Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

Henderson Vance Recreation & Parks

TownTalk: Henderson Rec P.U.L.L. Event To Bring Community Together

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Events like the upcoming P.U.L.L. event are just part of the reason why the local parks and recreation department were honored at a national conference that focuses on ways to curb gang activity and gang violence.

Shantel Hargrove, youth services outreach coordinator for the Henderson Vance Recreation and Parks Department, said she and director Kendrick Vann were in Chicago for the national gang specialist training conference that concluded last week and were surprised to hear their names called as recipients of the Spirit Award, for “significant public service and issues of gang prevention, intervention and counseling.”

Hargrove spoke with John C. Rose on Thursday’s Town Talk. “We didn’t know we were getting the award,” she said, expressing surprise for being honored in front of a national audience.

The P.U.L.L. – an acronym for Peace, Unity, Love, Live – event takes place Aug. 25-28 and is designed to bring the community together with such activities as a two-day basketball tournament, bookbag and school supply giveaway, street festival and free haircuts for youngsters headed back to school.

This is the 7th year for P.U.L.L., Hargrove said, who added that the event seems to get bigger and better each year.

“It all started off with (us) going to local barbers,” she said, to ask them to donate their time to KUTZ 4 KIDS to give basic haircuts and hairstyles for children returning to the classroom. For families with children, the price of getting school supplies, clothes – and haircuts – can get expensive quickly.

“It’s a tremendous gift for the parents,” Hargrove said, referring to the free cuts and styles.

On Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Hair In Motion at 211 Orange St.  will be offering free cuts. Then, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Ice Cold Cuts and Exquisite Cuts 2.0 will be offering their services.

The activities kick off with a two-day basketball tournament, Hargrove said. Michael Bullock is instrumental in organizing the Battle of the Brands tournament, she said, calling Bullock a “great community activist…(who) is all about bringing the community together” to help youth.

“The community loves basketball,” Hargrove said. “And basketball brings out the community.” What used to be a single-elimination tournament has grown over time. “Now it’s a two-day tournament because so many teams wanted to be a part of the event,” she said.

The tournament will be held on Thursday, Aug. 25 and Friday Aug. 26 in the HVRPD gymnasium (former Eaton Johnson gymnasium). Tickets are $5 for adults 18 and older; tickets for youth 17 and younger are $2.

The street festival and community cookout on Saturday will be held in conjunction with the annual Night Out Against Crime, and Hargrove said she appreciates the collaboration of the Henderson Police Department and Lt. Jessica West.

“We’re going to combine and make it one event this year,” Hargrove said. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Chestnut Street Park. There will be vendors, a DJ playing music, a dance performance and other activities including cornhole for participants to enjoy. Free hotdogs, drinks and chips will be available as well.

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Aug. 13 Franklin Freedom Fest Features Dave Bray USA

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Franklin Freedom Fest, a fundraiser for Congressional candidate Sandy Smith, is scheduled for Saturday and participants can take part in a full range of activities through the afternoon and into the evening – from a pig pickin’ to cannon shooting and an open gun range.

The event begins at 3 p.m. at 1770 Seven Paths Rd., Louisburg. Music by Dave Bray USA will begin at 7 p.m.

“We’re hoping to pump up the audience in Louisburg,” Bray told John C. Rose on Thursday’s The Local Skinny!

Smith, a Republican, is running for the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield. She faces Donald Davis in the November election. Tickets for the Aug. 13 Freedom Fest are $25.

Bray is a military veteran, having served in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. He said he’d love to see “some uniforms out there,” referring to the concert audience.

His love for singing and music began early, with church choirs as a child and then garage bands in high school. Even when he was active duty, he said he continued to write music.

He said music can help veterans struggling with emotional scars like post-traumatic stress through creative expression. He said he considers his music career, through which he pays tribute to those who are or were in the military, to be a continuation of his own service to his country.

“Bring your flags, bring your guns…let’s have a good time,” Bray said.

Visit https://www.davebrayusa.com/ to learn more.

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Chamber’s Business After Hours Tomorrow At VCS Center For Innovation

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Check out the Chamber’s Business After Hours event Thursday, Aug. 11 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Vance County Schools’ Center for Innovation.

Chamber members are invited to the site of the former Henderson High School and Henderson Middle School campus to enjoy some networking and refreshments. Parking is available just off N. William Street, behind the main building.

It’s a great time to talk with school leaders about how your business can support education and how schools can help to ensure they’re preparing students for the workforce.

Participants can tour the zSpace lab, SLICE lab, MakerSpace room and video production studio on campus and can learn how their business can utilize the resources available at the Center for Innovation.

There will be giveaways and door prizes.

To learn more, contact Sandra Wilkerson, the Chamber’s director of programs at Sandra@hendersonvance.org or 252.438.8414.

Kerr Tar Regional Council of Governments

TownTalk: Classes Offered To Support Family Caregivers

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A six-week online class designed to help family caregivers do the very best they can for their loved ones – and for themselves – is set to get underway in early September and Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments staffer Susan Tucker wants folks to know how helpful the program is. Tucker speaks from first-hand experience: not only did she complete the class, but she went on to become an instructor.

“I know that it works because it worked for me,” Tucker told John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk. The class is called “Powerful Tools for Caregivers,” and she said the impact it has had in her own life has been transformative. She has been a caregiver to her mother for the past six years and the tools that she learned from the class have proved invaluable.

The class runs on Tuesday mornings from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. beginning Sept. 6 and continuing through Oct. 11. It is free and designed for any non-paid caregiver; all participants will receive a workbook as part of the class.

Michael Patterson, a family caregiver specialist with Kerr-Tar COG, said participants learn how to take care of themselves as they provide care for their loved ones, which at times can be a delicate balancing act. The class provides information about community resources, as well as techniques and skills necessary to handle and manage stress.

“That’s the wonderful thing about the class – that’s the whole point,” she said, of finding ways to manage the stress of caring for a loved one. It can be incredibly overwhelming, she added, and rarely is the caregiver prepared for or aware of what they’re getting into.

The class is different from other programs that may be focused squarely on the person who requires the care, which may provide a checklist of all the things that should be done for that person to receive proper care.

“(This) class really gives the caregiver the tools to handle their role as a caregiver,” Tucker said. “It puts tools in your hand to perform those tasks so that you can thrive while you’re caring for your loved one.”

The biggest takeaway for Tucker, she said was a feeling of confidence. “II actually felt – all of a sudden – that I could do it. I didn’t feel alone.”

Call 252.436.2040 to register for the Powerful Tools for Caregivers class.

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Home And Garden Show

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

Paul McKenzie of the Vance County Extension Service and guest Johnny Coley of Warren County Extension Service discuss paw paws.

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TownTalk: School Board Approves VCS Strategic Plan

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The new Vance County Schools logo was officially unveiled Aug. 1, and school officials took time at Monday night’s school board meeting to share a bit about the meaning behind the color scheme and the graphics.

“The new logo represents the pathway options that students may choose as the letters v,c and s can all be traced in the image,” according to information in the VCS Board Briefs document. There’s a color gradient that moves from greens to blues and that represents the personalized education and pathways available to students, the statement explained.

The school board also approved the 2022-2025 strategic plan, which includes a revised vision and mission for the 16-school district, which serves about 5,000 students from preschool through high school.

The four-point plan lists equity, innovation, high performance culture and experiential learning as driving forces to inform the work of schools, staff and district leadership.

“Vance County Schools provides an adaptable educational setting where learning is a catalyst to the pursuit of dreams in an evolving society,” the vision statement reads.

And the mission states: “Vance County Schools is committed to providing broad experiences and opportunities to stakeholders that enable them to compete globally.”

Visit https://www.vcs.k12.nc.us/ to learn more.

Calling All State Fair Competitors: Enter By Sept. 15 Deadline!

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Think you’ve got a blue-ribbon zucchini bread recipe? Want to see how that batch of blackberry jam or fig preserves stands up to state competition? Or do you have an exquisite quilt or other handcrafted item that you’d like to show off a bit?

Then consider entering the 2022 N.C. State Fair competitions, which are open now through Sept. 15.

The Fair will be held Oct. 13-23 in Raleigh. This year’s theme is “So Happy Together,” surely a nod to reclaiming participation in events that had been hindered by COVID-19 restrictions for the past two years.

In addition to the traditional competitions like artwork, honey, livestock, cooking, canned food, flowers and decorating skills, new competitions include ink pen decorated seashells and artwork-inspired floral arrangements, according to information from fair organizers.

“It is exciting to announce new competitions to go along with categories that are always so popular, like decorated cakes and quilts,” said John Buettner, competitive exhibits coordinator. “We have competitions to appeal to a wide variety of individuals from seashell painting, painted rocks, terrarium building, shoe decorating and even coloring sheets. I encourage everyone, and all ages, to check out the competitions because just like the N.C. State Fair itself, there is something for everyone.”

In 2021, more than 36,000 items were entered in competitions at the fair.

Most entry deadlines are Sept. 15. Exhibitors must have registered prior to the entry deadline. Entry forms can be mailed in or exhibitors can enter online using ShoWorks, an online application system that is widely used at fairs across the country.

“Exhibitors can enter at the website or by downloading the ShoWorks app. This will help streamline the process, report results quicker and be a way that exhibitors can manage multiple exhibits at a fair or even several fairs,” Buettner said. “Since this is new, we have provided instructions for entering each competition on our website as well.”

Find more information at ncstatefair.org and click on competitions.

Warren County Farm Tour Oct. 12

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Several agencies are partnering to host a farm-based business tour on Wednesday, Oct. 12 in Warren County. The event is free and open to the public, and will feature three stops that showcase agritourism and agribusiness in the area.

Warren County Cooperative Extension, Warren County Community & Economic Development, Vance-Granville Community College and the VGCC Small Business Center are joining forces for the event, which will begin at 8 a.m. at the Warren County Cooperative Extension Office located at Rafters Lane in Warrenton.

During the tour, which will conclude about 12 noon, participants will visit Matthews Creek Farm, Fowl Play Poultry Farm and Rockin’ E Ranch.

Transportation will be provided and personal vehicles will not be permitted on the tour, according to information from the Warren County Cooperative Extension office. Registration will be capped at 34 participants, so register now to ensure you have a space!

Learn more about the event and register here: http://go.ncsu.edu/wcfarmtour.

For more information, call Cooperative Extension at 252.257.3640 or Warren County Community & Economic Development at 252.257.3115.

Matthews Creek Farm is located on 20 acres near Norlina and its owners offer farm stay experiences, with lodging available or campsite hookups.

Fowl Play Poultry Farm is a free-range chicken ranch in Warren County that focuses on producing a quality product with local feed and tried-and-true techniques.

Rockin’ E Ranch is a horse training and boarding facility in Warren Plains.