UPDATE 5 P.M. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 18, 2023
Mayoral Runoff Election Early Voting Starts 10-19-23
Geocoding issue resolved
WIZS Radio 5pm News Segment 1 From 10-18-23 Henderson Municipal Election Canvass
•••••••••••••••••••••••••
UPDATE 11 A.M. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 18, 2023 on TownTalk
The Vance County board of commissioners has appointed Renee Perry to the position of county manager. Perry, currently Halifax County’s deputy manager, will begin Nov. 1, according to a press statement issued Tuesday morning.
“I am grateful to the Vance County board of commissioners for the opportunity to serve Vance County,” Perry stated in the press release. “I appreciate their faith in me to further their mission and to make Vance County an even greater place to live, work and raise a family. I am excited to begin this journey,” she continued.
Board Chair Yolanda Feimster stated that a recruitment process over the summer resulted in Perry’s selection and that Perry “will assist the board in continuing to achieve its ongoing goals as well as execute major capital projects.”
Commissioner Dan Brummitt told WIZS News Tuesday that commissioners are looking forward to Perry coming on board. “We’re looking forward to her coming in and hitting the ground running,” Brummitt said, adding that Perry would bring “some good energy to the county.”
Before being promoted to the position of deputy manager in Halifax County, Perry spend five years there in leadership roles in Human Resources. She started her work in local government 17 years ago in Greensboro and then spent time in Rockingham County before going to Halifax County.
Perry has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources from UNC-Greensboro and a master’s in Public Administration and Human Resource Management from Capella University.
CLICK PLAY!
The Corbitt trucks are rolling in to town this weekend for the annual car show – not as many as rolled out of town during the vehicle maker’s heyday, but that’s ok with Ken Stegall.
He is one of the locals who helps keep the memory of the Corbitt truck alive and well, and he said if the weather’s nice, there could be a dozen or more vehicles on display during the Show, Shine, Shag and Dine event in downtown Henderson Saturday.
Take the 1926 fire truck, for example. It’s one of only six that the Corbitt Preservation Society knows about that rolled off the line here in Henderson. It originally was sold to a Washington, D.C. area hospital for the insane, Stegall said on Tuesday’s TownTalk.
“When we found it, it was in really bad shape,” he said. Untold hours of loving restoration went into giving it new life. “We’re going to have it there Saturday,” Stegall said.
He said he hopes the oldest running Corbitt vehicle will be on display, too. It’s locally owned, he said. There should be some farm tractors on display as well.
Not sure whether the big 6 by 6 military truck will make it, but Stegall said that’s the one that put Corbitt on the map.
The one that John Richard Hedgepeth has restored “is probably as good or better today than when it came out of the factory,” Stegall said. “That military truck is immaculate.” Corbitt in Henderson spit out 3,400 during 1939 and 1945. There were others that manufactured the vehicle, he noted, but they all used the Corbitt design.
Stegall welcomes any and all interested in volunteering with the museum or in other ways to join the preservation effort. Membership fees have been discontinued in favor of donations, he said, to encourage more people to join the likes of founders Charles Powell and the late Mac Renn to celebrate the Corbitt Trucking Co.
Before it was producing vehicles with gas-powered engines, Corbitt was producing horse-drawn buggies.
“They were making as many as 250 buggies a month” in Henderson, Stegall said. But finding one of those buggies has proven to be a challenge.
“Something we are desperately looking for is a Corbitt buggy,” he said. “That’s the thing we made the most of in this county,” he said.
Surely there’s a buggy out there somewhere with that iconic Corbitt tag under the chassis.
This weekend’s Show, Shine, Shag and Dine in downtown Henderson promises to bring car enthusiasts from all over to get their fill of fins, treads and gleaming chrome. And don’t forget all those horses under the hood.
The fun begins on Friday afternoon with a BBQ and cruise-in at Satterwhite Point on Kerr Lake and continues through the evening at Southern Classic Car, LLC on Horner Street.
The action continues all day on Saturday as nine blocks of Garnett Street transform into a festival jam-packed with fun for the whole family.
“It’s quite the challenge to get all of this pulled together,” said Pam Hester, Vance County’s tourism director. Hester, along with fellow tourism staffer Norman Dickerson, and organizers Charles Bowman and Danny Stanton were guests on Monday’s TownTalk to give a little peek about what festivalgoers can expect.
It’s the 21st annual event, and registration of the old cars – 1994 models and older – will be from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.
The annual Corbitt truck show and reunion will take place along Garnett Street between the city fire station and Sunrise Biscuit. Check out vehicles that were made right here in Henderson at Corbitt Truck Company.
More than 30 awards will be given to winners in a variety of categories; the awards ceremony will take place around 3:30 p.m.
Hester said folks who come back year after year can expect to see many familiar things, including those Corbitt trucks and food vendors. But they also will see some new features, including a performance by Jimmy Barrier and the Sound Barriers, who are on the schedule for the first time this year.
“It’s just a whole lot of pieces…that fall together at the right time and right place,” Hester said of the annual event. “And there are new pieces every year.”
Because there’s no pre-registration, Dickerson said the number of participants is sort of a surprise every year.
“Generally, if it’s a beautiful day…attendance and participation’s usually through the roof,” Dickerson said. “The weather is a big factor,” but he said the number historically is around 400. That’s folks who drive in or trailer in. their hot rods, creampuffs and classic cars.
Stanton was in charge of the drag cars last year, and he’ll be overseeing that aspect again this year. “I’m trying to get the race cars back involved as much as possible,” Stanton said.
“You get a lot of maybes, but (also) some definites,” he said. The drag racers will be on display near the old train depot at Montgomery and Garnett streets.
Beer & Gear’s Jeep Jam will convene again at Curtis White’s real estate office. Any make, model and year of Jeep is welcome, and Carol Terwilliger and her volunteers hope for another good showing this year.
Stanton said he’s likely going to be showing off his ’55 Chevy during the weekend. He’s redone the interior and juiced up the engine a bit so that “it makes a little noise.”
“I’ve been a car guy all my life,” Stanton said. “I’m really looking forward to the weekend.
Want to learn more about getting your drag racer in the show? Contact Stanton at 252.432.5544.
See the flyer at http://www.kerrlake-nc.com/images/flyer-2023.pdf
CLICK PLAY!
The text of this story has been updated since originally posted October 11th.
The outcome of Tuesday’s Henderson mayoral race remains uncertain, and the two top vote-getters are headed to a Nov. 7 runoff election.
Melissa Elliott earned 898 votes from the 1,856 individuals who voted in the nonpartisan municipal elections, which constitutes 48.57 percent – just short of the 50 percent, plus 1 vote state statute requires to be considered the winner.
Greg Etheridge garnered 746 votes, just more than 40 percent. Etheridge said in an email Wednesday that he had submitted his request for a runoff to the county board of elections.
Elliott said as of Wednesday that provisional ballots and mail-in ballots were yet to be included in the overall count, so she said it was premature as of Wednesday for her to comment on a possible runoff.
In a written statement sent Tuesday evening to WIZS News, Etheridge thanked his supporters and laid out plans for a Nov. 7 runoff.
In part, his statement read: “You are the reason I am going to continue the fight for safer neighborhoods, affordable housing, jobs with living wages, a vibrant downtown, and lower property taxes in our wonderful hometown.”
About 20 percent of the city’s residents voted during the early voting period and Tuesday’s election day – 1,856 of the city’s 9,285 registered voters.
In a phone interview Wednesday, Elliott said she chooses not to criticize those who did not vote, but she applauds those who did come out to vote.
“Right now, I’m the winner and I’m going to stay the winner,” she said.
Elections officials planned to open the provisional ballot box on Friday, Oct. 13 at 12 noon.
A simple math problem shows that of those 9,285 registered voters, 1,856 exercised their right to vote, leaving a whopping 7,429 who did not vote at all.
CLICK PLAY!
Three people were found dead Tuesday night in an apartment on Keene Street in Henderson. One of the deceased individuals, 28-year-old Bakariek Leonard, had been reported missing by relatives earlier in the day. Relatives had not heard from him since Sunday, according to police.
Henderson police responded to a call of “unresponsive persons” at 108 Keene Street, Apartment C, just before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to a press statement from Police Chief Marcus Barrow.
When they arrived, officers spoke with a family member who had not heard from the resident for two days. The family member had to remove a window air conditioning unit to gain entry to the home because all other entrances were locked.
The residents, Josephine Taylor, 76, and Laura Taylor, 38, along with Leonard,, were found dead inside the apartment. The area medical examiner was called to review the scene with Investigators. The preliminary review of the scene, and canvass of the area, did not indicate any physical assaults or acute injuries to any of the individuals.
The decedents were transported to a medical facility for further examination and toxicology to determine the cause of death.
This incident remains an active investigation, Barrow said. Anyone with information should call the Henderson Police Department at 252.438.4141.
CLICK PLAY!
Infinite Possibilities is sponsoring its third annual walk to raise money to support the groups’s work with victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the community is invited to come out and walk the track at Aycock Rec Center on Saturday, Oct. 14 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Vanessa Henderson is an advocate who works with the nonprofit organization, and she said walkers can register ahead of time or on Saturday morning.
Sponsors and donors are donating $1 for each lap walked, so the more walkers on the track on Saturday, the better, Henderson said.
The money goes toward providing the array of services needed to support victims of domestic violence, whether it’s getting help understanding court processes such as protection orders or restraining orders to personal advocacy that may include creating a safety plan to keep individuals and their families safe, Henderson said.
In addition to assisting clients, Henderson said she also goes out into the community to raise awareness about domestic violence and resources available in the community.
The main office is located at 314 Garnett St., and there also is a location in the Vance County Courthouse. Contact 252.425.8805 to reach the courthouse office. There are two locations in Warren County – one near the magistrate’s office and the other in the courthouse. Call 252.257.1044 to reach someone in Warren County.
Henderson said she has been with the organization for about a year, and said she believes the work is paying off. “Other agencies are referring people to us,” she said. After being in the community for more than 10 years, she said, the organization is becoming better known for the services it can provide.
“It’s good to let the community know that this service is here for them,” she said. “I think the word is getting out pretty good,” she said.
CLICK PLAY!
The 8th annual Military History Show will take place at the Henderson-Oxford Airport later this month, and organizer Harry Coombs said he’s looking forward to another successful event during which attendees can see military hardware up close and better understand what men and women of the military may have endured during their time in combat.
Coombs said he expects a bevy of re-enactors to be on hand for the event, which takes place on Saturday, Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There have been re-enactors, in full military gear, from the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World Wars I and II, among others, he said on Tuesday’s Town Talk.
“It’s the same every year,” he said, “but it’s different every year,” he added, since he doesn’t always know well ahead of time exactly who is going to show up. Proceeds benefit the Granville County Veterans Affairs Committee. The airport is located at 6514 Airport Rd., just over the Granville/Vance line.
One thing that will return, he said, is the popular silent auction. Items are available for viewing during the event, and high bidders can claim a variety of items and services.
And Total Flight Solutions is back once more to provide helicopter rides – just be prepared to pay the ticket price and wait in line, Coombs said. “It’s always very popular.”
There’s no charge for admission to the event, but there is a donation bucket for anyone inclined to “throw some money into the bucket.”
And any student who may be interested in getting some community service hours is welcome to contact Coombs – there seems always to be a need for parking attendants.
Once parked, individuals can see displays of how camps may have been set up, depending on the era in which the war took place. Tents will be set up, and there will be some equipment on display. Re-enactors are available to answer questions as well.
The yellow Navy bi-plane may be on display again this year, Coombs said. A weapons demonstration will be held – firing blanks – and there could be a couple of heavy artillery pieces as well.
So whether you’re a military history buff or want to learn more about military history, mark your calendars for Saturday, Oct. 28. It promises to be an entertaining, educational event for the whole family.
To learn more, contact 919.691.7697.
CLICK PLAY!
It’s a good thing October has 31 days – any shorter, and Granville County wouldn’t be able to fit in all the activities that are planned throughout the county.
Just try to keep up with Granville County Tourism Director Angela Allen as she darts from Oxford to Creedmoor to Butner to promote and attend events all through the month.
There are two ongoing weekly events that happen on Wednesdays in Oxford, Allen told WIZS’s Bill Harris on Monday’s TownTalk. Verdigris Vibe is a chance to enjoy live music from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Oxford Oaks Distillery. If you’d rather sing than listen, head over to The Orpheum on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. for karaoke night.
“These are a chance to get out and about in the middle of the week,” Allen said.
Here’s a list of some upcoming events happening across Granville County this month:
For a complete list of upcoming activities, check out https://visitgranvillenc.com/.
We’ve probably all seen them dotting the landscape: small cemeteries – fenced or not – that appear to pop up in odd places along the roadside. But there probably many more gravesites that we don’t see in our daily travels – they may be overgrown with weeds, or shrouded in wooded areas well off the road.
Local historian and genealogist Emerson Foster hunts for this type of cemetery. But he doesn’t’ stop when he’s found one – he goes to great lengths to clean it up.
“I see a lot of these graves with headstones falling over and in disrepair,” Foster said on Thursday’s Around Old Granville segment of TownTalk. Along with a handful of his genealogy friends, Foster said they try to right fallen headstones and clean them up.
These are largely family cemeteries, and Foster said he’s located numerous cemeteries in his search for where his own ancestors are buried.
“The last cemetery we went to was the Green family cemetery” in the Snow Hill area of Warren County, Foster told WIZS’s Bill Harris and Mark Pace.
He has relatives that belonged to the Greens that descended from Thomas Edward Green, he said.
As the older members of a family die off, Foster said, the locations of some of these family cemeteries gets lost, so Foster relies on information from relatives or others who may live near a cemetery to help him locate them.
The Green cemetery has 35 graves, five of which were where children are buried. But there was only one marker with the name “Davis,” he said. “Everybody else is marked with field stones.”
Undeterred, Foster used death certificates to confirm which people are buried in that particular cemetery. The death certificates contain names, dates of birth and death – and where the body was buried.
“They all said ‘buried at Green family cemetery,’” he noted.
He located another cemetery after speaking with a woman who lives across the road from where he suspected the cemetery to be. “She pointed us in the right direction. We just kept walking until we found it – it’s deep in the woods,” Foster explained.
He’s been at this for four or five years, and he said he always looks forward to the fall – that’s prime walking-in-the-woods-weather – fewer bugs, too.
These sometimes forgotten cemeteries often are on private property, so Foster recommends trying to locate the owner and request access to the property.
“A lot of these older cemeteries that are way out in the woods, (the landowner) is not even aware that there’s a cemetery there,” he said.
CLICK PLAY!
