Cooperative Extension with Paul McKenzie: What Works in the Garden
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Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews
TownTalk: The 2023 Ducky Derby is Here!
There’s a deluge expected in downtown Henderson next month, but you won’t find details on any weather app or forecast – not even the farmer’s almanac. Flooding will be minimal and isolated to Garnett Street, officials say – just long enough for that last little rubber ducky to cross the finish line.
No need to gather your rain gear just yet – it’s just the 14th annual Ducky Derby!
This year’s event takes place Saturday, Sept. 16 in downtown Henderson, with the Henderson Fire Department supplying the water and Greystone Concrete Products pouring the ducks from one of its cement mixers.
The Franklin Granville Vance Smart Start hosts the annual fundraiser and Garry Daeke was on Tuesday’s TownTalk to share details and how to purchase tickets.
“We hope to have a good day and have fun – it’s always a blast,” Daeke said.
Ducks are $5 each, or you can purchase more than one and save a little cash – a Quack Pack is 5 ducks for $20 and a Flock gets you 25 ducks for $100. Tickets are available the day of the derby, too.
“I’m continually excited about how much fun people have” Daeke said. The fun includes children’s games, food trucks and music. This year, there’s a “blender bike” that kids can use to pedal their way to create their own smoothies.
And there are prizes for the top three finishers, as well as for that last little straggler to cross the finish line.
First prize is $1,000, second prize is Chick-fil-A for a year and third prize is a $250 gas card from Sheetz. The last duck wins $100.
Tickets are available from FGV staff or board members and by calling the FGV office at 252.433.9110. You can reach Daeke at the office or at 252.432.3145.
The event begins at 11 a.m. and continues through 2 p.m.
The race begins at Garnett and Breckenridge streets and the finish line is at Orange Street.
Sponsorships are available; contact Daeke to become a sponsor.
“We get new folks every year that want to be a part of what’s going on downtown,” he said.
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Municipal Election Candidates’ Forum Set for Sept. 7
The Henderson-Vance Leadership Caucus has scheduled a “Meet the Candidates Forum” next week in advance of the upcoming nonpartisan municipal elections on Oct. 10.
The forum will take place Thursday, Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. at the Vance County Administration Building, 122 Young St., according to information from Terry Garrison, caucus president.
All candidates on the ballot have been invited to participate, Garrison stated.
“The forum is intended to allow the candidates an opportunity to give their platforms and answer prepared questions of importance to many voting citizens,” Garrison said.
The event is open to the public and is sponsored by the Henderson Vance Black Leadership Caucus, the Vance County branch of the NAACP and the Vance County Democratic Party.
Local GOP Hosts Candidate Meetings
The Vance County Republican Party is hosting a series of meetings designed to hear from candidates in the upcoming nonpartisan municipal elections.
Jimmy Barrier, local GOP chair, told WIZS News Wednesday that the Ward 1 candidates will be the focus of the meeting on Thursday, Aug. 31. The meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. and will take place at Tony’s Automotive on Raleigh Road.
Mayoral candidates were invited to participate in the first meeting held Tuesday, Aug. 29, Barrier said. Candidates Sara Coffey and Greg Etheridge attended; Melissa Elliott and Jason Spriggs did not participate.
Barrier said the meetings are a chance to learn about the candidates and their platforms.
“We’ve invited them to come to us,” Barrier said, “to speak to us and tell us why we should vote for them.”
The meetings are open to registered Republicans, Barrier said. “We want to be what’s best for Vance County and the city of Henderson,” he said, adding that the objective is to inform voters.
The candidates receive a list of questions in advance of the meetings, Barrier said, so nobody is caught off guard and can prepare their responses.
“We want…what’s best for Vance County and the city of Henderson,” he said.
“We’re not going to sit on the sidelines. We’re going to get in the game,” Barrier said.
SportsTalk: Vipers Look For Third Win Of The Season Against Orange
Last Friday night the Vance County Vipers dismantled Roanoke Rapids 52-14. “I was surprised that Roanoke Rapids was not as competitive,” Vipers Head Coach Aaron Elliott said on Thursday’s SportsTalk. The Vipers eliminated many of the penalties that plagued the team in a win over Warren County in week one. That, along with a six touchdown performance from quarterback Javion Vines-Holder helped shut down Roanoke Rapids. “He is slowly getting better. He only lacks confidence,” Elliott said of his young quarterback.
With five touchdown passes and another on the ground Vines-Holder is a threat to run or pass. “We built our offense around a true running quarterback,” Coach Elliott added. “It opens up opportunities,” stated Elliott.
The Vipers will be looking for those opportunities as they take on Orange this Friday night at Viper Stadium. Orange is 1-1 on the year and is a team full of athletes Elliott said of this week’s opponent. Orange will throw a 3-3 Stack defense against the potent Viper offense and that is a style of defense the Vipers have not faced. “We’ve worked all week on how to block it and how to read it,” Elliott said.
The Vipers can move to 3-0 on the season with a win Friday night. Join Bill Harris and Doc Ayscue for the live play by play beginning immediately following the Joy Christian Center broadcast at 6:50pm here on WIZS for Vance County Friday Night Football.
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TownTalk: Community Partners Of Hope To Open Men’s Shelter October 1
The men’s emergency shelter will open for the season in just over a month, but if Delthine Watson has anything to say about it, it will be the last time that the shelter will be open only in the fall and winter months.
“People need a place to go…away from the elements,” Watson told WIZS’s Bill Harris on Thursday’s TownTalk. The weather is something we have no control over, so whether the shelter can provide relief from the harsh winter cold or the relentless summer heat, that’s what she wants to do.
“(Homelessness) is not a seasonal problem,” she said, “we’re just a seasonal shelter – at this point. But we are working on that.”
Watson, community network specialist for Community Partners of Hope, said plans to upfit the former City Road Methodist Church to become the permanent 12-month location for the men’s shelter is taking shape.
Once all the paperwork is signed – and the money raised to make the necessary renovations to transform the church property – Watson said they’d be able to accommodate more men.
“At City Road, we might be able to prepare meals and give the men a place to not just sleep,” she said, but also a place to socialize with others and make connections with other people.
CPOH is working hard to raise the money to fulfill the vision that’s been in the making for the past 15 years – this is the 16th year of operation for the men’s shelter.
This is the only men’s shelter in the four-county area, but Watson said they get calls from Durham and Wake counties and even from Virginia.
It’s hard to say just how many homeless people are in Vance County and beyond, but Watson said this about the problem: “When we are open, we are almost filled to capacity.”
“We have a lot of displaced people who have nowhere to go,” she said.
She said the shelter is a “beacon of light” to people who have nothing. “If you come to the shelter, we give you clean clothes, and a meal and we give you hope.”
The shelter opens its doors at 5:30 each afternoon, but staff doesn’t always know how many men will enter. They try to have various sizes of clothing on hand and Watson said they have a special need for pajama bottoms and underwear.
They’ve got a lot of socks, but she said she would never turn away a donation from the community.
We are Community Partners of Hope, she said, emphasis on community.
There are opportunities for individuals and groups to support and contribute to the shelter, from signing up to provide a meal to making a monetary donation.
Visit www.cp-hope.org or follow them on Facebook to learn about all the ways to help
“Whatever it is you’re willing to do, we appreciate it,” Watson said. “We welcome whatever it is you want to do.”
Here’s how she looks at homelessness: “it’s not a goal you strive for, it’s something that happens to you. Showing a little kindness can go a long way.”
The shelter staff and the community that offers support lets the men know that they are loved and cared for, she said.
Watson can be reached at 252.767.0344.
Make checks payable to CP-OH Building Fund of CP-OH Operating Fund, P.O. Box 1791, Henderson, NC 27536.
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The Local Skinny! Henderson Fruit And Produce Expands To Warrenton
It’s been a few years since Warrenton has had a grocery store, but Chris Fisher, owner of Henderson Fruit and Produce, is getting ready to change that – hopefully, by Saturday.
Stop by 140 S. Main St. in downtown Warrenton to check out Henderson Fruit and Produce of Warrenton.
People familiar with the Henderson location at 1215 Old Norlina Rd. may see some familiar items, Fisher said, but he described the Warrenton location as more of a butcher shop, deli and retail store and less of the bulk items that the Henderson store is known for.
Having two locations obviously means double the work, but Fisher is excited for the opportunity and said the fact that they’re only 10 or so miles apart makes it doable.
“I’ve got a great staff – they do most of the work,” he said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!
The new location has a prime spot in downtown Warrenton, and Fisher said customers can come in for fresh meats, produce, deli items and more.
Need to order for a special occasion? No problem. They can get pigs for pig pickin’s and keep ribeyes and tenderloins in stock. Most special orders are next-day deliveries, but if it’s a large order, it could take a couple of days.
Check out the weekend specials on their Facebook page, or give the Warrenton store a call at 252.879.0234.
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Cooperative Extension With Paul McKenzie: What Works 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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Local Man Faces Drug Charges Following Traffic Stop
-information courtesy of Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame
A Henderson man faces drug charges following a traffic stop conducted by the Vance County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics unit in mid-August.
According to a press statement issued late Tuesday afternoon by Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame, a vehicle driven by Devon Rhodes was stopped and officers developed probable cause to search the vehicle’s interior.
During the search an amount of heroin, cocaine, cocaine base “crack” and marijuana was located and seized.
Rhodes was arrested and charged with one count each of possession with intent to sell and deliver heroin and cocaine, as well as a felony charge of maintaining a motor vehicle to transport a controlled substance. He also was charged with two misdemeanor charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.
He was released after securing a bond set in the amount of $20,000.