Fort Bragg Federal Credit Union will bring health care providers, wellness businesses and financial resources together for its first Health & Wealth: Thrive in Every Stage of Life event.
The free community event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, Sept. 24, beside the credit union’s Skibo branch. Attendees can receive health screenings, observe CPR demonstrations and learn about fitness, wellness and personal finance resources available in the Fayetteville area.
The event coincides with Healthy Aging Month, a national observance held each September to encourage adults to take steps toward improving their physical, mental and social well-being.
Abby Spencer, a representative of Fort Bragg Federal Credit Union, said the organization developed Health & Wealth as part of its growing community outreach efforts.
“Fort Bragg Federal Credit Union has always valued opportunities to show appreciation for our members and get involved in the community, but we wanted to take that a step further with something more impactful,” Spencer said. “We’ve been increasing our community involvement, and with September being National Healthy Aging Month, we thought a health focused event would be a great fit.”
Cape Fear Valley Health and VIA Health Partners will provide screenings, including blood pressure checks, vital sign assessments and diabetes screenings. CPR demonstrations and information from area health and wellness organizations will also be available.
Participating vendors include Crunch Fitness, All American Weight Loss and Wellness, Graze Craze, Riman and Dick’s House of Sport Fayetteville.
Spencer said limited awareness of available services can be a significant barrier for people seeking to improve their health. Cumberland County and surrounding communities have organizations addressing physical health, mental and emotional wellness, and financial well-being, but residents may not know how to find or access them.
The event is intended to give residents a central place to meet representatives, ask questions and discover services they may not have previously known were available.
Preventive care will be one of the gathering’s central themes. Routine screenings can uncover potential health concerns before symptoms become severe, giving individuals more time to seek medical guidance and make informed decisions.
“The earlier you identify something, the more opportunity you have to address it,” Spencer said. “Something as simple as a quick screening could potentially identify an issue someone wasn’t aware of and make a real difference in their life.”
Organizers are also emphasizing the connection between physical and financial well-being. Financial stress can affect many areas of a person’s life, while sound money management habits can help individuals prepare for emergencies and pursue long term goals.
Credit union representatives will share information about saving, borrowing and using financial products such as money market accounts and certificates of deposit. Spencer said saving consistently is a basic but often overlooked part of financial wellness.
“Everyone is looking for a great way to get rich quick, but sometimes we don’t realize just how powerful simply saving can be,” Spencer said.
The credit union also offers youth savings and checking accounts designed to help young people develop money management skills. Introducing those habits early can give children a stronger foundation for handling income, expenses and future financial decisions.
Although its name reflects its connection to the military community, Fort Bragg Federal Credit Union membership is not limited to military personnel. People who live, work or worship in Cumberland, Moore, Hoke, Robeson, Harnett, Lee or Scotland counties are eligible to join.
As a not for profit financial cooperative, the credit union offers deposit accounts, loans and other financial services. Organizers hope the event will introduce more residents to those options while making health and wellness information easier to access.
“Our goal is to help people thrive in every stage of life,” Spencer said.
For more information, visit https://www.fortbraggfcu.org/news/health-and-wealth-thrive-in-every-stage-of-life

Sweet Valley Ranch Unveils All-New 'Harvest Fest' Fall Experience for 2026.
Sweet Valley Ranch is expanding its seasonal lineup this autumn with the debut of Harvest Fest 2026, an all-new daytime family experience blending farm life, prehistoric adventures, and interactive storytelling.
The fall event will run every Saturday throughout October from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Owned and operated by Fred and Anita Surgeon, the ranch located at 2990 Sunnyside School Road is set to combine its agriculture and animal roots with exciting seasonal entertainment for visitors of all ages.
At the center of the festival is a brand-new production titled Shivers and the Legend of the Harvest Crow. Guests who purchase the upgraded show experience enter the newly created Whispering Hollow Cave, an atmospheric walk-through filled with cave scenery, oversized insects, special lighting and custom photo opportunities. The 15-minute performance features animatronic characters, including Shivers the Yeti, Professor Hoots the owl, Ruckus the macaw and Old Timber the talking tree, alongside a live performer portraying the Harvest Crow.
Beyond the signature show, families can explore several themed walk-through areas across the property. The ranch's wooded dinosaur trail undergoes a fall transformation, with the life-sized prehistoric creatures becoming the Spooky Dinosaur Trail. Young visitors can also participate in Shivers Harvest Hunt, an interactive scavenger hunt which provides children with a passport to track down clues, follow footprints around the ranch and earn official "Harvest Hero" status.
Animal lovers will find plenty to explore, as general admission covers access to more than 350 farm and exotic animals. Guests can interact with and feed select animals across the property, visit the playground and inflatable area, or check out the Reptile House, which features its own Halloween-themed decorations for the season.
For visitors seeking additional activities, Sweet Valley Ranch offers an array of optional rides and carnival-style entertainment accessible through individual activity tickets ($1 each, with bundle options available). Guests can ride Tiny’s Off-Road Derby, Blackbeard’s Revenge, the Barnyard Express Roller Coaster, or Sky Fighter, as well as play carnival games to win tokens redeemable for prizes at the Gift Shop.
Those looking to explore the grounds can board a 30-minute narrated wagon tour offered every Saturday at 1:30 p.m., catch the farm shuttle, or rent 4-, 6-, or 8-passenger golf carts directly on site. Dining options include standard favorites, such as hamburgers, hot dogs and nachos, alongside Shivers Sweet Shack, which serves specialty fall desserts and seasonal beverages.
When the sun sets, the farm transitions from daytime family fun to nighttime scares with the return of Backwoods Terror Ranch. Operating select weekend nights in October, the haunted attraction introduces a new DEAD WEST theme alongside The Slaughterhouse and its new Scarevator feature. Visitors looking for a full-weekend experience can book a stay at the property’s Farmhouse Retreats, which include complimentary VIP Day & Night passes.
Tickets for Harvest Fest 2026 can be purchased online in advance or at the gate on event days, subject to availability. Buying online does come at a discounted price. General admission online is $15 for adults and $10 for children ages 3 to 12. For guests wishing to include access to Whispering Hollow Cave and the Shivers and the Legend of the Harvest Crow production, full-experience admission is $20 for adults and $15 for children online. Children ages 2 and under enter the festival free of charge.
Tickets can be purchased at www.sweetvalleyranchnc.com/

Something wicked, and very funny, is coming to Hope Mills this October. Artist Village Community Theatre will open its 2026-27 season with Witches!? In Salem?!, playwright Matt Cox’s darkly comic retelling of the Salem Witch Trials. Performances are scheduled for Oct. 23-25 at Thomas Campbell Oakman Chapel, 3715 S. Main St. in Hope Mills.
For Artist Village, the production represents something of a departure. Past productions have included War of the Worlds, It’s a Wonderful Life, Dracula, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Nunsense. This year, Executive Director Teresa Davis said the company wanted to venture beyond the genres its audiences have come to expect.
“This season, we really wanted to shake things up a little,” Davis said. “We wanted to step outside of that model, try some new genres, and also look at casting in a different way.”
Witches!? In Salem?! certainly accomplishes that.
“It takes something very serious and approaches it in a completely unexpected way,” Davis said. “And for us, it’s a first — we’ve never done comedy before, much less dark comedy!”
Written by Matt Cox, creator of Puffs, the two-act comedy takes audiences back to Salem Village in 1692. The play is described as a darkly comedic and “mostly historically accurate” examination of the Salem Witch Trials. An eighth-grade narrator, Jenny Anne Bishop, guides the audience through the history surrounding the trials while pointing out where history and theatrical interpretations part company. That mixture of history and irreverence is central to Artist Village’s production.
Davis describes the show as an evening filled with “dark humor, historical mayhem, physical comedy, courtroom chaos, unexpected twists and a whole lot of trouble.”
The script, she said, shows the influence of comedy such as Saturday Night Live and Monty Python, using satire to poke holes in widely accepted beliefs. Yet underneath the comedy is a historical event with very real consequences.
The Salem Witch Trials began in 1692 amid accusations of witchcraft that spread through several Massachusetts communities. Cox’s play incorporates historical people and events while openly acknowledging when it takes dramatic liberties. Artist Village's production uses its young narrator to help audiences distinguish among documented history, Arthur Miller's famous interpretation in The Crucible and Cox's comic version. That relationship between history and storytelling is one reason the Salem trials remain compelling more than three centuries later.
For Davis, the story continues to resonate because the emotions behind what happened in Salem are not confined to the 17th century.
“When people are afraid or uncertain, it’s often easier to look for someone to blame,” she said. Jealousy, resentment, suspicion and fear all played roles in the events, she added, making the story recognizable even to modern audiences.
“We may not be accusing people of witchcraft, but that same tendency to fear what we don’t understand, divide ourselves into groups and look for someone to blame is still there,” Davis said. “It gives us a chance to look at what happened in Salem, but also to look at ourselves and ask, ‘Are we really that different?’”
Turning that subject matter into comedy has presented a new challenge for Artist Village's performers. Comedy depends heavily on timing, and satire can be particularly unforgiving. A misplaced word or a beat that lasts slightly too long can cause a joke to fall flat, Davis explained.
“All comedy writing relies on rhythm,” she said, “and much of the work with the cast is finding the rhythms of each scene to make the comedy flow.”
The production features a 14-member cast ranging in age from 13 to their early 70s, including four performers making their Artist Village debuts. Some cast members have appeared in only a handful of productions, while others have participated in nearly every show the organization has produced. For Davis, that mixture of ages and experience levels reflects an important part of community theatre.
“This show is challenging everyone in different ways and giving each of them an opportunity to explore their creative side, stretch themselves a little, and grow as performers,” she said.
Audiences shouldn't expect Artist Village to reveal all of Salem's secrets before opening night, either. Davis is deliberately keeping details about costumes, scenery, props and other visual surprises under wraps.
“It is a Halloween show, after all,” she said. She did offer one tease: “The last five minutes or so are a real treat. It is quite fun and quite surprising.”
And for someone encountering Artist Village for the first time through Witches!? In Salem?!, Davis has a simple suggestion: leave expectations at the door.
“You’ll get a little history, a lot of humor, some questionable decision-making, and, of course, plenty of witches!” she said. “It’s historical, it’s dark, it’s funny and hopefully you’ll learn something along the way.”
“Come expecting the unexpected,” Davis said, “and you just might leave pleasantly surprised, entertained and looking at the Salem Witch Trials in a whole new way.”
And there is one final reassurance for anyone nervous about visiting Salem.
“We promise not to accuse you of witchcraft on the way out!”
Witches!? In Salem?! runs Oct. 23-25 at Thomas Campbell Oakman Chapel, 3715 S. Main St., Hope Mills. The production contains adult language and Artist Village recommends it for ages 12 and older. Tickets and additional information are available through ww.artistvillagehm.com/home.

(Image courtesy of Artist Village)

Fort Bragg’s annual Oktoberfest returns on Saturday, Sept. 26, from noon to 6 p.m., offering a day of authentic German food, drink and music.
The Oktoberfest tradition began in 1810 in Munich, Germany, with a horse race to celebrate the marriage of the crown prince. The state agricultural fair was soon merged with the celebrations, and in 1818, food and drink stands were added, starting the custom of beer drinking.
Since then, the spirit of Oktoberfest has spread all over the world, and German-inspired folk festivals are held in countless ways. Fort Bragg’s Oktoberfest brings many of the event’s beloved staples to life right in the local area, appealing to soldiers and other members of the Fort Bragg workforce who’ve lived in Germany and miss the experience of Oktoberfest overseas.
The festivities will take place at the Iron Mike Conference Center on 2658 Rock Merritt Ave., Building 5-5348, and admission is free. The event is open to the public; people without a Department of Defense ID to enter the base can obtain a Visitor Pass at the All American Visitor Control Center on 3550 All American Freeway. Online pre-registration for a pass is also available at https://home.army.mil/bragg/9617/8101/2132/FORT_BRAGG_VISITOR_PASS_NEW.pdf.
Start the day by participating in the Volksmarch. This component of Oktoberfest takes inspiration from European fitness walking, a non-competitive activity that lets individuals and families get some easy exercise while sightseeing and socializing with others.
The Volksmarch will occur on the 1-mile marked trail behind the Iron Mike Conference Center and includes a midway break where participants can enjoy beer samples at a tent. The trail goes in a loop, so walkers will end up back at the starting point where they can join the rest of the festivities.
If you plan on dressing up for the occasion, don your finest lederhosen and dirndls and come down to see who will take home the prize in the “best dressed” competition. The costume contest will include kids’, women’s and men’s categories.
Attendees who love the spirit of competition can also join kid and adult soft pretzel-eating contests and a stein-holding contest. The latter involves holding beer steins out in front and parallel to the ground while maintaining form for as long as possible. The last one standing wins. The average beer stein weighs 3 pounds when empty and 5 pounds when full, so this contest will put attendees’ strength and endurance to the test.
First and second place prizes will be given out, including rewards like beer and coupons. Even if you don’t join any of the contests, you can enjoy a glass and relax in the bistro-style Beer Garden in front of the bar trailer with a selection of beverages, such as Spaten beer, draft beer, domestic beer brands and specials that combine peach schnapps with various fruit juices. Remember to keep food nearby as you drink; German foods like schnitzel, bratwurst, sauerkraut and soft pretzels will be available for purchase.
Live music will kick off for the first three hours with a German polka band, who also played at Oktoberfest last year and was much loved by festivalgoers. After their set, a DJ will take over for the next three hours to spin traditional German tunes.
Along with cash for food and drinks, bring enough money to stop by the Fall Market inside the conference center, which will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The vendors typically offer a range of homemade fall goods like candles and decor, letting you get a head start on your holiday shopping this season.
The adults don’t have the monopoly on all the fun, though; Oktoberfest is a family-friendly event, so kids can enjoy bouncy houses, a train ride, carnival games and a climbing wall.
Parking will be available in three different areas at the Iron Mike Conference Center. If all of these spots fill up, park in the easy-to-reach spaces across the street at the Fort Bragg Mini Mall.
Prepare to say “Prost!” and knock back the beers at this year’s Oktoberfest. Get more information on the event by calling the Iron Mike Conference Center at 910-907-2582.

Editor’s Note: As a reminder for those going to Oktoberfest, the All American Gate at Fort Bragg is currently closed. Once you have obtained your visitor pass at the All American Visitor Control Center, guests can use Honeycutt Access Control Point to enter Fort Bragg.

(Photo: A family dresses up for Fort Bragg's 2025 Oktoberfest. Photos courtesy of Fort Bragg's Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation)

There’s no place like home, and Fayetteville has been preparing for the return of one of its most talented and successful homegrown artists, J. Cole. For the first time in his career, he’ll grace the stage at the Crown Coliseum for a stop on his highly successful The Fall-Off Tour.
Tonight, J. Cole brings home, home. The concert starts at 8 p.m. Guests are advised to arrive ahead of time to ensure a smooth process and avoid congestion, including parking and security checkpoints. The Crown Complex has a strict clear bag policy. To avoid a walk back to the car or frustration, guests are also encouraged to check out the website https://www.crowncomplexnc.com/visit/venue-policies.
The Crown Complex staff have been working diligently to prepare for The Fall-Out Tour.
“The Crown Complex has years of experience hosting major events, and our team has been preparing across all departments to make sure we’re ready to welcome both the tour and the thousands of fans coming to Cumberland County and Fayetteville,” Anna Ricuard, marketing manager, said. “Events of this size require a great deal of coordination and planning, and our focus is on creating a safe and memorable experience.”
The significance of this tour stop is felt by everyone.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing our community showcased on this kind of stage. There’s something special about the American leg of The Fall-Off World Tour closing out here in J. Cole’s hometown, especially with his latest album coming full circle through a performance in the community that has been such an important part of his story. It’s an exciting moment for the Crown, for Cumberland County and Fayetteville, and for everyone who gets to be a part of it,” Ricuard continued.
J. Cole’s concert is the main event of the week, but it won’t be the only thing to do in the city. Organizations across Fayetteville have curated events to further highlight the 2-6 and all of the local artists who still call the city home. Here’s a complete guide to all things 910.

The Fall-Off Magazine Conversation Live
• Wednesday, Sept. 23
• 10 a.m.- noon
• Seabrook Auditorium/ Fayetteville State University
“The event will bring together members of the media and creative community to discuss The Fall-Off Magazine, J. Cole’s Fayetteville roots and the people, places and experiences that have shaped his story,” said Keem Jones, the organizer of the event.
Attendees will hear from Walter C. Barnett, Art Director, The Fall-Off Magazine/Dreamer/Dreamville (Methodist University graduate) and Felton Brown, the creative director of The Fall-Off Magazine/Dreamville, about the process of publishing the magazine, from start to finish. They will also discuss their creative experiences and what it means to call Fayetteville home. At the end, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the careers in creativity.

About The Fall-Off Magazine
The Fall-Off Magazine is a 144-page limited-edition print publication created by rapper J. Cole. He debuted the project in July 2026 to coincide with his Fall-Off World Tour. The publication explores hip-hop as a living culture. Editor-in-Chief Bonsu Thompson and Dreamville Publisher Felton Brown led a team of more than 60 writers, photographers, illustrators, and designers to produce the issue. Conceived as a physical collectible, the magazine brings together original essays, in-depth interviews, and visual storytelling examining hip-hop across generations. Featured artists include JAY-Z, Lauryn Hill, RZA, Lil Yachty, Glorilla and Cash Cobain.
FayNC Dreamers and the Dreamers Cafe
• Wednesday, Sept. 23
• 9 a.m.-noon
• Vagabond Cafe
Come connect with local artists and creatives from around the city. Sounds provided by PME. This is a free community event.
Ville Crawl
• Wednesday, Sept. 23
• Noon- 5 p.m.
• Downtown Fayetteville
Hosted by the one and only Al Bowman. Get ready to experience downtown in a whole new way with downtown activations, community experiences, music, and creative showcases. Activations and experiences include:
• Ville Pilates at Luna Night Club (229 Hay Street)
• Dreamers Pop-Up at The Region Six Project, Inc featuring DJ Swazzey (100 Hay Street)
• Dreamers Social Lounge at The Sip Room hosted by Dominique Womack featuring DJ Candy and Najiyahk (106 Hay Street)
• The Dreamers Closet at Prima Elements (124 Anderson Street)
• Dreamers Terrace at Dad Bod Dive Bar featuring DJ Don't Come Ugly, A.G.A.M.E, Ki the Artist, YEA and Mac Dablacksheep (444 Russell Street)
• Dreamers Ink at Gallery 13 (240 Hay Street)
• Dreamers Den at Gaston Brewing Company (124 Hay Street)
• Dreamers Pub at Charley’s Pub featuring Militia2six and art, 21+ (102 Person Street)
• Dreamers Garden at Stevies (318 Hay Street)
The 2-6 Homecoming: Flowers for Cole
• Wednesday, Sept. 23
• 2 p.m.- 6 p.m.
• Segra Stadium
This is a free community event and an opportunity to come together to connect and create. The event lineup includes:
• Live Vibes: Live sets from Fayetteville’s top DJs keeping the stadium energy up all afternoon.
• Youth & Community Art: Curated galleries spotlighting original work from local student artists.
• Podcast Pop-Ups: Live interviews, creator activations, and on-site conversations diving into hometown legacy and community triumphs.
• Local Marketplace: Exclusive retail vendors, food favorites, and community partners.
• The Golden Ticket Giveaway: Information on how to win VIP Luxury Box Seats to the sold-out J. Cole Fall-Off Tour at the Crown Coliseum.
910 Future Festival
• Sept. 25-26
Fayetteville Next’s two-day event is intended to empower young business owners with information and resources and put local talent on center stage.
PWC Economic Impact Lunch & Learn
• Friday, Sept. 25
• 11 a.m.- 1 p.m.
• Segra Stadium
Discover supplier diversity, business opportunities, and contracting resources with Fayetteville Public Works Commission and City Economic Development. Register online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/910-future-festival-lunch-and-learn-tickets-1997481742663?aff=ebdssbehomepeforyou.
Fayetteville Next Pitch Competition
• Friday, Sept. 25
• Shaw Auditorium (600 Drum Circle/FSU Campus)
• 2 p.m.- 4 p.m.
Ten startups will battle it out for a cash prize. The winner takes home $2,500. The competition can be watched live on the website at https://910futurefest.delemateme.com/.
910 Future Festival Concert
• Saturday, September 26th
• 5 PM- 10 PM
• Segra Stadium
Keeping the vibes going and closing out the festival is a concert. Get ready for a spectacular lineup of artists spanning over several genres, including headliners, Lloyd and Waka Flocka Flame to Rookie of the Year. The lineup also includes: Anella, The 82nd Airborne Division Band, CJ Monet, BRN BMore, Ianna Renee, YEA, CammyGotBarz, James Vadar, Militia2six, MackDaBlackSheep, Nikki GotIt, and Trev Truth. Guests will be able to enjoy the food, drinks and a curated vendor village. Tickets can be purchased online at https://bit.ly/475FGoL
Fayetteville is set for the week to welcome J. Cole, dreamers and go-getters.

(Photo: J. Cole will be coming back to Fayetteville to perform at the Crown on Sept. 23. The concert marks a special homecoming for J. Cole, and the city he grew up in. Photo courtesy of J. Cole's social media)

It’s that time of year again! Homeowners searching for renovation ideas, professional guidance or new products can explore a range of options when the North Carolina Home Expo returns to Fayetteville from Sept. 25-27 at the Crown Complex Expo Center at 1960 Coliseum Dr.
The three day event will bring local and national vendors together under one roof, giving visitors an opportunity to compare products, gather estimates and speak directly with professionals serving the home improvement industry. Admission is free.
Expo hours are noon to 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27.
The event is designed for homeowners at different stages of the improvement process. Visitors may arrive with plans for a major renovation, questions about a necessary repair or a general interest in current decorating and building trends. Exhibitors will represent areas including remodeling, design, home décor, outdoor living, do-it-yourself projects, security, solar power and home automation.
The expo offers attendees a way to meet several businesses during one visit instead of contacting companies individually. Homeowners can discuss project goals, compare brands and request multiple estimates before deciding which products or services best meet their needs and budgets. Participating businesses may also offer discounts or promotions available during the show.
The format can be helpful for people considering projects that require a significant investment, such as replacing a roof, renovating a kitchen or bathroom, improving outdoor spaces or introducing energy-efficient technology. Conversations with multiple professionals can help homeowners better understand project costs, available materials and possible timelines.
Visitors who do not yet have a specific project in mind can use the displays to collect ideas. The expo’s mix of products and services is intended to provide inspiration for both interior and exterior improvements, from small decorative changes to extensive remodeling work.
Superior Sleep Experience is the presenting sponsor of the 2026 event. The company offers adjustable beds and hybrid mattresses to customers in the Fayetteville area and across the country. Its products focus on combining comfort technology with different sleep and support options.
The North Carolina Home Expo is hosted and promoted by Nationwide Expos, an event company that has organized home décor, remodeling and home goods shows across the United States since 2016. The Fayetteville expo has connected homeowners and home improvement professionals for more than eight years, according to the event’s website.
For participating businesses, the show provides direct access to consumers who may be preparing to begin a project. Exhibitors can demonstrate products, explain their services and build connections with customers through in-person conversations. The event also gives local companies an opportunity to strengthen their visibility in the community while meeting other professionals in the industry.
Organizers said the vendor list will be posted during the week of the expo, allowing prospective visitors to review the participating companies shortly before the event.
No ticket purchase is required for admission. Visitors can obtain additional event information and check for vendor updates at northcarolinahomeexpo.com. Questions may also be directed to the organizers at 319-666-HOME or info@nationwideexpos.com. For more information about vendors, visit https://northcarolinahomeexpo.com/

The Sept. 26 5K at Cape Fear Botanical Garden helps fund educational opportunities for military spouses and children through Friends of Civil Affairs.
You show up before the sun has fully settled into the morning. You check in, stretch, hydrate and get ready to go, focused on the miles ahead and the finish line waiting at the other end. What you may not realize is that while you are preparing to accomplish one goal, your decision to show up could help someone else accomplish theirs.
That is what makes the Around the World Run more than a race.
For Friends of Civil Affairs, every registration, sponsorship and donation helps build the scholarship fund that supports spouses and children in the Civil Affairs community as they pursue their educational goals.
The Around the World Run returns Sept. 26 at Cape Fear Botanical Garden, bringing runners, walkers and supporters together for a 5K that raises money for the Friends of Civil Affairs Scholarship Fund. The live race is also part of Fayetteville’s 48th International Folk Festival, placing the fundraiser inside a weekend centered on community and culture.
“There’s a tangible effect here — that an individual actually benefited, a family benefited financially because somebody participated in this race,” Friends of Civil Affairs President Ernie Sirvas said.
Friends of Civil Affairs, also known as FOCA, supports active-component Civil Affairs soldiers and their families. The organization supports leadership and organizational programs, works to strengthen soldier and family welfare and morale, promotes the active-component Civil Affairs community, administers scholarships and recognizes excellence within Civil Affairs professional military education.
“We’re here for one purpose — to support soldiers,” Sirvas said.
Since around 2007 or 2008, FOCA has awarded more than $140,000 in scholarships. According to Sirvas, approximately $60,000 has also gone toward family-readiness efforts supporting Civil Affairs battalions, while the organization currently distributes roughly $15,000 to $20,000 in scholarships each year.
Those numbers tell a bigger story than what happens during one morning at the Garden.
The race may last a couple of hours, but the money raised continues working long after the course is cleared and the runners have gone home.
For a nonprofit, finding a way to build community while also raising money for the work it exists to do matters.
Money raised comes through race registrations, sponsorships from Fayetteville-area businesses and direct donations to FOCA. The race website says the scholarship fund awards merit- and need-based scholarships to spouses and children.
For FOCA, one of the ways that support continues to grow is through the Around the World Run.
“We’ve done a run for so many years, and that is probably one of our highest revenues,” Sirvas said.
The people who can help support those scholarships are not limited to the military community.
“Everybody can run,” Sirvas said.
That accessibility is one reason the event is held at Cape Fear Botanical Garden rather than on Fort Bragg. Sirvas said hosting the race at the Garden makes it easier for the broader community to connect with the organization and the families it serves.
Race morning reflects that open-door approach.
The in-person 5K is timed, with chip timing available. The route begins at Cape Fear Botanical Garden and uses a mix of road, Cross Creek Linear Park Trail and Cape Fear River Trail. Sirvas described the atmosphere as informal, with a wide range of participants and an event that generally moves from setup through completion within a couple of hours.
“It’s just a lot of fun to run,” he said.
Behind that fun, though, is a lot of work.
Sirvas participates virtually, but on the morning of the live race, he is usually helping make the event happen. He and other board members may be stationed at turnaround points, helping with water, checking the course or stepping into whatever role is needed behind the scenes.
It takes people on the course and people behind it.
The runners and walkers bring the energy. The board members and volunteers help create the experience. Together, they help move the fundraising forward.
The live 5K begins at 8 a.m. Sept. 26 at Cape Fear Botanical Garden. The current in-person registration fee is $45 and increases to $50 beginning Sept. 25. Virtual 5K and 10K options are $40, with virtual registration closing Sept. 23. Registration for the live race remains open through the 8 a.m. start. Racers can register at https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Fayetteville/AroundtheWorldRun
A runner may leave Sept. 26 with a finish time and the satisfaction of completing the course.
Somewhere beyond race day, a Civil Affairs spouse or child may move closer to an educational goal because a community showed up, registered, donated and kept the scholarship fund moving.
That is where the Around the World Run goes farther than the finish line.

(Photo: Participants in the Friends of Civil Affairs Around The World Run in 2024 near the finish line at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden. The run is a fundraiser for scholarships to help out Civil Affairs families, and is a part of the International Folk Festival held in downtown Fayetteville. Photo courtesy of Friends of Civil Affairs)

Cape Fear Regional Theatre and Fayetteville State University are joining forces for a new partnership. Designed to connect Cumberland County students with the transformative power of live theatre, this collaboration will create new opportunities for engagement between the region’s oldest professional theatre and one of North Carolina’s leading institutions of higher education. FSU has donated $25,000 to CFRT, joining the theatre’s 2026-2027 season as a season sponsor.
For CFRT, the partnership arrives at a significant moment in the theatre’s history. Established in 1962, CFRT is preparing to welcome the community into its expanded facility following a $25 million capital expansion project. The theatre expects to impact approximately 75,000 people during the 2026-2027 season, making its partnership with FSU an opportunity to connect an even broader audience with the arts, education, and the future of the Fayetteville community.
At the center of the partnership is CFRT’s “Page to Stage” program. Through the collaboration, CFRT will bring every fourth-grade student in Cumberland County Schools to Fayetteville State University for a free performance of The Lightning Thief in Seabrook Auditorium in fall 2026. Before attending the performance, students will participate in 8-10 weeks of in-class reading and creative engagement activities developed by CFRT in partnership with CCS, the Cumberland County Literacy Council, and the United Way. The curriculum will support North Carolina education standards while exploring the themes and world of The Lightning Thief.
“This type of collaboration is a win-win for the community, and we are so proud to expand this program in partnership with FSU. Both institutions will benefit tremendously, and we welcome the opportunity to deepen our connection to FSU and our joint service to young people in such robust and intentional ways,” said Mary Kate Burke, Artistic Director of Cape Fear Regional Theatre.
CFRT will present The Lightning Thief at Seabrook Auditorium, giving thousands of Cumberland County students an opportunity to experience a university campus while enjoying a professional musical theatre production. An FSU representative will welcome students before the performance, creating an intentional connection between their arts experience and the possibilities of higher education. The partnership also creates opportunities for FSU students and staff to learn directly from theatre professionals. CFRT will provide training in technical theatre disciplines including lighting, sound and set construction, sharing professional expertise and current industry practices with FSU’s teams.
FSU Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Scott Krawczyk is excited about the partnership and said, “We are very pleased to partner with Cape Fear Regional Theatre as it enters this exciting chapter in its impressive history of supporting programs like Page-to-Stage and bringing nationally acclaimed theatrical talent to the region. This partnership will benefit our students through immersive technical training in a professional theater setting, and it will also provide students, faculty, and staff with opportunities for complimentary attendance at first-rate performances. Through this partnership, FSU demonstrates its ongoing dedication to community engagement and to enriching the region’s artistic and cultural experience.”

(Photo: Mary Kate Burke & Ella Wrenn of CFRT are joined by FSU Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Scott Krawczyki, Zahra Shekarkhar, assistant professor and faculty senate chair, and members of FSU’s police and public safety and strategic communications departments. Photo courtesy of CFRT and FSU)

When it comes to politics, apparently not.
Nothing—not child and domestic abuse, not illicit love affairs, not 60-something electeds traveling with 20-somethings of the opposite gender, not indictments for securities fraud, or allegations of bribery and obstruction of justice, even impeachment—seems to affect voters. We just keep electing these people year after year, state after state.
Nothing seems offensive, repulsive, or derelict enough to prevent anyone from serving in elective office from the Presidency down to our own North Carolina member of Congress who was censured by his colleagues but who remains in office as you read this. Our current President once bragged that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue without consequences, and that has been true so far. As Amanda Taub put it in The New York Times, “his political fortunes have remained buoyant even after he was impeached twice, was found civilly liable for sexual abuse and enriched himself by billions of dollars while in office.”
The entire concept that actions have consequences no longer appears to be true, as no action appears reprehensible enough to make individuals unelectable, much less shameful.
Given our state of affairs today, the premise of Nathanial Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter seems positively quaint.
That said, we have to wonder how we got to this truly dreadful and terrifying point. If no action is ever wrong, then is every action acceptable?
Political scientists are increasingly pointing at political polarization, not just in the United States but around much of the world.
The argument goes something like this. My political beliefs are superior to yours, and my “team” is promoting the correct policies while your beliefs and your team’s actions are hurting our nation. Therefore, whatever my “teammates” do must be ignored or excused for the good of all. This argument is made by both sides with varying degrees of strength and truthfulness. We are appalled by the crooks and perverts on the other team while we give our own guys and gals a pass no matter what they have done.
I would be massively relieved if I thought this were reparable by people of good will and faith in humanity, but I do not. People in other countries polarized by right and left suffer from the same loss of shame that apparently accompanies acute political division, and they seem no closer to healing than we are. Elected officials at all levels feel totally free to behave and take illegal actions with abandon, secure in the knowledge that the voting public that supports them will be fine with it.
Amanda Taub assessed the loss of shame in public life this way in the Times.
Our current political state “has serious implications for accountability. That chain reaction was traditionally one of the ways that norms and rules were enforced in democracies. If the power of scandal goes away, then we’re left with a vicious cycle in which moral or legal wrongdoing doesn’t lead to consequences, which undermines trust in government and public institutions, which in turn widens polarization and allows more corruption, abuse and lawbreaking. This cycle is hard to break.”
Abraham Lincoln understood the American people, and he said this almost 200 years ago about the danger to our nation.
“It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”
I pray we can survive ourselves.

On Sept. 9, 2026, Chemours, DuPont and Corteva filed a PFAS settlement agreement involving North Carolina, publicly announced the following day. Although described as more favorable than the proposed federal settlement, whether it provides adequate compensation remains debatable, particularly for Cumberland County and communities closest to Fayetteville Works.
The settlement calls for approximately $455 million, generally paid over 15 years, with about $380 million designated for 11 affected local governments. Cumberland County is expected to receive approximately $161.5 million, paid over several years. However, more than $40 million, roughly 25 percent, is expected to go toward legal fees, substantially reducing the county's net recovery.
Importantly, the settlement does not replace Chemours' existing cleanup responsibilities. A 2019 North Carolina consent order already requires Chemours to provide replacement drinking water to qualifying residents, reduce GenX air emissions by 99.9 percent, control contaminated groundwater and surface-water discharges, and undertake major remediation measures.
For Cumberland County, this settlement should not be considered the end of the PFAS crisis.
The Grays Creek and Cedar Creek communities, located near Fayetteville Works, have endured contamination concerns for decades. Residents have confronted contaminated private wells, groundwater pollution, and other environmental impacts. PFAS contamination was also not limited to water. Air emissions provided another pathway, with compounds deposited onto soil and vegetation potentially entering groundwater through rainfall.
The long-term environmental and human consequences may take years to fully understand.
Under the settlement, Cumberland County's lawsuits are to be dismissed with prejudice, generally preventing the county from bringing those claims again. However, that does not necessarily mean individual citizens have surrendered their legal rights.
Depending on individual circumstances, residents may potentially have claims involving bodily injury, contaminated private wells, property damage or diminished property value, and medical-monitoring damages. Such claims would depend upon applicable law, statutes of limitation, scientific evidence, causation, and the settlement's precise language and should be evaluated by qualified counsel.
Another major question is how Cumberland County's settlement proceeds should be spent.
A strong argument exists that Grays Creek and Cedar Creek should receive a substantial share because residents closest to Fayetteville Works may have experienced some of the county's most serious nuisance, trespass, property, and environmental impacts. Those residents should have a meaningful voice in deciding how settlement funds are allocated.
Perhaps the greatest unanswered question concerns long-term health effects. Some residents report unexplained illnesses affecting family members and pets. One family, wishing to remain anonymous, reports losing a 14-year-old child and subsequently having a parent hospitalized with an unexplained illness. These circumstances deserve serious investigation, although PFAS causation cannot be assumed without medical and scientific evidence.
A financial settlement cannot erase decades of contamination, answer every health question, restore property owners' sense of security, or immediately repair environmental damage.
Chemours should not simply write a check and walk away from Fayetteville Works. Cleanup, environmental monitoring, health research, transparency, and public accountability must continue.
The people of Grays Creek, Cedar Creek, and Cumberland County deserve compensation, but they also deserve answers and a voice.
This has always been, and will continue to be, about more than a paycheck.

On a single day of catching up on the latest business news, I happened across five stories with a direct bearing on a key sector of North Carolina’s economy. The Wall Street Journal, for example, reported on a severe downturn in the pulpwood market, including the closure of mills, potential delays in the replanting of commercial forests, and shifts in business practices and consumer preferences that don’t auger well for the industry. The Journal also noted the pending expiration of intellectual-property protections for key pharmaceuticals, calling it “the biggest patent cliff in decades.”
Closer to home, Triangle Business Journal covered surging interest in banking mergers and acquisitions, due in part to federal regulations, and reported that North Carolina hospitals have some of the longest emergency-department visit times in the country, due in part to capacity constraints. Meanwhile, sister publication Triad Business Journal described public opposition to new data centers and its potential to crimp new investment and growth in tech companies in the region and beyond.
I wouldn’t describe this day’s collection of business stories as unique — or uniquely troubling. On the same day, these and other media outlets also reported on business expansions, new commercial and residential development, and innovative new technologies that hold great promise for customers, workers, investors, and suppliers. Modern economies are dynamic, not static. If we want the many benefits of free enterprise, we can’t also have perfectly stable markets for goods, services, and labor. It’s simply not possible.
North Carolinians should understand the tradeoff better than anyone in the country. Since the founding of what became our state more than three centuries ago, our economy has undergone a series of radical transformations.
In its early decades, North Carolina was almost entirely agrarian. Plantations dependent on slavery and indentured servitude produced tobacco in the northeast and rice in the southeast, while subsistence farmers and Indian communities reliant on corn, squash, bean, fish, and game inhabited much of the backcountry. By the time of the American Revolution, wood products had become a major industry, generating hardwood timber for homebuilding and barrel-making as well as pine tar, pitch, and turpentine for the construction of commercial and military ships.
Cotton came later, as did the damming of North Carolina’s numerous but not easily navigated rivers, which laid the foundation for furniture, textile, and apparel manufacturing. Early gold rushes in the Carolina backcountry combined with the state’s traditionally light regulation of branch banking laid the foundation of another signature sector of our future economy: financial services.
As economist Michael Walden explained in two essential books — North Carolina in the Connected Age (2008) and North Carolina Beyond the Connected Age (2017) — a strategic triad of tobacco, textiles, and furniture emerged in the early 20th century and by the 1960s represented most of our industrial output and a quarter of the state’s total employment. By the entire of the century, however, this Big Three had been eclipsed by a Big Five: technology, pharmaceuticals, financial services, food processing, and vehicle parts.
Now, quarter-way through the 21st century, all these industries continue to evolve while others emerge, often powered by artificial intelligence. If “experts” tell you they know for sure how it will all turn out, treat their prognostications the same way you do sports commentators: for entertainment purposes, if that’s your thing, but not for investment purposes.
What I think we can forecast with great confidence is that, if markets are left free to discover and spread new information, allowing producers and consumers to adjust in real time, our economy will keep growing and North Carolinians will keep reaping its benefits. Remember that, contrary to popular belief, our state is not deindustrializing. North Carolina’s total manufacturing output was higher in inflation-adjusted terms in 2025 than it was in 1997. Manufacturing of non-durable goods (such as socks) went down 15%, yes, but durables manufacturing (such as trucks) nearly doubled.
The more things change, the more the laws of economics remain the same.

Editor’s note: John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member. His books Mountain Folk, Forest Folk, and Water Folk combine epic fantasy with American history (FolkloreCycle.com).

Let me ask you to consider something simple: What if Cumberland County decided that education was one issue important enough for us to approach together?
You may be Republican, Democrat, independent, or uninterested in political labels altogether. But when a child cannot read at grade level, misses weeks of school, feels unsafe in the classroom, or graduates unprepared for what comes next, that problem does not ask how you voted.
It affects your community.
Cumberland County Schools is making progress. Districtwide proficiency increased from 50.8% to 55.7% in 2025–26, and the four-year graduation rate reached a record 88.7%. Those numbers deserve recognition. But 55.7% proficiency also tells us plainly that substantial work remains.
Attendance tells a similar story. Chronic absenteeism stood at 33.76% for 2024–25—roughly one in three students. By the middle of 2025–26, that rate had fallen to 27.4%, an encouraging improvement, but still far from the district's attendance goals.
So perhaps our common enemies are already visible.
They are low proficiency, chronic absenteeism, unsafe learning environments, unrealized potential and policies that fail to produce results.
And another obstacle deserves attention: not political parties themselves, but the instinct to judge an education idea by who proposed it before asking whether it works.
That is where the old expression “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” takes on a different meaning.
You and I do not have to agree on everything to recognize the same problem. What if we agreed on the destination? Imagine a Cumberland County education agenda that could survive one election, one superintendent and one political season.
It might begin with a few questions most of us can understand: Can our children read and perform mathematics at grade level? Are they attending school? Are schools safe? Are graduates prepared for college, employment, technical training, military service, entrepreneurship or a skilled trade? When public money is invested in a program, can we demonstrate that it worked?
Those questions do not require ideological agreement. They require clarity of purpose.
The North Carolina School Boards Association teaches an important distinction. The school board governs; the superintendent administers. The board establishes policy, approves goals, monitors progress and provides direction. The superintendent implements those policies and manages the school system.
That distinction matters because governing well is not about trying to run a classroom from the boardroom. It is about asking better questions.
What are we trying to accomplish? Why is the problem occurring? What does the evidence show? What policy affects it? Are our resources aligned with our priorities? And did what we tried work?
Imagine if that became the language of education in Cumberland County. Then look beyond Cumberland County There is another opportunity worth discussing.
What if Cumberland County deliberately developed school-board members who became exceptionally knowledgeable about education governance—not merely successful politicians, but people who understood budgets, policy, accountability, facilities, transportation, student achievement and the consequences of statewide decisions?
Over time, some of those individuals could become credible candidates for service at the state level. That distinction is important because Cumberland County cannot simply elect someone to the North Carolina State Board of Education.
The State Board consists of the lieutenant governor, state treasurer and eleven members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the General Assembly. Eight appointed members represent education districts and three serve at large.
There is no formal requirement that someone serve on a local school board first. But local board service can provide something difficult to obtain from theory alone: experience seeing what happens when statewide policy reaches an actual classroom.
The State Board has constitutional responsibility for supervising and administering North Carolina's public-school system and educational funds and for establishing necessary rules and regulations within laws enacted by the General Assembly.
Think about the value of having someone at that table who understands Cumberland County not from a report, but from experience. What does a transportation policy mean to a rural family. What chronic absenteeism looks like inside a school. What an academic intervention cost?
What works—and what merely sounds good on paper. One purpose does not require one opinion Unity does not mean silence.
It does not mean Republicans must become Democrats or Democrats must become Republicans. It does not mean every disagreement disappears. It means recognizing that disagreement over how we get somewhere does not prevent us from agreeing about where our children need to go.
You can challenge my solution while still sharing my concern. I can disagree with your method while still respecting your goal. That is not political weakness. It is community maturity. Cumberland County does not need one political voice.
It could benefit from one educational purpose:
Students before partisanship.
Evidence before assumption.
Policy tied to results.
Accountability without micromanagement.
And perhaps, over time, something larger could grow from that approach: a county known not only for debating education policy, but for developing people capable of helping shape it statewide.
The goal would not be to guarantee Cumberland County a seat at the table. The goal would be to make sure that when opportunities to serve arise, Cumberland County has prepared people worthy of consideration for one. The idea is Johnathaun Lee’s; the plan belongs to Cumberland County.

Editor's Note: Johnathaun Lee's letter to the editor is another submission we have printed from a Cumberland County School Board candidate.
We welcome all letters from candidates, and encourage our readers to vote in November!

(Photo: Photo courtesy of Johnathaun Lee)

January 2027 marks the 31st anniversary of Up & Coming Weekly—and what an extraordinary journey it has been. Time truly does fly when you’re having fun. For more than three decades, we have been blessed with the opportunity to create and publish Fayetteville and Cumberland County’s hyper local community newspaper.
It has been our privilege to serve the residents, businesses, organizations, visitors, and guests of this warm and welcoming Southern community by providing timely, honest, accurate, and trustworthy news, insights, opinions, arts, culture, entertainment, and relevant information that enriches the quality of life in our region.
Equally meaningful is the enduring legacy of our Best of Fayetteville readers survey. For 29 years, this beloved tradition has recognized the people, businesses, and organizations whose dedication, talent, passion, and investment have shaped the values and standards of excellence in our community. Year after year, these winners prove a simple truth: Good things last.
Best of Fayetteville: A Survey Built on Community Voice
Our Best of Fayetteville reader survey is unlike any other. Each year, we receive thousands of ballots and carefully record the comments and sentiments of our readers—citizens who take pride in determining who truly deserves to be honored as Fayetteville’s Best of the Best.
We have always been transparent: this survey is not scientific. It is an informal, well executed, and thoroughly documented community survey that has proven highly accurate and incredibly reliable for nearly three decades. Its longevity, popularity, and success speak for themselves.
The Best of Fayetteville designation must never be confused with other media advertising, marketing, or promotional programs. Our readers alone decide the winners. We do not accept nominations, and no person, business, or organization is required to purchase advertising, sponsorships, or event tickets to learn the results of the survey.
Most importantly, there can only be one Best of Fayetteville winner per category.
There are no second place or third place awards, and no honorable mentions. Strict, well defined, and closely monitored voting guidelines ensure the integrity, prestige, and honor of each designation.
Celebrating the 2026 Winners
Each year, we celebrate our Best of Fayetteville winners with an exclusive Awards Party at the Crown Coliseum Complex. This event is free to our winners and hosted by Up & Coming Weekly, the Greater Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, Speediprint of Westwood Shopping Center, the Crown Coliseum Complex, Beasley Media Group, and Fayetteville’s Hometown Utility, PWC.
It is at this celebration that we proudly recognize and honor the outstanding people, businesses, and institutions whose achievements have elevated our community over the past year.
Fayetteville has changed over the past 30 years—and so has our newspaper. But our commitment to our readers and to the Best of Fayetteville tradition has not. We continue to highlight the very best aspects of our community, and you, the reader, remain an essential part of the process. For this, we are deeply grateful.
We extend our sincere appreciation to all our sponsors for their support in making this year’s Awards Party a success—especially Nat Robertson, President of the Greater Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, and Don Garner, whose laser focused oversight provides the most critical component of any legitimate survey: accountability.
We also thank General Manager Seth Benalt and Assistant Manager Dorothy Strahley of the Crown Coliseum Complex for their outstanding work in coordinating and preparing the venue.
And finally, a very special thank you to the entire Up & Coming Weekly staff, who have spent months working tirelessly on this major undertaking.
Best of Fayetteville is our most significant and challenging event—and our most popular and most read edition of the year. With pride and professionalism, our staff has gone above and beyond to produce this award winning publication. Keep it handy and refer to it often.
Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly and for supporting Fayetteville’s only hyper local community newspaper.

(Photo: Bill Bowman, publisher of Up & Coming Weekly, presents the Best Seafood Restaurant award to 316 Oyster Bar at the 2025 Best of Fayetteville Awards at the Crown.)

Keeping pets happy and healthy is a priority for pet owners. Navigating companion animals' health issues is not always easy and can be expensive if something serious crops up. People may wonder if pet insurance is an effective way to defray some of the costs and achieve peace of mind?
Pet insurance is something that many rely on when they bring a new pet into a home. According to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association, there was a 12.7 percent increase in the total number of insured pets from 2023 to 2024. Here is a look at what pet insurance may cover and how to decide if it is right for you.
What is pet insurance?
Progressive Insurance says pet insurance can reimburse a person for eligible vet bills if a pet has an accident or gets sick. Most pet insurers limit plans to cats and dogs, but some may consider other pets or exotic animals. Pet insurance plans vary, but typically include the following:
• Accident-and-illness: These plans cover treatment for accidents and various illnesses, such as infections, arthritis, diabetes, and hereditary diseases.
• Accident-only: These plans only cover injuries sustained in accidents, including broken bones or consumption of foreign objects.
• Wellness: Wellness plans reimburse owners for preventive and routine care, and usually are add-on options to other plans. They may offer reimbursement for flea and tick treatments or dental cleanings.
How does pet insurance work?
Once pet owners choose a company, they will pay a monthly premium. When the pet visits the vet, the pet insurance will cover some of the cost. This typically requires a person to pay the veterinarian out-of-pocket and then submit a claim for reimbursement afterwards. Some insurers will pay the vet directly. Coverage and cost are determined by the deductible, reimbursement rate and annual limit chosen.
What doesn't pet insurance cover?
Pet insurance typically does not cover preexisting conditions, pet pregnancies and non-vet related costs like grooming and boarding. Additional restrictions may apply depending on the policy.
What are the average premium costs?
The NAPHIA reported that, in 2024, the average monthly accident and illness pet insurance premium was $62.44 for dogs and $32.21 for cats. For accident-only coverage, the average monthly premium was $16.10 for dogs and $9.17 for cats.
Is pet insurance worth it?
Many people find that pet insurance is a worthwhile investment. It can offset some of the costs of vaccines and examinations, and will make more expensive diagnostics and treatments more affordable.
Pet insurance is a consideration for pet owners who want to offset costs for veterinary care and keep them more manageable.

When a child feels confident in their appearance, it reshapes how they engage with the world. Good self-esteem builds courage, fosters healthier relationships, and drives academic persistence. Yet, for many families navigating financial hardship, non-essential personal care—such as regular haircuts—often falls by the wayside.
What began as a simple realization about confidence and dignity has evolved into one of the nation's most comprehensive youth-support initiatives: Kutz for Kids.
The story of Kutz for Kids starts with the Marcus Harris Foundation, founded in 2018. After spending years volunteering across a spectrum of non-profit organizations, founder Marcus Harris recognized a profound gap in existing community services. While traditional charities offered essential aid, he realized there was much more he could do to address systemic barriers to opportunity and work to break cycles of intergenerational poverty.
This drive led to a suite of targeted community programs under the foundation's umbrella:
• Neighborfood Express: A direct response to local food insecurity, providing nutritious food to underserved families.
• Project ClassAct: An initiative dedicated to supporting teachers in Title I schools, helping them secure essential classroom resources such as iPads and other educational technology.
• Bridging the Digital Divide: Partnering with organizations like Charlotte-based E2D (Eliminating the Digital Divide) and Cramerton Institute to distribute free technology to students in need.
• Robert B. Harris Memorial Scholarship Program: Rewarding young scholar-activists committed to fostering positive social change.
• Christmas Smiles Drive: Providing gifts and holiday cheer to children fleeing abusive homes.
Sustaining these multifaceted efforts requires deep community roots. The foundation operates primarily through a combination of grants, strategic business partnerships, and individual donations.
In the late summer of 2019, amidst widespread news coverage highlighting back-to-school drives offering free school supplies and seasonal haircuts, Harris asked a critical question: What if, instead of a one-time back-to-school event, children had access to free haircuts all year round?
That spark launched Kutz for Kids, which quickly became the foundation’s flagship program. Backed by vital grant funding, including support from organizations like the Florence Rogers Charitable Trust, the program expanded rapidly.
Rather than operating in isolation, Kutz for Kids partners with licensed barbers and local community organizations to meet families where they were, delivering a consistent sense of dignity and care.
What makes Kutz for Kids unique isn't just the grooming; it's the holistic framework built around it. Instead of stopping at a haircut, Kutz for Kids uses each session as a touchpoint to evaluate a student's broader range of needs. The program connects kids and their families directly to necessary social services, offering case management, mental health resources, tutoring, and career mentorship.
Since the program’s beginning, areas in which they serve have seen significant decreases in juvenile justice system involvement and increases in academic performance as well as civic engagement. The program is not just about helping kids look good; it’s about taking care of as many essential needs as possible to set them up for success.
Kutz for Kids operates in communities all over the country and now has expanded its reach into North Carolina, specifically in the Fayetteville and Cumberland County area.
These wraparound services operate through robust referral pipelines and agency relationships, including partnerships with local agencies such as the Department of Social Services and Cumberland County Social Services.
They also work directly with school social workers, counselors, and educators who identify at-risk youth. In some cases, they connect through direct outreach, allowing families to contact the foundation directly to get connected to appropriate support services without red tape.
By pairing immediate personal dignity with long-term social support, Kutz for Kids turns a simple haircut into a gateway for life-changing intervention. By addressing food security, digital access, classroom resources, and social health simultaneously, the Marcus Harris Foundation ensures that underserved youth receive the comprehensive foundation they need to thrive.
For more information, visit https://marcusharrisfoundation.org/kutz-for-kids

If you've spent any time in Fayetteville, you likely know the International Folk Festival. One of the Arts Council's flagship events, it's now in its 48th year and returns to Festival Park and the surrounding downtown district on September 25 and 26. The festival is an annual reminder of what makes this community unique: global influence. And every once in a while in this strange world, you find things that are just meant to work together. That's how it felt when our staff received the proposal for what has become our current exhibition, Celebration of Sapphire: Mail Art from Around the World, which celebrates that same global spirit one postcard at a time.
Celebration of Sapphire was curated and installed by Penny L. Weaver and Michelle Davis Petelinz of Your Creative Connection and includes artists of all ages from 27 countries. Their project brings more than 100 original works to downtown Fayetteville, each a representation of someone’s corner of the world. Each a devotion to the many hues of blue. A true celebration of sapphire.
Curators Penny and Michelle conceived the project as a way to mark five years of “Seaside Sessions,” Your Creative Connection’s annual oceanfront retreat, which provides time and space for creative discovery for women. The two put out an open call for fellow artists to participate in a new mail art project. Then, they did something generous but natural to their creative process and ultimately integral to the exhibition on display: they taught. Creative workshops offered an engaging and educational series to instruct prospective artists through everything from making paper by hand to composing a collage. The call for art became not only a way to submit a piece of art, it was an invitation to learn the practice of mail art. The show grew further through a collaboration with Ryosuke Cohen, the Japanese mail art luminary behind the long-running Brain Cell series, which has been collecting and exhibiting mail art since 1985. Two of Cohen’s collages are on display as part of the exhibit.
The installation also serves as an educational display of mail art as an artistic form. Mail art emerged in the 1960s and is still going strong. Its genius is how little it demands: paper, medium, a stamp, and someone worth the postage. In this exhibit, you’ll find works that incorporate techniques including sketching, painting, collage, and more. Mail art welcomes and provides creative access to artists of every skill level and ability.
Intrigued? Want to try your hand? Join the curators for a hands-on workshop at 6 p.m. on Friday, September 25. This evening also marks the opening night of the Folk Festival, with music and artist engagements all along Hay Street.
Celebration of Sapphire is on display through October 25. While you're downtown this fall grabbing a coffee and sandwich or supporting a small business for the upcoming holidays, join us behind the red doors for a trip around the world. While you’re here, you’ll undoubtedly find a dozen pieces that move you. I’m particularly fond of a simple, serene piece from Spain. Then
There’s a piece from Malaysia offering a point of view of a fish, telling the viewer, “You like me as sushi.” In fact, I do.

As the United States marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Temple Theatre is opening its 2026-27 Mainstage season by returning audiences to the room where the debate over independence unfolded.
1776 The Musical, with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone, runs Sept. 10-27 at Temple Theatre, 120 Carthage Street, in downtown Sanford. The Tony Award-winning musical dramatizes the Second Continental Congress and the political maneuvering, arguments, and compromises that preceded the Declaration of Independence.
For director and Temple Theatre Producing Artistic Director Peggy Taphorn, opening the season with 1776 during the nation's semiquincentennial was a natural choice.
“1776 felt almost inevitable for this moment,” Taphorn said. “We are celebrating the 250th anniversary of American independence, and there is no better way for a theatre to participate in that commemoration than by putting the founding of our country onstage and inviting our community to experience it together.”
But the anniversary is only part of the reason for revisiting the musical.
“We didn't choose 1776 simply because the number on the title matches the anniversary,” Taphorn said. “The musical asks a much more interesting question: How does a group of deeply divided people actually create a nation? That question gives the production relevance beyond the historical anniversary.”
The original Broadway production of 1776 opened in 1969. Rather than treating the creation of the Declaration as a foregone conclusion, the musical places the audience inside the political struggle required to make independence possible.
John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia are at the center of the story as supporters of independence attempt to persuade a divided Congress to break with Great Britain.
The show was created by Edwards, a former history teacher who spent years researching the American Revolution before developing the musical. Stone later came aboard to write the book, focusing on the arguments and political maneuvering of the Continental Congress. Despite its historical setting, 1776 is not intended to be a documentary.
“Our job isn't to turn the musical into a history lecture,” she said. “Our job is to respect the history while allowing the storytelling, music, humor, and emotional truth of the musical to live.”
The musical presents Adams, Franklin, Jefferson and the other delegates not as marble statues but as people capable of being stubborn, frightened, passionate, vain, funny and occasionally ridiculous.
Taphorn said the actors have been encouraged to ask questions about their characters that history books and portraits cannot necessarily answer: What made them angry? What frightened them? What were they willing to sacrifice? What were they unwilling to confront?
“Those questions make the characters much more interesting—and much more recognizable and relatable,” she said.
Audiences may also recognize something surprisingly contemporary in debates that took place two and a half centuries ago. Regional divisions, competing interests, political stalemates and the difficult balance between compromise and principle are all woven into the story.
“We don't have to force contemporary parallels onto the story. They're already there,” Taphorn said.
The delegates represent different regions and interests. They become entrenched in their positions while believing they are acting in the country's best interest. Somehow, they must determine whether they can move forward despite their differences.
“That is recognizable to us today,” Taphorn said.
However, she does not want the production reduced to an analogy for current politics.
“It's bigger than that,” she said. “It's about the human challenge of governing, of listening to people with whom you disagree, of deciding when compromise is necessary and when a principle is worth fighting for.”
Rather than directing audiences toward a particular conclusion, Taphorn hopes the production gives them room to consider those connections themselves.
“Theatre is at its best when it gives people something to think about rather than telling them exactly what they are supposed to think,” she said.
Producing 1776 during America 250 also means confronting the contradictions embedded in the country's founding. The Declaration's assertion of equality existed alongside a society in which slavery remained entrenched and large portions of the population were excluded from the political rights being debated. For Taphorn, that makes it important that 1776 not become simply a patriotic pageant.
“The Declaration of Independence contains extraordinary language about equality and human rights, while the society creating that document was deeply unequal and depended in part on slavery,” she said. “That contradiction is impossible to ignore, and the musical doesn't allow us to ignore it either.”
Her approach is not to resolve that tension for audiences.
“We want audiences to sit with that discomfort,” she said.
The ideals contained in the Declaration would ultimately be invoked by abolitionists and generations of Americans fighting to expand civil rights, even as the country's founders themselves failed to live fully by those principles.
“We can honor the ideals without pretending the people who articulated them always lived up to them,” Taphorn said.
That complexity is particularly important during a milestone anniversary. Rather than simply asking audiences to celebrate the nation's founding, Taphorn sees the 250th anniversary as an opportunity to examine it.
“These are not people who have everything figured out,” she said. “They disagree. They become frustrated. They make compromises. They have blind spots.”
Instead of presenting a collection of uncomplicated heroes, Temple's production presents human beings wrestling with an enormous idea and making decisions whose consequences would stretch far beyond the room in which they were made.
For Taphorn, theatre offers something that a textbook, museum display or historical document cannot entirely replicate: the sensation that history is happening in front of the audience.
“You can read the Declaration of Independence and understand its significance intellectually,” she said. “You can look at a portrait of John Adams or Thomas Jefferson and know what they looked like. But when an actor stands in front of you and says those words, argues that argument, loses his temper, changes his mind or refuses to compromise, suddenly history becomes immediate.”
That immediacy may be particularly suited to 1776 because, beneath the powdered wigs and familiar names, the musical isn't really about the signing of a piece of paper.
“It's about the messy, frustrating, funny and deeply human process that led to that document,” Taphorn said.
Live theatre also makes that exploration communal. For a few hours, people with different backgrounds and perspectives sit together and watch another group of people—separated from them by 250 years—struggle with questions about government, compromise, ideals and the future of a country.
“For a regional theatre like Temple, that's a wonderful responsibility,” Taphorn said. “We aren't just bringing history to Sanford. We're giving our community a chance to have a conversation about it together.” And perhaps that conversation is the most fitting way to mark 250 years. “If audiences leave the theatre entertained, moved, and perhaps asking a few questions they weren't asking when they walked in, then we've done our job.”
1776 runs Sept. 10-27 at Temple Theatre, 120 Carthage St., Sanford. Mainstage tickets are $40 for adults, $25 for children and students, and $32 for active military members and Lee County educators with ID. Group rates are also available. For tickets and additional information, visit Temple Theatre's website at https://templeshows.org/ or contact the box office at 919-774-4155.

(Photo: Jacob Barton portrays Edward Rutledge in 1776 the Musical. Photo courtesy of Peggy Taphorn)

The International Folk Festival returns for its 48th year on Friday, Sept. 25 and Saturday, Sept. 26. The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County holds this yearly celebration to honor the vibrant cultures that make up our community through dance performances, cultural crafts, live music and more.
With its inaugural event in 1978, the IFF was formed by Martha Duell and former councilwoman Mildred Evans, who wanted to spotlight the diversity found throughout Fayetteville and Cumberland County. Since then, the festival has become the Arts Council’s biggest annual event, bringing significant cultural and economic benefit to the area — especially the region’s vendors who come to sell their wares.
“It’s just beautiful to have a specific event where all are allowed to celebrate their cultures, so I think that specifically creating that space is important for the community,” said Miles McKeller-Smith, director of public relations for the Arts Council.
The festival will take place at Festival Park on 335 Ray Ave. and is free to the public. Multiple nonprofit organizations, vendors and performers show up each year to embody their cultural pride and share their customs. Over 30 nations and territories, including Ghana, Puerto Rico, India and Japan, will be represented in the signature Parade of Nations and the International Cafe.
This year’s celebration has a notable change; it has moved from its usual weekend slot to Friday and Saturday to coincide with Cool Spring Downtown District’s Fourth Friday.
“It’s just something to really kind of set the tone for the weekend, so I would say specifically Friday is going to be a new thing for us,” said McKeller-Smith. “It’s also going to be nice to just have the second half — basically the end of the day, nice cool temperatures and hopefully a beautiful setting there on Hay Street.”
El Centro Hispano, a nonprofit organization serving the Latino community, will lead the Friday entertainment starting at 4 p.m., and local businesses along Hay Street will be open until 9 p.m. Attendees can also view art pieces exhibited on Hay Street, organized by the Arts Council.
On Saturday, the Friends of Civil Affairs Run Around the World will start at 8 a.m. This running event typically occurs on the same weekend as IFF and raises money for the FOCA Scholarship Fund, providing scholarships to the children and spouses of Civil Affairs soldiers. If you’re looking to participate, lace up your running shoes and come down to the starting point at Cape Fear Botanical Garden on 536 N. Eastern Blvd. Register at https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Fayetteville/AroundtheWorldRun.
For those who want to jump straight into the activities, the Parade of Nations will take to Hay Street at 10 a.m. Festival Park opens at noon and will host vendors and performers until 7 p.m. Among the many groups that will attend, individuals representing Hawaii and Azerbaijan will be performing, as well as Fayetteville Latin Dance.
Enjoy live art on the Festival Park lawn, and visit the IFF Arts Market to buy handmade goods from artisans across the state. Visitors can also drop by the Arts Council at 301 Hay Street to explore their latest exhibit, “Celebration of Sapphire: Mail Art from Around the World,” which will run from Friday, Sept. 4 to Sunday, Oct. 25.
As this is a family-friendly occasion, a designated Kids Area will be available in Festival Park to stoke a love of art in young ones and keep them engaged. The mobile arts and crafts truck Skoolie Xpress will provide fun creative experiences for children, while the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra will hold an “instrument petting zoo” where kids can learn about different musical instruments.
Once you work up an appetite, stroll through the International Cafe to try some Jamaican patties, or have a taste of Native American fry bread. International food vendors offer delicious cultural staples, allowing attendees to expand their palates right here in Fayetteville.
An IFF giveaway also offers festivalgoers a chance to win a $200 Visa gift card. Try your luck before Sunday, Sept. 20 by registering at https://fayobserver.gannettcontests.com/2026-Fayetteville-International-Folk-Festival-/.
“We’re looking forward to seeing everybody; we’re excited to be able to bring the parade back this year,” said McKeller-Smith, referring to last year’s parade that was canceled due to inclement weather. “This is our biggest event every year, so we’re definitely ready to get it going on this end.”
For more information, reach out to the Arts Council at admin@theartscouncil.com or 910-323-1776. You can also sign up to be a volunteer by submitting the Google form at https://tinyurl.com/4uksff43.

(Photo: The Parade of Nations at the International Folk Fest will showcase people, dances and costumes from all over the world. Photo courtesy of the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County)

Toast of the Town helps The CARE Clinic provide free medical, dental and pharmacy services for uninsured and low-income adults across the community.
Toast of the Town.
Four words that may simply sound like another fundraising event. Another night where people gather on a fall evening in Fayetteville to connect, sample wine, beer and spirits, and enjoy all the things that come with a familiar community event.
What those four words do not immediately tell you is what that evening supports.
It can look like a patient receiving medical care they otherwise could not afford. It can look like someone learning they have diabetes after going an extended period without regular care. It can also look like a prescription being filled before a patient ever leaves the building.
For The CARE Clinic, that is what Toast of the Town really means. That is what community support becomes.
The CARE Clinic was founded in 1993 with a mission to provide free, quality health care to low-income and uninsured adults. The clinic serves Cumberland County and surrounding communities, including Robeson, Hoke and Bladen counties.
Its services go well beyond occasional basic care. The CARE Clinic provides medical care, dental extractions, diabetes diagnosis and management, physical therapy, nutrition services and an in-house pharmacy.
During my conversation with Chelsea Wareham of The CARE Clinic, she shared how some patients arrive after going extended periods without routine medical care. For some, that means discovering a condition they did not even realize they were living with, including diabetes.
The clinic then has an opportunity to do more than tell someone something is wrong. Patients can learn what their diagnosis means, how to manage it and what steps they can take toward living a healthier life.
Access to care can mean finding out something is wrong before it becomes worse.
The CARE Clinic takes that access another step through its in-house pharmacy. After being seen, patients can wait while their prescriptions are prepared and leave with the medication they need. Care does not have to end with a diagnosis and instructions to figure out the next step somewhere else. The clinic can help patients move directly into the next part of their care while they are already there.
Making all of that happen takes people.
A lot of them.
Wareham explained that The CARE Clinic relies heavily on volunteers throughout its operations, from receptionists and nurses to medical providers and translators. Many of those volunteers work regular jobs before giving their time to the clinic afterward. That is also part of the reason the clinic operates outside what many people would consider traditional doctor's office hours.
By the time many CARE Clinic volunteers arrive, they have already put in a full workday somewhere else.
But they show up anyway.
They show up because they care. They show up because they want to help. They show up because they have made an investment in their community that is measured in impact.
And the community, in turn, finds ways to care for them.
Wareham said churches, organizations and other supporters provide meals for volunteers on clinic days. It may seem like a small detail beside the medical care happening inside the building, but it is another piece of what allows people who have already given hours of their day elsewhere to stay and give a few more.
Those connections extend into the clinic's partnerships as well. Wareham discussed relationships with Cape Fear Valley and Methodist University, including its medical school. Students have an opportunity to shadow at the clinic, putting another generation of medical professionals alongside those already choosing to give their time there.
For many of the providers already volunteering, that choice comes back to giving back locally.
Wareham recalled a former patient who spoke during one of the clinic's board meetings about the difference that care had made in his life. She said he shared that The CARE Clinic had given him hope and helped him get his health under control.
That care happens on otherwise ordinary days. Regular weekdays. Regular workdays. Evenings when people are not gathered at Cape Fear Botanical Garden for an event but are instead walking through the clinic doors because they need help.
Without the support of government funding, Wareham said The CARE Clinic relies on fundraisers and grants to continue providing free medical and dental care, medications and the operational support required to keep its services available.
That is where Toast of the Town steps in, where volunteer hours alone cannot fill the gap.
As one of The CARE Clinic's largest fundraisers, Toast of the Town brings people together for one evening while helping support the work that continues throughout the year. Some attendees may already know exactly what they are supporting. Others may simply know Toast of the Town as one of Fayetteville's familiar annual events without realizing how far the support from that night reaches once the event is over.
It reaches the patient who needs care.
It reaches the volunteer who comes in after work.
It reaches the pharmacy filling a prescription before someone leaves.
And sometimes, the event itself becomes someone's introduction to The CARE Clinic, creating a relationship that continues long after one night.
That awareness matters because even after more than 30 years, one of the clinic's challenges is still a simple one: making sure people know the help is here.
When I asked Wareham whether embarrassment or a lack of awareness sometimes prevents people from seeking services, she leaned more toward the latter. There are still people who simply do not know The CARE Clinic exists or understand what resources may be available to them.
For anyone who does feel embarrassed or ashamed about needing help, Wareham emphasized that the clinic is there to help. The people volunteering inside it are there because they want to be.
Knowing that resource exists can matter just as much as knowing when to ask for it. And knowing what Toast of the Town actually supports may also help someone realize there is a place for them to give, volunteer or become part of that support in another way.
For Wareham, the connection between the fundraiser and the people on the other side of that support comes down to something much more personal than an event.
“Every dollar that is raised for us helps a neighbor receive a diagnosis, a prescription, or the reassurance that somebody cares,” she said.
Toast of the Town may last one evening, but the care and support it helps make possible continue long after the night is over.
The 26th annual Toast of the Town will be held at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden at 536 N. Eastern Blvd. on Sept. 25 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
For more information and for tickets to the event, or to donate, visit https://www.thecareclinic.org/annual-toast-of-the-town/

(Photo: The CARE Clinic provides free healthcare to those in the community who need to be treated but may not have the ability to pay for care. Everyone who works as a caregiver for the clinic are volunteers. Photos courtesy of The CARE Clinic)

More than 23 years ago, Amyn Abduk-Khaliq arrived at Myrover-Reese Recovery Homes as a homeless veteran searching for a fresh start.
He found more than shelter. With structure, guidance and people willing to stand beside him, Abduk-Khaliq built a life in recovery. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees, served Fayetteville State University for 15 years and retired in 2024. He continued working in the community and in recovery programs. In August, he was elected to the Myrover-Reese board of directors.
His return from resident to caretaker of the mission is the kind of homecoming that cannot be captured by an occupancy number.
Myrover-Reese will celebrate its 65th anniversary and National Recovery Month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at 560 Wilkes Road in Fayetteville. The free, drop-in gathering will include a live band, food trucks, games, a bounce house and opportunities to explore the grounds.
“Everybody is invited to come out,” said Melissa Reid, the organization’s resource development coordinator. “We just want people to come and look at the campus.”
Visitors can see a side of Myrover-Reese that is easy to miss from the road: wooded acreage, a nature trail, a greenhouse and places designed to make reflection and healthy routines part of daily living. Residents’ rooms and identities will remain private. Recovery requires community, but it also deserves dignity.
“It’s a very serene, beautiful campus,” Reid said.
The peaceful setting serves a serious mission: to provide a safe, supportive and structured environment for people seeking recovery from alcohol and other drugs. The organization operates residential programs for men and women and has the capacity to house 42 people. Its services include 24-hour supervision, substance-use and relapse-prevention education, connections to outpatient treatment, peer-support meetings and help preparing for employment, education, and independent housing.
The work began in 1961, when North Carolina communities had few formal options for people leaving treatment and trying to rebuild their lives. Jimmy Myrover and Pat Reese, two local men in recovery, joined members of Alcoholics Anonymous in establishing what the organization describes as the state’s first halfway house for recovering alcoholics.
“We had no money, just a lot of love and faith,” Reese once said, according to the organization’s history.
Fayetteville answered with food and donations during the home’s fragile first years. The organization took the Myrover-Reese name in 1971 to honor its founders. What began in one house grew into a network rooted in local families, volunteers, and donors. The names carried by its homes reflect those enduring community ties.
“Sixty-five years here in this community is a testimonial to the work that they do,” Reid said.
Today, two men’s homes on the Wilkes Road campus serve veterans and civilians. A women’s program operates in the historic Fellowship Home in the Massey Hill neighborhood. A new women’s residence is being built on the main campus, with completion anticipated by the end of the year, Reid said.
The move will place women closer to shared services and the larger recovery community while creating room to rethink how the existing house can support the next stage of independent living. A grant from the Women’s Giving Circle will help furnish the new home’s kitchen and interior spaces.
Myrover-Reese also works closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans can receive case management and referrals for medical and dental care, education, employment, legal needs and housing. Those practical connections matter because sobriety is not sustained by determination alone. A safe address, a job, health care, and trustworthy people can become the scaffolding around a new life.
The greenhouse and Veggies for Vets effort add another layer to that support. Developed with Off-Road Outreach, the project is intended to bring fresh produce, purposeful work, and service together. The anniversary gathering will give guests a closer look at the greenhouse and the campus nature trail.
Community support also comes through the Myrover-Reese Thrift Store at 1336 Clinton Road. Reid said store revenue helps sustain the recovery programs. Shoppers can find furniture, clothing, household goods, books, and other donated merchandise. People can help by shopping, volunteering or donating usable items; the store also offers donation pickup.
The organization welcomes financial gifts and frequently needs toiletries, twin bedding, cleaning supplies, paper products and nonperishable food. Volunteers can also share practical skills, including reading, writing and basic computer instruction.
Those contributions keep open a door that has stood for 65 years. Behind it are people doing the slow, courageous work of rebuilding trust, routines, and hope.
Abduk-Khaliq once walked through that door needing help. Now he has returned to help guide it. His journey gives the anniversary its clearest meaning: Recovery is not the end of a person’s story. Given time, support, and a place to begin again, it can become the chapter from which everything else is written.
For more information, to seek services or to support Myrover-Reese Recovery Homes, visit mrrh.org or call 910-779-1306.

Before Johnny Wilson became a resource for thousands of people in Cumberland County, he was a boy watching his grandmother make something out of almost nothing.
She raised him on a farm without indoor plumbing. Some meals came from fish they caught or berries they picked. Money was scarce, and keeping food on the table came before watching Wilson play basketball or football.
Still, she gave.
She cooked for neighbors and church gatherings. If she had $5, she could not spare, Wilson remembered, she would find a way to give someone $1.
“We didn’t have anything to give, and my grandmother still gave,” he said.
That lesson became the quiet inheritance behind Wilson’s 27 years at Fayetteville Urban Ministry, where he now serves as president and chief executive officer. He sees its work not as charity performed at a distance, but as one neighbor recognizing another.
Fayetteville Urban Ministry’s mission is “to show God’s compassion for our neighbors in need and thus build our community together.” Wilson’s life gives those words a face. He knows what it means to need a dependable adult, a meal or an opportunity.
“I aspire to be everything that I did not have,” Wilson has said. “I want to be a resource to any and everyone.”
Wilson came to Fayetteville in 1995 to attend Methodist College, now Methodist University. He studied criminal justice and was fascinated by the system, but he understood something important about himself before graduation.
“I knew I didn’t want to lock people up,” he said.
He wanted to reach young people before a poor decision hardened into a record. Wilson volunteered as a mentor in the ministry’s Find-A-Friend program. After graduation, the organization offered him a position working with children.
“I just knew I wanted to make a difference,” he said.
What began with one mentor and one child grew into a career spanning the ministry’s four core programs: Find-A-Friend, Emergency Assistance, the Adult Literacy and Education Center and the Nehemiah Project.
Find-A-Friend provides mentoring and enrichment for young people. Emergency Assistance offers food, clothing, and other resources. The Adult Literacy and Education Center helps people strengthen reading skills, prepare for high school equivalency exams, learn English, or pursue citizenship. The Nehemiah Project mobilizes volunteers for critical home repairs.
Different doors lead into the ministry, but dignity is meant to meet people at each one. Wilson said the programs serve more than 15,000 people annually, free of charge.
Keeping that promise while expanding the organization is among his proudest achievements.
“As long as I’m here, and as long as the board will allow me to be here, all the services we provide will continue to be free,” he said.
Wilson points to the Manning Family Find-A-Friend Youth Enrichment Center as proof of what a committed community can accomplish. The building rose from open ground and, he said, was paid off before the final brick was laid through support from individuals and foundations.
“That’s more than legendary,” Wilson said. “It showed the relationships that we cultivated.”
Compassion requires more than good intentions. It needs tutors, mentors, repair crews, pantry volunteers and donors. It also needs careful stewardship. Wilson said annual audits have consistently shown that 86 cents to more than 90 cents of every donated dollar support program and direct services. The latest figure he cited was more than 88 cents.
Wilson has received the Key and Coin to the City of Fayetteville, the Greater Fayetteville Chamber’s Public Service Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Commission, among other honors.
The honors make him bashful. His own measure is simpler.
“Isn’t this what I’m supposed to do?” he said.
Wilson completed 27 years with the ministry on Aug. 23. Asked what people should remember about his leadership; he turned the attention outward. Anyone with shelter, food, clean clothes and an income, he said, has an opportunity and responsibility to encourage someone else.
“Find your why,” he said. “Get involved.”
Community members can give, volunteer individually, organize a workplace or church service day, mentor a child, help an adult learner, or join a home-repair project. Wilson said first-time volunteers often arrive unaware of the ministry’s reach. Then they serve beside others, and their view widens.
“Johnny, I had no idea,” he hears them say. “I had no idea this place exists and y’all do all of this.”
Wilson believes service interrupts the tunnel vision of busy lives. It reminds people who helped them and what earlier generations sacrificed. Everyone has a schedule, he said, but “you make time for your passionate things.”
For Wilson, that passion is rooted in memory: a grandmother whose cupboard was not full, but whose hand remained open. She showed him that generosity is measured by what someone is willing to share when another person needs it more.
Twenty-seven years later, Wilson is still sharing that inheritance, one young person, one learner, one family and one repaired home at a time.
To volunteer, donate or learn more about Fayetteville Urban Ministry’s programs, visit fayurbmin.org or call 910-483-5944. The ministry is located at 701 Whitfield St. in Fayetteville.

(Photo: Johnny Wilson celebrates 27 years with Fayetteville Urban Ministry this year. His dedication and service to the Cumberland County community are commendable. Photo courtesy of Johnny Wilson)

The Sept. 24 event is designed to equip everyday residents with the knowledge and tools to respond when an overdose happens.
A headache. Cramps. A long night of studying.
None of those sound like situations that should end in tragedy. Yet an everyday moment can become dangerous when a pill comes from somewhere other than a pharmacy bottle or prescription meant specifically for the person taking it.
It is part of the warning Jeremy Bradford wishes he had known to give his son.
Bradford, co-founder and vice president of operations for 2 Out Rally Foundation, lost his 19-year-old son, Alex, in March 2022. Alex was a sophomore at the University of North Carolina Wilmington when, Bradford said, he bought what he believed was a Percocet pill from a classmate. The pill contained fentanyl.
“Alex had a bad day, and Alex made a bad decision. Because he didn’t know,” Bradford said.
Bradford did not know either.
As a parent, he believed he had covered the dangers he was supposed to cover. What he had not known to warn Alex about was a drug landscape where pills purchased online or accepted from someone else could be counterfeit and contain fentanyl.
That missing knowledge is now part of the message 2 Out Rally carries into schools, communities and events across the country.
Alex’s story is also not an isolated one.
Through its work, 2 Out Rally connected with SONG for Charlie, a national nonprofit founded by another family navigating a heartbreak strikingly similar to their own. Bradford said Charlie Ternan, a 20-year-old college student, had previously been given Percocet. Later, he purchased what he believed was the same medication online.
It was not what he thought it was. The pill contained fentanyl, and Charlie’s family lost him too.
“Our stories are very much aligned,” Bradford said.
The similarities between Alex’s and Charlie’s stories are part of what brought the two families and organizations together. Both young men believed they knew what they were taking. Both families later turned those losses into education aimed at helping other young people and parents know what their sons did not.
That shared work now supports a broader push for awareness, access to naloxone and practical overdose-response training.
On Sept. 24, 2 Out Rally will bring that work home through Harnett County Save a Life Day from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Anderson Creek Shopping Center at 3274 Ray Rd. in Spring Lake.
The event will offer free naloxone, hands-on overdose-response training and other community health resources. Bradford expects to have more than 100 and potentially close to 150 naloxone kits available to distribute.
But the foundation’s message begins before naloxone is ever needed.
“Our biggest takeaway is no random pills,” Bradford said.
For 2 Out Rally, that means not taking pills obtained from friends, classmates, relatives or other unofficial sources simply because someone says they know what is in them.
It is a warning that may not immediately register as a drug-prevention conversation.
A teenager with a headache may not consider accepting a loose pill from a friend the same thing as intentionally seeking out drugs. A college student struggling to stay awake while studying may believe a pill handed over by someone they know is exactly what they were told it is.
Bradford wants families to understand that the source matters.
“If it doesn’t come from a doctor with your name on this prescription … in today’s environment, you cannot trust,” he said.
Save a Life Day takes that education one step further by preparing people for what to do when an opioid overdose is already happening.
Bradford said anyone receiving naloxone at the event will also receive training on how to recognize signs of an opioid overdose and administer the nasal spray. The demonstration generally takes only a few minutes, with additional time for questions.
He compares carrying naloxone to having access to a fire extinguisher or an automated external defibrillator. People do not keep those tools nearby because they expect an emergency. They have them because one may happen around them.
The same idea applies to naloxone.
Much like learning CPR, knowing how to recognize an overdose and administer naloxone is not only about protecting yourself. It is about being prepared to help a friend, family member or even a stranger when seconds matter.
A person does not have to use drugs or have a family member struggling with substance use to someday be in a position to help someone experiencing an overdose.
Harnett County Save a Life Day also reaches beyond overdose prevention. Bradford said this year’s event is designed to bring additional community resources together in one place, including health information, HIV-related resources and information about upcoming blood drives. The local event grew from the broader Save a Life Day movement Bradford learned about through SOAR West Virginia.
For Bradford, success would look a lot like empty boxes.
He said he would be happy to distribute every naloxone kit 2 Out Rally brings to the event — and then find more for anyone still asking.
“That’s a huge win, because naloxone is not saving lives sitting on a shelf somewhere,” Bradford said.
“Get it out into the hands of the people.”
For more information about the 2 Out Rally Foundation, visit https://www.2outrallyfoundation.org/

(2 Out Rally's previous Save A Life Day handed out free naloxone, and teaches attendees about the dangers of fentanyl. Jeremy Bradford, the founder of 2 Out Rally, lost his son to fentanyl, and works to educate the community. Photo courtesy of 2 Out Rally's Facebook page)

From pen to paper to stage, the 14th annual Southeastern Regional NC Poetry Slam is back. On Saturday, Sept. 26, thirteen poets will battle it out in 3 rounds for a $1500 cash prize at The Capitol Encore Academy, located at 126 Hay St. Doors open at 7:15 p.m., and the slam gets underway at 8 p.m.
Poetry slams are a fun and exciting experience. Unlike the traditional open mics and poetry showcases, slams are the ultimate test for poets and their work. Going round for round, word for word, each poet performs their best for the judges to see who can call themselves the champion. SRNC Poetry Slam has three rounds; each poet performs a piece, and judges score on a scale of 0.0-10.0. At the end of the rounds, the scores are added together, and the poet with the highest score is crowned the winner. While the judges score stand, if the crowd is unhappy with the score, they are encouraged to verbally show their disappointment in the judge (a nice booo). As always, the identities of the judges are kept secret from the participating poets until event night, not only building the excitement of the night but keeping the slam fair from any hometown biases.
Battling it out this year for the top prize are linguistically talented individuals from North and South Carolina, Michigan, Florida, and Virginia.
Law Bullock, Fayetteville, NC
Bryan Beechaum, Richmond, VA
Marley Quinn, Greensboro, NC
Ul Obasaki, Detroit, MI
Maze, Orlando, FL
Devon Taylor, Charlotte, NC
Shay Black, Greenville, SC
Azar King, Greenville, SC
Daniel Garwood, Detroit, MI
Laraya, Williamsburg, VA
RJMC, Detroit, MI
Sara Fox, Charlotte, NC
Sahn, Greenville, SC
Hosting this year’s slam is Jacksonville, Florida-based multi-talented poet and artist, Moses West.
“Known for blending poetry, hip-hop, and storytelling, Moses has been a longtime voice in Jacksonville’s open-mic and performance scene and is a poetry slam champion. His work reflects Jacksonville’s culture, community, and the power of creative expression.”
At the heart of the SRNC Poetry Slam is the equally talented LeJuane Bowens. Bowens founded the slam 14 years ago and has grown it into the experience it is today, with more to come.
“Fourteen years of bringing poets together, creating space for writers to be heard, building community, and giving people a reason to believe that poetry belongs here. What started in 2012 has grown into something much bigger than a slam. It’s a piece of Fayetteville’s creative history, and I’m proud to still be building it,” Bowens stated with humble pride.
Everything Bowens does is intentional, even down to the location of this year’s event, choosing the only Arts Integration Charter School in Cumberland County, The Capitol Encore Academy.
“I think it’s been a really meaningful collaboration because TCEA understands something that I’ve always believed: the arts aren’t an extra. They’re part of how we learn, how we communicate, and how we understand the world around us. For SERNC to be hosted in a space that actually centers arts integration is important to me. I’ve spent years building this slam because I wanted poets to have a place to grow, and TCEA gives us an opportunity to connect that creative energy with young people and education. That’s bigger than just hosting an event. That’s community building, and that’s the kind of work I want to continue doing.”
This is a vision that his sponsors clearly see. Sponsoring this year's slam is Poetry-N-Motion, Inspired Ink Creative Consulting and TCEA.
Tickets are still on sale online at https://bit.ly/4xR8ugI. Tickets will also be available at the door, but there will be a price increase on the day of the event. Grab tickets, because this is going to be an epic showdown.

(Photo: The Southeastern Regional NC Poetry Slam is a premier event for spoken word in the area. This year, the Slam will be hosted by Moses West. Photo courtesy of SERNC)

North Carolina and a handful of local governments agreed to settle with Chemours over its pollution in the eastern part of the state, the parties announced on Thursday.
The company will pay the state and 11 entities near its Fayetteville Works plant on the border of Cumberland and Bladen counties $455 million over the next 15 years for what the company said in a press release involved both the plant and “claims of PFAS contamination unrelated to that site.”
The state will receive $75 million of the $455 million while the local entities will share $380 million, with payment beginning this year. It’s the largest environmental damage payment in the history of North Carolina.
PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of forever chemicals found in water, soil, and homes near the plant. Exposure to the chemicals is linked to an increased risk of cancer, thyroid disease, reproductive problems and developmental delays in children, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Ten local governments were involved in the settlement: Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, New Hanover, Robeson and Sampson counties, as well as the town of Wrightsville Beach, city of Lumberton, and village of Bald Head Island. The Lower Cape Fear Water and Sewer Authority also joined the settlement.
After the press conference, Cumberland County said it will receive $161.5 million from the settlement. Robeson County announced on social media its portion will be $22.8 million, including $2.3 million in the first year. Bald Head Island will receive $5.7 million, Mayor Peter Quinn told residents in an email.
The agreement also resolves the state’s lawsuit against Chemours, which was scheduled to be heard before the North Carolina Supreme Court this week.
North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson valued the settlement at $590 million to include the additional $135 million that DuPont, Chemours’ former parent company, has to put into a reserve fund to meet the terms of a 2019 consent order the companies have with the state. If Chemours goes bankrupt during the payment period, the state will receive the entire settlement and the reserve fund, Jackson said.
Jackson told The Assembly and Inside Climate News there was a risk of Chemours going bankrupt during litigation. The company is currently valued at $2.28 billion. It is already required to pay $875 million to New Jersey over the next 25 years. Jackson said the settlement agreement’s reserve fund ensures the state and local entities will get paid as it puts DuPont on the hook for if Chemours goes under during the payment period.
“They wouldn’t be in this position if they hadn’t massively damaged the state and then lied about it for years,” Jackson said Sept. 10 at the site of a water cleanup effort in the Gray’s Creek community in Cumberland County. The community’s private wells were contaminated by Chemours’ chemicals and the county is expanding municipal water connections to provide residents clean drinking water.
Chemours Cites ‘Substantial Investments’ Reducing PFAS
Earlier this summer, Jackson, N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson, and Gov. Josh Stein denounced an agreement between Chemours and the EPA to settle the state’s claims that the company violated federal drinking and environmental protections. That deal brings about $2 million per year to North Carolina to address water pollution, 20 times less than what the state’s settlement obtained.
“We were hoping that the EPA would take this seriously, but they failed,” Jackson said in his announcement. “They did a slap on the wrist for these companies.”
About 3.5 million North Carolinians, roughly one in every three, drink water with PFAS levels above the federal health standards, Wilson told a crowd of local government officials and members of the media gathered in Gray’s Creek.
Chemours said in its press release the state’s settlement agreement acknowledges the “substantial investments to significantly reduce PFAS emissions from Fayetteville Works and mitigate off-site impacts in the surrounding communities.” North Carolina has already forced Chemours to spend nearly $1.2 billion on clean-up efforts across the state, Wilson said, including filtration systems on private wells and treatment systems at its Fayetteville facility.
Local entities have full discretion on how to use their settlement funds, Jackson said, as many have already spent millions on addressing the forever chemicals.
In August, two elementary schools in Gray’s Creek were connected to the Fayetteville Public Works Commission water system through a $12 million project to provide safe drinking water. In March, PWC approved a $133.7 million contract to build a granular activated carbon filtration system at its two water treatment plants that serve much of Cumberland County.
Neighboring Robeson County is piloting a carbon filtration system at its Rocco Treatment Plant in St. Pauls after months of residents complaining about PFAS contamination in their water. David Edge, chair of the Robeson County Board of Commissioners, said its settlement dollars will help pay for the filtration system and other yet to be determined cleanup efforts.
“This settlement can make a difference for generations if we make responsible decisions about what comes next,” Kirk deViere, chair of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, told the crowd. “Our work now moves from the courtroom to the community. Our commitment has not and will not change: We will protect our communities. We will pursue every resource available, and we will build, and we will not stop until our community has the clean, safe, regulated drinking water it deserves.”
The settlement agreement, which deViere said local leaders have already signed, doesn’t stop others from suing Chemours for damages. The state can also take Chemours to court if they violate the agreement, Wilson said.

UC&W Editor's Note: This article has been edited for space. To read the article in full, visit https://bit.ly/4imxW8W

Fascinate-U Children’s Museum announces its participation in Our World: Worldwide Day of Play on Sept. 26. Presented by Nickelodeon and the Association of Children’s Museums, Worldwide Day of Play is dedicated to experiencing joyful learning through play and getting kids and their families up, out, and playing.
In celebration of the day, Fascinate-U will offer free admission to all visitors thanks to the generous support of Village Family Dental.
From 10 a.m. to noon., Fascinate-U will host Messfest, an outdoor celebration of good, messy fun featuring kiddie pools filled with mud, sand, slime and other hands-on sensory play experiences.
Messfest will take place in the driveway behind the museum and invites children and families to come ready to get messy, explore, and play. Families can participate in Messfest that morning and enjoy free admission to Fascinate-U throughout the entire day.
“Play is a powerful experience that enriches people’s lives in museums, schools, homes, and beyond,” states Arthur G. Affleck, III, executive director of the Association of Children’s Museums. “ACM is pleased to partner with Nickelodeon on amplifying the importance of play on wellbeing and healthy brain development, and to make learning more effective and joyful for everyone. As children’s museums, we believe in the power of play and we strive to nurture more play and playful learning everywhere we go.”
“We’re excited to bring Worldwide Day of Play to our community with a morning of wonderfully messy fun,” said Amanda Jekel, Executive Director of Fascinate-U. “We’re especially grateful to Village Family Dental for making it possible for every family to enjoy Fascinate-U free of charge throughout the day. Their support helps us make play and learning accessible to even more children in our community.”
Our World: Worldwide Day of Play is part of Nickelodeon’s Our World global initiative to inspire kids and provide them with tools to activate their individual and collective agency.
As part of a network of more than 360 ACM member children’s museums who reach millions of families in North America, and the over 1,500 museums participating in Museums for All, a national access initiative that ACM manages, Fascinate-U Children’s Museum is a vital collaborator in the Our World: Worldwide Day of Play.
For a list of all participating Our World: Worldwide Day of Play events and more information about the initiative, please visit www.childrensmuseums.org/dayofplay.