Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

Fox Pond Shelter Renamed For Local Hero Eddie Hicks In July 29 Dedication

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The Eddie J. Hicks Shelter dedication ceremony will take place next Friday, July 29 at 11 a.m.

Currently known simply as Shelter #1 at Fox Pond Park, the Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department will officially rename the shelter in honor of one of Vance County’s most memorable athletes who also has served his native Vance County for more than 30 years.

Hicks excelled in sports and caught the eye of college scouts while playing football at Vance Senior High School. He graduated in 1975 and earned a football scholarship play at East Carolina University. Hicks still holds the ECU record for longest rushing yard play – 95 yards. He went on to play professional ball with the New York Giants.

He was inducted into the East Carolina University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.Hicks has worked with the recreation and parks department for many years and is a dedicated employee who takes pride in his work. He oversees the adult and youth community service programs and is an active community leader and youth advocate.

The public is invited to attend the dedication ceremony.

Contact Director Kendrick Vann at kendrickvann@henderson.nc.gov or 252.431.6093.

Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market

Farmers Market Loaded With Local Produce From Yellow Squash To Purple Hulls

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Venture out to the Vance Regional Farmers Market and you’re likely to hear “I need some peas, enough for supper,” or “Have you got a peck of pickling cukes?” Market Manager Pat Ayscue said the farmers who bring their produce and other goods to the market each week are prepared to fill orders small or large.

So whether it’s local vine-ripened tomatoes, butterbeans, sweet corn or purple hull peas you’re looking for, you’ll be sure to find them at the farmers market, open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the summer.

And what’s better than freshly-dug new potatoes, snaps, zucchini, squash and bell peppers for creating a healthy summer meal?

Not into doing the canning or pickling yourself? No problem! Ayscue said canned tomatoes, pickles and jellies are in good supply.

In addition to the fresh produce, the market has a variety of handcrafted items created by local artisans.

The farmers market is located at 210 Southpark Dr. off Beckford Drive in Henderson.

TownTalk: Granville Tourism Prepares For A Busy Intro To Fall

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Summer may be a time to slow down and enjoy family vacations, outdoor activities or chill out with a good book in the air conditioning, but Granville County Tourism Director Angela Allen invites everyone to come out to the streets of Oxford and Creedmoor for several upcoming events.

On Saturday, Aug. 6, head over to Old Warehouse Square just off College Street in downtown Oxford for a “Back to School Bash.” There will be a bounce house, fairy hair, vendors and food trucks on hand from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Allen told WIZS’s Bill Harris Thursday on Town Talk. There will be a school bus on hand to accept school supplies and donations, and Allen said the goal is to fill that bus with items that can be used in classrooms across the county.

Numerous downtown merchants will have collection bins for donating school supplies for students and teachers in advance of the event, and folks are invited to make donations, Allen added.

By early August, grownup and children alike are “getting ready to get their mindset back to school,” Allen said, so a fun family event is just the thing for preparing to return to the classroom.

The Back to School Bash coincides with the annual Sidewalk Sale in downtown Oxford, which happens on Friday, Aug. 5.

If bluegrass music is more your jam, check out Music on Main in downtown Oxford on Friday, Aug. 12. The Grass Street Band will perform from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. “It’s a great time to get out on the streets in downtown Oxford…grab some to-go and bring your lawn chair,” Allen said.

The Creedmoor Music Festival is returning after a break during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Allen said it is “definitely back, bigger and better.” The festival is set for Saturday, Sept. 17 in downtown Creedmoor. Music lovers will enjoy seven different performances on two stages throughout the event, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Allen said there’s a variety of genres represented, from rock and R&B, to Bluegrass and sounds of the ‘60s by band The British Invaders. Add to that mix more than 100 food and craft vendors, and the 29th annual Creedmoor Music Festival will have something for everyone. Find Creedmoor Music Festival 2022 on Facebook or visit https://www.cityofcreedmoor.org/ for updates on when the different groups will perform.

The final concert of the Alive After Five series will take place on Thursday, Sept. 29 in downtown Oxford from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Little John parking lot just off Main Street. The group Spare Change will perform.

And wedged in between all the musical performances is the 16th annual Hot Sauce Contest and Festival. The event, held on the second Saturday in September, falls on Saturday, Sept. 10 and Oxford is gearing up for another influx of visitors to sample the latest hot sauces and mingle downtown for a day of fun and food.

The Embers with Craig Woolard and Crush are among the musical guests scheduled to appear on the Main Stage, as well as numerous other local artists on the regional stage.

The classic car show, always a crowd favorite, will showcase cars for participants to view.

The kids’ area returns with lots of activities like inflatables, crafts and face painting to keep the little ones happy.

There’s a new scavenger hunt planned, which gives participants the chance to win a gift basket filled with hot sauces and other items from downtown merchants.

Check out all the activities planned at a new website, https://nchotsaucecontestandfestival.com/

 

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SportsTalk: Downey Prepares Vance Charter For Basketball Season

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High school basketball season may not get underway until November, but you can be sure that many of our local players are on the court during the summer prepping for the upcoming season.  Vance Charter Men’s Basketball Coach Taron Downey certainly has his team in the gym now preparing for November. Downey, who was a guest on SportsTalk Thursday, describes the team’s workouts as good. With five or six seniors returning, Downey hopes to advance into the state playoffs this season. Vance Charter finished 15-11 last year, good enough to earn the team its first appearance in the playoffs, but with such a senior laden team, he expects they will go much deeper in the playoffs this season.

Downey, who played his high school ball at J.F. Webb before moving on to Wake Forest and some pro ball says it’s different than when he played. “Social media is the big difference,” Downey said Thursday. Players use social media to promote themselves and highlight what they can do on a basketball court, but Downey adds that nothing beats seeing a player in person. “Social media can just be a highlight reel,” Downey stated. Still, Downey contends its an excellent recruiting tool that was not available to him during his time at J.F. Webb.

Downey feels the area produces some very good basketball players that can go on to college and have successful careers, but being in a rural area can mean that some deserving players go overlooked and once again social media can help with that.  Downey thinks that he has a couple of players who would make good candidates to move up to the next level.

Right now, Downey has Vance Charter moving full speed ahead and praises his players for having great focus this summer. “They have bought into it,” he says of his players, and he says it is not easy to get players to do that. He says he hopes to “win’em all,” this season. He adds that may not be a realistic view, but he adds that there is nothing in the rule book that says you can’t do just that.

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Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Communication, Pt. 3

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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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TownTalk: Plans For New Convention Center On Parham Rd.

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There’s a lot of planning that goes into any construction project, a statement to which Vance County Director of Tourism Pam Hester will attest. But in the case of a possible convention center complex that is in the works for the area, it’s a matter of turning a vision into reality.

Hester was John C. Rose’s guest on Wednesday’s Town Talk and she shared some initial ideas about how acreage just off Parham Road could be transformed into a spot that locals – and visitors – can enjoy. The property is owned by the Vance County Department of Tourism.

“Hopefully, this will be the catalyst for change,” Hester said, in an interview recorded earlier and aired Wednesday. A healthy economic environment is one that has a mixture of businesses, large and small. This convention center and the focus on increased tourism, she said, can be an economic driver.

Initial plans show a 27,000 square foot convention center, which Hester said would be included in the first phase of the three-phase project. “It’s in the conceptual stage right now, (and) we’ve got to go back for some tweaks.” The size could increase to about 30,000 square feet, with a main room that can accommodate 500 for dinner, but as many as 1,000 for trainings and other types of meetings. The main room can be divided into three separate meeting spots, each with its own separate entrance, so Hester said each smaller room could house a different event at the same time.

The Tourism office will be located there, too, which will allow staff to oversee facility usage and rentals – anything from boat and car shows to corporate training events, weddings and sports camps.

“It’s more than just a convention center,” she explained. “It’s more like a community/convention/welcome center.”

The second phase would include addition of a hotel, which is important for tourism in a couple of different ways: Visitors need a place to stay when they attend events in the area, and tourism programs are funded by the 6 percent occupancy tax that hotels and motels generate.

“That would open up a world of opportunities for us,” Hester said of the additional space for visitors to stay. Add a restaurant and the complex becomes more attractive for groups looking to hold events there.

Although Vance County has 319 fewer available hotel rooms, Hester said the county enjoys the highest occupancy tax rate ever. “That six percent that hotels collect is up significantly – it’s much higher than it’s ever been,” she said.

The project’s third phase would be addition of a greenway or walkway to connect with other parts of the city. And there will be a handicap-accessible children’s playground, she added, as well as a place to walk dogs and even a charging station for electric cars.

Like all projects, area officials have been discussing possible timelines for construction and completion.

“I would like to see it start tomorrow,” Hester said, “but that’s not realistic.” More than likely, getting the project underway in 2025 is more realistic.

In the meantime, planning continues and ideas keep percolating among tourism staff, its governing board and the county commissioners. Hester said she is hopeful to get some grant funding as well as developing a plan for corporate sponsorships.

 

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Granville Fire District Set Up To Help Fund Local Departments

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Granville County residents will be paying an extra tax that will be used to provide financial help to fire departments across the county.

The Granville County Fire Protection and Rescue Service District was established with the passage of the new county budget that went into effect July 1, according to information from Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood.

Fire departments throughout the county will now receive funding from this dedicated funding  stream, and the money must be spent on fire and rescue services. The newly formed district includes all unincorporated areas of the county, as well as the town of Stovall. It took effect after several months of public meetings and deliberation by the board of county commissioners following the completion of an in-depth study by the N.C. Fire Chiefs Consulting firm.

Anyone who lives within the municipal limits of the Town of Butner, City of Creedmoor, City of Oxford and Town of Stem are not in the Fire Protection and Rescue Service District and are not subject to the applicable district tax.

The tax rate is $0.06 per $100, which means that a homeowner with a home valued at $100,000 would see a rise of $60 in his or her annual tax bill.

The tax is expected to generate $1,875,733 in fiscal year 2022-2023.

“The district will help protect the health and safety of all Granville County residents by providing a dedicated and sustainable funding  source for the county’s volunteer fire departments and ensure that all residents receive professional fire  protection services when needed no matter where they live in the county,” the press release stated.

Before this district was established, there was not a dedicated funding source for fire departments in Granville County, which made it difficult for individual fire departments to plan for capital expenses like trucks and stations, not to mention annual expenses such as standard equipment, training, utilities and other routine costs to keep a fire department operational.

Departments will receive a base funding level and the volunteer fire departments will also be eligible to receive additional enhancement funding. Fire departments with “first responder” designation will receive $85,454  and include Berea, Brassfield, Bullock, Cornwall and Stem. Antioch, Butner, Corinth, Creedmoor, Granville Rural, Oxford, and Providence departments will get $80,192. South Virgilina will get $53,377 since they also get funding from Halifax County, VA.

Although final authority rests with the county commissioners, the fire and rescue services district will have an advisory board – the Granville County Fire Commission – whose  members will be appointed by the county commissioners and will have members who reside in the north, central and southern portions of the county as well as the president of the Granville County Fire Chief’s Association.

 

The Board of Commissioners recognized that fire departments throughout the county are facing a host of distinct challenges that would need sound and thoughtful financial planning. One of these future challenges is staffing, which may be required by the NC Department of Insurance to keep fire insurance affordable and have firefighters ready when emergencies occur.

To learn more, contact the Granville County Tax Administration Office at 919.693.4181 or visit the office at 141 Williamsboro  St., Oxford.

Cooperative Extension with Paul McKenzie: What Works in the Garden

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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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Home And Garden Show

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

  • Keep your garden journal up to date
  • If you plan to renovate your lawn, start making preparations for this now! Ex Soil test, seed.
  • Keep hydrated when working in the garden. Drink water and take rest breaks!
  • Check your garden twice a week for insects and disease. If you need ID of garden problems Call Cooperative Extension 252-438-8188
  • Continue your fruit spray program. Be mindful of the harvest interval before you spray iespecially if you think you will harvest fruit soon.
  • If you are canning or freezing your vegetables Cooperative Extension has recommendations to help you preserve your fruits and vegetables
  • Use trash bags to help keep deer out of your garden, electric fence is best.

 

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