Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

Home and Garden Show

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is open Saturdays from 8am-1pm.
  • “Marketing Your Farm” Event happening on Monday, November 2nd, starting at 6:30pm at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.
  • Soil samples are needed, avoid the rush. 3 week analyis time. Peak Season starts on December 1st.
  • Fall is a good time to plant landscape plants.
  • Winterize any equipment that you are not going to use until next spring. Ex: Sprayers & tillers
  • Assemble your frost protection materials before frost is projected.
  • Check fall vegetables for insects. Cabbage worm and harlequin bugs.
  • Start preparing for leaf collection season. Do you have a compost bin?
  • Clean up planters and get ready to plant pansies.
  • Harvest herbs before frost.
  • Get your copy of the Central Piedmont Vegetable Planting Guide.
  • Build a greenhouse.
  • Check houseplants, dust weekly with a soft cloth.
  • Check storage areas for mice.

The Vance County Cooperative Extension Building is located at 305 Young St, Henderson, NC 27536

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is located at 210 Southpark Dr., Henderson, NC 27536

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TownTalk: Non-Profit Spotlight – The Henderson Optimist Club

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Dave Jennings first learned about Optimist Clubs more than 20 years ago, when he was head football coach at Southern Vance High School.

At the time, Southern Vance played crosstown rival Northern Vance in the Optimist Bowl, and Jennings led his Raiders to four wins over the Vikings between 2002 and 2006.

Optimist International, Jennings learned then, was all about putting youth first. And this year, as the 2026-27 Governor of the North Carolina East District of Optimist International, Jennings leads 27 clubs as they continue to fulfill the mission of providing hope and positive vision to bring out the best in youth and in the communities they serve.

“Everything that we do, we do for the youth of the community of Henderson and Vance County,” Jennings said on Wednesday’s TownTalk. “When I was introduced to that and I realized that this was a civic organization that did stuff for kids, and I was already a teacher and football coach, I decided it would be a perfect avenue for me to give back.”

The local club sponsors an Attend and Win program that awards a quarterly surprise party – pizza or ice cream – to the homeroom with the highest attendance.

They give two $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors, that are renewable each year. Currently the club has six full-time scholarship kids who are college students now, Jennings said. They donated 100 bike helmets to be distributed at a Turning Point CDC event and are providing Christmas gifts for a number of children at Masonic Home for Children in Oxford.

They also award a $1,000 mini-grant to a Vance County school that submits an application for an innovative program or project.

“We always try to make sure that we award the school that is doing something that’s super innovative for the kids,” Jennings said.

Youth are the focus of the Optimist Club and young people are at the heart of its mission. But Jennings said he’s looking for young members, too, to join the local club so that it can continue to do good things for young people.

“We need people to come out and support us,” he said. “Every person, every new hand brings a new excitement and a new invigoration to us and much more ideas that we can do to serve our kids.”

He held a leadership development training session with younger members last month at their convention in South Carolina as a way to foster new leaders and get them ready to take over in leadership roles.

“The greatest thing about the leadership development is it unlocks leadership potential with resources, training and succession planning tools for current and future club officers,” he added. “We’re always looking for that.”

It all boils down to adults being interested in guiding and teaching the next generation of givers and advocates. And with a motto like “a friend of youth,” the Optimists are surely on the right path.

“We really want to do the best that we can for the kids in our community,” Jennings said.  And, you know, when I say we’re a friend of youth, we are a friend of youth because we believe in the kids in our community.”

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Open Enrollment Through Dec. 7 For Medicare Beneficiaries

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The Medicare Open Enrollment period began a couple of weeks ago and runs through Dec. 7 – it’s a time for Medicare beneficiaries to try to figure out if they need to change anything about their plan for 2027.

There are so many options – how do you choose? Well, if you ask Kerr-Tar COG Regional Ombudsman Kimberly Hawkins or Vance County Medicare Coordinator Amber Gregory, they would probably suggest you make an appointment with someone who can guide you to what works best for your individual situation.

Gregory said, “I think my number one question is, and I get it every year, is basically, ‘What the heck do I do?’”

As for the annual process, Hawkins acknowledged it can be confusing. “It appears cumbersome – ‘cause it is,” she said. “But it’s doable.”

It’s not something that beneficiaries have to do alone, she said. Getting non-biased guidance from people trained in the process is vital, Hawkins said.

Gregory and Hawkins were guests on Tuesday’s TownTalk and shared some helpful suggestions about scheduling a time to meet with people who can help beneficiaries decide if they are better of keeping what they have or changing plans.

The health coverage that most people associate with traditional Medicare consists of three parts, Hawkins explained. Parts A, B and D. Part A is for hospital coverage, and Part B is, generally speaking, outpatient coverage. Part D covers prescription drugs.

Medicare Part C, or Medicare Advantage plans, may be something you’d like to consider.

Again, Hawkins said, if you’re unsure of the choices you want to make, “I would say meet with a counselor early.”

You can sign up to speak with a SHIIP counselor at your local Senior Center, or you can communicate with KTCOG or Medicare to learn more.

Call 866.506.6223 to schedule a meeting.

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The Local Skinny! Ferdinand Rouse Departing as Economic Development Director

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Vance County Economic Director Ferdinand Rouse is leaving the job to take a position as economic development director for the town of Zebulon.

Rouse told WIZS News Tuesday morning his last day with Vance County is Nov.12.

Since coming on board in July 2024, Rouse has been involved with bringing Syntec to locate here. Several existing businesses also have begun expansions during his time as economic development director, he said.

“My decision to leave is based solely on the strength of the opportunity in Zebulon,” Rouse said. “They made a compelling offer that I ultimately felt I could not pass up. I have truly enjoyed my time with Vance County and would not have considered leaving otherwise.”

He said the controversy surrounding the proposed data center was not a factor in his decision to leave.

“I believe that having more citizens aware of how local government operates, and feeling encouraged to participate, will be beneficial overall. Whether or not the data center projects come to fruition, I hope everyone continues to stay involved in local government and works to make Vance County the best version of itself.”

Rouse is the county’s fourth economic development director in the past 10 years.

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Cooperative Extension with Michael Ellington: Impact of Droughts

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Michael Ellington, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

This segment explains that the impacts of drought affects wildlife throughout the year.

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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Annual Veterans Day Ceremony Set For Nov. 11 At 11 AM At Veterans Memorial

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The Henderson American Legion Post 60 invites the community to its annual Veterans Day ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026 – 11/11 – at 11 a.m.

This year’s ceremony will take place at the newly installed Veterans Memorial located outside the Henderson Police Department. Please bring a lawn chair for your comfort.

The memorial provides a fitting backdrop to remember military veterans who served their country and to honor those who proudly wore the uniform. The granite monument has six sides, with each side dedicated to one of the country’s branches of military service – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Coast Guard and Space Force.

In the event of rain, the ceremony will be held at the Post 60 location, 110 E. Spring. St.

First Methodist Church

First United Methodist Church Fall Festival & Breakfast Nov. 7 From 7 AM – 11 AM

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The First United Methodist Church is the place to be on Saturday, Nov. 7 as it hosts its annual Fabulous Fall Bazaar, Terrific Tag Sale and breakfast, with proceeds supporting local and global mission opportunities.

Things get underway at 7 a.m. Breakfast will be served from 7 a.m.to 10 a.m. in the church Fellowship Hall. Breakfast includes country ham, scrambled eggs, grits, toast, butter, jam, jelly, juice and coffee. Tickets are $10 each and are available at the door.

Both the tag sale and the bazaar run from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. – the tag sale will take place in the church’s education building and includes large and small pieces of furniture, china, crystal, silver, table linens, framed art, cookware, many home accessories and holiday decor.

The bazaar will be held in the church’s fellowship hall and features traditional fare – home baked goods, snacks, home canned goods, frozen foods, handcrafted items, including baskets. Come and shop local favorites such as twice-baked potatoes, cheese straws, chicken casseroles, pecan pie, apple cakes, chow-chow and much more.

Funds raised support local and global mission ministries. Local groups receiving help include ACTS, men’s and women’s shelters, the Boys and Girls Club of NC, “Y” youth programs, and Vance County Schools Cares Center.  FUMC ministries supported include the Sunday soup kitchens, the clothing closet, the Good Neighbor Fund, youth missions, weekend food packs for Pinkston Street Elementary School, and Hand-in-Hand team support at two partner schools, Pinkston Street and Dabney. Also benefiting are charities beyond our county lines: Rise Against Hunger, the Methodist Home for Children and Methodist Retirement Home, and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (disaster relief).