Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

Cooperative Extension With Wayne Rowland: Fruit & Nut Trees

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Wayne Rowland of the Vance County Extension Service discusses how correct selection and placement of Fruit and Nut Trees will enhance your home landscape.

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: Agriculture’s Roots In Vance County

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Around the turn of the 20th century, the Nutbush area – known today as the Drewry community – had just shy of 400 households. And of those households, said local historian Mark Pace, there were only eight that did not derive their income from agriculture.

But in those eight households surely lived people engaged in support services for all those farmers, Pace noted on Thursday’s tri-weekly history segment of TownTalk. There were merchants, bankers, household help and physicians – all the things necessary for a community back in 1900.

Today’s landscape is quite different, to which anyone who drives along most any county road will attest: Subdivisions are popping up where row crops once stood and solar fields are replacing pastures and hayfields all across the state.

But Vance County is a little bit of an anomaly from other counties in the state, Pace said, as he and WIZS’s Bill Harris discussed a condensed history of agriculture in the county. About one-third of the roughly 178,000 acres of land that comprises the county is allotted for agriculture, which includes, pastureland, forestry and crops.

Some counties have virtually no farmland left, Pace said, thanks to urban sprawl and the proliferation of suburbs.

“That’s a trend that will probably continue,” he said.

Vance County – and Old Granville County before it – has a long history with agriculture in general, and as Pace said, “You can’t talk about Vance County and not talk about tobacco.”

From the mid-1700’s, this was always a good place to grow tobacco, he explained.

“Red” tobacco was prevalent then, and used more for plug or chewing tobacco, snuff and cigars.

Fast-forward to the 1890’s when James B. Duke was cornering the market in the cigarette-making industry in Durham, Henderson also was well-known as a tobacco market. According to Pace, Henderson once was the third-largest tobacco market in the world, behind Winston-Salem and Durham.

Henderson was perfectly placed between Richmond and Raleigh, and the railroad meant that the tobacco that was sold and bought each season could hop a freight bound for destinations across the world.

And although tobacco certainly was agriculture’s “king” crop around these parts, there were other agricultural ventures, too, Pace said.

Like silk. And sugarcane.

Huh?

In the 1830’s and ‘40’s, Pace said, parts of Vance County had a fascination with silkworms, who spin their pricey filaments in the branches of mulberry trees. At that time, cotton was selling for between 6 cents and 8 cents a pound, but silk fetched a whopping $4 a pound.

“It was worth your while to mess with silk,” Pace said.

And there was a sugar processing plant in Townsville, Pace said, that processed locally grown sugar cane.

Neither sugar cane nor silk really took hold, but there were other niche producers that had a bigger impact on the local agriculture scene.

Blacknall Strawberry Nursery in Kittrell, for example, shipped thousands upon thousands of plants each year. It was located about where the Dollar General is there along U.S. 1, Pace said. And long-time residents that remember the clothing store Davis’s on Garnett Street may not be aware that Mr. E.G. Davis earlier ventures included a food superette and more in his downtown location before settling on clothing alone.

And he also created the area’s first large-scale ag industry, Pace explained, back in the 1930’s when he established a chicken farm out in the county on what many old-timers still refer to as Chicken Farm Road.

“People are still making a living off the land,” Pace said, but farming and agriculture certainly have evolved over the years as tobacco subsidies and allotments have given way to alternate crops, niche markets and farms became destinations for recreational activities.

 

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Home and Garden Show

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • The Granville-Vance-Warren Beginner Beekeepers School will be Saturday, February 1st at 9:00am at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.
  • Now is a good time to take your gardening equipment out and see if they work. Especially since it is getting warmer. 
  • You need to start planting for your spring garden. When planting, think about the problems that you encountered in  your last planting season.
  • With February approaching, you need to get ready to prune your fruit trees.
  • This is a good time to purchase your seed starting mix. Avoid using garden soil, for best results.
  • Now is the time to clean your planting trays.
  • You still have to continue planting trees and shrubs.

The Vance County Cooperative Extension is located at 305 Young St, Henderson, NC 27536

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TownTalk: Love is in the Air with Granville Tourism

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February. It’s the shortest month, but that’s not stopping Tourism Director Angela Allen and Granville County from packing in a wealth of events and activities into 28 days.

From Cedar Creek Gallery’s ‘Cupful’ exhibit to the popular murder mystery dinner theatre, check out all that Granville County has to offer at www.visitgranvillenc.com.

Allen said she’s constantly updating the website and blog posts to keep the area in tune with all the goings-on.

Whether you appreciate the beauty of handcrafted pottery or enjoy the hunt for a vintage vinyl record, Allen said Granville County offers “a little bit of everything” for people to do – there’s plenty of activities for people to do and things for people to love, she said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

And she said the collaboration that’s going on among downtown businesses – retail and restaurants – is something to behold.

Take Tobacco Wood Brewing Co., for example. It’s now offering a Saturday brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. But invited to join in the fun during that time is Ox4d Music, which offers a pop-up shop on Saturdays while the finishing touches are being put on its stand-alone Main Street location.

Previously located in the lower level of The Hub on Main, the record shop will open soon at its new location.

“We are so proud of them,” Allen said. “They’re definitely a staple in downtown Oxford.”

And Angel Wings Bookstore recently opened  in the space that previously had housed Harvest Restaurant, Allen noted. But they don’t just sell books – there’s a bistro located inside that is being operated by the folks that run Bigfoot BBQ.

Allen said her webpage has a whole tab of listings dedicated to Valentine’s Day. Check out the latest – “Love is in the Air”at https://visitgranvillenc.com/blog/#!/2097-Love-Is-In-The-Air-In-Granville-County-This-Valentines-Season to view all the options for singles, couples, friends and families.

 

Here are a few highlights of upcoming events across Granville County in February:

  • Saturday, Feb. 22 – Puppy Love Quarter Auction at The Barn at Vino in Stem. Tickets are $10, and Allen suggests to purchase soon. Sponsored by the local nonprofit Dogs Deserve Better of the Piedmont, participants can expect a fun evening, great auction items and food and beverage trucks for food purchase. The doors open at 6 and the auction begins at 7. Bring a dog toy to donate and take part in a special drawing that evening. Call 919.283.1449 for more information or find details at https://visitgranvillenc.com/whats-happening/#!/288938-puppy-love-quarter-auction
  • Saturday, Feb. 8 – Couples can head over to Yoga for Good in downtown Oxford for a couples yoga class from 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Once the class is over, participants can stop by Strong Arm Baking Co. with their yoga class ticket for a glass of bubbly, Allen said – the perfect wind-down after a yoga session.
  • Saturday, Feb. 8 – 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Take part in the Scavenger Hunt date night at Angel Wings Bookstore, 205 Williamsboro St.
  • Thursday, Feb. 13 – 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. – Kids ages 7-12 are invited to Hix Gym for their own version of Valentine’s Day fun, with crafts, games , pizza and more. The cost is $6 per child and the registration deadline is 12 noon on Feb. 13.
  • Wednesday, Feb. 12 – 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Verdigris is the place to be to celebrate “Gal”entine’s with your best girlfriends. Finger foods, creative cocktails and music are on the menu.
  • Thursday, Feb. 13 6 p.m. – Angel Wings Bookstore hosts Book Besties Galentine’s Night. Wear comfy clothes and bring a book to share – as well as your book bestie for a cozy evening.

With all this talk about love being in the air, Allen just had to mention the annual spring Granville Wedding and Event Expo, scheduled for Sunday, Mar. 2 at the Creedmoor Community Center from 12 noon to 3 p.m.

Admission is free for all who bring a donation to Families Living Violence Free, the nonprofit agency that helps families in domestic violence situations. “If you bring a donation with you that day or go to the payment link and pay, you can get in free,” Allen said.

Come check out all the different vendors who can provide services for weddings, reunions and other big celebrations, all under one roof.

Tasting tickets are $10 and a limited number of VIP packages, which includes a tasting ticket and a swag bag, are available for $20.

https://visitgranvillenc.com/whats-happening/weddings-events/

Find out all the details at www.visitgranvillenc.com.

 

 

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TownTalk: Bryan Cohn NC House 32 Representative Talks Issues, Legislating For All

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As the newly elected District 32 representative in the N.C. House, Bryan Cohn said he sees plenty of opportunities to work in a bipartisan fashion to preserve and strengthen the economy, natural resources and more for his constituents in Vance and Granville counties.

Cohn narrowly defeated incumbent Frank Sossamon in the November general election, but with the early January swearing-in in Raleigh and then a ceremonial swearing-in on Sunday, Jan. 19 at McGregor Hall, Cohn said he is ready to get to work.

About 100 supporters attended the second swearing-in on the afternoon of Jan. 19, during which the new state legislator shared his vision.

“It was a message of optimism and a message of hope,” he said on Tuesday’s TownTalk, “and really a message of gratitude to everyone who contributed their time and effort into this campaign.”

He called running for office “a humbling experience” and said he told those supporters on hand two Sunday afternoons ago that he will “represent them … and make sure we continue to listen to what they have to say and advocate appropriately in Raleigh.”

Among several priorities for the freshman legislator are expanded access to health care, taking care of seniors and keeping an eye on the regional water system.

“The ongoing expansion of water and sewer infrastructure upgrades is going to continue to be a top priority in this region,” Cohn explained.

Attending to those issues, among others, will also help foster growth in the district, which leads to economic growth for the region.

Expanding business and industry in the district will increase the need for an educated workforce, so he wants to make sure public education is up to the task.

Cohn said he is making the rounds throughout the district, adding that talking to leaders and others in the community is part of a “discovery phase” to help him get the lay of the land and be better equipped to be supportive of the various needs.

Although he said he was “unapologetically delighted” to be able to break up the Republican super majority in the N.C. House, Cohn said no one party should rule with absolute authority. He said he looks forward to working with Republicans Rep. Matthew Winslow and State Sen. Lisa Barnes, for whom he said he has great respect.

“Leaders should listen and take stock from what they are being told,” Cohn said. “We may not always agree,” but he said he suspects there are likely many things that they can agree on.

In his role as a commissioner for the City of Oxford, Cohn said he realized that municipalities and county officials are limited in what they can and cannot do, based on state laws.

“It makes it really difficult when you’re trying to plan for future growth,” he said or trying to put in place policies that talk about zoning or other issues faced by local governments.

Cohn said he feels some laws created last year around zoning issues need to be looked at to provide cities and counties more clarity, saying they created “a lot of gray area.” The language in those bills needs to be adjusted to better define what is allowed and not allowed.

He said he would like to see bills spend more time in committee to create a more polished product that spells out clearly for landowners, developers and local governments what the bill entails.

You don’t always need a sledgehammer to get results, Cohn said. Sometimes it takes a scalpel.

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Cooperative Extension With Michael Ellington: Container Gardening

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Michael Ellington of the Vance County Cooperative Extension Service discusses how to choose appropriate containers based on their material, drainage, and size.

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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