Tag Archive for: #towntalk

TownTalk: Kittrell Job Corps’ Positive Impact On Students

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Kittrell Job Corps Center is a place where young adults can find their way – to education, support services, training and a career. Center Director Norman Turner said there are just a few criteria that applicants must satisfy to start their KJCC journey. A

One student, Ken’Dal “Della” McCants, is currently in the CNA program and said Kittrell Job Corps just “works” for her.

Turner, McCants and Outreach Career Transition Director Vernell Milon were guests on TownTalk to discuss all that KJCC has to offer.

Turner has been working at KJCC for about 16 years, and he said there are abourt 200 students currently enrolled in one of the many programs that Kittrell Job Corps offers – from getting a high school diploma to office administration, facilities management, culinary arts and security, just to name a few.

Like so many other programs, the COVID-19 pandemic created a wrinkle how KJCC operates. The school, which has two dorms for students to live on campus, also has programs for the non-traditional college student.

“COVID put a damper on our ability to recruit students,” Turner said, “but we’re back fully open and ready to roll,” he continued. The school can accommodate 350 students.

Milon and her team of a dozen counselors and eight career transition specialists consider the individual needs of the students they work with to make sure they are successful as they continue along the path to financial independence and gainful employment.

The programs at KJCC are totally free, and there are a good number of wraparound services like medical care, clothing allowances and the like to make sure students have proper attire for jobs and can get the medical attention they need.

Milon and her team of counselors spread the word throughout the community about what the Job Corps is, what it does and who it’s for.

“It’s not just for underserved or at-risk students,” Milon said; rather, it’s for anyone between the ages of 16-24 who wants to make a difference in their lives – and find a career that they enjoy.

Not everyone is meant to go to college, Milon said, but everyone can work. And she wants all her students to have jobs that pay at least $17/hour.

“We want them to be better off than when they first got here,” she said.

McCants, the CNA student, considers herself a good fit for the Job Corps program because the teachers give you the “time and space to learn” instead of trying to get through the curriculum and moving on to the next thing.

She said her teachers are very helpful and are helping her reach her goal of becoming a traveling nurse.

The Kittrell location is one of more than 120 Job Corps programs across the country. New students are enrolled every Tuesday and Turner said there are 10 more students starting their Job Corps journey this week.

“We’re wide open,” Turner said. “We’re open for business.

Want to learn more? Contact Milon at 252.438.9116 or visit

www.kittrell.jobcorps.gov.

 

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TownTalk: Resource Fair At VGCC April 27

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Organizers for an upcoming community resource fair are pleased with how planning is going so far, and they are predicting a win-win situation for all involved – for those who provide resources and for those who are seeking information.

Huff Consulting of Oxford, along with partners Vance-Granville Community College and the Henderson-Vance and Granville County Chambers of Commerce have been planning for months.

Michele Walker, Huff Consulting’s sales and account manager, said there are 65 vendors – nonprofits, for-profit companies, churches and more – lined up to participate in the April 27 event, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the VGCC Civic Center on the Main Campus in Henderson.

“We’re very fortunate to have the community coming together for this,” Walker said on TownTalk.

Huff Consulting is a recruiting firm that works with a wide range of employees – from day laborers to corporate executives, Walker said, adding that her company has recognized the struggles that face many in the community. “Everybody has a need,” she said. And this resource festival is a way to bridge the gap between available resources and the folks who are looking for them.

Sandra Wilkerson, president of the Henderson-Vance Chamber, said this coordinated effort across county lines fits perfectly with the local Chamber’s 2023 theme “Year of Collaboration.”

The resource fair participants not only will be able to provide information to attendees, but they’ll also have the chance to build collaborations among themselves.

Having so many different segments of the community and region under one roof for the day is sure to create connections, said Lauren Roberson, director of the Granville County Chamber.

“We’re super excited to be a part of it and help in any way we can,” Roberson said.

In addition to sharing information with the community, Roberson said another goal is to shine a light on all the opportunities within the whole Kerr-Tar region, which includes Vance, Granville, Warren, Franklin and Person counties.

“You’re going to get way more done collaborating than working against each other,” she said. “We’re going to succeed by all working together.”

If people can live and work in the same area, that means there’s a greater chance that they’ll spend more time – and dollars – in that same area.

“We want to keep people in the Kerr-Tar region,” Roberson noted.

Don’t fret if you’re interested in coming out to the festival but have young children in tow – VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel said you’re in luck: VGCC’s Science Department is having an event that day as part of the NC Science Festival. There will be a Kid’s Corner where children can “come in and have fun with science,” Cissel noted.

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Smart Start

TownTalk: Week Of The Young Child Events

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Franklin Granville Vance Partnership for Children is sponsoring a variety of activities this week to observe The Week of the Young Child, but FGV Partnership Development Coordinator Garry Daeke has a simple suggestion for parents to celebrate all year long: “Love your kids, smile at them every chance you get and spend all the time you can with them.”

Daeke was a guest on TownTalk and provided details for upcoming events in the three-county area for children ages 0-5.

Wednesday, April 5 is “Literacy Day,” and FGV Partnership representatives will be stationed outside the three Walmarts in Henderson, Oxford and Louisburg to sign children up for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

“Hopefully, we’ll enroll a lot of children,” he said, adding that they’ll be giving out books to children under 5 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parents of children between 0 and 5 don’t have to wait until Wednesday to sign up to participate – Daeke said most of the applications FGV processes are completed online. It is a simple process, the result of which is each child under 5 getting a book a month in the mail.

He said almost half of the eligible children in the three counties are enrolled in the program, which, for a rural area, is pretty darned good.

Thursday, April 6 is Safe Kids Day in Vance County, and anyone who has a car seat installed in their vehicle can stop by the Henderson Fire Department on Dabney Drive to make sure it’s installed properly.

Daeke said data shows that, despite our best efforts, most car seats need some adjustment to be properly installed. Inspectors will be set up beside the fire department to make sure the seats are safely installed.

There also will be some seats available for purchase as well that day, he said.

On Monday, April 3, about 20 students from a couple of local day cares came to “plant” a pinwheel garden outside the FGV offices, in conjunction with the  observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

 

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TownTalk: Buy A Piece Of History At Alston Estate Sale

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Bill Alston was a regular caller to TownTalk shows for years, and he was a wealth of knowledge about many things, from railroads to pocket watches.

Alston also was an avid collector, from Civil war artifacts to books on local history.

He died in 2020, and the time has come for his estate auction.

Elissa P. Yount and Bill Alston were friends with a common interest in auctions and local history.

Over the years, Alston collected items of interest, but he also inherited items that had been in the Alston family for generations.

“Bill was a prophet to know that these things would be so valuable,” Yount said on TownTalk. “He just had an eye and a knack for what would be important for future generations.”

A former English teacher, Yount said she is especially interested in the numerous diaries and different historical accounts that she said are among Alston’s collection.

There’s an entire collection of Warren County native Reynolds Price’s works – to Yount’s delight. Other local authors – from Thad Stem to Junius Rogers – are represented as well.

His collection of local histories is quite extensive, too. “He has a book for just about every county in North Carolina,” Yount said. “He was just a great, great collector.”

The auctions will contain many of the items that Alston collected over the years. Online bids are being accepted now and the winning bids will be announced, lot by lot, beginning at 1 p.m. each day on April 6, 7 and 8.

If you are interested in railroad items, bottles, baskets, the Civil War, Corbitt Trucks, locks and toys, check out Winstead’s Auction at
https://www.winsteadsauction.com.
Photos of the items for the April 6, 7 and 8 auctions also can be found at estatesales.net.

A couple of housekeeping notes regarding the online bidding for those who may not be familiar with how online auctions work:

  • Bids can be placed until 1 p.m. on the day of the auction; lots will close one per minute. Any bids placed in the last five minutes will extend the bidding by five minutes.

Here’s a sneak peek about the history of the Alston family and some of the items that are included in the estate sale, as related by the auctioneers:

The Alston family were direct descendants of individuals associated with both Saxham Hall inWarrenton and Butterwood Plantation in Halifax County, NC.

The April 6 auction provides a unique opportunity to purchase authentic Americana items, including Alston’s lifetime book collections, including books on local history, genealogical records and other rare volumes.

The April 7 auction includes bottles from Panacea Springs, benches from Boyce Drug Store, locally handcrafted baskets, a Columbia phonograph and Corbitt memorabilia, just to list a few.

Items during the April 8 auction include antique portraits, a Philadelphia Tall Case clock, maritime memorabilia and authentic artifacts from the Civil War.

 

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VGCC Logo

TownTalk: Continuing Education At Vance Granville Community College

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Vance-Granville Community College is offering several Open House opportunities for students to learn more about a variety of program opportunities available, especially for those non-traditional students who work during the day and need to take classes in the evening or online.

Stephanie Tolbert is VGCC’s dean of Business, Applied Tech and Public Services, was a guest on TownTalk and shared just a few of the programs and classes that are available.

“We know life is busy,” Tolbert said, but especially in this post-COVID world, “people are juggling things in their personal lives. By creating night programs and online programs, student can learn at their own pace or when they have the time, whether that’s early in the morning or late into the evening.

Nighttime welding classes are available at the Main Campus in Henderson, and a new evening welding class has opened up on the Franklin Campus. South Campus in Butner has revived its HVAC class as well, Tolbert noted.

These classes typically meet in the evenings from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., which gives students a bit of time to finish their jobs, grab a bite of supper and then head to class. They fall under the category of Applied Technology, which means they are held in person and involve a lot of hands-on learning.

But there also are a wide variety of classes that are 100 percent online, she said. Students can learn medical coding and supply chain management, among others, at “any time that fits their schedule.”

The Open House offers students and prospective students an “all-access pass ” to VGCC campuses, Tolbert said.

The upcoming schedule is as follows:

  • Saturday, April 15 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon – Main Campus, Henderson
  • April 18, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. – Franklin Campus, Louisburg
  • Saturday, April 22 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon – South Campus, Butner

 

During these open houses, school representatives will be available to speak with attendees about anything from admission requirements to particular degree programs and financial aid.

Unsure about a career path or need to change course? Then Linda Fletcher, director of Career Services, may be the person to speak with.

Whether you’re interested in taking a single class to learn about, say, small engine repair, or are interested in a certificate program or an associate’s degree, VGCC is a good resource for the community.

“As life changes, our needs, interest levels, goals change,” Tolbert said. VGCC can help students who may begin taking a single class develop a program that could ultimately become that career path or completion of a higher degree.

“We’re dedicated to meeting students where they are and helping them get to where they want to go,” she said.

Visit www.vgcc.edu to learn more and to register to attend one of the upcoming Open House events.

 

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TownTalk: Embrace Henderson Family Spectacular Happening On April 22nd

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It’s only a few weeks away, but there’s no need to purchase tickets or send an RSVP with the number of people who will be attending – the Embrace Henderson Family Spectacular takes place on Saturday, April 22 and it’s free, free, free.

As the name implies, this is an event for the entire family, said Kevin Kilgore, one of the organizers. The event will again be held at SaddleRock Farm, 1786 Weldon’s Mill Rd., Henderson. Whether the little ones want to ride a horse  or prefer to go on a hayride, there surely will be plenty to do between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. to keep everyone entertained.

“Hopefully the weather will be good…to come out to an outside event,” Kilgore said. There also will be a variety of inflatables for the youngsters to enjoy – slides, bounce houses and games, he said. And not to overstate it, but it’s all free.

Want some popcorn? Free. Choose a fruity sno-cone? No charge.

There IS one particular ride that requires a wristband to ride, but Kilgore said it’s not to check minimum height. That wristband indicates that you’ve passed through the Tent of the Wordless Book to hear the Good News from Christians ready to share information about their faith.

It can be a long day for the teams of volunteers who work hard to keep things going smoothly. Kilgore said Pam Wilder is helping to coordinate the groups of volunteers that will be needed, especially for set up and take down, and to man the inflatables.

“There’s pretty much something for everyone” to help with, Kilgore said.

The goal of the event is to make sure everyone feels welcome, he added.

The three ingredients for another successful event, he said – in no particular order – are good weather, volunteers and prayers.

 

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TownTalk: Gateway CDC April 12 “Social” To Discuss What’s Next For Henderson Revitalization Efforts

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Any type of social gathering is likely to create opportunities for folks to take part in conversations on a variety of topics and to share their unique and collective perspectives. Heather Joi Kenney, president and CEO of Gateway CDC in Henderson, wants the entire community to come out to what she’s calling a community social on April 12.

Southern Charm Event Venue is the gathering spot, and Kenney said on TownTalk that the social will take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“We’re hoping to see everyone come out and talk about Henderson,” Kenney said. Of course, it’s always good to hear what’s great about a community, but Kenney said it’s important to know what’s not so great, too. If the community can observe problems and look at them as opportunities to improve, that’s half the battle.

Kenney is a real “glass half full” person, and she and her organization are interested in revitalization – of properties, of mindsets, of attitudes – that have a real impact on Henderson and its future.

“The Henderson Vision” is one tangible facet of this revitalization. Established through $25,000 in grant funds from Duke Energy’s Hometown Revitalization program, Gateway was able to help downtown businesses with microgrants to pay for façade improvements, as well as some interior renovations, Kenney said.

That money is long gone, but Kenney said she expects more money will be coming in, through grantors like Duke Energy, but also from local government support and from collaboration with other community partners.

Downtown revitalization has been a recent focus, but Kenney said it’s important to include areas near the city’s heart as well – William Street, Chestnut Street, as well as areas like Flint Hill and West End.

“We are working to raise some more funds so we can help additional businesses,” she said.

Kenney challenged city and county officials – as well as absentee landlords – to step up to show support for small business owners and entrepreneurs.

“It’s important to get our act together…when we support these businesses, it shows them that we care.”

She applauds local governments for the support they’ve given. “They are doing great work,” but she’d like to see them give “a little bit more” in more tangible ways to promote building ownership and pride in the community.

Gateway’s Small Business Development program helps aspiring entrepreneurs and existing small business owners learn about and access resources that could prove helpful to them.

Providing support and a desirable atmosphere to encourage small business owners goes a long way toward giving the community places to eat, shop and relax. But it also is a way to attract visitors. Visitors, tourists and guests who spend money here, adding to the local tax coffers.

“Henderson IS the destination,” Kenney said, an upbeat note in her voice. “We just have to make sure that other folks know that as well.”

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TownTalk: Bailey Is A Downtown Champion

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Maria Bailey is a champion for downtown Henderson. Folks who work, visit and shop in the downtown area no doubt enjoy the result of countless hours she has spent to make the heart of the city more beautiful. Whether serving on boards and committees or getting out and volunteering, Bailey is dedicated to making her community better.

She was recognized for her efforts at the recent statewide Main Street Conference with an official designation of North Carolina Main Street Champion. She is the first person from Henderson to receive this honor.

Downtown Development Director Tracy Madigan, along with City Manager Terrell Blackmon and Mayor Eddie Ellington, issued a joint press release announcing Bailey’s award, presented during the annual conference held in Statesville Mar. 13-17.

She said Monday she didn’t really know what was going to happen at the conference – all she knew was that she and a friend visiting for Bailey’s birthday left early for Statesville to arrive in time to receive the award.

Back in 2014, Bailey accepted an invitation to join the board of the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission. Once on the downtown design committee, she zeroed in on the parking lot beside Sadie’s Coffee Corner and said, “I’d like to design that parking lot and see if we can do something with it,” Bailey recalled on Monday’s TownTalk. There were about a dozen Bradford pears languishing in planters and buckling the nearby sidewalk, and branches were known to fall on parked cars. It was a mess.

Bailey described the collaboration required for the project. Vance-Granville Community College created a 3D rendering. The city agreed to remove trees and replace damaged sidewalks. Civic groups donated money. Schoolchildren helped create the mural on the side of the building.  And Bailey may have been the energy behind the project – planning, designing, raising money, getting volunteers to help keep the garden beds planted and weeded – but she also wanted to create sustainability.

For her, involving young people was the key ingredient. She wanted to schedule different youth groups to come once a month for a botany lesson before turning their new-found knowledge into action by cleaning the gardens, removing weeds and trash.

“The main idea with youth groups was to get them involved,” Bailey said, which means they’re “more likely to stay in Henderson and do other things to make Henderson better.”

Young adults seem to have turned their attention to the leisurely vibe in downtown areas, whether it’s strolling the sidewalks to visit shops or enjoying the slower pace often not experienced in shopping malls.

“As we’re building businesses, little stores are opening,” Bailey said. “A lot of young people are coming in and starting these businesses.”

Bailey was recognized for her commitment to downtown improvements and developing a strong community. Along with the other Champion award recipients, she was honored for contributions to the Main Street program and to downtown. She has been a volunteer and served downtown Henderson for many years.

Over the years, Bailey has been instrumental in getting volunteers to take part in downtown beautification projects. In the past five years she has personally contributed more volunteer hours to downtown than any other volunteer.

The North Carolina conference is recognized as the largest Main Street conference in the country. The Champions Recognition Ceremony celebrated the 2022 Honor Roll of Main Street Champions took place in the Statesville Civic Center in the historic downtown.

Liz Parham, director of the N.C. Main Street & Rural Planning Center at the N.C. Department of Commerce, issued a welcome to the invitation-only group of several hundred in attendance.

“Main Street Champions are the key to success in downtown revitalization,” Parham stated. “They possess courage to move downtown forward; they fight for positive change and do that with creativity and innovation; and they actively get things done, while staying focused on the downtown’s economic development strategies.”

According to Kenny Flowers, assistant secretary of Rural Economic Development at the N.C. Department of Commerce, “There are three common elements that are found in successful communities.  These elements are asset based economic development strategies, public and private partnerships, and local champions.”

Keynote speaker for the event was N.C. Secretary of Commerce Machelle Baker-Sanders, who spoke of growing up in small town North Carolina. The downtown area was the focal point of the community, she said. She cited the national trend of towns and cities revitalizing their downtowns and how once again they are serving as the center for community activities.

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TownTalk: The History Of Montmorenci

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Montmorenci is the name of a plantation home in Warren County that was, by all accounts, over-the-top. It had the basics that many homes of the day had – porches, staircases, mantels. But skilled artisans – probably enslaved members of the Williams family – created lavish features that were admired by many, near and far.

One of those admirers was Henry Francis Du Pont, who bought the mantels, façade and that fabulous freestanding circular staircase when the home was being deconstructed in the early 1900’s for his own home, Winterthur.

Visitors to the Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library in Delaware can see that gravity-defying staircase, two of the mantels and the façade, according to Carrie Greif, the museum’s estate historian.

Greif spoke with Bill Harris and co-host Mark Pace on the tri-weekly history segment of TownTalk about how pieces of a Warren County home came to be part of the Du Pont estate, a 175-room mansion-turned museum that houses more than 90,000 examples of American decorative art.

Montmorenci was located on what is now known as Lickskillet Road, the home of William “Pretty Boy” Williams. It was truly a remarkable example of the Federal style, Pace said, which was so popular in the Warren County, Halifax and Roanoke Valley area between 1810 and, say, 1850.

The mantels weren’t just constructed to be put in front of fireplaces; one had the Battle of Lake Erie carved into it; the porch wasn’t just where people could get out of the weather on their way into the home, it went all the way across the front of the house. And that staircase? It wasn’t just a way to get from one floor to another – it was a freestanding, spiral case that was a focal point of the interior.

“The staircase is a focal point for visitors at Winterthur,” Greif said, but it bears little resemblance to how it was installed at Montmorenci. And when workers were taking it apart to prepare it for the trip to its new home, they learned about how it was originally installed, she said.

But just how did a piece of architecture from North Carolina catch the attention of a wealthy Delaware industrialist?

To be sure, Montmorenci was a noteworthy house in its day; and there was one particular collector who contacted one of Du Pont’s entourage that set the deal in motion. She bought it for $6,300 and sold it to Du Pont for $12,000.

Greif said the staircase has a “unique vernacular expression” and displays a balance of ornamentation and historic significance. She posits that enslaved artisans owned by Williams created the staircase.

She said the staircase was sold in 1930, and the additional items were purchased later when it was discovered that more wood – yellow pine – was needed to complete the installation.

Pace said the house was built in 1820, one of five associated with the Williams family. And it was gone by the 1940s, shortly after all the interior architecture was removed.

“It just wasn’t around for very long,” he added. But several key parts remain. In a museum in Delaware.

Visit https://www.winterthur.org/ to learn more and to see a photograph of the Montmorenci staircase.

 

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TownTalk: Pickin’ And Grinnin’ At MerleFest

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The musicians who play at MerleFest cut across many genres, but when they take the stage at the annual music festival up in Wilkes County, North Carolina next month, they will all fall into the category that Doc Watson called “traditional ‘plus.’”

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the festival, which grew from a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College to an iconic event that attracts big-time audiences and big-time musicians. Musicians and music-lovers will travel to Wilkesboro for the festival, which takes place April 27-30.

Wes Whitson joined Bill Harris on Wednesday’s TownTalk to talk about the upcoming festival and how things have been going during his first year of directing the event.

“I’m having a ton of fun here behind the scenes,” Whitson said.

“We always like to bring something for everybody at MerleFest,” he said, adding that legendary musician Doc Watson’s idea of “traditional ‘plus’” is always top of mind when making decisions on which musicians to book.

The event’s website describes the music that MerleFest is known for as “a unique mix of music based on the traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including bluegrass and old-time music, and expanded to include Americana, country, blues, rock and many other styles.”

So whether you like Tanya Tucker or Nickel Creek, Little Feat or the Avett Brothers, you’re in for a treat this year. These are just a few of the performers scheduled for the 2023 edition of MerleFest.

“Doc (Watson) would have been 100 this year,” Whitson noted, and predicts that there will be several renditions of Doc’s tunes filling the air on one of the dozen stages at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro.

Visit merlefest.org or call 800.343.7857 for details on tickets, day passes and to see the complete lineup of more than 90 artists who are scheduled to perform.

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