https://www.upandcomingweekly.com/


  • 14JudgeWant to know why conservatives are more skeptical than progressives of the idea of government confiscating more of our money to throw at social programs? I’ve already given you the answer in my choice of words.

    Our disagreements begin, but do not end, with definitions. Look at the way I worded my question. I could have instead asked “why conservatives are more hostile than progressives to the idea of all of us investing more of our money together to solve social problems”? Hostility sounds more unreasonable than skepticism. “All of us investing” sounds cooperative, while “government confiscating” sounds invasive. And obviously there’s a big difference between “throwing money” at programs and “solving problems.”

    My purpose isn’t to endorse the more positively stated proposition. As a conservative, I’d reject it as misleading and biased.

    For example, I think using the term “all of us” to describe an inherently coercive institution, government, is erroneous. Taxes are surrendered, not voluntarily contributed. People get a say in electing politicians every two to four years, if they want it, but that’s not the same thing as saying “we” collectively constitute the government, which is a discrete social institution (there are others) with clearly identifiable rules, structures, employees and vendors.

    Just to be clear: the vast majority of right-leaning folks are not anarchists. We grant that government plays a legitimate and necessary role. We also think it should be tightly circumscribed, so as to minimize how much we get bossed around by government officials who may not share our values, goals or priorities.

    Take education. With the exception of a few “separation of school and state” hard-liners, most conservatives and libertarians favor a government role in education, at least at the state and local levels. That means we favor taxing North Carolinians to ensure that all children are offered the opportunity to receive a sound, basic education.

    But how high should those taxes be? Remember that every dollar government takes from us to spend represents a dollar we cannot spend for ourselves on food, clothing, shelter, rearing children, receiving medical care, supporting religious and community organizations, enjoying recreation and leisure or building valuable capital to generate future income.

    You can’t answer the question satisfactorily with platitudes. Education is highly valuable and critically important. We all agree about that. But other things are valuable, too.

    One productive way to approach the question is to try to gauge the value added for each additional dollar spent. If the value added by public schools, for example, rose consistently with public expenditure –such that the highest-spending schools, districts and states delivered the most value – that might constitute a persuasive argument for North Carolina, which ranks below the national average in per-pupil spending, to raise its public expenditure on schools quickly and significantly, even if that meant higher taxes.

    In reality, however, there is no consistent relationship between expenditure and the value added by public schools, at least not in modern times. Even states with relatively low expenditures spend far more today than any did in the early days of public education.

    That’s what most empirical studiesshow. That’s also consistent with thedistribution of just-released national testscores. The Urban Institute has a handy tool for adjusting state averages by student characteristics such as poverty and native languages other than English. After such adjustments, only four states rank in the top 10 for all four tests – for reading and math, in 4th and 8th grades.

    Two of them, Massachusetts and New Jersey, are high-spending blue states. The other two, Florida and Indiana, are low-spending red states. If we broaden the analysis to include high-scoring states on at least three of the four tests, three more states join the ranks of highest-value-added: Georgia (35th in spending), Virginia (26th) and our own NorthCarolina (38th).

    Conservatives look at these and other facts and conclude that North Carolina can continue to improve our education system – and that we don’t need tax hikes to get the job done.

  • 13TakeOutIs the cold weather really over at last? And if the warmer season is here, what are some good books you should consider for your spring reading list?

    Here are four recent novels from three of North Carolina’s most popular writers and a promising debut author, all of them featured on recent or upcoming North Carolina Bookwatch broadcasts.

    When “Long Upon the Land” was published in 2015, North Carolina’s beloved mystery writer Margaret Maron told us it was her final in her 20-book series featuring District Court Judge Deborah Knott, the daughter of a boot legger and the wife of a deputy sheriff. Sadly, we said goodbye to Knott and to Maron’s storytelling talents.

    Last year, we got a happy surprise. Although the Judge Knott series was over, Maron had one more novel to share.

    “Take Out” is a murder mystery, the last in Maron’s nine-book Sigrid Harald series. She is a New York City police detective. Harald may not be as popular as Knott, but she has many fans.

    The novel opens with the discovery of two dead men on a park bench in downtown Manhattan. Both had apparently been poisoned. But why? And by whom? Maron takes us all over the city to solve the mystery. Along the way, at a book fair, we meet a North Carolina bookseller who shares a name with the former owner of Quail Ridge Books, the late and beloved Nancy Olson.

    UNC-Chapel Hill’s Daniel Wallace’s recent “Extraordinary Adventures” may be his best novel. That is saying something because his “BigFish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions” delighted thousands even before it became a great movie.

    In “Extraordinary Adventures,” he tells us the story of Edsel Bronfman, a 34-year-old socially awkward shipping clerk who wins a free vacation. There is only one condition, “you have to bring your spouse or partner or girl friend.” Edsel’s crusade to find that partner makes for another wild, happy and troubling Daniel Wallace adventure. Local governments on the coast are adopting resolutions opposing President Trump’s proposal to open the Atlantic waters to offshore oil drilling.

    Master storyteller and UNC-Wilmington writing professor Phillip Gerard’s recent novel, “The Dark of the Island,” weaves a storyline that brings together German submarines and spying along our coastline and recent efforts to find and exploit oil deposits off those same shores.

    Into this tapestry he blends other compelling themes such as complicated families, race, romance and the special history of the people of the Outer Banks.

    The main character, Nick Wolf, is a researcher and publicist for the fictional NorthAm Oil Company, which is searching for oil off the North Carolina coast.

    His grandfather was a German immigrant who died off the coast of Hatteras Island in 1942, reportedly while serving in the U.S. Merchant Marines, but possibly as a part of the German military.

    In her debut novel “Maranatha Road,” attorney, mother and author Heather Bell Adams takes her readers to the North Carolina mountains where two women battle over the memory of a man each loved. The man’s mother, Sadie Caswell, mourns the loss of her son, who died shortly before his scheduled wedding. The other woman,Tinley Greene, is a young stranger, recently orphaned and alone. She now claims she is pregnant with the man’s child.

    Adams sympathizes with both these characters. Like Tinley, Adams lost a parent while she was still in her teens. And she is now a mother like Sadie.

    “Now that I’m a mother, I’m often struck by the fierce desire to shield our son from harm and unhappiness, especially knowing how arbitrary life can be. The character of Sadie first appeared to me as an older woman who sees that her adult son is headed for disaster, but she is powerless to stop it.”

  • 01 coverUAC0050218001Twenty-two years ago, Holly Whitley was only six months into operating her new Legends Pub on Bragg Boulevard when she hosted the first Spring Fling. She’d intended to host a casual fun run, but then, a friend was in a motorcycle accident that rendered him temporarily unable to work. She turned the Spring Fling into a benefit to help him and his wife cover their bills. Since then, the Spring Fling has stayed true to these roots and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support community members who are in immediate need. This year’s Spring Fling takes place May 4-6 at Legends Pub.

    “We like to stay in our community,” Whitley said. “We’re not knocking large organizations or anything like that, but we really believe in taking care of our own community.”

    The funds raised this year will benefit Lisa Horne, a member of The Steele Angels Riding Club. The Steele Angels are a local nonprofit group made up of women motorcyclists who support and conduct fundraising events to assist women and underprivileged children in need. Steele Angels founder and president Wendy Rogers said, “Lisa was in a terrible motorcycle accident on March 31, and as always, bikers come together and help each other. Bikers are, in my book, some of the most amazing people on this earth. They have hearts as big as the world.

    “Lisa Horne has a love for the steel horses (motorcycles); she has a love for the furry horses as well. She has loved horses since she was 11 years old and loves to ride them as well. She has been a member of The Steele Angels for over 8 years and is also a member of some horse-riding clubs. She has served and is still active in the military; I call her our ‘Military Girl.’ She served in South Korea, Afghanistan and on other tours. She has four children and five grandchildren.”

    The Steele Angels Riding Club has always had close ties with Whitley and Legends Pub, but this is the first time a Steele Angel has benefited from the Spring Fling.

    “It’s kind of a blessing when we don’t have an individual to do Spring Fling for,” Whitley said. “That means one of our friends has not been hurt. One of us has not been put in distress. We like to take care of our own, but we don’t want to have to.”

    Friday, May 4, kicks things off with a casual preparty at Legends. The doors open around 8 p.m. for pizza, drinks and the opportunity to participate in a pool tournament or raffle.

    Saturday, May 5, is the Scott Sather Memorial Run, an unchanging element of the Spring Fling since 2003. Sather was a regular at Legends and a member of the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, an elite Air Force operations unit assigned to the Joint Special Operations Command at Pope Army Air Field. He was killed in Iraq on April 8, 2003, and is honored by a memorial in Freedom Memorial Park downtown.

    The ride will leave from Legends around noon and stop at spots like Fort Bragg Harley-Davidson, The Rednecks Yacht Club and VFW 370 on Dock Bennett Road, returning by 4:30 p.m. That evening will feature food, live music from Motorjunkie starting at 6 p.m., raffles and a live auction. “People bring in donations for everything (to be auctioned),” Whitley said. “Helmets, motorcycle jackets, lots of baskets (coffee, tea, facials from a spa)... it never fails that we have done well. We raised close to $15,000 in one event, and for one little bar on Bragg Boulevard, that’s pretty impressive. … People will also just write us checks and hand us money. They believe in the cause, they believe in what we’re doing.”

    Sunday, May 6, ends the weekend with a bikeshow. Anyone is welcome to participate by lining their bike up in front of the bar. “A lady stands at each one of the bikes,” Whitley said. “It’s not about the bike; it’s about raising the money. You get a dollar a vote.” The bike that wins the most money takes best of show.

    At the core of Whitley’s massive crew of friends, family and volunteers who make the Spring Fling possible are the Gypsy Women. It’s an ever-evolving group of women that’s been around since the 1980s, several years before Whitley opened Legends. Gypsy Women move away and return. As their daughters grow up, the Gypsy Women induct them into the group as well. One thing stays the same: they stick together and tangibly support each other through all life brings their way – deployment, divorce, illness and death as well as weddings, babies, promotions and new beginnings.

    “We started out in our 30s and 40s and now we’re in our 50s and 60s, a lot of us,” Whitley said. “But we get a lot of respect as the younger people are coming up in their 20s and 30s. They’re just as involved with us, and it’s nice to see the different age groups of women work so well together. And being a Gypsy Woman is really just being able to give your heart out and help people – to support our causes that we choose together in conversation.

    “We see someone in a situation where we know they would be there for us if we were in that situation. My kids grew up with these benefits, and I’ve watched them take care of their friends. It’s a generation thing. My bar has lots of parents, or even grandparents, that come in and drink with them.”

    Over the last 22 years, the Spring Fling has enabled community members to pay for mammograms, cancer treatments, hospital bills and living expenses while going through difficult times. There have also been many years when there was not an individual who needed the Spring Fling’s funds. Those years, the event has benefited organizations like the Child Advocacy Center; Falcon Children’s Home; Hope Mills Sunshine Center Inc.; Fayetteville Hyperbarics, LLC; Fayetteville Animal ProtectionSociety; the NC Veterans Home; and the Kidsville News Literacy & Education Foundation, among many others.

    Legends Pub also extends a special thank you to Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins and veteran motorcycle police officer Derick Boyd for their assistance in making this year’s event possible.

    Legends Pub is located at 4624 Bragg Blvd # 1. Overflow parking will be available just past the bar on the right, in the parking lot of Ken’s Muffler and Auto Repair. Call Legends at 910-867-2364 for more information.

  • 14COSJason Britt has been a part of Cumberland County’s music community since he played cello in the strings program at Eastover Elementary School. These days, he serves as director of the Cumberland Oratorio Singers. Britt and the members of COS are currently preparing for the final show of their season, “We Sing to Experience,” set for Friday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m.

    With “We Sing to Experience,” Britt, who has a bachelor’s degree in music from Methodist College (now Methodist University) and a master’s degree in music education from East Carolina University, will wrap up his first year as director of the COS. He was notified in March 2017 that he would be serving as the new director, and to hear him talk about his time with COS is to recognize how much he loves working with the ensemble. 

    “My favorite aspect of working with COS is that I get to work with people who – down to their core – really enjoy music and have a deep interest for singing in a choir,” he said. “I love working with like-minded people who want to strive toward a common goal.”

    The upcoming “We Sing to Experience” will feature performances from the COS, the Cross Creek Chorale, and the Campbellton Youth Chorus. According to Britt, the concert is “comprised of works all choirs should do or have in their libraries. These would be works that are a sort of ‘who’s who’ of choir music.”

    The program will feature arrangements of “Sing unto God” by G.F. Handel, “Sicut Locutus Est” by Johann Sebastian Bach, “Achieved is the Glorious Work” by Joseph Haydn and many other classic and familiar choral selections.

    Britt is also excited to announce the theme of the Oratorio Singers’ next season – “The Night Was Meant for Music.” The 2018-19 season will include “A Night of Jazz” on October 19; “A Night with the Masters” on March 8, 2019; and “A Night of Stage and Screen” on April 27, 2019.

    The 2018-19 season will also see the return of the Fayetteville tradition – a December performance of Handel’s oratorio, “Messiah,” with full orchestra. Between Cole Porter and arrangements of popular Broadway works, the COS’ upcoming season promises to be a crowd-pleaser.

    “We Sing to Experience” is scheduled for Friday, April 27, at Haymount United Methodist, 1700 Fort Bragg Rd. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $27. All student admission is free with school ID. The COS also offers discounts for groups of 10 or more.

    For more information, email Jason Britt at cumberlandoratoriodirector@gmail.com or Matthew Franks, the president of COS, at cumberlandoratoriosingers@gmail.com. For more information about the COS, visit www.singwithcos.org. Individuals or businesses interested in any of the COS’ many sponsorship levels can contact Mary Potter via phone at 910-822-4447 or by email at claymary25@gmail.com. 

  • 07NewsDigestThe city of Fayetteville has released a new app for smart phones that is tied to the city’s mobilefriendly website. 

    “We are excited to announce the launch of our city app, as it will greatly enhance residents’ ability to find information quickly and easily,” said Kevin Arata, corporate communication director for the city of Fayetteville. “The app will make it easy to access those features and content most-visited on our website, without requiring a lot of effort on their part. It also puts us on par with other large cities that offer apps for their residents, to be able to better communicate with residents beyond what our website currently accomplishes.”

    App users will find links to useful information regarding elected officials, recreation and attractions, city news, major transportation assets within the city and utility contact information. 

    City residents and visitors to Fayetteville who download the app to their smartphone can create interactive maps during special events such as the Dogwood Festi - val. App users can learn about the locations of various festival vendors and the multiple concerts taking place throughout the festival. 

    The Arts Council’s Work in Progress sculptures are also on an interactive map on the app. The sculptures are strategically placed in the downtown area. Photos of each of the 12 sculptures are on the map and listed by location. The in - teractive map allows a user to locate and visit each sculpture walking through the downtown area. 

    Download the app by visiting your smartphone app store. The app is free.

    Fayetteville Tech names new honorary trustee of the college and board

    At the April 16 Fayetteville Tech - nical Community College Board of Trustees meeting, President Dr. J. Larry Keen and Board Chair Ronald Crosby Jr. presented Cumberland County Commissioner Dr. Jean - nette M. Council the distinguished honor of Honorary Trustee of the College and Board of Trustees. 

    “What people don’t realize is the (Council) family is invested in FTCC. Dr. Jeannette Council is a dedicated leader who has given her support and commitment at the state level and to our county commission - ers and citizens for so many years. ‘Honorary trustee’ is an extraor - dinary, high privilege and honor. Members of the Board of Trustees and I couldn’t think of anyone more deserving than she,” Dr. Keen said when presenting the award.

    The designation of honorary trust - ee is awarded to individuals for their exceptional service and support of the college through the years.

    Council served on the State Board of North Carolina Community Colleges from 1993 to 2005. She has served on the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners since 2000, having served four terms as vice chair and three terms as chair.

    The Yadkin Road storm drain - age road closure

    Yadkin Road at the intersection of Cimarron Drive will be closed Wednesday, April 25, beginning at 8 p.m. and will reopen Tuesday, May 1, at 3 a.m. Bridgepoint Civil, a PWC contractor, will be conducting the Yadkin Road Storm Drainage project for the city of Fayetteville. Motorists and pedestrians are urged to use caution in this area.

  • The annual Carver Classic track meet didn’t offer a lot of highlights for the competing Cumberland County track teams, but there were some good moments.

    Jack Britt’s boys, despite having no individual winners, used their depth in multiple events to come away with the boys’ team title.

    A pair of local girls, Zinzili Kelley of Douglas Byrd and Djamilla Peterson of Pine Forest, took victories in the long jump and triple jump, respectively. Meanwhile, the 4x200 relay team from Pine Forest, composed of Jonathan Everett, Felix Patterson, Jordan Ferguson and Walter Brown, won that event.

    Here’s a brief look at each performance.

    Britt boys triumph 

    Despite being without his best shot putters, Britt track coach Tyler Hood saw his boys score a victory in the Carver Classic with 85 points, edging secondplace Morrisville Green Hope with 78. The nexthighest Cumberland County entry was E.E. Smith in seventh place with 33.

    “We do have a lot of depth in all areas, throwing events, sprinting events and jumping events,’’ Hood said.

    Leading the individual performance for the Buccaneers was sprinter Deangelo Davis. He took fifth in the 100-meter dash, seventh in the 200 and ran a leg on the third-place 4x100 relay and second place 4x200 relay

    Hood said the key to continued success for Britt is keeping his team healthy and avoiding leg weariness before the postseason starts. “We want to keep them as fresh as possible,’’ he said. He also hopes his squad can get in enough practice time on the rubberized track at nearby New Century Middle School.

    “If we can do those two things, we’ve got a good shot,’’ he said.

    Kelly takes long jump 

    15Zinzili Kelley Douglas ByrdByrd’s Kelley said the Carver Classic is an important event for her and the Eagle track team. “It’s where most of the competition will be,’’ she said. “It’s not like the regular Thursday meets where you run against two schools. There are amazing athletes there, ones that can win the regional and state.’’

    Kelley said she’s been trying to get over knee problems and was still struggling with them at the Carver meet.

    “I’ve been working mostly on my running, not my jumping,’’ she said. “Mostly I was trying to get my speed up.’’

    She recorded her winning jump of 18-feet, 7-inches on her fourth jump. “I was one of the last few jumpers,’’ she said. “I was listening to what everyone else was jumping, so I said I’m good, no one else is close.’’

    She’s not a big fan of the facilities at Northern Guilford, where this year’s 3-A regional meet will be held, so she’s aiming for a top five finish there to assure a berth in the state finals.

    “I’m just training, doing what I know and what I’ve learned so I can win,’’ she said.

    Photo: Zinzili Kelley

    Peterson wins triple jump

    16Djamila Peterson Pine ForestPine Forest’s Peterson said she prepped for the Carver by posting a third-place finish in nationals where she turned in a triple jump of 38 feet, 3.5 inches. She took first in the Carver Classic with a leap of 37-3.

    Although the competition she faced in the Carver was stiffer than what she sees in conference meets, she didn’t try to attach any greater importance to it. “I just read it like every other meet,’’ she said. “I want to qualify and (personal record) every time.’’

    She got her winning leap on her first try. She tried to better the effort in her remaining jumps but said “it just didn’t happen.’’

    As she prepares for the stretch run to the regional and state meets, she has a simple focus. “Just keep practicing hard,’’ she said.

    Photo: Djamilla Peterson

    Trojan foursome captures relay 

    17Pine Forest relay teamPine Forest track coach Terry Wickham said the quartet on his 4x200 meter relay team has been consistently lowering its time in the event as the season has progressed.

    “We have one new guy, Johnathan Everett, who never ran track before,’’ Wickham said. “He’s been a basketball player for the last four years.’’

    Everett ran the third leg for the Carver winning relay team. The other legs were Ferguson first, Brown second and Patterson fourth.

    Pine Forest turned in a time of 1:28.84 to win the Carver despite what Wickham called one of the squad’s worst handoffs of the season. “I think we can go faster than we have,’’ he said.

    The key to the rest of the season is participating in big meets to get the experience of running in front of a crowd.

    “We are ranked first in the 4-A Mid-East and third overall in the state, but it’s really close,’’ Wickham said of the Trojan relay team. “Working on speed and handoffs is why you go to the bigger meets. You don’t want to mess up there. The more you get to run at bigger competitions, the better you get at handling pressure. That’s what it’s going to come down to.’’

    Photo: L to R, standing: Jonathan Everett, Felix Patterson, Jordan Ferguson. Sitting: Walter Brown. 

  • 19Joshua Jose RiveraJoshua Jose Rivera

    Gray’s Creek • Baseball •

    Sophomore

    Rivera has a grade point average of 3.58 for the Bears.

     

     

    20June Kilpatrick Douglas ByrdJune Kilpatrick

    Douglas Byrd • Soccer •

    Sophomore

    Kilpatrick has a 4.3 grade point average. She’s a platoon leader for the JROTC and a member of the drill team and academic team. She participates in the speech and debate clubs. Away from school she volunteers for the American Red Cross.

  • 06EarlEditor’s note: Up & Coming Weekly sports editor Earl Vaughan was inducted to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Hall of Fame. We are proud to have Earl on our staff. Below are his thoughts on the event. Congratulations, Earl.

    There aren’t enough superlatives in the dictionary to describe my recent experience. This is the second time in my life I’ve been honored with selection to a hall of fame, the first one coming in 2012 when the Fayetteville Sports Club honored me.

    The NCHSAA ceremony was held at the Embassy Suites in Cary, and it could not have been a more perfect evening.

    I was joined at my table for this special moment by a mixture of family, friends and professional associates from my 40-plus year career at The Fayetteville Observer and now Up & Coming Weekly.

    There was my dad, the Rev. Earl Vaughan Sr., who thanks to his friendship with former Fayetteville Publishing Company publisher Ramon Yarborough helped open the door to my career as a sports writer. My cousins, Tammy Hill and Dr. Marcia Lancaster, along with Tammy’s husband Nick Hill were there. Tammy and Marcia have been more like sisters than cousins to me and have been fans of my work from the beginning.

    Two of my former Observer sports editors, Doug Mead and Thomas Pope, who put up with an assortment of aggravations from me over the years, took the time to attend.

    And then there was Melanie Grooms Garrett, one of the finest three-sport athletes I ever had the honor of covering when she starred at South View High School and later UNC-Pembroke. She was one of the best players for my good friend, the late South View softball coach Eddie Dees, who submitted my nomination to the NCHSAA Hall of Fame.

    Finally, there was Trey Edge and his wife Kensley. I’ve known Trey since his high school days at Terry Sanford, and I was with him on one of the most disappointing nights you could imagine on an athletic field when his Bulldogs fell to Greensboro Page in a brutal way to lose the 1985 state championship football game. Trey has gone on to do play-by-play for DK Sports Inc. and host a Monday night sports talk show on WFNC with former Terry Sanford coach Bill Boyette.

    There were others in the room who shared the moment as well: fellow Hall of Famer and longtime Terry Sanford tennis and girls’ basketball coach Gil Bowman, East Bladen coach and athletic director Patty Evers, officiating regional supervisors Neil Buie and Brad Allen, the latter also an NFL football official. Another good friend was Robeson County product and former state department of public instruction staff member Tim Brayboy.

    Evers, Allen and Buie all appeared on a video tribute that was shown during the banquet and had kind words to say about me, along with former Observer coworkers Sammy Batten and Jaclyn Shambaugh and former Douglas Byrd and Seventy-First football coach Bob Paroli, another fellow Hall of Famer.

    I can’t begin to thank everyone who has made a comment complimenting me on social media, via texts to my phone and in personal phone calls as well.

    The hardest thing for me to wrap my head around is that my name now graces a display in the Simon Terrell Building at the NCHSAA office in Chapel Hill, where the names of coaching greats and administrative legends of this state are also honored.

    My role in high school athletics has been on the periphery compared to them. All I do is tell everyone else’s stories, and I’ve tried to do that with two goals in mind. They are simply to be fair and tell the truth.

    That is what I plan to continue doing here at Up & Coming Weekly thanks to the generous support of publisher Bill Bowman, who has allowed me to keep doing the one thing I truly love in this world, covering high school athletics.

    Thank you to everyone for all the kind words, and most of all, thanks to the coaches, athletes and fans for reading what I’ve written.

    It’s all about them and for them. I’m just along for the ride, and it’s been an incredible one so far.

    Photo: Earl Vaughan Jr.

  • 09EyreSweet Tea Shakespeare and its company of performers are readying the stages at The 1897 Poe House at the Museum of the Cape Fear for an upcoming run of the classic and widely beloved “Jane Eyre.” “Jane Eyre” is a stage play adapted from the popular Victorian novel of the same name by Charlotte Brontë. The show opens Thursday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m. and runs through May 6.

    “Jane Eyre” tells a sort of coming-of-age story about a woman named Jane, a young orphan in Victorian England. Much of the earlier sections of the novel show the many trials Jane faces as an orphan trying to make her way in the world. As Jane ages into adulthood, the novel focuses more on her complicated relationship with Mr. Rochester – the lord of Thornfield Manor where Jane is employed as a governess.

    The original novel is typically printed in editions that top out at 400 pages. Adapting that for the stage is no easy task, but according to Jessica Osnoe, associate artistic director for Sweet Tea Shakespeare, the adaptation serves the source material well without being overwhelming. 

    “The adaptation captures the essence of the novel in its characters and themes and, like other adaptations, focuses primarily on Jane’s time at Thornfield,” said Osnoe. “Our guiding lens became Jane’s search for home. So, we focused our production on the events in the novel (that) best tell that story.” 

    Osnoe pointed out that Sweet Tea Shakespeare’s 2017-18 season has explored themes of homecoming in a variety of ways. “Sweet Tea Shakespeare creates a home for beautiful, wondrous storytelling, so ‘Jane Eyre,’ the story of an orphan in search of love and home, makes perfect sense for us,” she said.

    Sweet Tea Shakespeare truly offers a unique experience to its patrons. Performances can happen in a variety of venues around the city. According to Osnoe, “Our shows are not static. We perform at several locations in and around Fayetteville; we play indoors and out, and we seek to bring the party to our audiences. We want both our stories and our delight to be accessible to everyone in the community.” 

    Cape Fear serves as the Sweet Tea Shakespeare’s primary spring and summer performance space, while Holy Trinity Episcopal serves as the company’s winter venue. 

    General manager of Sweet Tea Shakespeare, Jennifer Pommerenke, is also looking forward to the run of shows and wants those who plan to attend to have the best possible experience. It is recommended that patrons arrive around 45 minutes earlier than the 7:30 p.m. start time. 

    According to Pommerenke, “All of our shows begin with a musical ‘What you Will’ pre-show. The music always reflects the themes of the story we are about to tell.” Additionally, Pommerenke said, patrons are responsible for their own seating since the performance will occur outdoors. There will be food and drink available the night of the performance. Otherwise, patrons should “be ready to see a beloved, timeless story told with care and heart.”

    There are performances each evening from April 26-29 and from May 3-6. General admission tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Senior citizen and military tickets are $13 in advance and $18 at the door. Admission for students and children ages 6-12 costs $8 in advance and $13 at the door. Children under five are admitted for free.

    For more information or to order tickets, visit www.sweetteashakespeare.com. Sweet Tea Shakespeare can also be reached at 910-420-4383.

  • 02pub pen dogwoodThis is a week full of excitement. And, no, I’m not talking about the city council’s action of initiating a petition of amotion for the removal of disgraced District 2 councilman Tyrone Williams. We’ll have plenty to say about that guy and his cronies in the weeks to come. 

    I’m referring to the sights and sounds of spring filling the air. This time of year, fragile pink and white azaleas frame out thousands of pink and white dogwood trees that adorn the city – each dogwood blossom beautiful yet desperately hanging on to officially welcome the 37th Annual Fayetteville Dogwood Festival.

    This annual celebration brings the city together to enjoy beautiful weather along with a variety of activities. The music stages will host several genres of musicians throughout the event. There will be a midway, complete with games and rides. There will be fireworks, aerial yoga performances, a car show and so much more. 

    As a bonus, this year’s festival has been extended to four days. In this special Fayetteville Dogwood Festival edition of Up & Coming Weekly, you will find everything you need to know about having fun and enjoying this community tradition in historic downtown Fayetteville.

    While most of the festivities will be in and around Festival Park, Friday night brings an added dimension of enjoyment when 4th Friday makes Hay Street come alive with art, artists and delicious food served streetside to the melodies of talented local street musicians. 

    The Arts Council’s exhibit is “Impressions: More than Skin Deep.” It hangs through Saturday, May 12. It is a celebration of the creativity of artists who work in the tattoo industry. The Cool Spring Downtown District hosts a variety of initiatives that make 4th Friday fun as well.

    It’s uniquely enjoyable and uniquely Fayetteville. So, come on down! This is your personal invitation to join me and the crew of Up & Coming Weekly at this wonderful, award-winning event. 

    The more adventurous types can join Fayetteville Astros general manager David Lane and his wife, Lindsey, as they lead out the 13th annual Hogs & Rags Motorcycle Rally in support of three local charities. The rally is a police-escorted ride to Myrtle Beach. It includes a stop for breakfast at Rocking A Ranch. The ride concludes in plenty of time for you to get back to Fayetteville and still enjoy the festival. All motorcycles and four-wheeled vehicles are invited to take part. For more information and to register, go to www.hogsandrags.org.

    Enjoy the festival, enjoy 4th Friday, and enjoy the rally.

    Thanks for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

     

  • 05ReserveOn April 23, America’s Army Reserve celebrated 110 years of history in service to the Army and the nation. 

    What began in 1908 as a tiny corps of medical professionals held in readiness for service is today the Army’s global operational reserve force – meeting high optempo demands, generating forces to support Army commitments worldwide and providing predictable capabilities to the Army and our global Combatant Commands. 

    Established by Congress in 1908 with just 160 doctors and nurses, a somewhat larger organized reserve was created under the National Defense Act of 1916. A year later, when America entered World War I, more than 160,000 reserve soldiers were mobilized to help the U.S. Army defeat Germany and the central powers. By World War II, the reserves included more than 200,000, serving on every front. 

    Through the Cold War, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War, the Global War on Terror and countless crises, operations and emergencies, America’s Army Reserve has never failed to meet the challenges of its time – providing quick access to the mission-critical forces and capabilities the Army needs to initiate, sustain and prevail in major operations.

    Today, the nature of the threat is changing, and the Army Reserve is again rising to meet it, forging the most capable, combat-ready and lethal federal reserve force in the history of the nation. 

    At the tip of the spear is a ready force of some 600 units prepared to deploy quickly – some in less than 30 days – to fight, survive and win against emerging threats. A second level of effort is comprised of operational units prepared to deploy in 61-90 days for contingency operations, followed by units needed beyond 120 days. All will be postured to move fast, engage quickly and win decisively on the battlefields of today and tomorrow.

    Looking ahead, America’s Army Reserve will stay true to its roots as an expeditionary force, remaining flexible, agile, innovative and attuned to the velocity of change in our time. And, it will continue to leverage the talent of the private sector for the good of the nation. For, at its heart, America’s Army Reserve is and always will be an army of citizen soldiers committed to their communities, supported by engaged employers. 

    Highly skilled and educated in more than 148 different career fields, they are doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, information and other specialists on the leading edge of their fields. But they are also our relatives, neighbors and friends who not only defend our freedom and security abroad but secure the homeland, provide assistance in times of crisis or disaster and never fail to lend a hand when needed. 

    The world is constantly changing, but one thing is constant: The Army Reserve will remain the dedicated federal reserve of the most decisive and lethal land force in the world. Ready now, shaping tomorrow, forging and sustaining the most capable, combat-ready and lethal federal reserve force in the history of the nation.

    Happy Birthday, Army Reserve!

  • 04HudsonLast week marked the birthday of Thomas Jefferson, one of our Founding Fathers and former presidents. He was an intelligent scholar and leader. He left a lasting legacy, and his vision of individual liberty and a limited federal government continues to influence our thinking today. 

    One idea by Thomas Jefferson is well-known. It comes from the Declaration of Independence, and it is a conservative principle that helps guide our government. It states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” 

    As your Congressman, it is my duty to do everything in my power to protect you from the trampling of your rights. Last week, President Donald Trump signed bipartisan legislation that I was proud to cosponsor that gives federal and state prosecutors greater power to pursue websites that host sex-trafficking ads. It also paves the way for victims and state attorneys general to hold those websites accountable and file lawsuits against those sites. This is an important step forward and builds on work I have done previously to combat human trafficking. 

    As a member of the Helsinki Commission, I am working to combat this issue at home and abroad. Human trafficking, sex slavery and violence are worldwide tragedies that we must address now. I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure our communities are given the appropriate tools and resources to protect the most vulnerable in our society, provide assistance to victims and apprehend and punish offenders

    Another essential freedom we are all guaranteed as part of the Bill of Rights set forth in the Constitution is the freedom of speech. Last week, I questioned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about his company’s censoring of conservative and Christian speech. I sought answers about what standards Facebook uses to censor content and how they are enforced, because it appears to me that these standards may not have been applied uniformly. 

    Facebook is a private company that has done wonders for connecting families and friends and consumers and businesses across the country. I believe they must uphold the same rights for everyone, regardless of their religion or political affiliation. 

    As Thomas Jefferson once said, “Never spend your money before you have it.” This is simple guidance, but it is especially relevant today. Our country is currently $21 trillion in debt and growing. Our government’s spending is wildly out of control, and unless we take immediate steps to address it, we face fiscal disaster. 

    This debate isn’t about our future – it’s about our children’s and grandchildren’s futures. That’s why I’ve fought to cut Washington’s spending and tackle our nation’s debt with bold ideas like my Federal Sunset Act. 

    Last week, I continued my efforts when I voted for a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution to require Congress not spend more in revenue than it receives. I’m extremely disappointed House Democrats followed Nancy Pelosi’s lead and blocked the legislation, choosing bureaucrats and big-government over the American people. I will continue to fight for a Balanced Budget Amendment.

    Quite often it seems my colleagues forget why they ran for Congress. Holding Washington accountable isn’t easy, but if we look to the Founding Fathers, I often find they provide us with all the wisdom we need.

  • 13Alms House KAP ProgramThe next Hope Mills Food Truck Rodeo is scheduled for Thursday evening, May 3, at the Town Hall parking lot.

    But the food provided by the various truck vendors won’t be the focus of this gathering – it will be the food brought to the event by the patrons.

    The town of Hope Mills is partnering with the ALMS HOUSE of Hope Mills to help collect food for the charity’s Kids Assistance Program.

    KAP provides free food to children in the Hope Mills community who might not be able to eat over the weekend.

    Delores Schiebe is executive director of the ALMS HOUSE and said KAP has been going on for about five years. ALMS HOUSE stands for Associated Local Ministries in Service Helping Others in Unfortunate Situations and Experiences.

    “We currently are working with 10 schools in and around the Hope Mills area,’’ Schiebe said. She estimates that every weekend about 500 bags of food are being sent out to children in the community.

    Social workers at each of the schools that are part of the program identify the children in need of the food, she said. The ALMS HOUSE has compiled a list of the specific items they need donated to include in the food bags. That list is in the graphic elsewhere on this page.

    The items have been chosen for good reason, she said. “We need to have something that children can open and prepare for themselves if they are left alone and there is no one else to prepare the food for them,’’ she said. “We try to choose things that children like. Believe me, we have tried some things that have not worked for us.’’

    One item that’s not taken to give to the children is peanut butter. “We cannot address all of the allergies, but that’s one of the major ones,’’ she said. “We make sure the milk is milk, shelf-stable milk, and our juice is juice, not sugar water. We want to have something the children will actually eat.’’

    Schiebe said the ALMS HOUSE has been able to reach out to increase funding for the program. 

    “When people realize this is going to children who are not able to eat over the weekend, we get a lot of support,’’ she said. “We’ve received some grants, and we have local supporters and local businesses that work with us.’’

    Events like the Food Truck Rodeo also help increase the profile, and if people can’t make the event this week, they’re welcome to drop by the ALMS HOUSE office at 3909 Ellison St. in the Hope Mills historic district.

    The ALMS HOUSE is open Tuesday through Friday, but Schiebe said the best time to drop off donations of food or money is between 9 and 11 a.m

    “We don’t turn down money because we have to go shopping when we don’t get everything,’’ she said.

    For those who would like to mail monetary donations, the address is P.O. Box 65, Hope Mills, North Carolina, 28348.

    To speak to someone about specific questions, the phone number is 910-425-0902. The website is www.almshousehopemills.com.

  • 08CollinsIt can be hard to put a name on the genre of music the Andrew Collins Trio plays, but regardless of label, the music resonates. Thursday, May 3, the winner (seven times) of the Canada Folk Music Awards and nominee (five times) of the JUNO awards – Canada’s Grammy – brings its award-winning sound to the Cameo Art House Theatre on Hay Street.

    Collins fell in love with the mandolin when he was 18. “But I’d had guitars before and didn’t think I would have it in me to practice,” he said. “It kept me from getting a mandolin. 

    “I went to a fest with a friend. I like music played at a high level, and bluegrass is a technical music. That is what I like about it. At 23, I was living a ski bum’s life. (Then) I quit skiing and sold my gear to buy my first mandolin. It took over my life.”

    Now, he writes and plays, enjoying the growth that comes from performing onstage with the band. It’s challenging, he said, but fun to see hours of playing together yield synergistic energy in performance venues. It’s musically technical and soulfully touching. 

    “Our music draws from jazz, classical, folk, swing and blue grass,” said the group’s namesake. “There is usually enough of a musical memory and feeling of familiarity for people to feel comfortable and appreciate it, but it’s also new and fresh.” 

    The playlist includes the band’s double album “Tongue & Groove.” It’s 11 vocal cuts, or tongues, and 11 instrumentals, or grooves. 

    We do a few covers of things including jazz and traditional bluegrass,” Collins said. “The instrumentals move around several styles, too. These two albums are a real mix, which is really fun.

    “Our show has a lot of storytelling and jokes within the show as well. The idea is to make it musically fun but also entertaining.”

    The trio is composed of Collins, who plays mandolin, fiddle, guitar, mandola, mandocello and croons smooth vocals; Mike Mezzatesta on the guitar, mandolin, fiddle and mandola; and James McEleney on bass, mandocello and vocals. 

    The Andrew Collins Trio pushes for technical prowess matched equally with soul and personality. “The genre that we play – a lot of people refer to it as new acoustic music,” Collins said. “Often when we play, it is like we are educating, too.”

    This year marks the band’s first tour in the U.S. Collins noted that lately it seems the band is playing more in the U.S. than in their native Canada. 

    “So far, we’ve been very well received. And it has been a lot of fun for us, but also the audiences seem to really enjoy it, too. Often, we are playing to audiences that are very familiar with this genre.”

    The May 3 show starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Cameo Art House Theatre, 225 Hay St. Tickets cost $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Call 910-486-6633 or visit www.theroosterswife.org/shows/andrewcollins-trio-cameo to purchase tickets.

    Learn more about the band at www.andrewcollinstrio.com.

  • 10DogwoodlogoEvery spring for the past three-anda-half decades, the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival has brought the community together to celebrate the diversity and uniqueness that make this community so special. This year, the festival won four awards from the North Carolina Association of Festivals and Events and was named the 2018 event of the year in the Southeast by the Southeast Festivals and Events Association. Carrie King, Fayetteville Dogwood Festival Executive Director said of the award, “We are beyond thrilled to bring home this prestigious award for our community. The spirit of the Fayetteville community made the Dogwood Festival a natural choice for the award. We could not do what we do without the continued support of our sponsors, volunteers and patrons.”

    This year’s event embodies the many reasons the festival is a winner both regionally and statewide. Along with the beloved favorites, there are some new events and programming changes this year, including a new event to kick things off. It’s called Cork & Fork and it takes place Wednesday, April 25, from 6-9 p.m. at Festival Park. 

    Cork & Fork is an evening of chef-inspired gourmet creations paired with elegant complimentary wines. It is a fundraiser for KidsPeace. Tickets are $40 each and are available online at www.faydogwoodfestival.com.

    Additionally, the Dogwood Festival is taking its traditional three-day format and expanding it to a four-day weekend, with the official festivities kicking off Thursday and continuing through the weekend to include extended hours Sunday. 

    The festival hours are: Thursday, April 26, from 5-10 p.m.; Friday, April 27, from 5-11 p.m.; Saturday, April 28, from noon-11 p.m.; and Sunday, April 29, from noon-9 p.m.

    The Thursday addition to the Dogwood Festival will feature a band and food vendors exclusively. The Sherman Neckties open Thursday at 6 p.m. on the Compare Foods Stage. From 8-9:45 p.m., Jackyl will perform. 

    No festival is complete without the midway carnival, which will run Friday through Sunday. Other events will run throughout the weekend as well, including the BMX Shows, Airborne Aerials and street performances, the activity zone, and the street fair. 

    Boom and Bloom and the opening ceremony kick-off party take place Friday, April 27. The E.E Smith Marching Band opens the festivities at 5:30 p.m. in Festival Park. The evening concludes with a fireworks display between 10 and 11 p.m.

    The festival’s music stages are filled with quality performers all weekend, covering several genres and including local as well as regionally and nationally recognized acts. 

    Live Music

    Compare Foods Stage

    Compare Foods Stage is located in Festival Park and features a variety of crowd-pleasing performances, from hip-hop to country to cover bands.

    • Friday, April 27

    5:30 p.m. Opening ceremony

    6 p.m. Soul Decree

    8 p.m. Young MC

    9 p.m. Coolio

    10 p.m. Rob Base

    Saturday, April 28

    1 p.m. Avner Clark

    3 p.m. Big Slim

    5 p.m. Will McBride Group

    7 p.m. Chris Cox Band

    9 p.m.-10:45 p.m. Rodney Atkins

    Sunday, April 29

    1 p.m. Matrix

    2:30 p.m. Cool Heat

    4:30 p.m. Rivermist

    7-8:45 p.m. Zoso – The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience

    With Zoso – The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience closing the festival, it’s fitting that the band brings home one of Fayetteville’s own – Bevan Davies. He’s toured with a variety of musicians, including Danzig and Engelbert Humperdinck. But when he got the call be the drummer for Zoso, it was a nobrainer. “These guys are amazing,” said Davies.

    While his career keeps him from getting back to Fayetteville often, he is thrilled to be playing his home turf. “I love coming back. I never hated on Fayetteville the way a lot of people did. In fact, wherever I’ve played, I’ve always been very proudly from Fayetteville.”

    Cape Fear Music Center’s Street Fair Stage

    Cape Fear Music Center strives to develop the arts scene in downtown Fayetteville by programming the Street Fair Stage. Acts include local musicians and musical organizations, as well as budding CFMC students. Visitors will find exclusively local acts on the Cape Fear Music stage, which is located on Green Street.

    Saturday, April 28

    12 p.m. Big Daddy Drive

    1:30 p.m. UNC-Pembroke Jazz Ensemble II

    2:30 p.m. The Mother Notes

    4 p.m. Reckless Abandon

    5:30 p.m. Affinity

    7 p.m. Black River Township

    Sunday, April 29

    12 p.m. 9th Annual CFMC I-Rock Student Showcase

    4:30 p.m. Chemical Lizards

    Sanctioned Events

    “Sense & Sensibility” at Cape Fear Regional Theatre

    Cape Fear Regional Theatre’s “Sense & Sensibility” is based on Kate Hamill’s fresh adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic 18th-century novel. Follow the misadventures of the three Dashwood sisters in their quests for love and dignity in a show that, according to CFRT Marketing Director Leslie Flom, blends “traditional Austen and an ’80s John Hughes film.”

    “Jane Eyre” runs at CFRT, 1209 Hay St., April 25-29. Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. April 25-28 and at 6:30 p.m. April 29. There is also a 2 p.m. showing April 28 and 29.

    Tickets cost $15-$25 and can be purchased by calling 910-323-4233 or by visiting www.cfrt.org/ project/sense-and-sensibility.

    “Jane Eyre” presented by Sweet Tea Shakespeare 

    Sweet Tea Shakespeare is an unconventional performance group that focuses on the audience’s holistic experience. April 26-29, arrive at the 1897 Poe House at the Museum of the Cape Fear at 206 Broadford Ave. at 6:45 p.m. for live music before the show. Barbecue, beer, wine and sweet tea will also be available for purchase. 

    “Jane Eyre” is a lush, gothic, intriguing romance based on Charlotte Brontë’s 19th-century novel. The show will also run May 3-6. 

    Tickets cost $8-$20; discounts are available for those who purchase in advance, along with students, senior citizens, military members and children. To reserve your seats, visit sweetteashakespeare.com or call 910-420-4383.

    Capitol Encore Academy Exhibition

    The Capital Encore Academy, located at 126 Hay St. in downtown Fayetteville, is a free, nonprofit, public charter school offering integrated arts and core academic learning.

    Come check it out during the festival; the academy will be open that Friday from 6-10 p.m., Saturday from noon-10 p.m., and Sunday from noon-6 p.m. There will be art stations for kids to create their own art and performances by the academy’s students. For more information, contact Trish Brownless at tbrownless@capitolencoreacademy.org or call 910-849-0888 ext. 115.

    Fayetteville-Cumberland Crimestoppers Barbecue

    Fayetteville-Cumberland Crimestoppers will be set up in the Harris Teeter parking lot in Highland Centre off Raeford Road serving tasty Southern pork barbecue plates for $8 each. The money is used to offer rewards to anyone wishing to report anonymous information regarding any crime. 

    Crimestoppers works with the police departments of Fayetteville, Spring Lake and Hope Mills, and the Cumberland County Office of the Sheriff. Since its inception, it has played a part in more than 4,000 arrests and 5,300 felony charges. It has helped recover more than $4,875,000 in property and $1,893,000 in narcotics. Crimestoppers has issued more than $316,000 in rewards and helped solve 2,477 cases, 67 of which were homicides.

    Call 910-483-8477 to report any information regarding a crime and remain anonymous.

    The barbecue runs 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, April 27. Call 910-624-6922 with any questions.

    Partnership for Children’s KidStuff

    KidStuff is an annual favorite at the Dogwood Festival and will be set up on Person Street this year. It is a free area for infants, toddlers and preschoolers that features: PNC Bank’s Grow Up Great Mobile Learning Adventure; Kids in Sports obstacle course; buybuy Baby nursing and changing stations; characters to meet and greet; hands-on activities; art projects; age-appropriate activities for toddlers; information about local resources; and applications for the North Carolina Pre-K Program.

    KidStuff will be open to the public Saturday, April 28, from noon-6 p.m. and Sunday, April 29, from 1-6 p.m.

    Hogs & Rags Spring Rally 

    Calling all bikers and vehicle enthusiasts: Saturday, April 28, registration begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum for Fayetteville’s premier car and motorcycle rally. Kickstands up at 9 a.m. sharp, then riders will be off on a breezy, police-escorted journey with a stop and Rocking A Ranch for breakfast. The ride concludes at Wild Wings Cafe in North Myrtle Beach. There will be a 50/50 raffle, gun raffles and door prizes.

    You can also party it up at the famous Hogs & Rags pre-registration party at Mac’s Speed Shop on Friday, April 27, from 6:30-9 p.m. Visit the website at www.hogsandrags.org to learn more about this 13-years-and-running event.

    As much as the Dogwood Festival is about entertaining the community and bringing us together, the organization also gives back by supporting other local nonprofits. At the 2017 spring event, the Dogwood Festival donated a portion of its proceeds to Vision Resource Center, E.E. Smith High School Marching Band, and local active duty service organizations JSOC Top 3, Air Force Top 3 and Pope Special Activities Committee. The Dogwood Festival donated over $132,000 in 12 years and $13,860 in 2017 to nonprofit partners.

  • 18UnifiedwinnersThe Carver Classic track and field meet held annually at Reid Ross Classical High School’s John Daskal Stadium has always been a high point of the local outdoor track season.

    But this year it made history, special history. The event saw a new record set for the largest number of special needs athletes competing in an organized track meet. It’s part of a program called Unified Track that was introduced to Cumberland County Schools by student activities director Vernon Aldridge.

    The Unified program is designed to give special needs youngsters with either physical or emotional disabilities the opportunity to participate for an organized high school athletic team. So far, track is the only sport offered in Cumberland County, but officials are looking at the possibility of adding other sports by this fall.

    Aldridge learned about Unified Track during a presentation at last year’s North Carolina Athletic Directors Association annual meeting in Wilmington.

    The presentation was made by a group of Unified Track athletes, and Aldridge said it moved him. “I brought it back to our athletic directors and they wanted to get involved,’’ Aldridge said.

    Currently, Cumberland County has Unified Track teams at seven of its 10 senior high schools. Aldridge estimates there were some 70 to 80 Unified athletes competing at the Carver Classic, which according to Nathan Brookins of North Carolina Special Olympics made it the largest number of Unified athletes to compete in a meet held in this state.

    The team from Gray’s Creek won the Unified division of the Carver Classic meet. Earl Horan, who coached the Gray’s Creek special needs team and has a son on the squad, said the Unified concept focuses on inclusion for the special needs youngsters

    “We want to give them the opportunity to participate in a team sport,’’ Horan said. “We’re trying to get past a sporting event and bring it to the hallways and classrooms and make sure they are seen around the school and get a little more opportunity to be a typical student.’’ Horan said the Unified track athletes wore their medals to school the day after the Carver Classic. “Their chests were bowed out,’’ Horan said. “It gives them a sense of confidence.’’

    The special needs athletes don’t compete alone. They are paired with partners from other sports teams at their school who join them in the competition. The rules of Unified Track require one regular athlete for every special needs competitor. Horan said the wrestling team from Gray’s Creek has stepped up to provide six of the seven partners for the Gray’s Creek special needs athletes.

    As both the parent of a special needs athlete and a special education teacher, Horan has a unique appreciation for the benefits of Unified Track.

    “I see the pride my son has and the enthusiasm from other teachers,’’ he said. “The amount of support we get from students, administration and parents is very heartwarming.’’

    Aldridge would love to see the program grow countywide and thinks the key is getting the word out to parents of special needs children. 

    “Some parents may be leery of turning their child over to us for an athletic team,’’ he said. “If we can get the word out and show how positive the performance has been, we can get more kids involved.’’

    Photo: 4x100 relay teams that took 3rd and 1st. Third place finishers (on left) are Anthony Liszewski, Cord Grimm and Camdon Liszewski (Gabrielle Veauthier not pictured). Champions are Nick Quinn, Andrew Esterly, Devonte Pierce and Trace Bechtol.

  • 12Golf course photoI currently serve as senior class president at South View High School as well as chairman of the Hope Mills Mayor’s Youth Leadership Committee. I was invited to join the Youth Leadership Committee along with students from South View, Jack Britt and Gray’s Creek. 

    One of the first tasks we were given to explore was what should replace the old Hope Mills Golf Course on Golfview Road. As a committee, we unanimously agreed that one thing Hope Mills needs is a sportsplex.

    The funding for the land has been offered by multiple organizations. We decided that with a joint effort, the most suitable things to put on the old golf course land are recreational facilities such as transitional fields, a disc golf course, a 9-hole golf course and a sportsplex.

    The sportsplex would house things like a recreational gym, an indoor track and, ultimately, an Olympic-sized pool. The Olympic pool would be the keystone to the facility.

    The decision to build a sportsplex comes as recreational sports in Hope Mills have begun to oversaturate the currently allocated space. Not only will this new addition improve sports facilities, it will also allow for growth in local sports and regional development.

    The complex would provide the entire Cape Fear region with additional athletic opportunities, especially in the area of swimming. A quick Google search reveals that a Hope Mills resident currently has to travel as far as the Triangle or southeast to Wilmington to find accessible public indoor swimming facilities.

    An indoor swimming complex would be a boost to competitive swimming locally, which is a growing sport for Cumberland County and other Cape Fear region high schools.

    Students who compete in swimming for Jack Britt, South View or Gray’s Creek have to travel across town to Fayetteville State University for practice at around 5 a.m. This travel creates an extra challenge in both practice and competition for students at the county’s high schools. 

    To help contribute to local sports and increase participation in competitive swimming, we decided that an Olympic pool would best be included in the sportsplex. If students who were interested in swimming only had to travel to a complex at the old golf course – which is between Jack Britt and South View – the sport of swimming would have an even better chance to grow, while also giving the high school swimmers more regular access to a practice facility.

    Creating a sportsplex not only gives a better opportunity for those who don’t have the means of traveling to Fayetteville State, but it also helps those who live close to where the current golf course is located to become more active and involved within the community.

  • 03PepperoniYou can learn a great deal from the New York Times despite The Donald’s reference to it as a fake news source. The New York Time’s recent story by Yonette Joseph about Nick Burchill’s hotel stay is so strange it could not possibly be fake news. Let us begin today’s exercise in world literature by remembering Mark Twain’s famous quote: “Truth is stranger than fiction, because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities, truth isn’t.” If Mark Twain said it, I believe it. And that settles it.

    Once upon a time in about 2001, Nick Burchill traveled all the way from Nova Scotia to Victoria, British Columbia. Nick was on a business boondoggle. He got to stay at the Fairmont Empress Hotel, which is the classiest hotel in Victoria and perhaps the entire western hemisphere. I have personal knowledge of the Empress’ classiness because I was there last summer. Not to stay there, but just to walk through the lobby to absorb some class that I am sorely lacking. We considered going to high tea, which is an Empress tradition since 1908. The high tea menu includes 21 different loose-leaf teas to choose from as well as scones, pastries, clotted creams (which sounds awful but expensive) and strawberry preserves from the rooftop garden. You can indulge in smoked salmon on blini; honey ham and mushroom quiche; truffled egg salad on brioche; and mascarpone raspberry tarts among other dainties. I did not see a chicken wing or a collard sandwich on the menu. Unfortunately high tea’s lowest price is $75 a person ranging up to $115 if you get a classy adult beverage to wash down your tea. Since we didn’t have a half-price coupon, we skipped high tea. 

    But back to our friend Nick. Nick had a bunch of Royal Canadian Navy buddies from Nova Scotia who ended up in Victoria with a hankering for a taste of home, to wit: Chris Brothers TNT Pepperoni, the pride of Nova Scotia. Nick, being a pal, packed up an entire suit case full of TNT Pepperoni and hauled it out to the Empress. His room did not have a refrigerator, but the day was cool. Nick spread his pepperoni out by an open window so it wouldn’t spoil. Nick left the room for a walkabout for several hours. Turns out if there is one thing sea gulls like to eat better than garbage, it’s TNT Pepperoni. 

    When Nick opened the door to his room it was sea gull pepperoni party time. About 40 of our feathered friends were chowing down on Nova Scotia’s most delicious salted meat. Unfortunately, TNT Pepperoni and the gastrointestinal systems of sea gulls are not compatible. It was like one of those colorful Roman orgies where the Romans would eat and drink themselves so full it was Vomitorium time. The gulls were eating, spewing and having loose stools all over his formerly elegant hotel room. Not only that, the gulls were drooling. Nick was quoted in the Times article saying: “The shocking thing for me was the saliva. I didn’t know that sea gulls drooled. The slime was covering everything. They were whipping it up into the air. It was like a tornado.” 

    Gentle reader, let that mental image sink in for a while. Downstairs the guests are paying $75 for a cup of tea and cookies. Upstairs the sea gulls are spewing. The mind boggles.

    Realizing sea gulls were not paying guests, Nick tried to chase them out of his room. He threw a shoe at one, which sailed out the window along with the gull. He retrieved his shoe, which was covered in yuck. After using water to remove the yuck, Nick tried drying it with a hair dryer, which fell into his sink and shorted out the electricity. Realizing he had lost his battle with the gulls, he finally called housekeeping. Management was not amused. They sent him a letter banishing him from ever returning to the Empress. 

    Fate brought Nick back to Victoria 17 years later. He wrote the Empress a letter seeking a pardon much as Scooter Libby just received from The Donald. The Empress forgave him on the condition that he never brought pepperoni to the hotel again. And they both lived happily ever after. 

    So what have we learned today class? There are some things even sea gulls can’t digest. There are worse things than stale pepperoni. $75 is too much to pay for a cup of tea and a biscuit. The early bird gets the pepperoni and projectile diarrhea. 

    As Emily Dickinson once almost said, “Hope is a thing with feathers, but you can catch more sea gulls with pepperoni than by putting salt on their tails.” 

    Nick should have taken Willy Nelson’s advice when Willie sang: “I got busted in Laredo for reasons/ That I’d rather not disclose/ If you’re stayin’ in a motel there and leave/ Don’t leave nothin’ in your clothes.” 

    As the late great Percy Bysshe Shelly once said: “Hail to thee blithe spirit! Bird thou never wert.”

    If you think this column is for the birds, you are correct. 

  • Meetings

    For details about all meetings and activities, including location where not listed, call Interim Town Clerk Debbie Holland at 910-426-4113.

    Citizens Academy every Tuesday through June, 6-8 p.m.

    Senior Citizens Advisory Committee Wednesday, April 25, 6:30 p.m.

    Veterans Affairs Commission Thursday, April 26, 7 p.m.

    Activities

    Hope Mills Area Kiwanis Club at Sammio’s, second Tuesdays at noon at and fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. For more information, call 910-237-1240.

    Mid-Carolina Senior Games April 11-30 at Hercules Fitness Center on Fort Bragg.

    National Day of Prayer Service Thursday, May 3, at Hope Mills Town Center flagpoles. Noon. All are welcome.

    Hope Meals Food Truck Rodeo Thursday, May 3, at the parking lot between Town Hall and Parks & Rec Center. 5 p.m.

    Promote yourself: Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com.

  • 11Erskine Bowles in 2010Where is Erskine Bowles when we most need him?

    Bowles is best known to North Carolinians as president of the UNC System from 2005 to 2010. Before then he was a successful business leader in Charlotte, a key staff member in the President Bill Clinton’s administration, and two times the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate.

    In 2010, he and former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson co-chaired the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, a bipartisan budget-reform effort that proposed a plan to reduce the country’s deficits by $4 trillion over a decade.

    Bowles had gained credibility in deficit reduction circles as a leader in Clinton’s negotiations with Congress that led to an agreed plan to bring the budget deficit down to zero through a combination of tax increases and spending cuts.

    That arrangement went up in smoke after 2001 with the tax cuts pushed by President George W. Bush and the added cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

    Still, Bowles had developed a “can-do” reputation for budget balancing. He and Simpson tackled their challenge in 2010 with some optimism and hope for support from Obama and Congress.

    Their plan provided for more than $1 trillion in cuts for military spending, $2.6 trillion in tax increases over 10 years (much of it on wealthy Americans who were to pay ordinary income rates on capital gains as well as dividends), reducing and limiting charitable deductions and mortgage interest, increasing both Social Security retirement age, and adding to the maximum amount of income that could be subject to social security tax

    The plan would have reduced deficits over 10 years by $4 trillion.

    The problem, as one commentator observed, was that “everybody found something to hate.”

    Bowles and Simpson conceded that to get a workable deal, everybody would have to give up something. But not enough people were willing to make the necessary sacrifices. The plan failed

    But Bowles still thinks it is critical to bring the deficit under control. In 2015 he told The Charlotte Observer, “I’m really concerned that if we don’t get our elected politicians on the right and the left to put some of this ultra-partisanship aside and pull together rather than apart, then not only will we face what is clearly the most predictable economic crisis in history but also my generation will be the first generation of Americans to leave the country worse off than we found it. It’s my generation of Republicans and Democrats that created this fiscal mess and clearly has a responsibility to clean it up.”

    U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan built his political career on his stated goal of eliminating the budget deficit. Last week, when Ryan announced he is retiring from Congress, he asserted that he had achieved his major goals. He did not mention any success in reducing the budget deficit.

    He did brag about passage of the new tax bill. Ironically, that bill and the new spending plan Congress passed are 180 degrees away from the plans Bowles and Simpson proposed. Instead of tax increases for the wealthy, the tax bill decreased them. Instead of cutting military spending, the spending plan provides substantial increases.

    As a result, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the deficit this year will be $804 billion, $242 billion larger than projected earlier. And during the next 10 years the projected deficit will be $11.7 trillion, an increase of $1.6 trillion over projections made before the passage of the tax bill and spending plan.

    To paraphrase the saying attributed to Everett Dirksen, the late Illinois senator, “A trillion here and a trillion there, Paul Ryan, and soon you are talking about a lot of money. It is money that simply will not be there to maintain a sound government for Ryan’s and my grandchildren.

    Where are you, Erskine Bowles, when we need you again?

    Photo: Erskine Bowles

  •  02TyronePublisher’s note: At this writing, nothing new has developed since District 2 Councilman Tyrone Williams and local businessman T.J. Jenkins were caught on an audio recording trying to extort $15,000 from the development company PCH, LLC. PCH is renovating the Prince Charles Hotel, which is part of its $65 million downtown economic development project.

     Well, maybe one thing has changed: The disgraced city servant, Tyrone Williams, has refused to step down despite pleas from his own constituents in District 2 and a 9-0 vote of no confidence from the mayor and his fellow colleagues.

    Now that’s arrogance. Well, someone needs to tell Williams that it will take more than him grandstanding at a community prayer walk to exonerate him from the failed extortion attempt and the embarrassment he has caused our city.

    As the authorities “peel back the onion” on this case, his situation will probably get worse before it gets better. However, better will mean that he’ll be gone.

     Below is the editorial that appeared in last week’s edition. It is as relevant today as it was last week and provides a few simplified explanations as to the seriousness of what Williams and Jenkins have perpetrated on our community.

    I applaud city attorney Karen McDonald for her actions and feel confident that when all is said and done our city council will make decisions in the best interest of our community. Fayetteville deserves it.

     Fayetteville’s dishonored city Councilman Tyrone Williams, along with coconspirator T.J. Jenkins, president and founder of the marketing firm The Wrijen Company, have Booker T. Washington, the late former Fayetteville Cumberland County Commissioner Thomas Bacote and business executive Floyd Shorter all spinning in their graves with disgust and disappointment. Williams and Jenkins are supposedly business and civic leaders of the black community.

     Together, they conspired to extort $15,000 from PCH, LLC, the development firm heading the $65 million Prince Charles renovation project, by contending there was a problem with the property title, which Williams could make go away for mere 15 grand. It’s both appalling and criminal.

     They both are also guilty of using and abusing one of Fayetteville and Cumberland County’s oldest and most honorable and dignified business organizations, the Fayetteville Business and Professional League. The FB&PL is one of the most prestigious and influential organizations in Cumberland County, serving African-American minority business owners and professionals. For over a half a century this distinguished organization has worked diligently in the interests of local minorities by mentoring young people and stressing the importance of education and training. The organization supports entrepreneurism and new business development while encouraging civic and governmental engagement.

     Under previous leadership, the League was the catalyst in minority business development and creation. It utilized workshops, networking, partnerships and joint venture programs to take advantage of business opportunities throughout Fayetteville, Cumberland County and the state. Thomas Bacote was one of those leaders. He loved and served the league, spending decades advocating for it.

     He introduced the FB&PL to me in the late’90s when I started Up & Coming Weekly . He eventually sponsored my membership into the organization. I was its first white “minority” member. Several years later, the organization recognized Up & Coming Weekly  as FB&PL’s Business of the Year. After Bacote’s death, Wilson Lacy, Cumberland County Schools executive director of operations, took the leadership position and shepherded the organization for 17 years.

     More recently, the league’s leadership was organized by my dear friend, Floyd Shorter, who died after a brief illness in 2016. Floyd was an amazing man known for his gentlemanly demeanor, sense of humor and perpetual smile. He learned much from Lacy and became a tour de force in civic leadership, championing small businesses by mentoring and encouraging black and minority-owned businesses right up to his death.

     He taught at Fayetteville State University’s School of Business. He lectured. He sat on numerous boards and committees, including serving the Chamber of Commerce, Economic and Business Development and the Crown Coliseum.

     But what he really enjoyed was his leadership role with the League. Under Shorter’s leadership, the League grew in both membership and stature. When he was at the helm, the ship sailed smoothly. However, upon his death, the organization struggled – until Jenkins stepped in under the pretense of bringing stability, relevance and leadership to the organization.

    Unfortunately, this has turned out to be the near perfect example of someone doing the wrong thing for the wrong reasons. Jenkins owns a marketing and advertising agency. He is described on LinkedIn as a multicultural expert, consultant, social leader, marketing and advertising maven and “All around good guy.”

    Really?

     After Jenkins took over the leadership of the FB&PL, he and Williams, who had only been a councilman for District 2 a few weeks, approached Jordan Jones of PCH, LLC about the $15,000 pay-to-play scheme they concocted. Jones recorded the entire conversation, turned it over to law enforcement immediately and released it to the media last Friday.

     So, this begs the question: When was this scheme hatched? Was it in September 2017, when Jenkins, as president of the FB&PL, met with Barton Malow, general contractor for the Astros Baseball Stadium, and PCH, LLC officials were invited to present contract opportunities to League minority businesses? Was it at this meeting that they concluded Jones and PCH, LLC would be easy marks? Or, could it have been at one of the League’s Community Impact Forums, where it advocates for business and economic development, civic responsibility, civic involvement, ethnic pride and education?

     I applaud Jones for his actions, as I do Fayetteville Attorney Karen McDonald for her protective and proactive actions on behalf of our city. I’m confident it will be resolved properly and in a timely manner.

     Williams must resign. He is not our kind of people and cannot represent District 2 or any part of our community. The same goes for Jenkins. He must resign from the Fayetteville Business and Professional League for the League to continue its mission and traditions of advancing the successful development of minority businesses while elevating and directing smart, savvy, hardworking, honest and ethical minorities to positions of influence.

     This is for the betterment of our community and for future generations. We must start judging people, especially candidates, by their character, integrity and intelligence – not by the color of their skin.

    Leaders lead. Leaders make mistakes. But, they make honest mistakes.

    Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

    Photo: Tyrone Williams

  • 13scholarshipsMany parents are trying to live the dream through their sons and daughters – the dream of landing a college athletic scholarship by specializing in a sport yearround. Unfortunately, most of these dreams are never realized.

    The odds of a sports scholarship paying for even a portion of a student’s college education are miniscule.

    The College Board, a not-forprofit organization comprised of 6,000 of the world’s leading educational institutions, reports that a moderate cost for college students who attend a public university in their state of residence is $25,290 per year. The annual cost at a private college averages $50,900.

    Meanwhile, the most recent data from the National Collegiate Athletic Association reveals that the average Division I athletic scholarship is worth only $10,400. More significantly, the same study shows that fewer than two percent of all high school athletes (1 in 54) ever wear the uniform of an NCAA Division I school.

    Even if the dream is realized, parents likely will spend more money for club sports than they ever regain through college athletic scholarships. Thanks to the costs of club fees, equipment, summer camps, playing in out-of-state tournaments and private coaching, youth sports has become a $15 billion- per-year industry.

    There is an option, and it’s a financially viable one: Encourage your sons and daughters to play sports at their high school.

    In education-based high school sports, studentathletes are taught, as the term implies, that grades come first. The real-life lessons that students experientially learn offer insights into leadership, overcoming adversity and mutual respect that cannot be learned anywhere else. Unlike club sports, coaches in an education-based school setting are held accountable by the guiding principles and goals of their school district. And the cost of participating in high school sports is minimal in most cases.

    While there is a belief that the only way to get noticed by college coaches is to play on non-school travel teams year-round, many Division I football and basketball coaches recently have stated they are committed to recruiting students who have played multiple sports within the high school setting.

    In addition, by focusing on academics while playing sports within the school setting, students can earn scholarships for academics and other talents – skill sets oftentimes nurtured while participating in high school activities. These scholarships are more accessible and worth more money than athletic scholarships. While $3 billion per year is available for athletic scholarships, more than $11 billion is awarded for academic scholarships and other financial assistance.

    Without a doubt, your sons and daughters will have more fun, make more friends and be better prepared for life beyond sports by participating in multiple sports and activities offered by the high school in your community.

  • Meetings

    For details about all meetings and activities, including location where not listed, call Interim Town Clerk Debbie Holland at 910-426-4113.

     • Citizens Academy every Tuesday through June, 6-8 p.m.

     • Parks and Recreation Advisory Monday, April 24, 6:30 p.m.

     • Appearance Committee Tuesday, April 24, 6:30 p.m.

     • Veterans Affairs Commission Thursday, April 26, 7 p.m.

    Activities

     Hope Mills Area Kiwanis Club at Sammio’s, second Tuesdays

    at noon at and fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. For more information,

    call 910-237-1240.

     • Mid-Carolina Senior Games April 11-30 at Hercules Fitness

    Center on Fort Bragg.

     National Day of Prayer Service Thursday, May 3, at Hope

    Mills Town Center flagpoles. Noon. All are welcome.

     Hope Meals Food Truck Rodeo Thursday, May 3, at the parking lot between

    Town Hall and Parks & Rec Center. 5p.m.

    Promote Yourself: Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com.

  • 16Cole Humphrey Larry Ellis, grandfather of former Cape Fear star Cole Humphrey, tells the story that when he was in the seventh grade, Cole lacked the physical gifts of some of his classmates and doubted his athletic skills.

    So Ellis gave him a shirt with the Superman logo and told his grandson he had the determination and work ethic of the Man of Steel.

    As a teenager, Cole became an all-conference athlete in football and baseball, as well as a solid student who was also active in the work of his church.

    Tragically, his life was cut short just five years ago this month when he died in a car accident over spring break.

    But the memory of Cole Humphrey and his contributions to the school continue through the Cole Humphrey Foundation and the annual Cole Humphrey Run.

    The run, which is scheduled for May 12 at Cape Fear High School, is the primary fundraiser for the foundation, in addition to direct gifts people give in Humphrey’s memory.

    Although Humphrey and the students he attended school with have long since departed Cape Fear, principal Lee Spruill said Humphrey’s memory is still alive on the campus. “We have his jerseys up in locker rooms,’’ Spruill said. “We remind kids of the legacy he left behind when he left Cape Fear. It’s maintained with what the family does supporting the school with the run and the foundation.

    “You are never going to forget a Cole Humphrey. He’s just a phenomenal kid.’’

    Money raised through the foundation and the annual run have been put back into the Cape Fear athletic program, mainly in the sports of baseball and football, to provide numerous items beneficial to both programs.

    The run begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 12, and will feature competition in 10K, 5K and 2.5K timed events. Atlantic Coast Timing Systems works with the run to provide certified times for all those who compete. Awards are presented to the male and female winners in the 10K and 5K divisions, and for the age 8 and under top finishers in the 2.5K.

    “It’s just a great event and fun to see all these kids running,’’ Spruill said. “My son has never been a runner and he ran in it last year and won his division.

    “A lot of great things have come from the run. It’s neat seeing people that were at the school four, five or six years ago. It’s like a mini-reunion.’’

    For complete information on the run, go to the website at colehumphreyrun.com where you’ll find a link to sign up for this year’s run.

    For those who don’t have access to a computer, you can call for further information at 910-303-9928.

    Photo: Cole Humphrey

Latest Articles

  • Gallery 208: Beyond Surface: Abstractions by Kellie Perkins
  • Kindah Temple No. 62 hosts annual Spring Ceremonial
  • FTCC Foundation invests in students’ futures
  • Unique Easter traditions from around the globe
  • Flawless Touch Detailing celebrates new location
  • CFRT: The Play That Goes Wrong...Again
Up & Coming Weekly Calendar
  

Advertise Your Event:

 

Login/Subscribe