TownTalk: Thinking Of The Oxford Community
Thoughts about the recent shooting in Oxford.
Thoughts about the recent shooting in Oxford.
Families Living Violence Free presents a domestic violence candlelight vigil on Thursday, Oct. 27 beginning at 5:30 p.m.
The community is invited to participate in the vigil, as FLVF honors those who have lost their lives to domestic violence as well as those survivors in the community, according to information from FLVF Executive Director Peggy Roark.
FLVF is located at 211 W. Antioch Dr., in the Georgia Henrahand Cottage on the campus of Central Children’s Home, in Oxford.
Visit www.flvf.org or call 919.693.3579 to learn more.
– information courtesy of Granville County
The Granville County Animal Shelter will transition to a new schedule beginning Tuesday, Nov. 1 to better serve the public during the highly in-demand weekend hours and allow additional time for animal care, cleaning and training during the week.
The new public operating hours will be Tuesday through Saturday from 12 noon to 4:30 p.m. The shelter will be closed to the public on Sunday and Monday. The shelter is located off NC 96 at 515 New Commerce Dr. in Oxford.
The shelter’s operating hours are when the public may come to meet adoptable animals, have vaccines administered or surrender animals. As is the case now, Animal Control Officers answer calls for service even when the shelter is not open and the new hours will have no effect on this service.
“This new schedule will allow additional hours on Saturday for our critical public-facing services like allowing folks to come in to meet our adoptable animals,” said Animal Management Director Matt Katz. “We have consistently heard from the public that Saturdays are the easiest time to get the entire family to the shelter so that they can make these adoption decisions together. Animal Management staff will still man the phones at the shelter on Mondays during business hours and our Animal Control Officers are ready and able to answer calls for ervice to protect the animals and citizens of Granville County at all times.”
For more information about the Granville County Animal Shelter and services offered by Animal Management, visit https://www.granvillecounty.org/residents/granville-county-animal management/.
Christina Henthorn stays as busy as the proverbial bee, and this weekend she and fellow bee enthusiasts are putting on a couple of events that will serve several purposes, not the least of which is to provide the community with some great entertainment.
Bring the family to a free event on Saturday, Oct. 29 at Highrock Farm, located just outside Oxford on Enon Road, for the inaugural “Bees and Boos.” This event features outdoor games and trick-or-treating for the children and more than 30 vendors and other activities sure to please. There will be a table set up where tickets may be purchased, which creates a carnival-like atmosphere, she said.
There will be freshly pressed cider and a do-it-yourself candy apple station, thanks to a generous donation of apples from Moore’s Produce in Stovall, Henthorn said.
The first part of the Saturday doubleheader is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., she told John C. Rose on Monday’s segment of The Local Skinny!
The Lord Granville Association will bring its locally famous hit-or-miss ice cream maker and the Model A Car Club will wheel in some of its vehicles for folks to admire.
The second part of this double feature begins at 6 p.m. with a costume party and concert by Nashville recording artist Zach Top. This kicks off what Henthorn hopes will become an annual “Hum of the Hive” concert series.
Not interested in wearing a costume? No problem, Henthorn noted. “Costume or not, everyone is welcome,” she said. Honey Girl Meadery will bring their mead, which is like honey wine, and a local brewery will bring a beer made with Granville County honey.
“This is not a 21 and over show,” Henthorn said of the evening event, but ID will be checked at the door.
“All proceeds go to N.C. State’s endowment for honeybee research,” she said, adding that the university conducts world-renown research on the little pollinators. Beekeeper associations across the state are helping to raise funds to establish an endowment to ensure that NCSU continues its apiary work.
Can’t make it to the event but want to contribute? Again, not a problem.
“We want to involve everyone around the state,” Henthorn said. “If you can’t make it, you can buy a ticket for a veteran.” Any tickets purchased for veterans will be taken to a military history event being held at the Henderson-Oxford airport Saturday, where they will be donated.
The Granville County Beekeepers, known for its summertime Bee Jubilee, is branching out to create a fall event that focuses on the importance of bees in everyday life. The honeybee was named North Carolina’s official State Insect in 1973 because of its critical role in pollination of the variety of crops produced in the state.
“Raising awareness is just as important” as fundraising, Henthorn said. But she says this weekend’s emphasis is on the “fun” part of fundraising.
Visit Granville County Beekeepers Facebook or the Visit Granville County tourism page to find out all the details.
And visit https://www.ncbeekeepers.org/ to learn more about the endowment.
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The Granville County board of commissioners officially welcomed new county manager Drew Cummings this week, following a swearing-in ceremony and oath of office at the Monday board meeting.
Chairman Tony Cozart administered the oath of office, and Cummings had wife Amy and children at his side. Cummings had spent the past 14 years as Durham’s assistant county manager and chief of staff. Before that, he held several positions in municipal government and had been a middle school teacher for seven years before beginning a career in local government.
Doug Logan had served as interim manager since July 29, following the resignation of Michael Felts.
During his tenure in Durham County, Cummings focused on a wide range of issues including economic development, education, transportation, affordable housing and homelessness. He has been a member of the International City-County Management Association (ICMA) as well as the North Carolina City and County Managers Association since 2004. Cummings achieved his ICMA Credentialed Manager status in 2021 and also is a graduate of the UNC School of Government’s Public Executive Leadership Academy, participating in the 2015 cohort.
He is a graduate of Harvard University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in government. He got a master’s degree in public policy from the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy. Cummings is a native of Kalamazoo, Michigan and graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School. He and his wife, Amy, have three school-aged children (Webb, Isa, and Doran) and in his spare time Cummings enjoys exercise, woodwork, and singing in his church choir.
Support for military veterans gets the “green light” across Granville County in advance of the Veterans Day holiday. County officials announced that all county-owned buildings will be illuminated green between Nov. 7 and Nov. 13. Veterans Day is Friday, Nov. 11.
Residents and businesses also can get in on the action of Operation Green Light, by replacing an outdoor light with a green bulb as part of the national collaborative initiative of the National Association of Counties to support military veterans, which raises awareness about the unique challenges faced by many veterans and the resources that are available at the county, state and federal level to assist veterans and their families.
“Our nation’s voluntary military force members, and their families, have always made an immense sacrifice for the safety and security of our citizens,” said Veterans Services Officer Christopher Dethmers. “Similar to the sacrifices of previous generations of our armed forces, our current generation of veterans often suffer significant stress when transitioning to civilian life. We want to make sure our veterans and their families know that their service mattered, that we are grateful for their sacrifices, and that it is now our turn to make sure they are served by their county government as well as the community.”
“By shining a green light, we let our veterans know that they are seen, appreciated and supported, Dethmers said. “While this event is focused around the week of Veterans Day participants are encouraged to continue shining the light year-round.”
Granville County residents can share their participation on social media using the hashtag “#OperationGreenLight.” Visit www.naco.org/operationgreenlight for more information and visit the Granville County Veterans Services Office website for more information about resources available locally: https://www.granvillecounty.org/residents/veterans-services.
The Granville County Veterans Services Office is located at 141 Williamsboro St. in Oxford and staff can be reached at 919.693.1484.
Creedmoor is the site of a ribbon-cutting scheduled for Friday, Nov. 4 to mark the opening of Robertson Creek Nature Preserve.
The tract is part of Tar River Land Conservancy and is located along Hwy 56 E. in Creedmoor.
Parking for the ribbon-cutting will be at Creedmoor Commons, 2173 E.Wilton Ave. creedmoor.
An optional guided hike will follow the ceremony.
Volunteers have worked to complete hiking trails in the preserve over the summer and early fall. As with other TRLC tracts, the trails will have signs, footbridges and benches for hikers to use and enjoy.
To register, contact events@tarriver.org or phone 919.496.5902
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Join in the fun at the Granville Education Foundation’s annual SPELL-ebration on Thursday, Oct. 27. Whether you’re a stickler for correct spelling or whether you have trouble with c-a-t, this entertaining, no-pressure event pits three-member teams against each other to capture top honors for correctly spelling the most words.
If you get stumped, buy word coupons to spell your way to victory!
Businesses, schools, civic groups, church groups and others can form teams – and teams are encouraged to dress as characters from their favorite Disney movie, books or just for Halloween, according to information from GEF Director Jennifer Cufalo Carpenter.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. in the J.F. Webb High School gymnasium.
Admission is free for spectators and concessions will be available for purchase. There also will be a 50/50 raffle.
Sponsorships also are available. Whitco Bug Warriors and Masonic Home for Children in Oxford are event sponsors.
Find out more about becoming a sponsor or complete the registration at www.GranvilleEdFoundation.org or contact GEF at 919.693.7047 or by email at GranvilleEdFoundation@outlook.com
Join the fun at the annual Cluck ‘N Shuck fundraiser sponsored by the Granville County Chamber of Commerce on Friday, Nov. 4 at the Granville County Expo & Convention Center.
Tickets are limited, so make sure to stop by the Chamber office, 124 Hillsboro St., Oxford to get yours now, said Chamber Executive Director Lauren Roberson. Tickets are $50 each. Contact the Chamber at 919.693.6125.
Cluck ‘N Shuck is from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Leon Nixon Catering will be providing all-you-can-eat steamed oysters, fried fish and shrimp, fried chicken tenders, slaw, buttered potatoes and hushpuppies. Iced tea, Coca-Cola products and other cold beverages from Tobacco Wood Brewing Co and The Hub on Main are provided
Next Door Radio will be on site to providing music for the evening.
There are numerous sponsorship levels for businesses to choose from, from a single presenting sponsor level for a donation of $2,500 to a bronze sponsor for $250.
The presenting sponsor gets 8 tickets to the event, as well as having the company logo on promotional materials and other benefits, including setting up a table at the event to showcase the business. Other levels include:
Sponsors of the event who were not listed in some way above also include Creedmoor Forest Products, Inc., Granville Pallet Company, Lewis Electric of Oxford, Oliver’s Towing, Oxford Preparatory School, Shalag Non-wovens and Wilkinson Creative Co.
(This story was edited from its original at the request of the Granville Chamber to list event sponsors.)
