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  • 12 With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, love is in the air, and it’s being spread all over town by Fayetteville Sound.

    The Fayetteville Sound is a talented barbershop chorus, singing barbershop music all over Cumberland County. This Valentine’s day they’re doing “Singing Valentines,” where a quartet from the group comes to sing or record a video personalized for your sweetheart.

    Fayetteville Sound is the newest chapter of the Carolinas Barbershop Harmony District, which is 1 of 17 districts that make up the Barbershop Harmony Society.
    The group is full of diverse talent, with people from all walks of life. Music teachers, veterans, and everything in between travel to meet once a week on Thursday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. to sing polecats and different barbershop songs. They go all over the city singing at charity events, holiday celebrations, competitions and other events.

    The group was created back in 2015, and they were formerly known as the Cross Creek Chordsmen. It’s been gradually building ever since, and with the BHS allowing women and mixed harmony quartets since 2019, they’ve been able to expand the chapter with more diversity.

    They’re continuously looking for new talent to come join them and spread the love of singing. When talking to the president of the Fayetteville Sound, he defines a barber shopper as “anyone who likes to sing and use their God-given voices.”

    Barbershop music is unique in many ways. It’s a completely a capella, close harmony style of singing; meaning they don’t use instruments, besides an occasional pitch whistle. Most people are used to hearing three-part harmonies from church — Alto, Soprano and Tenor. A barbershop quartet is four parts, and every part has its position.

    There’s a lead, tenor, bass and baritone. When combined as four individuals or the four singing groups together as a choir, the results will blow you away just about every time. Another great thing about barbershop music is that they are usually singing polecat songs, which are top songs that most quartets learn and memorize all over the country. So, if you live in another state then relocate, you can find a chapter and fit right in because you know the same songs they do. They also use these songs to compete at competitions all over the world.

    History of Barbershop Singing

    The Barbershop Harmony Society was founded in 1939 by Owen Cash in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Cash wasn’t fond of the control that the government had over the country at the time and felt that his main source of liberation was ultimately barbershop quartet singing.

    He decided to put together a luncheon for 14 other gentlemen and their guests. Almost twice the number of guests showed up, they sang and harmonized together for several hours. They started having meetings consistently and the society was born.

    If you’ve never heard of barbershop music before now, we’re sure your grandparents probably have. The quartet singing style of music grew its roots in the black community between the 1880s and 1910s. African Americans would harmonize popular songs as well as spirituals and folk songs. They would sing in the streets, barbershops, near stores, in churches, among other places.

    Barbershop music is also related to early Jazz and is said to be a huge influence on the music, especially in New Orleans and down south. The sound became extremely popular, and started being performed by white minstrel performers, who used blackface, dialect from Black people, and musical inspirations to portray a caricature of a Black person and the Black culture. While the blackface form of theatrical makeup was used to entertain, it was typically demeaning to Black people.

    From there the sound grew, and many white male quartet groups, some still using minstrel performers, began flooding the recording studio scene. Black quartet groups didn’t have a lot of access to studios to be recorded. When they did get recorded, it was not often distributed to the public, which created a stereotype of its origins. The Black origins of barbershop music didn’t get full credit until 1992, when a professor named Lynn Abbott published an article titled "Play That Barber Shop Chord: A Case for the African-American Origin of Barbershop Harmony”.

    Women get their own society

    Women were not originally involved with barbershop music. Shortly after the BHS started, women formed their own society called Sweet Adeline’s International. Though the barbershop music community was progressing slowly, the country was still at a racial and equality divide, which is safe to say affected barbershop music as well.

    African Americans were not allowed into some societies until the late 1950s and early 1960s as the Civil Rights movement grew.

    In fact, some members of the SAI protested the women-only society because of their policy against women of color. A few members left the SAI and formed Harmony, Inc., which remained a women-only quartet society until 2013, when men were allowed to join.

    Heading in the right direction

    Today, barbershop music continues to head in the right direction. With BHS, and other societies allowing women in, creating the opportunity for mixed quartets, it gives the music a chance to thrive in ways that were not possible before.

    When interviewing a couple of women from the Fayetteville Sound, Up & Coming Weekly asked how they feel women contribute to barbershop music. Jessica Sheri says, “Vocally, there’s a different color and tone quality. I feel like women add a richness to it. It also forces guys to hear themselves differently and teach each other differently, when singing with women.”

    Watching and listening to a quartet sing in unison is truly amazing and seeing the growth over the years of barbershop music serves as a reminder that we are better as people when we are in unison with each other.

    Fayetteville Sound opens its doors to anyone who is eager to sing and be a part of this passionate group of people. On Valentine’s Day, Fayetteville Sound will be doing Singing Valentine’s from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
    It’s the perfect opportunity to give your significant other a unique surprise they’ll never forget. If you’re anywhere within 30 minutes of Fayetteville, you can choose a location, and a quartet will come to you. Your sweetheart will receive a rose, candy and a picture of the occasion. The price of this package is $50.

    There is also the option for a virtual singing valentine for just $25. Your loved one will receive a personal message and get it emailed directly to them, so they can keep the memory forever.
    For more information call 910-676–1766. You can also follow them on Facebook at Fayetteville Sound Barbershop or email them at Fayettevillesound@gmail.com.

  • 17 Why aren’t more North Carolina books made into movies? We ask ourselves even though the film, “Where the Crawdads Sing,” based on the popular book set in North Carolina was a great success last summer.

    Thanks in part to the movie, the book’s sales continue to make the best-seller list. According to a July 14, 2022, article by Carrie Wittmer and Elizabeth Logan on the glamour.com web site, “as of January 2022, the book sold 12 million copies, making it one of the best-selling books of all time.”

    But we miss the days when every Nicholas Sparks book and every John Grisham book was made into a blockbuster film. Sparks lives in New Bern and Grisham has close family connections to Raleigh and Chapel Hill.

    Both authors rank high on the list of “The Living Authors with the Most Film Adaptations” compiled by Lit Hub (https://lithub.com/the-living-authors-with-the-most-film-adaptations/). Sparks with 11 was topped only by Stephen King with 34. Grisham had nine and was topped only by John le Carre (10), Ian McEwan (10), and tied with J.K. Rowling (9).

    Why are not more North Carolina books turned into movies? One of the reasons is explained by Jen Doll in an article republished on the Atlantic web site.

    “But any way you look at it, the movie version of a widely successful book is bound to go wrong. Has any book lover ever truly been fully satisfied with the big-screen adaptation? The relationship we have with the book is personal and special; the relationship we have with the movie is more distanced from that, more passive, and certainly less demanding of us. We sit back and watch it play out, and we do so with a changed eye, having read the books. We're not going in as innocents but as experts; we know how the story goes, and we know what we expect. If we were more naive, new to the plot and characters, things might be different, but since we've read the books, and read them emphatically, possibly more than once, we can't know that for sure. We can only compare to what we do know, and already love.”

    Acknowledging these difficulties, I would still like to see more North Carolina books made into movies. At the top of my list would be Wiley Cash’s recent novel, “When Ghosts Come Home,” set near Wilmington in 1985. The action begins at 3:11 a.m. when Sheriff Winston Barnes and his wife hear an airplane crash at the nearby airport. He rushes there, finding only a deserted airport, a crashed airplane, and the body of a young Black man shot in the chest. No fingerprints or other clues can be found, but almost certainly drugs were involved.

    Race, small town politics, and international drug trafficking plus the common problems of ordinary people drive a mystery that captivates and leads to a completely surprising ending that would have movie goers holding on to their seats.

    A book by respected North Carolina author Nancy Peacock, “The Life and Times of Persimmon Wilson,” had me holding on to my seat just the way a great movie would. The story begins, “I have been to hangings before, but never my own…”

    Beloved North Carolina author Lee Smith explains the power of the book, “From this riveting beginning to the last perfect word, Nancy Peacock grabs her reader by the throat and makes him hang on for dear life as the action moves from a Louisiana sugar plantation to life among the western Comanches, bringing to blazing life her themes of race and true love caught in the throes of history. ‘The Life and Times of Persimmon Wilson’ is as deeply moving and exciting an American saga as has ever been penned.”

    What a wonderful movie this story would make.

    There are many more action-packed North Carolina books. Think of your favorites and how you would adjust them to make great movies.

  • 6 North Carolina faces many challenges. You and I may disagree with how to rank those challenges, or what to do about them, but we share a belief that our state could be a better place than it is today.
    This reformist impulse is proper and useful. But we shouldn’t let it make us unduly and unrealistically dour. Few states can match what North Carolina already has to offer — which is why few states match or exceed our growth rate.

    The latest population data from the U.S. Census Bureau, for example, show that North Carolina’s population grew by some 133,000 last year, to 10.7 million residents. Only Texas (471,000) and Florida (417,000) increased more in population during the period. In terms of annual growth rate, North Carolina ranked 9th at 1.3%, with Florida (1.9%) topping the list.

    America’s fastest-growing states are primarily in the Southeast and Mountain West. That’s been true for some time now. Similarly, the places with the largest drops in population last year were also rather predictable. There were six-figure population declines in New York, California and Illinois. In percentage terms, the fastest-declining states were New York, Illinois and Louisiana.

    As for gross domestic product, North Carolina’s economy has since the beginning of 2020 posted a compound annual growth rate of 2.8%, adjusted for inflation. That’s significantly higher than the national (1.6%) and regional (2.1%) averages. Idaho (4.2%) ranked first in this category. Our state ranked 8th.

    Which states are slackers in economic growth? Well, Louisiana’s GDP actually shrank by an average annual rate of 3%. Other places with net negative growth since January 2020 included Alaska, Wyoming, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Hawaii, New Mexico, West Virginia and Maryland.

    As should come as no surprise to no one, I believe that the past decade of free-market reforms and fiscally conservative policies made North Carolina a more attractive place to live, work, invest and create new jobs. We went from having one of the worst-designed tax systems in the country to one of the best. Under laws already enacted by the General Assembly, our tax rate on personal income will decline to 3.99% by 2027. Our corporate tax will disappear entirely by 2029. I also credit infrastructure improvements and a series of regulatory-reform measures for improving North Carolina’s business climate.

    A Canadian think tank, the Fraser Institute, provides a handy way to track these changes over time. In the most recent iteration of its Economic Freedom of North America index, North Carolina ranked 9th. That represents a marked improvement from its 2010 rank of 19th.

    It is important to keep in mind, however, that government is not the primary driver of economic decisions — whether for good or for ill. All other things being equal, states with smaller, less-intrusive, and more-effective governments tend to grow faster than average. That’s the finding of most (though not all) academic studies published over the past several decades.

    Where the rubber meets the road, however, all other things are never equal. States differ significantly in geography, natural resources, population density and economic structure. Many factors that determine growth over time can only be modestly influenced by public policy, if at all.

    Look again at that list of states with shrinking economies. While some of them are “blue” states with relatively high tax and regulatory burdens, others such as Wyoming and North Dakota don’t fit that description.
    North Carolina’s economic portfolio is diverse — and becoming more so over time. Is there room for improvement? Sure. But we already have a lot to be thankful for.

  • 8 A lack of participation from the Black and Native American communities in planning for a Civil War history center sparked a discussion during a forum on the contents of its exhibits.

    The forum was held Monday morning, Jan. 23 by organizers of the $80 million N.C. History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction. Vikki Andrews of Fayetteville said she was vehemently opposed to the history center when she first heard about it. Andrews, who is Black, said Monday’s forum provided her with additional insight on the center, which has received a lot of criticism among some city residents.

    “Because I had heard lots of rumors,” Andrews said.

    “I made it my business to come to one of these ’cause I wanted to hear. I wanted to be fair,” said Andrews. “I’m happy to see some of these things I’ve seen around the room because it speaks to the mechanics of the center.”

    The forum was held in the multipurpose room at Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church, 1217 Murchison Road. Panels outlining the content proposed for the history center were displayed on the wall at the church. A second forum was held Monday evening. The panels will be on display from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday at the church to gather written feedback from the public.

    “I said in the meeting, my concern is not necessarily with the mechanics, but who gets to decide the stories that are told,” Andrews said. “Everybody is not going to make that extra effort to find the information and what stories they get.

    “Who gets to decide?” Andrews asked. “For me, that’s a concern. There’s an effort in this country … an effort to change the past and make it more comfortable. There’s that effort there. When I hear that — when the architects and people in charge say some of the stories are difficult, and we may have to make some decisions — that says to me that’s a problem. We have to make that extra effort."

    The N.C. History Center’ exhibits will focus on the time period of 1830 through 1900. The conversation about opposition to the project in some communities started when former Fayetteville State University Chancellor James Anderson noted that American Indian stories are proving hard to gather.

    “It’s very difficult,” Anderson said. “All our local historians have made a tremendous effort. It’s hard, for example, to get Native American. American Indian stories.”

    Anderson said he is working with Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke to get first-person stories about Native Americans in history.

    “It’s just difficult,” he said. “There have been some politics involved in this evolution that we’re trying to overcome, I guess we can say it. And the politics are things that sometimes slow things up. And we’ve done a tremendous effort to try to overcome those politics.”

    Spencer Crew, the first African American director of the Smithsonian Museum of American History and a professor at George Mason University, said the center’s staff is talking to people in the community and gathering information. Cheri Molter, an author and research historian with the N.C. History Center, noted that the museum has acquired about 300 stories that are “exhibit worthy.”

    Molter was asked whether the center will offer an opportunity for Blacks to research their family history.

    “We know there’s been a lot of inequity in genealogical research,” Ann Ashford said.

    Molter said she has been gathering stories across the state since 2018.

    “All of them have value,” she said.

    She said in some communities, journals, diaries and letters have vanished.

    “So, what we’ve been doing is, we’ve been working to fill in the gaps whenever possible when someone wanted to share information with me,” she said.

    As he was leaving the church, former FSU Chancellor Anderson said he has taken heat for his support of the proposed center. He said he wants to make sure that people include the role of education, noting that Fayetteville State was founded in 1867.

    “So, it’s overlapping this discussion,” he said of the Civil War and its aftermath. “Making sure that we do not lose sight of the fact that secondary education, higher education — we’re the second-oldest state institution and (the University North Carolina at) Chapel Hill is the oldest. They’re very different in how Fayetteville State contributed to the development of this narrative vs. Chapel Hill. I hope that it’s reflected somewhere.”

    Anderson thanked Pastor Jamale Johnson and Mount Sinai church for stepping forward to become involved in the project.

    “You can count on us to make sure we’re still out here trying to get the stories,” said Anderson. “Trying to get first-person narratives, trying to make sure that the representation — multidiversity representation — is there. So, we’ll continue to do that.”

  • 16 Very few would say Valentine’s Day is on their list of favorite holidays. Between the overpriced flowers and the crowded restaurants, it's sometimes hard to feel the love. Ultimately, it does not matter if you had the most romantic evening. Sometimes all that matters is taking the time to say “I love you” to the people that mean the most.

    The CARE Clinic is a nonprofit organization that provides free, quality healthcare to the low-income, uninsured adult residents of Cumberland and surrounding counties. Once a year, near Valentine's Day, the clinic hosts a meal-sharing fundraiser event promoting neighborly love.

    People who have lived in Fayetteville for a while may be familiar with the event, while others may have never even heard of the clinic. While past participants may remember this event as the Evening of CARE, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the offering has morphed into the Week of Care — a new name and a new way to support The CARE Clinic.

    Fundraiser history

    While the Week of CARE event this month is the 26th annual Evening of CARE fundraiser, it is only the third “Week of CARE.”
    The CARE Clinic owes much of its success over the years to its connection with the Fayetteville community. When the need for fundraising arose in the clinic's early days, it was settled that opportunities to gather and bond over a shared cause were important.

    For the first 23 years of this event, folks opened their homes to guests; patrons purchased tickets for the evening and secured their spot at a dinner table in one of the hosts’ homes. It may seem strange to pay to visit a stranger's home, but it was a perfect opportunity to mix, mingle and meet new friends.

    The event today

    Since nothing brings people together like a good meal, it was important for the clinic to stick to a similar dinner format when redesigning the event post-COVID.
    Instead of offering the event one evening, the CARE Clinic runs the fundraiser for an entire week. Throughout January, participants order “Family Meals” from one of two partnering caterers, Luigi’s Italian Chophouse or Dorothy’s Catering Two.

    Not only do supporters choose what meal to order, but they also decide which day they want it. Then throughout the week of February 4-11, guests pick up their meals from the designated pick-up locations. Each meal is large enough to feed 6-8 people, depending on varying appetites. Whether for a special Valentine’s family gathering, a lake or beach trip, or to provide to the elderly who may need extra help, these meals are perfect for sharing with others.

    With limited staff, the clinic relies on volunteer involvement to pull off events like this. Fayetteville native Martha Wood has headed the fundraiser event committee for the last 21 years. Of her role, she said, “I learned as a child through my parents’ dedication to my family and community that we must not focus on ourselves but love all people and share our time, talent and treasures with those in need.” 16a

    This year she leads a committee of 11 women who have connections to the Fayetteville community.
    After 21 years, Martha continues to be enthusiastic about leading the group. Reflecting, she said, “I have been so blessed and realize daily just how fortunate I am to live in the wonderful community of Fayetteville.

    My life has been enriched through the countless wonderful people I have met who have cared as deeply as I do about helping others and giving back to the community.”

    Why the change?

    When it comes to an event that has stood as long and strong as this one, you may wonder why the committee changed the format three years ago. The simple answer is COVID-19. The more difficult answer is that because times are changing, so must we.

    COVID altered the dynamic of everyone’s lives. How could we ask people to gather in each other’s homes when we didn't know a thing about this virus sweeping the globe? Like most people, we had to get creative with our “new normal” following the lockdown. The committee brainstormed ways to keep the event’s spirit alive while promoting safe social-distancing practices. The Week of CARE was born.

    No one knew what to expect from the new event format, but the outcome was truly mind-blowing. The 2021 event yielded $50,198 to support The CARE Clinic.
    After finding such great success, the committee decided to continue with the new format into 2022 and 2023. Even though the world is out of quarantine, this new format still seems the best option.

    It is important to update the fundraisers over the years to accommodate busy families who are always moving, and a take-home meal is the best way to do that. The best part is that this event still holds to its purpose. The Family-Style meals allow people to gather in communion over a shared meal for a good cause.

    Besides the Week of Care, a golf tournament is held in autumn as an additional fundraiser. The 28th Annual Golf Charity Tournament at Gates Four Golf & Country Club was held on Sept. 9, 2022. Toast of the Town Annual Tasting & Silent Auction is another popular spring fundraiser held at Cape Fear Botanical Garden.

    About The CARE Clinic

    The CARE Clinic is a nonprofit organization located at 239 Robeson St. in Fayetteville, where it has been since its inception in November of 1993. Their mission is to provide free, quality healthcare to the uninsured adult residents of Cumberland and bordering counties. Services include primary care, simple dental extractions, pharmaceuticals, diagnostic labs and imaging, and referrals to outside sources.

    They provide all services at no charge to clinic patients. Since they receive no government funding, financial support comes entirely from grants, individual donations and fundraisers like our Week of CARE. The clinic is grateful to all the sponsors, participants and volunteers who have supported this event for 26 years. Organizers are eager to see where it goes from here.

    Learn more about the Care Clinic at www.thecareclinic.org

    Editor’s note: Tara Martin is the development and marketing director of The CARE Clinic. This article first appeared in the February issue of Women’s View Magazine.

  • 11 Each February, the United States commemorates the impressive contributions of Black individuals. Black History Month traces its origins to 1915, 50 years after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States.

    In that same year, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (later known as ASALH) was founded to promote the achievements of Black Americans and others of African descent.

    In 1926, a more formal holiday was established by Dr. Carter G. Woodson with a national Negro History Week, which evolved into today’s Black History Month.
    February was chosen because it coordinates with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass — two individuals who were essential to the fight for equal rights for Black people.
    Black History Month is loaded with opportunities to learn more about influential Black individuals. Local libraries, television channels and schools often focus on such individuals throughout the month of February, providing ample chances for individuals from all walks of life to learn more about people and events that have shaped the nation.

    Watch documentaries. During Black History Month, many networks feature documentaries on influential figures who made their marks in the Black community and beyond. Streaming services also may have documentaries or special interview series available that highlight certain Black figures.

    Visit a cultural center. Museums and other cultural or community centers emphasize Black history in February. Even in smaller towns one may be able to attend speeches or readings at local libraries.

    Watch movies. Curate a collection of films that were directed by Black directors or feature Black actors in lead roles. Films that chronicle the biographies of Black historical figures also can be educational.

    Learn about local Black history. There are specific Black individuals in our community's history, such as E. E. Smith, who are notable for their accomplishments. Many might be surprised to learn about other people and events that helped to shape Black history locally.

    Read MLK Jr’s famous letter. People can revisit the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. by reading his “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” The letter is considered vital for anyone hoping to understand the Civil Rights movement in the United States.

    Black History Month provides plenty of chances to learn about influential figures and historical events.

  • tax time N1804P17009H 1 Tax relief is available to qualified property owners, including exclusions and deferments for the elderly and disabled, according to the Cumberland County Tax Administration.

    The owners of qualifying agricultural, horticultural, forestry and wildlife conservation properties may qualify for a “present use” deferment, according to a county news release. The tax is assessed based on the value of the property in its current use rather than its market value. Approval is based on requirements that cover minimum production, acreage, and income, as well as other factors.

    The taxes are deferred, not exempted, and become a lien on the property, the news release said.
    Applications for 2023 must be submitted during the annual listing period, Jan. 1–31.

    Exclusions for the elderly or disabled are for the greater of the first $25,000 or 50% of the assessed value on a permanent residence, according to the news release. Applicants must be 65 or older or totally and permanently disabled with a combined 2022 income of $33,800 or less for the applicant and spouse.
    Exclusions for disabled veterans or a surviving spouse cover the first $45,000 of assessed value on a permanent residence, the release said. There is no age or income limits.

    The deadline to apply for the exclusion programs is June 1, the release said.
    Jan. 31 is the deadline for taxpayers to list property for 2023. Forms must be updated, signed and postmarked no later than Jan. 31 to avoid a 10% penalty.

    To request an application for tax relief, contact Cumberland County Tax Administration customer service at 910-678-7507 or www.cumberlandcountync.gov/tax. The email address for tax questions is taxweb@cumberlandcountync.gov.

    The county tax office is on the fifth floor of the Cumberland County Courthouse, 117 Dick St.

  • Fantastic Realm film fest FantasticRealm is a weekend-long event from Jan. 27-29, and features imaginative films from childhood. The films in the series include animated films like “Watership Down” and “My Neighbor Totoro,” fantasy films such as “Krull,” and sci-fi films like “Hidden Planet.”

    “The FantasticRealm films feature the most-cherished movie memories from your childhood,” says the Carolina Theatre’s Director of Film, Jim Carl. “These films are nostalgic, and joyous, and meant to be shared with your family and friends.”

    FantasticRealm is part of the theater’s Retro Film Series, which hosts double-features of classic films most Friday nights and includes several sub-series of film including Disney-Quest, featuring classic animated Disney films; MovieDiva, a series focused on strong female leads; RetroNoir, boasting classic hard-boiled crime films, mysteries, and whodunnits; RetroGothic, a gothic horror- based series; and Kaiju-Quest, a Japanese-genre focused on big monsters.

    The full series of FantasticRealm films and ticket can be found at carolinatheatre.org.

    About The Carolina Theatre of Durham: Carolina Theatre of Durham, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which manages the city-owned Carolina Theatre at 309 W. Morgan Street, Durham, NC 27701. Carolina Theatre of Durham, Inc. is dedicated to presenting vibrant, thought-provoking film and live performances that contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of downtown Durham and the Triangle Region. More information at carolinatheatre.org.

  • 19aYes, the Fayetteville Stingers are a professional development team in The Basketball League that seeks to help their best players move up the pro ranks, landing spots on foreign rosters or perhaps make an NBA roster.

    But, during a press conference Jan. 17 at the Crown Coliseum, team officials emphasized connecting with the community as the first-year TBL franchise’s main priority.

    “This team has to be active for this community and its young people that has a family-friendly environment that people can come out and have fun with their kids,” said head coach Robert Brickey, a 55-year-old former E.E. Smith standout who played collegiately at Duke under Mike Krzyzewski. “The time we walk out in our uniforms, what we do in warmups, how we conduct ourselves on the floor and in the community, we want to be a class act.”

    “These are players you can touch.”

    The Stingers are scheduled to open their initial season on March 3 in Raleigh against the Firebirds. Their home opener is set for March 10 at the Crown Coliseum against the Central Florida Force.
    The Stingers will play a 27-game regular season with 12 home dates.

    “This league is really strong basketball across the country. There's a lot of entertainment bang for your buck these days. There's a great place to come here for non-basketball things,” said Brickey, who began his coaching career in 2000 and last coached the Raleigh Firebirds of the TBL from 2018-2021. “We want it to be fun for our fans. We want it to be great for our community.”

    Season tickets are on sale now. Single-game tickets are set to go on sale Feb. 1.

    Single-game tickets for the upper and lower levels are $15 and $20. Courtside back and front tickets are $85 and $100. Season tickets are available for $350. Tickets can be purchased through ticketmaster.com and www.fayettevillestingers.com.

    The TBL is in its fifth season, starting out as the North American Premier Basketball league in 2018 before changing its name to The Basketball League. The league started with eight teams. It now has 55, including 22 in the Eastern Conference where the Stingers will play, according to Stingers General Manager Raymond Phillips. The Albany Patroons won last year’s TBL championship, beating the Shreveport Mavericks 2-1 in the best-of-3 final series.

    Fayetteville is the third team from North Carolina in the league. They join Raleigh and Charlotte (Purple Jackets). Phillips said about 90% of the players on the team are expected to come from Cumberland County.

    “Our plan is to bring quality and affordable entertainment to the city of Fayetteville and its surrounding area,” Phillips said. “We look forward in 2023 to have the ability to bring the community together in a positive way far beyond basketball. In years to come, we’re looking forward to expanding our fan base and winning championships both on and off the court.”

     

  • 12aCape Fear Studios will be holding their annual, non juried exhibit, Cabin Fever Jan. 26 through Feb. 21. An open reception will be held Jan. 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the studio in downtown Fayetteville.

    “Cabin Fever was set up to be a show after the holidays, after the hardest part of winter is over and everyone has been locked in their house because of the cold,” said Steve Opet, Cape Fear Studios board president.

    Opet has been involved with the studio for eight years, and is an artist himself. He has submitted his own work to previous Cabin Fever exhibits. Opet said the studio has been holding the exhibit every January for around ten years.

    Cape Fear Studios has been a part of the Fayetteville community for 33 years. The non profit artist co-op holds a new exhibit every month, with gallery receptions coinciding with Fourth Fridays. The receptions are always open to the public, as is the studio throughout the week.

    “When visitors come into the studio, they are not only welcome to view the current art show but they are welcome to walk into the actual artist studios,” Opet said. “Most days we have several artists working in their studios. People are allowed to see the artists at work and ask questions and interact.”

    The gallery is entirely run by the artists, each donating their time to run the front desk and take care of administrative tasks. Grants from the Arts Council of Cumberland County help allow the gallery to have their monthly exhibits.

    “The Arts Council help support us, and keep us going,” said Opet.12b

    Opet said he is excited for this year’s Cabin Fever.

    “Usually for the main gallery a big show is about 40 pieces. For Cabin Fever we get between 25 to 40 pieces. Hopefully we get 40 pieces this year,” he said.

    Cabin Fever opens Jan. 26. The show can be viewed during gallery hours, Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
    The studio is located at 148 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville, next to the Fayetteville History Museum. The exhibit is open for all local residents 18 and over to enter. Artists can submit up to two pieces.

    A People’s Choice award will be given during the reception on Jan. 27. Attendees can vote for their favorite pieces, and the winner will be announced before the reception is over.
    Call 910-433-2986 or visit www.capefearstudios.com and click on the “call for art” tab to view the show’s prospectus for more information.

  • 8 Renovations are underway on the former Stein Mart department store to make way for new retailers, including the relocation of Fleishman’s Tiny Town children’s store and an Ace Hardware store scheduled to open in March.

    Stein Mart closed all 281 of its stores in August 2020, and the space at Highland Centre on Raeford Road has been vacant since then.
    Tiny Town, located at 3015 Fort Bragg Road, opened in 1951, according to its website. It will settle into space adjoining the new Ace Hardware, said Highland Centre co-owner Alex Thompson.

    A third new tenant at the shopping center, School Tools, will move from its Robeson Street location near downtown to the east wing of Highland Centre, according to Thompson, who shares ownership of the property with his sister, Lisa Thompson.

    Harris Teeter is the anchor store at the shopping center, which also includes a Hallmark store, post office and Pet Supermarket.
    Lori’s Ace Home & Hardware is scheduled to open March 14 in Suite 24A, part of the Stein Mart space.

    “This community really deserves and needs an Ace,” said Lori Tracy Stobbe, who will own and operate the business with her husband, Nate Stobbe. “What Ace provides is that quality product but really great customer service and the convenience. We hope to build a really great, helpful team of employees.”

    The Stobbes plan to hire about 15 people for the store, including for the positions of store manager, sales associate and cashier. For more information on jobs, visit https://nowhiring.com/loris-ace/. A grand opening is planned for the first weekend in May, including grilling and power equipment demonstrations.

    The Stobbes relocated to Fayetteville from Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, in June.

    Before the move, Lori Stobbe worked roughly 25 years in marketing and public relations. Nate Stobbe has owned or run manufacturing companies after starting out as a journeyman carpenter. She said he has extensive knowledge of construction and manufacturing.

    “We started this venture together,” she said. “We came down here specially to open this Ace store here in Fayetteville.”

    In September, they opened Ace Handyman Services, also in Highland Centre. It will merge with the hardware store when that opens.

    The former Stein Mart space will provide the couple with about 18,000 square feet, plus an additional 5,000 square feet for a garden center, Stobbe said.
    Alex and Lisa Thompson's father, Joe Thompson, was one of the original partners in Highland Centre. The landlord is Thompson Properties.

    Renovations on the property are ongoing. Once the three new retailers are open, Alex Thompson said, about 6,900 square feet will remain available to rent.
    Lori Stobbe said she and her husband are often asked why they picked Fayetteville for their new business.

    “The first decision was North Carolina,” she said. “We wanted to move to a warmer climate and near the ocean. We felt like it was a comfortable place to land. People are all friendly. The climate is fantastic. Once we decided on North Carolina, then we had to figure what was going to be the best site to open an Ace Hardware store. That takes a while to find that sweet spot. You want to make sure it's a good fit. And that it fits into your financial model as well, of course.”

    She said they looked at areas around the state and found the old Stein Mart space in Fayetteville.

    “We walked through that and the space looked perfect. We were able to drive around Fayetteville a lot (and see) where the retail was and wasn't. It's a pretty large city,” she said. “This Raeford Road is very busy all day long, all evening long. This just felt like the sweet spot."

    Because Lori's Ace Home & Hardware will be a large store, she said, it will include sections for grilling and patio furniture; home decor and gifts; and toys and games for kids and adults.

    “We are local,” Stobbes said. “We live here; we are based here. We are not corporate-owned. We want … to have it be a good addition to the community. We’re going to be listening to what people want when they come in. ‘Is there something that you need that we don’t have?’ We’re going to be really open to that type of feedback.”

  • 15Orchestra fans and music lovers, gather up, you definitely don’t want to miss this up and coming stellar event.

    The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra will present “One Song” on Saturday, Feb. 4 at Huff Concert Hall which is at Methodist University.

    Guests will be allowed in the venue beginning at 6:30 and the event will begin at 7:30 p.m. The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1956 and is a professional orchestra whose mission is to educate, entertain and inspire the citizens of Fayetteville, and surrounding counties. “One Song” is the Symphony’s fifth concert in their seven-concert series this season.

    The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra also has many free events and performances. Their mission to educate, entertain and inspire the community will be on full display with our annual side-by-side concert, where the Fayetteville Symphony Youth Orchestra performs alongside our world class musicians.

    This exciting and collaborative program will feature a new work from North Carolina composer, Andrew Harris, titled “The Stars Above,” according to Meghan Woolbright, Marketing and Office Manager of The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra

    Also highlighted on this program is the 2021 Harlan Duenow Young Artist Concerto Competition Winner Zirui Yin. Yin will perform Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 3,” said Woolbright.

    Zirui Yin started playing the piano at the age of 6. He grew up in Shanghai, China, and is currently a first-year student at Duke University, potentially majoring in Computer Science and Music. He is now a student of Professor Ieva Jokubaviciute. His former instructor is Professor Setsuko Shima from Nanjing University of Arts.

    To learn more or purchase tickets, head over to www.fayettevillesymphony.org/. Middle and high school band/orchestra students can attend for free by redeeming tickets online, by calling 910-433-4690, or at the door the night of the performance.

  • 17In a perfect world, every entrepreneur would have ample time to prepare their business for sale. It’s a long, often complex process that demands our full attention — and ideally, assistance from professional brokers.

    After all, there are many factors to consider: Why am I selling? Is the market ideal? Do I have my legal and financial ducks in a row? (And more.)

    That being said, there are certainly times when a speedy sale is essential — or unavoidable. Life can change in a moment, and when an urgent situation demands your attention, it helps to know that there are business advisors available to help facilitate your business’s sale with haste and precision. This is especially applicable to the fast-moving market that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Why Sell Quickly?

    If you find yourself in a situation that calls for a quick sale, you’re not alone. Advisors have helped many clients accelerate the process — and for many different reasons.

    • A sudden change in personal circumstances. An unexpected illness or even a death in the family, divorce, and partnership disputes have compelled many clients to sell quickly.
    • Favorable (or unfavorable) market changes. Whether they affect your vertical as a whole or your business’s individual profitability, market changes frequently kick-start the sales process.
    • New (and potentially profitable) opportunities. Perhaps you’ve found an exciting new venture and need to hand off responsibility — or you need to find more capital quickly.
      Selling quickly is also just plain trendy. BizBuySell.com reports: “[the] median time to sell dropped 23% from its peak of 200 days in Q2 2012 to just 153 days in Q4 2014.” That’s the lowest sale time recorded since they began tracking in 2007.

    Time-Consuming Roadblocks

    With any business sale, there are certain steps that need to be taken to protect you and your business. With an expedited business sale, these steps are still essential — but now, with everyone moving twice as quickly, there’s more room for error. That’s where business brokers come in.

    • Brokers find and vet potential buyers. Once your business goes up for sale, you’ll likely receive a flurry of requests for more details. Advisors will field these requests and share only the essentials, all the while keeping your business’s important information confidential.
    • Brokers prepare your business for sale. While you do the important work of keeping your business running and profitable, we gather the information needed to value and list it confidentially — plus important documents regarding your financial obligations, legal obligations and due diligence. We work with your advisors to facilitate a successful transaction.
    • Brokers screen negotiations and paperwork. Don’t be taken in by a seemingly perfect buyer. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Advisors typically have decades of experience and know what’s normal in a deal, when to accept an offer, and when to die on a particular hill.

    Ways to Expedite Your Sale

    Having a trustworthy business broker at your side to facilitate a quick sale is the best thing you can do when time is of the essence. However, there are also many steps that entrepreneurs can take themselves to make their businesses attractive and speed up the process.

    • Target the most likely buyers. This seems obvious, but many clients forget to look in their own backyards. The best buyers for your business could be the people in your industry, old business connections, and maybe even former rivals and competitors.
    • When looking for buyers, cast a wide net. You never know where your buyer will come from. You may be surprised to find buyers in unlikely places. Keep an open mind and trust your broker’s reach, which usually includes a database of thousands of contacts.
    • Sweeten the deal by adding incentives for potential buyers. We don’t just mean lower prices (though everyone loves a deal). Try throwing in financing options, equipment, and other bonuses to attract interest and show you’re serious about selling your business quickly. Local business advisors have teams of knowledgeable, professional advisors who know how to structure deals to get the transaction completed.

    Conclusion

    If you need to sell quickly, you absolutely must have an experienced broker to facilitate the process. Errors can slow you down and waste your time and even lose a highly qualified buyer. Remember, a good deal dies when you don’t have the professional guidance needed to navigate the next steps. Don’t get caught without an advisor who knows their way around preparation, negotiation, and closing.

    Business advisors can help take the stress out of selling your business so you can focus on your exit — whatever that may look like for you. It’s impossible to put a price on the peace of mind that comes from knowing you’re covered — financially and legally — as you see your business off to the next phase of its life.

    Editor’s note: Ashley Kelsey is a Business Broker at Transworld Business Advisors of Eastern North Carolina. For more information call 910-302-6447 or visit www.transworldeast.com.

  • 5It is a new year and the 118th Congress has begun. It’s an honor to continue serving you and our community representing North Carolina's new 9th District. This includes all or portions of Chatham, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Moore, Randolph, Richmond and Scotland Counties. I will continue maintaining a district office in Fayetteville, while also operating a new primary district office in Southern Pines. My office locations can be found on my website at Hudson.House.gov.

    Three counties I represented previously — Cabarrus, Stanly, and Montgomery — are now in North Carolina’s 12th and 8th Districts. It has been an honor to represent these communities throughout my time in Congress.

    Cabarrus County has also been home to me and my family for many years, and I am proud of all we have been able to accomplish together. My family and I are getting settled into the new home we purchased in Southern Pines.

    I look forward to serving the new 9th District and continuing to work on common sense solutions to challenges facing our entire region, Fort Bragg and our nation.
    Solving problems has always been my focus as your Congressman. Due in part to the misguided policies of Washington Democrats and the Biden administration, we have seen our nation weakened on many fronts.

    Across the country, families like yours have suffered the highest inflation in 40 years and record prices at the gas pump.
    In fact, North Carolina is experiencing some of the highest increases in gas prices in the country.

    We have also witnessed an ongoing humanitarian and national security crisis at our southern border, as record numbers of illegal migrants crossed into the country over the course of last year. This border crisis has threatened the safety and security of communities nationwide, including exacerbating the fentanyl epidemic robbing countless Americans of their lives.

    President Joe Biden has been in office for more than 700 days, but recently announced his first ever visit to the southern border.
    This crisis can no longer be ignored, and House Republicans are ready to pass solutions to secure our border and protect our communities.

    Washington Democrats have been largely unable, or unwilling, to address the many issues affecting you and your family.
    However, with Republicans now in the majority in the House, we have an obligation to address these issues and set things in the right direction.
    Our “Commitment to America” is a plan to do just that by implementing commonsense policies to create an economy that’s strong, a nation that’s safe, a government that’s accountable, and a future built on freedom.

    Last week, House Republicans hit the ground running to follow through on that agenda.

    I introduced my first bill of this Congress — the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. H.R. 38 is a key piece of legislation that will protect law-abiding citizens’ rights to conceal carry and guarantees the Second Amendment does not disappear when we cross invisible state lines.

    It has even been called “the greatest gun rights boost since the ratification of the Second Amendment in 1791.”

    I have introduced this bipartisan legislation each Congress and have promised to continue championing this measure until it becomes law.
    Additionally, House Republicans voted on legislation to stop the hiring of 87,000 new IRS agents to spy on your bank account, a bill to block the Biden administration from selling oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to communist China, and pro-life bills to protect babies who survive a botched abortion and mothers who rely on crisis pregnancy centers.

    We have a lot of work to do and it is an honor to serve as your Congressman.
    In this new year, and new Congress, I will never waiver from doing everything I can to fight for you and build a better future for your family.

  • 11Kemberle Braden will take over as the next Police Chief of the Fayetteville Police Department. Current Chief Gina Hawkins is set to retire Jan. 31.
    Braden has worked in the department for almost 27 years.

    “I’m excited about the opportunity to be able to provide for the officers working on the side; the opportunity we have to really make a change of some of the things and how we proceed in the community,” Braden said.

    Braden started out as a patrol officer in the field. In 2002, Braden was shot while investigating a tip about drug usage. Braden was shot at five times.
    The hardest moment for Braden, in his entire career at the Fayetteville Police Department was coming back to the job following being shot.

    “The thing that took really the most courage for me was coming back to work, putting the uniform back on. Everything after that was easy. But, coming back from being shot, coming back from being out of work for, I think it was close to eight months, there was a lot of fear, anxiousness, anxiety associated with that,” Braden said.

    “I’ve done a lot of things in my career. I’ve 22 years on the SWAT team. You know, I’ve been through a lot of doors, a lot of things that people would say were scary,” he said.

    “But probably the scariest, most anxious time I had was coming back to work because I had a lot of doubt in myself. There was a lot of [thinking about]whether I should do it, whether I can do it. It wasn’t that first day back, it wasn’t until several years down the road that you’d look back and say, okay, yeah, that was quite an accomplishment what I did there.”

    Since then, he has risen through the ranks and is now the assistant police chief who supervises patrol operations and investigations.
    When asked why he applied to the position of Police Chief, Braden says that partially it was a natural progression of the job, but mainly it was to have an influence on policies and changes within the community and the FPD.

    “We always said, ‘if I was in charge, this is what I would do,’ you know, and that was part of the motivating factor along the way as well. I had the opportunity to see my plans or my ideas were good enough to really do the things that I thought that I would be able to do,” Braden said.

    “And they weren’t always; sometimes I made mistakes and I had some failures along the way, but it was okay, and it sort of led me to where I’m sitting today.”

    Going into the role, Braden says he has no specific goals or plans at the moment.

    “I need to take some time and evaluate what is actually going on. I don’t want to rush into anything. I think I’ll get a better clear direction on where we need to go based on talking to individuals, both internally and externally. I think there’s some things that need to change internally within the department and get some feedback from the officers and the command staff, get their vision of what those changes could be,” Braden said.

    Braden didn’t clarify what he meant by what things he wanted to change internally but did say that on the community relations side, he wants to continue having open houses and getting feedback from the community. He primarily wants to establish what the community’s expectations are for the police department.

    “The best way to manage someone’s expectations is to know what those expectations are. You know, if I just go out there and say, ‘Hey, I'm giving you this.’ That’s not even on the list of your wants or needs, you’re never going to be satisfied with anything that I do,” Braden said.

    Looking at Gina Hawkins’ term as Police Chief, Braden says he respects the way she handled the well-being of the officers and made it one of her priorities.

    “I think she’s had a great emphasis and changed the police culture in regards to officer wellness. There’s been more efforts in officer wellness in the past couple of years than I’ve seen probably throughout my career. [Officers] have an opportunity to go seek counseling if that’s what the officer individual chooses to do or needs to do that, having that available to us as an option. I think many, many employees have taken advantage of that program. I think a lot of times we get so focused in on ‘what are we doing to address crime,’ we forget about the people that are actually the ones out there going to see the crime on a day-to-day basis. How we manage and deal with things that influence and affect us as individuals. We’re a sum of all of our experiences. You can’t just visually see trauma and pain on a day-to-day basis and not have an outlet for that,” Braden said.

    Police departments across America have been facing shortages in their staff. The Fayetteville Police Department currently has 30 officer vacancies.
    In recent years, the Fayetteville Police Department has tried several recruiting tactics, such as hosting a job fair in Puerto Rico and is now hosting a monthly orientation session for people to speak with recruiters.

    For Braden, the focus for him is on retention, which focuses on the well-being of officers.
    He says that if he can focus and solve some of the problems that people have, then recruiting becomes easy.

    “I’ve got to figure out why people are leaving, why people aren’t sticking around, stay and do in their thirty years, treating this like a profession and working towards a career. If I can solve some of those problems, make people where they want to come to work, they enjoy the job, they want to be the professional officer, you know, and have that professional image and be part of something bigger than themselves,” he said.

    Braden says he believes there are three things that tend to be successful in this career — confidence, competence and a little bit of charisma.

    “If I can instill those three things, I think cops will go back to work if they’re confident that the department, their community, will have their back if they know they’re doing the right thing. If they have competence, they know what the law and the policy says. They know the difference in right and wrong. And like I said, if they can treat people with kindness and be a likable person, I think we’ll see a difference. And we see cops becoming motivated, and [they] get excited about the job again and want to stay and have a thirty-year career.”

    Lt. Diana Holloway said that Braden is a “what you see is what you get” kind of man.

    “He’s a straight shooter. It’s not sugarcoating anything. If he has it and he knows it, he’ll tell you. If he doesn’t, he’s like, ‘hey, we’ll figure it out. We’ll find out how to make it happen.’ So he’s honest, and whatever he says, it is what it is,” Holloway said.

    Braden will assume the position on Feb. 1; however, an official swearing-in-ceremony has not been announced. Braden will be the 25th Fayetteville Police Chief.

  • 18Cardiovascular disease claims more lives across the globe every year than any other disease or condition, and many of those fatalities are credited to heart disease.

    Though the terms “cardiovascular disease” and “heart disease” are often used interchangeably, the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute notes that, while all heart diseases are cardiovascular diseases, not all cardiovascular diseases are heart diseases.

    This is an important distinction, especially as adults discuss heart and cardiovascular health with their physicians. The NHLBI reports that more than one in 10 American adults have been diagnosed with heart disease, which underscores the serious threat posed by the various conditions that fall under the umbrella of the condition.

    Though NHLBI data indicates around 630,000 Americans die from heart diseases each year, many of those deaths are preventable. Education is one of the ways in which deaths due to heart disease can be prevented.

    That’s especially true when individuals learn to recognize warning signs of the disease and take prompt action once such indicators appear.

    Chest pain: Discomfort between the neck and upper abdomen is characterized as chest pain, which does not necessarily indicate the presence of heart disease. However, the experts at Mount Sinai indicate that chest pain is the most common symptom of poor blood flow to the heart or a heart attack. Chest pain may occur because the heart isn’t getting enough oxygen or blood.

    It’s important that individuals recognize that the intensity of pain in the chest does not indicate the severity of the problem. That means that even mild discomfort in the chest should be brought to the attention of a physician immediately.

    Shortness of breath: Shortness of breath can occur because the heart isn’t pumping blood as well as it should, thus causing blood to back up in the veins that go from the lungs to the heart. Mount Sinai notes that this results in fluid leaking into the lungs, thus producing shortness of breath. Shortness of breath can occur at any time, including when individuals are active or at rest.

    Coughing or wheezing: Another indicator of fluid buildup in the lungs related to the heart is persistent coughing or wheezing. When coughing, individuals may spit up a pink or bloody mucus.

    Swelling in the lower legs: Mount Sinai notes that swelling in the legs, ankles or feet is another indicator of heart troubles. One of the by-products of a poorly functioning heart is slower blood flow, and that reduction in flow can cause a backup in the veins of the legs. That backup can cause fluid to build up in the tissues, which leads to swelling.

    Heart disease is a significant threat to public health. Learning to recognize signs of the disease can save an untold number of lives.

  • 6Today class, we shall consider the concept of time. What is time? Can time be slowed down or speeded up? Many mysteries will be revealed by Mr. Science in this particular stain on world literature. Stay tuned for the time and space continuum.

    Depending on circumstances, time can indeed be stretched out or compressed. The old saying is “Time flies when you are having fun.” The converse is also true, time drags when you are not having fun. Yin and Yang. Light and Dark. Allow me to explain.

    For many years I thought that the longest period of time I had experienced occurred in the late 1970s. In a very hot August, my wife and I drove round trip from Fayetteville, North Carolina to Key West, Florida, in a Chevy Vega station wagon.

    Like Tipperary, it is a long, long way from Fayetteville to Key West. It is even longer in a Chevy Vega station wagon. For those of you too young to have experienced Chevy Vegas or too old to be able to remember Chevy Vegas, some background information may be needed.

    Vegas were some of the worst cars ever produced by Detroit. They were small, loud, uncomfortable and actually rusted sitting in Chevy show rooms. Naturally we bought one because that is the kind of car dummies we were.

    Our two-year-old Vega was a classic. The roof had already rusted leaving holes for rain water to run inside the car to collect in the wheel well where the spare tire lived. The water filled up the wheel well causing the spare tire to float like a large black rubber ball of bilious Ivory soap. When the car would make a turn, the spare would slosh and loudly bump against the side of the wheel well. When brakes were applied, the wheel would slosh and ram the wheel well.

    Vegas had very little acceleration. When the gas pedal was depressed the spare would remain quietly stable. The best part of the Vega experience was the exquisite smell of the spare marinating in brackish water redolent of rotting vegetation in the Great Dismal Swamp on a hot day after an oil spill.
    Imagine the fun of traveling 18 hours in a Vega to the end of the Sunshine State. We enjoyed multiple hours of interstate time, broken only by stopping at the occasional Stuckey’s for a pecan log and road trinkets.

    For decades I believed this was the longest period of any experience I had encountered. It turns out I was wrong. There is a slower period of time, even slower than Vega time. It is called Home Renovation Time.
    In the early 1980s while we were in our early 30s, we bought a house. It was a two-story house with the bedroom and bathroom on the second floor. When we bought the house, it never occurred to us that 40 years later we would be in our early 70s.

    Stairs are not currently an issue. But as Mr. Calendar marches on, it is inevitable the stairs will morph into mountains as we age.
    What to do? Kids are grown. Don’t need all this space. Most normal people enter their fourth quarter by downsizing. We scoff at conventional wisdom. Remember, we once owned a Vega. Let’s add more space.

    We decided to enter the wonderful world of home renovation by adding a bedroom and bathroom to the first floor.
    Construction began in March 2022, and finished in January 2023. Almost 11 months of rollicking fun times.

    Construction requires many decisions, large amounts of money, and a tolerance for chaos.
    All important decisions were made by my wife, thus granting me complete deniability. Delays are inevitable. Just say the magic words “Supply Chain Problem” and any delay is excused.

    Find an architect, a contractor, brick masons, carpenters, HVAC gurus, electricians, matching bricks, and appropriate fixtures, while learning to live in a black hole of compressed personal effects.
    All of the furniture in several rooms had to be jammed into remaining space. Objects piled up everywhere. Not even light could escape. It looked like the “Hoarders” TV show.

    A beautiful blue Porta John graced the front yard to the neighbors’ delight while serving as a haven for joggers struck by an urgent call of nature. The sweet smell of Porta John in the depths of summer wafted through the neighborhood.

    Giant trucks roamed the narrow street carrying magnificent mounds of bricks and boards. Skip loaders filled with cement crushed the grass and sprinkler system into oblivion. Mud abounded.

    Teams of workers wandered through the house at random periods. Each step in the process brought an exciting new fresh Hell.

    So, what have we learned today? Renovation Time is slower than Vega Time. The end result of renovation was dandy. As usual, my wife was right. Let the aging begin in earnest. We have built our own nursing home to remain in place as long as possible.

    But, if I had it to do all over again, I wouldn’t do it. I would rent a Vega, drive to California, and never come back.

  • 13aCallie Tisdale sits in the middle of the studio space at Cape Fear Regional Theatre. Behind her are dozens of props adorning one side of the large room and on the opposite side chairs line the wall with adult actors watching rehearsals waiting on their own lines.

    On the floor, just in front of Tisdale is a well-worn spiral bound script book. She reads and rereads the lines. She is wearing a T-shirt with the icons of famous Broadway plays pictured across the front in the shape of a heart and behind her right ear, she’s tucked her fuchsia pencil that she’s using to make notes. She takes the process very seriously. She’s committed. Her mom was involved in theater too. When asked, she’ll say she wants to be an actress in New York one day.

    “I feel like it would be really fun. It would be a really cool experience to be on Broadway,” she says.

    This week, Tisdale will star on the Main Stage in a school uniform, standing against the cruelty of adults that surround her and having incredible super powers.

    “I always wanted to do ‘Matilda.’”

    Tisdale and Isabel Iatauro, another child actor in the community, will share the honor of performing as the main character, Matilda, in the CFRT’s upcoming production of “Matilda The Musical.” This show is a little different for the folks at CFRT as they have two youth casts playing the parts and will switch between them on the various showtimes.13b

    “I’m used to directing a large number of kids, that’s not out of the ordinary,” Marc de la Concha, the show’s director and an actor at CFRT, says. “But there’s a lot that’s involved with this. We have two companies of kids. It’s not a normal rehearsal process.”

    De la Concha crosses the room to Tisdale. They have known each other for a few years now. Both of the actors performed in “Shrek” together. They quietly discuss things in the script book amongst themselves. He gives her a little direction that she details in her book with her pink pencil. They discuss for a moment more than he walks off the rehearsal space to begin the scene again. The adult actors in this room have already done this scene with Iatauro. Now, it’s Tisdale’s turn.

    The actors begin again. The show meanders between the dark and the comical — a little mix of the Matilda of the 90s, the one in the book and the British play — all in an English accent.

    “We are balancing between them,” de la Concha says. “It has the potential to go [dark] but we are trying to keep it on the lighter side.”

    Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood, played by Kevin David Stevens and Kelly Felthous respectively, take the stage. They dance around in a silly, comically aggressive manner until Tisdale’s line breaks into the scene and they suddenly stop. Now, comes the adult anger and the yelling at Matilda commences. As they finish the scene, Felthous comes up to Tisdale, reminds her that she’s amazing and tells her how great she did.

    Felthous loves to play the villain as long as she can remind the young actors of their great worth in-between her lines where she has to be mean to them. She even finds herself helping with homework on occasion.

    13c“After every scene we reconnect. We try to keep it as this is the scene and separating the two,” Felthous says.

    The actors fall out of the scene and others take their places. They are on to the next scene.

    “Up stage left, please,” de la Concha says to Tisdale. She nods and moves to her place on the floor. Tisdale is mild-mannered and intensely focused in her scenes. They’ll play out another scene involving Russian gangsters mixed with Matilda’s family.

    “This show is difficult to cast,” says Merrill Peiffer, who plays Trunchbull. “Not only do you need physical comedians but these roles are very specific.”

    For Peiffer, there is a thrill to be considered for the Trunchbull. In the typical stage versions of the play, the Trunchbull was played by a man. In the movies, however, women will play the role as there are ways to alter the look and feel of the female characters to make them more menacing, larger in stature. With the stage, this is harder to accomplish, Peiffer says.

    “It was cool to feel like they had the trust in me — that I was capable,” Peiffer says.

    “Men get a lot of opportunities to play roles and I don’t feel bad about taking this role away from them.”

    Peiffer’s illusion of the Trunchbull’s meanness reaches into even rehearsals. The children in the play, she says, often come to look at her before the start of a scene, checking to make sure she’s “human.” This gives her and other of the adult actors a good laugh.

    “ … I mean Miss Trunchbull can be scary sometimes. Sometimes. Sometimes. But she’s really, really nice,” Tisdale laughs.

    This gets a laugh from de la Concha as well.

    “I mean they would probably yell at me in real life if I dyed their hair green or stuck a hat to their head … but I know none of them are actually mean,” Tisdale says.

    The other challenge of the play was choreographing both groups of kids and involving the interactive portions of the play like the swings they use in some of the numbers. At one point, actors will be swinging on large swings that come out over the audience.

    “What is really wonderful about these kids is they want to be here. This is something that when you ask them — they want to be a part of this,” Charlie Sutton, the show’s choreographer, says. “They are choosing to spend 8 hours a day with us everyday.”

    This isn’t to say that Sutton has his difficulties.

    “It’s fun watching Charlie teach the kids. ‘Don’t run the other direction. Come back now. You can’t have a snack,’” Felthous says laughing.

    She stops for a brief moment, smiles and then says, “These kids stand up to every professional show I’ve done. Come see these children.”

    “Matilda The Musical” runs Jan. 26 through Feb. 19. CFRT is located at 1209 Hay Street in Fayetteville. For tickets or additional information contact the box office at 910-323-4233 or visit www.cfrt.org/.

  • 16Fayetteville Technical Community College works diligently to ensure that students receive a top education that will prepare them for their future endeavors. With programs like the Carolina Student Transfer Excellence Program, or C-STEP, students can get one-on-one educational support to help with their success on campus and prepare them for their academic journey at UNC-Chapel Hill.

    The C-STEP office at UNC-Chapel Hill seeks to admit, identify, enroll and graduate high-achieving, low-to-moderate-income students transferring to Carolina from partnered community colleges, such as FTCC.
    C-STEP allows students to be a part of an Ivy League institute without having to go to Harvard or Yale. Loutricia Nelson works in the University Outreach department at FTCC and proudly works with the program and its participants to give academic advising, coaching and college program preparation to ensure the students’ success.

    In talking with Nelson, you immediately sense her pride in her job and students.

    Even after being accepted to UNC-Chapel Hill, students will continue to meet with Nelson who offers counseling to help keep them successful in their programs.
    Part of C-Step is to have students visit the campus to become familiar with building landmarks, their specific program areas, and faculty and staff. Students also participate in a shadow program where they shadow a current UNC student in their program to see the campus, experience college classes, and begin to network and make friends.

    Talking with some students in C-STEP at FTCC was enlightening. These students display tremendous confidence in their current studies and future success.
    C-STEP students not just work closely with Nelson but also build a community where they can support each other and develop friendships that can be carried with them to UNC-Chapel Hill. When talking with the students, some are in the same programs, so they can find support within themselves and help continue the study habits cultivated at FTCC.

    Nelson teaches these students individualized study habits, time management skills, and timesheet mapping so that they can succeed in their programs and eventually apply their skills with a lifetime career.

    C-STEP students understand the responsibility and dedication it takes to succeed academically as they transition from FTCC to UNC-Chapel Hill and beyond. C-STEP opens doors and opportunities for students to not just succeed on these campuses but also learn to be resourceful and continue to fuel their drive. C-STEP requires students to earn their associate degrees at a North Carolina Community College and then transfer to a Carolina College to complete their studies.
    If you are interested in learning more about C-STEP, please contact Loutricia Nelson at nelsonl@faytechcc.edu.

  • 4aLast Thursday, Gallery 208 launched its 13th year of showcasing the art and the artists of our local community, region and state.

    Our opening exhibit, coordinated by Soni Martin, Professor of Art at Fayetteville State University, is titled States of Mind.

    It is a collection of paintings by Angela Stout, an extremely talented painter, printmaker and sculptor. Angela perfectly exemplifies how the Fayetteville community values, embraces and nurtures the cultural arts. A military veteran, Angela received her Associate of Visual Arts degree locally at Fayetteville Technical Community College and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Fayetteville State University.4

    The exhibit of her works in Gallery 208 is one you do not want to miss. Located at 208 Rowan Street, the Gallery is open and free to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
    The fine arts are the catalyst for a civilized society. With art comes insight, understanding and tolerance. With appreciation and respect for art and artists, there would be no need ever to mandate Diversity, Equality or Inclusion. Historically and traditionally, that’s what the cultural arts are all about. It is what Angela is all about and what Up & Coming Weekly is all about. Visit Gallery 208 and experience it for yourself.

    Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

  • cumberland county logo Frustrations among Cumberland County commissioners over the cost of affordable housing came to a head Jan. 17 when they were given a presentation recommending the spending of federal dollars for homeless services.

    The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners met in a packed Room 118 of the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse.
    Dee Taylor, the county’s Community Development director, briefed commissioners on a proposed Community Development HOME - ARP allocation plan and asked the board to conduct a public hearing to allow for public comment on the allocation plan. However, no one showed up to speak at the public hearing.

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program grant allocated $1,435,021 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 funds to Cumberland County. The money is to be used for activities that benefit qualifying individuals and families who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or in other vulnerable populations.

    Before the county’s DSS can spend any of the HOME-ARP money, it had to prepare a plan that details how the money will be allocated for eligible services, which include building affordable housing, rental assistance, support services such as counseling and legal advice, and paying for a non-congregate shelter. The DSS had to consult with housing and service providers whose clients qualify for the services.

    Responses given by service providers and residents are being considered as to how to best use the HOME-ARP funds to meet the needs of the qualifying populations, according to Taylor.
    Taylor said DSS drew up a survey to get suggestions on how the funds should be used and identified priorities. The survey received 23 responses. DSS also held one-on-one virtual meetings with 10 service providers.

    The majority of the respondents, 44%, opted for construction of affordable housing, 20% recommended rental assistance, and 36% recommended the acquisition or development of non-congregate shelters. Non-congregate shelter is the term used for emergency shelters that provide accommodations such as motel rooms, and limits the spread of COVID-19 among the homeless.

    Community Development completed a draft of the plan and made it available to the public for comment and review between Jan. 13 and Jan. 27. A public hearing on Jan. 17 had to be held during the comment period. After the public has had a chance to review the draft, the final copy of the plan will be submitted to the Board of Commissioners at the Feb. 6 regular meeting, where the board is expected to approve the plan to be submitted to HUD.

    Commissioner Jimmy Keefe again brought up the subject of how much money the county spends on new construction of affordable housing. He suggested taking a new approach to providing homes for the homeless.

    “The old way of doing things is not working,” he told Taylor.

    “We’re spending a lot of money but not getting much of an impact to help the homeless. It doesn’t look like we’re making progress,” he told Taylor.

    Commissioners Veronica Jones and Michael Boose agreed. Both suggested buying existing housing or apartments and foregoing new and more expensive construction. Vice Chairman Glenn Adams suggested the creation of a committee that could help determine whether the county builds new or buys existing property.

    “I’d be happy to sit down and discuss this further,” Taylor replied.

    Rezoning cases

    The board also voted unanimously to grant a rezoning from A1 Agricultural District to RR Rural Residential/CZ Conditional Zoning District or to a more restrictive zoning district for approximately 106.75 acres located east of Hummingbird Place and west of Maxwell Road. The applicant is George Rose who is making the request on behalf of Astrakel International LTD, the property owner.

    The developers are planning to build 168 stick-built homes on the site. The first phase of the development includes 54 lots, and the second phase will be the remaining 114 lots. Initially, the builders wanted to have 232 lots measuring 15,000 square feet but opted for the lesser amount of 168.

    Rose and his attorney, Scott Flowers, spoke in favor of the rezoning; however, three area residents spoke against the proposed subdivision because of the lack of drainage surrounding the property.
    Robin Bridges, who lives on Stedman Road, said the soil on the property is not conducive for a large development and would result in flooding. She presented a petition with 283 signatures against the development. “It’s a poor site and poor plan,” she told commissioners.

    The Cumberland County Planning Board voted 6-3 to deny the rezoning request at the Nov. 15 meeting. However, the Planning and Inspections staff recommended approval of the rezoning because the request is consistent with the Eastover Area Land Use Plan, which calls for “Rural Density Residential” at this location. The planning staff also finds that the request is reasonable and in the public interest as the requested district is compatible to and in harmony with the surrounding land use activities and zoning. The planning board disagreed with the staff’s findings, according to the minutes of the meeting.

    The board also voted to rezone from A1 Agricultural District to R40A Residential District or to a more restrictive zoning district for about 4.01acres located at 2140 Rich Walker Road and an abutting parcel. Bertha Elliott is the owner making the application.

    In this case, the Planning Board recommended approval of the rezoning request from A1 Agricultural District to R40A Residential District at the Dec. 20 meeting. The Planning and Inspections staff also recommended approval of the rezoning request. The Planning staff determined the request to be consistent with the Eastover Area Land Use Plan, which calls for “Rural Density Residential” at this location. Staff also finds that the request is reasonable and in the public interest.

    And the board approved the rezoning from CD Conservancy District to A1 Agricultural District or to a more restrictive zoning district for about 2 acres located on a portion of the abutting parcel east of 7632 Sim Canady Road. Bradley Allee and Lynne Gralewski are the owners making the request.

    The Planning Board recommended approval of the rezoning request at its Dec. 20 meeting. The Planning staff also recommended approval because the request is consistent with the South-Central Land Use Plan, which calls for “farmland” at this location. Staff also finds that the request is reasonable and in the public interest.

    The board also opted not to consider a funding agreement with Hillside - FMHA LLC for the rehabilitation of Hillside Manor Apartments. The county released a “request for proposal” in early spring of 2021 seeking applications from eligible agencies to provide public services (human services), public facilities / infrastructure, and affordable housing developments, according to Taylor.

    A departmental selection committee reviewed all proposals and Hillside – FMHA was one of the agencies selected to receive funding for substantial rehabilitation of 32 units at Hillside Manor, located at 1920 Rosehill Road. Community Development wants to enter into a contract with the agency for a funding amount not to exceed $441,020, according to Taylor’s memo. Development Block Grant funds are available for this project, according to Taylor.

    The staff recommended that the board approve the funding agreement with Hillside-FMHA in the amount not to exceed $441,020 for the rehabilitation of 32 units at Hillside Manor Apartments.
    However, some board members balked at the funding arrangement with Adams suggesting some of the money could be coming from the city of Fayetteville. “They get a whole lot more money than we do,” he said.

    Adams motioned to approve the funding agreement but could not get a second. Keefe countered with a motion to deny the funding request. The motion passed unanimously.

  • 19bThe Woodpeckers season begins April 7, but it is not too early to get the family ready for baseball season.

    Registration is open for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers official kids club for the 2023 season. Bunker’s Buddies Kids Club will have four tiers of memberships available for children 12 and under.

    Children in the Bunker’s Buddies Kids Club will enjoy perks at Segra Stadium. Each tier will offer a personalized ID card, one complimentary reserved or general admission ticket voucher for the child’s birthday, an end-of-the-year Bunker’s Buddies party, and newsletter updates. The tiers gradually increase in the number of perks. The top tier, ‘Home Run’ Membership, will have a member limit of 100 children.

    There are four membership levels available ranging in price from free
    to $75.

    The 2023 Bunker’s Buddies ‘Home Run’ Membership is $75. This level is limited to 100 members.

    • Personalized I.D. card and lanyard
    • Official membership goodie bag, club t-shirt, surprise specialty item
    • One complimentary ticket to 12 Sunday home games
    • One complimentary ticket for the child’s birthday
    • Discounted tickets for up to two parents or guardians for 12 Sunday home games
    • Two complimentary parent or guardian tickets. One on Mother’s Day (May 14) and one on Father’s Day (June 18)
    • Three special club events, plusthe end-of-the-year Bunker’s Buddies party
    • Kids Run Bases express lane access
    • The opportunity to be chosen to deliver game ball before a home game
    • $30 off a reserved birthday package
    • Newsletter updates

    The 2023 Bunker’s Buddies ‘Triple’ Membership is $50.

    • Personalized I.D. card and lanyard
    • Official membership goodie bag and club t-shirt
    • One complimentary ticket to seven Sunday home games
    • One complimentary ticket for the child’s birthday
    • Discounted tickets for up to two parents or guardians for seven Sunday home games
    • One complimentary parent or guardian ticket on either Mother’s Day (May 14) or Father’s Day (June 18)
    • Two special club events, plus the end-of-the-year Bunker’s Buddies party
    • Kids Run Bases express lane access
    • $20 off a reserved birthday package
    • Newsletter updates

    The 2023 Bunker’s Buddies ‘Double’ Membership is $25.

    • Personalized I.D. card and lanyard
    • Official membership goodie bag
    • One complimentary ticket to four Sunday home games
    • One complimentary ticket for the child’s birthday
    • One special club event, plus the end-of-the-year Bunker’s Buddies party
    • Kids Run Bases express lane access
    • $10 off a reserved birthday package
    • Newsletter updates

    The 2023 Bunker’s Buddies ‘Single’ Membership is free.

    • Personalized I.D. card
    • One complimentary ticket for the child’s birthday
    • End-of-the-year Bunker’s Buddies party
    • Newsletter updates

    Bunker’s Buddies Kids Club Sunday dates are April 9, 16, 30; May 14, 28; June 18; July 2, 16, 30; Aug. 6, 20; and Sept. 10. The Fayetteville Woodpeckers return to Segra Stadium for the 2023 season on Friday, April 7, playing against Carolina Mudcats.

    For more information about Bunker’s Buddies or to sign your child up, please visit www.milb.com/fayetteville/fans/kids.

  • tax time N1804P17009H 1 The Cumberland County Tax Administration is reminding residents that Jan. 31 is the deadline for the 2023 annual property tax listing period.

     Listing forms must be updated, signed and returned and must be postmarked no later than Jan. 31 to avoid the 10% late listing penalty, the office said in a release.

    Listing forms may be obtained by going online to cumberlandcountync.gov and clicking on the “Tax’’ button. Download listing forms by clicking on “Forms & Publications.’’ Listing forms may also be obtained in person at the Tax Administration Office on the fifth floor of the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse, 117 Dick St.

    Forms may be mailed to Cumberland County Tax Administration, P.O. Box 449, Fayetteville, NC 28302 or dropped off at Room 530 on the fifth floor of the courthouse, the release said.

    Tax listings and forms may also be dropped off at box beside the U.S. Postal Service mailboxes in the rear parking lot of the courthouse facing Cool Spring and Russell streets, the release said.

    Taxpayers may also make payments (checks only) using the drop box outside Room 530 near the customer service entrance of Tax Administration, the release said.

    For more information, call 910-678-7507 or visit co.cumberland.nc.us/departments/tax. The email address for tax questions is taxweb@cumberlandcountync.gov.

  • Town of Spring Lake logo The Spring Lake Board of Aldermen is expected to hear a financial update from the Local Government Commission during its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, Jan. 23.

    David Erwin, the town finance officer and accounting and financial management advisor for the Department of the State Treasurer, is slated to give the midyear report on the town’s financial status, including revenues and expenditures.

    The board hasn’t received an update on the state of the town’s finances since October.

    Alderman Raul Palacios said over the weekend that he is anticipating asking about the 2022 audit status and the 2023 budget timeline.

     Erwin told the board in the fall that the audit might not be completed by the Dec. 1 deadline because they were having to meticulously check records and had to bring on a third person to help the process.

    Taking ownership of financial matters, including completing the 2022 fiscal year audit and participating in the 2023 budget process, were among the goals for Alderman Marvin Lackman and Mayor Pro Tem Robyn Chadwick as well.

    The Local Government Commission took over Spring Lake’s finances in October 2021 amid concerns of potential budget deficits, longstanding fiscal disarray and an investigation of missing money.

     The Local Government Commission and the board have yet to set budget workshops for the new year.

    Also on the agenda is discussion of the interlocal sales tax agreement between the county municipalities and Cumberland County.

    The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners has proposed changing the sales tax collection method from per capita to ad valorem, which would cost each municipality in the county tens of thousands to several million dollars a year. The current agreement, which has been in effect since 2003, expires on June 30.

    At the last board meeting, Mayor Kia Anthony said the mayors in Cumberland County would like to see the agreement postponed for another five years in order for towns to be able to prepare for potential money the municipalities will lose. She said the consensus among mayors is that no one is ready for the change and that Spring Lake would be positioned to lose $1.4 million in sales tax dollars every year.

    “This is a very big deal that is going to affect all of Cumberland County,’’ Anthony said at the meeting on Jan. 8.

    Anthony said the proposed change in the sales tax collection method does not account for a global pandemic and two significant floods in the last several years.

    The board is also expected to discuss abandoned properties within town limits and damaged/missing road signs as well as accept a donation of a generator from the town of Hope Mills.

    The board meets at 6 p.m. at the Spring Lake Municipal Building in the Grady Howard conference room.

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