I never really understood the story of Rip Van Winkle — until recently, that is. It seems the more I look around, the less I recognize. It’s not that progress or change bothers me. In fact, I’m a huge fan of many things new and emerging. But I’ve come to regret some of the things we choose to abandon — namely values.

Back to Van Winkle. When he awakens on a mountain after a 20-year nap, he discovers shocking changes: his musket is rotting and rusty, his beard is a foot long, and his dog is nowhere to be found.

He returns to his village, where he recognizes no one. He arrives just after an election, and people ask how he voted. Never having cast a ballot in his life, he proclaims himself a faithful subject of King George III, unaware that the American Revolution has taken place. He nearly gets himself into trouble with the townspeople until one elderly woman recognizes him as the long-lost Rip Van Winkle.

When it comes to music, entertainment and even transportation, I’m completely on board with the changes. I like the new. I like the path we’re taking, and I can still enjoy the fruits of a harvest gone by without bothering anyone else with my sense of melancholy.

Technology? A little different, but I am usually quick to embrace the latest and keep my eyes peeled for whatever is coming over the horizon. It’s just that the devices we used before become more quickly obsolete.

Then we come to values. I can’t really discuss values without mentioning how closely aligned they are with the morals I live by. Those morals come from the Bible. Love God. Love others more than you do yourself. Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly. These are not catch phrases to me. They are the basis for the moral code I feel we’ve begun to abandon.

On a recent Sunday, I found myself having insults bounced off me while I was saluted with a single finger more than once by numerous passers-by. My offense? Holding a sign that simply read, “Pray to end abortion.” Four words. I didn’t speak a word. I didn’t confront anyone. I wasn’t blocking an entrance or a roadway. I was just standing on the public right of way near a closed clinic at which abortions are offered.

On one side of me was a couple who adopted a beautiful little girl from a young, unexpectedly pregnant mother who had previously considered abortion. On my other side were a couple of young women who had had abortions and who hoped to dissuade others from taking a similar path. They knew the heartache and regret it caused and wanted to intercede on other women’s behalf.

After a 20-year career standing in the gap for the defenseless as a soldier, standing in a similar way for the unborn is somewhat natural for me. It’s how I pray. It’s how I think. It’s one way I place value on others more than myself. When I observe our legislators considering whether a child in the third trimester of gestation is worthy of drawing its first — or second — breath outside the womb, I am grieved at what we’ve abandoned.

Our culture lines up for programs promising a better future for children while granting legal access to murder of the very children who could have taken part in that future.

If you’ve ever been to Legends Pub, you probably know something about the Annual Spring Fling, which takes place May 3-5 this year. And if you know about the Spring Fling, it’s probably because a friendly Legends customer told you about it. After all, the little bar on Bragg Boulevard is known for its ever-welcoming environment and has been for the last 23 years.

“That’s what makes us special. People come to us because we take care of our own,” said Holly Whitley, owner of Legends Pub. “We don’t have problems, we don’t have arguments, we don’t have fights. We’re there to have a good time and enjoy each other’s company.”

This camaraderie began long before Legends Pub was even in the works. During the 1980s, Whitley and a small group of friends banded together to form the Gypsy Women. As the members of the group have grown and experienced joys and tragedies together, the Gypsy Women have evolved into more than just a collection of friends. Now, the group is dedicated to laying down their time and resources for the benefit of others, particularly through the annual Spring Fling.

“When we bought the bar, we decided to expand the Spring Fling to an event that we could (put on to) help somebody. The first year it was a benefit,” said Whitley. “That’s the title that a Gypsy Woman has — one that volunteers their work and helps us out. It’s amazing.”

This year, the Spring Fling will raise funds for Donald “Duck” Schnieders, a loyal friend and customer at the bar. After a serious motorcycle accident in August 2018, Schnieders is starting his ninth month of recovery. “He just now is getting back on his feet,” said Whitley. “We decided to wait until he was mobile until we did a benefit for him. He’s been a customer at Legends for a long time — (he’s) a good friend, a good guy.”

Whitley has faith that her community will join in the effort to support Schnieders. “We have a strong base. When we come together to do a benefit, people come out, they’re always there to support it,” she said.

In fact, the people at Legends make a habit of taking care of, and remembering, their own. “We just did the Scott Sather Memorial toast on (April 8),” Whitley said. “It was our 16th year that we’ve gathered together.”

Sather, a longtime friend of Legends, was killed in an accident in Iraq on April 8, 2003. He was a member of the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, an elite Air Force operations unit assigned to the Joint Special Operations Command at Pope Army Field. “Sixteen years later, this is another thing that makes us timeless — we’re still remembering him by gathering together.” Legends also holds an annual Scott Sather Memorial Run as part of its Spring Fling, to be held Saturday, May 4, this year.

These gatherings always incorporate a Legendsstyle good time into the mix, in honor of the good times shared with loved ones over the years. 

“On Friday night, we get together some people (who) bring door prizes by, on Saturday we start off with the poker run … then we have a pig-picking and our auction,” said Whitley.

But it doesn’t stop there — the weekend will be full of activities all through Sunday night. “Saturday night we usually have live music or a DJ, Sunday we will start out with lunch, and then we’ll have the Ralph Pinney Jr. Bike Show & Rodeo,” Whitley said. 

The Spring Fling ends with a memorial toast. “We have a wall in Legends where we have people who have passed,” said Whitely. “We’ll be hanging Ralph’s picture on the wall that afternoon.”

Ralph Pinney Jr., another longtime friend to Legends, died of pancreatic cancer March 6, 2019. “Ralph has been a customer of mine for 22-anda- half years,” Whitley said.

Despite the growing number of pictures on that wall, Whitley said she remembers every member of the Legends community, both past and present.

“I can tell you a story about pretty much every person on that wall. Ralph and his wife, Allison, were always a part of the family — we knew what was going on in their lives, we knew what to ask about them personally.”

Just like family, the relationships at Legends last for generations. “There’s a connection with everybody that comes along, (and) you get to know people’s parents, just like my kids’ friends knew me,” Whitley said.

The Pub is as timeless as the community it has built. “We’ve got the third generation going up, the grandchildren of all the people that started the bar,” said Whitley. “Our regular customers are legends.”

Servicemen and women especially call Legends home. “We’re Legends Pub, where deployments begin and end,” quoted Whitley from a favorite Tshirt sold by the bar. As the bar is located near Fort Bragg, many loyal customers are war heroes themselves, with some having faithfully served the U.S. their entire lives. And Legends is proud of it, too. “I don’t care what people’s personal opinions are, that’s what we base ourselves off of,” Whitley said.

Join the community at Legends Pub to honor heroes and loved ones alike at the Annual Spring Fling the weekend of May 3-5. Legends Pub is located at 4624 Bragg Blvd. #1, and overflow parking is available at Ken’s Muffler and Auto Repair. For more information, call Legends at 910-867-2364.

The response to the monthly Food Truck Rodeos in the town of Hope Mills has been overwhelming, and that hasn’t been lost on Chancer McLaughlin, the town’s development and planning administrator.

“We did hear the response of the community with the last event,’’ said McLaughlin. The most recent Food Truck Rodeo near Town Hall drew close to 1,400 people, nearly triple the size of the regular crowd at the rodeos.

“The lines were very, very long,’’ McLaughlin said. In some cases, people were waiting upward of 25 to 30 minutes to be served by the six trucks that were on the scene.

At the next Food Truck Rodeo, Thursday, May 2, the town will add three food trucks for a total of nine that will serve the public.

In addition, instead of a DJ playing recorded music, there will be a live jazz band.

The nine trucks at the next rodeo will include some that are familiar to people who have attended the event before, along with a few new ones. Following is a list and brief description of each food truck coming to the rodeo this week.

R Burger is one of Cumberland County’s most popular food trucks, featuring a variety of special hamburgers.

Kona Ice features shaved ice treats. 

32 Degrees is a unique truck specializing in two kinds of ice cream, one for people and one for their dogs. “A lot of people don’t realize puppies can’t eat regular dairy products,’’ McLaughlin said.

Big T’s is the mobile version of the popular food stand at Hope Mills Lake. Big T’s usually features items like funnel cakes, boiled peanuts and lemonade, to name a few.

A Catered Affair by Chef Glenn is another Hope Mills-based truck. Chef Glenn offers items like fried green tomatoes and pineapple chicken stir-fry.

Cedar Creek Fish Farm One word. Catfish.

Nannie’s Famous offers selections like wings and crab legs.

One Nine Drive is a newcomer truck from Aberdeen. It features specialty items like smoked beef brisket, curry chicken bowls and sweet potato wedges.

Rome N Round, also new to the redo and hailing from Aberdeen, features pizza.

“What typically happens at these rodeos is people will hit multiple trucks,’’ McLaughlin said. “If I’ve got to wait 30 minutes in each line, I might not be able to get everything. The easiest way to possibly make the line go faster when you have a much larger crowd is to have more options.’’

McLaughlin is mindful of balancing the need for more options with the need to avoid having too many trucks at one time so that each truck won’t make too little money.

McLaughlin said the town is having discussions about how to handle the potential growth of the Food Truck Rodeo. He said if necessary, it may eventually be moved to the nearby baseball fields at Municipal Park.

In addition to food trucks, the town will also have vendors present to share information about local service and charitable organizations.

As always, the rodeo will include the opportunity to donate nonperishable food items to the ALMSHOUSE.

If anyone would like to be a vendor at a future rodeo, or if there is a food truck the public would like to see come to the rodeo, McLaughlin welcomes suggestions. Reach him via email at cmclaughlin@townofhopemills.com.

Here are a few odds and ends from the high school world over the last couple of weeks:

• Two Cumberland County high school football players and one head coach have been selected to take part in this summer’s North Carolina Coaches Association East-West All-Star football game at Grimsley High School’s Jamison Stadium in Greensboro.

The trio includes players Dante Bowlding of Terry Sanford, Kyler Davis of Seventy-First and Davis’ head coach with the Falcons, Duran McLaurin. All three will be on the East All-Star team this summer.

Bowlding, who was chosen to the team as a defensive back, was voted the defensive player of the year in the Patriot Athletic Conference last season. According to NCPrepsports.net, he led Cumberland County Schools in tackles with 172. He tied for the county lead in pass  interceptions with five.

Davis made first team at quarterback on the All-Sandhills Athletic Conference team along with Caleb Hood of Richmond Senior.

Davis was second in Cumberland County Schools in total passing yards last season with 1,977. He completed 152 of 282 passes, with 18 touchdown passes and eight interceptions. He rushed 140 times for 999 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.

Since coming to his alma mater as head football coach, McLaurin has turned the Falcons into a consistent contender for conference titles and state playoff berths. Last season he guided the Falcons to an 11-4 record and a tie for second place in the Sandhills Athletic Conference. His team reached the 4-A Eastern Regional finals before losing to Scotland.

McLaurin will serve as an assistant coach on the East All-Star football staff this summer. The head coach will be Sport Sawyer of Manteo High School.

This year’s East-West game, which is a part of the annual North Carolina Coaches Association clinic in Greensboro, will be held Wednesday, July 17, at 8 p.m.

• Terry Sanford High School recently made wholesale changes to its varsity coaching staff for next year. The changes resulted from the departure of head boys’ basketball coach Darren Corbett, who returned to his native Greensboro to coach at Grimsley High School.

Terry Sanford principal Tom Hatch announced that Karl Molnar, who has been successful coaching girls basketball and boys and girls soccer for the Bulldogs, would be moved to take over the boys basketball coaching position vacated by Corbett.

To fill the soccer vacancies created by moving Molnar to boys basketball, Steven Barbour was named varsity boys soccer coach while Jared Kaiser was selected to take over the girls soccer team. Both Barbour and Kaiser were already on staff at Terry Sanford as teachers and serving as coaches in the soccer program.

Replacing Molnar as girls basketball coach is Michael Joiner. Joiner was a star high school player at Seventy-First and also played college basketball at Florida State. He also spent some time as a professional basketball player before returning to Fayetteville.

“We are excited to watch our coaches continue the winning ways,’’ said Hatch in a prepared statement.

• The final team was selected last week to complete the field for this December’s Cumberland County Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament.

Last season the format for the tournament was changed to create multiple tournament brackets and multiple champions, causing a need for more teams to complete the field.

Vernon Aldridge, student activities director of Cumberland County Schools, had been working since last year’s tournament concluded to strengthen the field for this year’s event.

Joining the 10 Cumberland County Schools teams in this year’s event are the following teams:

Boys — Wilmington Hoggard, Wilmington Laney, Southern Lee, Wendell Corinth Holders, Apex Middle Creek and one South Carolina team — Marlboro County High School from Bennettsville.

Girls — Wilmington Hoggard, East Bladen, Union Pines, Garner, Scotland and Wendell Corinth Holders.

The pairings for the tournament will be announced at a later date.

Mariyah Wakefield

Seventy-First • Track • Sophomore

Wakefield has a 3.7 grade point average. She participates in Upward Bound at Fayetteville State University. She volunteers at True Vine Ministries and is a member of the Seventy-First orchestra.

Justin Croom

Seventy-First • Track, wrestling • Sophomore

Croom has a 3.4 grade point average. He was 6-18 as a wrestler for the Falcons last season. He currently has a best time of 22.99 in the 200-meter dash

Every spring, the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival brings the community together to celebrate everything that makes this community so special — the people, the food, the music, the diversity.

The festival boasts an impressive list of well-deserved awards, including four awards from the North Carolina Association of Festivals and Events in 2018 alone. The festival was also named the 2018 Event of the Year in the Southeast by the Southeast Festivals and Events Association.

Longtime Dogwood Festival Director Carrie King retired last year, leaving the event in the hands of its new director — Malia Allen.

The Dogwood Festival starts Thursday, April 25, with Cork & Fork. Enjoy appetizers, beverages and entertainment. Proceeds benefit Kids Peace Foster Care. Tickets cost $40 per person. Find out more at www.thedogwoodfestival.com.

The festival’s activities include fireworks, rides, food, a midway and an abundance of live entertainment. The music stages include local performers as well as national artists.

Friday’s acts include The Pharcyde, and Tone Loc. The Pharcyde is an alternative rap quartet from South Central Los Angeles, California. The group formed in the early 1990s and has released three albums.

Tone Loc was a 1980s rap pioneer. His was the second rap act to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s album charts. “Wild Thing” and “Funky Cold Medina” were his first two hit singles and remain his two most popular songs. Tone Loc went on to work in TV and film and continues his music career.

Friday festival hours: 5-11 p.m.

5 p.m. — Festival Park opens

5:30 p.m. — Throwback Collaboration Band

6:45 p.m. — Opening Ceremony/National

Anthem — Jill Charles

7:15 p.m. — Lotus Sun

9 p.m. — The Pharcyde

10 p.m. — Tone Loc

11 p.m. — Fireworks

Saturday festival hours: Noon-10:30 p.m.

Hay Street Performance Area

Noon — King BMX

12:35 p.m. — Ladysticks Music Performing Arts

1 p.m. — J’s U.S. Taekwondo

1:35 p.m. — Shadows of the Fire

2:25 p.m. — King BMX

3 p.m. — Aloha Ka’naka O Hula Halau

3:35 p.m. Shadows of the Fire

4:25 p.m. Canton of Attillium

5 p.m. King BMX

5:35 p.m. Aloha Ka’naka O Hula Halau

Festival Park Stage

1 p.m. - TBD

3 p.m. - Jill Charles & Nobody’s Business

5 p.m. - Denver Nixon Band

7 p.m. - Corey Smith

9 p.m. - Colt Ford

Country musician Corey Smith has sold more than 1 million concert tickets, 1.5 million digital singles and more than 220,000 albums. He’s got 10 albums to his name, but even more impressive is the fact that he’s written every song on every album he’s recorded. Some of his hits include “Twenty-one,” “If I Could Do It Again” and “I Love Everyone.”

Colt Ford said he has one goal when it comes to his music, “I’m just trying to bring people together.”

The Georgia native and former golf pro brings country, blues, rock and rap together for a unique sound and a philosophy of live and let live that resonates with his fans.

Sunday festival hours: Noon-9 p.m.

Hay Street Performance Area

Noon — bKing BMX

12:35 p.m. — Elevo Dynamics

1 p.m. — J’s U.S. Taekwondo

1:35 p.m. — Shadows of the Fire

2:25 p.m. — King BMX

3 p.m. — Aloha Ka’naka O Hula Halau

3:35 p.m. — Shadows of the Fire

4:25 p.m. — Canton of Attillium

5 p.m. — King BMX

5:35 p.m. — Aloha Ka’naka O Hula Halau

Festival Park Stage

1 p.m. — Paige Johnson

3 p.m. — Eastline Band

5 p.m. — The Guy Unger Band

7:30 p.m. — Rumours

A Fleetwood Mac tribute band, Rumours blends perfect harmonies and precise instrumentation while delivering a visually engaging show. The band routinely plays to sold-out audiences and is known as one of the top tribute bands in the country. The band flawlessly recreates the Fleetwood Mac vibe and attitude, drawing in fans far and wide.

Dogwood Festival sanctioned events

Friday, April 26: The Fayetteville/Cumberland County Crimestoppers Barbecue is a 35-year-old tradition. For many, the delicious barbecue, potato salad, coleslaw and a roll for just $8 signifies the unofficial kickoff of the Dogwood Festival. The barbecue takes place in the Harris Teeter Parking lot at 2800 Raeford Rd. on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Proceeds benefit Fayetteville/Cumberland County Crimestoppers. Crimestoppers provides a safe and anonymous way to report crimes and also offers rewards. Citizens can call Crimestoppers at 910-483-TIPS (8477) or toll-free at 866-542-TIPS (8477) if they have information regarding criminal activity. This number is manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is designated for Crimestoppers information only. All calls are kept in complete confidence. Learn more at https://faynccrimestoppers.org.

Saturday, April 27: The Hogs & Rags Spring Rally is the largest escorted motorcycle and car rally in the state. Spanning nearly 120 miles, the ride goes from Fayetteville to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It includes a stop at Rockin’ A Ranch for breakfast and a meal at the end as well.

The ride leaves the Airborne & Special Operations Museum at 7:30 a.m. It costs $50 per person and includes an official T-shirt, breakfast, lunch, door prizes, a 50/50 cash raffle and 3 gun raffles. Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society, The Kidsville News Literacy & Education Foundation and The Special Forces Charitable Trust.

There will be a preparty Friday, April 26, at Mac’s Speed Shop at 482 N. McPherson Church Rd., from 6:30-9 p.m. To register or for more information, visit www.hogsandrags.org.

Hope Mills Commissioner Pat Edwards doesn’t understand the fascination her fellow board members have with preserving the aging parish hall that a previous board voted to demolish.

At last Monday’s meeting of the commissioners, the board voted to hire a structural engineer to evaluate the chances for restoring the building, part of the property donated to the town by the local Episcopal Church seven years ago.

Edwards questions the interest in the building given the town’s history of turning over many of its historic buildings to private entities.

She noted two prominent downtown buildings not far from the parish hall that are both currently owned by private businesses.

“They’ve given away or sold all the mills,’’ Edwards said. “Why all of a sudden is this parish building so important when they let other more historical buildings go? Why spend money we don’t have?”

Jeff Adolphsen, a senior restoration specialist with the North Carolina State Historical Preservation Office, recently inspected the parish hall. He said as buildings he’s inspected go, it was in better shape than many of them — but, he added, repairs will be needed in a number of areas.

Adolphsen said the building needs a new roof. There has also been water leaking down a chimney that was not flashed.

He indicated the aluminum siding on the building could be removed. He also found termite and water damage, and added the structural integrity of the timbers in the building appeared to be decent but could be improved.

He said the building likely needed to be treated for termite, fungus, mildew and mold problems, adding that the crawl space under the building appeared to be fairly dry.

Many of the problems were related to the fact that mechanical systems in the building had been shut off for some time. In addition to repairing problems associated with age and wear, Adolphsen said if the town plans to make the building available for access by the general public, it will have to made handicapped accessible.

He said that includes having parking spaces that meet certain size requirements, along with an unobstructed path to the front door and handicapped-friendly access to the building, the bathroom and other main areas.

He did not inspect the bathroom regarding modifications needed for handicapped access, but he did note the door to the bathroom was narrow and would need to be widened.

“As a preservationist, you try and minimize the changes or minimize the effect of the changes,’’ he said. “Ninety-nine percent of what we look at is what we call rehabilitation, where you are taking a historic building and you’re fixing it up for modern, efficient, contemporary use, but you’re keeping those features and finishes that make that building historic.’’

Adolphsen did not offer any figures on the cost of restoring the building. He did say some things would require a licensed contractor. “I told them I’ve seen buildings like that get rehabbed before,’’ he said. “I think it could be rehabilitated. They might be able to find some grants somewhere. They may be able to do some volunteer labor.’’

Edwards would like to hear from town staff before spending more money on the project. “We have qualified staff that could tell us if it could be saved or not,’’ she said. “It’s going to cost a lot of money regardless.’’

Photo: Pat Edwards

April is now officially the month of underdogs. Admit it, once upon a time you used to be a kid. If you were lucky, your parents read you stories before you could read. If you were really lucky, you heard the story of Babar the Elephant. To refresh your recollection, here is the Reader’s Digest version of Babar’s story. It gets kind of weepy at the beginning. If you are tenderhearted, you may wish to skip the rest of this column. But hang in there, it has several happy endings.

Our story begins with baby Babar riding on the back of his Mother through the jungle. Babar was as happy as Bambi was with his Mom before man came into the forest. However, a Hunter is hiding in the bush. The Hunter shoots and kills Babar’s Mother.

Babar cries but escapes the Hunter.

Babar runs away and ends up in the City, where he meets a very friendly Old Lady. She buys him an excellent green suit and hires tutors to educate him. Babar becomes quite the sophisticate as he dwells for several years in the City.

Eventually, his cousins Celeste and Arthur come to the City. They convince him to return to the jungle. Babar gets back to the jungle just as the King of the Elephants has become very sick after eating a poisonous mushroom. As luck would have it, the King dies shortly after Babar’s arrival. The other elephants decide Babar’s education among humans make him the perfect candidate to be the new King of the Elephants. Babar is crowned King. He marries his cousin Celeste because that’s what royalty does; they marry close relatives to maintain a grip on power and to develop hemophilia.

Fast forward to April 2019 in South Africa. There are still hunters in the jungle. Five of them snuck into the Kruger National Park to illegally hunt rhinos. Earth has a limited supply of rhinos, estimated at about 20,000 in South Africa. Their numbers dwindle each year due to poachers. Most rhinos are not a match for high-powered rifles.

But on this day, the rhinos had a friend in high places, a cranky elephant. Our poacher buddy, let us call him Slim, was hunting rhinos to sell their horns to doofuses in China, who think the horns are an aphrodisiac. While hunting rhinos, Slim got too close to an elephant whom we shall call Babar Jr.

Slim’s buddies told authorities that Babar Jr. suddenly attacked Slim. Babar Jr. squashed Slim into the ground doing the old elephant two-step all over Slim’s soon-tobe pancaked body. Yikes. That would leave a mark.

Slim’s buddies pulled his flattened body out on a road so he could be found by the authorities. His pals then high-tailed it out of the park, leaving Slim like a pork chop in an outdoor meat market.

Unfortunately for Slim, before the authorities could find his body, the lions found him first. Slim became lion chow. The search party finally found what was left of Slim near the Crocodile River. After the lions got through with him, all that was remained of Slim was his skull and a pair of pants. That was mighty slim pickings.

But it was a happy ending. Jungle Animals: One. Poachers: Zero. For one brief, shining moment, the animals were the winners. Rhinos, elephants and lions don’t often win against the hunters. But when an underdog wins, we all win. Maybe the next time the Trump boys, Don Jr. and Eric, go big game hunting for elephants, they will meet up with Babar Jr. before they can shoot him.

In keeping with April being the month of underdogs, Tiger Woods finally won the Masters again after 11 years of wandering in the rough of the golfing wilderness. Huzzah for Tiger. He kept at it.

The same week, Chris Davis, a member of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team, ended his longest hitless streak for a nonpitcher in the history of major league baseball. Davis had gone without a hit in his last 54 times at bat, stretching all the way back to last season. Thanks to Davis, the Orioles won the game. Don’t feel too sorry for him. Davis is getting paid $161 million dollars as part of a seven-year contract. He will be alright.

So, what have we learned today? Sometimes karma works and an elephant will caress a bad guy with his toes. Lions don’t require Texas Pete hot sauce when eating a poacher pancake. Tiger Woods and Chris Davis prove that persistence pays in all areas of life. If you give a monkey a typewriter, he will eventually type a column. The very existence of this column is proof of the typing monkey theory.

Jimi Hendrix once said, “Excuse me while I kiss the sky.” I say, “Excuse me while I go eat a banana.”

As department chair for Fayetteville Technical Community College’s advertising and graphic design program, it is my pleasure to present the graduating class of 2019 and invite you to join us for Portfolio Night. It takes place Thursday, May 2, from 4-7 p.m. at the Harry F. Shaw Virtual College Center atrium on FTCC’s Fayetteville campus. Each graduating student will display portfolios to highlight his or her work. In their portfolios, students demonstrate their development of skills and application of design principles as well as hard work. 

FTCC’s advertising and graphic design curriculum provides students with the skills necessary for employment in graphic design and related fields.

Students learn how to apply effective design principles to real-world assignments, utilizing creative problem-solving skills. They focus on executing designs efficiently in appropriate design applications from the Adobe Creative Suite for a variety of printed and digital media. They explore industry expectations, associated processes and unique considerations for different aspects of design, including page layout, illustration, photography, product packaging, web design, advertising and promotions.

Students can choose from programs of study that lead to an associate degree or a certificate in one of the following concentrations: digital graphics, graphic design basics or web-based graphics design.

One of the most rewarding aspects of working with students is seeing the diversity of creativity expressed in their work. Provided the same instruction, each student brings to their work a singular perspective that produces a unique design solution to achieve an objective. With a solid foundation in design principles, individualism and creativity yield multiple different, yet effective, designs.

Join us for Portfolio Night to be inspired and have your creativity stimulated by the work of each of these students.

In addition, Portfolio Night serves as a resource to connect leaders within our business community with graduates who possess the skills to support advertising and promotional efforts through graphic design. Every business has graphic design needs of various degrees. Whether a business or organization is looking to hire for a full-time position or is seeking a graphic designer on a freelance or contract basis, they will find that FTCC’s students have been well prepared to serve their needs.

FTCC’s faculty, staff and students hope you will plan to visit Portfolio Night on May 2. The Harry F. Shaw Virtual College Center is located at 2201 Hull Rd.

Advertising and graphic design is just one of more than 250 academic programs of study to choose from at FTCC, which include business, computer technology, engineering/ applied technology, health, public service, arts and humanities, and math and sciences. Students can use their time wisely this summer by enrolling in summer classes, which begin May 28. Registration for summer classes is open, and registration locations include the Tony Rand Student Center at the Fayetteville campus, the Spring Lake campus and the Fort Bragg Training & Development Center.

Meetings

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

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

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

• Festival Committee Monday, May 6, 6 p.m., Town Hall

• Mayor’s Youth Leadership Committee May 6, 6 p.m., Town Hall (in conjunction with Festival Committee)

• Board of Commissioners Monday, May 6, 7 p.m., Luther Board Room, Town Hall

• Citizens Academy Tuesday, May 7, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., Town Hall

Activities

• Hope Meals Food Truck Rodeo Thursday, May 2, 5-8 p.m., Town Hall rear parking lot

• Veterans Outreach Day Friday, May 3, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., VFW Post 10630

• Hazardous waste collection, shred event and spring litter sweep Saturday, May 4, 9 a.m., Town Hall

• Good 2 Grow Farmer’s Market Saturday, May 4, 9 a.m., Town Hall

• 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.

The arrival of spring brings a fresh array of opportunities to enjoy the warmth and beauty of the outdoors before the summer heat sets in. A taste of this worth savoring, April 25- 28 and May 2-12, is “Maid Marian,” the latest production in the Honey Series at Sweet Tea Shakespeare. The Honey Series celebrates the work of women in theater and this year, tells a classic story from a new perspective.

“Maid Marian” focuses on the title character and her family, left behind during the Crusades, as they search for resourceful solutions to difficult situations. Those familiar with the Robin Hood stories will find some of their favorite characters as well as new ones to love.

Fans of the Honey Series will recognize actress Jen Pommerenke from previous productions, including “Saint Joan” and “Jane Eyre.” Pommerenke, who plays the title role, describes Maid Marian as “a story about learning to stretch yourself and facing your fears — not just life and death fears, but fears of not being enough and the consequences of doing too much or too little.

“It also deals with knowing when your time is done and how to humbly pass on the gift of service to another. The more we rehearsed this story, the more we saw in it the message of doing what you can, where you are and with what you have.

“The women in this story saw a problem and didn’t stop when it looked like they could only do a small amount. They saw the people and the needs in their own backyard and said, ‘I can do something.’”

For audiences familiar with STS, there are several other returning actors, including Linda Flynn and Laura Voytko, seen earlier this year in “The Comedy of Errors.”

Voytko, who plays Marian’s sister, Emma, said working on “Maid Marian” has been liberating because of the ways she’s been able to push herself out of her comfort zone and share that experience with friends.

Flynn, who has always loved the Robin Hood tales, knew early in the season that she wanted to take part in telling Marian’s side of the story. Her character, Joan, is a new addition to the narrative. “The thing I love about (this character) is that we are very similar,” Flynn said. “Joan has a big family, she does everything she can to take care of them, and she doesn’t hesitate to help her friends in doing what she thinks is right.”

For other actors, this is their first STS production. Nelson Soliva, who plays Adam, Marian’s brother, is making his theatrical debut. Soliva, originally from Guam, never had the opportunity to be involved in theater as he grew up, but after seeing his first Broadway show, he put being in a play on his bucket list. “I thought it was amazing,” says Soliva. “I wanted to be a part of something like that.”

Audiences have three weekends to be a part of this world premiere production. “Maid Marian” runs April 25-28 at Fayetteville State University (tickets available through FSU) and May 2-12 at the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex. Preshow begins at 6:45 p.m. and the play starts at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.sweetteashakespeare.com/ tickets or call 910-420-4383.

Photo:  Jen Pommerenke (left) as Maid Marian and Laura Voytko (right) as Emma Fitzwalter, Maid Marian’s sister.

Local supporters of the proposed North Carolina Civil War and Reconstruction History Center seem confident that the legislature will commit to significant funding this summer. Rep. John Szoka, R-Cumberland, filed a bill early this month that would provide $55 million in state funds for the project.

Szoka is a senior House Finance Committee co-chairman. His bill would dedicate $10 million for the History Center in the 2019-20 fiscal year and $45 million in the following fiscal year.

“We’ve done the planning, we now need construction funds,” said Mac Healy, president of the History Center board of directors.

Healy said the longer the project is delayed, the more it will cost. The original estimate was $65 million. Szoka’s bill estimates the current cost of the complex and a statewide digital education network at $80 million.

The public education network is a significant element of the expense, said Healy.

So far, approximately $27 million has been raised or pledged, including $15 million in city and county government commitments. Szoka asked that a companion bill not be filed in the Senate and that he be allowed to steer his measure through the house. Sen. Kirk deViere, D-Cumberland, confirmed if passed in the House, the Senate would take up the measure. “There is a lot of activity between House, Senate and Gov. Cooper before we get to a signed and approved budget,” deViere said.

Officials stress that the history center will not be a museum with military artifacts. Instead, it will tell the story of North Carolinians during the last half of the 19th century, including soldiers and civilians, their families, enslaved Americans, black soldiers and whites who fought on both sides of the War Between the States.

The History Center would be the first in the nation to focus on the impact of the Civil War and its aftermath on a state’s people. A comprehensive plan developed eight years ago resulted in a concentrated effort to transform the state-supported Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex into the History Center. The facility will be built on the site of the historic federal arsenal in Haymount, which was captured by the Confederacy soon after the war broke out.

The four-acre site at the end of Myrover Street will include a 60,000-squarefoot visitor’s center. It will protect the remnants of the fortress leveled by Union forces during William T. Sherman’s return march from Atlanta at the end of the war. The existing 1896 E.A. Poe House and three Civil War-era houses will be incorporated into the plan.

This project offers North Carolinians historic information and context for it. The History Center is designed to be a school of sorts rather than a collecting museum. It will display only those artifacts that advance its mission of telling the story of the Civil War and Reconstruction in North Carolina.

From the beginning, the History Center’s planners understood that students from across the state would benefit from the use of technology. So, they created one of the nation’s first digital master plans to make this resource accessible to all.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is proposing to widen about 5 miles of the All American Freeway in Fayetteville. The DOT invites the public to view the preliminary design maps and offer comments during an open house from 4-7 p.m., Thursday, May 2, at Village Baptist Church, 906 S. McPherson Church Rd.

Congestion is growing on the freeway, which now carries 48,000 to 65,000 vehicles daily. A DOT engineering analysis predicts as many as 89,000 vehicles per day will use the freeway by 2035. The proposal is to add a lane in each direction between Owen Drive . and the future Interstate 295, increasing the freeway’s travel lanes to six.

The proposed widening would mark the most significant improvement to the freeway since it opened in the 1970s. For most of the route, the additional lanes would be built in the grassy median.

City buses provide baseball stadium access

The Fayetteville Area System of Transit will provide affordable, convenient access to the downtown area for minor league baseball games. Five bus routes provide direct access to downtown. The city says FAST has made some minor adjustments for game nights to accommodate stadium-goers.

The buses will bring riders to the FAST Transit Center at 505 Franklin St., which is approximately two blocks from the stadium. The last buses will depart the FAST Transit Center at 10:30 p.m. on weekday nights.

One-day passes provide a round-trip fare to and from the game. Passes cost $3, $2 for youth under 18 and $1.50 for seniors and people with disabilities. Passes can be purchased on the bus when you board or at the FAST Transit Center. For more information on FAST routes, visit www.RideFAST.net.

Rowan Street bridge street lights

Fayetteville’s Public Works Commission will install street lights on approaches to the new Rowan Street bridges. It will be the last project associated with construction of the railroad overpasses.

“That will be in November,” according to NCDOT spokesman Andrew Barksdale. “PWC will be responsible for installing the streetlights in the project area when we are finished,” he added.

Lights will also be installed at the new intersection of Rowan Street, Murchison Road and Bragg Boulevard. PWC spokesperson Carolyn Justice-Hinson said there will be no lights on the bridges themselves.

ABC store to reopen soon

The chairman of the Cumberland County Alcoholic Beverage Control Board said he hopes the store will reopen for business by mid-May.

“The store was damaged during Hurricane Florence, resulting in roof and structural damage,” said David Horne. The store, located at 1705 Owen Dr., sustained damage as the result of heavy wind and rain.

“Other parts of the ABC complex, including offices and the liquor warehouse, were not damaged and experienced no interruption to our normal business operations,” Horne added.

82nd Airborne Division’s All American Week

Fort Bragg’s legendary 82nd Airborne is known as the All American infantry division. It has celebrated All American Week annually except on occasion during time of war. This year’s observance is scheduled for May 20-23.

The objective is to showcase the division’s airborne heritage through a series of events dedicated to maintaining close ties with veterans, airborne families and the Fort Bragg community. This year’s theme is “Jumping into History.” It will commemorate The Division’s 75th Anniversary of D-Day, Normandy and Market Garden combat jumps during World War II. The week begins Monday, May 20, with the division run starting at 6:30 a.m. More than 18,000 paratroopers will run along Longstreet Road on post.

During the week, teams of paratroopers from across the Division will compete in a series of sporting events. Scheduled athletic tournaments include flag football, softball, basketball, soccer, volleyball and tug-of-war.

The division memorial ceremony is scheduled for the morning of Wednesday, May 22, to pay tribute to fallen paratroopers and Gold Star Families.

The finale of the week includes an airborne operation with paratroopers and aircraft from the past and present conducting missions at Sicily Drop Zone on Thursday, May 23. Following the airborne operation, five thousand troopers will pass in review for their commanding general at the drop zone.

A new hybrid workplace

The Center for Emerging Business, which has provided training for businesses in the Southeast for more than 12 years, has opened a new coworking and training facility in Fayetteville, where small businesses have an affordable, professional work location. TCFEB is a veteran/woman owned business.

“We offer everything from basic drop-in desks for freelancers to corporate-grade cubicles and conference rooms fit for local and visiting government contractors,” said Diana Potts, owner of TCFEB. The facility is available Monday-Friday, with training space available on nights and weekends. Memberships are month-to-month.

TCFEB is located at The Woodland Building, 2350 Bentridge Lane, Fayetteville.

When Drew Menscer was assigned a project as an officer in the National Honor Society at Gray’s Creek High School, she had loftier goals than baking a cake to sell or getting a few items together to auction.

“I’m pretty athletic and I’m really into sports, so I decided to combine all of that,’’ the senior member of the school’s softball team said. “I wanted to give back to my community through that.’’

And give back she did. Menscer, with an assist from her mother, Nena Menscer, organized a charity golf tournament at nearby Cypress Lakes Golf Course.

The tournament was held on March 30 this year and drew a field of 17 teams, about 66 players. Menscer was also able to line up 22 sponsors for the tournament, with all the money they donated going to Menscer’s chosen charity, Rick’s Place.

Rick’s Place, according to a brief history on its Facebook page, was founded by the Rick Herrera Foundation. It’s a 50-acre park in Fayetteville that features fun high-quality activities for soldiers and their friends and families.

Menscer’s golf tournament raised $5,000, which she donated to Rick’s Place.

She said she got the word out about her tournament by posting fliers on social media and also sharing them with people in her neighborhood.

The whole project took about six months from the time she had her initial idea for a golf tournament until the tournament was held last month. 

Being a full-time student at Gray’s Creek plus playing softball, she admitted making the whole thing happen wasn’t easy.

“The hardest part was trying to get everything organized,’’ Menscer said. “If it wasn’t for my mom, I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off. It was tiring to work with my schedule, trying to pick up donations and figuring those things out. My mom had to help me a ton.’’

But Menscer hinted that business acumen runs in her family. “I have a lot of entrepreneurs in my family,’’ she said. “I just decided to do it.’’

Menscer said she doesn’t have strong ties to the military in her own family, but she was drawn to the project because of her friends with parents who are military-connected. “I know how hard it is for them,’’ she said. “That’s what influenced me the most.’’

As for her future, Menscer plans to enroll at Elon University this fall where she’s earned a scholarship to play softball. Not surprisingly, she wants to major in business.

“I’m grateful for the experience,’’ she said of the successful fundraiser. “We raised $5,000 for Rick’s Place, which I’m really proud of. I hope they can use it.’’

Photo: Drew Menscer

Ted Chappell touched countless lives during his many years as a coach and administrator in the Cumberland County Schools. All those years of service to the young people of the county was recently honored when the baseball field at Seventy-First High School was renamed in his honor.

For years after his retirement from the school system, Chappell was a regular spectator at local sporting events, especially high school baseball games.

But he hasn’t been on the sidelines for many months, not since he was admitted to a skilled care facility in Moore County. He is being treated there for Alzheimer’s disease.

His daughter, Susan Chappell, is herself a veteran teacher for Cumberland County Schools. She said her father doesn’t have a lot of clarity, but every so often there will be a spark and he’ll recognize a familiar face.

Susan said the family was approached last October by supporters who wanted to have the field named for her father. “I wish it had come sooner, when Daddy was able to understand,’’ she said. “We were very honored and humbled.’’

Ron Phipps, Cumberland County Schools associate superintendent for evaluation and testing, was one of those who pushed for the field to be named for Ted.

Phipps first got to know Ted through Susan, who taught with Phipps’ wife years ago at Pine Forest Middle School. Phipps was also a school bus driver when Ted headed transportation for the county schools. He later worked with Ted again when the two were administrators at South View High School.

Phipps said he had to educate the people involved in getting the field named for Ted since much of Ted’s career took place as far back as the 1960s. Ted came to Cumberland County from his native Chowan County in 1962. He coached at Seventy-First and led the 1965 Falcon baseball team to a state runner-up finish.

He went on to handle transportation for Cumberland County Schools. After retirement, he served as an interim assistant principal at various local high schools.

“He was an all-around great guy,’’ Phipps said. “Anybody you talk with talks about how nice he was and (how he) would help anybody.’’

Doug Caudill and Greg Killingsworth both played for Ted at Seventy-First. Both later became coaches and school administrators themselves, and both spoke about the huge influence Ted had on their lives and their career decisions.

“Without a doubt, he became like a father figure to all of us,’’ Caudill said. “He took care of us and cared about us.

“He could be tough at times when he needed to be, but most of the time he had a very calm demeanor.’’

Both Caudill and Killingsworth recalled that Ted used to open the gymnasium at Seventy-First Elementary School on Saturday mornings and let the local youngsters come in and shoot basketball.

“In those times there weren’t a lot of places you could go to play basketball,’’ Killingsworth said. “He kept me in line and made sure I wasn’t in (bad) places I could have been.’’

Killingsworth said Ted never raised his voice and never cursed. “He was a Christian man and he led by example,’’ he said. “I had the utmost respect for him.’’

Caudill agreed. “He was a really special person in all of our lives,’’ he said.

Photo: L to R: Ron Phipps, Ted Chappell

Many elder veterans and their families don’t have access to the internet and can’t tap into the many resources available to veterans and their families. That’s why the Veterans Affairs Committee of the town of Hope Mills is sponsoring a one-day Veterans Outreach on Saturday, May 3, to help get the word out.

The event is open to veterans anywhere who would like the chance to meet face-to-face with people who can provide them information about benefits available to veterans and their families and how to get them.

The event will be held at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10630 at 3226 Davis St. in Hope Mills.

Jim Blevins, a member of the Hope Mills Veterans Affairs Committee, said many elderly veterans and their spouses aren’t computersavvy and aren’t aware of benefits that might be available.

“That’s what our main goal is, to try to reach out to those who don’t have a computer, or (to) widows who didn’t serve in the military, to understand what their benefits are.’’

There will not be a formal presentation or lecture about what benefits are available, Blevins said.

Various organizations will have representatives on hand to provide information, and those attending can come at their convenience and speak with the people who represent the various groups involved to ask specific questions and get information about the subjects they are most interested in.

A short list of those who will be present includes representatives of the Army and Air Force offices of mortuary affairs, the Lone Survivor Foundation, the American Red Cross, and the Cape Fear Veterans Medical Center.

“This is mainly to get phone numbers and contacts so we can move through as many people as possible,’’ Blevins said. He said there will be a total of about 15 different organizations on hand.

Blevins stressed that the event is not limited to veterans from the Hope Mills area. “It’s open to any veteran,’’ he said.

Grilley Mitchell, chairman of the Hope Mills Veterans Affairs Committee, said the intent is to “empower veterans and family members, make them aware of the benefits and services available that they qualify for.’’

In addition to the people connected with providing benefits, Mitchell said a number of local political leaders will be on hand.

“Many individuals don’t know who their local representation is in the event they need some help,’’ Mitchell said. “I want them to put a face with the name so when they do reach out they’ll have some familiarity with those individuals.’’

If anyone has questions about the event prior to May 3, they can contact Blevins at 910-853- 4587 or Mitchell at 910-476-3719.

Mark your calendar for Thursday, May 2. That is the date of the 2019 Toast of the Town Wine, Beer & Spirits Tasting and Silent Auction. Set in the scenic Cape Fear Botanical Garden, the event raises money to help The CARE Clinic continue providing free quality basic medical care and simple dental extraction services to eligible uninsured, low-income adults.

Cynthia Deere, The CARE Clinic development and marketing director, said, “This year we changed the name to Wine, Beer & Spirits Tasting because we will have assorted liquors to sample.”

Top of the Hill Distillery, the only certified organic and fully local distillery in the South, will provide samples of their vodka, gin and whiskey. The Brothers Vilgalys Spirits Company, the first to bring Krupnikas, a traditional Lithuanian style of spiced honey liqueur to the American market, will have samples of their unique liquor. Southern Grace Distiller, America’s first distillery in a former prison, will have their award-winning Conviction small-batch bourbon and corn whiskeys flavored with fruit juices

Those aren’t the only additions to the event this year. “We have added desserts from Burney’s Sweets & More, coffee from Green Mountain Coffee, and dancing to music provided by Five Star Entertainment,” Deere said. “But we’ll also have all of the favorites back; Anstead’s Tobacco Company (and) Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop will be there. We will have wine samples provided by Mutual Distributing as well as beer samples from Bright Light Brewing Company, Dirtbag Ales, The Mash House and Huske Hardware.”

Always a popular feature, the auction has some exciting items up for bid. There will be some great trips, provided by AMFund. Paris, the Greek islands, Ireland and Costa Rica are just a few of the destination packages available. “As you can see, the evening will be full of food, drinks and fun,” said Deere.

While The CARE Clinic delivers vital medical services, the organization does not receive any government assistance. It relies solely on donations, grants and fundraisers to raise the nearly $44,000 needed each month.

To purchase tickets, or to find out how you can support The CARE Clinic, visit www.mkt.com/the-care-clinic. For more information, contact Deere at 910-988-3067.

CARE Clinic patient information:

To be eligible for The CARE Clinic’s services, you must be 18 years or older; have no insurance, including Medicaid; meet an income requirement; and display proof of household income and a valid, North Carolina DMV-issued picture ID card or driver’s license showing your current address.

Call 910-485-0555 to make an appointment. Appointments are made only by phone; no walkins. Medical appointments can be made Monday- Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dental appointments can be made Friday from 9 a.m. to noon for the following week.

The clinic serves patients each Tuesday and Thursday and the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Dental clinics are every Tuesday and the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. Appointments are made on a space-available basis.

The city of Fayetteville official who served as project director for the new minor league baseball Segra Stadium will not be attending this spring’s special events. The city manager’s office said former Deputy City Manager Rochelle Small-Toney “was invited but is unable to attend.” Up & Coming Weekly inquired but received no response from her.

Years before it had a name, Segra Stadium was Small-Toney’s idea. Soon after the city hired Small-Toney in 2013, she said she was asked to come up with an economic development plan for downtown Fayetteville.

The sports enthusiast suggested minor league baseball. She was the first African American to play women’s varsity basketball at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Small-Toney helped jump-start discussions about bringing professional baseball back to Fayetteville. She oversaw all phases of the project, including the feasibilitystudy; recruitment of the Houston Astros, a Class A Advanced minor league team; development of the memorandum of understanding; and the creation of a 30-year financial plan.

The stadium and a mixed-use commercial property development plan brought the new owners of the former Prince Charles Hotel on board. City Council granted PCH Holdings of Durham an exclusive contract to develop the property adjacent to the stadium. The results include a pair of buildings atop a five-story parking garage. PCH also renovated the hotel and converted it into an eight-story apartment building. The investments thus far represent more than $100 million in new development.

Small-Toney has baccalaureate and master’s degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has 35 years of experience in government. Before leaving her post in 2016, she confirmed the city’s interest in building a stadium and eventually bringing in a minor league team: “The city is very much interested, I think, in pursuing the construction of a minor league stadium,” she said.

During her tenure, Small-Toney led a group of local leaders and other representatives of Fayetteville on tours of several ballparks and cities over several months. Those sites included Durham, North Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina; Sugarland, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Nashville, Tennessee. Of all those ballparks, only the Durham Bulls Athletic Park was built before 2012. The D-BAP had a $19 million makeover at the end of the 2013 season.

The stadiums in Durham, Columbia, Nashville and Charlotte also were built downtown, to trigger an influx of business and development. Small-Toney said from the start that this was an important objective of a new stadium. “We have a redevelopment plan that includes a minor league baseball stadium,” Small- Toney said in a late 2016 interview.

Small-Toney now serves as city manager of Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

Photo: Rochelle Small-Toney

Four times a year, women from all over the city gather to network and enjoy an afternoon of empowerment, inspiration and celebration at the Fayetteville Ladies Power Lunch. Each lunch features a keynote speaker, a local woman who is making a difference in this community. Thursday, May 9, FLPL welcomes singer-songwriter KasCie Page to share about how she went from a young girl singing in church to a national award-winning recording artist.

A Shopportunity Expo before and after the meal provides a chance to connect with and learn about dozens of local woman-owned and -managed businesses and organizations. Door prizes, a 50-50 raffle and a wine bar with tasting options round out the experience.

Born in Conway, South Carolina, Page started singing when she was 3 years old. She started songwriting at a young age, too.

After college, Page moved to the small town of Red Springs, North Carolina, which is close to Fort Bragg. She started working at a BB&T Bank and continued to sing in church and at weddings and family events, but only when she went home to Conway.

Then, in the late 2000s, she met Robbie Lee VanHoy at the bank. He owned Soundland Studios in Red Springs and had written a song for which he had still not found the right female vocalist. Out of that meeting was born Black Velvet, the duo of Page and Lee that would launch Page’s professional music career.

A few years ago, Page signed a record deal with Lamon Records Nashville (Tennessee), and her first full-length album was released in early 2017. Lee worked with Page to write several of the album’s original tracks, and he still serves as her duo partner.

In the past few years, Page has gained more and more notice from the music industry. She was named 2016 Entertainer of the Year by Florida Country Music Radio. In 2018, she won Female Artist of the Year at the Carolina Country Music Awards. This year, she was nominated for that same title at the CCMA, and was also nominated as Songwriter of the Year for her song “Proud of You.” She was also nominated as overall Entertainer of the Year.

Page said “Proud of You,” which like the rest of her music is available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play Music and all other standard platforms, represents a great introduction to her as an artist. “It’s a song everyone can relate to,” she said. “I wrote it about my parents.

“The very first verse of the song talks about a conversation I had with my dad when I was 8 years old. I remember it like yesterday, and those were the exact words he said to me.

“When I wrote it, I thought, nobody’s gonna listen to this song. This is just about my life. But I went out on a limb.”

Each Power Lunch opens at 10 a.m. with registration and the exclusive Shopportunity Expo.

Seating begins at 11:45 a.m. At noon, opening remarks are followed by lunch and the keynote speaker. At 1:45 p.m., there are door prizes courtesy of every vendor, a 50-50 raffle and closing remarks. The formal portion of the event concludes at 2 p.m., leaving an hour for continued networking and conversation before the Power Lunch officially concludes at 3 p.m.

FLPL takes place at the Ramada Plaza, 1707-A Owen Dr. Registration costs $45. Vendor tables and sponsorships are also available. To learn more or to register, visit FayettevilleLadiesPowerLunch.com.

Photo:  KasCie Page

Publisher’s Note: A special thanks to Ms. Blevins for finally explaining our side of the story about the $28,000 partnership Up & Coming Weekly had with Hope Mills. And, it had absolutely nothing to do with the money. Matter of fact, listed below are thirteen main objectives Mayor Jackie Warner, commissioners and Hope Mills staff wanted to achieve for the residents of Hope Mills.

The graphics below are from June 2017, when the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners initially heard a proposal from Bill Bowman, and from July 2017, when the Board voted unanimously to accept the proposal. But what exactly was the proposal?

What was presented as the Hope Mills Initiative was a collaborative effort between the Hope Mills staff, the Hope Mills Chamber of Commerce and Up & Coming Weekly publisher Bill Bowman. It was the result of a tremendous amount of work and research by key players in Hope Mills: Town Manager Melissa Adams, Interim Town Clerk Deborah Holland, Mayor Jackie Warner, Hope Mills Area Chamber of Commerce President Jan Spell, and the late Commissioner Bob Gorman, over many months.

Together they developed a program to “make sure local businesses have time tested, affordable and effective ways available to market, promote and advertise their business, goods and services. We will have open dialog with HM residents, providing them space to promote their events with a weekly up-to-date event calendar hosting local Hope Mills events and other relevant Cumberland County happenings. U&CW will also be providing editorial space for residents to contribute their thoughts and insights,” said Bowman in his proposal. 

It was heralded as a first tentative step toward developing a marketing strategy for the town with 13 distinct objectives.

Three formal discussions were held at Sammio’s, and the public was invited to hear an impressive list of community leaders discuss the initiative.

The HMI was an opportunity for the citizens, businesses and organizations in Hope Mills to take control of the narrative and tell their story. And it was an opportunity to reach 300,000 readers in Cumberland County.

Bowman also offered advertising to Hope Mills businesses and organizations at drastically discounted rates to help jump-start economic development in our community. Mayor Pro Tem Mike Mitchell and Commissioner Meg Larson have been quick to reference the roughly $28,000 the town was spending on the project, but they’ve never mentioned the $14,000 Bowman spent to get the program started or that the agreement included him matching the town’s investment and matching the costs for businesses who advertised.

And they certainly never mention the actual value of this program was conservatively more than a quarter of a million dollars’ worth of marketing.

Before the initiative had really begun, it was in trouble. This Board was sworn in a week prior to the event at Sammio’s. They balked at tasking the staff with writing articles, then balked at writing articles themselves. The initiative relied on a steady flow of information, so Bowman tasked his new sports writer, Earl Vaughan Jr., with covering Hope Mills.

Vaughan, who briefly lived in Hope Mills 30 years ago, immediately began building relationships with Hope Mills residents. He managed to plug into our community, familiarize himself with our history and stay two steps ahead of every story.

During the budget retreat March 3, 2018, the Board discussed the expense of the initiative and their alternatives. Ultimately, they voted 3-2 not to renew the agreement when it concluded on Sept. 6. Commissioners Mitchell and Pat Edwards voted against the motion. You can review the minutes from the meeting on their website, https://townofhopemills.com/agendacenter.

In the same feckless manner with which they dismiss staff recommendations, doing a feasibility study on the proposed walking trail and the expert opinion of the consultants they hire, they dismissed the HMI. They knew better than the dozen community leaders and the subject matter experts who designed the initiative.

By August 6, 2018, there was contention. Mitchell was displeased and made a motion to end the contract immediately. At that point, the municipality had already paid the agreement in full and there were already pending articles waiting for publication. Mitchell’s motion passed, but it had no effect on the publication.

In fact, it continues to have no effect on the publication. Earl Vaughan Jr. began writing about Hope Mills in the early spring of 2018. He writes two to four articles a week, depending on what’s happening and what sports are in season. He is a one-man marketing team for our town, promoting anything and everything that needs promoting.

Since Sept. 6, 2018, when the gentleman’s agreement with Hope Mills ended, Up & Coming Weekly has published more than 60 positive articles about the town of Hope Mills, including advertising for 21 events; 13 mentions of local schools, teachers and students; 26 general information pieces; and no less than 11 profiles or mentions of local businesses.

These numbers don’t include the nonstop coverage of local high school sports. They don’t include the handful of stories that were published on the website but not in the paper. They don’t include any of the articles I’ve written for Up & Coming Weekly, and they don’t include the weekly calendar of Hope Mills events. A weekly calendar isn’t published for any other non-Fayetteville municipality. In fact, no other municipality enjoys a dedicated section of the paper.

The truth is, Bowman never stopped the program he began with the previous Board in 2017. While this Board ignored the hard work of dozens of people and squandered the opportunity provided to them, Bowman quietly kept working. Bowman and Up & Coming Weekly no longer enjoy the benefit of a financial agreement with Hope Mills, but the town very much enjoys the benefit of Bowman’s generosity.

In an Aug. 10, 2018, radio interview on WFNC 640 AM, Mitchell said, “We basically said — on the last Board meeting — I just asked all media if they would report some balanced reporting — ask both sides their opinions about things — they would have a better outlook on Hope Mills and be in a more positive manner — you know — you’re not gonna accomplish anything by printing all this negative news — has a lot of misleading facts — that aren’t facts at all.

“And the fact that we cancelled the contract with this publication about 3-4 weeks ago — it loses — that publication loses credibility when they make such negative comments when they’re ‘tooted’ as a positive magazine.... There’s a whole blog dedicated to the destruction of Commissioner Larson and myself and there’s some politics played in there.

“It kinda loses credibility when we’ve cancelled the contract and then they come back — it’s almost retaliatory in nature.” The transcript is available at https://hopemills.net/2018/08/25/we-are-one-team/.

Mitchell also said, “If you wanna give one-sided views that’s not reputable — also we did not renew your contract in September for $28,000 a year. In the general public’s eye, everything you’re doing is vindictiveness,” on March 25, 2019. The audio can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRPjk79T0Cc&feature=youtu.be.

And the commissioners still complain. Beginning in August, when Larson and Mitchell were on a local talk radio station, and as recently as the March 25 meeting, Mitchell declared Bowman was simply being vindictive because he was angry the Board cancelled the contract.

It was never simply a contract. It was a partnership conceived of and implemented by some of the most impressive leaders in our community. And it was another golden opportunity missed by this Board because they choose at all times to dwell in innuendo and conspiracy theories.

Bowman and I were both at the March 25 meeting. We were prepared to address the Board. But they used their elected seats as a pulpit from which they condemned us without ever giving us an opportunity to speak.

If Bowman was vindictive, Vaughan would have been reassigned months ago and Hope Mills wouldn’t have dozens of articles announcing its events and promoting its businesses. The Board chose not to pay to participate in the Pocket Guide published by Up & Coming Weekly several months ago, but Bowman waived the fee and included a small section for the town anyway. Does that sound like the actions of a vindictive man?

I won’t speak for Bowman’s articles, but I will tell you the articles I write are designed to mirror the Board’s actions. When they’ve done good things, I’ve reported that. Unfortunately, so little of what they do is good.

This situation, like so many others in recent months, has been misrepresented by members of the Board to defend their wretched behavior. While they hurl accusations our way, they’re free to continue misbehaving. We are their red herring.

Visit www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.2054544537974961&type=3 to see more information about the Hope Mills Initiative, Larson’s comments about Up & Coming Weekly, screen captures from the meetings and more.

Adrian Davila- Ramirez

Douglas Byrd • Baseball/Indoor track/ Cross country • Senior

Davila-Ramirez has a 3.5 grade point average. He is a battalion commander in junior ROTC. As a member of Delta Phi Iota, he volunteers in the community. He is captain of the Douglas Byrd drum line and is student body treasurer. He has enlisted in the National Guard.

Stephanie Davila- Ramirez

Douglas Byrd • Softball/Cross country • Sophomore

Davila-Ramirez holds a 4.2 grade point average. She currently serves as the sophomore class president. As a member of Alpha Omega Rho, she participates in community service both at her school and at Second Harvest Food Bank.

Just weeks after being named the Patriot Athletic Conference softball player of the year in 2018, Gray’s Creek High School’s Jaden Pone saw her athletic world come crashing down.

During a summer travel softball game, she collided with another player while trying to catch a ball. The result for Pone was a broken tibia and fibula in her right leg, and at least six months away from full participation on the field.

Fast forward to early April of this year. A tough but successful rehab process behind her, Pone has quickly risen to the same level of play she displayed last season.

She’s sporting a gaudy .722 batting average, 65 points higher than she was hitting a year ago. She leads Cumberland County players as of April 10 with 29 RBIs. Although she’s not the ace of the Gray’s Creek pitching staff, she’s currently 5-1 with 21 strikeouts in 20.2 innings pitches and a 2.71 earned run average.

“She dealt with it pretty well,’’ said Gray’s Creek softball coach Stuart Gilmer of Pone’s battle to get back to health. “At first she was discouraged she couldn’t pick up where she had left off the year before.’’

Pone was in Gilmer’s weightlifting class, and he saw her commitment to getting well. “She did the physical therapy and exercises she could do in class to try and regain strength in that leg,’’ he said.

“She’s one of the hardest-working kids I’ve seen. She was determined to get back to the place she was playing and the level she was playing the year before. She worked really, really hard to get back to that place.’’

For Pone, the hardest part was realizing how long she’d have to wait before she could play again.

“My whole life has been going to the field, going to practice, going to a tournament,’’ she said. “When you’re injured and you’re going to be out for six months, it’s like a punch in the face.’’

She still went to softball tournaments while wearing a protective boot on her injured leg, watching the other players.

It was in December that Pone first began to feel that she was turning a corner in the recovery process. “My dad and I would go to practice,’’ she said. “Even when I had my boot on, we would do little stuff. Sometimes I would doubt myself and be sad.’’

She worried about not being ready when her rehab was complete. “This could change my whole life,’’ she said.

But in December, she finally started to run a little. “It opened my eyes and motivated me to keep doing what I was doing,’’ she said.

Running proved to be the biggest challenge in coming back from the injury. “I consider myself fast,’’ Pone said. She said some doubted she would be as fast as before the injury.

There was also pain, but Pone said her father helped her push through it. “He made me realize we’re always going to go through stuff, but you have to power though it,’’ she said.

Now the only lingering problem from the injury is some pain she feels in her knee from time to time.

“My mom tells me everything happens for a reason,’’ Pone said. “Instead of looking at it as I broke my leg and I can’t play, I tried to look at it as you’ll get better and you’ll grow and learn from this. You’ll appreciate the game more.

“I have such an appreciation for the game, and this can push me to do better.’’

Not only is Pone doing better, so is her Gray’s Creek team. The Bears recently handed perennial Cumberland County softball power Cape Fear a rare conference loss. As of April 10, the Bears were tied with the Colts in the loss column in the Patriot Athletic Conference standings. Gray’s Creek is 12-1 overall, 10-1 in the league, to Cape Fear’s 11-1 in both.

“I think we’re connecting really good as a team,” Pone said. “On and off the field we’re really close, so that helps. I’m just really excited for what we have in store.’’

Photo: Jaden Pone

The tangible reason Terry Sanford’s Sam Guy likes to host an Easter break baseball tournament is to raise money for his program.

But there’s also an intangible side, and that’s to size up how the Bulldogs measure against good teams from other parts of the state.

With the field Guy has assembled for this year’s Bulldog Invitational, set for April 20-23, Guy should have no trouble finding out how good his team is.

The field includes five teams that already have at least 10 wins this season as of April 10 and one club, Midway, that’s unbeaten at 12-0.

Every team in the tournament is at least five games above the .500 mark, save for West Bladen, which at 6-8 is the only team in the field with a losing record.

Guy said the primary reason Terry Sanford holds the baseball tournament is to raise funds for the program. The money raised over the last few years of the event allowed Guy to construct an indoor batting facility just beyond the outfield fence of the Terry Sanford field.

“We make about $5,000 or $6,000 profit over those three days, which is awesome,’’ Guy said. He added the revenue from the tournament not only pays for special projects like the batting complex, but for things the Bulldog baseball team needs on a regular basis.

As for bringing in a variety of teams, Guy said it expands the experience for his team beyond the limits of regular-season play in the Patriot Athletic Conference.

Guy said it’s helpful that the conference is so geographically compact; member schools don’t have to spend a lot on transportation and travel time to get to games.

But with a nine-team conference, that means Terry Sanford has to play 16 conference games, which cuts deeply into the opportunity to face nonconference opponents. The Bulldog Invitational gives Terry Sanford a better read on how it stacks up with schools of various sizes from across the state who also have successful baseball programs.

The big headache for Guy every year at tournament time is the weather.

This spring has been a nightmare for baseball coaches with the heavy amount of rain that has completely disrupted the weekly schedule.

“Going into the year, we had three weeks where we had two games,’’ Guy said. “The rest were three or four-game weeks. Now, we’re getting ready to play eight games in eight days.’’

If inclement weather does come at tournament time, Guy has a tarp he can put on the field that will hopefully keep it from becoming unplayable.

He is holding Wednesday, April 23, in reserve as a possible makeup day if rain stops play on a regularly scheduled day.

If absolutely necessary, Guy said, he could squeeze the tournament into just two days. But that would require starting the first game at 9 a.m. and drastically cutting the time between games so six games could be played per day.

“If it rains multiple days, we’ll just see,’’ he said. Guy said one other change might have to be made in the schedule if either Northwood or Pinecrest have to play an early consolation bracket game on the final day of the tournament.

Both Northwood and Pinecrest will be in school Tuesday, April 23. Should either school fall into the consolation bracket and be scheduled for a game before 4 p.m., Guy said he would have to flip the game they are in to a 4 p.m. start so they would not be playing until their school was dismissed.

Here is the complete schedule for the tournament, barring any rainouts or postponements.

BULLDOG INVITATIONAL 2019

Photo: Sam Guy

Meetings

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

• 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

• Festival Committee Monday, May 6, 6 p.m., Town Hall

• Mayor’s Youth Leadership Committee May 6, 6 p.m., Town Hall (in conjunction with Festival Committee)

Activities

• Hazardous waste collection, shred event and spring litter sweep Saturday, May 4, 9 a.m., Town Hall

• Good 2 Grow Farmer’s Market Saturday, May 4, 9 a.m., Town Hall

• 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.