Tag Archive for: #vancecountyartscouncil

The Local Skinny! Make Music Day 2026 Coming To Vance County

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International Make Music Day is coming up on Sunday, June 21 and Vance County residents are invited to chime in, join the chorus and make a joyful noise!

Dr. Alice Sallins, executive director of the Vance County Arts Council said she anticipates this year’s event will build on last year’s and be even bigger.

Thanks to partnerships with sponsors like Vance County Tourism, Clearview Church and Brightspeed, Sallins said the local Make Music Day will be in venues including Kerr Lake Country Club, Fox Pond Park and Kerr Lake.

She’d love to exceed last year’s 22 venues and grow to 25 or more this year, with a special invitation to local churches.

With the day falling on a Sunday, and Father’s Day at that, Sallins said churches and families have a unique opportunity to entertain and honor dads.

Make Music Day began in France many years ago with the intention of creating a global celebration of the Summer Solstice, Sallins explained.

The local celebration runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and although several locations have specific times for their events, families, individuals and other groups can create music of any kind anytime they choose throughout the day.

Got a piano at home that hasn’t been used in a while? Tickle those ivories on Make Music Day!

Did you get some souvenir maracas on that vacation to Mexico? Shake ‘em on Make Music Day!

And that guitar that’s been propped in the corner, gathering dust? You got it! Strum some chords on Make Music Day!

Join others at Perry Memorial Library from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Make Music Day, where Sallins said musicians will be performing and kids can make their own rhythm instruments. Then, Kerr Lake Country Club is the place to be on that day from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. She’s working up plans with Bridger Stewardson for his band to perform.

And Clearview Church is planning to incorporate some special musical selections as part of its Youth College and Career Day activities that day.

The beautiful thing about getting more churches involved, Sallins said, is that all they need to do is add a musical selection to what they’re already planning for.

“That’s what we want, we want them to be a part.”

Sign up at www.vanceartscouncil.com and a member of the council will come out to record at the various venues, then send those clips on to the national Arts Council for inclusion in the wider celebration.

“Vance County is full of music,” Sallins said, and so many of its residents are musically inclined. “There are people who can sing and can play musical instruments we are like a music mecca.”

To learn more, contact Sallins at 252.767.4579.

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TownTalk: Festive Events Coming To Vance County

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The Henderson Christmas Parade is set for Saturday, Dec. 6 and Dr. Alice Sallins with the Vance County Arts Council reminds those still who still need to turn in their registrations to participate do so by this Saturday, Nov. 22.

The registration document, along with parade rules, can be found at

https://vanceartscouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Christmas-Parade-2025-Rules-and-Regulations-2.pdf

“We’re looking for a good turnout,” Sallins said on TownTalk. So far, there are more than 100 entries, and she said there are a half dozen or more new businesses and schools that are planning to join the parade this year.

The parade begins at 2:30 p.m., so spectators should grab a good vantage point along the parade route. All entries in the parade should be lined up by 1:30 p.m. or so – no later than 2:15 p.m., she said.

If you’re looking for a little holiday cheer before the Christmas parade, look no further than Nov. 29 – a mere two days after Thanksgiving – for the 10th annual Tidings of Comfort and Joy performance at McGregor Hall.

The doors open at 3:30 p.m. for the 4 p.m. performance, and Sallins said there will be a good mix of returning groups and newcomers to help folks get into the holiday spirit.

“We want to get you in the mood to celebrate” the season, she said.  The arts council wanted to bring a free event to the community “that would bring a bit of joy” to those who were sad during the Christmas season.

In addition to Clearview’s Dr. Abidan Shah sharing the Christmas Story from the Gospel of Luke, there will be music from Evelyn Couch, Tia “Catillia” Cheek, Jimmy & the Sound Barriers and Eugene Taylor & Jimmy Williamson, among others.

Get more information at https://vanceartscouncil.com/.

 

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Vance County Arts Council Presents ‘Tidings Of Comfort And Joy’ At McGregor Hall Nov. 29

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Get into the Christmas spirit on Saturday, Nov. 29 at “Tidings of Comfort and Joy,” a free event for the community sponsored by the Vance County Arts Council.

Join family and friends at McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center, 200 Breckenridge St., sit back and enjoy performances by more than a half dozen soloists and groups of musicians and dancers.

The doors open at 3:30 p.m. and the show begins at 4 p.m.

Performers include:

  • Arianna Long
  • Clearview Church Praise Team
  • Davida Lewis
  • Evelyn C. Couch
  • St. Mary’s Praise Dancers
  • Sequoia Epps
  • The Royal Holiday Pageant
  • The Brotherhood
  • Jimmy and the Sound Barriers
  • Tia “Catillia” Cheek
  • Eugene Taylor & Jimmy Williamson

Visit https://vanceartscouncil.com/ to learn how to become a sponsor for this event.

‘Shamrocks On Breckenridge’ Returns To Downtown Henderson Monday, Mar. 17

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Monday, Mar. 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, and the community is invited to Shamrocks on Breckenridge in downtown Henderson to celebrate all things Irish from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The first 200 folks to arrive get a free meal – hotdog, chips, a cookie and a drink.

Entertainment will be provided by DJ Brian Dawson.

Sponsors include Gateway CDC, the N.C. Arts Council, Vance County Arts Council, the City of Henderson, as well as Perry Memorial Library, Turning Point Development, FGV Smart Start and Jessica Rice with AIM High and Taba’s Face Painting.

There will be children’s activities and more, so deck out in emerald green and head downtown for a fun afternoon.

TownTalk: Arts Council Getting In The Christmas Spirit

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Anyone who may need a jumpstart into feeling that holiday spirit need only chat for a moment with Dr. Alice Sallins with the Vance County Arts Council. Whether she’s promoting the upcoming Tidings of Comfort and Joy concert at McGregor Hall or talking up the Henderson Christmas parade, Sallins exudes that excitement and anticipation that comes along with the holiday season.

The concert takes place on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 4 p.m., Sallins said on Thursday’s TownTalk. The show is free to attend, and Sallins said the audience is in for a real treat.

Clearview Church pastor Dr. Abidan Shah will emcee the he first portion of the show which will feature sacred music and then he’ll pass the mic to Mixmaster James Williams who’ll emcee the second portion of the show that features secular music.

The concert features recording artists Lynn Cooper,  Spencer Alston and Tia “Catillia” Cheek, and Sallins said there will be other local musicians and groups lined up to perform as well.

“We give you the best that we can offer,” Sallins said. “We look forward to packing the house.”

Other musical and dance performers include Clearview Church Praise Team, vocalist Evelyn C. Couch, Davida Lewis, Sequoia Epps Hargrove, St. Mary’s Praise Dancers, Work In Progress, Holy Temple Praise Dancers,  Brotherhood  and Jimmy & the Sound Barriers.

Sallins said she wants the show to be something that makes people feel good. People feel sad during the holidays, especially if they’ve lost loved ones. “We want to do something to help cheer people up,” she said.

Spreading that holiday cheer continues on Saturday, Dec. 7 when the Christmas Parade makes its way up Raleigh Road toward Garnett Street to the delight of onlookers along the parade route.

Over the years, Sallins and her Arts Council team have promoted the parade “to build it up to something great, ‘cause I love, love, love Christmas,” she exclaimed. “The highlight of my holiday is standing at the beginning of that parade line, flagging that first car down the road.”

This year’s parade features seven professional floats, but there are plenty of locally made floats that are sure to delight the crowds as well.

“Maria Parham goes all out of the way to build these phenomenal floats,” Sallins said, calling out the hospital team for its creativity in years past. And although throwing candy from floats is strictly a no-no, she said it’s perfectly fine for folks to walk alongside the floats to distribute sweet treats to folks along the parade route.

“Everyone has stepped up their game,” Sallins said of the local parade entries. “Each year the parade gets bigger and better…more elaborate scenery.”

Time is tight to get your parade entry form in, however. Technically, today is the deadline, but Sallins said as long as she gets the completed form by next Saturday, it should be ok.

One piece of information is non-negotiable, however. All vehicle drivers must provide a copy of his or her insurance, Sallins said.

And please just put the forms and entry fees – checks made out to the Vance County Arts Council – in the mail. Last Thanksgiving, she said folks were calling her all day and late into the night to ask how to get their entry forms to her.

Visit https://vanceartscouncil.com/ and click on Henderson, NC Christmas Parade to read rules and download the entry form.

Mail entries to:

Vance County Arts Council

P.O. Box 34

Henderson, NC 27536

 

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Vance County Hitting All The Right Notes For ‘Make Music Day’ On June 21

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What are you doing this Friday?

The Vance County Arts Council invites you to join in “Make Music Day” – performances are popping up all over Henderson and Vance County in celebration of the global event that involves more than 1,000 cities all over the world.

The performances are free, and Dr. Alice Clark Sallins hopes people come out to hear and appreciate all the different types of music that will be created.

“By establishing one specific day each year, June 21, to celebrate music, Vance County Arts Council encourages both amateur and professional music-making, and empowers individuals to seek out ways to help celebrate music in their community,” stated Sallins.

Over the course of 12 hours – 9:45 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. – music of all types will be heard throughout the county.

“Vance is one of the most musically talented counties in the state of North Carolina and we want to give our citizens a music-making opportunity to display such talents on June 21,” Sallins said.

In case someone needs a reason to enjoy creating or listening to music, the local Arts Council hopes to give community members “of all ages, creed, and musical persuasions the chance to experience the joy of making music together,” Sallins said. “The Vance County Arts Council is committed to hosting quality art experiences and performances, as well as creating opportunities for learning and participation. There are several benefits in having the arts, mostly helping to shape create and critical thinking minds.”

Feel like strumming your guitar in the backyard? Great! Got a harmonica that needs a little exercise? Super! Wherever people feel like playing – and listening – is fine with Sallins. Maybe you’d just like to park downtown near the Baptist Church about 10:30 a.m. and listen to the melodious sounds coming from the church’s pipe organ – gotcha covered.

Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott is scheduled to kick off the festivities when she issues a proclamation at City Hall at 9:45 a.m.

Here’s a rundown of specific performances already scheduled:

  • 9:50 a.m. – Evelyn C. Couch at City Hall, 134 Rose Ave
  • 10:10 a.m. – Opening Ceremony: Heart and Soul at McGregor Hall, 200 Breckenridge Street
  • 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Mario Davis (instructor) Bucket Drumming classes at Henderson Family YMCA
  • 10:30 a.m. – David Cole at First Baptist Church, Downtown Henderson (park and listen to the pipe organ)
  • 11 a.m. – David Westbrook at McGregor Hall
  • 11 a.m. – Keshawn Yancey at Hair in Motion, 1302 N. Garnett St. (percussionists)
  • 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Live Karaoke at the Vance Senior Center, 500 Beckford Dr.
  • 11 a.m. – 12 noon – Boomwhackers with the Whacking Band at Adcock Recreation Center
  • 12 noon – 1 p.m. Tristan Beradi – Perry Memorial Library (lunch hour performance)
  • Lunchtime Ben Parker and Mikayla Williams at Versatrim, 101 Eastern Mineral Rd.
  • 1 p.m. James Williams on Facebook Live for a tribute to Frazier Park
  • 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. – Jimmy & The Sound Barriers at Satterwhite Point State Park. First set 3 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.: Dancing to the Oldies; Second set 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. Bluegrass on the Grass (They will have the grill hot if you want to throw some hot dogs and hamburgers on it)
  • 6 p.m. Hendfact Henderson Fuerza Activa Drumming and Dance at 715 Garnett Street
  • 7:30 p.m. Just Friends Band and other groups at McGregor Hall for closing activities

However or wherever you choose to create or listen, there’s something for everyone on Friday, June 21.

In addition to the Vance County Arts Council, the event is sponsored by Vance County Tourism, the N.C. Arts Council and the N.C. Dept. of Natural & Cultural Resources.

To learn more about Vance County Make Music Day, visit: https://www.makemusicday.org/vancecounty

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.

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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.

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