Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Small Woodlots

Got wood? Or, more precisely, small wood lots? If so you may want to develop a management plan for those lots.  “There are over two million acres of woodland holdings in lots of less than 20 acres,” said Wayne Rowland, Vance Co. Extension Agent. The majority of these holdings are owned by 341,000 families and are unmanaged.  These woodlands provide environmental, economical and social benefits to both owners and communities.

According to Rowland, management is a step by step process and developing a management plan is essential for these small lots. He recommends assess the land and the intent to help with development of a management plan.

The basic elements of developing a management plan includes goals and objectives for the property in question, preparing a property map, inventory the property and write a description of the land in question. It also should include activities and a schedule. Additionally, Rowland suggests a legal property description, ownership information, property history and contact information for forestry professional, particularly if they have designed the management plan.  Lastly Rowland says establish priorities for the property based on the type of land it is and what the property owner wants to do with the land.

For more information contact Wayne Rowland at the Vance Co. Extension office at 252-438-8188. You can hear the Vance Co. Extension Report on WIZS at 11:50am Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and the Home and Garden Show on the Local Skinny! with Rowland and Paul McKenzie at 11:30am on Wednesdays.

 

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

 

Vance Citizen Of The Year Nominations Due By Jan. 6, 2022

There’s still time to nominate a resident of Vance County to be considered for the 2021 Citizen of the Year, and Henderson-Vance Chamber officials encourage the community to consider making a nomination by the deadline of Jan. 6.

“This distinguished award is presented at the Chamber membership meeting and banquet held each year in January,” according to Chamber official Sandra Wilkerson.

This year’s meeting is scheduled to b be held Jan. 27, 2022 at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center.  Invitations and more information on the banquet will be emailed out to chamber members in January.

Contact the chamber office to get a nomination form, which also lists criteria for candidates. Call 252.438.8414, visit the website https://hendersonvance.org/ or drop by the office 414 S. Garnett St., Henderson to get more information.

NC Coop Extension

Agricultural Extension to Offer Classes For Fruit Growers

Fruit production has been a recent topic of conversation by both Wayne Rowland and Paul McKenzie on recent Cooperative Extension reports this week on WIZS. If those reports have got you thinking about having a back yard fruit crop then there is an upcoming class you may want to attend.  The Extension Service will be offering the same class over two day, January 7th and 8th. The January 7th class will be in Oxford at the Expo Center at 2pm and the Saturday class will be in Warrenton at the Warren Co. Armory Civic Center at 9am. The class is free but registration is required. Visit the Extensions Service’s website or call 252-438-8188 to learn more.

McKenzie will be partnering with Johnny Coley of the Warren County Extension Service for these classes. “You can’t beat the flavor and can’t beat the fun,” McKenzie said of growing back yard fruit crops. He also recommends that anyone thinking about planting a fruit crop to research the various cultivars in order to make sure that it is appropriate for this area. “Research is the first step in having success with fruit crops,” Mckenzie said. He said it is vitally important to do cultivar research if you are planning a back yard fruit crop.

Home And Garden Show 12-22-21

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

  • Review your garden journal,what went well, and not well, most important what did you learn?
  • What if you missed fescue fertilization in late November?
  • Check holiday plants for moisture.
  • What if you haven’t planted your pansies?
  • Inventory your seed before ordering more seed.
  • Prepare, clean and organize seed starting supplies
  • Build a small greenhouse or cold frame to raise your own transplants for 2022
  • Research fruit cultivars before planting.
  • Check water under your christmas tree each day

 

TownTalk: Henderson Fire Dept. Puts The Boot In For Maria Parham’s Angel Fund

It is generally not recommended for pedestrians to walk out in the middle of traffic for any reason – especially Dabney Drive. But when firefighters do it, with their boots in their hands instead of on their feet, rest assured it’s for a good cause.

And on Tuesday, Henderson Fire Chief Steve Cordell presented the result of the 2021 fundraiser to the staff at Maria Parham Health’s Cancer Center – a check for $25,000. WIZS’s Trey Snide was on hand Tuesday for the check presentation and John C. Rose shared highlights on Wednesday’s Town Talk.

“It’s a great honor for us to be here with you today to present you with another donation from the wonderful residents of the city of Henderson and Vance County and the visitors that come down Dabney Drive,” Cordell said during the presentation ceremony.

He recounted that the first fundraiser to support the cancer center’s “angel fund” was back in 2014. Through t-shirt sales to fight breast cancer, the fire department was able to raise about $3,400 for the oncology department.

Since then, the annual fundraiser – except for last year when it was cancelled because of the pandemic – has netted more than $77,000.

This year’s total of $25,000 almost doubles the combined efforts of previous fundraisers, and Cordell credits the generosity of the community and the willingness of all three shifts of firefighters with this year’s success.

“This year’s total – I was blown away,” he told the group assembled at the hospital for the presentation. The original goal for Day 1 of the project was $4,700, but they’d gotten that by lunchtime, Cordell recalled. By the end of Day 1, folks had put $11,000 in those boots.

Cordell said he remembered thinking, “Man, that’s good. The rest of the days will be pretty slow, but the people just kept on giving.”

“If it wasn’t for these men and women that go out there, very unselfishly, and stand out there in the middle of Dabney Drive and hold a boot,” Cordell said, the donation to the cancer center simply wouldn’t have been possible.

Kimberly Smith is director of the hospital’s cancer center and she said the angel fund helps cancer patients with basic needs, from transportation to medicines to help with their treatment.

“We thank you very much,” Smith said.  “We appreciate you…this money will go to great use for our patients and our community here.”

She likened the work of firefighters to the work that the staff at the cancer center, saying that every day, each group of workers does an amazing job and, every day, they find ways to help people in the communities they serve.

Hope Breedlove is a social worker at the cancer center and offered her thanks as well.

“I’m so thankful.  I’m so proud right now of you, of the community.” Through the angel fund, patients can receive funds that remove barriers, Breedlove noted, and if it weren’t for the angel fund, “we couldn’t do some of the things that we’re able to do” for the patients.

“This angel fund is truly a godsend,” Breedlove said. “From the bottom of my heart, from the bottom of our hearts, and from the bottom of our patients’ hearts, we just thank you so much.”

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TownTalk: Shop With A Cop Makes Christmas Brighter For Kids In Vance County

(Shop with a Cop 2021 photos by HPD)

The 2021 Shop with a Cop project proved to be another huge success, and local law enforcement officials said it was good fun for a good cause. Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow said that 58 young people took part in Tuesday’s activities, thanks in large part to the generosity of local businesses and individuals who participated in the fundraising arm of the project sponsored by the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce.

Chief Barrow reportedly had a run-in with the Grinch, but not even the Grinch could dampen the holiday mood at the Henderson Walmart as the children and law enforcement officers had some quality time together as they shopped the aisles.

“It was a tremendous event,” Barrow said. “We had an absolute blast shopping with the kids. It’s a great but humbling feeling to be able to shop with these kids.”

Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame echoed the police chief’s sentiments.

“It’s an awesome program,” Brame told John C. Rose Wednesday by phone. “I look forward to doing it every year.” With the help of Michele Burgess and Sandra Wilkerson at the Chamber, Brame said he and others in law enforcement get the chance to interact in a positive way with  young people in the community .

The police department, sheriff’s office, Chamber, as well as the N.C. Highway Patrol and Maria Parham Health all are united together for a great cause, Brame added.

The community donated $12,000 through the chamber’s fundraising event – and through other donations – to provide the money for the Shop with a Cop project, according to Barrow.

He added that the families are grateful for the event. “It takes a burden off them during economically challenging times,” he said.

For the children, it’s just fun.

“It’s a positive thing to take them out to Walmart and shop with them,” Brame said. “That’s the part we love – it’s a win-win situation.”

(More photos below)

 

 

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TownTalk: Sossamon Discusses Candidacy For NC House 32

The Rev. Frank Sossamon said his more than three decades as a local pastor will serve him well if he’s elected to serve a different kind of flock – the residents of N.C. House District 32.

Sossamon has filed as a candidate for the House seat and will face incumbent Terry Garrison in next year’s election.

He and Garrison both put their hats into the ring before filings were suspended, pending a court ruling on whether the redrawn district maps would be upheld or would need to be changed again. Critics have charged that the new maps are gerrymandered and are partial to the Republican majority in the N.C. General Assembly.

The redrawn maps have District 32 covering all of Vance County and all but two southernmost precincts in Granville County. Sossamon told John C. Rose on Tuesday’s Town Talk that if he were elected, he would serve all the people in his district.

“I’m going to represent the people,” Sossamon said. “I am a Republican, and I am a conservative Republican, but in order to get things done…we’ve got to work for the greater good for the people we represent.”

He said he won’t be the type of politician that sits behind a desk. “I’ll be out meeting the public,” he said working to find ways to help solve problems and helping the community.

“I will be a very active, a very busy representative – that’s been my nature for 36 years in Vance County,” he said.

As a pastor in Vance County for all those years, he has vast experience in being a problem-solver. That, he said, along with his ability to listen, really listen, to people, will transfer into his role as representative if he is elected.

He said he wants to challenge, to encourage and motivate people in the community to make things better. “We can’t wait on Washington, or Raleigh…we can pull ourselves together and accomplish a lot of things” he said, adding that this effort could really become a model for others to emulate.

As for key issues facing the district, Sossamon ticked off economic development, infrastructure, improving the workforce, education and clean drinking water. And crime.

Infrastructure is a “major problem” in Vance, he said. “We need a lot of help.”

“I just feel like there are some things we can do to make our communities safer and to feel better about where we live,” Sossamon said.

There are many ways to work together across county lines to have mutual benefit, he said, adding that although Vance and Granville often compete for new business and industry, there are various ways that both counties can work together “to do some joint things regarding economic development. There are things we can do better together,” Sossamon said. He said he would like to sit down with leaders from across the district, identify strengths and weaknesses and then concentrate on the strengths to recruit business and industry.

Working together rather than becoming territorial doesn’t have to dampen the competitive spirit between counties, but Sossamon said he hopes “we can lay those things aside and have a conversation that can lead us to joint ventures.”

Improving the workforce, for example, is something that would make the area more attractive to business and industry. “We’ve got the community college to help us,” he said.

Improving the quality of the workforce not only will make the district more attractive, but it also could lower crime in the area as well, for example.

Sossamon said he hopes to bring “a fresh look, a new look…a new vision for the area.”

He doesn’t subscribe to the idea that ministers should steer clear of politics. On the contrary, he said, Christians across the nation are realizing the need to be involved in the greater community, whether in politics or in other capacities.

He decided to run for office after prayer and contemplation about just what he has to offer to help the district.

“There ought to be people lining up to serve” their communities, he said, challenging others to consider running for local office as well, “to bring fresh ideas that will help improve our community.”

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The Local Skinny! Gear & Beer Brings Something Different To Downtown Henderson

Curious about why there’s a kayak hanging out on Garnett Street? Stop in to Gear & Beer, a new business in downtown Henderson.

The “beer” part of the name requires no explanation, but just what kind of gear are we talking about?

Carol Terwilliger spoke with WIZS’s Trey Snide on Tuesday’s The Local Skinny! to tell folks what to expect when they stop in to her store, located at 234 S. Garnett St. Her establishment is featured in the recurring “business spotlight” segment.

The gear on the shelves includes anything campers or other lake visitors may need, from toothpaste to kayaks.

With Kerr Lake a short trip away from the downtown area, Terwilliger wanted to provide a store that has all those lake essentials, as well as a few extras.

As for why she chose downtown to locate her retail space, she said, “I could really see the potential” of downtown Henderson and she said she wanted to do her part and to be a part of the revitalization effort.

It’s an easy drive for campers to come pick up gear and it’s also a fun place to come enjoy some down time after work.

She’s just finished a lounge area in the back, where patrons can sip a craft beer and play Giant Jenga, Connect Four and corn hole.

Speaking of craft beer, Terwilliger said that the store will feature a different North Carolina brewery each quarter. This quarter, it’s Gizmo Brew Works from Umstead Industrial Park near Research Triangle Park

There are 10 different varieties available for purchase.

The store is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit www.gearandbeernc.com to learn more.