Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

TownTalk: Fall in Full Swing with Granville County Tourism

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Granville County is squeezing a lot into an already-busy time of year, but Granville Tourism Authority Director Angela Allen encourages the community to jump in and embrace the seasons – you can walk, trot, run, eat, shop, march and drive your way through the various programs and events that will take place in the next few weeks as the holidays approach.

Downtown Oxford retailers are preparing for Christmas with a Holiday Open House Saturday, Nov. 15. You’ll see festive storefronts dotting the downtown district, who want to entice folks to shop local this season.

“Here in Granville County, we’re welcoming the season,” Allen said on Tuesday’s TownTalk.

Get all the tastes of Thanksgiving a week early at Thorndale Oaks on Nov. 18. Make reservations by calling 919.603.3701. The cost is $32.95 for adults and $19.95 for children.

The City of Oxford has refurbished its auditorium and rebranded it the OX Theater. Located within the municipal building at 300 Williamsboro St., the theater will host Shana Tucker on Thursday, Nov. 20 for “An Evening of Sade,” The doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tucker is a cellist and a vocalist and, along with a band and backup singers, will entertain the audience with the smooth, sultry sounds of the singer popular in the mid-1980’s and 1990’s.

Burn some calories in advance of that Thanksgiving meal with the 20th annual Turkey Trot to benefit Area Congregations in Ministry, the local food bank. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. for the 9 a.m. event, which sends walkers and runners along a 2-mile path from Oxford United Methodist Church down College Street to the Masonic Home for Children and back.

Four cans of food or a monetary donation to ACIM gets you in – make plans to join in the fun to support the food bank mission of feeding hungry people in Granville County.

Once Thanksgiving is in the rear-view mirror, it’s full-steam ahead to all things Christmas, and Allen reeled off an impressive list of events that begin before all the leftovers are gone.

“I’m excited for the holiday season,” Allen said, “because that’s when I feel our community really sines and comes together – we’re creating community and memories.”

Find out all the details at https://visitgranvillenc.com/, but here’s a partial list of what’s happening in Granville County:

  • Granville Christmas Farm – opens Friday, Nov. 28 from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Get tickets at https://www.granvillechristmasfarm.com/. The farm will open daily the week before Christmas through New Year’s Eve.
  • Corn Hill Farm – a local tree farm that will have a special Christmas Connection on Friday, Nov. 28, complete with arts and crafts for the kids, vendors, food and Santa from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Visit https://cornhillfarms.com/
  • Back to the OX Theater for Celtic Angels on Dec. 1. The show starts at 7 p.m. Then it’s Nashville Noel on Dec. 14. Visit https://www.oxfordnc.org/ to purchase tickets.
  • The Lighting of the Greens and Parade in Oxford is Friday, Dec. 5 beginning at 4 p.m. The parade begins at 7 p.m. The City of Oxford also will have its tree lighting on Dec. 5.
  • Parade season continues with parades in Creedmoor and Butner on Saturday, Dec. 6 – Creedmoor in the morning and Butner in the afternoon.
  • Christmas Buffet Dinner at Thorndale Oaks on Saturday, Dec. 6. It’s a full buffet, $58.95 Children 12 and under: $24.95 Children 5 and under are free. Call 919.603.3701 or 919.725.5201 to reserve your table.

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Henderson City Council Will Get $5K Refund From Law Firm That Conducted Investigation Following Working Conditions Survey

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The law firm that conducted an investigation of results from a working conditions survey of city employees and Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott has apologized for tardiness in producing the report and said it will refund the city’s payment of $5,208.

At the regular monthly meeting of the Henderson City Council on Monday, Council Member Tami Walker read the short statement from the Brough Law Firm, LLC, which follows in its entirety:

“We sincerely apologize for the delay in producing the report and have discussed the matter with the attorney. We agree that the report should have been provided to you already as work on the investigation has been completed. The attorney’s final report will be given to you by 11-6-25.

The city will not be charged for the investigation and the report. Also, we will provide the city a full refund of the fees charged to date for the investigation and report. The attached client ledger shows that the city has been billed a total of $5,828. The city has paid us $5,208 all of which will be refunded to you. The remaining $620 will be written off.”

Walker’s remarks came after Elliott read a letter aloud that she addressed to the Council:

It read:

“Dear members of the Council:

I want to formally acknowledge receipt of the investigative report conducted by the attorney Brough Law Firm, which was commissioned to review allegations made by various individuals concerning my role as mayor of Henderson.

I have fully cooperated with the investigation and supported a transparent process from the outset, as I believe deeply in accountability and ethical governance. After a careful review of the findings, it is clear that there is no criminal conduct, no ethical violations, and no substantiated wrongdoing found.

The report instead reflects on a collection of unverified statements, opinions and hearsay, primarily originated from individuals with different political or personal perspectives. Such narratives, while concerning, do not constitute credible evidence.

It is important to underscore that no legal or policy breach was identified. I have always upheld the highest standard of public service and work diligently to improve our city’s operations, community programs and partnerships.

I will continue to do so with transparency, fairness and the best interests of our residents at heart. I recognize that leadership can invite scrutiny, lots of scrutiny in my case, and I welcome any process that strengthens trust between our government and the citizens we serve.

However, it is equally vital that future actions and reports be guided by facts rather than conjecture.

Henderson’s residents deserve governance based on integrity and truth, not unfounded allegations.

In my closing, I remain steadfast in my commitment to serve all citizens of Henderson, with honesty, humility and dedication.

I look forward to continuing work collaboratively with the council to advance our shared mission of building a stronger, safer and more unified community.”

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Cooperative Extension with Michael Ellington: Asian Lady Beetles

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Michael Ellington, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

Today we examine Asian Lady beetles and how to prevent them from coming inside.

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Thinning Pine Stands

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Wayne Rowland, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

Pine stands can be improved by thinning unproductive trees.

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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TownTalk: Around Old Granville – Sassafras Fork Township

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OK, local history buffs, here’s a question for you:

What do the Declaration of Independence, inventor of a Space-Age portable stereo and the poet Langston Hughes all have in common?

Ready for the answer?

Sassafras Fork township.

Northern Granville County residents may be more familiar with Sassafras Fork than others, but back in the 1760’s, Sassafras Fork encompassed the general area now known as Bullock, Grassy Creek, Gela, Stovall and Soudan, just across the NC/VA border.

WIZS’s Bill Harris and local historian Mark Pace talked about what that area used to look like in the recurring TownTalk segment “Around Old Granville.”

Now, here’s how those three seemingly unrelated items intersect in northern Granville County:

The town of Stovall recently held a Harvest Festival, featuring a celebration of one of its famous residents, John Penn. Penn was one of the state’s three signers of the Declaration of Independence and he moved from Virginia to North Carolina in part because there were too many lawyers where he was from in Virginia, but also because his wife’s family lived near Sassafras Fork.

Now, about that Space-Age portable radio…

Pratt Winston, who died in 2024, was an entrepreneur and inventor. He created the iconic Weltron radio product line, which sold all over the world into the late 70’s.

Winston’s home, Rose Hill, originally was part of the Speed holdings, still stands.

Pace said it’s probably the oldest brick home in the area, having been built around 1834. The two-story Greek Revival-style home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Ready to make the connection between Sassafras Fork and Langston Hughes?

“Shaw School was so well known back in the 1940’s and ‘50’s, Pace said, that it was able to attract numerous speakers of some renown.

The poet Langston Hughes, of Harlem Renaissance fame, visited the school in 1953 for a poetry reading, Pace said.

At the time of Hughes’s visit, Stovall was enjoying a population of close to 500, but over time, that number dwindled.

The 2010 Census reported just more than 400 people living in Stovall, and that number dropped to 324 in the 2020 count.

But Stovall once boasted a booming economy for the times – with a funeral home, doctors, a bank, factories, lumber mill, hotel, numerous churches and a railway station. There were close to 800 people living in Stovall in the 1920’s, Pace said.

A man named John Stovall gave land to have the rail depot put on his land, which is what prompted the name change from Sassafras Fork to Stovall, he said.

 

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Now is the Time to Join the H-V Chamber of Commerce

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With all the ribbon-cuttings taking place recently, the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce has had to keep those giant scissors sharpened. This is a busy time for the Chamber, not just because of all those ceremonial welcomes – it’s also annual membership campaign season.

And Chamber President Sandra Wilkerson wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s been a busy time at the chamber,” Wilkerson said on Tuesday’s TownTalk, “but it’s been a great time” as new businesses and new members come on board.

Of course, Wilkerson said, the Chamber welcomes new members any time during the year, but folks who join during the membership campaign won’t get another bill until January of 2027 – that’s like getting 15 months for 12. The current campaign runs through Dec. 19.

As Wilkerson sees it, a members’ annual dues are really an investment from members who reap the benefits of being a part of an organization that brings people from across the community together to network with each other, forming partnerships and friendships.

“You get out of it what you put into it,” she said, emphasizing that the regular get-togethers have a way of strengthening ties within the business community. “If you are one who never gets out of the office, you’ll lose some of that energy,” she said.

And the Chamber’s fundraisers also are celebrations, she said, as people come together for a common goal.

“It’s so much more for the people that come and participate,” she said.

When Wilkerson realized she needed to offer something for the members that are nonprofit organizations, the Chamber started quarterly nonprofit engagement gatherings. The most recent one had 80 people in attendance.

“It’s been very successful,” she said. They bring in speakers – some local, some from elsewhere – and learn about grant opportunities and more.

Last week’s “State Of” luncheon had more than 100 people, and Wilkerson said it’s been a popular series for the community to learn what’s up in the community and across the region.

Another Chamber-sponsored program is Leadership Vance, which brings a diverse group of people from a cross-section of the community together for a months-long program to learn about the county where they live and work.

“I’ve seen so many people in Leadership Vance,” she said, “so many that go on to become Chamber ambassadors, board members and elected officials…and a greater love for the community.”

A spinoff of that is a student version of Leadership Vance. It started a few years ago to get high school students involved in learning about and appreciating all the positives in the county. This year, 44 students applied for the program, and the Chamber loosened up the 16-participant cap to make room for 19.

“These kids can go out and spread that positivity to their peers and to their parents,” Wilkerson said.

The Chamber has its finger in a lot of pies throughout the community, but for Wilkerson, the best part about being the Chamber president is getting to spotlight local businesses. As a lifelong Vance County resident, she said it’s interesting to go into a business and sit down with people she may have known for a long time and learn all about their work and how they fit in – and give back to – the community they call home.

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(The audio and information above was originally air and posted on WIZS and WIZS.com on October 28, 2025)

Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover: Your Circle Matters

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Jamon Glover, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

We continue our role model and mentorship series, specifically building a circle of voices that you trust around your child.

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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