Billings said on Monday’s TownTalk.

The ‘Pit’ will be cranking out all types of delicious barbecue on Saturday, Oct. 10 and the Embers will take the stage from 12 noon to 2 p.m. The public is invited to come out and enjoy the day, beginning with the parade at 10 a.m. and going through 3 p.m. Enjoy the barbecue – all you care to eat – for a $10 donation.

There are other events going on through the weekend for alumni and former residents of the home, which Billings said is the oldest children’s home in the state.

This is the 14th Homecoming festival, Billings said. Organizers expect several hundred former residents to return this weekend – to celebrate, remember and reminisce.

“It’s a fun time, but it’s also a very solemn time,” he said. The home’s mission, simply put, is to create a safe, nurturing and loving environment for children. “We create this space where kids can excel,” he said.

The home will celebrate 154 years in February and Billings called his work a passion. In his role as annual giving director, he keeps a sharp eye on what it takes to provide for the children.

The Freemasons do provide support, and the alumni association is active, but the children’s home relies heavily on financial donations, will and estates.

The Homecoming festival is a way to show appreciation for donors, as well as engage and inform the community about the home’s mission and needs.

Visit https://mhc-oxford.org/ to see a complete schedule of activities.

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TownTalk: Around Old Granville – The Role of Tobacco in Old Granville County

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When folks bring up “the good ol’ days” as they reminisce about how things used to be, it often comes with feelings of nostalgia. You know – when times were simpler and less complicated.

Some may remember summer afternoons shelling beans on the front porch or squeezing lemons for sugary lemonade.

But whoever recalls sweating in a tobacco field, topping or priming as you made your way up and down the endless rows may have a different perspective about how “good” those days were.

There is no doubt that Vance County – indeed, all of the area once known as Granville County – has a long, rich history with tobacco. Tobacco paid the bills, literally, for a lot of farmers and played a tremendous role in the area’s economy.

People moving south from Virginia brought their “red” tobacco with them when they settled in this area, said local historian Mark Pace. It was cured differently and they used it for snuff, for chewing and for smoking in their pipes.

Fast forward to post-American Revolution days and Granville County not only had ideal soil for growing tobacco, but it also had lots of plantations that had lots of enslaved people.

“There was a crop here and there was a labor supply,” Pace said on Thursday’s TownTalk segment of Around Old Granville. He and WIZS’s Bill Harris chatted about the history of tobacco, their own memories about growing up in an area where the crop has played – and continues to play – such a vital role.

When the railroad came through in the 1830’s, it provided a way for tobacco farmers to get their product to market, whether it was Richmond, Baltimore or to the coast where it would be shipped overseas.

And tobacco was just as important as the railroad to Henderson’s prosperity, Pace said.

“There was a time in the 1880’s,” Pace said, “when Henderson, North Carolina was the world’s largest tobacco market,” moving something like 6.5 million pounds of tobacco from warehouses to manufacturers.

J.P. Taylor, one of the biggest in the world, was located in Henderson.

By 1878, there were close to a dozen tobacco warehouses in Henderson, and the second week in August, they’d come alive with activity. That’s when the tobacco markets opened and the air all around was filled with that unmistakable aroma of the cured golden leaf.

The local newspaper plumped up to rival the size of the Sunday New York Times, Pace said, with local businesses placing ads to get the attention of tobacconists and farmers alike during the market.

“Tobacco farmers got paid once,” Pace said. “That’s when you took your tobacco to market.”

Generations of families helped plant, cultivate, tend, prime and barn tobacco – it was important to the whole family that the crop be successful.

Pace said he remembers kids getting out of school early because they needed to help get the tobacco in; when the tobacco season was late, the opening of school was delayed, he said.

“It all revolved around tobacco,” Pace added.

Farmers worried about one thing or another during the season – weather, worms, wilt – and they continued to worry when the leaf was in the curing barn because of the risk of fire.

Farmers who were able to get their crop to market, however, could see the results of their considerable labor get auctioned off bundle by 500-pound bundle.

Buyers representing the major manufacturers were bidding and farmers were listening, hoping for top dollar.

But changes were in the offing, especially after the U.S. Surgeon General’s 1964 report that smoking causes cancer.

And when the price of tobacco fell, producers planted more tobacco to make up the difference. That led to a glut on the market, and the government stepped in to limit how much tobacco farmers could produce. At first, it was based on acreage, Pace said, but it changed from acreage to poundage to account for the fact that the crop grew better on some land than on other.

Tobacco auctions and warehouses largely went away, with the trend emerging to contract directly with tobacco manufacturers.

“The end of the price support program brought about the demise of the tobacco warehouse,” Pace noted.

The tobacco auctioneer’s chant will be in the air in Oxford next Sunday, Sept. 27 at the Tobacco Research Station on Providence Road. The Granville County Museum and Historical Society is hosting its second annual Mock Tobacco Auction on the grounds of the research station and Pace said folks can see – and hear – what auctions were all about.

Auctions will take place at the top of the hour during the afternoon event, which is a fundraiser for the museum.

N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler will be a featured guest.

Admission is free to attend, with a suggested donation of $5 per person – $10 per family.

There will be plenty of vendors and food items, and there will even be a tobacco tying contest.

 

 

 

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TownTalk: Granville Gold Mock Tobacco Auction & Event Coming Sept. 27

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If you’ve ever been to a live auction, you likely can recall the auctioneer’s singsong selling as he or she announces the current bid and asks for other bidders to bid more.

But did you know that tobacco auctioneers do the reverse? Yep, they start out with a high price and then that number goes down until the lot is sold.

The days of seasonal tobacco auctions in big warehouses filled with bundles of golden, aromatic leaf have given way to direct contracts with the big tobacco companies, but folks will get the chance to see a “real” tobacco auction later this month at the Oxford Tobacco Research Station.

Last year’s event brought hundreds out to see – and hear – a veteran auctioneer practice his craft.

The “Granville Gold: Mock Tobacco Auction & Farm Heritage Celebration” will be held on Sunday, Sept. 27 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., according to Frank Timberlake, who is helping to promote the event, which is sponsored by the Granville County Historical Society and Museum.

“If you go back and look at what founded many of the rural counties, it was tobacco,” Timberlake said on Thursday’s segment of TownTalk.

The upcoming mock auction will showcase the spectacle that was the tobacco auction, when groups of men – buyers alongside the farmers who’d tended the crop – would follow the auctioneer up and down the rows of tobacco, piled in bundles on those familiar shallow woven wood baskets.

“That’s when everything happened, good bad or indifferent,” Timberlake said, recalling the auctioneer as he worked. “He’s walking – not even hardly taking a breath,” he added, “selling 500 piles of tobacco in an hour.”

Auctions are scheduled to take place at the top of each hour – 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

In addition, there will be plenty of exhibits on the grounds of the tobacco research station, located at 300 Providence Rd., near the intersection with Providence Road and the Oxford Loop near the N.C. Cooperative Extension offices.

There will be all kinds of vendors, too, and food for purchase.

Admission is free, and folks will have an opportunity to participate in a real auction of two antique tractors – a fundraiser for the historical society. That auction begins at 3:30 p.m.

Remember, though, that unlike tobacco, bids for the tractors will go up, not down.

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(This content above was originally posted on Sept. 3, 2026.)

N.C. State Fair Competition Deadline Sept. 15

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If you’ve been sitting the fence, there’s still a little time to enter any of the dozens of N.C. State Fair competitions that range from traditional fruit and vegetable production and sewing to new competitions that include amateur winemaking and country ham.

All registrations must be received by Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 11:59 p.m., fair officials say.

“State Fair competitions are where people from all across North Carolina are really able to show off their talents,” said Kent Yelverton, N.C. State Fair director. “Being a ribbon winner is a big accomplishment and with so many different competitions there are lots of chances to win, but you cannot win if you don’t enter.”

Sept. 15 is also the deadline to register for 11 different cooking challenges taking place at the fair. There will be two separate categories, one for amateur home cooks and a professional class. These competitions will be held daily in the North Lobby of Dorton Arena and winners of each category will walk away with prize money — $250 for first place, $150 for second place and $100 for third place. This year’s Home Chef Challenge schedule is as follows:

  • Thursday, Oct. 15, at 4 p.m. – Blue Ribbon Brunch Board Challenge
  • Friday, Oct. 16, at 11 a.m. – Holy Guacamole! Challenge
  • Saturday, Oct. 17, at 11 a.m. – Boo-zy Sweet Treat Challenge – Presented by Distillers Association of North Carolina
  • Sunday, Oct. 18, at 11 a.m. – Delightful Dips Challenge
  • Monday, Oct. 19, at 11 a.m. – Sweet potato Showdown Challenge
  • Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 11 a.m. – “Cheez-y Does It!” Cheez-It Challenge
  • Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 11 a.m. – Bless Your Tart! Challenge
  • Thursday, Oct. 22, at 11 a.m. – “East to West” Pork BBQ Challenge – Presented by Smithfield Foods
  • Friday, Oct. 23, at 11 a.m. – “Nutty By Nature” Peanut Candy Challenge
  • Saturday, Oct. 24, at 11 a.m. – “Stew-pendous” Brunswick Stew Challenge
  • Sunday, Oct. 25, at 11 a.m. – “Layer It Up” Lasagna Challenge

Information on how to enter competitions can be found on the State Fair’s website, ncstatefair.org. Under the “Competitions” tab, you will find everything to know about categories, rules and deadlines. Read the General Entries Premium Book and Livestock Entries Premium Book for detailed descriptions of competitions, rules and item drop-off dates. Online registration and paper entry forms are found under the “Forms and General Rules” tab in each department.

TownTalk: Faith In Mental Health Program Coming Sept. 21

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The Faith in Mental Health initiative is taking its project to the next level when it kicks off a free year-long program on Monday, Sept. 21 that is open to churches in Vance and Granville counties.

Karl Johnson, program coordinator with Granville Vance Public Health, said there’s still time to register to participate. The meeting will take place at the Salvation Army, 2292 Ross Mill Rd. in Henderson.

Find a registration link at www.gvph.org.

In the couple of years since its inception, the Faith in Mental Health program has held community forums, formed an advisory board and has provided trainings for more than 100 people.

The Sept. 21 event puts in motion another layer of the initiative designed for churches and the role they play in the community.

The term “cohort” may sound a bit formal and structured, but Johnson said there will be plenty of room for flexibility as the program moves forward.

Having conversations about substance abuse disorders and other mental health issues isn’t always easy, Johnson said on Tuesday’s TownTalk.

Being part of the Faith in Mental Health cohort provides a nice mix of structure with open-ended flexibility depending on a particular church’s wants and needs – a way to have conversations in the context of a faith community.

The hope is that churches will pursue different activities, whether it’s forming a support group at church, creating a mental health library or having a special bible study on relevant topics.

The project aims to lessen the stigma that surrounds mental health, substance abuse and addiction.

“Stigma is a huge barrier that’s come up again and again in the different community health assessments that we’ve conducted at the health department,” Johnson said. The Faith in Mental Health initiative seeks to view an individual’s struggles through the lens of faith, whether it’s through particular spiritual practices, spiritual passages of scripture or theological voices to better understand how to care for someone caught in the web of mental health or addiction challenges.

“For all the topics that we’ll address in the next year,” Johnson said, “we’re trying to center them with people’s concrete lived experiences.”

Hearing from people who speak openly about their struggles with mental health and addiction is a helpful way to learn how they sought and received the care they needed.

“Hopefully it humanizes this topic can be so hard,” Johnson said. It also demonstrates to those who are currently struggling that there are people in our own communities who have faced the same challenges and have overcome them.

“That’s life,” Johnson said. “And we are called to come around people who are struggling to support them where they’re at.”

Visit https://gvph.org/ to learn more, email Karl Johnson at kjohnson@gvph.org or call him at 616-298-5626.

Learn more about the program at https://gvph.org/faith-in-mental-health

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VGCC Board Of Trustees Votes Against Hosting Educational Forum On Data Centers

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In a special called meeting on Thursday, Sept. 3, the Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees decided against hosting an educational forum to discuss the issue of data centers.

At its regularly scheduled meeting on July 20, the board heard two requests from residents during the Public Comment period requesting the board consider hosting a public forum to give the community an opportunity to learn more about data centers, which has been a hot-button topic in Vance County for months.

At that meeting, the board instructed VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais to create a framework for a public forum.

“They specified that the framework should include a forum structure and guidelines,” Desmarais said in a statement Friday afternoon to WIZS News. “They also requested that I articulate the pros and cons of hosting such a forum and give them a recommendation on whether the College should indeed host such a forum.”

At Thursday’s meeting, the board reviewed the proposal, and, after what Desmarais described as “lengthy” discussions, Trustee Gordon Wilder made two motions, the first of which was withdrawn and replaced with a second motion to remove the VGCC administration from the responsibility of organizing an educational forum regarding data centers.

Trustee Tony Cozart seconded the motion and it passed unanimously in a roll-call vote.

Wilder’s first motion included keeping the college as a possible host site for a forum if a request came from a county commission or other recognized group from Vance, Granville, Warren or Franklin counties, which comprise the VGCC service area.

Desmarais said the board members considered a variety of concerns and options during their discussion, including risks of disruption from possible protests and the strain on college resources and staff that such an event could create.

According to Desmarais, Trustee Carolyn Faines – who also chairs the Vance County Board of Commissioners – questioned the logic of organizing an educational event before any formal application or filing for a data center has been made in Vance County. Desmarais said Faines characterized it as “putting the cart before the horse.”

Several board members suggested that another group could rent the Civic Center to host a forum and indicated a certain degree of comfort with providing a venue rather than hosting the event and the college would not be seen as organizing or endorsing the event.

In addition to Desmarais, trustees in attendance were Tony Cozart, Tare Davis, Carolyn Faines, Tom Harris, Dorwin Howard, Bruce Howerton, Abdul Rashid, Michael Schriver, Archie Taylor, Corey Thornton, Elaine Trujillo, Sara Wester, Gordon Wilder, Brenda Williamson, Xavier Wortham and Danny Wright.

‘Faith In Mental Health’ Kicks Off Yearlong Certificate Program Sept. 21 For Churches In Vance, Granville Counties

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The Faith in Mental Health certificate program will launch its first group of participating churches this fall. The free, yearlong program will help churches in Granville and Vance counties support people affected by mental illness and substance use.

Mental health has been a major concern in the last three Community Health Assessments by Granville Vance Public Health. In the 2025 assessment, more than 75 percent of people surveyed named mental health or drug addiction as the community’s top health problem.

The Cohort 1 kickoff meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, at The Salvation Army of Henderson, 2292 Ross Mill Rd., Henderson.

The program is free and open to churches in Granville and Vance counties. Churches must register to take part.

Limited funding is available to help participating churches complete the program’s certificate levels.

Stigma can keep people from asking for help. In the words of one community leader, “I think that the stigma is our biggest [challenge]…in our community a lot of our families are like you just keep business in your house. You do not share your business anywhere else. [They are] very private and proud, you know. We’re not going to take this anywhere else.”

Churches can help change that. Inspired by their faith commitments, they can offer social, spiritual, and emotional support to those who are hurting. They can also connect people with professional care when needed.

The Faith in Mental Health program was created to help churches build on that role and learn from churches who have advanced that role well. Local churches have helped shape the program during the past two years. The first formal cohort will bring churches together to address mental health and substance use needs in their congregations and communities.

Participation in the cohort will require regular attendance at cohort meetings and community forums throughout a 12-month period. Each church will develop a mental health ministry based on the needs and strengths of its congregation. Churches will learn from one another, from mental health professionals, and from faith leaders. They also will learn practical ways to prevent problems, respond with care and how to connect people with the help they need.

 

Contact Karl Johnson at kjohnson@gvph.org for more information or to register.