Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

TownTalk Around Old Granville: Forgotten Historical Figures, Pt. 2

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Remember Soupy Sales? What about Charlie Briggs?

Both were television stars, before streaming became a preferred way of watching shows certainly before binge watching was a “thing.”

But both men share something else in common: They are both from the area known as “Old Granville County” and were the topic of Thursday’s TownTalk segment of the same name.

Sales, a comedian and variety show performer, hailed from Franklinton and Briggs was from right here in Henderson. His may not be a household name, but viewers of the old TV shows like Bonanza, Maverick and The Sons of Will Sonnet will no doubt recognize his face, said Mark Pace, local historian and North Carolina Room Specialist at the Thornton Library in Oxford.

The local area has produced its share of entertainers over the years – Gerald Alston of the Manhattans, country music songwriter Danny Flowers and Ben E. King, just to name a few.

But there are plenty of noteworthy individuals who achieved stardom of a sort in other endeavors as well, leaving their marks in the area of religion, the military and other segments of society.

Take Henry Haywood Bell, for example. Bell was from Franklin County, and was an admiral in the Union Navy during the Civil War. He was from the South, but when it came time to choose sides, he said he had made an oath to serve the United States, so his allegiance was with the North.

Then there’s Charity Adams Early, who was born in Kittrell. Early was the first African American female Army officer, who rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. Early died in 2002.

Kirkland H. Donald, from Norlina, still serves as a consultant to the U.S. Navy, Pace said. Donald, a Navy admiral, became commander of all the nuclear submarines in the Navy.

Col. Redding F. Perry from Henderson was career military, and served as chief of staff for Gen. George Patton’s 3rd Army, Pace said. Perry, who was the uncle of longtime local attorney Bennett Perry, also established the National Guard in the state.

The Wyche family produced numerous members who made significant contributions as well.

Brigadier General Ira Wyche commanded the 79th infantry division during the Normandy invasion of World War II

Mary Lewis Wyche is credited with bringing the first nursing school to the state.  Known as the “Florence Nightingale” of North Carolina, Wyche also was the first trained nurse in North Carolina. She has a historical marker at Highway 39 and Glebe Road in Vance County, near the home where she grew up.

Alice Morgan Person, from Kittrell, contributed to people’s health in a slightly different way, Pace said.

“She was famous for her ‘remedy,’” he said. He’s not sure of all its ingredients, but he knows of one: “I know it contained alcohol.”

 

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The Local Skinny! Pop The Hood: Car Washing

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— For our sponsor, Advance Auto Parts, as part of a paid radio sponsorship on WIZS.

Cleaning the exterior of your car or truck may sound pretty basic – sort of like writing instructions for how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich – but when you break it down step by step, you may realize that doing things in a certain order produces better results.

The shelves at Advance Auto Parts are filled with cleaning products from detergent to bug and grime remover, wheel brushes to soft chamois cloths. If you’re unsure about just which products to choose, consult the professional staff at Advance Auto to get steered in the right direction.

  • Wash your car in a shady area and when the engine is cool.
  • Use cool water and a detergent specially formulated for use on vehicles.
  • Wheel brushes gently loosen grime and other crud that gets stuck on rims and tires; rinse often to prevent particles from scratching the surface.
  • Start at the top and work your way down, spraying down the entire vehicle wet before you start cleaning with soap. Work in sections to avoid soap drying on the vehicle.
  • Wax provides an extra layer of protection for the paint job. Apply wax to a clean, dry surface with a soft, clean rag. Work in circles and let the wax dry before using another clean, dry cloth to finish the process.

The information contained in this post is not advice from Advance Auto Parts or WIZS.  Safety First!  Always seek proper help.  This is presented for its informational value only and is part of a paid advertising sponsorship.

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SportsTalk: Mangum Lights It Up For The Bulls

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Jake Mangum, Outfielder for the Durham Bulls, discusses his success this season.

 

When the lights come on, the stars shine brighter. On Wednesday night that’s what happened
when the Durham Bulls beat the Nashville Sounds in an epic Minor League matchup 10-9 in
extra innings. This, thanks to Jake Mangum who stole third base in the bottom of the 12th inning
and scored the game-winning run, thanks to a throwing error by Nashville pitcher Blake Holub.
Jake Mangum appeared on WIZS’s SportsTalk with Bill Harris, Scout Hughes, and George Hoyle
to discuss it all.

Jake Mangum comes from a sports family. Mangum’s grandfather was an All-American Football
Player at Southern Mississippi, Jake’s father was an All-American Football Player at Alabama,
who played for the Chicago Bears. His uncle played football for Ole Miss and the Carolina
Panthers, so it’s clear that Mangum’s family is in sports history. With everyone playing football
Jake says that, “At an early age I just fell in love with it (baseball)…at an early age, baseball just
seemed like the right fit for me.”

Mangum is currently batting with an average of .328 with three home runs and 37 RBI’s and he
gives credit for his success in the minor leagues to a lot of things, “I’m pretty much live pitch-by-
pitch, prayer-to-prayer. Every pitch I’m asking help from the Big Man Upstairs. Growing up, I did
a ton of work with my Dad. He really helped me prepare and work to be the best baseball
player I can be. I’ve had so many great teammates, so many great coaches. There’s a long list of
things that have helped me. It definitely wasn’t me alone, I can promise you that. It’s a very
challenging game, but I’ve had a lot of help along the way to help me navigate that the best I
can.” Jake plans to turn his success in the minor leagues into making his dreams become reality, “I
would love to get an opportunity in the big leagues. But other than that (for right now) I’m just
gonna control what I can control and try to be the best baseball player that I can be, one day at
a time.”

This is the first year that Mangum has been a Durham Bull. Even though he’s only been in the
Bull City for a short time, Mangum believes that the Research Triangle is a viable location for a
Major League Baseball Franchise, “Seeing how our crowds are in Durham…there is a lot of
baseball support in the state of North Carolina. I see absolutely no reason as to why that they
couldn’t support a major league baseball team.” He also states that there is a void of Major
League Baseball with the southeastern part of the United States, “I think the southeast of
America has a big gap of no Major League Baseball team…it’s all Atlanta Braves fans.”

Best of luck to you Jake and you’ll have a group from Henderson and Vance County rooting for
you.

After Jake Mangum left the show, the guys transitioned into the Vance County Football
Scrimmage that took place on Wednesday at Vance County High School. Where the Vipers took
on Southern Nash and Hillside Durham. Bill, Scout and George all agreed that playing schools
such as Southern Nash and Hillside Durham even in a scrimmage will make Vance County Football better in the long run. The Vipers scrimmage once again on Saturday August 17th from
Wake Forest High School at 6:00pm against Jordan High School from Durham.

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SportsTalk: Margaret Foster, who helped NBC Sports in Paris, stopped by WIZS

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If NBC gave out medals for production assistants who went “above and beyond” to make sure the Summer Olympics broadcasts went smoothly, Margaret Foster surely would have brought home a Gold.

Foster, a 2023 graduate of UNC-CH, put her political science and French degree to good use during her three-week stint working behind the scenes at the beach volleyball venue.

It was during a study abroad semester in Paris that Foster decided she wanted to play a role.

“I saw the city preparing for the upcoming Olympics,” she said on Wednesday’s Sports Talk.

Her dad, Lee Foster, who grew up in Henderson, had some friends with ties to the business. One friend, Lance Stewart, was a big help, she said.

“He really helped me network with some of his former colleagues,” the younger Foster said, and she applied to be a production assistant/runner for the network.

Part of the job entailed being a liaison between the NBC crew on the ground and celebrities who visited the venue. Think Snoop Dogg, Al Roker and Hoda Kotb.

Starstruck moments? Foster said the employees sat in on seminars that spelled out the way to behave when big names were near. “We’re supposed to act professional,” she said, adding that she did manage to sneak some selfies.

But it also involved the logistical work of making sure that things were all set on the technical side. “It was 12-15 hours that first week, setting up everything,” she said.

But she also got to use her language skills and enjoyed being a bridge between the NBC English-speaking crew and the local French-speaking crews.

Foster characterized the work as “madness and a blur,” with crazy hours. Some of the beach volleyball matches, for example, began at 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., Paris time.

Towards the end of the Games, however, especially during the medal matches, things settled down a bit and it wasn’t so hectic.

One of her more hectic moments came when Snoop Dogg, the unofficial Olympic mascot, came to the beach volleyball venue. She said she was on her feet from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., at least. And she found herself sprinting down the street to get a bag of ice and a Coca-Cola for the singer-turned Olympic cheerleader.

When Snoop wants a Coke – in a plastic bottle – that’s what he gets. And when he was visiting her venue, it was Foster’s job to make sure he got it.

As a poli sci major at UNC, Foster didn’t really envision a future in television. But with her Olympics experience under her belt, she’s giving it some thought. She’ll be moving to New York City in a few weeks to live with a best friend from college. And while she’s not sure what the future holds, she’s got some stories to tell about three weeks in Paris.

 

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Vance County Tourism

TownTalk: Catfish Drop for New Year’s by Vance County Tourism

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New York City’s Times Square has that iconic glittery orb. Raleigh has a giant acorn. Shoot, Mt. Olive has a giant pickle covered in lights. But this New Year’s Eve, families can head out to Satterwhite Point to witness a first: a giant blue catfish drop to usher in 2025.

It’s all part of a plan by Vance County Tourism and other partners, most recently the Vance County Board of Commissioners, who signed off on the event at their regular meeting held Aug. 5 meeting.

The idea has been in the works for a few years, said Pam Hester, Vance County tourism director. Hester and fellow tourism staffer Norman Dickerson were guests on TownTalk Wednesday to talk about the impact tourism and visitors had on the local economy in 2023, and to discuss how the county’s attractions affect the bottom line.

Adding another signature event like the New Year’s Eve catfish drop to the county’s calendar, she said, will only increase that economic impact. When families come out to the lake on Dec. 31, they can expect vendors, entertainment, fireworks and more before that big ol’ catfish is lowered from the sky to welcome the New Year.

Why a catfish? Back in 2011, a fisherman snagged a recod-breaking whopper from the lake – a 143-pound blue cat. Now, a local artist is creating another whopper, Hester said.

This one will most likely be hooked – by a crane – and dropped – not reeled in- on New Year’s Eve could be the next “big” thing to bring visitors – and their dollars – to the county.

Last year’s tourism numbers are impressive, and Hester said Vance County garnered $70.2 million in visitor spending. That’s an 8.1 percent increase in 2023 from the previous year, which surpasses both Granville and Franklin counties, but is not quite as much as Warren County, which saw a 10.8 percent jump in 2023 for a whopping $73 million in tourism dollars. Vance County is ranked 15th among the state’s 100 counties in terms of growth rate with that 8.1 percent; Warren (10.8 percent) and Franklin (10.6 percent) are ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.

Booked hotel rooms generate an occupancy tax that goes to county coffers. That money, along with sales tax that comes from restaurants and other retailers, creates revenue for the county – in 2023, that figure is the equivalent of $119.76 per resident in tax savings.

“We’re lucky to have McGregor Hall and we’re lucky to have Kerr Lake,” Hester said. “They are our main attractions,” Hester said. In addition to the New Year’s Eve event, there are plans to further capitalize on Kerr Lake by creating an event to celebrate Hispanic Heritage.

Visit https://partners.visitnc.com/economic-impact-studies to find a complete county-by-county breakdown of visitor spending in the state.

Here is a snapshot of the four-county area:

Vance County

Total visitor spending – $70.02 million

Lodging: $15.44 million

Food & Beverage: $23.13 million

Recreation: $9.5 million

Retail: $5.93 million

Transport: $16.02 million

Granville County

Total visitor spending – $60.98 million

Lodging: $13.31 million

Food & Beverage: $20.04 million

Recreation: $9.18 million

Retail: $4.49 million

Transport: $13.96 million

Warren County

Total visitor spending – $73.02 million

Lodging: $18.54 million

Food & Beverage: $21.28 million

Recreation: $10.41 million

Retail: $5.96 million

Transport: $ 16.83 million

Franklin County

Total visitor spending – $42.15 million

Lodging: $8.46 million

Food & Beverage: $14.55 million

Recreation: $5.81 million

Retail: $3.05 million

Transport: $ 10.28 million

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Home and Garden Show

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

  • Vance County Regional Farmers Market
  • Regional Small Farms Bootcamp Workshop
  • Protection from Fire Ants
  • Protection from Crows
  • Lawnmower Safety

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