-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools
Granville County Public Schools invites you to a Community “Lunch & Learn” on Friday, March 1, 2019, from 12 – 1 p.m. The event will be held at the Granville Co. Schools Administrative Building, 101 Delacroix St. in Oxford.
Participants will receive updates on GCPS and have an opportunity to engage with district leaders about new initiatives.
Please bring your own lunch.
-Press Release, Granville County Government
The addition of thirty (30) recycle containers to the Granville Athletic Park (GAP) in Oxford will help keep the area clean and educate the public about the importance of recycling.
The bins were funded through a grant from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality and are being paired with existing outdoor trash containers. With a clear recycling message on each bin, the goal is to provide collection sites for plastic bottles and aluminum cans for visitor use at the GAP, which is one of the largest public spaces in Granville County.
The GAP is currently used by thousands of walking enthusiasts, high school sports leagues, traveling sports teams, daycares (playground equipment) and families who meet for local gatherings, competitions and for exercise.
“That’s thousands upon thousands of bottles and cans that have gone to one of two places at the GAP – in the trash can or on the ground,” says Granville County Recycling Coordinator Teresa Baker. “We hope that these new containers will prompt park visitors to choose recycling over garbage disposal, and will remind them to keep our park ‘green and clean.’”
Granville County Recycling Coordinator Teresa Baker is pictured with one of the new recycling containers recently installed at Granville Athletic Park. (Photo courtesy Granville Co. Govt)
Before the installation of the new containers, the GAP had only two outdoor athletic bins that housed six 96-gallon recycle carts. Located near the baseball tournament fields, these bins filled up quickly in just one weekend – and even more often during tournament season. It is expected that the addition of thirty more containers throughout the 69-acre site will positively impact waste collection.
Baker notes that a tracking system will be put into place to monitor the waste stream and that an increase in tonnage recovered by Waste Industries is expected, decreasing input in the local landfill, as well as the associated costs that come with solid waste disposal.
Over the last seven years, a renewed effort has been made to address the litter issue in Granville County. According to Baker, progress has been made as there has been a push to increase the county’s recycling yield. Granville County has grown from having one of the lowest collection rates in the state to being among the top 20 counties with high recycling yields in North Carolina.
As the GAP works towards an eleven-acre expansion, recycling efforts will become even more significant as a targeted recycling program will carry over into the newest phase.
“The county must be a leader in recycling to encourage residents to be better environmental stewards,” Baker adds. “We want to remind park visitors to keep their trash off the ground and to put it in an appropriate location.”
These new recycling containers have a life cycle of 8 to 10 years and are placed in high-traffic locations throughout Granville Athletic Park. To learn more about recycling efforts in Granville County, contact Baker at (919) 725-1417.
-Information provided by Debra Weary, Clerk to the Board/Assistant to the County Manager – Granville County
The Granville County Board of Commissioners will hold their annual retreat on Thursday, February 21 and Friday, February 22, 2019, at the Granville Expo & Convention Center in Oxford. Thursday’s meeting begins at 4:30 p.m.; Friday’s session begins at 8:15 a.m.
Board discussion will focus on the following objectives:
Strategic Plan Objective #1: through economic development activities and efforts, increase the county-wide tax base by approximately $80 million annually.
Strategic Plan Objective #2: improve inter-local government relationships through partnerships and shared services.
Strategic Plan Objective #3: educate the community to improve public awareness of local government issues, activities, benefits and opportunities.
Strategic Plan Objective #4: reduce the County’s annual personnel turnover rate due to resignations and terminations to 6% or less by 2020.
Strategic Plan Objective #5: improve employee recognition and boost morale through the implementation of an Awards and Recognition Program (A&R).
Strategic Plan Objective #6: improve and increase the number of volunteer programs, sites and opportunities within the County Government.
Strategic Plan Objective #7: identify public safety requirements and improve communication of services with the public.
To review the complete agenda, please click here.
-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools
It’s Kindergarten Registration time!
Do you know a child that will be 5 years old by August 31, 2019? If so, it’s time to register for Kindergarten!
Granville County Public Schools is excited to welcome new kindergarteners to our district. Though the new school year doesn’t begin for a few more months, now is the time to register your child and to get excited about school! We have three easy ways to register:
Visit your neighborhood GCPS school
Attend a GCPS Kindergarten Registration Fair:
Visit one of the GCPS Registration Centers:
At registration, you will be asked to complete enrollment forms for your child. Please bring personal identification, proof of residency, the child’s birth certificate, and any immunization records currently available.
Families have a choice in where their child attends school in GCPS.
All of these options are available in Granville County Public Schools. School tours are available if you would like to see these programs in action and learn more about them. Visit our website (www.gcs.k12.nc.us) and scroll down to select the “GCPS School Choice” link, or talk with any of our staff to learn more about these choices for your child.
-Information and flyer courtesy Mayor Jackie Sergent, City of Oxford
The public is invited to celebrate “New Orleans style” at the 3rd Annual Mardi Gras Bash to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of North Central North Carolina (BGCNCNC) on Saturday, February 23, 2019, from 6:30 until 10 p.m.
The bash will be held at the Clarion Inn and Suites, 913 MLK Jr. Avenue in Oxford, and will include dinner, dancing and a retro band in the spirit of Bourbon St.
A limited number of tickets are still available for $50 each and are available by calling the BGC Office at (919) 690-0036 or visiting the online Event Brite link by clicking here.
(This is not a paid advertisement)
-Press Release, Granville County Government
The Granville County Library System welcomes Andrew Maloney as branch manager of the Richard H. Thornton Library in Oxford.
Maloney comes to Granville County from the Boston Public Library in Boston, MA, where he served in several capacities ranging from Fine Arts Archivist and Music Specialist to Readers’ Services Librarian. He brings with him knowledge and experience in cultural research, program development, collections management and library technology, and has plans to use these skills to continue and further enhance the programming already in place.
“I hope to expand on what is already being offered by possibly adding more music and movie events and a greater outreach,” Maloney said. “There are so many ways that the library can partner with the community and help people connect, and I am looking forward to exploring those opportunities.”
The Granville County Library System welcomes Andrew Maloney as branch manager of the Richard H. Thornton Library in Oxford. Maloney’s first day of work was February 1, 2019. (Photo courtesy Granville Co. Government)
Maloney also credits the library’s Board of Trustees and the Friends of the Library for their enthusiastic support of the Thornton Library.
A new resident of Durham, Maloney is a 2012 graduate of the University of Connecticut, majoring in English and Political Science. He received his Master’s degree in Library and Information Science at Simmons College Graduate School and earned his North Carolina Public Librarian Certification in 2018.
Maloney’s first day of work was February 1, 2019.
Will Robinson will continue to serve as Director for all four branches of the Granville County Library System, which are located in Oxford, Creedmoor, Stovall and Berea. Both Maloney and Robinson can be reached at 919-693-1121.
For more information about the Granville County public libraries, visit https://granville.lib.nc.us/.
Angela Allen, director for the Granville County Tourism Development Authority, was on Thursday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss the second Annual “Brides on Wheels: Bridal Tour & Vendor Show,” or “BOWs” for short, taking place Sunday, April 14, 2019.
“This event gives brides and their guests an opportunity to ride on a limo bus to view four different venues, including Granville County’s own Cedar Grove Acres, Vino Oasi, Carlee Farms and Thorndale Oaks,” said Allen.
The bridal tour will depart the Clarion Inn and Suites located at 913 MLK Ave. in Oxford, NC at 1 p.m. and will return at 6 p.m. Prior to the tour, the Clarion Inn will be the site of a public vendor show to be held in the ballroom from 12 until 4 p.m.
Participants who purchase the $35 combo ticket for the tour and the show will have a sneak-peek opportunity of the vendors’ ware in the Clarion ballroom beginning at 11 a.m. This combo ticket also includes a goodie bag filled with items from participating vendors. Seating is limited.
Tickets for the vendor show only are available for $20.
To promote the local area, Granville County vendors have first dibs on registration for the show. “We invite all Granville County vendors involved in the event planning business, such as photographers, caterers, florists and DJs, to participate,” Allen said.
All interested Granville vendors are asked to register by this Friday, February 15, 2019. After Friday, vendor registration will be open to areas outside of the county.
“We really want to showcase all of the wonderful things we have right here in Granville County to offer brides and anyone who wants to put together a special event,” said Allen.
According to Allen, last year’s tour – the first annual event – attracted eight brides, one groom and their family members, and was considered a success. “I’m happy to say three out of the four venues were booked from that particular tour. We had a diverse group of brides – some from the local area, some from Raleigh and some from the Greensboro/High Point area.”
Created as a way to promote Granville County, Allen said the bridal tour and show boosts the local economy, promotes local vendors and makes both residents and nonresidents alike aware of what the county has to offer.
“We’re not that far away; I-85 makes us very convenient to a lot of people,” Allen said. “Come hop on the bus with us!”
Tickets are available through Event Brite. Please click here to follow the event on Facebook.
Interested brides, family members or vendors may contact Allen at (919) 693-6125 or email angela.allen@granvillecounty.org with additional questions or for registration assistance.
To hear the Town Talk interview with Angela Allen in its entirety, including additional conversation regarding tourism in Granville County, please click here.
Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow told WIZS News that as of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 13, 2019, Jarvis Dante Perry was in custody.
Perry is a suspect in a shooting case in Henderson.
According to an earlier press release from Chief Barrow, Saturday, February 9 around 2 a.m. in the 400 block of Charles Street, shots were fired into a vehicle occupied by Ileana Jones, age 37, and two others.
Ileana Jones was struck by the gunfire and later succumbed to her injuries at a medical facility.
Barrow said Wednesday afternoon that Henderson Police received “reliable information that he was located in Oxford. We went and swore out a search warrant for the location in Oxford.”
Barrow said, “Our guys went over there, got up with Oxford PD, and went and executed the search warrant, and took him into custody without issue.”
Wednesday night, Barrow issued the following press statement, “Today, the 13th day of February, the Special Operations Division of the Henderson Police Department developed information that Javius Dan’te Perry was located in the apartment complex on Hillside Drive, Oxford NC. Agents contacted Oxford Police Department and ascended on this location, taking Javius Dan’te Perry into custody. Perry was brought back to Henderson for questioning and will be taken to the Vance County Jail after his appearance before the Magistrate.
“The Henderson Police Department is grateful for the assistance and support received from the SBI, Vance County Sheriff’s Office, the Oxford Police Department, and especially the family of the victim.”
-Press Release, Granville County Government
What started as two separate genealogical research projects – one by a woman of primarily African ancestry and one by a man of European descent – eventually intersected when a DNA match connected the two, leading them back to Granville County.
The story of the ancestral search of Pamela Williams of Virginia and James Wilson of South Carolina has been presented in educational programs at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh and twice at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation of Williamsburg, VA.
On Saturday, February 23, the story will come “home” to Granville County during a program in celebration of Black History Month.
Pamela Bagley Williams and James Wilson pose in front of the 1760’s Wilson home in Granville County. Photo courtesy Granville County Government.
“Two Races, One Family” will be presented at 1:30 p.m. at the Richard H. Thornton Library as Ms. Williams describes the journey that led to finding her ancestor “Henry,” a Granville County slave prior to the Civil War. What she had not counted on, however, was finding a modern-day relative, James Wilson, who had also been researching his own family tree.
Through online genealogical research, as well as through centuries-old documents and court records, both Williams and Wilson followed leads to an 1842 court case involving the intestate estate of Robert Burton Wilson (James’ 4th great-grandfather) which listed 28 slaves. One of these slaves was Williams’ second great-grandfather “Henry,” along with his mother “Hanah,” who would have been Williams’ third great-grandmother.
Through DNA testing in 2016, it was determined that Williams and Wilson had a common paternal ancestor, which made them distant cousins.
The February 23 presentation at the Thornton Library will include the story of Williams’ and Wilson’s personal ancestral journeys, focusing on Williams’ traditional and online genealogy research, Wilson’s ancestry research and family tree development, and the DNA testing that brought the two researchers together.
The presentation will also bring to light the cultural norms of the period and an insight into the slave/master relationships of tobacco plantations during the Colonial/Antebellum era.
The 1760’s Wilson home in Granville County. Photo courtesy Granville County Government.
A retired Probate Specialist from the Spotsylvania Circuit Court (VA), Pamela Williams – a native of Granville County and a 1977 graduate of J.F. Webb High School – is a paralegal employed with Herndon Law, P.C. in Glen Allen, VA. She has 20 years experience in ancestry research and preservation and has spoken at numerous conferences on genealogy and the importance of court records and historical documents in researching ancestral heritage.
James Wilson, who began his genealogical research as a hobby, is Chief Performance Officer for a North Carolina 100 company. He grew up on a plot of land that was once owned by his 5th great-grandfather John Wilson, who was one of the early European settlers in Granville County in the 1760s. Today, James lives in Greenville, SC.
Wilson’s daughter, Dr. Jamie Wilson, provided the cultural context of the research conducted by both Williams and her father. Dr. Wilson holds a Ph.D. in U.S. History and is an adjunct professor of history at the University of South Carolina. She is considered an expert on antebellum slavery.
“Every journey in life leaves a trail,” Williams said of her experience. “Follow the trails and they will lead to the paths of your ancestors.”
The “Two Races, One Family” presentation is open to the public and all interested in learning more about genealogy, the use of historical archives, Colonial plantations, slavery laws in Granville County and how the lives of these two researchers eventually intersected are invited to attend.
For further information about this program, contact the Richard H. Thornton Library at (919) 693-1121.
-Information courtesy the Granville Co. History Museum/Harris Exhibit Hall Facebook page
The Granville County History Museum will host “A Night at the Museum” on Wednesday, February 13, 2019, from 5 until 8 p.m. at the Harris Exhibit Hall in Oxford.
Visitors will have the chance to view the “GRANVILLE GREATS: Footprints in History” exhibit. Also, in celebration of Black History Month, the museum will host a small exhibit on Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughn.
Due to copyright issues, the movie Hidden Figures will not be shown.
