Since the town of Hope Mills press release March 27, regarding the Hope Mills Lake Bulkhead project, folks have been asking questions and scratching their heads. Most ask, “why now?” and “how long will the lake park, boat ramp and community swimming areas be closed over the summer?’ I hear you, so please allow me to weigh in on both questions.

Let us start with the “why now?” question. During a recent conversation with a friend of mine, I asked him to pick three months out of the year to start the bulkhead project. During our discussion, we decided the winter months would not be optimal because the plan includes about $30,000 of centipede sod. And, the fall months are not optimal because of the active hurricane season. Given the past four years’ fall weather track record, do you really want to risk a $500,000 project to unpredictable weather? No way!

So finally, we ended up saying, “I guess you are right … there really is no right time of the year to complete this project. So let’s get on with it and perhaps the weather will be favorable over the coming months.”

The bulkhead project is Phase II of the Hope Mills Lake Park Recreational Improvement Plan submitted by the Lake Advisory Committee and approved by the town board in 2018. The bulkhead structure addresses the erosion controls measures, as detailed in the United States Army Corps of Engineers Dam Permit, dated August 26, 2016. If you notice, there are several areas along the lakeside bank (cliff, as I call it) that are unsafe — mainly due to uncontrolled erosion of the ground areas.

Also detailed in the Army Corps of Engineers permit is the requirement to improve the lake park area for community recreational use. For example, item 17 states, “The plan should include detail improvements to the public use swimming area, piers/docks, and fishing and boat ramp areas, as well as plans for the museum project.” Therefore, the bulkhead project also includes re-sloping the grade of the lakeside bank/cliff, a new irrigation system throughout the park to feed the centipede sod, new stairs to access the swimming area, an access ramp compliant with the American’s with Disabilities Act and a new kayak/canoe entrance area into the lake. Moreover, more planned recreational improvements that do not require closure of the lake park will be completed once the project is finished.

Unfortunately, the lake park, boat ramp and swimming areas will be closed to complete the above listed lake park improvements. However, kayaks and canoes are permitted to use the lake — dependent on work progress. In addition, Big T’s and the public pier will remain open during the construction project.

Like you, I was looking forward to enjoying the lake park this year. Nevertheless, we must address the current and future erosion damage, or we will not have a lake park that is safe, ADA compliant and more aesthetically pleasing to everyone for years to come. After all, we have a first-class, national award-winning dam structure that has weathered not one, but several major storms since it was completed.

Our town manager, Melissa Adams, said it best: “There really is no optimal time for the lake to be closed for boating and swimming. While we understand there will be some inconvenience to the citizens and the many people that come to use our lake park, the project will result in a safe environment and help mitigate any further erosion damage to the lake embankment. Kayak and canoe access will be allowed to the greatest extent possible, dependent upon work location and progress. The town would like to thank the citizens in advance, for their patience and understanding for the duration of this project.”

Now the “how long” question. The simple answer here is all the required construction materials have been ordered. Once they arrive, the contractors — M&E Contracting of Fayetteville — have clearly stated they plan to work as “expeditiously as possible” to complete the bulkhead project with high quality standards in place.

The lake park is really going to look great once these projects are finished. So, cross your fingers and hope for nice weather.

Last Saturday was a big day here in Fayetteville, and spring means even bigger and better days are on the horizon. This month, this town is bursting with fun-filled days of carriage rides, music, great food, minor league baseball, Easter eggs, visual arts, local crafts, motorcycle rides, Dogwood queens, hockey games, river concerts, symphony concerts and even live theater performances featuring a Lion, a Witch or a Devil’s food CAKE.

The warmth and friendliness of this community and the Southern hospitality it radiates make me proud to call Fayetteville and Cumberland County home. The best way to experience it is to get out and immerse yourself in it.

Last Saturday, April 13, more than 2,500 people came downtown to get their first look at the city’s new baseball stadium and home of the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, our Class A minor league team affiliate of the Houston Astros. Based on the comments and the smiles and laughter of the young and young at heart, this event was a major league home run. Congratulations to our city officials and the dozens of people who made the day happen.

The AsONE Prayer Walk and festivities took place in Festival Park that same day. There, too, music, food and fun were the order of the day as this annual pre-Easter event reminded us that love, empathy and compassion continue to play a vital role in humanity.

Across the street from Festival Park, at Gallery 208, Up & Coming Weekly hosted an event of a different nature. The Crown Coliseum board was gracious enough to let us borrow the commemorative photos and plaques documenting Elvis Presley’s visit to Fayetteville in August 1976, when he performed for three nights in a row at Cumberland Memorial Auditorium.

These mementos also honored him after his death on Aug. 16, 1977, just nine days before he was to return to Fayetteville to a sold-out concert scheduled for Aug. 25. Dozens upon dozens of disappointed, shocked and saddened Elvis fans donated their ticket refunds in his honor to purchase special medical equipment to aid cardiac patients at Cape Fear Valley Hospital. The names of all those dedicated and generous Presley fans are on those plaques.

Those mementos are very important to our community, and they went missing around 2008 when the complex was undergoing major renovations.

PWC employee and devoted Presley fan Phil Barnard realized they were no longer displayed in the auditorium. He posed the “what happened to them?” question to longtime Fayetteville Observer columnist Bill Kirby, who made it his quest to find the answer. After talking with several people familiar with the history of the facility, Kirby contacted former Coliseum Manager Paul Beard, who at the time of the Presley concert was the facility manager of the complex under General Manager Rick Reno.

Beard is a Fayetteville resident and currently the general manager of the Florence Civic Center in Florence, South Carolina. Beard not only knew where they were — he had preserved them and placed them in storage for nearly 11 years.

Beard knew these Presley mementos represented one of the greatest entertainment performances ever held in Fayetteville, and he didn’t want to risk them being discarded as trash or destroyed. It was more than a decade before anyone even knew they were gone.

Both Kirby and Beard were on hand at Gallery 208 Saturday. Coincidently, all three of us were in our 20s when this amazing hunka hunka of burning love hit this town like a tornado and spent three days entertaining and honoring our military families in a community he couldn’t wait to get back to.

The amazing talent of Presley is, no doubt, lost to this younger generation. That’s all the more reason to preserve memories and unique treasures like these. Kirby hopes the Crown Coliseum will work with him to restore and display these mementos to amplify the significance of Presley’s presence here when he came to the Fayetteville community.

I doubt that Presley, when on tour, did many three-night stands in any one city or town like he did here. So, I’m with Kirby. Let’s build that display and honor the King!

Special thanks to everyone who came by, especially Robin Johnson, who brought out her mother’s full, lifelong collection of Elvis memorabilia. It included an Aug. 17, 1977, edition of The Fayetteville Observer with an “above the fold” photo of then 24-yearold Hope Mills resident Milton Smith, a talented pianist who was to go on tour with Elvis. Smith never got to meet him.

Thanks also to Joe Riddle for coming by and checking out the Elvis albums and to Barnard and his wife Mary, who got this party started by asking the question.

A special thanks to Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop at Marketplace for setting everything up — Elvis style.

Thanks to all our readers, especially the three gentlemen from Cleveland, Ohio, who came by after reading the Elvis article in last week’s Up & Coming Weekly at the Holiday Inn on I-95. And... thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Photo:  L to R: Up & Coming Weekly Publisher Bill Bowman, former Coliseum Manager Paul Beard and Fayetteville Observer columnist Bill Kirby.

Instead of receiving unwanted catalogs and junk mail, imagine going to the mailbox and finding an original artwork the size of a postcard, addressed to you, from someone who lives in Bulgaria. Now imagine receiving five to six postcards each day, until you have more than 80, from strangers who live in our region, nationally and internationally. That’s the process that took place for “STOP IT! An International Mail Art Exhibition,” opening Tuesday, April 23, at Gallery 208, 208 Rowan St.

The exhibit is traveling from Fayetteville State University’s Rosenthal Gallery, where 85 works were exhibited this March after a call for art went out in December 2018.

The call for art invited women from around the world to participate by creating an image on a postcard that illustrates any local, national or international issue of their concern. They were then directed to send it through the mail to its destination: Fayetteville, North Carolina.

The work was not sent to the gallery in an envelope. Instead, artwork had to go through the postal system in the postcard format and have an authentic postal stamp on its front or back upon arrival. As it went through the postal system, coming from another country or locally, every postal employee whose hand touched the card could see the work before it arrived at the gallery. In this way, all those postal employees were part of the mail art process.

Creating works of art on postcards and sending them in the mail to someone, a practice that started in the 1950s, became known as mail art and had grown into a movement by the ’60s. Although social media can appear similar in some ways to mail art, what makes mail art different is the tactile experience of opening your mailbox and the surprise of receiving something created for you. It is not considered mail art until it is delivered to the post office.

The purpose of mail art, then and now, is the creation of an inclusive scope that allows any artist to participate. Mail art artists appreciate the challenge of working on the limited postcard size along with the interconnection with other artists within a medium that promotes an egalitarian way of creating. The mail art process sidesteps entry fees, the art market and galleries.

“STOP IT!” is a different type of gallery experience. The exhibit represents the voice of a collective coming together to have their voices heard in an art form.

All the participants in the exhibit became part of a nonhierarchical, uncensored call for art and social activism by addressing any concern they have for a local, regional, national or international issue that needs to be stopped.

Visitors should plan on spending time in the gallery. The works are small, and many artists have written text on the stamp side (which is also displayed).

As the postcards arrived at the gallery, it became evident there were repeated issues of concern. At the discretion of the curator, liberty was taken to group the work into themes to create a sense of order in the gallery space. Eightyfour works are grouped by themes and also by geographic location — regional (Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina), national and international.

As a collective, the concerns of the women in “STOP IT!” fall into the following categories: stopping violence against women and children; environmental issues; the empowerment of women and individuals; cultural awareness; politics; mental and physical health; and the influence of technology on identity.

Whether it is Suzanne Coles from Michigan, who addresses homelessness through the medium of photography, or Shennaire Williams from Jamaica, who addresses human trafficking with a computer-generated image, each artist is part of the collective voices of women.

Many artists, like Radosveta Zhelyazkova from Bulgaria, focused on stopping violence against women and children. Zhelyazkova sent in two acrylic paintings, each a portrait of a woman. The figure on the card reflects on stopping violence against women. Six local artists created original works in a variety of mediums to address this same issue: Angela Stout, Ria Westphal, Tracy O’Conner, Missy Jenkins, Leslie Pearson and Jacqueline Caldwell.

Many artists in the exhibit addressed the issue of saving the environment. Alexandra Uccusic from Vienna sent an original drawing to illustrate stopping the exploitation of the seas. Katsura Okada from New York created a mixed-media collage addressing the problem of the way plastic kills sea life. Several local artists sent in beautifully crafted works about saving the environment: Susanna Davis, Rose-Ann San Martino, Nordea Hess, Manuela Smith and Martha Sisk.

Many national and regional artists addressed themes of empowerment and identity. Two high school students, Bryanna Rivera and Alyssa Mincey, addressed discrimination toward identity and how technology influences a sense of identity. Kyle Harding, a high school art teacher, also addressed the issue of technology’s influence on a student’s identity.

There are too many wonderful works within many themes and too many artists to mention them all in this short article. There will be plenty of time for visitors interested in seeing “STOP IT!” at Gallery 208, since the exhibit will remain up until mid-June 2019.

The public is invited to the opening reception of “STOP IT!” Tuesday, April 23, at Gallery 208, located at 208 Rowan St. The opening reception will be 5:30-7 p.m., and many of the local artists who participated in the exhibit will be there. The gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 910-484-6200.

Saturday, April 27, the Hogs and Rags team is turning up the heat on what is shaping up to be their best event yet. This year will be the 14th year of cars and motorcycles coming together for a great day of fun. Spicing things up this year, there will be a skydiving demonstration by the Special Forces Association Parachute Team.

People often ask, “What is Hogs and Rags?” Chances are, you will never get the same answer twice. For some people, it is the largest car and motorcycle rally in the state. For others, it is a great fundraiser. For some, it is a good start to the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival.

For the charities that benefit from the event’s donations, it is a blessing. For the volunteers, it is all part of giving back to the community. No matter how people get involved, one thing everyone does say is that Hog and Rags is a great event and a lot of fun.

At 7:30 a.m. on the morning of Hogs and Rags, downtown Fayetteville will be humming with cars and motorcycles — all heading to the starting point at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum. Here, there is an atmosphere of excitement and energy as anticipation builds for a fun day on the road.

Bobby Bleecker of Bleecker Automotive Group and a small army of volunteers will be signing up riders, handing out hundreds of Hogs and Rags T-shirts, selling raffle tickets, offering up coffee and doughnuts, and lining up hundreds of cars and motorcycles for the drive to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The community support is incredible, with appearances by the Fayetteville Dogwood Queens, community leaders and surprise guests. This year’s grand marshal is David Lane, general manager of the Fayetteville Woodpeckers baseball team, and his wife, Lindsey.

Fort Bragg Harley-Davidson is again the Hogs and Rags premier sponsor. Tom Evcic of Fort Bragg Harley-Davidson will be this year’s ride captain.

Before things kick off, Evcic will give a motorcycle safety briefing, and Hogs and Rags committee member David Ross will give a car safety brief. Once the engines roar, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office will lead the convoy.

It’s a fast-paced day like no other. Before long, the convoy will be rolling up to Rock’n-A-Ranch, where Hogs and Rags co-founder Gardner Altman and his team of volunteers will greet the riders and serve the best “low-country-breakfast” in the Carolinas.

After a great breakfast, the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office will have participants off and running toward Columbus County, where the sheriff’s office will take riders on to the South Carolina border for a quick stop and water break.

For the motorcyclist who enjoys riding without a helmet, there will be an opportunity to take them off here. Then, the Horry County Sheriff’s Office will provide an escort for the final leg to Wild Wing Café at Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for food, fellowship and fun.

During the evening meal, the Hogs and Rags organizers will keep the fun rolling with raffles and other activities — to include gun raffles, a 50/50 cash raffle and some exciting auction items.

This year, the Hogs and Rags community will raise money for the Special Forces Charitable Trust, which provides support to our brave Special  Cancer Society, which provides scientific, financial and emotional support to those touched by cancer; and the Kidsville News Literacy and Education Foundation, which donates reading and educational material to every student from kindergarten to sixth grade in Cumberland County.

The Hogs and Rags community will hold its popular preregistration party in Fayetteville at Mac’s Speed Shop, 482 N McPherson Church Rd., on Friday, April 26, from 6:30-9 p.m. Register at Mac’s and enjoy a night of music and dancing. If you cannot make the Saturday ride, come enjoy the party. You can still support this organization by purchasing raffle tickets and making donations. Admission to the party is free.

This ride is for all brands of motorcycles and vehicles, and it’s happening rain or shine. Although rain is always a possibility, you can still jump in your car, come on out and enjoy the day.

Last year was the biggest and most successful event to date. Due to the size of the event, this year’s ride will be limited to 400 participants — so preregistration is encouraged.

Saturday, April 27, the event starts at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum at 7:30 a.m. As part of the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival, the excitement builds from there. Show up with a full tank of gas and dress appropriately for the weather. The cost of the ride is $50 per person, which pays for the breakfast en route, lunch at Wild Wings Café and the 2019 Hogs and Rags T-shirt. 

Visit www.hogsandrags.org to preregister, and check out the Facebook page at Hogs and Rags of Fayetteville for more information. You can also call 910-988-3510 to speak with someone who can answer any questions.

Meetings

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

• Historic Preservation Commission Wednesday, April 10, 5 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center

• Mayor’s Youth Leadership Monday, April 15, 6 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center

• Board of Commissioners Monday, April 15, 7 p.m., Luther Meeting Room

• Citizens Academy Tuesday, April 16, 6 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center

• Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Monday, April 22, 6:30 p.m.,

Parks and Recreation Center

• Citizens Academy Tuesday, April 23, 6 p.m., Town Hall

• Appearance Commission Tuesday, April 23, 6:30 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center

•Veterans Affairs Commission Thursday, April 25, 6 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center

• Citizens Academy Tuesday, April 30, 6 p.m., Town Hall

Activities

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

Promote yourself

Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com.

Three Cumberland County high school athletes are among 31 from North Carolina who have been named this year’s winners of the Heart of a Champion Award by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

The three from the county are Austin Hunt and Chloe Arnette of Cape Fear High School and Earl “Early Bird” Horan IV from Gray’s Creek High School.

Each of the three was nominated by their respective schools for outstanding displays of sportsmanship.

Hunt and Horan have a direct connection in their respective awards. Horan is a special needs student at Gray’s Creek who competes in both wrestling and Unified Track. Unified Track is a recent addition to the Cumberland County athletic program that offers track and field competition for the special needs population.

Hunt plays football and wrestles for Cape Fear. He and Horan met in a preliminary match between Cape Fear and Gray’s Creek this season, and Horan came away with the victory.

“What a great guy,’’ said Horan’s father, Earl Horan III, of Hunt. “He always has time for Early Bird.’’

Hunt praised the younger Horan for never holding back. “He always tries to do the best he can,’’ Hunt said. “The only thing that can stop him is himself. He goes out and chases his dreams.’’

The senior Horan said he was moved to tears when he received the letter from the NCHSAA informing him that his son had been named a Heart of a Champion winner.

Horan IV was honored earlier this year at the Patriot Athletic Conference wrestling meet as the most inspirational wrestler. He received a similar award at the NCHSAA regional wrestling competition.

“People appreciate his spunk and his bravery,’’ the senior Horan said. “He’s very driven to win and tries his hardest. He doesn’t understand he wins just by showing up.’’ Horan said he also appreciated the way other people in area treat Early Bird.

“I see his chest fill up with air and (him) walk down the hallway with a sense of pride,’’ Horan said. “He gets phone calls from friends and everything.’’

Including Hunt, some of younger Earl’s telephone friends include former Pine Forest football standout Julian Hill, now at Campbell University, and Payton Wilson, Hillsborough Orange football standout who’s now a freshman at North Carolina State.

“Without sounding pious, it’s reaffirming of the human race,’’ senior Horan said.

Cape Fear’s Arnette was honored for her diplomatic approach on the tennis court in dealing with lesser opponents in an understanding way.One of the best players in the Patriot Athletic Conference, Arnette never looks down on the opposition or makes them feel inferior.

“I make sure the growing teams are doing their best,’’ Arnette said, “that they’re having fun and need time to grow.’’ She adopts the same attitude toward her teammates. “If they are down I always try to pick them up, no matter what the situation or circumstances,’’ she said.

Hunt, Horan and Arnette will be honored with the other Heart of a Champion winners at a luncheon Saturday, April 13, at the Sheraton-Chapel Hill Hotel.

“We are honored to pause and recognize this group of 31 student athletes that have consistently demonstrated the values and traits that we hope all student athletes learn through our programs,’’ said Que Tucker, NCHSAA commissioner, in a prepared statement. “This group of award winners are to be commended for their commitment to excellence in sportsmanship and citizenship.’’

Photo:  Austin Hunt (L) and Earl “Early Bird” Horan IV (R)

A commemorative exhibit recognizing Babe Ruth’s first professional home run during a 1914 visit to Fayetteville has been moved from the Crown Coliseum to Segra Stadium, home of the Fayetteville Woodpeckers.

The Babe Ruth Museum of Baltimore, Maryland, created the panel entitled “Cumberland County Celebrates the Babe” for Cumberland County’s 250th Anniversary Celebration in 2004. 

George Herman Ruth Jr. was 19 years old March 7, 1914, when he and his Baltimore Orioles teammates played an exhibition game during a layover in Fayetteville while on their way to spring training in Florida. In the last inning of the game, at the Cape Fear Fair Ground, Ruth hit a long home run.

“I hit it as I hit all the others, by taking a good gander at the pitch as it came up to the plate, twisting my body into a backswing and then hitting it as hard as I could swing,” Ruth commented. “I got to some bigger places than Fayetteville after that, but darn few as exciting.” Ruth earned his famous nickname “Babe” that day. 

Election precinct workers are needed

“The Cumberland County Board of Elections is in dire need of registered Republican poll workers for all 77 precincts in Cumberland County,” said county board of elections director Terri Robertson. Unaffiliated poll workers are also needed, she added.

State law requires balanced political representation of poll workers. Interested individuals must be U.S. citizens and registered voters in Cumberland County. Workers must be nonpartisan on the days they work and should be available to work from 5:30 a.m. until dismissed by the chief judge, usually about 9:30 p.m. on Election Day.

Poll workers are compensated for attending training and for working on Election Day. Interested residents can fill out the online application by going to www.electionready.net, or they can apply at the county board of elections office, 227 Fountainhead Ln., Fayetteville.

Elvis exhibit at Up & Coming Weekly office

Saturday, April 13, a collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia will be on display from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Gallery 208 in the Up & Coming Weekly office building, 208 Rowan St. It’s a place where local artists display their work regularly.

Photos and plaques that were once posted on a wall in the hallway of the Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium and Arena were recently recovered by former arena manager Paul Beard. The civic center commission, as the arena’s governing board is known, has authorized the Gallery 208 showing.

The public is invited, and it’s free. It will likely be the first of several local exhibitions of this material celebrating the King of Rock ‘n Roll. 

Church expansion

One of Fayetteville’s largest churches is about to become even bigger. Village Baptist Church on McPherson Church Road has acquired the former Lafayette Baptist Church property at 555 N. Reilly Rd.

“We were approached last year by some former members of the church to consider acquiring it,” said Dr. Richard Lee, Village Baptist lead pastor. He said they have been renovating the building since January and will have an activation ceremony May 30.

Lee said the Reilly Road campus will target military families, and that the congregation will meet Thursday evenings rather than Sundays. “It’s the one night of the week that isn’t connected with other events,” he said.

The church is half a mile off post and will provide a combat recovery support group. Air Force Reserve Chaplain Matthew Bryant will serve as pastor.

City of Fayetteville observes community day

Fayetteville Community Development Day will be observed April 26 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at City Hall. Community vendors will take part with free giveaways, food and information.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides annual federal funding to local communities to provide safe and affordable housing, suitable living environments and economic opportunities for low-to-moderate income citizens. “I hope the public will join city staff and our community partners to see how we are making tremendous strides to the viability of housing stock, infrastructure, public services and economic vitality to the city of Fayetteville,” said Cindy Blot, Fayetteville’s Economic and Community Development Department director.

For more information, contact the city’s Economic and Community Development Department at 910-433-1599.

Health, safety and wellness fair

The Cumberland County Health Department will host a Fun in the Sun with Public Health event Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Public Health Center parking lot on Ramsey Street. The event will bring together Health Department clinics and other county government agencies and community organizations. Cape Fear Valley Blood Donor Center will conduct a blood drive at the event.

“This is an opportunity to bring our community together to learn about the health department as well as other community organizations in a fun, family-oriented way,” said Duane Holder, interim health director for the county.

For additional information about the public health department’s programs and activities, call 910-433-3600 or visit co.cumberland.nc.us/health.

Moving day is a big enough headache for the average family. Try to imagine the challenges involved with moving a police headquarters.

Hope Mills Police Chief Joel Acciardo and his staff don’t have to imagine it. They are preparing for it, as they’ll have to relocate for an estimated two years while a new headquarters for the Hope Mills police and fire departments is being constructed.

“If you boil it down to its simplest form, you are basically setting up a facility that’s not intended to be permanent but has to operate a minimum of 24 to 26 months,’’ Acciardo said. “You are talking about moving your records, your administrative people, personnel issues and your operating environment for your road officers to come in and do interviews.

“That’s no small undertaking.’’

The good news is the town has located an almost perfect location for the temporary headquarters of the police, the vacated Ace Hardware building on South Main Street.

The new location offers several positive attributes. It has roughly twice the square footage indoors as the current police headquarters.

It includes parking in the front of the building, plus a secure lot on the side of the building that opens via a gate to a street behind the temporary location. That will give officers an option from driving directly onto South Main Street or exiting from the rear when traffic is heavy.

Possibly the best advantage of the former hardware store is that the interior is an empty shell. This will allow the town to modify the interior walls or other elements.

One of the biggest challenges in getting the temporary location ready to occupy will be setting up a variety of secure areas inside, Acciardo said.

There will be no need to install any cells for holding prisoners. There are no cells in the current Hope Mills police station as all people requiring incarceration are taken to the Cumberland County jail in nearby Fayetteville.

But secure areas will be needed at the temporary location to take care of records. There will also have to be an area where juveniles are taken so they can be separated from other people brought into the police station.

How long the transition process will take from current station to temporary location is difficult to predict.

Drew Holland, finance director for the town, said the lease to occupy the temporary location begins May 1.

Acciardo is hopeful that once work on the temporary facility is finished, the move to the new location can be completed by late November or mid- December.

“That’s a very fluid time,’’ he said. “A lot of that could depend on contractor work.’’ That will include things like installing fiber optic lines along with heating and air conditioning and setting up the work spaces. In those cases, the speed of the contractor’s work will dictate how soon the move can take place.

The move won’t be done in a rushed manner. “You move one department area at a time,’’ Acciardo said. “That way everything is in an orderly transition.’’

He anticipates there will be a brief window where the police department will have to work out of both locations.

Once the old police station is vacant, Holland said it will be demolished and the property fenced in to become a staging facility for the construction of the new combined police and fire headquarters.

The fire station will continue to operate from its current location but will only be able to use the rear of the bays in the station, Holland said.

When the temporary station is ready, Acciardo said the public shouldn’t notice a lot of difference from the way the current station is set up.

“There will be a lobby and front staff,’’ he said. “It will be the same methodology that we do here, but at a different location.’’

Photo:  Hope Mills Police Chief Joel Acciardo

Closing the curtain on the 2018-19 season, Givens Performing Arts Center brings The Midtown Men to the stage April 15 as part of its Professional Artist Series.

The Midtown Men brings together stars from the original cast of “Jersey Boys.” It is the first vocal group formed by the principal cast of a high-profile Broadway show. The group, made up of Tony Award winner Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard and Tony Award nominee J. Robert Spencer, pulls out all the stops, bringing onstage chemistry and heartpumping 1960s classics to the stage.

While “Jersey Boys” is a play that tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, The Midtown Men is a concert that showcases the most popular hits of an entire decade, celebrating genres from Motown to rock ’n’ roll, beach music, pop, rhythm and blues, country music and more.

The 1960s was a time of great change and upheaval, and it is reflected in the music of that decade, as are traditional musical themes like coming of age and unrequited love.

“There is so much diversity in the 1960s music,” said band member and Tony award winner Hoff. “If you look at the groundbreaking things that happened in the 1960s, there was so much going on in the world — and it was reflected in the arts, including music.” The world has changed a lot since the ’60s, but Hoff noted that it is a decade that still has a lot to offer, especially in today’s fast-paced, high-tech world. And that is where The Midtown Men come in.

“We bring a relevance to today’s digital culture, using live analog music,” said Hoff. “As much as (the show) is a celebration of the past, it is also a celebration of the future. That is what brings audiences of all ages together. We have generations of families that come together to see our shows.”

The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for The Midtown Men range between $21-$36 for adults and are $10 for children and UNCP students.

The Midtown Men is being held in conjunction with the Act I Diner’s Club. Themed meals will be available for an extra charge, and will be served in the Chancellor’s Dining Room before performances in GPAC. Call the GPAC box office at 910-521-6361 for information.

Visit www.uncp.edu/gpac to see the full list of shows coming this season, or call 910-521-6361.

Here are the top wrestlers from the Sandhills Athletic Conference 2018-19 based on won-lost record.

106 — First team: Matthew Rowland, Pinecrest

Second team: Jabrial Andres Sanchez, Richmond Senior

113 — First team: Justin Kelly, Lumberton

Second team: Joseph Nicholson, Richmond Senior

120 — First team: Kevin Wanovich, Jack Britt

Second team: William Caden Scott, Purnell Swett

126 — First team: Caleb Long, Jack Britt

Second team: Richard Guzman, Seventy-First

132 — First team: Yakemiean Johnson, 

Second team: Corbin Kumor, Hoke County

138— First team: Austin Lowery, Lumberton

Second team: Dane Matthews, Pinecrest

145 — First team: Parker Corwin, Pinecrest

Second team: John Baker, Jack Britt

152 — First team: Austin Gallop, Richmond Senior

Second team: Monroe Payton, Pinecrest

160 — First team: Hunter Hillis, Pinecrest

Second team: Denzel Carrucini, Jack Britt

170 — First team: Chad Jernigan, Jack Britt

Second team: Jeremiah McRimmon, Scotland

182 — First team: Latrell Havner, Seventy-First

Second team: Ali Shahbaz, Lumberton

195 — First team: Erick Martinez, Jack Britt

Second team: Edward Brock, Lumberton

220 — First team: Alex Hammond, Lumberton

Second team: Aidan Alston, Pinecrest

285 — First team: Tray Regan, Lumberton

Second team: Chase Godwin, Pinecrest

Photo: Caleb Long

Gerald Pone said his late brother John Dove “J.D.” Pone wasn’t an exceptional athlete, but that it never stopped J.D. from being an avid promoter of opportunities for Cumberland County young people to take part in a variety of sports.

At a ceremony held Saturday, March 30, Cumberland County honored Pone for his years of work on behalf of the county’s youth. The county officially renamed the Gray’s Creek Recreation Center the John Dove “J.D.” Pone Recreation Center in his memory. The center is located at 2964 School Rd. in Hope Mills. In addition to having his name placed on the front of the building, a plaque was unveiled inside.

Delivering remarks during the ceremony were Dr. Jeannette Council, chair of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners; Helen Brockett of the Gray’s Creek Ruritan Club; and Dachia Pone Davis on behalf of the Pone family.

The ceremony was hosted by the Cumberland County Commissioners. The naming of the center was unanimously approved by the commissioners in memory of J.D. Pone, who passed away in April of 2016.

Pone worked as a volunteer with various youth organizations in Cumberland County, including the Gray’s Creek Youth Association, and served as chairman of the Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission. He was also a member of the board of directors for Communities United for Youth Development.

In addition to his work with youth programs, Pone was deputy chief of the Gray’s Creek Fire Department Station 24 and chaplain for the Cumberland County Fire Chiefs’ Association.

Gerald Pone, J.D.’s brother, was a basketball player for Ron Miller at South View High School. He remembers 30 years ago when the Gray’s Creek community began to organize sports opportunities for young people.

He and J.D. both had sons who were old enough to play recreation sports, and J.D. became a coach.

“He just fell in love with it,’’ Gerald said of J.D. “They asked him to be on the advisory board for Cumberland County. He’s the kind of person who hated to say no to anything. He became involved in that as well.’’

Gerald said his brother showed no special allegiance to any particular sport.

“It didn’t matter if it was baseball, basketball, football soccer or whatever,’’ Gerald said. “As long as the children participated, he wanted them involved in something that  off the streets, keep them focused on athletics.’’

Gerald said the options to play sports that his brother helped promote were a large vehicle for young people in the Gray’s Creek community to take them other places in life.

He said his entire family was deeply honored by the ceremony put on by the county to rename the recreation center for his brother.

“It was overwhelming,’’ he said. “My family and I appreciate all the support, everyone who showed up, even those who didn’t show up but thought about us. It was fantastic.’’

Gerald added that it’s important that the name of someone like his brother will live on at the recreation center.

“Young people need to know there are people in the community that really care about them,’’ he said, “not only to see them in sports, but to see them involved in anything that’s going on to help them succeed in life.

“That’s where his heart was,  wanting to see the growth of young people.’’

With Easter just around the corner, an Easter egg hunt is a great way to have a fun and entertain the family. Festival Park is home to an epic annual event that includes thousands of eggs and much more. Epicenter Church presents Hop in the Park Friday, April 19, from 6-10 p.m. in Festival Park.

“Several years ago, we had a dream to do something for our community around Easter, and we know a lot of churches did Easter egg hunts. We did not want to do a typical Easter egg hunt,” said Mark Knight, lead pastor at Epicenter Church. “We had an idea to do something called Operation Egg Drop, where we were going to have a helicopter fly over a field and drop over 1,000 eggs — but someone from the city did not like that idea.”

That didn’t slow down the planning committee, though. Knight added that they planned for the next year and decided to do Hop in the Park. Originally, they planned to have 5,000 people in attendance. Thirteen thousand people showed up.

Since then, the event has grown every year. There have been as many as 30,000 people in attendance. 

Now, it’s so much more than an egg hunt. Hop in the Park is a family-friendly festival filled with wholesome activities and entertainment, including a skydiving Easter Bunny, egg hunts by age, huge inflatables, carnival rides, a movie in the park, live music, vendors, games, bouncy houses, food and much more.

“This event is a way for our church to follow one of the mantras we have, which is ‘save people, serve people,’” said Knight. “That represents victory for people who call themselves Christ followers, and that’s why we do it. The kids can come out to play, and we will have free food, cotton candy, hot dogs, pizza and drinks.”

Knight added they want to be known as a church that gives things away, which is why this event is free.

“This is something that we want to do to celebrate with our community. We want to show them there’s love in our community.... We invite everyone to come out and enjoy this event.”

The event is free and open to the public. To register, visit www.hopinthepark.com.

Terry Sanford lacrosse coach Jennifer White said Bulldog junior standout Mattie Davis has been playing the sport since she was born.

It shows.

Recently, the University of Jacksonville recruit reached a milestone in her young career with the Bulldogs, scoring her 100th career goal.

According to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association record book, she’s one of less than 10 players in North Carolina high school lacrosse to reach that number.

Davis comes by it naturally. Her dad is Wes Davis, who is Terry Sanford’s assistant coach and who helped start lacrosse at the recreation level in Cumberland County.

White said Davis, a midfielder, does a little bit of everything for the Bulldog team. She plays offense and defense and takes the draw to start each possession.

“She has incredible stick skills,’’ White said. “She catches the ball well and keeps the ball on her stick well. Her shooting is amazing. She knows how to throw fakes and when to throw them.

“She sees the field very well. She’s got incredible defense skills. She’s like a ground ball machine.’’ White said it’s rare for a junior to already be at the 100-goal mark for a career. “In 2 1/2 seasons she’s got that number,’’ White said. “She’s got a whole year and a half to grow that number.’’

Although she’s being singled out for her individual accomplishments, Davis said she loves lacrosse because it’s a team sport. “There’s no way you can play lacrosse individually,’’ she said. “You have to rely on your teammates, and it brings people together. I like it because every team I play on feels like family. It’s also a really fast sport, so it’s always going.’’

Aside from game skills, Davis likes to think she’s got good people skills as well. “I think I’m a good leader, on and off the field,’’ she said. “I love to encourage people. I don’t like to see anyone get down on themselves. I feel like I’m really good at picking people up.’’

Her love of team and family are big reasons why she chose to commit to Jacksonville. “I love the coaches down there and the environment,’’ she said. “They revolve everything around family, which I’m big on. They are like a top 30 team in the nation. All of those things feed into it.’’

Davis has obviously had a lot to do with Terry Sanford’s success this season. As of April 3, the Bulldogs are 6-4 overall. They play  April 12. The regular season ends Monday, April 15, at Jack Britt.

The Bulldogs are in contention to make the state 3-A lacrosse playoffs again. As of April 3, they are ranked No. 14 among 3-A teams in the state, according to MaxPreps.

White said it’s a continuing struggle to grow the lacrosse program at Terry Sanford. “We have some travel teams around here, but Raleigh has them everywhere and year-round,’’ White said. “They’ve had a program for 12 years, and we’re on our fourth year. It’s easier for them to be part of a travel team.’’ 

Davis said it’s a matter of commitment. “It’s a  she said. “Running around with a stick is not the easiest thing in the world. People need to become more interested in it, willing to try and (be) committed to it.’’

Photo: Mattie Davis

Have you ever wondered how a snake wrapped around a stick came to be the symbol of physicians? Probably not. Bear with me anyway.

Maybe you just wondered how long Dook will keep recruiting One & Dones and not winning the basketball championship. How long before Coach K finally realizes that sending out a different flock of freshman each year into the Big Dance isn’t getting the job done? But that is a story for another day.

Today, we are going to try to answer Greek mythology’s version of Samuel L. Jackson’s classic statement in the greatest movie ever released in 2006, the immortal “Snakes on a Plane.” In that movie, Sam uttered the immortal words (herein cleaned up, as this is a family newspaper), “I’ve had it with these gosh darned snakes on this gosh darned plane!”

Today, we shall learn how that gosh darned snake got on the doctor’s stick.

Once upon a time, a major Greek god named Apollo got up close and personal with the lovely goddess Coronis. From this union they begat their son Asclepius. Because his name was so hard to pronounce, his buddies just called him Asky. Coronis, being a big ole friendly gal, was just too frisky for one man to keep her satisfied. While preggers with Asky, she went off on a long weekend to Myrtle Beach during the high holy days with her old boyfriend, Iskhys.

A little bird, a raven, told Apollo about Coronis’ dalliance with Izzy. This did not sit well with Apollo. Apollo sent his cranky sister, Artemis, to kill Coronis. She whacked Coronis using a bunch of arrows covered in plague juice.

Apollo put Coronis to barbecue on the old funeral pyre with Asky still in utero. At the last minute, Apollo decided that his son didn’t need to pay for the sins of his mother. He yanked Asky out of Coronis, saving Asky’s life.

Apollo felt kind of sorry for having Coronis killed, so he did what men in power always do. He blamed someone else.

At the time the raven had tattled on Coronis, the raven’s feathers were all white. To punish the raven for ratting out Coronis, Apollo turned the raven’s feathers black. That is why ravens are black today. Bet you didn’t know that.

Back to our story. Apollo hired the centaur Chiron to raise Asky. Chiron was at least as smart as the famous Mr. Ed. Chiron taught Asky how to heal people. Asky turned out to be an apt pupil. He got so good at healing people that, on occasion, he even raised people from the dead.

Asky, being a universally kind person, went out of his way to be nice to a snake. The snake turned out to be enchanted and could whisper. In a fit of gratitude for Asky’s kindness, the snake licked Asky’s ears clean. While the snake was licking, he whispered into Asky’s ears many secrets for healing the sick.

There are other versions about how the grateful snake ended up on Asky’s rod. One version is based on the “worm theory.” Back in the olden days, it was not uncommon for people to have a long, parasitic worm invade their bodies. In order to get the worms out of people, the physician would make a cut in the person’s body in front of the direction the worm was heading. The worm would poke his head out of the cut. The physician would then wrap the worm around a stick —like wrapping spaghetti around a spoon.

Another version says when God sent fiery serpents to bite the Israelites who had been disobedient to Moses, Moses put up a pole with a bronze snake on it. An Israelite who looked at the bronze snake on the pole would not die from snake bites.

As a result of all these stories, the snake wrapped around a rod became the symbol of physicians.

Under the heading of “no good deed goes unpunished,” all of this healing by Asky began to irritate Zeus, the king of the gods. Zeus was afraid that Asky going around healing people and raising the dead might ultimately result in Asky making peoplekind immortal.

The last straw for Zeus occurred when Asky brought Hippolytus back from the dead and got paid for it. Zeus did not want a bunch of humans becoming immortals as rivals to the existing gods. So, Zeus went to his friendly one-eyed neighborhood lightning bolt fabricator, the Cyclops. Using a coupon, he bought a thunderbolt. Zeus then zapped Asky with the thunderbolt, causing Asky to expire.

Asky’s dad, Apollo, was not happy that Zeus killed Asky but was afraid to take on Zeus. Instead, Apollo killed the Cyclops for making the thunderbolt.

Predating the National Rifle Association, Apollo reasoned thunderbolts don’t kill people, Cyclops kill people. As a consolation prize for being dead, Zeus picked up Asky’s lifeless body and hung it in the sky in the constellation Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder. Asky remains hanging in the night sky in his very own constellation to this very day. Go out tonight and take a look up at Asky.

And now you know the rest of the story. Snakes on a stick — or on a plane. It’s all the same. Like Roseanne Roseannadanna once said, “It’s always something.”

As a young man enthusiastic and well entrenched in my first real career after leaving the Army and going to work with Fasco Industries, I (Bill Bowman) was oblivious to the fact that the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was performing a concert in what is now the old Cumberland County Arena. That was in 1976. It would be another 12 years before I realized the significance of that musically historic visit.

Elvis Presley was live and in person here in Fayetteville, North Carolina. By all accounts, his performance was grand. However, his visit here was pleasantly unusual and unique in several respects.

The first concert was Aug. 3, 1976. It was a sold-out event. Presley was impressed that Fayetteville was the home of Fort Bragg, and he wanted to do something special to honor the military while also thanking Fayetteville fans for their enthusiastic reception. He requested to do two additional shows on successive days.

Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, agreed. All three performances, Aug. 3-5, sold out, according to Paul Beard, who was the Arena operations manager at the time.

What many fans did not realize was that all three performances were recorded. Graceland Records released a three-disk CD pack titled “Next Stop: Fayetteville.” It was sold with a 44-page booklet of rare photos of Elvis onstage here in Fayetteville. You can find it on You Tube.

In the video, you can feel the energy and hear the excitement of 6,000 screaming fans. News reports at the time said Elvis and his entire entourage rented the top floor of what once was the Ramada Inn hotel on Eastern Boulevard.

Elvis’ enthusiastic reception and three days of sold-out performances, complete with live recordings of his music, were such a success that Parker scheduled a return to  Aug. 25, 1977.

Unfortunately, he never did return. Elvis died of a heart attack at his home in Graceland Aug. 6, 1977, at the age of 42. Local fans were saddened, shocked and disappointed. Anticipating what was expected to be another stellar, sold-out concert, fans had purchased tickets for $12.50 and $15. The

Arena offered refunds but also provided the option to donate the ticket money to a local charity. Hundreds of ticket holders chose the latter. Their names were placed on a plaque honoring Elvis and put on permanent display in the hallway of the Arena, along with several photos of Elvis’ past performances. Those photos and other memorabilia remained on the wall as a memorial to Elvis for many years — until 2008, when the Arena underwent a significant renovation.

During this period, Beard, while serving as the facility manager under then-general manager Rick Reno, noticed something. During the interior renovation project, the Elvis photos and mementos had been removed from the wall and placed in a receptacle along with other construction debris. Fearing they would be mistakenly discarded as trash, the quick-thinking Beard, who is an Elvis fan, removed the framed photos and plaques and safely packed them   away in a Tupperware crate. He stored them in his backyard shed. Beard knew the Elvis memorabilia represented one of the greatest performances ever staged in Fayetteville.

These treasures remained in Beard’s shed for more than a decade — until Fayetteville Observer senior columnist Bill Kirby received several inquiries about what ever happened to the Elvis pictures.

Beard, who is a Fayetteville resident and the general manager of the Florence, South Carolina, Civic Center, graciously dug them out and turned them over to the Crown Coliseum Complex. Elvis is now back in the house. Well, not quite. The Crown board of directors haven’t yet figured out what to do with the newly recovered treasures. However, what we do know is there is much public interest in seeing these mementos.

So, to this end, Up & Coming Weekly asked the Coliseum board to loan us the pieces for one day — April 13. We will have them on display for public viewing at our office during the Fayetteville Fans First Look at the new Segra Stadium, where the Fayetteville Woodpeckers will host their first game April 18. Our office is only about a 5-minute walk from the stadium. 

The Elvis Presley photo display will be in Gallery 208 at 208 Rowan St., Up & Coming Weekly’s corporate offices. Hours are 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Both Fayetteville Observer former Arena manager Paul Beard will be on hand during the day to personally share their experiences and walk us down memory lane. Rocket Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop will also be present with Elvis signs, posters, refreshments, free gift coupons and assorted souvenirs.

A very special thanks to Kirby for his excellent Fayetteville Observer reporting and coverage of this story. And, to Beard for his insight, professionalism and quick action that salvaged a part of Fayetteville’s musical history. And many thanks to my colleague, Up & Coming Weekly’s senior reporter, and my friend, Jeff Thompson, who assisted me with this article.

And, of course, to our readers: Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Abel Abraham 

Terry Sanford • Golf/ swimming • Junior

Abraham has a 4.76 grade point average. He is a member of Science Olympiad, Mock Trial, Mu Alpha Theta, Vision Club and Tutoring Club.

Jason Chay

Jack Britt • Tennis • Senior

Chay has a 4.0 grade point average. According to the latest statistics on MaxPreps through April 3, Chay is 6-1 in singles and 5-1 in doubles this season.

The concept of The Friendship House first came to fruition in Holland, Michigan, in 2007. Now, there is one in Fayetteville. The Friendship House serves young adults with intellectual development disabilities by pairing them with roommates who are often college students or young professionals. The goal is to help these young adults, but often, it’s the roommates who gain the most. The Friendship House Fayetteville is the fifth Friendship House to use this model.

“We did change our model to focus more on health care and allied health care graduate students and students,” said Tara Hinton, director of community relations and philanthropy for ServiceSource. ServiceSource, a larger nonprofit, is the leasee in partnership with Highland Presbyterian Church of the campus. It oversees operations of Friendship House Fayetteville. 

Hinton explained that, while Friendship House Fayetteville is not a caretaking facility or group home, it developed its health care-leaning culture because of its resident director, Dr. Scott Cameron.

“Dr. Cameron’s experiences were life-changing and caused him to open up and become more passionate for those with disabilities, personally and through his practice of medicine. He is the visionary for Friendship House Fayetteville,” she said.

Cameron lived in Friendship House Durham during his seminary training. He is currently a neonatal intensive care unit physician at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. He also serves as the volunteer chaplain and resident director for Friendship House Fayetteville.

“(Fayetteville community members) took a field trip about 3 1/2 years ago to The Friendship House Durham, and a couple of community members were interested in helping see this come to fruition,” said Hinton. “We spent many hours there talking to the students, and they were all divinity students.

“We learned how living at Friendship House changed them. One student made me tear up when he told me he signed up to make a difference, but the individuals changed him and made a difference in his life more than he could ever help them.”

Hinton added that the visitors traveled back home with the idea to build a Friendship House in Fayetteville — and they made it happen.

In each apartment at Friendship House Fayetteville, there are four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

“There are three people living with one friend resident, and the friend resident is a young person who has an intellectual development disability such as Autism or Down syndrome,” said Hinton. “The goal for those parties is for the friend resident to maximize their interdependence, whether that’s cooking, budgeting, grocery shopping or transportation to a job — and ServiceSource helps with that piece of the puzzle.”

Hinton added ServiceSource has a job coach who helps the friend residents obtain gainful employment, find volunteer positions in the community and become productive. The other three roommates, usually students, are there to share life and friendship with the resident. This gives the resident the ability to live amongst their peers and feel included.

“Our focus today is recruiting students and young professionals,” said Hinton. “This is a wonderful opportunity to look at people with different abilities and spiritual gifts and to appreciate those gifts and talents — because none of us are perfect.”

All-inclusive expenses for this living arrangement are $450 per month. The apartments are located in central Haymount. For more information, call 910-826-4699 ext. 249.

No matter which side of the pro- or anti-gay marriage fence you fall on, “The Cake” is an entertaining and touching look at how people can disagree and still treat each other with respect and love. “The Cake,” showing at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre through April 21, introduces us to Della (played by Libby McNeill Seymour), a sweet, Southern woman who owns a bake shop in Winston- Salem. When Jen (played by Jessica Giannone), the daughter of Della’s deceased best friend, returns home to North Carolina to get married, she asks Della to bake a wedding cake. Della is thrilled — until she finds out that Jen is marrying another woman, Macy (played by Olivia London).

First, let me say — it’s not about the cake. Second, it is refreshing to see a production like “The Cake” that shows the struggle on both sides of the topic of gay rights. The public discourse on disagreeable topics has turned so ugly and disrespectful, it often results in outright dismissal of another’s beliefs simply because we don’t believe the same.

We see a little piece of that in “The Cake,” when one character uses coarse language to unsettle another character’s almost biblical sense of propriety. Onstage, it’s a good thing, because it gets us thinking. It gets us talking about how rude or how spot-on it can be to unsettle someone or disparage their belief system.

Since I’m a big believer in theater as a venue for opening public discourse on tough topics, I applaud CFRT’s willingness to continue to do just that. Unlike last season’s “Disgraced,” which took a serious look at Islamophobia, “The Cake” offers a dash of laughter and a pinch of self-reflection.

Seymour does an outstanding job of portraying Della, who is forced to question her religious beliefs as she struggles with deciding whether or not she should make a cake for a gay wedding. Her decision could jeopardize her relationship with Jen, who is like a daughter to Della. Also spotlighted is Della’s marriage to Tim (played by Greg King), who is opposed to his wife participating in a gay wedding.

Seeing Seymour and King onstage together again is a treat. Both are CFRT veterans and last appeared together in “Sense and Sensibility.” I give readers fair warning, no matter how much you’ve enjoyed King’s performances in the past, after “The Cake” you will not be able to look at him (or mashed potatoes) the same again.

Giannone and London bring vulnerability couple who want to love and be loved being judged.

Playwright Bekah Brunstetter doesn’t try to present an answer to the hot-button topic of gay marriage in 90 minutes. What she does is deftlypresent the dilemma on both sides of the topic. Brunstetter, who is from Winston-Salem, has publicly discussed how the play reflects her own dilemma of reconciling her Southern Baptist upbringing with her adult life in New York and Los Angeles, where her political beliefs are often pitted against a vilified version of the kind and caring people she grew up with in North Carolina.

Don’t expect any big, dramatic character shifts that fix all the problems and settle all the disagreements. That is not how real life usually works. Sometimes, the biggest, most difficult step is just finding enough common ground to begin the conversation.

“The Cake” is directed by David Hemsley Caldwell and runs through April 21. For tickets or information, contact the box office at 910-323-4233 or visit www.cfrt.org.

Photo: Libby McNeill Seymour as Della in “The Cake” 

Photo credit: Ashley Owen

 The FTCC financial aid department’s goal is to guide students through the  financial aid application and eligibility process so qualifying individuals can use financial aid as a means to pay for college and achieve educational goals. By providing information about FTCC’s current services and outreach initiatives, the department hopes to educate current and prospective students about all the financial aid office has to offer. Recently, the FTCC financial aid office launched a new campaign to reach high school seniors and to encourage them to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, otherwise known as the FAFSA.

In addition to FTCC’s FAFSA Days, which are offered at the Fayetteville campus, FTCC staff is now visiting local high schools for FAFSA Completion Nights.

The FTCC financial aid office will visit Terry Sanford High School on April 9, Seventy-First High School on April 11 and E.E. Smith High School on April 18. All FAFSA Nights are from 5:30-7 p.m.

FTCC is excited to kick off this FAFSA completion campaign and hopes other high schools will join in to provide high school seniors another opportunity for assistance in FAFSA completion.

FTCC is also a partner with Solutions at Educational Credit Management Corporation, a student loan default prevention company. Solutions at ECMC provide free student loan repayment assistance to former FTCC students.

This partnership is just one way the FTCC financial aid office demonstrates its commitment to students, even after they have left campus and are entering student loan repayment. Former FTCC students needing assistance with loan repayment can work with a counselor at Solutions at ECMC to find a payment plan that meets their individual needs. Students can reach counselors who will work with them to find a repayment solution that is unique to their situation at 1-877-331-3262.

In an effort to be more accessible to current and prospective students at all times, FTCC now offers an artificially intelligent chatbot named Penny on all of the financial aid sections of its website. Penny is available to answer questions at any time, day or night. Currently equipped with a library of more than 850 common financial aid questions and answers, Penny is constantly growing in knowledge, and FTCC staff continue to add new information to the knowledge bank.

Follow the FTCC financial aid office on Facebook for updates and informational videos that will help you keep up with the latest financial aid news, scholarship opportunities and more.

FTCC financial aid advisors are ready to assist prospective and current students in the Financial Aid Service Center, located in Room 2 of the Tony Rand Student Center at 2201 Hull Rd.

FTCC’s advisors can help you complete the 2018- 19 FAFSA for the summer 2019 semester or the 2019-20 FAFSA for the upcoming fall 2019, spring 2020 and summer 2020 semesters.

North Carolina Republican Party Chairman and former United States Congressman Robin Hayes, R-N.C., is one of several prominent Republican Party leaders charged with public corruption and graft for their alleged participation in a bribery scheme involving improper campaign contributions. Hayes, 73, of Concord, North Carolina, served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1999–2009.

A federal criminal indictment unsealed April 2 in the western district of North Carolina charges the founder and chairman of a multinational investment company, a company consultant and a second North Carolina political figure with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bribery, and aiding and abetting, concerning programs receiving federal funds. Hayes was also charged with three counts of lying to the FBI.

The indictment charges Greg E. Lindberg, 48, of Durham, North Carolina, the founder and chairman of Eli Global LLC and the owner of Global Bankers Insurance Group; John D. Gray, 68, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a Lindberg consultant and chairman of the Chatham County Republican Party; and Eli Global executive John V. Palermo, 63, of Pittsboro, North Carolina.

The defendants made their initial appearances April 2 before U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler in federal court in Charlotte.

“The indictment... outlines a brazen bribery scheme in which Lindberg and his coconspirators allegedly offered hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions in exchange for official action that would benefit Lindberg’s business interests,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney General Benczkowski. “Bribery of public officials at any level of government undermines confidence in our political system.”

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, also a Republican, reported what he believed to be suspicious activity to the FBI in January 2018. “These men crossed the line from fundraising to felonies when they devised a plan to use their connections to a political party to attempt to influence the operations and policies of the North Carolina Department of Insurance,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge John A. Strong.

According to allegations in the indictment, from April 2017 to August 2018, Lindberg, Gray, Palermo and Hayes devised a scheme to defraud the people of North Carolina by attempting to bribe the insurance commissioner to persuade him to take official action favorable to Lindberg’s company.

The defendants are accused of conspiring to offer and promise the commissioner millions of dollars in campaign contributions and other things of value, in exchange for the removal of the Department of Insurance senior deputy commissioner, who was responsible for overseeing regulations.

In late August 2018, FBI agents interviewed Hayes about his involvement with and knowledge of the alleged improper campaign contributions. During the interview, Hayes allegedly lied to FBI agents about directing funds, at Lindberg’s request, from Lindberg’s campaign contribution to the North Carolina state political party to the commissioner’s reelection campaign, about having any discussions with the commissioner about Lindberg or Gray, and about discussing with the commissioner personnel issues related to the commissioner’s office.

The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Photo: Robin Hayes

Taryn O’Connor 

Jack Britt • Softball • Senior 

O’Connor has a 4.2 grade point average. She was a member of Jack Britt’s 2018 state 4-A champion fast-pitch softball team. She scored 18 runs for the Buccaneers last season. 

Abby Heitkamp 

Jack Britt • Soccer • Senior 

Heitkamp has a 4.0 grade point average. Last year she was a Sandhills Athletic Conference all-conference selection in soccer. So far this season, she has one goal and one assist for the Buccaneers 

Here are some odds and ends of news from the Cumberland County high school sports scene. 

Vernon Aldridge, student activities director of Cumberland County Schools, recently released this year’s senior high school football schedule. View it on the page adjoining this one. 

The biggest news on this year’s schedule is that Terry Sanford will be playing all of its home games this fall at Reid Ross Classical High School’s John Daskal Stadium on Ramsey Street. 

After years of debating about what to do with Terry Sanford’s huge but aging brick stadium complex, school officials finally decided to tear it down over the summer and start construction on a new facility that won’t be ready until after the 2019 season is over. 

The Bulldogs will start the 2019 season with three road games and one open date, not playing their first game at Reid Ross until Sept. 20, when they take on Cape Fear. The Bulldogs only play four regular-season games on their temporary field at Reid Ross. Aldridge said when the Bulldogs open their new stadium in 2020 they hope to play seven home games. 

Elsewhere on the schedule for the other county teams, there are no major surprises. Gray’s Creek has a couple of nonconference meetings with Johnston County teams, South Johnston and West Johnston. Both Douglas Byrd and E.E. Smith will play an old county rival, Lee County. 

• In other news for Terry Sanford, last week, Bulldog basketball coach Darren Corbett announced on Twitter that he’s headed back to his hometown to coach at Grimsley High School in Greensboro. 

In just three seasons at Terry Sanford, Corbett compiled a 58-26 overall record, including 34-10 in the Patriot Athletic Conference. 

He guided Terry Sanford to three consecutive conference tournament championships and one regular-season title. 

His final Bulldog team compiled a 20-8 record and lost to Durham Hillside in the second round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association basketball playoffs. 

There is no word yet on how quickly Terry Sanford will begin the search to find Corbett’s replacement. 

• Reminder: Up & Coming Weekly’sRocket Fizz Scholar Athlete award is open to any senior high athlete in Cumberland County. 

The minimum requirements are an athlete must be a member in good standing of a varsity athletic team at his or her school and enrolled in grade 9-12. The minimum grade point average to be nominated is 3.2 unweighted. The athlete does not have to be a starter, just a current member of a varsity team. 

The award will continue until the end of May. To nominate an athlete, confirm the student’s grade point average with the school guidance department. Then email earlucwsports@gmail.com. Include the student’s GPA, sports played this year and year in school. Also include information about any clubs, extracurricular activities or community activities the student is involved with, along with a high-resolution picture of the student taken with a smartphone or digital camera.