Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Wildlife Habitat
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Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews
TownTalk: Embrace Henderson Family Spectacular
After a COVID-19 delay, Embrace Henderson’s Family Spectacular is returning to Saddlerock Farm on Saturday, April 9 for a fun-filled event for children and adults.
Embrace Henderson’s Kevin Kilgore told John C. Rose Monday that the group is glad to get back to its mission of coming together to host events, revivals – and the Family Spectacular – after a two-year COVID-19 break.
The Spectacular will be held at Saddlerock Farm, 1786 Weldon’s Mill Road, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“It’s the only event that we’ve scheduled this year…because it’s outside, it felt like it was a good place to start back,” Kilgore said.
The 2022 event marks the 10th anniversary of the Spectacular. Kilgore said previous events have had right around 1,000 in attendance. “I’d love to have twice that many, but we’re comfortable with the number of adults and kids that do come,” he said.
There will be horse rides, hayrides, bouncy houses, children’s games, an illusion show, just to name a few. There also will be sno cones, popcorn and drinks to enjoy.
The event is absolutely free, Kilgore said.
Embrace Henderson was formed in 2010 when a group of individuals and various churches joined forces to be able to bring events, revivals and events like the Family Spectacular, all while spreading God’s Word.
The local group is partnering with Bob Fowler’s Child Evangelism Fellowship and Scott and Karen Lamm with LammEvents.com to bring all the activities to Vance County next month.
“There’s no way we could do this without either of them,” Kilgore noted.
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The Local Skinny! Around Old Granville: The Mystery Of Harrison Macon
Where is Harrison Macon? Or perhaps the better question is where is this Revolutionary War veteran buried? Harrison Macon was the brother of the famous Nathaniel Macon and while Nathaniel may be more well known, Harrison also had quite a significant life. He was captured at Camden, South Carolina in 1780 during the Revolution and was a captain during the war. He was born circa 1745 and was dead by 1790. He married Hannah Glenn, daughter of Gideon Glenn who lived in present day Rocky Ford. The Glenn’s owned over a thousand acres of land and Harrison Macon lived close by, just “across the creek” from the Glenn’s. This was likely Lynch’s Creek.
The Glenn’s, as was the custom in that time, had a family burial ground on their property and legend has it that Harrison, being the husband of Hannah Glenn, was buried in the Glenn family cemetery. But just where is that?
On the Around Old Granville segment of the Local Skinny on Monday, WIZS’ Bill Harris and North Carolina Room Specialist at Thornton Library in Oxford, discussed the mystery of Macon’s place of burial. The search began four or five years ago when the Halifax Rifles chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution got curious about it. The search has continued with local historians from Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin Counties attempting to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
One of the documents unearthed is an application for a headstone made to the U.S. War Department in 1931 by Dr. Daniel T. Smithwick of Franklin Co. Dr. Smithwick was a local historian who had married Evelyn Macon, a great granddaughter of Harrison Macon. According to the application, Smithwick place the the headstone at the “Old Home Place”, near Louisburg. Was it a Macon home place, the Glenn homeplace? No one really knows for certain. Macons lived all around the area from Ingleside (which was once known as Macon) all the way to the Bobbitt area.
The Glenn Home place is still standing and occupied. It has been heavily remodeled many times and if there is a Glenn family burial ground then this is the likely site of Macon’s resting place. Just down the road from present day Rocky Ford are the remains of a once thriving community called Letha which was situated near a ford on Lynch’s Creek. The remains of an old dam can be found there along with a building or two. The land was likely part of what was once Glenn property and there is a cemetery with a number of unmarked graves inclucingh one burial situated on top of a hill overlooking the creek it is this grave that has caught the attention of local historians. This particular grave is covered in stones, somewhat reminiscent of Nathaniel Macon’s grave site in Warren Co. but nowhere near as elaborate. Could this be the site of Harrison Macon? Many historians certainly think this is a possibility. So far no headstone has been found at the site but further investigation is needed.
So the question remains “Where is Harrison Macon?”
WIZS Radio Local News Audio 03-07-22 Noon
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WIZS Radio Local News Audio 03-04-22 Noon
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TownTalk: County Commissioners To Work On Issues During Retreat
Updated 3/4/2022
The Vance County commissioners completed their planning retreat on Thursday, Mar. 3 and prioritized five goals for the coming year, which remain in draft form until they are formally approved at the April board meeting.
County Manager Jordan McMillen told WIZS News that all indications are that the five priorities will be:
- To retain or assist in creation of 150 new jobs and $10 million in new investment for the County to include completion of design and construction of a shell building at the Henderson-Vance Industrial Park.
- Complete an Economic Development Strategic plan aimed at setting priorities and benchmarks for the future of economic development to include prioritizing regionalization.
- Implement a community paramedicine program that seeks to improve community health, reduce frequent fliers, and assist in lowering EMS call volume.
- Begin planning (land acquisition and design) necessary for a new public safety center to house the county EMS and fire departments.
- Begin construction of Phase 1B of the county water system and offer public information/signup meetings with a goal of increasing signups 20 percent above the current level.
Other takeaways that McMillen noted following the retreat include the positive financial position the county finds itself in, which will help the county be able to bring employee salaries more in line with the market.
“This speaks to our fund balance (unassigned fund balance of 44 percent of expenditures) and also the increases we have seen in sales tax revenue the past few years which we are hopeful will position us to implement our recent salary study with the new budget July 1,” McMillen said.
The board must approve the salary plan before it goes into effect. “As we work budget, we intend to be in position to approve the salary study at our June meeting to be effective with the new budget,” McMillen said.
He cited some details of the salary study, noting that 82 percent of salaries “are closer to the minimum and have not progressed to the midpoint or the maximum of the pay grade.” If and when the plan is approved, “employees’ salaries would be slotted where they belong along the pay range according to the market and our starting salaries will move up as well across the board,” he explained.
Neighboring counties have conducted similar studies in the past year or so, which impacts Vance County’s ability to effectively recruit and retain employees, McMillen added.
“Economic development remains the top goal and priority for our board,” he said. “A major part of this effort is continuing to develop our industrial park and looking toward a possible shell building in the future.” McMillen said more information about this topic will be announced at the commissioners’ meeting Monday, Mar. 7.
During the retreat, the group discussed the need to work together with neighboring counties to strengthen regionalism and support regional efforts.
The county’s effort over the past five years to return foreclosed and other properties to the tax rolls has been successful, McMillen said. In that period, 116 properties have been returned to the tax rolls, which is the equivalent of returning $830,000 in value to the tax rolls.
The county took in more than $300,000 in revenue for these properties, he said.
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Vance County commissioners and county staff have gathered today (Thursday) for its annual planning retreat to discuss upcoming priorities, review goals and talk about results of a recent salary and benefits study of county jobs.
It began at 9 a.m. today and was scheduled to conclude at 2 p.m., according to information from County Manager Jordan McMillen.
The retreat was rescheduled from an earlier date so the salary study could be completed. John C. Rose perused the 51-page agenda that McMillen had prepared for the retreat, and said the first topic of conversation was the salary and benefits study, which was presented to commissioners.
Also on the agenda was a recap of the county’s financial condition and fiscal outlook presented by Finance Director Katherine Bigelow.
There are numerous openings within county government and law enforcement that have yet to be filled, including 16 at the detention center and 8 within the sheriff’s office. There are 32 openings at the Department of Social Services and a dozen openings within the EMS system.
Whether qualified candidates simply aren’t looking in Vance County or not considering working here because the pay isn’t competitive with other areas, the fact remains that there are openings that need to be filled.
The salary study included information about employee outreach, current conditions, review of compensation and having an updated pay plan, according to information in the agenda.
Some of the goals that were scheduled to be discussed included the following:
- Creation of 150 new jobs and bringing in $10 million in new investment
- Completion of economic development plan
- Construction of a shell building at industrial park
- Creation of a paramedicine program to reduce EMS call volume
- Initial planning of a new public safety center to house EMS and fire departments
- Start Phase 1B of the county water system
- Increase signups to the water system by 20 percent over current signups
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WIZS Radio Local News Audio 03-03-22 Noon
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Dr. Stephen Pearson – City’s Orange Street Lot to Bear His Name
The late Dr. Stephen Pearson, co-founder of Sadie’s Coffee Corner downtown, will be remembered in a ceremony next week.
The City of Henderson will host a ceremony and officially name the city’s Orange Street parking lot after Dr. Pearson.
That lot is next to Sadie’s on South Garnett Street.
The ceremony will take place Tuesday, March 8 at 11 a.m.
The public is invited to attend.
Pearson and Amanda Pearson, his wife, celebrated the grand opening of Sadie’s on November 9, 2019. Pearson died at age 57 about one year ago in late March 2021.
Pearson was well-liked and loved by many and had otherwise risen to the board chair level of the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission.
As he said in a video presentation at the 2020 Henderson Vance Chamber of Commerce meeting and banquet, “We came in with very clear goals, a very clear business plan, things that we would absolutely make sure that we changed in the dynamic of business on main street, and we also came with the mindset that if we are going to come down and provide some change, then we’re going to change from the inside. You can’t change things from the outside.”
SportsTalk: John Eason Jr. Letter Of Intent Signing
“I’m not going to play against him” was one of the comments John Eason Sr. had about his son, John Eason Jr. The younger Eason will be playing next season at Central Carolina Community College now that he is wrapping up his senior season at Crossroads Christian. He signed his letter of intent at the school today (Wednesday) continuing a journey that began when the senior Eason taught him how to hold a basketball over his head at age five.
“He feels like a son to me,” Crossroads basketball coach Scottie Richardson said. “He’s one of those guys you love to have in the locker room,” Richardson continued. Richardson said Eason does the little things needed to win and described him as a team player. Eason started the season on the bench but by the end of the season he had worked his way into the starting lineup.
Central Carolina Community College coach Lamont Whitaker was on hand for the signing and said his interest in Eason stemmed from a call from Richardson who told him there was someone he needed to see. Whitaker watched Eason play three times when he decided he had seen enough and felt Eason was someone Central Carolina needed. “He has the physique. He gets after it and gets rebounds,” Whitaker said of what he saw in those three games. Eason was also impressed by Central Carolina as he liked the atmosphere, the school and the campus.
While the senior Eason may have helped him learn the moves and skills of being a basketball player, his mother was not about to be left out of helping her son either. Beverly Eason also played basketball and played with her son. She tried to help him with his hook shot hoping he would be as good at it as the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar but she joked that her son hasn’t quite got the shot down to her satisfaction yet.
John Eason Sr. also said that the education side of college is equally as important as basketball. “Get the book work together and you can go anywhere you want to go.”
Before Eason signed his letter of intent he told WIZS’ Trey Snide that without Crossroads Christian he wouldn’t be in the position he is now. Then with a stroke of the gold pen brought along for the occasion, Eason signed his letter of intent with thunderous applause from his team, friends and family. Congratulations to John Eason Jr. on signing to play college basketball with Central Carolina Community College.
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Candidates Must File By Noon Friday For May 17 Primary
There are several contested races so far for the upcoming May 17 primary elections in Vance County, and prospective candidates have until noon on Friday to file.
Incumbent Sheriff Curtis Brame has filed for re-election. Brame, a Democrat, faces Sterlin Walker, also a Democrat, in the primary.
The winner will face Republican Patrick Bailey, who also has filed, if no other candidate files in the next couple of days.
Incumbent Terry Garrison (D) faces newcomer Frank Sossamon, a Republican, for the NC House 32 seat.
In the Vance County Board of Education races, incumbent Gloria White has filed for re-election in District 1; Democrat Omega T. Perry has filed for the District 2 seat. Incumbent Margaret Ellis has not filed yet; Incumbent Democrat Ruth Hartness has filed for re-election in District 7; nobody has filed for the District 2 seat, currently held by Darlynn Oxendine.
Three Vance County commissioners have filed for re-election – Gordon Wilder in District 3, Dan Brummitt in District 4 and Tommy Hester in District 7. Wilder, a Democrat, faces opposition by Sean Alston, also a Democrat. Brummitt and Hester, both Republicans, currently have no opposition.
The City Ward 1 at large incumbent Sara Coffey has filed for re-election and faces oppostition from Clementine Hunter, who also has filed for the seat.
City Ward 2 at large incumbent William Burnette has filed, as have incumbents Garry Daeke in City Ward 3 and Ola Thorpe-Cooper in City Ward 4.
Incumbent Cassandra Neal (D) has filed for re-election to the Register of Deeds and incumbent Henry Gupton (D) has filed for re-election to Clerk of Superior Court.
The filing period ends at noon on Friday, setting the stage for the upcoming primary on May 17 and the general election on Nov. 8.