MISS: Leaf season

The Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Fayetteville as a Tree City for 15 years. A lot of trees means a lot of leaves and pine needles. This year’s loose-leaf collection schedule is a joke. All the leaves cannot possibly be collected by city crews with one sweep through each neighborhood. There used to be two sweeps each fall. Because of the cutback in this basic service, leaves are left in the street.

HIT: Transit Center

Finally, the new, $12.6 million transit center is open. Facilities for Greyhound have not yet been constructed, but the city is providing the carrier temporary office space. The new, brightly lit terminal provides comfort and efficiency for riders and brings Fayetteville in line with other large North Carolina cities.

MISS: Traffic enforcement

Former Police Chief Harold Medlock promised a significant expansion of the department’s traffic division. But then he retired. Let’s hope Chief Gina Hawkins recognizes that the Fayetteville Police Department must make a significant increase is visible, aggressive efforts to stop red-light running and speeding.

MISS: Trash recycling station

The recycling center hasn’t been in place on Fort Bragg Road near the recreation center for a few years now. Maybe it’s time the city takes down the sign.

HIT: New and improved streets

The city of Fayetteville is to be commended for the resurfacing of major thoroughfares across the city. The state Department of Transportation is also doing its part, and Owen Drive should be among the next arteries to be improved.

MISS: Yielding instead of stopping

Most drivers do not stop for stop signs. They usually check both ways and cruise on through intersections. The city should consider replacing most stop signs with yield signs, ’cause that’s what we do.

Activities

• Every Monday and Friday, the Alms House serves meals from noon to 12:30 p.m. and 5-5:30 p.m. Saturday meals are at noon, and Sunday meals are at 5 p.m. Free. Contact, Grilley Mitchell at (910) 476-3719 or visit www.almshousehopemills. com for details.

• Hope Mills Youth baseball, softball and indoor soccer registration is open through Feb. 28, 4:30 p.m. Baseball ages 5-14, Softball ages 7-5, instructional soccer ages 5-6, indoor soccer ages 7-12. Eligibility cut-off date for baseball and indoor soccer is May 1. Softball cut-off date is Jan. 1. Proof of address and birth certificate are required to register. Call 910-426-4105 for more information.

• Hope Mills Youth wrestling registration is open until Feb. 2 for ages 6-12. Practices are held at Brower Park. Matches are held at Myers Recreation Center. $30 per child. Proof of address and birth certificate are required to register. Call 910-426-4105 for more information.

Meetings

• Jan. 8 Hope Mills Chamber January Luncheon at Hope Mills Park and Recreation from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Enjoy a meal, network, and talk about the new year. Pivot Physical Therapy will be the guest speaker. Cost for lunch is $10. Purchase tickets at www.hopemillschamber.org.

• Jan. 8 The Board of Commissioners of the town of Hope Mills has scheduled a public hearing at 7 p.m. at Hope Mills Town Hall, 5770 Rockfish Rd., Room #120, on the question of annexing the following described territory, requested by petition filed pursuant to G. S. 160A-3 l: The described area of land lies on the western side of Woodspring Drive to include Cumberland County Parcel ID #s 0404-31-3069, 0404-31-8623 and 0404-32-6039 named West Hampton Phase II and is 75.85 +/-acres. This is a contiguous annexation. The public is invited to attend the meeting to offer comments or ask questions.

• Alcoholics Anonymous meetings Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. at Hope Mills United Methodist Church, 4955 Legion Rd.

• Hope Mills Board of Commissioners Meeting first and third Monday of each month at the Town Hall Building at 7 p.m.

• Hope Mills Area Kiwanis Club second Tuesdays at noon at Buckhead Steakhouse (Sammio’s starting in Feb.) and fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. at Mi Casita in Hope Mills. For details, call (910) 237-1240.

Volunteer

• Volunteer coaches needed for Hope Mills Youth sports. Pick up coach applications and background check forms at the front counter of the Hope Mills Recreation Center. Call 910-426-4105 for more information.

• Adopt-A-Street Help keep the streets of Hope Mills clean by adopting one near your home or business. Contact the Street Department at https:// townofhopemills.com/200/Maintenance for details.

• Adopt-A-Drain Join volunteers from all over town who help keep storm drains clean and free of debris. Help prevent flooding, protect wildlife, and keep the town’s water clean and safe. Visit the Adopt- A-Drain Program page to get started: www.townofhopemills.com/203/Adopt-ADrain- Program.

• Citizen’s Police Academy The Training Department at the Hope Mills Police Department offers a training course for citizens to become more prepared and involved in the safety of their community. Download the application to get started: www.townofhopemills.com/DocumentCenter/Home/View/62.

• Firefighters The Hope Mills Fire Department employs both career staff and volunteers. Find out the criteria and training requirements for volunteer firefighters and join the team today: www.townofhopemills.com/155/Volunteer-Firefighters.

Stay in the know

• The NC Community Development Initiative Small Business Disaster Recovery Program offers loans to small businesses affected by Hurricane Matthew. The funds are available for gab penancing, predevelopment, new construction, rehabilitation, working capital, equipment and inventory. The Affordable housing program offers loans for the development of projects that expand access to disaster recovery affordable housing. The rental housing repair program offers funds for owners of rental housing whose properties were damaged in Hurricane Matthew. Learn more at ncinitiative.org/initiative-capital.

• The Hope Mills Senior Program is seeking qualified instructors in the areas of fitness, creative arts, crafting and dance to teach classes and/or workshops to older adults ages 55 and up. Format and scheduling are flexible. Contact Kasey Ivey or Anne Evanco for more information: 910-426-4109.

Promote yourself

To have your business, organization or event included in this section, email us: hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com.

Time flies when you are having fun. Fruit flies like bananas. Seems like only yesterday, the year 1918 was only 99 years old. Now 1918 is coming up on its 100th birthday and it doesn’t look a day over 80. To celebrate this occasion, hop on board Mr. Peabody’s Time Machine and let us reminisce about what was doing back in 1918.

A lot of things happened in 1918, and like in the Overlook Hotel, not all of them were good. The year started with a bang as Finland and the USSR finally dropped the Julian Calendar and switched over to the Gregorian Calendar. In a day that will live in infamy, Mississippi became the first state to ratify the 18th Amendment, which prohibited the use of alcohol. Prohibition did not work out quite as well as its proponents had hoped, although it made a lot of money for moonshiners, including JFK’s daddy. The first Tarzan movie debuted in 1918, paving the way for an endless series of Ape Man flicks.

On a sad note in February, Incas, the last Carolina Parakeet, died at the Cincinnati Zoo. Carolina Parakeets once numbered in the millions but, unfortunately for them, their plumage was attractive to ladies of fashion, so off they went. Incas died in the very same cage in which Martha the last passenger pigeon crossed over the rainbow. The moral of that story is that if you are the last of your breed, stay out of the Cincinnati Zoo.

The first case of the Spanish flu appeared in March of 1918 at Fort Riley, Kansas. This flu went on to become a pandemic killing an estimated 50 to 100 million people. My very own grandfather was supposed to become the superintendent of schools in Wilmington, North Carolina, in the fall of 1918. But by the time he got there, all the schools had closed due to the flu. The schools were converted to hospitals for flu victims. With no schools open, there was no need for a school superintendent. He was hired to go tell the bad news to the families of flu victims who had died in the schools. This was not a job he enjoyed.

In April, Snoopy’s nemesis, Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the Red Baron, shot down his 79th and 80th Allied planes before being terminated with extreme prejudice the next day after a profound collision with the earth. In a fit of attempting to stuff the First Amendment into the dust bin of history, Congress passed the Sedition Act of 1918, which made it a crime to criticize the government. If you think President Trump would like to reinstate the Sedition Act of 1918, please raise your hand. Later that year, the House of Representatives tried to make amends by passing the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.

The Russian czar, Nicholas II, had a bad day at the office when he and his family were executed by a Bolshevik firing squad in July of 1918. U.S. soldier and Gary Cooper lookalike Alvin York had a good day at the office by shooting 20 Germans and capturing 132 of the Huns. Meanwhile, Lawrence of Arabia led Arab forces and captured Damascus from the Turks, which ultimately led to a movie of the same name winning seven Academy Awards – including Best Picture in 1963. In October of 1918, Boris become king of Bulgaria. Don’t know much about Bulgarian history, but I think living in a country ruled by a dude named King Boris would be kind of cool.

World War I finally ended on Nov. 11, 1918, at 11 a.m., leaving an estimated 16 to 18 million dead and over 20 million wounded. As Bob Dylan once sang, “The first World War came and it went/The reason for fighting, I never did get.” Now we tend to commemorate Veterans Day by having mattress sales, which somehow honors the 18 million dead.

In December, Robert Ripley published his first “Believe it or Not” newspaper column that led to the creation of the Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum at Myrtle Beach, USA.

For reasons that remain shrouded in the mists of time, future FBI director and America’s most famous cross-dressing crime fighter, John E. Hoover, decided to change his name to J. Edgar Hoover. Only Carl Tolson, J. Edgar’s longtime companion and close friend, knew for sure why J. Edgar swapped out his name. Carl ain’t telling because Carl has crossed the Great Divide and is buried close to J. Edgar.

So happy birthday, 1918. 100 is the new 80.

Photo: J. Edgar Hoover and Ripley’s Believe It or Not both experienced significant events in 1918.

Derik Nelson and his siblings have been performing since they were quite young. Up & Coming Weekly interviewed them about their upcoming show at Givens Performing Arts Center Jan. 9.

Up & Coming Weekly: Do you write your own music? If so, where do you find inspiration for your songs?

Derik: Yes. About half the songs we perform in our touring show are original songs I’ve written the music and lyrics for. Audiences can expect the other half to be covers from a variety of genres, eras and styles, done in our own three-partharmony arrangements. I’m consistently inspired by my musical heroes. Sting, John Mayer and Pat Metheny are three of many. I love artists who use a lot of styles and genres in their music and aren’t afraid to push boundaries. It inspires me to continue to take chances, try new arrangements, and not allow a genre boundary or style dictate how or why I create.

UCW: Can you talk about the visual aspect of your performances?

Dalten: At our show in Pembroke, the audience will experience a visual backdrop featuring video and audio throughout the show, and it’s all synced to the live vocals. I’ve spent the last few years filming, editing, producing and creating over 200 different videos to span the stage.

Riana: What audiences might not know is Derik plays a lot of different instruments: guitar, piano, saxophone, drums, bass, flute, etc. Dalten and Derik started collaborating years ago, filming music videos for Derik’s YouTube channel, which has since grown to have over 3.6 million views. We found a creative way to allow Derik to play all the instruments he loves as part of our video backdrop. I’ll keep our method a secret until audiences can see the show!

UCW: What do you love most about performing?

Derik: I love being able to connect with people. Music transcends any age, religion, language. Especially when people come up after shows with tears in their eyes, saying that they were moved or impacted or changed somehow by a lyric, or a song … that’s the human connection through music I think all three of us love so much.

UCW: How do you unwind?

Dalten: “When I’m not touring, I spend a lot of time in nature and at the gym. It really grounds me to lift weights and focus on fitness.

Riana: I love calligraphy and watercolor painting. When I’m not touring, I paint and often do custom commission work for others. I love cooking vegan and vegetarian recipes too, which is not something I get to do while traveling for work, so it really relaxes me. I’m also a huge fan of “This Is Us” and always look forward to watching it with my mom. We call it “This Is Us Crying.” Such a brilliant show!

Derik: I love writing new lyrics and music. I can spend all day working on a new song or recording. I love layering instruments and vocals to create almost like a choir sound, and this is also how I often come up with new ideas for songs, too. That time to explore is really relaxing to me and helps me unwind. And I love taking the ferry in Seattle. It’s one of the quickest ways I relax!

UCW: For someone who has never heard you perform, how would you describe your music?

Derik: It’s pop music that’s acoustic-based, with folk, jazz and rock influences, all with a focus on the three-part harmony sibling sound. There’s something special about sibling voices blending together. I love the blend that’s possible when singing with family.

Visit www.uncp.edu or call 910-521-6000 for tickets and information.

Photo: Derik Nelson & Family will be at GPAC Jan. 9. L to R: Dalten, Derik, Riana.

Xavier Callejas

E.E. Smith • Senior •

Football

Callejas has a grade point average of 4.29. In addition to playing football, he’s secretary of the Student Government Association.

Peyton Rouse

Gray’s Creek • Senior •

Volleyball/Softball

Rouse has a grade point average of 3.83. She’s active in the National Honor Society, Future Farmers of America and Academic and Intellectually Gifted.

Congratulations to these Southeastern Athletic Officials Association officials who called the 2-AA football finals at Kenan Stadium between East Duplin and Lenoir Hibriten.

Pictured left, L-R: Christina Snead, down judge; Travis Lewis, back judge; Oliver Sanders, side judge; Tony Haire, referee; Danny Bowers, line judge; Chip Bishop, field judge; and Eric Cole, umpire.

This week, Publisher Bill Bowman yields this space to Margaret Dickson, longtime Up & Coming Weekly columnist. Enjoy her eloquent and thought provoking New Year reflections.

A new year always feels fresh.

Gone are the decorations and general holiday clutter. Our homes feel spare and open to new possibilities. We are back into our routines of work and school and doing our darnedest to live up to the resolutions we made with such determination. The new year is a blank slate that opens at midnight, one which will mark another chapter in the journeys of our lives.

We also experience evolutions, changes that come slowly over time, sometimes so subtly we may not recognize them at all. One that struck me only when I read a newspaper article about it is that Christmas in America is becoming more of a holiday than a holy day. The non-partisan Pew Research Center, which polls on many aspects of American life, released findings just before Christmas on how Americans now see the two-millennia old religious observance. It is now more of a secular and cultural holiday than a religious one, with only 57 percent of us professing to believe all four elements of the biblical account of the birth of Jesus.

The study finds that some of us do find more meaning in the religious significance of Christmas while others of us find special meaning in gatherings of family and friends and in being kind to others, and some of us feel both aspects of Christmas observance. Just as Western Europe has become more secular, Pew Research finds so too is the United States.

No American could have missed the increasing concern over the opioid epidemic in our country. Some of us have experienced it personally and painfully through our own addictions or those of people we love. Some of us have lost someone dear.

Now we find that the opioid epidemic strikes women more quickly and more severely than men, creating a gender disparity that leaves women in worse health. The numbers are startling. Opioid overdose rates for men have increased some 265 percent since the epidemic took hold, but for women that number is an eye-popping 400 percent. Some of the disparity may revolve around the reality that women are generally smaller than men and should have lower dosages of prescription drugs and some around the fact that women are prescribed longer regimens. Whatever the reasons, though, the disparities are there. Writing in the Los Angeles Times, health economist Ken Sagynbekov advocates for more extensive health care coverage, including in Medicaid and Medicare, something both North Carolina and the federal government have resisted. Says Sagynbekov, “The long-term consequences of ignoring the gender gap in health should frighten us more than political tempests.”

He is right.

Back to the ever-curious Pew Research Center polling findings. Many an American family jokes about young adult children returning to the nest, and there is truth in those jokes. For the first time in modern American history – more than 130 years – young adults ages 18- 34 are choosing to live with their parents more often than any other living arrangement, including with roommates or significant others and even marriage.

Interestingly, more returnees are sons, not daughters, probably because young men have seen both declining employment rates and incomes. Living at home is a trend that predates the Great Recession, but one that has probably been exacerbated by it. Pew Research says the trend is fueled by young people waiting until age 35 or longer to commit romantically, whether they marry or just decide to combine households, what the U.S. Census Bureau calls “cohabitation.”

Another factor at play is educational attainment. Less-educated young people are more likely to live with parents than their more educated contemporaries, probably because of lower incomes. Young adults with college degrees have done much better economically in the workplace, making it more likely that they are able to establish their own homes. Add to this another Pew Research finding that roughly six in 10 Americans 35 and under are living “unpartnered,” and it is apparent that significant social change is indeed underway. Racially and ethnically, a record percentage of young black and Hispanic people, 36 percent, are living with parents.

As 2018 unfolds its new, fresh and unmarked self in our lives, we may be concentrating on what we can do to make our mark on it. We can also be mindful of outside forces, which shape our lives as much or more than anything we control ourselves.

Fayetteville Technical Community College has been ranked first nationally among large community colleges that serve military members and their families. Military Friendly® Schools and Victory Media are in their 16th year of ranking colleges. They provide a comprehensive guide for veterans and their families using data from federal agencies, students and survey information. This year, student survey data was taken into consideration for the designation.

“Our ability to apply a clear, consistent standard to colleges creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages colleges to invest in programs to provide educational outcomes that are better for veterans,” said Victory Media’s Chief Product Officer Daniel Nichols. Victory Media is the originator of the family of Military Friendly® Schools program. The ranking is available at militaryfriendly.com.

Local firms enthusiastic about baseball stadium

Already, the planned center-city minor league baseball stadium is having a positive economic impact. Barton Malow, general contractor for its construction, has encouraged local contractors to bid on sub-contracting projects. “Just under 40 percent of the projected stadium project has been bid, and over 83 percent of that work will be going to local or Small Disadvantaged Business Enterprise contractors,” said Kristoff Bauer, deputy city manager, who is serving as project manager. “This means that the project has already achieved at least 32 percent local participation for the entire project.”

Bauer went on to say, “Reaching city council’s 40 percent objective should be very achievable.”

A Single-A Advanced farm team of the Houston Astros will be the primary tenant of the multi-purpose stadium. The Astros signed a 30- year contract and lease with the city of Fayetteville to provide the team. Groundbreaking for the stadium was held in August, and grounds preparation began several weeks ago. The ball park is expected to be completed in time for the team to begin Carolina League play in April of 2019.

Inmate re-entry program

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety is awarding contracts to local organizations to establish five new re-entry councils in Cumberland, Onslow, Jones, Guilford, Pamlico, Craven and Forsyth to help people released from prison transition back into their communities. The hope is to help communities prevent repeat offenders. A contract for $150,000 will go to Action Pathways, Inc., in Cumberland County.

Re-entry councils are networks of community-based organizations that work together to assist people returning from prison by providing necessary local services like housing, employment, food, clothing, treatment, transportation and mentoring.

“When people have served their time, we want them to become productive members of society for their own success and for the safety and success of our communities,” Governor Roy Cooper said.

Grinding of the Greens

The 24th Annual Fayetteville Grinding of the Greens Christmas Tree Recycling program is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 13. The program encourages Fayetteville residents to recycle their live Christmas trees. Since 1994, the project has kept thousands of pounds of recyclable material out of the landfill. PWC employees, along with workers of the city of Fayetteville and Duke Energy, partner each year to turn the trees into mulch.

City trucks will collect trees left at curbside beginning Monday, Jan. 8. Residents should put their trees out for collection by that morning. All lights, stands and trimmings should be removed. Residents who live outside the city or miss the pickup may drop off trees at the Fayetteville Community Garden at the corner of Van Story and Mann Streets just off Old Wilmington Road.

Gallery 208 is pleased to introduce artist Joseph Begnaud to Fayetteville, North Carolina, in his first solo exhibition at a local gallery in this city. “Joseph Begnaud: Separate from the Natural World” opens with an artist’s reception Tuesday, Jan. 9, at Gallery 208 from 5:30-7 p.m. The exhibit will hang until March 15.

Visitors will readily see Begnaud’s preference for placing a solitary figure in an environment that is equally important as the figure itself. In an exhibit that includes work produced during the last 12 years, the figure always appears theatrical – yet, depending on the year and scale, there is a striking difference in the way the figure is represented.

For example, the larger works in the exhibit created 10 years ago in a series titled “fictional transitions” appear deceivingly descriptive compared to the abstracted smaller works in his series titled “small ones.”

No matter what the scale is in Begnaud’s work, an underlying theme appears to be the figure in states of being and transformation. The figure is never separate from the environment. What changes is how the figures merge with and ultimately into the environment. The background, or environment, of the larger works is never still, never flattened but shifting and vibrating. In comparison, the environment in the small works is abstract and oozy.

As well as a shift in scale, the artist’s approach to color and to painterly qualities to express meaning has changed throughout his body of work. In the paintings titled “Cockatoo Formal” (2004-2005) or “Untitled” (2005), Begnaud’s palette had already become more monochromatic than his earlier works. In moving past the narrative, one can see the pictorial form of his style relies on mass and shadow to create fluidity. Details depend upon color rather than line, and the viewer’s eyes move across the surface of the painting to see past the figure toward the essence of the painting.

Subtle linear elements are always present in the artist’s works. However, in the later small works, Begnaud gives way to immerse the figure in a dominant, painterly environment of mark-making and color. The artist commented: “Working small is a relatively recent development. I find that the works on paper have a very different quality as objects than the larger work that relies on scale for effect. Their viewing space is more intimate, which places a greater demand on pictorial space just as it allows more range of appreciation for surface texture and mark.”

Many visitors seeing an artist’s work are interested in the artist’s process. Begnaud refers to his paintings as dreams. He stated, “My paintings are dreams, not because they reference actual experiences or illustrations of a literal dream that I have had. Dreaming is a play of the mind that operates on a level of metaphor and emotion. References are derived from daily life but are in no way subject to reality’s normal laws. My painting process often begins abstractly, without a model, and projects images from memory and imagination directly onto the canvas. Passages of paint transform into sleepers and animals, and the narrative develops with the image.”

The artist’s formal training and his experiences have had a direct influence on his style and his series of paintings. Begnaud earned a Bachelor of Fine Art in Studio from the University of Dayton, in Dayton, Ohio. While a student at the University of Dayton, he received a four-week study grant to live and work in Florence, Italy. The artist said, “This first international experience, which included excursions to Sienna, Rome and Pompeii, greatly affected my work, inspiring the ‘sleep series,’ which I began in the fall of 1995.”

Directly after completing his BFA, Begnaud was awarded a full scholarship to Indiana University in Bloomington. He graduated with Master of Fine Arts in Painting. He lived and worked in New York for two years before working briefly in Saint Louis, Missouri, and Interlochen, Michigan, at the Interlochen Center for the Arts.

In 2001, Begnaud moved to Portland, Maine, and joined the Artist’s Studio Community. For the last four years, he has resided in Warsaw, Poland, during the summers and studied art in the galleries and museums of Warsaw, Krakow and Wroclaw, all of which are in Poland, and Prague, the Czech Republic and Vienna, Austria.

In 2006, he began a collaboration with Stefan Niedzialkowski and the actors of the Mimes Studio in Warsaw, which culminated in an exhibition of drawings at the Center for Mazovian Culture in Warsaw, in 2007.

Presently, Begnaud is an associate professor of Art at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, in Pembroke, North Carolina. Some of his most recent solo exhibitions in North Carolina include the following: “Curious Company” at the SE Health Foundation in Lumberton, in 2015; “Portraits: Actual and Imagined” at the Bladenboro Art Gallery in Bladenboro, in 2014; and “Northern Stories” at Givens Performing Arts Center in Pembroke, in 2013.

A short list of Begnaud’s most recent group exhibitions in 2016 includes: “In Your Dreams: National Juried Exhibition,” San Rafael, California; “tXtMe,” National Juried Exhibition at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art in Santa Ana, California; and “Words: A National Juried Exhibition,” in Lincoln, California.

An accomplished professional artist, Begnaud noted how the metaphor is relevant in his work. Visitors to “Joseph Begnaud: Separate from the Natural World” at Gallery 208 will see how he has created a metaphorical, conceptual framework to simulate the viewer’s imagination for new ways of looking. The first opportunity to see his work will be at the opening and artist reception Jan. 9. The public is invited. The artist will speak at 6 p.m.

Gallery 208 is located at 208 Rowan St. in downtown Fayetteville at the headquarters of Up & Coming Weekly. The gallery is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. For information, call 910-484-6200 or visit www.upandcomingweekly.com and click on Gallery 208.

When she opened The Front Door and More in November 2011, owner Cathy Johnson fulfilled a lifelong dream. She sells one-of-a-kind, handmade wreaths to adorn your front door – and more.

“When I was very small, … I would go out and break limbs off things and pick flowers, and I would make things for my momma,” Johnson said. “I would just always dream of doing something like this.” When she was in high school, she said, she’d ask florists if she could help them sweep the floors in exchange for being allowed to watch them arrange flowers.

Today, she puts her selftaught talents to use and creates custom wreaths. “I do have wreaths already made in the shop, but I love it when someone comes in and says, ‘Can you do this?’ We discuss it, and I try to see what’s in their mind and convey that into either a grapevine wreath or a decomesh wreath,” Johnson said.

Of the various materials she uses in her creations, she said, “There’s no limit. … Depending on the wreath, there will be different items in it. Say that you had children in your home and you wanted that wreath to be whimsical and fun. You (might have) elf legs out the top, brightly covered balls and different colors of ribbon.”

Johnson said she recently created a wreath for a customer who wanted a nature-driven aesthetic. The customer also wanted a wreath that could be used year-round rather than just at Christmastime. Johnson crafted a large, oval grapevine base and loaded it with silk or plastic evergreen boughs, burgundy magnolia, berries, pine cones and a custom burlap bow that says “Merry Christmas.” Once the holidays are over, the customer will be able to return to the shop, and Johnson will change out the Christmas bow with a year-round bow, free of charge.

The average price of a wreath, depending on size and materials, ranges from $39-$79. Customers receive their creation within a week of ordering.

In the “And More” category, Johnson also sells silk floral arrangements, flags, candles and various small gift items. The flags include the popular brands Custom Decor and Evergreen Flag and are not, Johnson said, the kind you could find at larger retail stores. Her selection includes regional flags, flags with Southern sayings, seasonal flags and flags inspired by nature.

The candles are made by A Cheerful Giver. “The reason I chose that company is because they give back to their community. They employ mentally challenged adults,” Johnson said.

Community is just as much a part of Johnson’s drive as is her love for making wreaths. “There’s not one wreath that goes out of this shop that has not been prayed for,” she said. “That’s just something that I always do. I pray for the home it’s going in, for peace, for laughter, and for every guest that goes through the front door that it be a wonderful experience.

That’s one of the differences in shopping with a local merchant. … That’s why these little ole’ hometown places are so special. You might come in here and not find one thing. You might’ve thought you came in here to buy something, but you really didn’t – you came in here to tell me something that you needed to tell somebody. I don’t know your family, so I can’t go tell them. It’s really more like the local gas station the way it used to be 15 years ago, but for women.”

The importance of community factored into her decision to open on Trade Street, as well. The Front Door and More is located in a renovated mill house that’s over 100 years old. It has a front porch, where Johnson puts out chairs in the spring and summer and encourages people to sit and talk – even if they never enter the store.

“I had an older couple that came in the summer that was raised in this town and moved on,” Johnson said. “They remembered this house; the people that lived here. And they said, ‘Do you mind if we sit on the porch for a little while?’ They were reliving their childhood on the porch.”

Johnson said she’d love to see Trade Street return to its previous vibrancy in terms of both community and economy, and she’s glad to be one of many business owners working toward that goal.

“When I got to be 60 years of age, I said just because I am 60 does not mean I cannot try to fulfill my dream that I’ve had my whole life,” she said. “It was like, ok, I have nothing to lose but everything to gain. That’s basically why I (did) it. To show myself and others just because you get to a certain age, don’t let that age define who you are. Go for your dreams.”

The Front Door and More is located at 5548 Trade St. in Hope Mills. Visit www.thefrontdoorandmore.com, like the business on Facebook, or call (910) 425-2204 for more information.

Business hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

GIRLS

Coach: Kelvin Mills

Top returners: Makayla Kimble, 5-7, Jr., G; Dakota Thompson, 5-10, Sr., C.

Top newcomers: Azeris Thomas, 5-9, Fr., G/F; Kaylee Kiebler, 5-9, Fr., F.

Coach’s comment: “We return two starters, Kimble and Thompson, both team captains, and a good 3-point shooter in Gabi Wilson. We opened the season with two players injured, and we need them to give us a lot of minutes. We hope to have them back by Christmas. We need to hit the ground running and come together quickly as a team. We are young, and in one of the most competitive basketball towns in the state, it will be a challenge for the girls every night we take the court.’’

BOYS

Coach: Kurtis Darden

Top returners: Chris Dodoo, 6-7, Jr., F; Derrick Quansah, 6-11, Jr., F.

Top newcomers: Trevino McCrae, 6-0, Jr., G; Junub Chuol, 6-3, Sr., G; Khauth Gatkuoth, 6-6, Jr, G; Ahmad Baker, 5-11, Jr., G; Harry Miles, 5-8, Jr., G.

Coach’s comment: “This year’s team should be very competitive. We should be very strong defensively and hope to improve with each game throughout the season.’’

PHOTOS: (Top, L-R:Girls’ basketball coach Kelvin Mills & Top returner Makayla Kimble / Bottom, L-R: Boys’ basketball coach Kurtis Darden & Top returner Derrick Quansah)

It is clear to me that Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and far too many other Black Americans in positions of leadership or influence are disgracing the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Among the synonyms for disgrace that appear in Webster’s New World Thesaurus: dishonor, disregard, disrespect, heap dirt upon. Vocabulary.com defines legacy as “something handed down from one generation to the next. A retiring company president might leave a legacy of honesty and integrity.” King’s legacy is one of respect and love for others, thoughtfulness, commitment to nonviolence, faithfulness to God’s direction, orientation toward clear and noble goals, a willingness to die for what he believed and a multitude of other humanity-lifting qualities. Lewis and others are disgracing this legacy.

This thought of King’s legacy being disgraced occurs to me from time to time. However, the reports of Lewis and other black leaders boycotting the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum Dec. 9, 2017, demanded I assess this action considering King’s legacy. In an article titled “Boycotted by black leaders, Trump speaks at civil rights museum opening,” Nancy Cook wrote, “Several civil rights leaders, including Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), boycotted the event after the Mississippi governor extended a last-minute invitation to the president. The NAACP urged Trump not to attend the event. Trump did not mention Lewis in his remarks.

“Civil rights veterans said that the president’s track record was poor on such issues – from his criticism of NFL players who supported the Black Lives Matter cause to his treatment of women and the disabled to the questions he frequently raised during his campaign about the legitimacy of the country’s first African-American president, President Obama.”

Lewis also refused to attend Trump’s inauguration. His reasoning comes through, in the following, from an article by Chuck Todd, Sally Bronston and Matt Rivera titled “Rep. John Lewis: ‘I don’t see Trump as a legitimate president:’”

“In an exclusive interview with NBC News’ ‘Meet the Press,’ Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., said he does not believe Donald Trump is a ‘legitimate president,’ citing Russian interference in last year’s election.

“Asked whether he would try to forge a relationship with the president-elect, Lewis said that he believes in forgiveness, but added, ‘it’s going to be very difficult. I don’t see this president-elect as a legitimate president.’”

I see the two boycotts referenced above as thoughtless, knee-jerk reactions that bypassed opportunities for educating a president about the Civil Rights Movement and creating a positive atmosphere for negotiating with him. Without a doubt, Lewis was a major contributor to the success of the Civil Rights Movement. The question at hand is: How are Lewis and others treating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? King’s “Letter from the Birmingham City Jail” is one of many resources that provide substantive insights for answering the question.

The letter was written by King, dated April 16, 1963, while he was being held in the Birmingham city jail for leading and participating in demonstrations against segregation in the city. Eight Alabama clergymen had, on April 12, 1963, published a statement in a newspaper, signed by each of them, urging blacks to withdraw their support for King and his demonstrations. These clergy were in basic agreement with King that segregation should be addressed; however, they disagreed with his approach. They called for negotiation and use of the legal system in pursuing needed change. They described King as an “outsider” who used “extreme measures” that incited “hatred and violence.” To productively consider what I want to present now regarding King’s legacy and how it is being disgraced, one should read the clergymen’s statement and King’s response at: https://moodle.tiu.edu/ pluginfile.php/57183/mod_resource/content/1/ StatementAndResponseKingBirmingham1.pdf.

Given that King is writing to men who publicly challenged his being in Birmingham and characterized his actions as inciting “hatred and violence,” his very greeting contributes to defining King’s legacy – what he left to us. To these men, he wrote, “My Dear Fellow Clergymen.” He puts forth an atmosphere conducive to thoughtfully addressing difficult issues.

King then calmly, in detail, speaks to every point raised by these clergymen. On the “outsider” objection, he explains that he is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. That organization had 85 affiliated organizations across the South. The Alabama Christian Movement of Human Rights was one of the affiliates. The Birmingham affiliate asked him to come, along with other staff members, and engage in “nonviolent direct action.”

King’s letter continues, “But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their “thus saith the Lord” far beyond the boundaries of their hometowns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own hometown. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.”

King calmly addressed the outsider objection by showing that he was in Birmingham by invitation and because there was a need.

Regarding the call for negotiation, King wrote, “In any nonviolent campaign, there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action. We have gone through all these steps in Birmingham. There can be no gainsaying the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community. Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. Its ugly record of brutality is widely known. Negroes have experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts. There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other city in the nation. These are the hard, brutal facts of the case. On the basis of these conditions, Negro leaders sought to negotiate with the city fathers. But the latter consistently refused to engage in good faith negotiation.”

In that segment, he addressed the failed effort at negotiation while reminding these clergymen that his is a nonviolent approach.

Consider what King wrote as he neared the end of the letter: “If I have said anything in this letter that overstates the truth and indicates an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. If I have said anything that understates the truth and indicates my having a patience that allows me to settle for anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me.”

Finally, a statement from the last paragraph: “I also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil-rights leader but as a fellow clergyman and a Christian brother.”

Again, Martin King Jr.’s legacy is one of respect and love for others, thoughtfulness, commitment to nonviolence, faithfulness to God’s direction, orientation toward clear and noble goals, a willingness to die for what he believed, and a multitude of other humanity-lifting qualities. All of this shows through in that letter from the Birmingham city jail.

Consider this legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and honestly examine the attitudes and actions of Lewis and, in our time, other black Americans in positions of leadership or influence. Also, consider all the good King did for America and the world through his approach, as compared with the accomplishments of those who, I contend, disgrace his legacy. With few exceptions, I believe you will find people who, like Lewis, in the face of tremendously challenging issues, engage in thoughtless, knee-jerk reactions that feed an atmosphere of discord and pure hatred; the result is societal regression. Without regard to skin color, all Americans would be wise to understand, appreciate, and allow the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to inform our living and serving.

Photo: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Activities

• Every Monday and Friday, the Alms House serves meals from noon to 12:30 p.m. and 5-5:30 p.m. Saturday meals are at noon, and Sunday meals are at 5 p.m. Free. Contact, Grilley Mitchell at (910) 476-3719 or visit www.almshousehopemills. com for details.

• Dec. 29 Support your local hockey team. Watch the Fayetteville Marksmen vs. the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs at the Crown. Learn more about the team and purchase tickets at www.marksmenhockey.com.

• Dec. 30 Celebrate Kwanzaa at Smith Recreation Center from 6-8 p.m. Bring your favorite food dish to share. Free. Call (910) 485-8035 for details.

Meetings

• Jan. 8 Hope Mills Chamber January Luncheon at Hope Mills Park and Recreation from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Enjoy a meal, network, and talk about the new year. Pivot Physical Therapy will be the guest speaker. Cost for lunch is $10. Purchase tickets at www.hopemillschamber.org.

• Alcoholics Anonymous meetings Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. at Hope Mills United Methodist Church, 4955 Legion Rd.

• Hope Mills Board of Commissioners Meeting first and third Monday of each month at the Town Hall Building at 7 p.m.

• Hope Mills Area Kiwanis Club second Tuesdays at noon at Buckhead Steakhouse (Sammio’s starting in Feb.) and fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. at Mi Casita in Hope Mills. For more information, call (910) 237-1240.

Get involved

Join other motivated citizens on one of the town’s boards, commissions, or committees. Contact the town for information on current vacancies and the application process: www.townofhopemills.com/directory.aspx

• The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee – fourth Mondays at Hope Mills Recreation Center, 6:30 p.m. This committee seeks to recommend and plan programs of recreation activities and events. In addition to the regular membership, there are two liaison members who represent the Hope Mills Senior Citizens Club and the Hope Mills Youth Association.

• The Lake Advisory Committee – second Tuesdays at the Hope Mills Recreation Center, 6 p.m. The purpose of the committee is to advise and make recommendations regarding various issues pertaining to the safety and environment of the lake and preserving it as a valuable resource to the town.

• The Appearance Commission – fourth Tuesdays at Hope Mills Recreation Center, 7 p.m. This committee seeks to enhance and improve the visual quality and aesthetic characteristics of the town.

• The Senior Citizens Advisory Committee – fourth Wednesdays at the Hope Mills Senior Center, 4 p.m. The purpose of this committee is to provide insight and advice for the Senior Center Staff on programs and trips and to the providers of leisure services and activities for citizens 55 and older in the Hope Mills area.

• The Veterans Affairs Commission – fourth Thursdays at the Hope Mills Recreation Center, 7 p.m. The committee is comprised of town residents who are armed services veterans. Members advise the town on affairs related to its active and retired military citizens.

• The Historic Preservation Commission – second Wednesdays at Hope Mills Recreation Center, 5 p.m. The committee advises the governing body on issues related to historic identification and preservation.

Volunteer Opportunities

• Citizen’s Police Academy The Training Department at the Hope Mills Police Department offers a training course for citizens to become more prepared and involved in the safety of their community. Download the application to get started: www.townofhopemills.com/DocumentCenter/Home/View/62.

•FirefightersThe Hope Mills Fire Department is a combination department, which employs both career staff and volunteers. Find out the criteria and training requirements for volunteer firefighters and join the team today: www.townofhopemills. com/155/Volunteer-Firefighters.

Closings

• The town of Hope Mills offices will be closed Jan. 1. Call (910) 426-4113 with questions.

Promote yourself

To have your business, organization or event included in this section, email us: hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com.

Aidan Ruiz

Jack Britt • Junior •Lacrosse

Ruiz has a weighted grade point average of 4.22. She is an Eastern national champion in karate and plans to play lacrosse at the collegiate level.

Esther Abraham

Terry Sanford • Sophomore • Tennis/soccer

Abraham has a grade point average of 3.87. She is active in mock trail, the Friends Club and the Go Club. She’s also active in youth group at Cape Fear Church of Christ.

Camari Williams Westover • Junior • Football/ basketball

Williams has an unweighted grade point average of 3.75. He is president of the Westover chapter of Students 2 Students. He is active in the health academy, HOSA - Future Health Professionals and National Honor Society. He has also won a Presidential Award.

Walker Shearin Pine Forest • Junior • Soccer/golf

Shearin has a 4.0 grade point average. He was second-team All-Patriot Conference in soccer this past season. He’s a member of the Pine Forest student government association and the Academy of Emergency Medical Science.

GIRLS

Coach: Charles Tubbs

Top returners: Nikki Cooke, 5-9, Sr., G; Desiree Smith, 6-1, Fr., F; Miya Giles- Jones, 5-10, 8th, G; Lavariah Armstead, 5-7, Fr., G; Jada Raynor-Brewington, 5-9, Sr., F.

Top newcomers: Kyla Kincy, 5-10, Jr., F; Tamera Hooker, 5-7, Fr., G; Tytianna Gibson, 5-7, Sr., G.

Coach’s comment: “One strength is having eight returning players from last year. The weakness is we are still a young team. We plan on defending our state title and making another run this year.’’

BOYS

Coach: Heath Vandevender

Top returners: Joey Baker, 6-8, Jr., F/G; Greg Grant, 6-8, Jr., F; K.J. Marshall, 5-10, Jr., G; Talton Jones, 6-3, Jr., G; Au’Diese Toney, 6-6, Jr., G/F; DeUmbre Ginyard, 6-4, Jr., G; Andrew Miller, 6-6, Sr., F.

Top newcomers: None

Coach’s comment: “We have five D1 guys, so I have high expectations from this group. We play another tough schedule and are still young with only one senior. Each season and group is a different journey. I am looking forward to seeing what this group can accomplish by the end of February.’’

PHOTOS: (Top, L-R: Girls’ basketball coach Charles Tubbs & Top returner Nikki Cooke / Bottom, L-R: Boys’ basketball coach Heath Vandevender & Top returner Andrew Miller)

As Americans formulate our resolutions for fastapproaching 2018, Nielsen, the TV ratings folks, tells us that fully 69 percent of our resolutions involve staying fit and healthy and losing weight. Less important to us, apparently, are living life to the fullest, spending less and saving more and spending more time with those we love, though all are worthy goals.

Not as prominent in the listings but an issue many of us ponder and worry about is our environment. Virtually everyone wants to be a good steward. We recycle at least some of the time. We worry about fossil fuel consumption and toy with the notion of hybrid vehicles. Increasingly, we are trying to eat and shop locally for all sorts of good reasons – our health, our local economy, the high cost of long-haul transportation and uncertainty about safe growing and manufacturing practices in faraway places.

But it is all complicated, even for those with the best intentions.

Is it environmentally better to have a live Christmas tree, as the Dicksons and millions of other American families do, or is an artificial tree the better environmental choice? Both options have costs. Trees, including those grown on farms in North Carolina, use land and water and require chemicals and human labor. Artificial trees are made, often in Asian factories, of plastic, aluminum and steel and are shipped to us in various packaging. Although some communities, including ours, make provisions to compost live trees after the holiday season, both live and artificial trees do wind up in landfills. Nielsen says that only 19 percent of Americans do like the Dicksons and buy a live tree, while 81 percent opt for artificial. So, which is environmentally better? It depends, but at least one consultant suggests artificial, as most families use the same tree year after year, giving it a lifespan of up to decades.

And how about shopping? Local boosters across America would love everyone to spend their holiday dollars with local businesses, but that takes time and gas and often stresses both shoppers and retail workers. The reality is that Americans are opting more and more often to shop online from the convenience of our homes. The pluses are that we can shop in our PJs and the goods come right to our doors, sometimes already wrapped in holiday papers and bows and ready to go under the tree, be it live or artificial. The negatives are that the money leaves our communities and goes whoknows- where and that after all the unwrapping is done, we still must contend with the environmental ravages of all that packaging. Planet Aid says that tiny, landlocked Austria recycles 62 percent of its waste, while the United States recycles slightly more than half of Austria’s waste – 34 percent. We should be ashamed.

Focus is on the holidays now, but truth be told, doing the environmentally correct thing is never easy or clear. Do we buy out-of-season fruits and vegetables all year-round in grocery stores, knowing they have traveled thousands of miles and used tons of fossil fuels to get to us? Do we buy commercially raised products, animal proteins, coffee and many other products, knowing that large multinational corporations are profiting at the expense of small farmers? Novelist Barbara Kingsolver and her family tried to eat exclusively local for a year, an adventure they document in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Suffice it to say, the family tried very hard but did not always succeed and wore themselves out in the process, as growing and preparing your own food without any processed ingredients takes considerable time.

Environmental questions are endless. Raising chickens has become a popular urban activity, and many people enjoy those homegrown, fresh eggs, even if they foreswear eating the chickens. But chickens make messes, which raise environmental issues. Weeding our gardens takes time and physical effort, but herbicides do the job quickly. Scarecrows are picturesque and may bother birds, but pesticides kill effectively. Both leave chemical residue.

And so on and so on and so on.

Our resolution should be to keep trying to find out what works both for us and for our environment.

Wishing you and those you love a happy and healthy 2018 and many successful resolutions.

I’ve always contended that any successful community needs a healthy and vibrant downtown. Our community is no different.

I recently had the pleasure of reading a newsletter and holiday update from the Cool Spring Downtown District president and CEO, Mark Regensburger. The CSDD organization is poised to market and promote the arts, entertainment and cultural events in downtown Fayetteville. His report was an incredibly detailed, comprehensive and uplifting account of the activities and development progress downtown. It included construction updates, current activities and events, new business acknowledgments, progress reports dealing with concerns, and neighborhood issues.

It also included helpful information about city and county government services and offices, hours of operation and a comprehensive list of activities for young and old alike.

This newsletter had substance. It was written professionally and articulately with a tone of hospitality and sophistication any reader would find inviting. It was exactly the kind of message and image of Fayetteville that community advocates would like to duplicate and disseminate throughout Fort Bragg and Cumberland County. It was so refreshing to read such an upbeat account of what’s going on in the downtown community.

I couldn’t help but think how handicapped so many organizations that work to improve the community and highlight its positives are in communicating this message to residents, visitors and guests throughout Cumberland County. This is valuable information that needs to be shared and broadcast to all the people in Cumberland County. Unfortunately, even though the intentions are to communicate outwardly to the residents of the county, the message remains quite obscure. The story of Fayetteville is just not getting out. Hopefully, Mark and CSDD will address this in the near future. They need to get their message out.

As informative as Regensburger’s newsletter was, I had to take exception to its title, which exposed the problem: “Holiday Newsletter From Our Family to... Our family.” Our family. It’s an ironic title because CSDD needs to also share this information with people outside the downtown community and not just with “their family.”

Sure, it’s important that downtown residents stay informed, but if they don’t tell their story to others, then establishing downtown Fayetteville as a destination will be like winking in the dark. CSDD needs to aggressively promote, market and advertise the amenities downtown Fayetteville offers if they are to develop and brand themselves.

Yes, CSDD is on the right track, and I think they have the right leadership in place to make a difference in how Fayetteville is perceived. They can count on us for support.

Happy New Year, everyone. We are looking forward to and are excited about 2018. Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Each year, the Hope Mills Town Hall staff sponsors a family’s Christmas through the Rockfish Elementary Adopted Families program. It started almost 10 years ago when the Hope Mills Town Hall staff contacted the social worker at Rockfish Elementary School. The social worker informed the staff about families with specific needs, and the staff began pooling their money to help.

This year, the employees of Town Hall, along with a few others, were able to help a family of six enjoy the holiday with gifts for all four of the children, ages ranging from 6 months to 9 years old. The staff was also able to donate gift cards for food shopping for the family’s Christmas feast.

Clara Hines, permitting specialist for Hope Mills, heads up the town’s participation in the event. “It’s the right thing to do,” she said. “This is one time of the year where we get to give back.”

I personally give because it lifts my heart to know I am helping someone in need. The spirit of Christmas lives in our hearts at Hope Mills, and its employees enjoy spreading good will to all and showing our love of others at this time of year.

Often citizens rely on the media to learn about the workings of local government. In Fayetteville, that means The Fayetteville Observer and Up & Coming Weekly. Out of town TV stations rarely cover city council or county commission meetings. Radio stations used to but haven’t in many years. Talk show hosts get their information from the papers.

When a neighborhood issue piques the interest of residents, they turn out. The Haymount crowd showed interest when a private school wanted to locate in a historic house on Morganton Road. They were opposed to it, and the city council voted it down. Residents of a suburban neighborhood in West Fayetteville were concerned about a rezoning issue and attended a council meeting. And again, council rejected the rezoning.

Every once in a while, a major citywide controversy flares up and the citizenry awakens. So, day to day and week to week, people depend on the Observer and Up & Coming Weekly for news of what goes on in city hall and the county courthouse. Journalists attend the meetings regularly. But, they’re not always welcome.

Over the course of the last year-and-a-half, city council has held nearly 30 closed or private meetings barring the public and media representatives. The two main subjects of discussion, I believe, were contracts involving construction and management of the new baseball stadium and nearby private investments, plus the proposed city/county 911 emergency communications center. County commissioners have a significant interest in the 911 call center but have not held any meetings behind closed doors.

North Carolina law says, “It is the policy of this State that closed sessions shall be held only when required to permit a public body to act in the public interest as permitted in this section. A public body may hold a closed session and exclude the public only when a closed session is required.” Note that the statute says a public body may hold a closed session. It doesn’t say that it must. There are nine specific and very limited reasons that a public body may hold closed meetings. It’s up to the city and county attorneys to enforce the law governing private discussions.

This is the preamble to general statute § 143- 318.9, which is entitled “Meetings of Public Bodies:” “Whereas the public bodies that administer the legislative, policy-making, quasi-judicial, administrative, and advisory functions of North Carolina and its political subdivisions exist solely to conduct the people’s business, it is the public policy of North Carolina that the hearings, deliberations, and actions of these bodies be conducted openly.”

It’s clear that local journalists and the companies they represent have lost faith in city council’s ability to distinguish between the rule and the few exceptions to the rule. Only one member of council has personally assured this reporter that he will try to be more attuned to the discussions that go on behind closed doors and call out his colleagues if they veer from the rule.

The recently formed Cool Spring Downtown District is an effort to rebrand and promote downtown Fayetteville. It was developed to drive economic growth and nurture activity in the heart of the community. The hope is to make downtown “a cool place to live, shop, eat, drink, see a movie and so much more,” said Mark Regensburger, president and CEO. It’s the outgrowth of a study commissioned by the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County. The organization differs from the Downtown Alliance because it focuses on events, activities and connecting organizations rather than on retail sales.

“This first year is demonstrating what it means for the community to be wholly focused on downtown,” Regensburger said. He thinks of the area as a neighborhood that can grow to attract people from all over Cumberland County.

Regensburger said CSDD is defined as the area that comprises the downtown Municipal Services Tax District. This is the region in which merchants and property owners agreed to tax themselves to financially support development. It’s loosely bounded by Russell, Cool Spring, Grove and Rowan Streets, Bragg Boulevard and Robeson Street. “As an arts and entertainment district, it fills the gap between other organizations,” Regensburger said.

One way it’s working to fill that gap is through committees, each led by a CSDD board member.

The design committee focuses on the physical aspects of the district. It is chaired by Anna Hodges Smith, president of Hodges Associates, Inc. and a member of the Arts Council board of trustees. “How can you know you’re some place special when you get there?” Regensburger asked. “There are signs all over the place, but they all say different things. So we’re working toward getting a single feeling.” He said the committee’s goal is to make it easy to tell when you’re in the district by creating a cohesive feeling through physical means. Architects and advocates for pedestrian and bicyclefriendly solutions are among those involved.

“I think (this committee) is going to make the biggest long-term impact,” Regensburger said.

The economic vitality committee, co-chaired by Astros manager David Lane and Ashley Thompson, co-owner of Pressed – A Creative Space, focuses on helping new downtown businesses understand the practical ins and outs of getting established in this location.

“There are a lot of downtown businesses involved in (this committee),” Regensburger said. “They’re going to put together a mentoring program to help businesses work through everything they need and deal with the city.” He noted that downtown Fayetteville recently saw the opening of several new businesses. These include Koala Candor, a children’s clothing store; The Yellow Crayon, a brand marketing company that’s expanding to include on-the-spot custom printed T-shirts; Floating Shanti, a floatation therapy center; and The Door Belle, a women’s clothing store. Though the economic vitality committee has not created its formal mentorship program yet, Regensburger and CSDD General Manager Sam DuBose did visit each of these new businesses to greet the owners and to see if they needed any help. “A lot of them were renovating, so we worked with them to see if they were having any issues with rezoning or anything like that,” Regensburger said.

Thompson also works with Dr. Hank Parfitt, co-owner of City Center Gallery & Books, to lead the digital presence committee. This committee uses many forms of media to amplify initiatives created or supported by the CSDD. Since mid-November, it has been working with local radio stations and social media to push Shop Small Business Saturday leading up to Christmas. “They’re just trying to get more people to think, instead of fighting the lines and the crowds, come on downtown. It’s a more intimate experience,” Regensburger said.

The programming committee is tasked with planning and overseeing downtown events and activities, whether sponsored by CSDD or in partnership with other groups. Isabella Effon, owner of Taste of West Africa, is the chair. Examples of such events include the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival, Rape Crisis of Cumberland County’s Walk Awhile in Her Shoes, and events put on by the Arts Council or the Downtown Alliance.

The community solution team’s goal is to bring together all the agencies that deal with issues like homelessness and panhandling to create unified, collaborative solutions. It’s chaired by David Blackman, senior pastor at Hay Street United Methodist Church. Regensburger said the team includes workers from Fayetteville Area Operation Inasmuch, The Salvation Army, Fayetteville Police Department, the city of Fayetteville and downtown businesses.

“We’re trying to coordinate it, because sometimes there’s four people serving one meal, and the next day, there’s no lunch for anybody,” Regensburger said. “We’re looking at maybe having a single location that’s sort of designated and supported.... Cpt. James Nolette, our city police officer who’s in charge of this district, said, ‘It’s a social problem. You can’t arrest people out of hunger; you can’t arrest people out of panhandling. It’s something that’s got to come from a broader base of people.’”

Finally, the promotion committee aims to find the most effective ways to communicate the message and goals of CSDD. Jean Moore, account executive at BrandAlliance, is the chair.

The CSDD also recently took on a management role that will benefit downtown businesses. For the past year or two, Regensburger said, the Downtown Alliance has been working with the city to implement a shared trash and recycling space for downtown businesses. That work has finally paid off, and, as of last week, the CSDD stepped up to work with Waste Management as managers of the shared space, which will be located in the parking lot of the Arts Council.

“This is the key link in getting all of those old roll carts off of Old Street,” Regensburger said. “That’s something people don’t think of. … Downtown, each and every business and resident has to contract (trash collection) individually, and so we’re moving toward more of a community solution.

“The complaint was, it’s hard on new businesses, it’s ugly on the streets. This (shared dumpster) is an example of the sort of collaboration between the city and other organizations that we are starting to take on and actually manage. I think that’s the key difference – (before), there was nobody in place to make sure these solutions kept rolling. Starting Jan. 1, there are the mundane things of billing and making sure (the trash) gets picked up.”

The minor league baseball stadium being built by the city of Fayetteville will become a significant attraction for a wide variety of residents and fans, Regensburger said. He said it will be another factor that adds uniqueness to the neighborhood. The Advanced Single-A Houston Astros farm team is wholly-owned by the Astros, which has a 30-year agreement to provide professional baseball. That’s apparently unusual to the benefit of taxpayers because the city is not involved in the operational funding of the team. The Astros organization will be solely responsible for management and maintenance of the ballpark.

The Downtown Alliance, city of Fayetteville, the Municipal Service District and the Arts Council fund the CSDD to the tune of $386,000 during this first year. Eric Lindstrom is chairman of the board of directors. Patrick Callahan serves as vice chair, Brent Sumner as treasurer and Molly Arnold as secretary. All have histories of involvement in downtown Fayetteville.

The group’s name was chosen from the historical significance of Cool Spring, which adjoins the district, and the Cool Spring Tavern, which is a historic two-story home believed to be the oldest existing structure in Fayetteville. It was built in 1788 and survived the disastrous fire of 1831. Cool Spring Place, as it’s officially known, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

The Umoja Group presents its annual Kwanzaa Celebration Saturday, Dec. 30, from 5-8 p.m. at Smith Recreation Center.

“We are probably near our 25th year offering the Kwanzaa Celebration in the community,” said Wanda Wesley, Umoja Group member and board member. “In the past, and this time, we will be celebrating the seven principles of Kwanzaa and bringing the community together to celebrate as well as learning a little about African kings and queens.” Wesley added that the most important principle is Umoja, which is the Swahili word for unity. This is why the group is called the Umoja Group.

The event will feature a drum call, welcome song, tribute to elders, libation to those who have passed, a parade of African kings and queens, a feast, storytelling, a children’s candlelight ceremony and traditional youth dance performances.

“We will have a candle lighting ceremony in which we will light the candles for Kwanzaa,” said Wesley. “The kings and queens (component) is a parade of kings and queens, and that is usually the focal point that everyone looks forward to watching.” Wesley added that individuals will dress up in the form of different African kings and queens and a person will narrate and give a little history about each king and queen.

One of the highlights of the event is the presentation of Shaka Zulu. “We have a certain individual who loves to do that role, and he changes it up from year to year,” said Wesley. “He is Larry Johnson and he works with the school system, and he looks forward to doing Shaka Zulu.”

The Association of Black Social Workers will attend the event this year. “They will be collecting items for Operation Blessing,” said Wesley. “These items include soap, hygienic items, deodorant and paper items.” Wesley added that when participants come they can bring these items to help other people in the community.

A $1,000 scholarship is given every year; two students will receive the scholarship this year. “The students are JaQuayla Hardison and Faith Brown,” said Wesley. “In order to receive the scholarship, the student must be a graduating senior in the E. E. Smith district, be active in the community and in the Umoja Group’s activities, display good character, have a high academic standing and be planning to enroll in an institute of higher learning.”

“We encourage the community to come out and join the friendly atmosphere,” said Wesley. “Please wear your ethnic attire and enjoy the celebration.”

Books will be given away to the children. Bring your favorite food dish to share. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (910) 485-8035 or (910) 527-2460.

The information technology PC Support & Services program at Fayetteville Technical Community College introduces students to just about all areas of the information technology discipline. Students take courses in networking, programming and security, but the primary emphasis of the program is on hardware and software. Students learn how to break down and build PCs from scratch and how to build virtual machines, install operating systems and troubleshoot for repairing PC hardware and software issues.

Degrees in information technology can open the door to numerous job opportunities and job fields, especially since North Carolina is home to the Research Triangle Park, which represents 200 different companies. FTCC’s curriculum prepares students for employment as troubleshooters responsible for solving problems and providing technical support and as advisors to customers and users in just about any sector – hospitals, educational institutions, retail areas and government and state organizations.

Industry certifications are key components for individuals graduating from college and entering the job market. Employers seek candidates who can pass certification examinations to demonstrate a certain level of knowledge and skills. In the PC Support & Services program, students prepare for a number of these exams. FTCC’s educators work to ensure students are equipped to not only gain employment beyond graduation but also to be successful and retain employment.

Education and training in information technology are also great assets for an individual’s already established career. FTCC is not limited to on individuals seeking an associate degree. For those seeking additional career training, the school offers certificate programs that require less time to complete and are highly focused on one particular area of interest. Under the PC Support & Services umbrella, there is a hardware and software certificate, which prepares students specifically for the well-known CompTIA A+ certification. FTCC also offers specialized certificates in programming, networking and cybersecurity.

FTCC also assists high school students with excellent educational opportunities. Those same certificates are available to FTCC students who participate in High School Connections and Cumberland Polytechnic High. High School Connections provides a way for high school students to enroll at FTCC tuition-free to complete collegelevel courses.

All individuals who possess a high school diploma or a GED may easily apply to FTCC using the home page (www.faytechcc.edu) and clicking on Apply Now. There is no application fee, and admissions counselors are available to provide advice and assistance as needed. During the admissions process, students select areas of interest. PC Support & Services is one of the more than 250 excellent programs of study available at FTCC. Once the admissions process is completed, students register for classes and can begin their major courses during the first semester.

To learn more about PC Support & Services or other computer-related programs of study at FTCC, call (910) 678-7368 or email at sobersto@faytechcc.edu. Start the new year right with spring classes, which begin January 16.

There’s an old saying that goes something like, “Eat poor on New Year’s and eat fat the rest of the year.” Eating black-eyed peas and collard greens – simple, humble food – before the coming of a new year is supposed to bring good luck, in other words. Some might be familiar here in the South with this dish being called “Hoppin’ John.” The peas symbolize coins, and the greens represent the color of money.

It’s superstition. It’s tradition. It’s part and parcel of living in the South. Fayetteville is no exception. In fact, this year will mark the 24th annual New Year’s Black-Eyed Pea Dinner at the Crown Expo Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Along with the traditional fare of blackeyed peas and greens, the meal boasts other Southern comforts such as sweet potatoes, cornbread and pork on the barbecue. The evening will feature gospel music as well.

According to J. Lee Warren Jr., register of deeds for Cumberland County and organizer of the event, the dinner actually originated in the 1970s with Willis Brown and Otis Jones. Warren, along with Owen Spears, Ed Grannis and Billy West, eventually took up the mantle of putting on this community affair once again for Cumberland County in the early 1990s.

“It’s been a tradition in our community for 45 years or so. We didn’t want to be the kinds of elected officials that you only heard from every four years when they were running for re-election,” said Warren. “We wanted to be different. We wanted people to be able to hear from us.”

In the past, various government officials have attended the dinner. According to Warren, the governor and other congressional representatives are invited this year.

Warren said, “It’s not a partisan thing. It’s not a political event. There will be political people there. But it doesn’t matter if you’re Republican, Democrat or a Libertarian. It doesn’t matter what you are.”

More than anything, the dinner is a chance for the community to participate in something close-knit and homegrown in Fayetteville.

“We’ll have people that tell us, ‘I’ve never been to this before,’ or, ‘I’ve always heard about it and haven’t had the opportunity to come,’” said Warren. “So there will be some people there that it’s their first time attending. Or this will be the 24th time they have come. We really look forward to this every year. It’s just a good way to begin the new year.”