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.
  • The Vance-Warren Beekeepers Association will meet on Monday, October 12th, starting at 7pm at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.
  • Time to collect soil samples, avoid the rush. 2 week analyis time.
  • Keep that garden journal updated daily.
  • You can still plant tall fescue.
  • Order spring bulbs now.
  • Check fall vegetables for insects. Cabbage worm and harlequin bugs.
  • Start preparing for leaf collection season. Do you have a compost bin?
  • Cleanup greenhouses and high tunnels.
  • Put a board under growing pumpkins.
  • Get your copy of the Central Piedmont Vegetable Planting Guide.
  • Fall vegetables need at least 1 inch of rain or irrigation per week.
  • 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: Economic Development Summit Thursday in Downtown Henderson

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There’s still room at the table, so to speak, for last-minute registrants at the Kerr Tar Council of Government economic summit that will take place Thursday, Oct. 8 at McGregor Hall in downtown Henderson.

The event begins at 10 a.m. and features remarks by North Carolina’s First Lady, Anna Stein, said Desiree Brooks, KTCOG’s community and economic development manager.

“We are so excited to have her come,” Brooks said, adding that Stein is a “huge advocate” for rural tourism.

Registration is $40, and the first 250 people to have signed up will get a swag bag, as well as a lunch and a ticket to exchange for an ice cream dessert.

A panel discussion after lunch will feature representatives from five agritourism farms, and Brooks said they’re all working farms whose owners have added an agritourism layer.

“They’re all very different,” she said, and participants will get a chance to hear their distinct stories and the importance of farms and farming in our communities.

A pop-up market will be set up at lunchtime, and by the time the summit is over about 3:30 or so, Brooks said she hopes participants will hang around, mingle with others from the community and buy items from the vendors that will be set up outside McGregor Hall on Breckenridge Street. The Konnection Band will provide live music from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. for a festive atmosphere as folks do some shopping, sit outside and enjoy the music, she said.

Shoppers will find a variety of local produce and goods, from fresh-cut flowers, garden mums and perennials to hand-tied fishing lures, custom jewelry, goat milk lotions and soaps, local wildflower honey and breads, cookies and pastries from Strong Arm Baking Co.

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Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market

TownTalk: Fall is in Full Swing at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market

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Saturday, Oct. 10 is Pumpkin Day at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market, and Market Manager Stephen Wolf said the market will be ready with acrylic paints and pumpkins a-plenty for kids to come out and decorate.

Angie B’s Catering will be returning to serve up hotdogs, burgers and a new personal favorite, a jerk burger, Wolf said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

It’ll be a good day for folks to come out to the market, decorate a pumpkin and just check out the variety of produce and handcrafted items between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Farmers have remained upbeat despite the lack of measurable rainfall lately, and Wolf said producers have some tasty greens including collards, cabbage and okra to go along with tomatoes, squash, sweet potatoes and more.

Wolf, who stepped into the manager role mid-season, said he’s enjoyed meeting and working with the farmers. He’s already planning for the future and said he would love to see each bay door lined with producers next season.

Learn more about healthy foods and good nutrition practices on Saturday, Oct. 17 when the “Food Pharmacy” comes to the market. Folks who participate in the educational programs between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. will earn “bucks” to spend at the market, he said.

If you’ve taken a close look at the calendar, you’ll have already noticed that Halloween falls on a Saturday, and Wolf said he’s encouraging all vendors to join him by getting into Halloween spirit by decorating their market spaces and dressing in costumes that day.

Everybody loves a holiday market, and the farmers market will feature its own Handcrafted Holiday Market on Saturday, Nov. 14. Vendors will be set up inside – and outside, hopefully – to showcase their handiwork.

Of course, there will still be the regular offerings including locally sourced meats, eggs, fall produce and more, Wolf said.

The market’s final day of the season is Saturday, Dec. 12, and it’ll be a great time to take care of some additional holiday gift shopping as vendors and producers take a break for the winter. Wolf said he’s planning a post-market banquet at the close of the market as a special “thank you” to vendors and sponsors for a productive and successful market season.

Follow the Vance County Regional Farmers Market on Facebook to stay up-to-date on special events and activities taking place at the market, located at 210 Southpark Dr.

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Fall into Great Activities at Perry Memorial Library

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Middle schoolers have a new program they can participate in at Perry Memorial Library – that program kicks off Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 7 and will continue on the first Wednesday of each month through May, said Youth Services Librarian Melody Peters.

The library is teaming up with The Poe Center of Raleigh to provide a “lounge” atmosphere where the youngsters can talk and learn about mental health.

“You need to have a sound mental health just like you need a sound body,” Peters told WIZS’s Scout Hughes on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

For too long, she said, people considered mental health separately from overall physical health. But just like the saying, “you are what you eat,” she said, “you are what you think,” too, she said.

The first topic is mindfulness – the idea of being fully “present” in the moment, focusing your thoughts and feelings.

Deep breathing and meditation are just a couple of ways to practice mindfulness, and Peters said learning effective techniques is important when it comes to handling stress and navigating tough times.

“Being able to control that with breath, with simple things that you can learn, will carry you really far in life,” Peters said. “The sooner you learn these skills, the better off you’re going to be.”

Mental Health Lounge for Middle Schoolers – Wednesday, October 7 – 4:30 – 5:30pm

Another fun activity aimed at teens in grades 6-12 happens Monday, Oct. 12 during Teen Time, which runs from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Come out and paint some pumpkins while viewing the film “Twitches.”

Visit www.perrylibrary.org to view a full schedule of programs and events for children of all ages taking place at the library, located at 205 Breckenridge St.

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(The audio and text contained in this post are not medical advice.)
Vance County Logo

TownTalk: Vance County Commissioners Monday Board Meeting Recap

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Vance County Finance Director Stephanie Williams said the county has collected $803,000 more than was anticipated in taxes, including ad valorem and local government sales taxes.

Ambulance revenues had an overage of $2.7 million, although ABC revenue – liquor stores – collected $161,000 less than was anticipated.

In her report to commissioners at their regular monthly meeting on Monday, Williams said tax collections for the 2025-26 period July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 were greater than 96 percent – 96.36, to be specific.

But don’t let that $800,000 figure fool you into thinking that the county coffers are filling with additional funds.

The fact of the matter is that the county is still short to the tune of almost $344,000.

Williams spelled out that expenditures total $71,637,894.48 and revenue collected totals $71,293,975.07.

In her written report to commissioners, Williams explained a bit about the modified budget versus the adopted budget and how money can be basically moved where and when it’s needed.

“The Modified Budget reflects the adopted budget as adjusted through budget amendments presented to and approved by the Board of County Commissioners during the fiscal year. It also includes transfers of budget authority between departments within Fund 10 and items included in the End-of-Year Budget Authorization,” she stated.

Fund 10 is often referred to as the General Fund.

Find the complete agenda, including the budget information Williams provided commissioners at https://www.vancecounty.org/departments/board-of-commissioners/agenda/

In other business before the board, Commissioners also approved proclamations for Fire Prevention Week and Breast Cancer Awareness. Commissioner Dan Brummitt made a motion to place pink ribbons on county buildings in observance of October as breast cancer awareness month.

Tabled was approval of the Tar River Hazard Mitigation Plan, presented by Emergency Management Specialist Willie Kearney.

Although the plan has been approved by other entities including the city of Henderson, commissioners opted to table approval of the 700-plus page document because of numerous updates that needed to be made in the document, from the county’s current internet provider to the physical address of certain EMS stations.

Before the conclusion of the meeting, commissioners entered into a closed session on an economic development matter. After 15 or 20 minutes, WIZS News understands commissioners returned to open session and voted to adopt minutes from past closed sessions, as Commissioner Brummitt told WIZS by phone after the meeting had ended.

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(The text above is the same text published as an update in another post on WIZS.com.)

Cooperative Extension with Michael Ellington: Fall Greens

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Michael Ellington, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

Today’s segment covers what might be eating your fall greens in the garden.

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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WIZS Election Coverage

TownTalk: Who’s On Your Ballot?

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With the upcoming midterm elections now less than one month away, Vance County voters have a few options for casting their ballots – they can vote early beginning Thursday, Oct. 15, by mail, or in person on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Vance County ballots include a U.S. Senate race between former Gov. Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley to take retiring Thom Tillis’s place in Washington, a key N.C. House District 32 contest between incumbent Bryan Cohn and challenger Frank Sossamon, who Cohn beat in the 2024 election, as well as a handful of contested races at the local level.

Three state constitutional amendments also are on the ballot – two concerning tax rates and one about requiring voters to present photo ID when voting.

Four candidates are vying for the District 3 seat on the Vance County Board of Commissioners:

Incumbent Charisse Fain, a Democrat, faces Republican challenger Angie Ryan and two unaffiliated candidates, former commissioner Gordon Wilder and Charles “C.J.” Turrentine, Jr.

In the District 4 contest, Republican Kelley Wade Perdue faces Democratic candidate June Lewis III.

In District 7, Republican Joseph Falkner faces Democrat Joanne Evans.

The Vance County Board of Education has only one contested race, and that is the District 7 seat that has Democrat Angela Cooper Lyons and Republican Hailey Breeze Macklin vying for the seat.

WIZS News has mailed a list of questions to candidates in contested races for county commissioner and one school board seat and asked for written responses to present to listeners and readers before the early voting period begins.

In-person early voting for the November midterm elections begins on Thursday, Oct. 15. Vance County residents can vote early at 500 N. Beckford Dr., which is the former Eaton-Johnson Middle School campus.

Early voting ends on Saturday, Oct. 31. The early-voting site will be open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. each weekday Oct. 15 – 30. The polls will be open on Saturday, Oct. 31, which will be 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

See Vance County’s early-voting schedule at:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/One-Stop_Early_Voting/2026/Early_Voting_Site_List_November_2026.pdf

Eligible individuals have until 5 p.m. this Friday, Oct. 9 to register to vote in the upcoming Nov. 3 election, those who want to cast their ballot either by mail or on Election Day.

State elections officials remind voters that “same-day registration” is available during the early voting period; registrants must attest to their eligibility, provide proof of U.S. citizenship and show an accepted form of photo ID.

Find your sample ballot https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/

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