Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Bedtime Problems Pt. 1

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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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Vance Charter Cheerleaders Close To Goal For A Spot In Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

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The Vance Charter School cheerleaders are in the home stretch of their fundraising efforts that will result in performing in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City – they are just $12,000 shy of making their goal.

Head Coach Stacey Long said the group needed to raise about $30,000 for the trip, which would pay for the students but not the chaperones.

“It’s going great,” Long told WIZS News. “We are down to the last $12K – we would love to wrap this fundraising up. She had said they needed to have all the money in by Sept. 1, which is one week away.

The group got the invitation in early May, and Long said to her knowledge, they’re the only cheerleading group in the area ever selected to march in the parade, known for its giant balloons, festive floats and marching bands. The girls will march along the 2.5 mile parade route, then stop and perform at Herald Square in front of Macy’s flagship store.

The cheerleaders have fanned out across Henderson and Oxford, visiting businesses and delivering informational flyers in hopes of drumming up additional donations.

“The girls are pretty excited,” she said. “They are sacrificing not having the holiday with their immediate family,” but an invitation to appear in the parade may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Long said she and assistant coach Shelley Whitehead have worked diligently alongside the cheerleaders to bring the fundraiser to the community’s attention.

If you can help, phone Long at 919.691.3279 or send a message via the

Vance Charter Cheer Leading Facebook page.

The best way to make a financial donation is to send a check to the school:

 

Vance Charter School

Attn: Coach Stacey Long

2090 Ross Mill Rd.

Henderson, NC 27537

Perry Memorial Library

Perry Library Bookmobile Fundraiser Off And Running

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Longtime residents of Henderson and Vance County may remember seeing the old bookmobile parked under the shade of a tree alongside the old H. Leslie Perry Library. The paint was a faded blue, but the sight of that vehicle out in the county meant that if the readers couldn’t get to the books, then the books could get to the readers.

The Perry Memorial Library staff is resurrecting that concept and recently announced that it got a $100,000 grant to get a sleek, new bookmobile on the roads of Vance County once more.

The price tag for a new bookmobile, however, is $160,000. A fundraiser is going on now to make up the difference and so far, citizens, business owners and non-profits have stepped up to provide $31,000.

The base of the bookmobile is a 22-foot Morgan Olson Step Van, and the vehicle will be equipped to meet the needs of the people who will use it – all types of technology will be on board to allow for books to be checked in and out, for use of the computers located inside and new library patrons can have their library cards printed on site. There also will be a lift to accommodate handicapped patrons.

Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce President Michele Burgess said her group’s education division is focusing on ways to improve the county’s literacy rate, and it fully supports the library’s efforts to get a bookmobile on the road to serve the community. She noted that nearby counties have multiple branches to serve patrons and other counties already have bookmobiles to serve outlying areas, but Vance County has only the one library in Henderson.
“Having a Vance County bookmobile to travel up to Townsville, out to the Middleburg area, and over to Kittrell is going to provide a tremendous service,” Burgess said.

To learn more about how to make a donation to the bookmobile project, visit the Perry Memorial Library website at:  www.perrylibrary.org.  Or mail your check to:  Perry Library Bookmobile Fund, 205 Breckenridge St., Henderson, NC 27536.

If you have questions, contact Christy Bondy, assistant librarian at 252.438.3316 or email cbondy@perrylibrary.org.

 

Business owners can make tax-deductible donations at the following sponsorship levels:

  • Platinum – $5,000+ – your name and company logo will appear on the back of the bookmobile
  • Gold – $2,500 – 4,999 – your name/business name will be listed on the back of the bookmobile
  • Silver – $500 – $2,499 – your name/business name will be acknowledged inside the bookmobile as a silver donor
  • Bronze – $250 – $500 – your name/business name will be acknowledged inside the bookmobile as a bronze donor
  • Supporter $1 – $249 – your name/business name will appear on the library’s website as a bookmobile supporter.

 

TownTalk: Brick Power Team Event Benefits Local Church

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Think you’ve got what it takes to compete at The Brick?

If you have to ask what The Brick is, you may want to be a spectator rather than a competitor – The Brick is where The Brick Power Team gets its name and it is the site of an upcoming bench press contest.

Harry Orr, a member of the weightlifting team, said the Oct. 15 event will benefit Freedom Life Church of God, located right next door to The Brick on Martin Creek Road in Henderson.

It’s a tangible way to say thank you for the support the church has provided The Brick Power Team, Orr told John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk.  (Click to Play Audio – TownTalk: Brick Power Team Event Benefits Local Church)

“We’re trying to give a little bit back to our church for helping us and supporting us through these events,” he said. “We’re like a ministry outreach from the church – we’ll find somebody with some kind of need” and then host a fundraiser bench press event.

“Every little bit helps,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s a lot we can give…we enjoy doing it – and use weightlifting to make it happen.”

A recent recipient was the local American Legion, he said. Adult competitors pay $40 to register and teens pay $30, but Orr said they’re not sticklers on strict rules and regulations – Orr said he’s grateful to sponsors for their help in defraying the cost of things like food and trophies for the first- and second-place finishers in the various categories.

Competitors can weigh in between 8:30 and 11 on the morning of the competition, which should begin around noon. Previous events have pulled competitors from Wake Forest, Raleigh, Greensboro, Greenville and Roxboro, and Orr said he hopes that folks will turn out in October to participate or to cheer the competitors on.

“We go by weight classes and age,” Orr said, in determining the different categories for the competition. There are classes for teens, and men’s and women’s master classes, as well as open classes determined by weight.

There’s been a 75-year-old winner and a 10-year-old winner, he said. The youngster weighed about 100 pounds and he benched more than 100 pounds.  “We’ve got some real tough competitors in this sport,” he added.

For Orr, it’s a time to do what he enjoys doing – he’s been lifting for more than 30 years, he said. “It’s a great event to put on – we have a good time doing it.”

And the competitors probably get a little charge out of flexing their muscle in front of  others. “Everybody likes to show off a little bit,” Orr said.

Orr may fit that description as well, when he’s in a competition. But he was a bit more subdued as he shared an accolade that will be bestowed on him and some others from Vance County in just a couple of weeks at Aycock Rec Center: Orr will be inducted into the N.C. Power Lift Hall of Fame on Saturday, Sept. 10.

In 2011, Orr was ranked #1 in the 55-59 class of the American Challenge. It’s a lot of hard work on his part to train and practice, but he gives the credit to God.

“God’s been good to us, giving us the ability to do it,” he said.

Call Orr at 252.432.4196 or email him at horr2553@yahoo.com

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Home And Garden Show

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

  • Repot houseplants into a  larger pot if you see roots coming out of drainage holes
  • If you have planted some fall greens such as collards, turnips or cabbage, go ahead and get a worm control product to have on hand. You will need it soon!
  • Always check for crusting of soil after planting seed recently and it rains soon after planting
  • Many fall garden crops can be planted now through mid-September. Timely planting is crucial for success.
  • Weed the garden soon after a rain weeds will pull up much easier with the added soil moisture.
  • Pull or spray microstegium soon. It will set seed in a couple of weeks which makes the infestation much worse next year.
  • Avoid the rush and start taking your soil samples now!

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Downtown Oxford ‘Social District’ Begins Sept. 1

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Final preparations for Oxford’s Downtown Social District are almost complete – beginning Thursday, Sept. 1, patrons of eight downtown establishments can sip adult beverages as they stroll along the sidewalks within the designated area.

The City of Oxford and the Downtown Oxford Economic Development Corporation (DOEDC)  have created a map which defines the social district and outlines the specific streets where the social district has been established, as well as the businesses that are participating, according to information from Alyssa Blair, the city’s communications specialist.

Alcoholic beverages may be consumed in this area during the following hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 12 noon – 9 p.m., and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Beverages must be in social district containers only and must be discarded before you exit the designated social district boundaries. Window clings will be present in storefronts downtown to indicate their participation: a green cling means beverages are welcome inside, a red cling means no beverages are allowed, and a yellow cling means that beverages are sold inside. Downtown merchants have been provided the different clings and city and downtown officials request that patrons respect the business owners’ individual decisions to participate or not. For more information regarding the Social District including hours of operation, window cling and sticker examples, please visit the City of Oxford website at https://www.oxfordnc.org/community/downtown_oxford_social_district.php

Participating businesses are:

Map and Elements courtesy of City of Oxford and DOEDC

  • Harvest
  • Strong Arm Baking Co.
  • Milano’s
  • The Orpheum
  • The Hub
  • Uptown Bar And Restaurant
  • Main Street Oasis
  • Tobacco Wood Brewing Co.

SportsTalk: Panthers Go With Mayfield As Starter

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Four Takeaways From Panthers’ Second Preseason Game at Gillette Stadium

— by Patrick Magoon freelance writer for WIZS

Friday’s preseason game, while initially sloppy, featured bright spots for both teams. Carolina Panthers quarterbacks PJ Walker and Matt Corral each handled 15 snaps and yielded a combined 135 yards through the air. New England Patriots quarterbacks Bailey Zappe, Mac Jones, and Brain Hoyer racked up 249 passing yards. Here are four takeaways.

Jones Shines in Preseason Debut

Despite an unflattering first-quarter performance from a Jones-led offense, the group found its footing late in the second quarter. Jones completed four of his eight pass attempts, netting 61 yards. The highlight of his limited playing time occurred during the Patriots’ third offensive drive when he connected with receiver Nelson Agholor on a 45-yard passing play, which set the team up for a score.

However, it is worth noting that the Panthers’ defensive unit consisted of backups. Head coach Matt Rhule kept his starters sidelined for the entire game.

Rhule is Hesitant to Name a Starting Quarterback

What we thought was once a relatively easy decision is now seemingly more complicated in the mind of Rhule. While Baker Mayfield, a former top pick, and teammate Sam Darnold shared equal reps for most of training camp and team practices, Mayfield’s deep-ball accuracy, decision-making abilities, and composure appeared to warrant a slight advantage over the competition.

“Like I said all along, when we know, we know. And we’ll announce something when it’s right,” said Rhule.

PJ Walker Continues to Crumble Under Pressure

Another unsatisfactory preseason performance from Walker further extends the gap between himself, rookie Matt Corral, and other potential prospects. Considering that Rhule intends to keep three quarterbacks on the active roster, Walker will need to correct some ongoing careless mistakes sooner rather than later.

In two quarters, Walker completed nine of 15 pass attempts for a total of 107 yards. However, two of the 15 pass attempts resulted in interceptions. Matt Corral, on the other hand, finished 9-for-15.

Carolina Panthers Receiver Talent Runs Deep

Regarding the Panthers’ wide receiver rankings moving forward, Rhule and his staff have some tough decisions to make. For the first time in many years, the competition and strengths amongst a versatile group of backup receivers are plentiful.

Shi Smith, an excellent special teams asset and talented pass catcher, is making a case for additional offensive responsibilities. Also, receivers Rashad Higgens and Terrace Marshall Jr. have demonstrated flashes of explosive plays.

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