Melissa Pittman remembers one moment of last year’s North Carolina Fall Festival vividly. 

On the phone with her mom late at night after a long day working at the festival, she watched an emotional Facebook video that centered on a young boy in his wheelchair clapping with the utmost excitement as floats went by during the festival’s popular parade. 

“This is why we do this,” Pittman expressed in that moment.

Returning this year Sept. 11-15, the North Carolina Fall Festival will be packed with a variety of activities and events. The festivities encourage residents of Raeford and out-of-town guests to usher in the fall season Hoke County style. 

With a bingo tournament for seniors to participate in on Senior Day, a trackless train ride that families can hop on for free all day Saturday, and a gospel concert featuring Winslow Ratliff Jr. scheduled for closing night, there is a little something for everyone to enjoy, no matter what age. 

One newer event gives local artists the opportunity to showcase their work throughout the duration of the weeklong festival at the Parker House, which is located on Hoke County’s Museum grounds.

Of the activities and events that take place throughout the week every year, Pittman said the parade on Raeford’s Main Street is the most loved by the community’s families and festival-goers. 

“We have all of our schools participate. All of the businesses in Raeford participate, and the streets are lined on both sides before the parade actually starts,” she said.

This year’s parade is scheduled to take place in downtown Raeford Thursday, Sept. 13, at 5:30 p.m. Like the annual parade, returning festival-goers will have some other favorite events to look forward to, including the Card Tournament, the Stuffin’ and Stompin’ Dinner and the Turkey Bowl. 

Pittman’s desire is that every person who attends or participates in some part of the festival will walk away knowing how loving, welcoming and wonderful Raeford is and what Hoke County as a whole has to offer. Besides the fall season, communal support is the theme Pittman hopes attendees will experience firsthand throughout the week of the festival. 

From the banners and street signs to the food to the vendors’ products, most everything seen at the festival is created locally, right in Hoke County. 

“If it can be done in Hoke County – in Raeford – that’s where we do it, and that’s another way we support our community,” Pittman said. 

Ultimately, without Raeford’s community – its volunteers, its sponsors and the citizens who come back and support the event each year – the North Carolina Fall Festival would not be able to go on, Pittman said. 

“There would be no festival. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it takes a community to host a festival,” she added. 

To learn more about this year’s North Carolina Fall Festival, call 910-904-2424 or visit www.facebook.com/ncfallfestival.

I have finally reached the point that nothing, no matter how senseless, surprises me. Consequently, the content of an article by Juliet Linderman titled “In the city that claims him, Ben Carson falls from grace,” was no exception. Baltimore, Maryland, is the city where Dr. Ben Carson spent years as a renowned pediatric neurosurgeon. Rising to that level of professional achievement was quite an accomplishment. His achievement is even more amazing and instructive because he grew up poverty-stricken in a home headed by his single mother. 

Now, as secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Trump administration, Carson is under attack by some citizens of Baltimore. The article referenced above clearly indicates that most, if not all, of the criticism is from black citizens of the city. 

Carson’s support of the Make Affordable Housing Work Act, which requires congressional approval, embodies much of what underlies his fall from grace in Baltimore. The act is summarized as follows in an article by Juliet Linderman and Larry Finn titled “Analysis: HUD plan would raise rents for poor by 20 percent.” It states, “The ‘Make Affordable Housing Work Act,’ announced April 25, would allow housing authorities to impose work requirements, would increase the percentage of income poor tenants are required to pay from 30 percent to 35 percent, and would raise the minimum rent from $50 to $150 per month. The proposal would eliminate deductions, for medical care and child care, and for each child in a home. Currently, a household can deduct from its gross income $480 per child, significantly lowering rent for families.” Beyond Carson’s support of this legislation, his serving in the Trump administration is also a source of opposition. Linderman’s “Fall from grace” article referred to in the first paragraph includes the following: “The Trump virus is weakening Ben Carson’s image,” said Bishop Frank Reid, a former pastor at Baltimore’s Bethel AME Church who met Carson at Yale, where both received their bachelor’s degrees. Carson is still respected, Reid said. “But he is no longer the hero he once was.”

Linderman reports several incidents and comments that reflect the depth of Ben Carson’s rejection by black citizens of Baltimore. Some appear below:

• Alicia Freeman, principal of Archbishop Borders School, moved a portrait of Carson from a very public area of the school to the Ben Carson Reading Room – a far less visible space. Of the principal, Linderman writes: “‘The doctor’s inspirational message now feels hostile,’ she said.”

• Boateng Kubi, a rising second-year student at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, is quoted: “‘It feels like he’s neglecting the communities he came from, the people who grew up admiring him, who might not have all the money in the world,’ he said. ‘I no longer speak of wanting to be the next Ben Carson.’”

• “Shaun Verma, a Ben Carson Scholarship recipient from Georgia, says Carson’s use of his story of hard work and determination to justify scaling back the safety net for the same communities that raised and revered him ‘is really disappointing.’

 ”The writer goes on to detail other actions and attitudes among Baltimore’s blacks that show Carson’s fall from grace. It is stated that Carson declined to be interviewed for the story but sent a written statement that is presented in the article as follows: 

“I understand what it means to be poor because I grew up poor,” the statement said. “I was fortunate to have my mother who was my compass – always steering me on course, helping me to see beyond our circumstances. That’s what I hope to do for the millions of low-income families HUD serves.”

As I read and process Carson’s statement, my thought is that here is a black man who found his way through poverty, and any hindrances because of his blackness, to absolute greatness and success. Given this fact, the question to be asked by those in poverty, and those who claim to want to help them, should be: “How did Carson make it and what might we learn from his journey?” 

Instead, the response is to attack and seek to punish him for, in attempting to move people out of poverty, supporting actions and policies that are consistent with what he learned along his journey from poverty to financial independence.

Given that there is so much opposition to the Carson approach, the other reasonable question is what should we expect if we stay on the current course that is so totally supported by those who oppose Carson’s method? Even though the article by Kay S. Hymowitz titled “The Black Family: 40 Years of Lies” is from the summer of 2005, the segment below provides a crystal-clear framework for answering the expectation question:

“Read through the megazillion words on class, income mobility, and poverty in the recent New York Times series ‘Class Matters’ and you still won’t grasp two of the most basic truths on the subject: 1. entrenched, multigenerational poverty is largely black; and 2. it is intricately intertwined with the collapse of the nuclear family in the inner city.

“By now, these facts shouldn’t be hard to grasp. Almost 70 percent of black children are born to single mothers. Those mothers are far more likely than married mothers to be poor, even after a post-welfare-reform decline in child poverty. They are also more likely to pass that poverty on to their children. Sophisticates often try to dodge the implications of this bleak reality by shrugging that single motherhood is an inescapable fact of modern life, affecting everyone from the bobo Murphy Browns to the ghetto ‘baby mamas.’ Not so; it is a largely low-income – and disproportionately black – phenomenon. The vast majority of higher-income women wait to have their children until they are married. The truth is that we are now a two-family nation, separate and unequal – one thriving and intact, and the other struggling, broken, and far too often African-American.”

A graph at https://www.statista.com/statistics/205114/percentage-of-poor-black-families-with-a-female-householder-in-the-us/ shows the following poverty rates for households headed by a single black female: 1991– 51.2 percent; 2000 – 34.3 percent; 2014 – 37.2 percent; 2016 – 31.6 percent. Looking back to 1991, as compared with recent years, there is impressive improvement. However, the more recent picture says we need a far more productive response to poverty than has been the case. 

All Americans, not only those black citizens in Baltimore who oppose Carson, need to thoughtfully assess poverty in America and reasonably come to grips with causes and effective solutions. A step forward in that process would be to hear Carson with an open mind and appreciate him for what the lessons learned along his journey from poverty allow him to bring to the table.

Photo: Dr. Ben Carson

It wasn’t the easiest challenge to accomplish, but a little over a week ago, Jack Britt’s softball team got its biggest recognition for winning the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4-A softball title as the players and coaches were presented championship rings by the school.

The ceremony took place at halftime of Britt’s second home football game of the season against Terry Sanford.

Jack Britt athletic director Michael Lindsay said the toughest thing about raising the money to give the players rings was the timing of the championship.

“Literally a week after we won the championship, school was out,’’ Lindsay said. “We didn’t have the day-to-day contact with the parents, kids or community. Teachers and staff were gone. We had a tough time reaching out to the community.’’

When the money was raised and the rings were finally secured, the next problem was scheduling the ceremony at a convenient time so all the players could be there. That wasn’t a problem for the underclassmen, but for the seniors who’d left to go to school, there were some issues.

One of the biggest challenges involved Savannah Roddey, who had already traveled to the West Coast where she was in the process of moving to Clackamas Community College in Oregon to play softball.

“Her mother said early on if we gave them plenty of notice when the date was, she would try to get back,’’ Lindsay said. Roddey was able to make it.

In addition to making the ring presentation to the girls, special recognition was given to Jane Britt, the wife of the late Dr. Jack Britt, whom the school is named for. Dr. Britt passed away last December.

Mrs. Britt was presented with a game ball used in the state championship series that was autographed by all the players and coaches. They also gave her one of the state championship individual medals presented to each player by the NCHSAA.

“Since the building opened, she and Dr. Britt have been huge supporters of Jack Britt High School,’’ Lindsay said. “We felt it was most appropriate to honor her.’’

Lindsay said it was also a fitting tribute for the whole team, which really hadn’t gotten to celebrate much in front of their peers because the championship came right at the time school was closing for the year.

“This was an appropriate way to start the school year off and remind everyone what Jack Britt softball did in June,’’ he said.

For her part, Buccaneer softball coach Sebrina Wilson just enjoyed seeing the girls get their rings. “It put the icing on the cake for the season and the accomplishment they achieved,’’ Wilson said.

Wilson also praised principal Scott Pope, Lindsay, the school’s athletic boosters, team parents and the Buccaneer community for coming together to make the whole presentation ceremony special.

She also thanked Debbie Jones of Hope Mills Plaza Florist. When the team arrived at Jack Britt after winning the state title in June, Jones was in the parking lot to hand out flowers to the players. She showed up at the ring ceremony to do it again.

“Everybody was trying to make it extra special,’’ Wilson said. “(The players) were super happy for what they got.’’

Wilson said she’s been asked multiple times if being state champion has sunk in for her. She admitted she’s not sure it ever will.

“As a coach, you work so hard and want your kids to do so well,’’ she said. “I just wanted to sit back and watch their faces when they opened the boxes (and) see the smiles and surprise on their faces. It’s a moment not very many have and that they’ll remember the rest of their lives.’’

Meanwhile, the celebration of the title is about to end as Wilson and the returners from last year’s team start work on the 2019 season.

There will be a team meeting this week, then Wilson will check the eligibility of all her players before starting off-season practice.

“We’re going through fundamental things,’’ she said. “It’s what we did last year. When the season gets here, we focus on the bigger picture.’’

The Buccaneers won’t have any problem setting goals for next year. While they won the state championship, they suffered three losses to Richmond Senior, which wound up as the Sandhills Athletic Conference champion, but was eliminated from the state playoffs by the same South Caldwell team that the Buccaneers beat in three games for the state title.

Wilson is hopeful the fact her team peaked at season’s end may help prevent opposing teams from putting a big target on their back.

“I think there are so many other teams that have so much more hype,’’ she said. “We went under the radar most of the reason. I’d rather relish that role than have the spotlight on us.’’

As for chances of repeating as state champion, Wilson doesn’t want to look that far ahead. “We’ve got to play within ourselves,’’ she said.

A need to increase security at Hope Mills Municipal Park has led the town to add cameras that will aid park staff and law enforcement in keeping an eye on potential lawbreakers.

“In this day and time, we can’t be everywhere,’’ Mayor Jackie Warner said, referring to the Hope Mills police department as well as first responders.

“This helps them investigate things that happen and also gives them a look at maintaining what is going on in our parks.’’

With the continuing increase in the population of Hope Mills, Warner said usage of the Municipal Park area has increased dramatically.

“I don’t know of a day you can go up there when there aren’t people everywhere,’’ she said. “We have more people using the park, not just the walking trails but the ball fields and the picnic areas.’’

Kenny Bullock, who heads up the parks and recreation department for Hope Mills, said the goal is to cut down on vandalism and to improve the overall safety of people who use the parks.

Although it’s more of a preventative measure, Bullock said there have been some real problems, including graffiti on the dugouts at the ball fields and on the bleachers and playground equipment.

There have also been fights and other issues at the outdoor basketball court. In extreme cases, they’ve had a shooting and some drug deals.

Police have increased patrols of the park area, Bullock said, but the cameras will help to bolster security when there’s no physical police presence.

The town has purchased four digital cameras that can be viewed on a monitor while also recording activity and storing the video digitally.

Bullock said the four cameras can be moved around to different locations in the park.

“Some are going to be set up randomly and some where we are having issues,’’ Bullock said. “We should be able to pull up each day’s recordings.’’

Bullock indicated both recreation department staff and law enforcement officials from Hope Mills will be able to access the video and review it.

Representatives of the company installing the camera equipment will come in for a single day of training for those who will be using it, Bullock said.

He’s hopeful the entire system will be up and running by the second week of September.

“Hopefully it will deter some of the activities going on in the park that shouldn’t be going on in the park,’’ Bullock said.

Warner stressed that most of the activity the cameras hope to monitor is the malicious mischief that can go on when no one’s watching.

“We’ve been very fortunate,’’ she said, adding that there have only been a few serious incidents in the park during her term as mayor of Hope Mills.

“Usually, we’ve found it’s not people from Hope Mills,’’ she said. “For the most part, the kind of things we’ve seen are some graffiti or loitering, especially around the basketball courts. The assumption is it might be drug buys, or they might be seeing if they can create some issues.’’

In addition to possibly catching those who are trying to cause problems, Warner hopes the cameras will give those who use the park for legitimate purposes a greater sense of security.

“In the early dawn hours when people are walking or at dusk in the evening, this is another way of making them feel safer,’’ she said. “If something takes place or somebody is out there that shouldn’t be, hopefully they’ll be able to target it.’’

Warner encouraged citizens who see something out of place to do their part and let someone know about it.

“If you see something you don’t think is right, you need to notify the police,’’ she said. “I get phone calls or emails from people when something doesn’t look just right. You can report stuff on our website too.’’

To report suspicious activity via the web, visit www.townofhopemills.com. On the homepage, click the link labeled “Report a concern.”

Warner added citizens can be confident their reports will remain anonymous. “The police have been really good about taking a tip and not alerting anybody where it came from,’’ she said.

Neil Buie, regional supervisor of football officials for the Southeastern Athletic Officials Association, said you can notice something different about Charles Davenport in his striped official’s shirt when he’s running down the field during a play.

“A lot of us run down the field,’’ Buie said of himself and other football officials. “He seems to glide. It’s like he’s on skates.’’

Of course, there’s a reason for that. Davenport was a star player in his high school days at Pine Forest before going on to earn All-ACC honors at North Carolina State and land a spot on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster for a few seasons.

Now he’s in his third year giving back to the local athletic scene as an umpire on high school football officiating crews Friday nights.

Davenport, who works with an agency that licenses foster parents over a nine-county area, had taken a stab at coaching for a few years after leaving the NFL but decided three years ago to give football officiating a try.

“I want to be close to the game and I want to be able to participate in a positive way,’’ Davenport said. “I do work with young people in my day-to-day business, but it didn’t afford me the opportunity to be around athletics the way I really wanted t o   b e .’’

Oddly enough, Buie sometimes has a difficult time getting ex-athletes like Davenport to become officials, and he thinks there’s a reason for it.

“One of the problems we have in recruiting former players is they’ve been told since their first day on the football field that the guys in the striped shirts were the enemy,’’ Buie said. “When they finish their playing days, they say, ‘Wow, I don’t want to be a part of that. Those are the bad guys.’ Overcoming that perception is part of the problem.’’

Davenport agreed that sentiment held him back initially from getting involved as an official. Now he regrets the delay.

“I really wish I had gotten involved right out of the NFL,’’ he said. “It would have been great.’’

Any lingering problems he had with officials disappeared as soon as he got on the field again, he said. He now realizes the best officials are the ones who enter and leave the field for each game without causing anyone to remember them because they did their job efficiently and with no controversy. 

“I’m starting to see this side of the game better and better each year,’’ he said. “It’s really a great opportunity to get back on the field and be part of the game I do love.’’

Davenport tries to bring a player’s mentality to his role as an official, watch as plays develop and see opportunities for educating the athletes he’s working with while he’s calling the game.

His role in most games he’s called has been as the umpire. In high school football five-man crew mechanics, the umpire works with the referee and is in charge of controlling play along the line of scrimmage.

Davenport said he enjoys the interaction between himself and the offensive and defensive linemen. It’s not uncommon for him to tell a player or players they are using good techniques and to keep doing it. But he’ll also offer gentle critiques, reminding players to keep their hands in and to clean up minor mistakes in their play. “You can talk more to players about the flow of the game so they don’t hurt their own team,’’ he said.

He does this partly to help the players but also to prevent himself and his fellow officials from having to throw penalty flags. “One thing I hate to see is a bunch of flags on the field,’’ he said. “It messes up the flow of play. Clean things up early and let them play.’’

He also encourages coaches to spend more time studying the rules of high school football so they can understand it better both for themselves and their players.

“Coaches who do understand the rules are very successful,’’ Davenport said. “There are a lot of coaches who know the X’s and O’s but don’t understand the rules of the game. A lot of times, that’s where they lose a game every year.’’

Someday, Davenport said, he’d like to be the head of an officiating crew, but for now he’s glad to be on the field involved with football again.

“This is a win-win,’’ he said of the opportunity to be working in high school football and getting paid at the same time. “I just want to get better at what I do. I just like to work with all the different guys and learn their backgrounds.’’

Buie said having someone like Davenport as an official is an asset to the program.

“It’s a learning process, and Charles has done a good job with that learning process,’’ Buie said. “It helps he has knowledge of the game.

“People realize who Charles Davenport was and that he was an athlete.’’

Now he’s making a new mark for himself as an official and giving back to high school sports at the same time.

Dear Editor,

I’m sick and tired of how our government in Washington, D.C., as well as many of our state and local governments spend our tax dollars. I’m so angry I just don’t know where to start, but here I go.

Health care costs over $3 trillion a year here in the United States, and $1 trillion of that is fraud. And you wonder why we pay so much for health care? That in itself would pay our current budget deficit.

According to David Hyman M.D., J.D., and Charles Silver, M.A., J.D., both adjunct scholars at the Cato Institute, one out of every three dollars that passes through the system is lost to fraud, wasted on services that don’t help patients or are otherwise misspent.And to make matters worse, the American Medical Association, one of the biggest unions in the country, and organized by physicians, is setting the prices we pay for every Medicare procedure done in this country. Is that not the fox guarding the hen house? To make matters worse, all the health care insurers base their prices off Medicare billing.

I used to know a local surgeon in town who would intentionally take the hardest cases; using old-school techniques, he would literally do as many procedures as he possibly could – simply to beef up his billing. I remember the anesthesiologist(s) used to hate to work with him because they get compensated not for the length of the procedure but for the procedure itself. He was eventually run out of town, and in my opinion, should have never been able to practice medicine again. This is simply one story of many. It’s time we cleaned up the fraud and waste in our health care system.

Welfare and Medicaid cost taxpayers 50 percent more due to fraud. A few years back, I shared a scenario where an unmarried couple with two children could qualify for $50,000 a year in welfare benefits. Please tell me what incentive this couple has to be gainfully employed. You got it, there is none! The average family of four in the United States earns approximately $52,000 a year. Hell, you can stay at home and earn $50,000. Isn’t it about time we reformed our welfare program to mandate work or a job skill program?

There is an entire subculture in this country doing nothing but gaming the system to get free government handouts. For example, a nurse from a maternity ward once told me she was bringing a newborn to see her mother, sitting across the room was the grandmother who said to the nurse she (the new mother) is the breadwinner of the family. You see she has the baby then gives the baby up to another relative, and that relative receives $500+ a month for taking care of the child. This is not an isolated situation. This nurse tells me she sees this every single day.

I am sick and tired of people who can work just as good as you and I claiming and receiving disability. Now don’t get me wrong, we should take care of someone who is truly disabled. How many times have you gone to the grocery store to see somebody occupy a handicapped parking space, get out of the car, and physically run into the store? Man, that ticks me off!

Through the Karen Chandler Trust, I have worked with cancer patients for the last 20 years. Are some of these patients deserving of long-term disability? Absolutely! For the most part, they need assistance for the period they are being treated for cancer. Chemo takes a tremendous toll on one’s ability to function. To my knowledge, through the SSI program, there are no short-term benefits.

Here again people are simply gaming the system costing taxpayers billions of dollars.

Today, some congressmen are actually considering a guaranteed minimum income for all Americans. Really! Where do you think that money is going to come from?

Then of course we have our favorite whipping boy 

of the year, (immigration). We take in illegal immigrants, and in many cases, we clothe, we feed, we educate and we take care of their health care needs – and we have been doing this for many years because Congress cannot pass immigration reform.

Let’s say someone from off the street came into your home, sat down on your couch, refused to leave and mandated you feed and clothe them. What would you do?

To add some irony to this, let’s look at the great city of Seattle, Washington. It appears they have been inundated with a fast-growing population of homeless folks. In fact, many of the cities all along the West Coast are experiencing this problem. San Francisco, California, may very well be the granddaddy of them all. Did you know because of the cost associated with the homeless the mayor and the city council are considering giving them one-way plane fare to anywhere they want to go. All the cities I refer to, coincidentally, are openly declared as sanctuary cities and are welcoming illegal immigrants with open arms. Furthermore, they are aiding and abetting felons and hindering the pursuit by federal agents. In fact, they want to completely dismantle Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

I got up this morning and the first thing I hear is Congresswoman Waters telling the world she was sent by God to get rid of President Trump. The second story that I hear, California is considering making the delivery of a plastic straws by a waiter to a patron as a class B misdemeanor, punishable by six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. In the state of California, that is the same penalty you would receive for assault and battery or a prostitution conviction.

Finally, because of the way he handled a press conference in Helsinki, Finland, with President Putin from Russia, it is declared that Trump is guilty of treason – a felony that carries that the death penalty as his punishment.

Folks, this world has gone mad, and our country is leading the way. Do we need to drain the swamp? You’re damn right we do! And it’s time that we as Americans stood up to take our country back. Someone told me a long time ago to lead, follow or get the hell out of the way. If we don’t lead, we deserve what we get. It’s time we showed some common sense and fairness in how we govern. I’m not saying don’t be compassionate and helpful for those in need; I’m saying have no patience for those perfectly able to be productive citizens who steal from the hard-working tax paying citizens of this country.

Break up the monopoly in health care, and jail all of those fraudulently billing Medicare and Medicaid. Fix the welfare and disability system so it lends a helping hand to those truly in need and force those gamers to get a damn job. And for crying out loud, do something about immigration.

To all you lowlifes in Washington, i.e., congress, I say it again, lead, follow or get out of the way. Apparently, leading and following are not in your job description. Therefore, get out of the way.

My name is Mike Chandler, and I am mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.

– Mike Chandler

Dear Editor,

I agree 100 percent with Margaret in her op/ed piece, Acosta Accosted, that:

“... We do not have to like the information reported, but it is critical that we love, respect, and support information and opinion in all their diverse forms.”However, she left one thing out; ACCURATELY:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/trump-says-only-the-fake-news-are-the-enemy-of-the-people/. Fake news strikes again!

– Randy Scott

Dear Editor,

I read with disdain the article by Margaret Dickson in the most recent Up & Coming Weekly (June 27).

Her liberal bias is in full bloom to defend the previous POTUS’ First Ladies complaining about the “ILLEGAL” immigrants and their children. These are tough issues indeed but trying to push this agenda on our present POTUS is hogwash! He inherited their mess to start with and they were not strong enough to make those hard decisions.

Donald Trump is trying to straighten out the mess both of these ladies’ husband’s were not able to do and he has had to make some hard choices in doing so. 

(It) seems like every media source has an issue with standing up for our president and takes the popular path, which is to downplay and criticize instead of standing for the American citizen when it comes to the immigrant invasion.

– Tim Cannon

Dear Editor,

After reading your comment referring to the clowns of the NFL, I am a 22 year retired Veteran who happens to be black, I served so that Americans would have the right to legally protest their grievances. Just because you and other Americans think differently does not make it wrong. Let me bring to your attention that you being white, you will never understand, and for the most part the “Star Spangled Banner” was never written for African-Americans in the first place. It was written by a slave owner lawyer who spent his career fighting against the rights of African-Americans; nor was the Declaration of Independence or many of the other Bill of Rights. We just happen to be caught up in the middle of what white America thought and still thinks we should be. Yes, possibly the players could have used another venue to protest – although as usual no one pays any attention.

The mere fact that the players are using a venue that cannot be ignored is, in my opinion, outstanding because in spite of your feelings, the NFL and owners will not miss a nights sleep and any other financial lost (sic) will be made up somewhere else. The NFL will not go under because a few Americans disagree I can assure you. Professional sports have much more impact in this country than to be affected by a few disagreeable Americans.

Furthermore, my belief is that the only reason our president is making such a big deal about NFL players in protest at all is because the NFL refused to allow him to be a NFL team owner.

– Robert Johnson

Hey Bill, 

Loved your article about the NFL bozos and the true American heroes honored at the Purple Heart dinner. Don’t slow down and don’t quiet down brother! Hopefully the silent majority is still the majority! God bless America.

– Andy Anderson

As good as Cape Fear was in volleyball last season, coach Jeff Bruner doesn’t think it’s being too optimistic to say his Colts could be even better in 2018.

After a record-setting 2017 campaign that saw Cape Fear roll to a 26-4 record and advance to the third round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3-A playoffs, the Colts are off to a 5-2 start this season, including 4-0 halfway through the first round of games with league opponents.

What makes Bruner so positive about this season is he’s got five seniors on the court, one of the most experienced teams he’s ever fielded.

“We are molding the girls together and we really like our look,’’ he said. “Our goal has always been to improve each year. Last year, we made the third round (of the state playoffs). This year’s goal was fourth round or more.’’

Anchoring the middle for Pine Forest this season are seniors Lauren Adams and Techiera Matthews.

Adams was the Patriot Athletic Conference Player of the Year last season. She led the public schools in Cumberland County in kills with 363 and was third in aces with 86.

“She does it all for us,’’ Bruner said. “She’s the complete player. Once again, we’re trying to figure ways to use all her talents this year.’’Adams is picking up a new role for the Colts this year, helping out at the setter position. The setter in volleyball is like the quarterback in football or the point guard in basketball. All the offensive plays run through the setter position, so communication and coordination with the rest of the team is critical to success.

“We had a pretty successful year last year, so we have to connect and get everything back rolling on the good path like we have,’’ Adams said. “We all have strong points.” She summarized that she and her teammates are focusing on taking advantage of the team’s various strengths while also working to improve weaknesses.

Another key returner is senior Techiera Matthews. Matthews is the sister of former Cape Fear football standout Chris Matthews. Last season, Matthews was second in the county in kills with 302 and fourth in blocks with 63.

Matthews plays in the middle for Cape Fear and has become one of the team’s most dominant players. “When she’s on, she really has become the person the team is looking to right now to get a kill,’’ Bruner said. “She’s become a student of the game and more of a leader.’’

Matthews said the team is trying to reconstruct itself as it gets used to Adams and Margie Horne at the setter position.

“Losing a setter is big for our team,’’ Matthews said. “We’re trying to find the groove we were in last year and get us back to where we were.’’

Winning the conference again won’t be easy. Although they are unbeaten in league play so far, Cape Fear has four conference opponents, Gray’s Creek, Pine Forest, E.E. Smith and Terry Sanford, just one game behind them in the loss column.

“To get to the next level, we’re going to have to work harder,’’ Matthews said. “With six seniors, we feel we have a strong team, a very developed team. I feel we can go farther with as much leadership as we have.’’

Although Bruner feels good about the way the team has started in conference action, he knows nothing is guaranteed since they’ll face the whole league for a second time through the schedule.

“As long as we’re putting our best foot forward, we’re happy with the result,’’ he said. “I don’t think we’re there yet. We have a lot of room to improve the next go around.

“We’re looking for and striving for a conference championship. Every time we practice, we’re practicing for the fourth-round (playoff ) type teams.”

Bruner thinks what defines a championship team is identifying its weakest link. When you reach a point that a weakest link can’t be defined, that’s when he feels you know a team is championship-ready.

His other goal for this Cape Fear team is not to be predictable. “We don’t want another team to come in and know what Cape Fear is all about,’’ he said. “We want them to come in and be confused, feel like they are getting hit from all directions. When we get to that point, we’ll be happy with whatever result comes.’’

Photos L to R: Techiera Matthews, Coach Jeff Bruner, Lauren Adams

North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement special agents arrested 226 people on alcohol, drug and other charges during an operation Aug. 24 as part of a statewide crackdown. During the operation, ALE special agents in Fayetteville intervened during a disturbance outside a Food Lion on Rosehill Road. 

“Agents were checking ABC-licensed businesses, of which the Food Lion is one,” State Bureau of Investigation representative Patty McQuillan said. They heard a gunshot and responded to the scene. “A man was shot in the stomach area, and an ALE and SBI agent applied pressure to the wound and kept the suspect conscious during the event.” 

Fayetteville police said a man later identified as Marquel White, 26, was walking toward his vehicle in the parking lot with his 2-year-old daughter in his arms when a male subject began following him yelling expletives at him. After White put his daughter in the car, he was attacked by the male subject, who brandished a knife. 

“White fired a handgun at the man, striking him in the abdomen,” said Fayetteville police spokesman Lt. Gary Womble. Police have not released the name of the man with the knife.

More Hurricane Matthew relief

Hurricane Matthew environmental reviews have been approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for Cumberland, Edgecombe and Wayne counties. They will provide hurricane repair funds from Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery. 

“Many residents in these three counties have been waiting for this approval so repairs and reimbursements can move forward for them,” said North Carolina Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry.” He added that the pace of HUD-funded repairs will accelerate quickly. Once homeowners formally accept their CDBG-DR awards, home repairs and reimbursements can follow.  

Homeowners who have already completed repairs and are seeking reimbursements will receive their reimbursement checks at closing. 

Congress initially appropriated $235 million in CDBG-DR funds to help residents in North Carolina recover from Hurricane Matthew. HUD has designated 80 percent of that funding to be used in the four counties hit hardest by Matthew: Cumberland, Edgecombe, Robeson and Wayne. Congress has identified an additional $168 million in CBDG-DR funds for North Carolina, and those funds will become available to the state once guidelines for their use appear in the Federal Register.

Soldier killed in out-off-state plane crash

A Fort Bragg soldier was among four victims killed in a small plane crash in Georgia earlier this month. The U.S. Army parachute team, the Golden Knights, said Staff Sgt. Aliaksandr Bahrytsevich, 31, was killed in the crash in Swainsboro. Bahrytsevich was originally from Belarus. He was off duty at the time of the crash. 

“Alex was extremely passionate about the sport of skydiving and always sought opportunities to coach and mentor other members of the team,” the Golden Knights said in a statement. “Alex served the U.S. Army with distinction and pride.” 

The Federal Aviation Administration said a Cessna 182A aircraft crashed just after takeoff from East Georgia Regional Airport. According to reports, a fifth person was badly injured and was in critical condition. 

Arts Council director to retire

Deborah Martin Mintz, executive director of the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, says she will retire in early 2019. Mintz has worked with the Arts Council for more than 24 years, serving as executive director for 17 of them. “I am honored to have served this community through the arts and Arts Council for over two decades,” Mintz said. 

A national search is underway to fill Mintz’s position. “Deborah’s many years of progressive leadership, vision, management and operation of the Arts Council has firmly established the organization as a premier nonprofit arts agency in our community and one of the best in the state of North Carolina,” said David Phillips, president of the board of trustees of the Arts Council. 

A Dickens Holiday, 4th Fridays, the International Folk Festival and numerous popular events and programs were started or expanded during her tenure. The organization was founded in 1973 and is located at 301 Hay St. in downtown Fayetteville.

Cumberland County Fair

The Cumberland County Fair is well underway on the grounds of the Crown Complex. Ticket prices are $7. Unlimited carnival ride wristbands are $25. Individual ride tickets and wristbands are sold separately. Admission prices vary from day to day. Children under 2 years old get in free. 

The annual event celebrates the county’s agricultural heritage and combines family fun and entertainment with exciting rides and fair food. The exhibit hall features commercial, educational and informational booths as well as agricultural exhibits. 

Events include an interactive petting farm; Great American Timber Show; World of Wonders Show; Escape Explosion Show; Ring Wars Carolina Wrestling; racing pigs; toddler driving school; family and consumer sciences education; home, craft and agricultural exhibits; and a wide range of performances on the entertainment stage. 

Tickets can be purchased by phone at 1-888-257-6208, on the web at CapeFearTix.com, or in person at the Crown Box Office.

Every year in early autumn, Fayetteville celebrates the birthday of its namesake, the Revolutionary War hero Gilbert du Motier – the Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette defied French King Louis XVI’s orders and sailed the Atlantic to assist the American rebels in 1777. Though many cities have been named after him, Fayetteville is the only namesake city the young Frenchman ever visited.

Birthday celebration activities take place all over Fayetteville Sept. 7-8, and one mainstay is the Festival of Yesteryear. Saturday, Sept. 8, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., visit Arsenal Park downtown to get a taste of life during the Colonial and Revolutionary eras. Re-enactors in full Colonial attire will be performing daily tasks of the late 18th century, including woodworking, spinning and militia drills. 

This event focuses on history you can experience. “We like to demonstrate Colonial life for people in the community so they can... see what life was like (back then),” said Megan Maxwell, director for the 1897 Poe House at the Museum of the Cape Fear. 

The Festival of Yesteryear showcases several perspectives on the Colonial era, including those of patriots, loyalists, slaves and Native Americans. Both the Highland Regiment militia group, representing the loyalists, and the Wilmington District Minutemen, representing the patriots of Moore’s Creek battlefield, will set up camp and welcome visitors throughout the day. 

In the morning, the Highland Dancers will march alongside the Cross Creek Pipes and Drums at 10:30 a.m. for a performance of traditional Scottish music and dance. “This event is included because Fayetteville was founded by Scottish highlanders and loyalists,” Maxwell said.

Returning this year is the “The Death of Blackbeard” puppet show performed by the living history group Shades of Our Past at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The group will also offer silhouette drawings for a fee. 

Also returning is Life as Art Productions’ April C. Turner as she performs “African Spirituals: Freedom Prayers” at 2 p.m. According to Maxwell, this 40-minute performance has more to it than just a good time. “Turner reveals what life was like for an enslaved person during the early days of Colonial North Carolina through songs and dances,” she said. 

New to the festival this year, a historian will share about Native American hunting practices and perspectives on Colonial life. Musket and cannon firings will take place at 10 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. 

Various other performers, groups and artisans will participate in the event as well, including Camp Flintlock, the North Carolina Highland Regiment, woodworker Thomas Tucker and musical historian Simon Spalding. 

Stop by Apprentice Alley, where children can enjoy crafts and other trades taught by re-enactors. Learn to make Betsy Ross stars, tricorn hats and mob caps, and even try your hand at quilling, a popular paper-cutting craft from colonial days. Take pictures with the pillory, a wooden framework used to punish criminals. Don’t forget to visit the brewmaster for a few tips on ale, the Colonists’ favorite drink!

Free cake and ice cream will be served at 1 p.m. while supplies last.

“I’m excited about a lot this year – we always try to expand the festival with something new,” said Maxwell. 

Admission is free. Arsenal Park is located at 215 Myrover St. Call 910-486-1330 or visit museumofthecapefear.ncdcr.gov/Eventsfor more information.

Meetings

For details about all meetings and activities, including location where not listed, call Town Clerk Jane Starling at 910-426-4113. Most meetings take place at Town Hall or the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation center.

• Board of Commissioners Wednesday, Sept. 5, 6 p.m., Special Meeting, William “Bill” Luther and Doris Luther Meeting Room. Called to conduct a closed session pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11 (a) (3) to discuss matters relating to attorney-client privilege and to conduct a Closed Session pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11 (a) (6) to discuss personnel matters.

• CANCELLED: Board of Commissioners and Festival Committee Monday, Sept. 10. 

•  Lake Advisory Committee Tuesday, Sept. 18, 6 p.m.

Activities

• Registration underway for the next Hope Mills Citizens Academy, which is designed to help citizens gain insight into how local government works and promote open lines of communication. The next Citizens Academy sessions begin Thursday, Sept. 6. Register online at www.townofhopemills.com. For more information, call Jane Starling at 910-424-4902 or email jstarling@townofhopemills.com.

• 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. 

• Hope Meals Food Truck Rodeo Thursday, Sept. 6, at the parking lot between Town Hall and Parks & Rec Center. 5 p.m.

• Registration open for the 4th Annual Miss Hope Mills Cotton Pageant Applications are now being accepted at Hope Mills Parks & Recreation. Registration Deadline is Friday, Sept. 14. The pageant is for ages are 3 - 22 years old. Visit www.townofhopemills.com/375/Miss-Hope-Mills-Cotton-Pageant and see applications for rules and important information for contestants. The pageant takes place Oct. 5 for ages 3-9 and Oct. 6 for ages 10-22.

He is like the houseguest who stays too long, and then when he’s finally gone, you miss him a little bit.

I am talking about Silent Sam, the Confederate memorial statue whose 100-plus-year presence on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ended recently. 

On the Monday night before the opening day of classes, a large crowd gathered to continue the ongoing protest of the statue’s prominent presence on the campus. Police were there to keep order, and, as they have done for months, protect the statue from damage. But before the evening was over, Silent Sam had been pulled to the ground, and campus officials had removed his remains to an undisclosed location.

For the protestors and many students and faculty, the statue represented the glorification of the slave-based society that Confederate soldiers fought to defend and the white supremacy culture that prevailed when the statue was erected in 1913.

Others throughout the state argued that the memorial to the fallen soldiers was simply that, a respectful tribute and reminder of the glory and the horror of brave people who gave their lives in wartime conflict.

Writing for the Raleigh News & Observer the day after Silent Sam came down, retired editor and Pulitzer Prize winner, Ed Yoder, explained his attachment to the memory of his great-grandfather, who died in battle in 1864, “has little to do with racial pride (or)... accord with the Confederate cause as it would have been understood... For a remote descendant the satisfaction... lies in a sense of rootedness... a continuity with the history of a nation so largely shaped by conflict.”

For Yoder, Silent Sam was “a remembrance of duty and self-sacrifice that I have known as an unoffending visual companion since boyhood. Perhaps that is why its mob destruction is like the severing of a limb. And it hurts.”

On the other hand, an Aug. 23 editorial in the WilmingtonStar News set forth the following: “African-American students at UNC, which refused to admit black undergraduates until a federal court intervened in 1955, should not be greeted at the campus doorsteps by a prominent symbol glorifying the cause of white supremacy. While some people want to brush off the power of the statue’s symbolism, our nation’s ugly history on race doesn’t provide such a luxury.”

The statue has been for many students and faculty a part of a hostile campus atmosphere and something they believed should have been removed long ago. University officials, however, declined to act, asserting that state law prohibited the removal or relocation of the monument.

A few days before Silent Sam came down, Hampton Dellinger, an attorney for the Black Law Students Association, a faculty member, and several other students wrote to UNC officials demanding Silent Sam’s removal, threatening a lawsuit and asserting that the memorial fostered a racially hostile environment, which would be a violation of federal civil rights laws. 

Dellinger contended, “Because of UNC’s overriding obligation to comply with federal anti-discrimination laws, UNC is not only free to remove Silent Sam in order to adhere to federal law, it is legally obligated to do so.”

No doubt Dellinger will use these arguments in the coming debate about whether to reinstall the monument.

I admit that I miss him. He was part of the familiar and comfortable campus landscape. Like Ed Yoder, I do not believe that my affection for and pride in Southern culture is racist.

But the better part of Southern culture is concern for the comfort and well-being of our neighbors. If Silent Sam projected racism to them, it is better that he does not come back.

On Aug. 28, Hope Mills Mayor Jackie Warner was interviewed by Jeff Goldberg (Goldy), the morning radio host on WFNC 640AM. It was a follow up interview to Hope Mills Commissioners Meg Larson and Mike Mitchell’s discussion with Goldy on Aug. 23 about the status of the Lone Survivor Foundation’s attempt to build a $1.5 million facility in Hope Mills to treat veterans suffering from PSTD and other war related disorders. 

In contrast to Larson and Mitchell’s stammering through their interview, interrupting one another and faltering midsentence, Warner came across as confident, articulate and knowledgeable about the Lone Survivor project. She was remarkably polite and diplomatic. She was the near perfect example of grace under fire. Even when she was prodded to the more salacious side of the issue, Warner maintained confident and credible control of the conversation.

Commissioners Larson and Mitchell have pushed a biased and one-sided version of the LSF situation since mid-July, ignoring public sentiment and insisting that the land this nonprofit organization would like to purchase – or lease – from the town is not for sale, and that it’s needed for a future potential multipurpose reservoir. 

Not true. 

Warner effectively debunked these notions with facts and statistics. She also dismissed allegations of possible collusion and conflicts of interest that arose due to the fact that her son, Teddy Warner, is employed as the director of business development for the Fayetteville. Cumberland Economic Development Corporation. The FCEDC’s mission is to recruit businesses, organizations and institutions that contribute to the economic development of all cities and towns within Cumberland County, including Hope Mills. Warner reminded Goldy that as mayor, she doesn’t even have a vote in the matter and is in no way in a position to profit financially from the LSF partnership.  

And, while some commissioners on the board were offended because they thought they were being kept in the dark about the LSF project, Warner reassured everyone that all proper local government protocols were followed. And, as the mayor of Hope Mills, Warner is the head of the board of commissioners and serves as the leading ambassador for the town. In this position of leadership, she is responsible for looking after the best interests of the town and all its residents. 

Warner pointed out that inquiries of this nature are a typical occurrence.  Hope Mills is frequently approached by individuals, businesses and organizations wanting to partner with the town. All inquiries are properly vetted by the town manager and then channeled to the relevant person or department. Warner noted the necessity of developing strong partnerships with large-scale businesses, organizations and institutions when trying to successfully develop and grow a community. Referencing Hope Mills’ limited financial resources, she made the point that partnerships with organizations like the LSF allow Hope Mills to do considerably more with its assets than the town could afford to do otherwise. In this case, the LSF is offering to develop Hope Mills land for recreational use at the foundation’s own expense, then lease or sell the land back to Hope Mills should the town need it in the future – a $1.5 million win-win-win scenario, you would think. 

While there is no logical downside to this partnership, there could be considerable long-term consequences for the town 

if the board doesn’t yield to public sentiment and reconsider its position on the LSF proposal. Future economic development opportunities for the town would be difficult if not impossible to attract once the business development community learns that Hope Mills is illogically difficult to work with. After all, the LSF is a well-respected and well-funded organization that the FCEDC brought forth in good faith to the town of Hope Mills. It is an amazing opportunity for the town to serve the community, its residents, Fort Bragg and all the military veterans of Cumberland County and the nation.

These are all factors that neither Commissioner Mitchell nor Larson have taken into consideration. It makes you wonder what their real motivation is for their objection to the LSF project. One thing is for sure, it does not concern any of the people mentioned above who stand to benefit from this project.

Check out page 25 of this issue for a play-by-play rebuttal by Elizabeth Blevins of Goldy’s Aug. 23 interview with Commissioners Larson and Mitchell.

Stay tuned, and thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly and HopeMills.net.

Photo: Jackie Warner

Greater Fayetteville is the beneficiary of a Department of Defense realignment of analysts and consultants. This summer, the Pentagon announced that in the future, all strategic analysis will be outsourced to private corporations. Defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.is replacing tens of thousands of strategists across the Department of Defense with a much smaller number of consultants.

Booz Allen Hamilton is an information technology consulting firm headquartered in McLean, Virginia. It announced that it is doubling its Fayetteville workforce of 200 employees already employed at its offices on Morganton Road. The company has been chosen to assist the Pentagon and its subordinate commands in disbanding their strategic plans and policy staffs, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced at a news conference that the company will hire another 208 employees locally. The announcement was made at the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation office. Booz Allen Hamilton plans to expand its local operation over the next five years in exchange for more than $2 million in state and local tax incentives. 

The state’s Economic Investment Committee unanimously approved a job development investment grant for the company minutes before the local announcement was made. Fayetteville City Council and Cumberland County Commissioners awarded tax rebates of up to $89,000 each. 

Cooper said Booz Allen picked Fayetteville because of Cumberland County’s workforce, which is strengthened by veterans and military spouses who live here. The company emphasizes employing military veterans. 

“The majority of these new jobs will be IT focused, and Booz Allen knows we have the IT talent and training resources to deliver so they can continue tackling the complex military, business and government challenges of today and the future,” Cooper added.

Booz Allen Hamilton has 14 offices around the country and a total global workforce of 24,600 employees. 

“The creation of these high-quality jobs confirms our status as a defense and innovation hub and brings important new career opportunities to our community,” said Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin.

Booz Allen Hamilton plans to hire mostly IT specialists, data scientists and engineers – at an average salary of $64,000, according to County Commission Chairman Larry Lancaster. The company also plans to make more than $5 million in capital improvements to its Fayetteville offices in the three-story building at the corner of Morganton and Sycamore Dairy Roads.

Booz Allen Hamilton will roll out its expansion in two phases, with the first involving moving new offices into 6,000 square feet of additional space on the ground floor of the building – space made available by the recent relocation of the Richardson Law Firm. The company’s existing offices take up 11,000 square feet on the second and third floors of the building. When the current lease is up in 2020, the company plans to relocate to accommodate future growth.

Finally, there is a place close to Fayetteville that is built for ATVs and dirt bikes. 

A few weeks ago, my friend Matt put out a call to go to the new Deep Creek ATV Park. 

The morning of the trip, the weatherman said it was going to be a nice, cool day. The plan was simple. We were to meet at Hardee’s on Ramsey Street, eat breakfast and head out. I met my friends Rick and Ryan there, but as usual, Matt was a no show. Yes, I just dimed Matt out in print for not showing for his own event. 

As we pulled into the park, I was impressed with how much land there was. We went into the office and met Susan, who signed us in and gave us maps and information about the park. The park has camping, showers and a concession stand. 

Our friend Bill had trailered his dirt bike there, and we went to join him. The clouds began to turn dark, and rain began to fall. Ryan was new to off-road riding and decided that with his street tires on his dualsport bike, this could be a little more ambitious than his ability, so he decided to head back home. 

After gearing up, we headed out. We quickly came to the tunnel that goes under Slocomb Road. The tunnel had water in it, but the floor of the tunnel was perfect for riding through. As we came out of the tunnel, we hit the trails. The trails were wide and well-marked. Areas were clearly marked with stops and various areas with cool names like Cook Pits, TT’s Sand Bar, Peanuts Peak and 5/30 Pit Stop. 

The rain began to pour, and my helmet began to fog up. The trails began to fill with water as the landscape dropped down to the Cape Fear River. 

Being the only riders dumb enough to be out in that downpour, I think we had the park all to ourselves. I loved having lots of trees around me. We spent a few hours out there, and to be honest, it was considered one of the best riding days we had had in a long time. 

The park is located on Slocomb Road in Linden, just north of the Goodyear plant.

For more information, call Deep Creek ATV Park at 910-929-0658 or visit www.deepcreekatv.com.

If there is a topic that you would like to discuss, you can contact me at motorcycle4fun@aol.com. RIDE SAFE!

Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Chapman, 36, was killed soon after military action began in Afghanistan following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Chapman died in combat March 4, 2002. Sixteen years later, the Pope Air Field special operations airman received the Congressional Medal of Honor. 

Why did the honor take so long?He was alone atop an Afghan mountain suffering from bullet wounds to his legs and surrounded by hundreds of al-Qaida militants. Chapman used his final moments of life to make sure other American troops had a chance to survive a battle in which they were significantly outnumbered. Chapman – believed dead when his comrades fled the mountaintop amid heavy fire – awoke from unconsciousness and fought off enemy attackers for an hour while a helicopter carrying an assault force of Army Rangers approached.

Chapman, from the protection of a chest-high bunker, did the unthinkable – charged forward, turning his back on an enemy machine gun, and fired on two fighters preparing to launch rocket-propelled grenades at the incoming Chinook, killing them both. He was mortally wounded by the machinegun fire. For that action on the night of March 3 through the morning of March 4, 2002, President Donald Trump presented his family the Medal of Honor encased in a shadowbox earlier this month.

Chapman had been attached as an Air Force combat controller to the Navy’s SEAL Team 6. He and fallen SEAL Petty Officer Neil Roberts had been left behind on the mountain. Early evidence about Chapman’s final hours was that a SEAL NCO incorrectly declared Chapman dead during the attack, The New York Times was the first to report. SEAL team leader, Master Chief Petty Officer Britt Slabinski, had ordered his outgunned and heavily bloodied team to withdraw. 

Slabinski, who received the Medal of Honor for his own actions earlier in that battle, credited Chapman with saving the lives of his teammates and endorsed him for the Medal of Honor. 

Chapman was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross, the second highest Air Force award for valor. 

For many years, some Air Force officials believed Chapman deserved the Medal of Honor. But until a lengthy two-and-a-half-year investigation into Chapman’s heroism was completed, that went unproven. 

Chapman was assigned to the U.S. Air Force 24th Special Tactics Squadron at Pope Field. It is an Air Force component of Fort Bragg’s Joint Special Operations Command. Combat Controllers are skilled battlefield airmen who are often assigned individually to special operations teams to provide expert battlefield airstrike control and communications capabilities. 

Evidence compiled in 2016 by a team of 17 Air Force special operators proved Chapman had indeed lived longer than originally reported. He continued to fight and likely intentionally gave his own life to give others a better chance to survive. New technology used in an examination of videos from aircraft flying overhead indicated that Chapman killed the two al-Qaida fighters before “dying in an attempt to protect arriving reinforcements,” The New York Times reported. 

The review also relied heavily on video recorded by a predator drone overhead throughout much of the fight, according to an Air Force special tactics officer who was involved in the investigation. What the team found was “awe inspiring” and left little doubt that Chapman’s actions deserved the military’s highest honor for battlefield valor, the officer said.

Along with Chapman, six other Americans died during what became known as the battle of Roberts Ridge. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis made the recommendation to upgrade Chapman’s Air Force Cross earlier this year. 

Photo: John Chapman

Explore our city’s rich history from a new angle – in a horse-drawn carriage. The second Saturday of each month, Cool Spring Downtown District offers a 45-minute carriage ride through downtown Fayetteville. The next historic tour is Sept. 15.

“This is the third year we’ve done the tours, and it is going very well,” said Hank Parfitt, carriage tour organizer. “(The carriage) holds 8-10 people and is covered with a canopy.” 

The tours include several stops. “We cover the history going back to early 1700s through the beginning of the 20th century,” Parfitt said. “There were a lot of changes after we were connected by railroad to other cities in North Carolina in 1890. There are a lot of old buildings in downtown that date to that era. We talk about why Fayetteville was important in the Revolutionary War, even though there were no battles here.” 

In addition to providing a unique avenue to learn about Fayetteville’s past, Parfitt said, the rides are fun because they typically have a mix of locals and out-of-town visitors. 

“Over a third of the people who take the tour are from out of town,” he said. “Of that number, two-thirds are from out of state. Last time, we had a lady from California here for her daughter’s wedding and a couple from Mass who retired in Aberdeen.

“It is one of the best things I have seen that we have to showcase Fayetteville to the outside world. We were sold out last Saturday by 11 a.m. and we had to turn a family away.”

Parfitt noted that the carriage owners are always mindful of the health and well-being of the horses. “The horses are draft horses; they are bred to pull things. These horses are happiest when they are pulling and can go all day long. The owners are very meticulous about caring for them. It is why we run in the mornings in the summer, including in September – to keep them from the heat.”

In September, tours take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tours depart from the Cool Spring Downtown District office at 222 Hay St. across from the Cameo Art House Theatre. Tickets are $25 for adults or $20 with a military ID and $15 for children under 12. When booking a large group tour for an organization, school or church, ask about special discounts. 

Tickets are available at 222 Hay St. on the day of the event, but advance reservations are recommended. Call 910-678-8899 to purchase tickets or to learn more about the rides. 

Editor’s note: This column, aside from the first paragraph, originally ran in the April 6, 2011, issue of Up& Coming Weekly.  

Nostalgia struck hard in August when I cleaned my yoga mats, recyclable shopping bags, various post office receipts and lost CDs out of Station Wagon No. 7 and kissed my trusty friend goodbye after more than 153,000 miles and many happy times together.  In her place is shiny new SW No. 8, and we are just beginning to get acquainted. Who knew cars now come with iPads in their dashboards? All of which made me remember the following homage I wrote to all the cars I’ve loved before when SW No. 7 arrived in 2011. I hope it brings back memories for you as well.

Like any parent, I am excited by the arrival of my latest baby – Station Wagon No. 7!  

I suspected she – all my wagons have been shes, except the last one, which was definitely a he – was coming when SW No. 6 was well into six-figure mileage and needed a set of large and expensive new tires. Instead of committing for another 50,000 miles or so, I left him forlornly on a car dealer’s lot and drove away in my new baby, sad about leaving behind what felt like a dear old friend but anxious to get to know my new one.  

I know now that I will meet my maker as a station wagon owner for two simple reasons. I love being able to pop open the back door and toss in my belongings, and today’s popular SUVs are a bear to crawl in and out of if one is wearing a skirt. 

The only real question is what number it will be.

I have not always been a station wagon girl, though.

I got my first car at 16, not so much because my parents were wildly generous as because my mother worked in the family business and needed me to drive my sister around. It was a used, lemon-yellow Corvair, the car Ralph Nader called “unsafe at any speed,” because it had the motor in the trunk and nothing in front but space. 

I loved it! But I could not drive the darn thing. It had what was called “four on the floor” with a clutch so sensitive everyone who ever drove it leapt for several blocks. My long-suffering father tried to teach me to drive it, but he finally gave up in exasperation on a quiet Haymount street with these words: “Margaret, I love you, but I cannot stand it anymore. I am going to walk home and call your best friend to come get you.” 

He did and she did. 

She eventually taught me how to drive my Corvair during one long Sunday afternoon in a deserted parking lot.

The next car, which lasted through college, was a giant lemon-yellow (again!) convertible, mercifully equipped with an automatic transmission. I loved this one, too, because I could cram in five or more friends, but it also had an issue. Sometimes it would not turn off, even when you took the keys out. The world must have been a safer place in those days because I often just got out and left it running. No one ever took it, but it did once run out of gas. 

Post-college, I had a blue Cougar with a white vinyl roof. By this time, cars were less exciting and more functional, and this one was fine, although I did not love it. I particularly did not love it when it was stolen on a New York City street. New York’s finest assured me that it was “parts” within minutes of its departure, but they were wrong. It turned out to be one of the few stolen vehicles recovered that year and dirtier than any car I had ever seen. We picked it up from a Brooklyn impoundment lot, and within 24 hours, the motor went up in flames. 

Needless, to say, I traded it as soon as I could. In succession came an Audi Fox (my first new car!), a Honda Civic and a diesel Rabbit. By that time, I was a mother, so enter SW No. 1, a diesel Oldsmobile, not representative of General Motors’ finest work. It was so loud, a friend once asked what was wrong with it. 

Then came SW No. 2, an Army Corps of Engineers blue Chevrolet, huge but with no pickup. That car self-combusted in front of VanStory Hills Elementary School, a surefire way to make a spectacle of oneself.

SW No. 3 was a white Oldsmobile bought at an auction, followed by my all-time favorite, a Buick Roadmaster that had fake wood paneling and was big enough to move Ringling Brothers. By that time, the Precious Jewels were acquainted with the concept of “cool,” which SW No. 4 definitely was not. I tried to convince them that it was really a Corvette since it had the same engine, but they were not buying that.  Apparently, everyone else thought they were uncool, too, since those wonderful cars are no longer made.  

SW No. 5 and I had adventures too numerous to recount here, including a theft despite a legislative license plate, a concrete angel with a red bow around its neck shoved through the passenger window, and a final fiery meltdown and demise in rural Canada.

The recently departed SW No. 6, my only boy, is memorable because I did not fit his demographic.  Observers expected the driver to be Mr. T – complete with gold chains – and were universally startled when the driver turned out to be a middle-aged woman in faux pearl earrings. 

So, welcome, SW No. 7.  

We are still getting to know each other, but I look forward to many happy miles together.

One of Fayetteville’s most popular cultural celebrations, the Greek Festival, has been offering free admission every year for 28 years now. That’s fitting, as the spirit of the event is one of sharing. This weekend, Sept. 7-9, members of Fayetteville’s Greek community invite the greater area to share in their food, dance, music, traditions and sense of family. The fest is created and hosted by Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church. Events take place on the church grounds and inside the air-conditioned Hellenic Center.

The delicious food is one of the festival’s biggest draws. Who can resist the smell of gyros and lamb shank? And who would pass up the chance to try spanakopita (spinach pie), pastichio (Greek lasagna), souvlaki (skewered meat and vegetables) or dolmades (stuffed grape leaves)? Of course, you’d need to finish your meal off with handmade baklava or loukoumades (Greek donuts with honey and walnuts) and Greek coffee.

Kelly Papagikos, who’s helped with the festival for a decade and is married to the church’s pastor, said food is an important element in cultures and communities because it brings people together. “It’s so heartwarming to watch in the kitchen a (first-generation) great-grandfather and grandfather and son,” she said. “The best place in the Greek community is in the kitchen. That’s where all the action is.” 

Throughout the festival, there will also be Greek music played live, children and greeters dressed in traditional Greek clothing as well as god- and goddess-wear, and folk dance demonstrations with opportunities for audience participation. An Athenian Playground, a marketplace full of Greek goodies, the first annual Baklava 5K Walk/Run, and church tours and services round out the festival’s offerings.

The music, a blend of traditional and contemporary Greek songs, will be played by Paschalis, a band that’s been together about 20 years. Greece is home to over 200 cultural dances, each representing a region, village or island. The church’s Hellenic Dance Troupes are comprised of kindergarden- to high school-aged students; they grow up dancing, Papagikos said. The troupes will dance at several points throughout the weekend, wearing traditional costumes. The dancers give educational demonstrations and also perform routines that include inviting guests to join in the fun. The performances will take place in the Hellenic Center and outside under a large tent. 

The Athenian Playground, located at the back of the property, includes slides, cotton candy, bouncy houses and a mini train track – “everything a child could ever want,” Papagikos said. An added bonus this year will be the adjacent Night in Athens hangout spot for adults. This will be a relaxed area to enjoy the sights and sounds in a spot away from the direct center of activity. Papagikos said it’s the element she’s personally most excited about debuting. 

Another debut this year is the first annual Baklava 5K Walk/Run. It starts at 3 p.m. on Saturday and will wind around the residential area surrounding the festival grounds. Registration is $25 and includes a T-shirt and voucher for a small meal. Participants will be handed a celebratory piece of baklava upon completing the course.

Attendees can also pick up authentic ingredients and spirits at an on-site pop-up Greek grocery store. Papagikos gives free Greek cooking lessons all three days of the festival, twice a day. “Because we’ve gotten so many people wanting to learn how to cook Greek meals, we’re going to be selling a lot more (ingredients) this year,” she said. 

The shopping opportunities do not end with ingredients, though. Vendors from all over the city will set up an “agora,” modeled after a Greek marketplace. Papagikos said they’ve got more vendors this year than ever before. Items for sale will include jewelry, leather, knick-knacks, music, embroideries, rugs, clothing, folk art and icons. The event’s press release sums it up: “Buy a Greek fisherman’s hat and a belly dancing coin belt and you will fit right in as an authentic Greek! OPA!” 

Throughout the weekend, visitors can tour the Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church sanctuary. Times are listed at the Hellenic Center entrance. The history and faith of the Eastern Orthodox Church will be explained, and there will also be an opportunity to attend the regular church service the Sunday of the festival. 

Finally, don’t miss out on your chance to win $2,000 or a round-trip ticket to Athens, Greece, by purchasing raffle tickets for $5 each. The drawing will be held on Sunday, and you do not have to be present to win. 

The Greek Festival is great fun, and it takes a village to make it happen. 

Nobody knows that better than the army of 15-20 ladies of the church who are responsible for the mounds of made-from-scratch Greek pastries each year. 

Also bonding in the kitchen are restaurant owners from all over Fayetteville – Papagikos said about 90 percent of the city’s restaurants are Greek-owned. She said these people come together every year to cook for the festival, putting their own businesses aside. The primary and long-serving leaders of festival kitchen operations are Greg Kalevas, owner of Chris’s Steak & Seafood House; Jimmy Hondras, who works with Kalevas; and Tony Kotsopoulos, head chef at Luigi’s. Kotsopoulos helped start the conversation about bringing the community together for a Greek festival in Fayetteville in 1988. All three men have helped in many capacities since the festival’s inception in 1991.

The chair of this year’s festival is Steve Goodson.

“For me, it is such a great fulfilment of joy,” Papagikos said. “The sense of community that is there when I see non-Greek people coming to our festival is so beautiful. Our culture is so rich. Our passion and our lives, our community and family ties, are so rich that people want to come and share a little piece of that with us. And that makes me very happy.” 

Credit cards will be accepted at many areas in the festival, but three ATMS will be on-site for purchasing from vendors who only accept cash.

The church and festival grounds are located at 614 Oakridge Ave. Parking is located in front of the church property and in the Educational Building parking lot. Street parking on Woodland Drive and the surrounding residential area is also available, but make sure to allow room for residents to enter and exit their property. Saturday, enjoy free parking at St. John’s AME Zion Church or at Synder Memorial Baptist Church on Westmont Drive.  

Events run Friday and Saturday, Sept. 7 and 8, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 9, noon-6 p.m. 

For more information, call the church at 910 484-2010, email fayorthodox@gmail.com, or visit stsch.nc.goarch.org/greek-festival.

Editor’s note: A much longer version of this article was originally published online at the author’s blog, hopemills.net/2018/08/25/we-are-one-team. The article has been condensed, edited and reprinted here with permission.

By visiting https://clyp.it/pa1ztkra, you can listen to a 20+ minute Aug. 23 interview of Commissioners Meg Larson and Mike Mitchell by Goldy of WFNC. What follows is an abbreviated transcription of the interview and my commentary in italics.

0:48 Goldy: Since Hope Mills pulled a $28,000 contract from a Fayetteville publication – the publication has just become – in my opinion -a mean, viscous, vindictive attack weapon.

The Hope Mills Board didn’t actually “pull the contract” (from Up & Coming Weekly). The contract was for a finite amount of time, and it ended with the publication having fulfilled its obligation. The Board chose not to renew the contract. 

1:37 Goldy: Was this land (referring to Lake bed #2, land the Lone Survivor Foundation would like to purchase from Hope Mills) ever up for sale?

Mitchell:No, it was never for sale – in fact, we’ve been working on a comprehensive parks and recreation plan and we spent, at this point, over $100,000 for all of our properties to be looked at.

This isn’t accurate. During the June 4 meeting between the Board and LSF Executive Director Terry Jung, Mike Mitchell threw out a price point to sell the land. Jung stated this in an interview I did with him in early August, and this was confirmed by three members of the Board. Jung was surprised at the quote and said it was quite high, comparable to a price tag on 60+ acres, when LSF was only asking to buy 3-4 acres. And, an email to a representative at Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation clearly shows the Board was excited to move forward with the sale and wanted to coordinate the next steps and see official financial offers as of June 5. Two other emails prove the $100,000 study commissioned to McAdams Group never included Lake bed #2; it was added by Larson and Mitchell sometime between July 30 and Aug. 1. Screen shots of those emails can be found on the original version of this article at HopeMills.net.

4:25 Goldy: My understanding is that you were brought into a meeting on June 4 – I’ve seen some accounts where it says you were herded through a back hall of city hall into a meeting. Were you blindsided by this, Mike?

Mitchell: Yes, sir. It was a closed session.

Goldy: Why was it a closed session? A lot of people are asking that – why this was a closed session?

Mitchell: I believe because it had to do with the tendering of property and economic development. We had no control over it – I guess the closed session was put on their (the agenda) by the mayor.

Three members of the Board have confirmed the closed session on June 4 took place in the exact same way as all closed sessions – and in the exact same place. Much has been made of the presentation taking place in a closed session, when in fact that’s standard operating procedure. Land acquisition and personnel issues are always discussed in a closed session. 

4:56 Goldy: One of the other things that I have read is that there may be some – let’s call them hard feelings – between the Board and the mayor – because her son Teddy Warner kinda facilitated this whole thing. The Board has some hurt feelings the mayor apparently knew about this before the Board of commissioners did.

Mitchell: Yeah, we just thought it might have been more appropriate if we had known ahead of time – when you go into a meeting and the mayor’s son is there we were just kind of taken aback a little bit. There’s not a conflict of interest – we’ve asked about it – it just seemed inappropriate or uncomfortable for us. I just asked our town manager and our whole team that when there’s a request made to partner or to buy property – that’s not for sale especially – that they inform the Board of Commissioners.  We are one team.  If any organization asks you to keep something secret from your Board of Commissioners – that should be a red flag.

Teddy Warner is the director of business development for the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation. He has an impressive resume and works with a respected company. He also happens to be the mayor’s son. We live in a small town. This Board is going to do business with relatives and friends – it’s inevitable. 

And Mitchell’s implication that this presentation was purposely kept secret from the Board is ridiculous. Jung addressed the allegations that the presentation wasn’t handled correctly in our interview: “I’m confident they’re wrong because we’ve dealt with two other cities in the Cumberland County area (Godwin & Fayetteville), and that’s exactly the procedure we have followed.”

It’s not just wrong, it’s incredibly insulting to the entire staff of FCCEDC, the Hope Mills staff and to the Warner Family.

In an ironic twist, Mitchell recently admitted on social media that he’s been approached multiple times since July 24 with offers from nonprofit groups wanting to buy land. He also admitted that he did not relay the offers to the town manager or to the Board... as he’s insisted they do. He simply told the nonprofit groups the land was not for sale. 

11:49 Goldy: I think that everyone on the BOC thinks that the LSF is an outstanding organization – there is nobody that doesn’t think that this is a worthy organization, and you would love to have them in your town – just not on this piece of land.

Mitchell:

 Exactly. Jessie Bellflowers is actually working to find an alternate location for them as we speak.

There is no reason to find an alternate piece of land. Lake bed #2 was abandoned by the town for more than 50 years. It wasn’t even included in the initial parks and rec survey being conducted by the McAdams Group. It stands to reason that if LSF hadn’t approached the town with an offer to purchase the lake bed, it would never have been included in the survey, it wouldn’t have been developed, and it may have been neglected for another 50 years.  What would have happened if LSF had approached the town in November... well after McAdams had concluded its survey? Mitchell and Larson couldn’t have included it at that point, and their argument would have been invalid. 

And LSF has expressed a willingness to lease the land or purchase it with a buy-back clause, ensuring Hope Mills would have it if needed at some point in the future... which means we’re not conflicting with the 2030 plan they quote so often. 

On an ending note: I’ve maintained a strict standard of providing tangible evidence to coincide with each article I post, and links to everything I’ve referenced in this printed edition can be found on my blog. Commissioner Mitchell has blocked me from commenting on his social media. He has a long tradition of blocking dissenting views. 

To the commissioners – Within my original online post are links to evidence proving that nothing you said on the radio was truthful or accurate. If you have tangible evidence to contradict any of this, I welcome it. I’ll retract any statement you can disprove and gladly share your evidence. 

If not, then I suggest you reevaluate your position on the LSF proposal... but also your position on the Board.  You’re meant to represent all of the people, all of the time – not just people who agree with you.

Showing off its new logo and symbol of pride, the 2018 Campaign of Honor continues to pay tribute to Cumberland County’s first responders in remembrance of September 11, 2001. This week, Fayetteville and Cumberland County Law Enforcement and area fire departments were at the center of attention. Sen. Wesley Meredith, friends and colleagues  visited the city and county fire departments, Hope Mills and Fayetteville police departments and the Cumberland County Sheriff ’s Department. 

Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins welcomed Meredith and those with him to the department with introductions to her key staff and an update on the successes of community crime prevention programs.

Hope Mills Police Chief Joel Acceiardo introduced the visiting group to his key officers and explained some of the interactive community awareness programs that have been successful in controlling crime and creating safe neighborhoods. 

At the county level, Sheriff Ennis Wright welcomed everyone to the Law Enforcement Center, and Chief Deputy Richard Jenkins gave a tour of the downtown facility. 

While on this tour, Meredith said, “I’m very impressed and encouraged at the extraordinary efforts being made by local law enforcement to encourage and implement proactive community awareness programs that have resulted in forging trust and invaluable partnerships with the residents of Cumberland County.  

“Cooperation, communication and teamwork between these law enforcement professionals are what make Cumberland County communities safe places to live and work. Very impressive.”  

All the entities visited offer a variety of ongoing awareness programs, including citizens academies designed to educate the public and provide a better understanding of the challenges and conditions that law enforcement officers face each and every day. 

Next stop was the Fireman’s Association meeting in Stedman, where Meredith and associates extended their appreciation to the professionals of the Fayetteville and Cumberland County fire departments for their dedication to public safety. Meredith and the members of the 2018 Campaign of Honor extended everyone a personal invitation to the First Responder’s Reception that will be held Sept. 11 in downtown Fayetteville. 

The highlight of the reception will be the introduction and recognition of  Fayetteville resident Bettye Glenn. Glenn was a survivor of the North Tower 9/11 terrorist attacks. She shared her amazing and touching experience with Meredith and colleagues at the Stedman Fire Department. As Glenn was escaping down the stairwell from the 24th floor, she came face to face with a young fireman heading upward. 

“Honestly, I will never forget the look on his face,” she said. Ever since then, Glenn said, she has been a strong advocate for all firemen. Her interview and story have been documented on film and will  be available to view on local social media networks soon.

The Sept. 11 First Responder’s Reception will be held at The TapHouse, located at 411 Hay St. in historic downtown Fayetteville, from 5:30-7 p.m. The event is being hosted by Eben Concepts, Up & Coming Weekly, Williford Hollers Crenshaw Boliek & Frangakis LLP, Huske Hardware House and other local businesses and organizations.

During the Aug. 20 Board of Commissioners meeting, Hope Mills received a plaque from the City-County Joint Appearance Commission, which recognized the dam at the 10th Annual Community Appearance Awards.

On Sept. 10, Town Manager Melissa Adams will travel to Seattle, Washington, to accept a second award, the National Rehabilitation Project of the Year Award from the Annual Association of State Dams Safety Officials.

Mayor Warner was approached by a representative for ASDSO several years ago and was told the town and dam might be eligible for the award. Since then, she’s worked with Melissa Adams to complete the lengthy application process.

Warner announced the award during the board’s July 23 meeting and opened the floor to discussion. Commissioner Jerry Legge made a motion to send Melissa Adams before any conversation was held. When Commissioner Pat Edwards asked them to consider sending Mayor Warner, the room fell silent. Commissioner Jessie Bellflowers suggested sending a citizen from the Lake Advisory Committee, but that, too, was rejected. Eventually, Commissioner Meg Larson announced that she supported the idea of sending one person. The board voted 4-1 to send Adams alone, with Edwards being the only member who voted against the plan.

The July 23 meeting was contentious from the start.

The Lone Survivor Foundation and its request to purchase municipal property was discussed through- out this meeting. Nearly two dozen citizens spoke in favor of the project when Warner suspended the rules to allow public comments. Several members of the board were opposed to allowing public comments, presumably comments about LSF. Tempers flared through the three-and-a-half-hour meeting, and Mayor Pro Tem Mike Mitchell, Bellflowers, Larson and all had outbursts at some point.

Bellflowers implied the process of bringing the proposal to the board was done incorrectly, then shouted at the mayor and accused her of interrupting him while he was technically speaking out of turn. When Larson asked to respond to a citizen and Warner didn’t allow it, Larson became agitated and spoke anyway. Mitchell insulted Robert van Geons, the president and CEO of the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation, when he asked if it was a conflict of interest for Teddy Warner, the mayor’s son and the director of business development for FDEDC, to be involved in partnering LSF with the town of Hope Mills. Mitchell also implied the LSF staff had colluded with Warner and her son to facilitate the sale.

There was a considerable amount of tension between the board members and the mayor by the time she broached the topic of the award. With the vote complete, Warner asked the board to give her permission to go and agreed to pay her own expenses. Mitchell, Larson, Legge and Bellflowers remained silent, heads down, refusing to make eye contact with Warner or the crowd. Edwards asked for a consensus, but the board refused to acknowledge even this small request.

On July 27, the Board of Directors of the Hope Mills Area Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to the town and the Board of Commissioners. They formally requested Jackie Warner be allowed to attend the award ceremony saying: “Mayor Warner has been working diligently and steadfast on the dam project for nearly four years and has played a vital role in acquiring the settlement to rebuild the damn and replenish the lake. Mayor Warner is the ambassador for the town of Hope Mills. It is only proper and fitting that she accompany Town Manager Adams in accepting this most prestigious and well-earned award.”

The Board of Commissioners have ignored the letter and refused to reply. Interestingly, there was a Board of Commissioners meeting scheduled for Sept. 10. At the Aug. 20 meeting, the board voted to cancel it since Adams would be in Seattle and couldn’t attend. There is nothing preventing Warner from attending the ceremony in Seattle, but she’s chosen to not attend, citing a need to honor the wishes of the board members.

Photos L to R: Jerry Legge, Jessie Bellflowers, Meg Larson, Mike Mitchell, Pat Edwards, Mayor Jackie Warner, Town Manager Melissa Adams

Dwight Smith, project director at Ellington-White Contemporary Gallery, had a specific reason to include a national abstract competition in the gallery’s 2018 exhibition year. Smith and Executive Director Calvin Mims both wanted to respond to a frequent question in the community: If representational artists paint in a way that depicts what is clearly identifiable, then what are abstract artists doing?

Two hundred fifty artists across the country answered the complex question by participating in an exhibition titled “Immersed in Abstraction: A National Juried Competition.” Of the 250 artists who entered the competition, 25 were selected to send original works for the gallery show at Ellington-White, and fifty-six artists are being represented in an online exhibition.

Artist Randy Akens was the final juror of a two-tiered jurying process. From Savannah, Georgia, Akens jurors’ statement is short: “The artists in ‘Immersed in Abstraction’ all provide quality of expression and reflect significant points of view nationwide.”

I think it’s important to expound on some central points about abstraction for anyone who would like to broaden their understanding about the abstract style.

The range of styles in “Immersed in Abstraction” confirms why there are countless texts published that examine the ideas or intent of abstract art. Of the many relevant approaches, I selected several significant and foundational modern/contemporary statements about the style – explanations that could alter one’s perception about a non-representational style when visiting any gallery.

As long ago as 1943, Ad Reinhardt’s statement about abstract works created clarity for many when he stated, “It is more difficult to write or talk about abstract art than any other painting because the content is not in a subject matter or story, but in the actual painting activity.”

The above statement is illustrated in all of the paintings in “Immersed in Abstraction.” For example, when looking at the brushy painted marks of Jean Banas’ “Misplaced Memories,” we know there are two figures in the picture plane – yet the act of painting becomes more important than the subject. The artist’s painting method becomes integral to the meaning of the work itself and the viewer’s interpretation.

Another important and well-known statement about abstract works was made by Douglas Huebler in 1968. Huebler, defending his position against being a representational artist, said, “The world is full of objects, more or less interesting; I do not wish to add any more. I prefer instead to simply state the existence of things in terms of time and/or place.” Huebler is not referencing the physical “objecthood” of an art object but is challenging the idea of why to reproduce or reference an illusion of an object or objects in a work of art.

When considering Huebler’s stance, I immediately think of the Hawaii-based artist Tara Cronin, whose work was accepted into the physical exhibition of “Immersed in Abstraction.” Hoping to “promote the idea of science and art as being symbiotic,” Cronin’s work is a pigment print with chlorophyll, pen, pencil and blood. Titled “Daybreak Archival,” something hair-like seems to float amidst a seemingly unknown language. The image conjures something that feels ancient with the universally personal.

When thinking about Cronin’s work, it’s easy to reflect back to Reinhardt’s statement about the importance of the actual activity of the making.

Cronin, an accomplished artist and someone who holds several co-patents with her partner, scientist Ed Chen, explores “the interface between the material and the individual by making photographically- based work involving images or prints combined with materials such as reconstituted hemoglobin and chlorophyllin as well as with dust and with liquid metals.” In lieu of practicing chiaroscuro to create the illusion of a three-dimensional object on a flat surface, Cronin shares her investigation of the expressive quality of materials.

Ellington-White Contemporary Gallery is pleased with the response of artists and the variety of mediums and styles in the exhibit. Ranging from professional and collectable works of art to works by emerging artists, the exhibit includes a range of media – monoprints, intaglio prints, paintings, mixed media, photographs and computer graphics. From the figurative to non-objective, visitors to the gallery will see painterly expressionism as well as hard-edged minimalism, social commentary and personal investigative approaches to art-making, science and politics.

The politics of M. Wilk’s mixed media work titled “Control Series: Regulation” investigates today’s culture. By combining a mix of stenciled flat people shapes floating above collaged papers, the painterly mark-making exudes an industrial essence. The artist described the “Control Series” as “a dialogue regarding our society and culture in today’s age. The works touch on surveillance regarding the digital landscape we live in, the Elite, consumerism and money.”

Here is one last statement about the possibilities of abstract art before this article comes to an end. In 2010, Bob Nickas, in his book titled “Painting Abstraction: New Elements in Abstract Painting,” said, “Maybe abstract painting has become a form of imaginative fiction. Here, the painter of abstract life reflects on the world without submission to its direct rendering and counters every other representation... the painter of abstract life slows down perception... Abstract painting can be its own subject, its own world, one that reveals itself slowly over time and may not look exactly the same to us from one day to the next.”

And so it is with all of the works in the exhibit. Visitors will need to attend the exhibit several times to see how the works can change from one day to another.

All of the above are reasons to visit “Immersed in Abstraction: A National Juried Competition.” Thinking about new ways of seeing can influence one’s appreciation of works of art in stimulating ways and can even alter one’s own creative approach.

The show will remain up until Sept. 22. Ellington-White Contemporary Gallery is located at 113 Gillespie St. Gallery hours are Wednesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. View the online exhibition at www.ellington-white.com. For information on the exhibit or on a Sept. 18 Abstract Monoprint Workshop, call 910-483-1388.