Tag Archive for: #vancecountyartscouncil

N.C. First Lady Kristin Cooper Stops In For A Visit On 100-County Tour

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North Carolina First Lady Kristin Cooper paid a visit to downtown Henderson today as part of her statewide tour to visit all 100 counties.

Cooper toured McGregor Hall with Director Mark Hopper and other local officials before heading to George’s for lunch and then stopping by Sadie’s Coffee Corner, Nella Roo’s Boutique and the Vance County Arts Council before departing by mid-afternoon.

“This place is absolutely amazing,” Cooper told members of the media following the tour of McGregor Hall. “I didn’t expect to see something like this…y’all should be real proud of it.”

Cooper made her way across the state not so much by geography, but in alphabetical order. “This is my 98th county,” she noted.

She said she’s had a wonderful reception everywhere she’s visited, and as a self-professed “city girl,” has learned a lot about what North Carolina has to offer.

“It’s amazing to see the pride of place that people have,” she continued. “Even cities that are struggling…have enormous pride in their community” and are willing to sacrifice to make it better.

Throughout her tour, she’s ridden ferries, climbed mountains, walked in forests and on sand dunes. And now, having completed her tour in this community, she can add McGregor Hall and downtown Henderson to the list.

Vance County’s issues surrounding public education, health care and attracting medical professionals and educators to rural areas are not unique, unfortunately, she said.

Cooper encourages individuals to get out and find destinations in the state that may be unfamiliar.
“There may be something great just around the corner from you,” she said.

The Local Skinny! Vance Co. Arts Council Celebrates Black History Month

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The Vance County Arts Council, in conjunction with McGregor Hall, invites the community to come out for an evening of musical entertainment to learn about the history of gospel music.

The show is free to the public and begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at McGregor Hall, and Vance County Arts Council Executive Director Alice Sallins said folks are in for a real treat.

“We’re so excited,” Sallins said. “We want people to come and behold this beautiful production.”

Sallins told WIZS’s Bill Harris that she couldn’t divulge too much about the show because it will be presented at other venues in addition to McGregor Hall.

Thanks to some grant funding, she said the Arts Council was able to bring in some top-quality perfomers and artists who will take the history of gospel music from its roots in call and response, field hollers and spirituals all the way up to its blending of blues and jazz that creates the familiar sound we know today.

“Thomas Dorsey combined those genres of music with spirituals he heard in church,” Sallins said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny! “He came up with this moving music that cause people to clap their hands and move their bodies,” she said.

CLICK PLAY!

 

Get Your Holiday Spirit On, Downtown Merchants!

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Downtown merchants are being asked to get into the holiday spirit by creating festive window displays, just in time for the Henderson Christmas parade next weekend.

“We want everything up by the Christmas parade,” said Alice Sallins, who works both with the Vance County Arts Council that puts on the parade and with the downtown development group.

Merchants are being encouraged to decorate their storefronts to help create a festive backdrop for the parade spectators. There’s a form to fill out on Henderson NC downtown’s Facebook page, she said.

The final judging will coincide with the day of the parade – Dec. 3 – so time’s a tickin’, merchants.

“We always find someone who’s knowledgeable about art,’ Sallins said of the judge or judges who will determine which display wins top honors. The displays will be viewed during daytime and nighttime hours, she said, to “see the lighting effects.”

Contact Sallins at 252.767.4579 to learn more.

TownTalk: Christmas Parade And More Coming To Downtown Henderson

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The Vance County Arts Council is pulling out all the stops as the holiday season approaches. This umbrella organization has its fingers in a lot of pies this time of year, from wreath-making workshops with senior adults to free concerts and organizing the annual Henderson Christmas parade.

And Alice Sallins is up for the challenge. She spoke with John C. Rose on Monday’s TownTalk to provide an update on all the upcoming festivities.

There’s a free community concert that will take place on Nov. 26 at 4 p.m. at McGregor Hall. The “Tidings of Comfort and Joy” musical event will include local musicians like Jimmy Barrier and the Sound Barriers, Ben Lawrence and Orlando Owens, just to name a few.

“It’s going to be an awesome show,” Sallins said. “We want it to be a good show and free to the community,” she said, adding that it will include secular and sacred music. Visit www.vanceartscouncil.com to read more.

The Christmas parade will take place next weekend, but Sallins said she really needs to have the applications by Friday, Nov. 25. It’s ok if folks drop their applications in the mail by Friday, because that means she should get them Monday. There’s a quick turnaround time for letting participants know their order in the parade lineup by Tuesday.

Click on https://vanceartscouncil.com/event/henderson-nc-christmas-parade-2022/ to find the entry form.

“Each year, it seems like the citizens go out of their way to have a bigger and better parade,” she said, adding that there will be some new faces and groups in this year’s lineup.

“Every year, our goal is to make it a little bigger and a little better.”

The parade is really shaping up, Sallins said. “So far I have 60 forms,” she noted, but expects to have at least 120 entries by parade time, which is Saturday, Dec. 3, beginning at 3 p.m.

“Last year the parade was beautiful and colorful – there were a lot of original floats and professional floats,” she said.

Triange Floats is sending “a bunch of floats” this year – at least eight more than last year, Sallins said.

Vance County Schools has 27 entries, she said. Marching bands, fire departments and military entities all enter for free. The parade proceeds help fund arts council programs.

Some of those programs include six fall and winter wreath-making workshops. Upcoming workshops the senior center are on Dec. 13 and Dec. 15, she said.

The arts council gave distributed craft kits to youngsters and arts council representatives will visit area schools to do arts and crafts activities with students as well.

CLICK PLAY!

 

TownTalk: Downtown Henderson To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

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Downtown Henderson is turning it green for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration that will include food trucks, arts and crafts for the children and music, all of which is sure to create a festive atmosphere around Breckenridge Street.

The Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission is partnering with the Vance Arts Council to put on the event and DDC representatives were on Tuesday’s Town Talk to tell John C. Rose about some of the activities that will be offered on Thursday, Mar. 17 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Alice Sallins is chairperson of the DDC promotions committee. She said sponsorships are still available for the event; there are three sponsorship levels: Leprechaun at $250, Shamrock at $500 and Pot o’ Gold at $1,000.

Sponsors’ donations will help to provide food free of charge to those who attend the community event.

Selfies with the giant leprechaun or in front of the giant rainbow and pot o’ gold are sure to be taken as well – wear green!

Ellis, who is the DDC chair, said vendors and other community agencies are signing up to participate as well. The deadline has been extended, and Ellis encouraged churches, community organizations and others to consider signing up to have a table at the St. Paddy’s Day event.

There is no vendor fee, she said.

The vendors will be part of a scavenger hunt, Ellis explained. As folks visit each vendor, they will collect information for the scavenger hunt. Those who complete the scavenger hunt will receive a small prize. “(Participants will) learn more about our community and what it has to offer,” Ellis said of the scavenger hunt.

Prize donations also are being accepted. They can be inexpensive, she noted – just something for the kids to enjoy.

Sallins said this is a “kid-geared” event and said she looks forward to seeing children complete craft activities and enjoy the music and dance performances.

Ballet Arts is scheduled to perform, and there will be some cloggers as well, she said.

Granville Vance Public Health, the Gateway Center and Perry Memorial Library are just a few of the agencies that will have boots at the celebration.

Contact Ellis at amanda@rogersandrogerslawyers.com  to join the list of vendors and agencies participating.

Contact Sallins at 252.767.4759 to learn more about sponsoring the event.

 

 

Andrea Harris Task Force

TownTalk: Alice Sallins Reflects on Andrea Harris And Talks Arts Council, Black History Month

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Henderson’s city operations facility has had a few names since it was constructed – but the name it officially got today (Tuesday, Feb. 1) will be a lasting one. From now on, the building, located on Beckford Drive, will be named for Dr. Andrea Harris, who died in May 2020.

Harris grew up in Henderson and was an educator, as well as a civic leader and activist at the local and state level. The City Council voted in 2021 to rename the building in memory of Harris.

Alice Sallins was among those in attendance at the official ribbon-cutting and dedication Tuesday morning. Sallins worked alongside Harris when they both were involved with the NAACP.

“I knew her very well,” Sallins said of Harris. “When she was president of the NAACP, I was vice president.” Being involved in the community in which you live was important to Harris, and Sallins continues to follow Harris’s example.

“If you’re involved, then you represent the rest of the community,” Sallins told John C. Rose in a phone interview Tuesday morning. If you’re sitting at the table, “you’ll make sure you get a slice of the pie,” she said.

Although Sallins said things have gotten better, she said there’s still room for improvement when it comes to have diversity among the various boards and governing bodies and agencies in the community. “We’ve come a long way, but we’ve got a long ways to go,” Sallins said.

“If you’re planning for me and not including me, then you’re not planning for me at all,” she said.

As Sallins waited for the dedication to begin, she reflected on her friend, Andrea Harris. “She would be pleased, really, if she were here today.”

Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington offered remarks on the occasion of the dedication, saying that city officials gathered “to commemorate an exceptional part of our community’s history and celebrate one of our own.”

“Looking at the City Operations building and the name that is forever etched, helps to tell a brighter, fuller story of who we are,” Ellington said in a written statement to WIZS News on Tuesday. “Many citizens pass through those doors to cast their votes in every election – local, state and federal – with a promise of democracy and it reminds us that we all are created equal. Today we remember one of the brightest lights of our time. A brilliant champion for all people, a fierce friend and truly a phenomenal lady. We cherish the time we were privileged to share with Dr. Andrea Harris.”

Vance County Arts Council Black History Month Virtual Program

The Vance County Arts Council is planning a virtual Black History Month program that will be available beginning Monday, Feb. 7 for viewing.

Alice Sallins, the council’s executive director, shared names of some of the artists who will be featured in the project, which can be viewed via YouTube. Willa Brigham, a Charlotte-based storyteller and daytime Emmy award winner, is one well-known personality who will be a part of the virtual celebration.

Sallins said Brigham will have a 45-minute session that will be recorded and offered to the Vance County Schools, as well as the general public, for viewing.

Stella Jones will share African American poetry and vocalist Evelyn Couch will perform Negro spirituals. Johnny Watkins will recite poetry by Langston Hughes, she said.

The program should be completed this week and will be uploaded by Saturday.
The link will be live from Monday through the end of February. Look for the links on the Vance County Arts Council Facebook page and in other locations, she said.

“Look for a high time,” Sallins said. “We have some very good artists who are working hard” to create a quality program for the community to enjoy.

 

 

NC Arts Council Grant Application Open To Support Local Artists

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Listen up, local artists! The Artist Support Grant is open now for Region 4, which includes Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties.

Applications and more details are available at www.warrencountyartsnc.org. The deadline to submit applications is Sept. 30, 2021, according to information on the Warren County Arts Council website.

Whether it’s to create or update a website, attend a special training or to pay for studio recording time, this grant opportunity supports artists as they create and share their talents for others to enjoy.

Maximum grant request is $1,000.

Vance County Arts Council Presents ‘Tidings of Comfort and Joy’ Christmas Music

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-Information courtesy the Vance County Arts Council Facebook page

The Vance County Arts Council presents “Tidings of Comfort and Joy” with Christmas music to soothe the soul on Saturday, November 24, 2018, at McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center. Music begins at 4 p.m. and admission is free.

Performers include “Brotherhood,” gospel recording artist Lynn Cooper, recording artist Ezekiel Taylor, Stella Jones, the Shiloh Baptist Liturgical Dancers, Marjorie Lewis, Tiffany Barnes, Alice Sallins, “Royalty” and “Small Wonder.”

Platinum sponsors are the North Carolina Art Council and Dr. Alice Clark Sallins. Bronze sponsors are Curtis Ellis and Michael Ellis.

Reminder: Trick or Treat in Downtown Henderson This Wed., Oct. 31

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-Information courtesy Henderson’s Downtown Development website

Businesses in downtown Henderson will be offering Trick or Treat on Wednesday, October 31, 2018, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Garnett Street will be closed for traffic from 4 to 6 p.m.

Downtown businesses give out free candy to costumed children 12 and under during the event. Participating business will have an orange poster on their window.

It’s one of the largest events in our downtown, so come out to enjoy a safe and fun Halloween for the kids!

The Downtown Trick or Treat is organized by the Vance County Arts Council.