Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

Pete Burgess

TownTalk: Remembering Talmadge R. “Pete” Burgess

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Talmadge R. “Pete” Burgess passed away at his home in Durham on Sunday, June 1. He was 92.

Burgess was a native of Vance County and proudly gave back to his community for decades, farming in the Epsom community and making the Vance County Regional Farmers Market a reality.

In a 2020 interview with WIZS, Burgess said “If you’re living in the community, you need to be a part of it. You need to be involved in what’s going on and have your input…help in any way that you can.”

Whether it was with the Epsom Fire Department, his church or other community organizations, Burgess lived into those words.

Largely through his efforts, Vance County was able to open its farmers market in 2014.

He was a founding member of the Vance County Regional Farmers Market, and was acknowledged for his visionary leadership in leading the charge for funding and organizing the building of the current Farmers Market facility. A plaque hangs in the market today acknowledging Burgess for his role in getting the market up and running.

“It was not an easy project,” Burgess told WIZS back in 2020. It took several years before he pieces finally fell into place. But when they did, Vance County had something to be proud of.

The market, as it exists today, may have looked a little different had it not been for Burgess. Those roll-up garage style doors – with a $1,500 price tag in 2014 – were somewhat of an add-on.

“It was the easiest money I had to raise,” Burgess said, noting that he approached businesses to help pay for the cost of the doors that visitors and vendors see today at the market.

Burgess attended N.C. State University and studied agricultural engineering on an ROTC scholarship.  After graduation, he served in the U.S. Army, and was stationed in Germany.  He worked as a safety engineer for the Liberty Mutual Insurance industry for 10 years, with various locations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Louisiana.  In 1968 he came home to Vance County to operate a farm, where he grew tobacco, grain, hay, and sweet corn, among other crops.

He was well known for his knowledge of planting, harvesting, curing tobacco and growing quality crops.  He took pride in his farming, always strived to nurture and enhance the land he farmed.

Burgess was a respected member of the Epsom Community, willing to lend a hand to his neighbors and share his expertise with other farmers.  An active community volunteer, he served as a board member and president to the Vance County Farm Bureau organization from 1978-1996.  He also was a member of the North Carolina Farm Bureau Board of Directors, the Farm Bureau State Executive Board, and the NC Farm Bureau Scholarship Committee.

Burgess had a long history of service to his community and to Vance County.  He received the Vance County Community Hero award in 2012.  He was a past president and board member of the Epsom Lions Club; past board member of the Epsom Volunteer Fire Department; worked with the Perry Memorial Library Building Committee to secure funding for the Farm Bureau Community meeting room; past board member of the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce; and past member of the Vance County Planning Board.

He was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Henderson and served as a president of his Sunday School class and volunteered with the Methodist Men’s group.

He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Sylvia Smith Burgess; son Daryl and wife Darline; daughter Susan Hughes and husband Lyn; daughter-in-law Michele Burgess; grandsons Justin Burgess and wife Mehegan, Bryan Hughes and wife Kaylee, and Nolan Hughes and special friend Allison Wise; great granddaughters Virginia Parks Burgess and Lawson Burgess; and sister Lorraine Watkins and husband Eugene.  He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Juanita Burgess Robinson, and his son Talmadge Burgess, Jr.

Visitation with the family will be held on Tuesday, June 3,  from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. at the home of Michele Burgess, 6876 NC Highway 39 South, Henderson, NC.  A graveside burial service will be held on Wednesday, June 4 at 2 p.m. at Liberty Christian Church, 7818 NC Highway 39 South, Henderson NC.  A service of celebration will be held following the burial at 3 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 114 Church St. in Henderson.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to the Vance-Granville Community College Foundation – T.R. Burgess Sr. Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 917, Henderson, NC 27536.  Or to the First United Methodist Church Memorial Fund in memory of T.R. Burgess, Sr., 114 Church St., Henderson, NC. 27536. J.M. White Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

KARTS Flex Ride Program Begins On-Demand Service

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The KARTS flex ride service officially begins today, providing on-demand transportation anywhere within the city limits of Henderson.

During the ribbon-cutting Friday, KARTS Executive Director Randy Cantor said the service “brings KARTS into the 21st century” with its Uber-style setup.

“My hope is that with the success in Henderson…maybe we can expand to other cities in the four-county KARTS service area,” Cantor said.

Riders can request a ride with a few simple clicks and swipes on the KARTS website or with an app on a smart phone. Customers can load money on an electronic pass using a credit or debit card, Cantor said.

The service will be in operation Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

City and county officials on hand for the ribbon cutting were supportive and positive the new service would work well for residents.

“We welcome this program and congratulate you all at KARTS for taking on this program,” said Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame.

Downtown Development Director Tracy Madigan said, “This is so exciting…this is really going to help our downtown…we are thrilled (and) we really appreciate all that KARTS is doing.”

Henderson is one of 11 sites across the state to get funded for this type of micro-transit offering.

“Hopefully, we’ll see this program be popular and create demand,” said Grady McCollum, senior project manager for NCDOT’s Integrated Mobility Division.

Being able to have this kind of convenient ability to get around town, be able to offer more flexible rides…this is going to be huge,” McCollum told WIZS News after the ribbon-cutting.

North Carolina is a leader in micro-transit programs like the one that KARTS is launching. Whether it’s a trip to a doctor’s appointment, shopping or a visit downtown, the Flex Ride is available to help get people where they want – and need – to go.

“It’s really exciting to be on that cutting edge” and be a resource for other states across the nation.

“It is a big deal, we’re very excited about it,” said Kai Monast, transportation program expert and associate director and technical Services Director of Public Transportation, School Planning and Transportation Groups.

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Blossom-End Rot

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On the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report from Wayne Rowland:

Blossom-end rot can be prevented by the correct amount of calcium in the soil and correct watering of tomatoes.

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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TownTalk: Community Outdoor Revival Coming June 2-6 at Back to Eden

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This year’s Blessed Trinity Ministries Revival begins Monday, June 2 and runs through Friday, June 6. The revival begins at 7 p.m. each evening at Back to Eden, located at 105 Spellman Loop off Satterwhite Point Road, and organizer and pastor Rev. Dr. Almice Floyd Gill invites the entire community to come out and be refreshed by hearing the word of God from five different preachers from the area.

“I’m not preaching this year, but I’ll be talking every night,” Floyd Gill said on Thursday’s TownTalk. Her role is more of facilitator for the weeklong revival, which will offer a whole new list of ministers, reverends and pastors who are taking part.

She said this year’s participants will offer a variety of messages for revival participants, and she said to expect the speakers to present their messages with “power, conviction and in love.”

“The revivalists from last year were great,” she said, and added that this year’s speakers will hopefully expand and invite even more people to attend the nightly services.

As in the Book of Nehemiah in the Bible, Floyd Gill said she prayed to God to ask for guidance as she began to plan the 2025 revival – God blesses those who work faithfully, and she wanted to emulate Nehemiah’s actions to help accomplish her goal to get the Word of God out to people in the community.

“We don’t want the revival to be routine,” she said, and invites any and all to attend the five-night event.

Here’s the lineup:

  • Monday’s speaker is Minister Sidney McNeil, of America Come Back to God Bible Institute
  • Tuesday’s speaker is Reverend Nicole Jones, of Ridgeway Missionary Baptist Church
  • Wednesday’s speaker is Reverend Doctor Bobby Graham Jr., of Blessed Trinity Ministries
  • Thursday’s speaker is Pastor Jermaine Whitaker, of Brookston Missionary Baptist Church
  • Friday’s speaker is Pastor Mark Hargrove, of Mount Zion Christian Church

If you can’t make it in person, find Blessed Trinity Ministries on Facebook to view live or join via conference call to listen to the revival each evening. Simply call 605.475.4700 and use Passcode 751573 to connect.

Anyone wishing to make a donation is welcome to do so, she said, adding that there are numerous ways to give: bring cash, check, cashier’s check or money order to the revival or mail to: Blessed Trinity Ministries, P.O. Box 3241, Henderson, NC 27536

Pay online as well using Gill’s number 252.438.0397. Donations may be made via apps like Zelle and Apple Pay
or via Cash App to $meeciefg.

She said all donations go to the church treasury to support its mission. “We’re thankful for every penny that anybody gives.”

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Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market

Memorial Garden At Farmers Market Filled With Native Plants To Attract Pollinators – And People

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Visitors to the Vance County Regional Farmers Market have no doubt noticed the lovely garden space that greets them as they make their way up the driveway to the parking area.

It’s a beautiful space, to be sure. But if you’ve never taken a few minutes to stop and look closely at the native plant specimens that are contained in that small one-tenth of an acre, you’re really missing out.

Cooperative Extension Agent Michael Ellington explained that the garden, designed, created and maintained by Master Gardeners, is at once a natural habitat, a classroom and a sanctuary.

There are benches nestled among the greenery for people to stop and enjoy the peace within the garden.

Each different plant has its own marker that identifies it by name, and a QR code that visitors can use to learn more.

All the plants were carefully chosen to support pollinators like bees, butterflies and more.

“It’s literally buzzing with life,” Ellington said of the garden, which is chock full of pollinator-friendly perennials, herbs, flowering shrubs and more.

Volunteers from the Master Gardeners group are on hand each second and fourth Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. when the market is open to share information about the garden and practices that homeowners and aspiring gardeners can use in their own spaces.

They’re working to create a seed library, too, so if there’s a plant you like in the memorial garden and can’t find it in a retail store, just wait.

You may just be able to get some seeds from the library to take home to your own garden.

Snap a pic of the tag and be able to take a plant home soon.

Learn more about Cooperative Extension programs and activities at

https://vance.ces.ncsu.edu/ and click on https://vance.ces.ncsu.edu/vance-county-regional-farmers-market/ to learn more about the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.

The Local Skinny! Edmonds Tennis & Education Foundation’s ‘Tennis and Dentist’ Event Saturday, 10 AM – 2 PM

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The Edmonds Tennis & Education Foundation is hosting a “Tennis and Dentist” event on Saturday, May 31 to combine learning about the sport of tennis and the importance of good oral hygiene.

Things will get underway at 10 a.m. at Fox Pond Park, 375 Vicksboro Rd. and will continue until 2 p.m., according to Dr. Jerry Edmonds, who founded the organization with his wife Dorcel in 2018.

In case of rain, the event will move to Aycock Rec Center, Edmonds said.

The tennis clinic is free and is open to youth between the ages of 5 and 18.

Participants will learn tennis fundamentals, learn about dental health and get lunch, too.

Racquets and tennis balls will be provided.

Tennis is a relatively inexpensive sport, and there are public courts all around just waiting to be used. All tennis players need is a racquet, a can of balls and a good pair of tennis shoes and they’ll be all set.

The Edmonds Tennis & Education Foundation is a nonprofit that combines tennis, academics and nutrition to strengthen young people for success.

Visit https://www.edmondstennis.org/ to learn more about the organization.

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Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover: Basic Life Skills

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Vance County Cooperative Extension Report from Jamon Glover

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

Click Play!

Grand Opening of Community Garden at VCRFM

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The community garden at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market held its official grand opening Saturday, May 24, 2025.

Dr. Wykia Macon, director of the Vance County Cooperative Extension, was on hand and hands on!

She spoke recently at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market and said agriculture is “undeniably central to our lives,” when addressing 100 attendees of the ‘State of Agriculture’ luncheon hosted by the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce.

Horticulture and Field Crops agent Michael Ellington was on hand and at work as well, and it’s apparent months of preparation is starting to pay off.

The community garden a place where gardeners of all skill levels are welcome to learn and share their own knowledge about growing fruits and vegetables.

Garden beds are available to rent for the growing season – each 4 foot by 8 foot bed is $40 for the whole season.

Community gardens provide lots of benefits, Ellington said recently on his weekly Tuesday segment on WIZS. Fresh, healthy food is just the beginning.

Access to affordable, nutritious food can be limited, especially in underserved neighborhoods and communities, he said. Garden plots like the ones at the farmers market offer local hands-on solutions that can reduce food inequality and increase availability.

And it just makes sense that folks who grow their own fruits and vegetables are likely to eat more of each. Community gardens give people power over what they eat, he said.

Community gardens can bring diverse groups together, and soon, new friends are swapping recipes and stories while they pull weeds and keep their plots watered.

These places “reveal that social fabric that holds communities together,” Ellington said.

Macon added that cooperative extension programs support agriculture in all its forms – from livestock and horticulture to youth programs like 4-H.

The community garden is also a place where children can learn first-hand about where their food comes from – literally – not from a video screen or a textbook.

“They learn by planting seeds, watching them sprout and harvesting what they’ve nurtured,” Ellington said.

Planting a garden can reduce grocery bills and can reduce the amount of food waste that ends up in the landfill.

Community gardens also send a clear message to prospective businesses that residents care about where they live.

If you’d like more information about the community garden, visit the cooperative extension website at https://vance.ces.ncsu.edu, call 252.438.8188 or email Ellington at maellington@ncsu.edu.

There are many ways to help, from volunteering to sponsoring to making a direct donation.

And if you don’t have a green thumb, don’t fret. Just spread the word about the community garden to friends and neighbors.