The Fayetteville Technical Community College Spring Lake campus offers a variety of corporate and continuing education classes to expand opportunities for career advancement, employment and lifelong learning.

Phlebotomy

The Phlebotomy program offers students an opportunity to learn a technical skill while maintaining a normal life schedule. This corporate and continuing education program requires a high school diploma or GED and a current CPR certification. The primary role of the phlebotomist is to obtain blood specimens and transport specimens for diagnostic testing. A student who completes the training and receives certification as a phlebotomist will be a key representative of any laboratory. 

Basic Law Enforcement Training

Students of the Basic Law Enforcement Training curriculum receive essential skills required for employment as a law enforcement officer with state, county or municipal governments, or with private enterprise. FTCC offers a BLET informational/application workshop once a month. FTCC staff will email the date, location and time for the workshop to anyone who inquires with interest. Contact  blet@faytechcc.edu. 

Emergency Medical Services

The EMS program offers various levels of EMT, paramedic, critical care and community paramedic courses. Upon graduation, students are prepared to take the National Registry and/or North Carolina Certification exam, which then allows them to seek job opportunities in the EMS field.

EMS is not limited to working in an ambulance. Doctor’s offices, hospitals, sporting events, factories and schools employ EMS personnel. Students will often utilize training in the field of EMS to propel them further into the medical field with the goal of becoming physician assistants, physical therapists, respiratory therapists and medical doctors.

In January 2016, FTCC’s program received national accreditation through COAEMPS and CAAHEP, the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. FTCC offers a variety of courses including day, night, weekend and online classes. If you believe that emergency medicine is for you, we invite you to try one of our courses. Emergency Medical Services is a very rewarding profession. 

Pre-registration is required; visit Room 8 of the Neill Currie Building at the Fayetteville campus, call (910) 678-8251, or email EMSCONED@faytechcc.edu.

Registered Medical Assistant

FTCC’s Registered Medical Assistant Program is a two-part course designed to prepare students to become a vital part of the ambulatory care setting as well as polish and perfect interpersonal skills. Students also learn administrative and clinical skills in this exciting, comprehensive medical assisting course. FTCC’s program allows students to grow both professionally and personally and become a respected, marketable registered medical assistant.

The program offers flexible course choices including, day, night and hybrid options on two campuses and an instructor and administrative support system that is second to none. More than 150,000 medical assistant jobs are projected for the year 2020. Preregistration is required for this course. Visit Room 8 of the Neill Currie Building at the Fayetteville campus. For more information, call (910) 486-3923 or email healthprograms@faytechcc.edu.

Visit the Spring Lake campus to learn more about these and other programs available at FTCC.

The ZZ Top concert has been postponed due to an illness in the band. All previously purchased tickets for this concert will be honored for the new date when announced. For those patrons who seek a refund, please contact your point of purchase before Friday, October 20. Refunds will only be permitted before October 20 and only at your point of purchase.

ZZ Top is set to open the Community Concerts 82nd season Saturday, Oct. 20, at the Crown Complex. ZZ Top released its first album in 1971. It was aptly named “ZZ Top’s First Album.” Based in Houston, the band is still composed of its original members: bassist and lead vocalist Dusty Hill, guitarist Billy Gibbons – who is also the band’s leader, main lyricist, lead vocalist and musical arranger – and drummer Frank Beard.

“With six No. 1 singles and 10 platinum-plus selling albums, ZZ Top is one of the few groups to still have all its original members,” said Michael Fleishman, attractions director for community concerts. “ZZ Top will be one of our biggest shows ever, and it promises a night of down-home, Southern rock!”

Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, ZZ Top has deep roots in blues music, claiming Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Jimmy Reed as sources of inspiration.

“Then again, most stack the deck with none other than Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and of course, Peter Green,” Gibbons said. “Them all is Mount Rushmore-worthy.” In fact, as songs outside their catalog go, when it comes to the band’s favorite song, “I’d have to go with Muddy Waters’ ‘Standing Around Crying’ because you just can’t beat a song that starts ‘OH, BABY...!’ Gibbons added.

For this group, close to five decades of performing together has produced an intuitive bond that results in onstage chemistry that keeps fans mesmerized.

“We have this kind of telepathy between us,” Gibbons said. “We don’t have to necessarily speak, glance or nod to each other, but we seem to instinctively know what the other guys are about to do. Yes, we rehearse, but this is something beyond being well-prepared. It’s beyond preternatural – it’s supernatural and a case of the sum being greater than the parts.”

For the fans, it feels like magic, but for the band, it is “just us having a good time,” Gibbons said. “We get a kick out of getting out there and playing for the audience, and they, in turn, return that excitement, so things just kind of ramp up. It’s a natural, organic process that fuels itself – and us.”

Gibbons promised to keep the set list interesting for the Oct. 20 show, saying the band will be delivering “ZZ songs you know, ZZ songs you think you know but don’t really know, and some you don’t know but will get to know. It’ll be loud. And fun.”

Although they stay busy touring, the band has been spending time in the studio as their tour schedule allows.

“We’ve got a few sides down and anticipate doing some in a sequence of releases,” Gibbons said. “There’s definitely a continuum of that bluesy thing going on.”

With five concerts scheduled for this season, Community Concerts has set the bar high coming out of the gate with ZZ Top. The next four concerts of the season promise to continue the excitement.

Nov. 11, Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage brings heart-pounding music, passionate romance and sensationally sexy dancing to the Crown. The show includes “Hungry Eyes,” “Hey Baby,” “Do You Love Me?” and the anthemic “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.” The musical spectacular tells the story of Baby and Johnny as their summer together unfolds.

Jan. 30 brings Riverdance – the 20th Anniversary Show. The much-loved show returns with new costumes, new lighting, new projections and the addition of a brand-new number, “Anna Livia,” featuring the female members of the Irish dance troupe in an a cappella hard-shoe number.

This tour takes the show to more than 60 U.S. cities. On the show’s website, www. riverdance.com, producer Moya Doherty said, “The success of Riverdance across the whole world has gone beyond our wildest dreams. The fact that the show continues to draw and excite audiences is a tribute to every dancer, singer, musician, staff and crew member who have dedicated themselves to the show.

“This 20th Anniversary Tour is a thank you to our audiences and a celebration of what has been an incredible journey across two decades.”

The Commodores with special guest Landau Eugene Murphy take the stage Saturday, April 14. Walter “Clyde” Orange, William King and J.D. Nicholas make up this group of more than three decades. This musical powerhouse is known for hits like “Brick House,” “Night Shift,” “Three Times a Lady” and “Sail On.” The group formed in 1968 at Tuskegee University. From there, they went on the sell more than 60 million records.

Closing out the season, The Illusionists Live from Broadway showcases the talents of five incredible illusionists. The show is billed as being “packed with thrilling and sophisticated magic of unprecedented proportions.” The performance includes stunning acts of grand illusion, levitation, mindreading, disappearance and, for the first time in history, a full view water torture escape. It’s classic magic that reaches back to the likes of Harry Houdini but with a contemporary feel.

Community Concerts is on a mission to bring the finest in top-notch entertainment to Fayetteville and the Fort Bragg/ Cumberland County community. The driving force behind this organization is its passion for the community. Bringing amazing performers to the area could be enough – but Community Concerts does not stop there. In 2008, Community Concerts founded the Fayetteville Music Hall of Fame “to honor those who have brought musical distinction to the community,” inducting new members each year.

Local high school students benefit from college music scholarships from Community Concerts – a tradition for the organization since 2004. The program has generously awarded more than 28 scholarships.

While bringing great music to Fayetteville is an important part of its mission, Community Concerts supports local musicians as well through its local artist showcase program. In recent years, Voices of the Heart appeared as an opener for Gladys Knight while children from the Linda Kinlaw School of Dance performed with Martina McBride. Local, emerging country music star Trae Edwards performed the Ricky Skaggs show as well.

Community Concerts provides free concert opportunities to groups ranging from children to deserving seniors. In recent seasons, recipients have included people at the Vision Resource Center, Urban Ministry, The Sunshine Center, members of local fire and police departments, high school theater art classes, members of our military, and many more.

To purchase tickets, or to find out more about Community Concerts, visit  www.community-concerts.com.

Oct. 20-22 the Arts Council of Scotland County presents a roster of award-winning storytellers and soulful musicians. The 12th annual Storytelling Festival of Carolina has a variety of local tales, timeless stories and fantastic music. “It is a small festival, but it draws people who perform all over the world,” said Erin Rembert, storytelling and arts center representative.

The storytellers for this year’s festival are Bil Lepp, Michael Reno Harrel and Priscilla Best.

Lepp is a five-time winner of the West Virginia Liars Contest, an award-winning author, and has received many other national and international accolades.

Harrell has performed at the National Storytelling Festival and was the Teller-inResidence at the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tennessee. He is also a talented musician and often incorporates music into his storytelling.

Best tells contemporary stories, folktales and chants from her African-American heritage and other cultures. Rembert described her as a “local girl with stories that make you feel good.”

Rembert said the storytellers are talented professionals who “engage the audience, feel the story and know where they are going, all (while) remaining flexible.” She added, “They are performers, and they tell it like they lived it.”

Due to the success of last year’s festival, the council will once again welcome musicians. Momma Molasses blends alt-country, blues and other musical styles into the sweet, slow-moving style of music that earned her name. Further performances will come from Clay Brown and The Legends Band as well as 2015 Native American Music Awards nominee Lakota John.

For the first time, the festival will take place in downtown Laurinburg. This means there will be a greater variety of food and entertainment options for attendees. Proceeds from ticket sales will be channeled back into the Arts Council and help fund next year’s festivals as well as other projects. The council’s goal is to bring in more opportunities and programs that Laurinburg wouldn’t have otherwise.

The festival begins Friday, Oct. 20, with a student’s day from 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and a sample of events to come at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday morning the venue opens to the public at 9:30 a.m. and runs until 5 p.m. with a variety of performances, workshops and autograph sessions. Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. there will be gala where attendees can meet the storytellers and enjoy a sweet and savory dessert buffet. The final day of the festival is Sunday, Oct. 22, and features performances from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Call (910) 277-3599 or visit www.storyartscenter.org for tickets and more information.

PHOTO: Bil Lepp

A new festival is coming to Fayetteville – and it’s giving off serious “Outlander” vibes. “Outlander” as in the television series on Starz that features kilt-wearing, time-traveling adventurers. The Carolina Caledonian Festival takes place at Campbellton Landing Oct. 28-29. Kilt-wearing and time-traveling is optional but not entirely unexpected.

“Caledonian” refers to any person of Scottish descent. It originates from the old Roman name for Scotland. So naturally, the festival’s purpose is to celebrate Scotland, its traditions (particularly of Highlanders) and descendants.

The festival was borne out of event organizer Allen McDavid’s connection to his own lineage. His ancestors are originally of the Argyll Colony, which has more than a million descendants in the Fayetteville and surrounding area today, according to McDavid.

McDavid detailed how the Caledonian Festival will have a “Renaissance fair-like” feel but with a more historically accurate representation of Scottish culture. There will be a traditional market with merchants selling foods and wares. Re-enactors will be dressed and speaking like famous 18th century Scots. Demonstrations of Highland swordfighting and Scottish dancing will also take place.

“(The festival) will be like living history,” McDavid said.

Several musical performances will also be held at the festival, including the Celtic band Tuatha Dea, the Irish band Lift, the Cross Creek Pipes and Drums (home-grown in Fayetteville), and the Tan & Sober Gentleman and Carolina Ceili groups.

With the Caledonian Festival revving up on the weekend before Halloween, a few spooky treats are in store. Young ones will be able to trick or treat throughout the market or see the pumpkin-carving stations – a practice that originated in Scotland.

But the festival doesn’t intend to leave out Samhain. This refers to an ancient Gaelic festival celebrated in Scotland that represented the seasonal end of the harvest on Oct. 31. It was also seen by pagan ancestors as a time when fairies could easily cross over to our world. Think Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos. On Saturday night of the Caledonian Festival, there will be a bonfire and a telling of Samhain lore to attendees.

The imprints left behind by the Scottish Highlanders who settled in this region more than 200 years ago can be felt in almost every corner of Fayetteville. Seventy-First High School, for example, is named after the 71st Highland Regiment that fought in the French and Indian War. The Loch Lomond neighborhood bears the name of the largest lake in Scotland and the British Isles.

So, a festival dedicated to celebrating Highland culture is not only necessary to the area but also great fun for the season.

“I hope that attendees learn what seems to have been forgotten in these parts – that Fayetteville’s name may be French, but its DNA is Scottish,” said McDavid.

The Caledonian Festival has also partnered with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina. Two dollars will be taken off admission for those who bring a non-perishable item or can of food to the main gate. Adult tickets are $10 per day, and admission is free for children under 12. The festival runs Saturday, Oct. 28, 8 a.m.-11 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 29, noon - 6 p.m.  Learn more at www.caledonianfest.com.

Construction of a pair of multimilliondollar railroad overpasses in downtown Fayetteville has been ongoing since November 2016. The project includes construction of a larger than usual 1,200-foot culvert to carry water beneath the roadway.

Cross Creek flows adjacent to Bragg Boulevard and has historically resulted in major flooding during hurricanes and heavy storms. The new structure will replace the aging Rowan Street bridge that was built 60 years ago. It will have six lanes of traffic, three in each direction, and a center concrete median. There will be sidewalks and retaining walls on each side.

The project is running about 15 percent ahead of schedule, said North Carolina DOT spokesman Andrew Barksdale. “We have not adjusted the original completion date of May 2020 because there is still a lot of intricate work to be done, and we may encounter weather delays in the future.”

The Rowan Street bridge carries N.C. 24-210 over CSX railroad tracks, and separately the Norfolk Southern Railroad along with Hillsboro Street. The project is about a half mile in length. The new bridges will be opened to traffic in late 2019 with other minor work to occur afterward. The project will culminate in May of 2020, Barksdale added. Motorists are already seeing improvements to streets that will radiate from the Bragg Boulevard side of the bridges.

Rowan Street, Murchison Road and Bragg Boulevard will be realigned to meet at a single intersection. Except for the temporary rerouting of Hillsboro Street, there has been little disruption of traffic in the area.

Payments to the contractor are running 1 percent over what had been projected to have been paid at this point, according to Barksdale. The minor increase is because of some additional items of work that were identified after the contract was approved last year. “Spending may even out or be below the project bid of $24.3 million,” Barksdale added.

The massive construction project is expected to be completed about the time season one of Fayetteville’s Houston Astros minor league baseball team concludes. The adjoining stadium is to be completed well before the spring of 2019.  What about the old bridge? It will be torn down.

Political analysts will tell you it’s difficult to forecast local general election outcomes following primaries in off-year elections. One reason is the historically low voter turnout. This month’s turnout for the Fayetteville City Council election was dismal, but not unprecedented.

Standalone local elections rarely if ever generate voter interest the way statewide and presidential year elections do. Fewer than 13,000 people, or 10 percent of registered voters, cast ballots Oct. 10, of the nearly 130,000 registered voters in the city. It would not be unusual for twice that number of residents to vote in the general election Nov. 7. Pundits say the city council outcome will be decided by how well the finalists get their supporters to the polls. That’s another one of those indeterminate factors.

City council, day to day, has a more direct impact on local daily life than the state legislature or Congress, making decisions on important issues such as crime control, public transportation, affordable housing, parks and community centers and future growth of the city. There are 10 members on city council. The mayor is elected citywide. Nine council members are elected from individual districts. Not all the district councilmen were involved in primaries, which are held if one more than twice the number of candidates are seeking the available seats.

Districts 4, 8 and 9 have only one candidate each running against the incumbents. 

District 3 council member Mitch Colvin won the day Oct. 10 in the citywide mayor’s race. Colvin has been serving as the council-elected mayor pro-tem since early 2016. He got 45 percent of the vote.

Incumbent Mayor Nat Robertson was second with 31.6 percent. “We will be fine, but we’ll have to fight for it,” Robertson said as the primary outcome became clear. That sentiment was echoed by District 1 council member Kathy Jensen who failed to finish No. 1 in her primary. Of 1,024 ballots cast in the district, 20 votes made the difference for Curtis Brown Sr., who placed first. “Mr. Brown ran a good campaign … time for me to get to work,” Jensen said.

The District 2 race was even closer. The two finalists in a field of 10 were separated by only three votes. The winners were Dan Culliton who got 430 votes and Tyrone Williams who got 427. Both District 2 and 3 elections were hotly contested because the incumbents, Colvin and Kirk deViere, gave up their seats to run for mayor.

In District 3, newcomers Tisha Waddell and Jeremy Wright won the right to face off Nov. 7. In District 5, incumbent Bobby Hurst chose not to seek re-election. That means at least three new council members will be elected next month. Six candidates filed to succeed Hurst. Johnny Dawkins and Henry Tyson were successful and will vie for the seat next month.

Longtime councilman Bill Crisp and newcomer Toni Stewart will face each other in the general election. Crisp took an impressive 53 percent of his district’s votes, making him the top per capita voter getter of the day.

Trevone McNeill will meet incumbent Larry Wright in the District 7 general election.

Well, with one municipal election candidate forum over, it remains difficult to assess the public’s overall interest or participation in Fayetteville’s upcoming municipal election. This is not surprising. Candidate forums are valuable – especially if you have a good turnout of residents. However, once you separate out the participating candidates, their family, friends, campaign staff members and the personnel of the sponsoring hosts, it makes you wonder who in the audience is really a registered, taxpaying resident there to be informed and enlightened.

Reaching and communicating with the local masses has always been difficult. This year’s candidate forum hosts, the Greater Fayetteville Chamber and The Fayetteville Observer, are advertising and promoting that they will broadcast the event live on Facebook.

Really? Well, obviously the Observer doesn’t want to miss this excellent opportunity to solicit “likes” on its Facebook page. But effective communication? I think not. Social media is good for sharing information; however, it is not an effective medium for building an audience of loyal, informed and caring constituents. Not only does it lack reach, but it also lacks sincerity and credibility.

If Facebook and social media were, in fact, effective and credible media sources, the Oct. 10 primary election would not have had such a dismal and disappointing turnout. Again, in all fairness, social media can be a good means of communication once a relationship has been established. That is, of course, if fact-checking is not your thing. People who rely on the internet and social media for their news and information are by far the most uninformed and misinformed people.

What the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community needs more than anything else is a local TV station that practices journalism’s basic Fourth Estate standards. A daily newspaper with management and staff entrenched in local matters and committed to these standards would also be a valued asset. For the most part, we live in a community that is uninformed about what is going on around us. Why? Because we lack access to responsible local news and information on a consistent basis. This breeds skepticism and apathy toward our Fayetteville and Cumberland County leadership. This situation curtails citizen participation and community involvement.

Even in the most ideal of circumstances, it takes a focused and dedicated effort to be an informed voter. In Fayetteville, it takes a lot more effort due to limited access to local news and information. It is a sad situation that leaves the resident on his or her own to figure out what the issues are and what the truth is. This task is very difficult, and many people just stop trying. The result? Apathy. Many new families moving into our community don’t even start! The perception becomes reality. We just make it too hard to get to the truth. This year’s candidate forums are a good example. No offense intended, but it looks like we are going backward when it comes to exploring relevant issues and gaining insights into the qualifications and motives of local candidates.

Last year, the Greater Fayetteville Chamber was on the right track. It took control and created a candidate’s forum that was a multimedia event promoted and marketed throughout the community and involved journalists from WRAL TV, Up & Coming Weekly and The Fayetteville Observer.

This forum was a widespread community and media event supported and hosted by several local businesses and organizations. It was also promoted and televised on FayTV. The results were impressive and complimentary to all involved. This year, it seems we have lost that momentum at a time when Fayetteville is on the cusp of economic growth and becoming a more respected major metropolitan city. Can it happen? Will it happen? We’ll see in the next few weeks.

I have tracked Fayetteville’s progress, accomplishments and development for over 21 years. I have built a successful publishing business by accentuating the good and unique features of our local quality of life. No one is in a better position to recognize and applaud the good works of the people, businesses, organizations and opportunities that have come before us during the last two decades.

However, collectively, these good works and accomplishments pale in light of the hundreds – maybe thousands – of missed opportunities our county and city have endured because divisive sectors in our community refuse to give up their silos and cooperate and communicate for the betterment of all.

Only honest, trustworthy leadership along with a huge dose of integrity will enable our community to seize the right opportunites and continue our forward momentum. And it will all be on the ballot come Election Day in November.

So, do your part. Read the newspaper. Listen to the radio. Attend the forums. Ask hard questions. Seek out the truth. Be informed, and vote.

Once the last ballot is counted, I cannot promise you will get what you want, but this community will certainly get what it deserves. It always does.

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly. Go to www.upandcomingweekly.com and subscribe to our Free Early Bird online edition and like our Facebook page. You’ll be one step closer to being better informed.

I don’t know about you, but I am getting along with my fellow Americans. No matter the angle — race, culture, religious belief or anything else — that the mainstream media tries to use to divide us, I am getting along with my fellow Americans.

The reason is quite simple. It’s respect. It’s treating others the way you want to be treated. The majority of people want to go through their day with little fuss and little drama. Most people smile back when you smile at them.

There are racists, misogynists and cruel people in every culture. It doesn’t matter the skin color, the gender or religious or political background.

I was once the only Caucasian in my line of work and was constantly harassed and abused. For example, I was chased off the road and almost driven off the overpass by my coworker. When I reported her, HR asked her for her reasoning and she pointed at my skin. Yet she was not fired — only reprimanded. I moved into a neighborhood in Fayetteville in 2001, and someone wrote a vulgar message on my mailbox in reference to my race. They threatened my life and the lives of my family members.

But I chose to not let those experiences create a belief that everyone from the same race is bad because of what a few of them chose to do. How we respond to such behavior can either provoke more hatred or stop it.

What we see online and on TV and what we hear on the radio could lead us to believe there is no unity in America, that we hold each other in contempt and that we choose to fight hate with hate. That has not been my experience — in fact, quite the opposite.

Walk into Sammio’s or Food Lion, and people of all backgrounds will greet you. Drive down Main Street and watch as cars allow others out of the parking lot to Rose’s or Lowe’s. Each car has someone in it who is different than you.

It happens every day. Strangers — people of different genders, races, religions, lifestyles — treat each other with kindness and respect. It’s wonderful when you think about it. All these people have a story to tell. Some may be sad. Some may be tragic. Some may be exhilarating. Yet each one is a small part of something that leads to a greater community.

For the most part, Americans want peaceful lives. They want to be able to go to work and provide for themselves and their families. They want to be able worship how they choose. They want to be able to express their opinions, rightfully so, without being harassed or threatened.

Don’t let the news on TV or radio lead you into believing that everyone is against you because of who you are.

Please note, I am in no way, shape or form, diminishing the evil actions of people like the Vegas shooter or the Orlando shooter. I am not in denial. I’m not looking through rose-colored glasses. I see the evils of this world. I do believe in being aware of the world around you.

But I also believe in living each day to the fullest and not letting the hatred that the media is trying to spread overshadow what is truly going on in my community. And when you stop and look at how the majority of the people within this community treat each other, the reality sets in. So please don’t feed into the hype.

 • Oct. 2 - Nov. 18 Registration for Youth Basketball at Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Center, 5766 Rockfish Rd. The center is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Saturdays  9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is instructional basketball for ages 5-6 and regular basketball for ages 7-17. The cost is $30 per child. Address and birth certificate must be presented when registering. Call (910) 426-4105 for details.

•  Oct. 13 Kiwanis BBQ Fundraiser in the grassy area between the Hope Mills Main Street WalMart and Food Lion across from the gas station, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monies raised will go toward ALMS House, Shop-with-a-Cop, Bicycle Presentation for Terrific Kids, Boys and Girls Club of Cumberland County, Boys and Girls Homes of Lake Waccamaw and many other community services. Call (910) 426-7256 for details.

• Oct. 14. Community Clean Up from 9 a.m. to noon at Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Center, 5766 Rockfish Rd. Gloves, safety vests, trash bags, water and lunch will be provided to volunteers. Call (910) 426-4109 for details.

•  Oct. 19 Hope Meals Food Truck Rodeo at 5770 Rockfish Rd. from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

• Oct. 19-21 Ole Mill Days Festival  Celebrate the Mills Way! Details: (910) 429-4109.

• Oct. 31 Trunk ’R Treat at Hope Mills Municipal fields 1 and 2, 6-8 p.m. Ages 1-12. Call (910) 4264109 for details.

• Nov. 4-12 Heroes Homecoming V at the Hope Mills Public Library, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 4 is the first day of a nine-day ceremonious event to honor veterans. On this day, the focus will be on Vietnam Veterans. Visit www.heroeshomecoming.com for more information. The event is free and open to the public.

• Nov. 5 Vietnam Veterans Memorial Ceremony and Flag Display hosted by The Hope Mills Veterans Advisory Commission at the Hope Mills Veterans Memorial from 3-4:30 p.m. Special guest speaker will be retired Lt. Col. Walt Brinker. Free and open to the public.

• Nov. 6 Bench Dedication at Hope Mills Lake by the Hope Mills VFW Post 10630. The dedication starts at 5 p.m. and is free and open to the public.  Visit www.heroeshomecoming.com  for details.

• Nov. 8 Veteran Movie Extravaganza  Millstone 14 on Camden Road in Hope Mills will honor veterans by presenting an evening of military-themed movies. The event is free for veterans and their families. The event begins at 4 p.m., and space is limited. Call (910) 354-2124 or visit www.heroeshomecoming.com for details.

The Hope Mills Citizens Academy aids the residents of Hope Mills in learning about the inner workings of town government while also making the town government more accessible.  On Thursday, Sept. 28, the 2017 class learned some of what it takes to monetarily run the Town of Hope Mills. 

Finance Director Drew Holland and Senior Accountant Ricky Ramey explained the vital part of maintaining the budget and of knowing how to prioritize spending.

Holland noted that the Finance Department is doing well and that everything is thoroughly examined before it goes to Town Council for adoption. The annual budget dates are from July 1 through June 30 of the following year. 

Holland described how each date on the budget calendar is vital to a successful year and what roles other departments play. It is important to note, he added, that the public has a say in how the budget is used on behalf of the town. There is a required public hearing every year in the spring. Only after the proposed budget is approved, adopted and signed by the council does it then become accessible to the public. 

The Citizens Academy class on Sept. 28 participated in a mock budget exercise in which the budget was overdrawn and five situations needed to be balanced. Class members also actively asked questions concerning the maneuvers of the Finance Department and how long the documents had to be kept. Holland gave examples of projects, like the refilling of Hope Mills Lake, to explain the regulations. After each project is finished, he said, the documents must be kept three years from that date. They are kept electronically. There are many regulations and guidelines that must be followed closely. 

The Finance Department remains in good standing. For further information about the budget for the Town of Hope Mills, visit  www.townofhopemills.com.

PHOTO: Hope Mills Finance Director Drew Holland

It’s that time of year again. Time to celebrate and remember the reason why Ole Mills Days are important to Hope Mills. 

A Little Piece of History

The Town of Hope Mills was founded upon the mill industry, beginning with the first saw mill on Little Rockfish Creek in the 1700s. Later, Bluff Mills was established in 1841 close to what is now the intersection of Camden Road and Hope Mills Road. These mills flourished, and the town and economy boomed.

But when the Civil War began, turmoil followed. Bluff Mill survived, but eight cotton mills along with the mill houses that provided room and board for the mill workers were ruthlessly burned to the ground during Gen. William T. Sherman’s infamous March to the Sea.

Though the mills were destroyed, Hope Mills would not be what it is today without the hard work of the lumber and mill workers and the ingenuity of the cotton, saw and grist mills. 

Let’s Have Fun

Thursday, Oct. 19, jump-starts the fun of Ole Mills Days with the Hope MEALS Food Truck Rodeo at 5770 Rockfish Rd. from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Bring your dancing shoes and enjoy the party Friday, Oct. 20, with the Ole Mills Days Street Dance on Trade Street from 6-9 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 21, is the annual celebration of Ole Mills Days in Municipal Parks 1 and 2 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The Hope Mills Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Chili Cook-Off for the duration of the event. There will be cash prizes for both hot and mild categories as well as a People’s Choice award. It costs $5 to sample all the chili and vote for the People’s Choice winner. Call (910) 423-4313 for more information about the Chili Cook-Off.

The Mill Worker Reunion will be held from 2-4 p.m. Throughout the day there will also be tractor pulls, food, craft vendors and a kids’ corner. The celebration will end with a movie night.

Debbie Holland, interim town clerk, said the Town of Hope Mills looks forward to having residents of Cumberland County come and enjoy the family-friendly festivities.

“This is a great time for everyone from Hope Mills and the surrounding areas to learn about our history while having fun,” she said. “We will have many vendors and activities for everyone to enjoy.”

For more information about Ole Mills Days 2017, call (910) 429-4109 or visit  www.townofhopemills.com.

The distinguished Gaither Vocal Band will be perform at the Crown Complex Theatre Saturday, Oct. 14, at 6 p.m.

Singing quartet-based gospel music since the ’50s, Grammy Awardwinning Bill Gaither and his family have long been a powerful force in the music industry. Their successes have earned them the opportunity to hold yearly tours around the world and to perform at esteemed venues like Carnegie Hall. The band has also created hits that topped the Billboard charts. While performing at the Crown, the band will be on its “Better Together Tour.”

The group will release an all-new studio recording, “We Have This Moment,” Oct. 13. It will be released on the band’s website, www.gaither.com, as well as aired on numerous television stations.

The band includes the group’s founder Bill Gaither, Adam Crabb, Reggie Smith, Wes Hampton and Todd Suttles. The tour will feature guests including gospel singers Kevin Williams, Charlotte Ritchie and Gene McDonald.

Gaither is the group’s primary songwriter and producer, along with his wife, Gloria Gaither. He has written over 700 songs, including “Let’s Just Praise the Lord,” “Something Beautiful,” “It Is Finished” and “The King Is Coming.” Gaither and his wife have won eight Grammy Awards. Gaither believes gospel music is much more than music; it gives him the ability to spread the message of Jesus Christ to others around the world.

Band member Adam Crabb is no stranger to music. Whether in the studio or performing live, he has been learning and perfecting his craft for most of his life. He is a member of the Crabb Family, which is a Grammy-nominated and Dove-nominated southern gospel group. He is now a lead singer for the Gaither Vocal Band, which was one of his life-long dreams. He believes gospel music is his calling in life.

Reggie Smith is another singer and producer for the band. He has performed all over the world in places like Carnegie Hall and at the Super Bowl. He has also, along with his wife, recorded music for “The Lion King” soundtrack. He and his wife started their careers singing as backup singers in Tennessee but have been singing as a duet with the Gaithers for 18 years.

After completing college, Wes Hampton was asked by Gaither to be a part of the Vocal Band in 2005. He sings tenor in the group. Hampton was already experienced in the music world, and Gaither noticed that he brought his heart and passion to the group. These qualities Hampton brought to the table helped the Vocal Band win a Grammy with its song “Lovin’ Life.”

Todd Suttles sings baritone with the Gaither Vocal Band. Suttles left the group he was originally in, Settles Connection, and joined the Vocal Band in 2014. Not only is he skilled in vocals, but he has an educational background from Vanderbilt University.

For more information, visit www.gaither.com. For tickets, visit www.crowncomplexnc.com.

PHOTO: The Gaither Vocal Band is set to perform at the Crown Oct. 14.

The weather is cooler. The air is crisp, and mischief is afoot. Fall is here, and that means harvest festivals, haunted houses, hayrides and more. This year, there is an extra-special event downtown to celebrate the season. Bud Light presents the Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival Thursday, Oct. 19, from 7– 9 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 20 from 5–10 p.m.; and Saturday, Oct. 21 from 3– 11 p.m. at Festival Park.

“We are doing a new haunted house this year called Dogwood’s Dark Dream that will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday,” said Sarah Suggs, marketing and events coordinator for the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival Organization, Inc. “Some of our more classic elements that have been with us since the beginning of our fall festival are Historic Hauntings and hayrides.”

Suggs added that Historic Hauntings is a guided walking tour through the cemetery, and it is not intended to be super scary but is more of an interesting, informative tour.   

There are several other elements of the event, one of the popular ones being Bands ’N Brew. “Friday, we will have 20 Ride as our headlining act at 8:30 p.m., and that is a Zac Brown tribute band,” Suggs said. “And we have local country band Avner Clark before that. Then Saturday we have the local band Cool Heat at 3:30 p.m., Rivermist beginning at 6 p.m., and we end the night with our headlining act SkyDog at 8:30 p.m.” Rivermist won Best Local Musician/Band for this year’s Best of Fayetteville awards.  

Forty food trucks will be on-site along with the craft beer festival featuring 10 craft beers and favorite domestics starting Saturday at 3 p.m. Some of the food trucks will be local, and the others are from surrounding areas.

This year’s festival also features a new children’s area called KidZone. “Kids will have access to the entire area that will have two inflatables, a climbing wall, a barrel train and mini golf,” Suggs said. “The kids’ area will be in Linear Park across the street.”

The Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival is a community fundraiser in which the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival Organization partners with other nonprofit agencies. The agencies loan their volunteer force to the festival to create a fun-filled event for the community. The festival, in turn, gives back some of the proceeds to these nonprofit agencies.

The cost for the Dogwood’s Dark Dream haunted house is $10, hayrides are $5, Historic Hauntings is $10 and KidZone is $10. For more information, call (910) 323-1934.

As the Cumberland Oratorio Singers look to open the 2017-18 season, there is a new director at the helm. Jason Britt accepted the position after devoting his youth to music and spending 23 years teaching and performing choral music.

Growing up in Fayetteville, Britt played the cello at Eastover Elementary School. He was a member of the Cumberland County Youth Orchestra in seventh and eighth grades; he also played first chair cello. In high school, he continued singing and playing in school music programs. Britt graduated from Methodist College in 1993 with a degree in music and a concentration in music education. In 2013, he received his Masters of Music Education degree from East Carolina University. He’s taught in the Cumberland County Schools system and served as the director of music at First Baptist Church.

On Friday, Oct. 20, the Cumberland Oratorio Singers’ season opens with “We Sing to Relate” at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church.

“One of the things candidates were asked to do as part of the interview process is to plan a season,” Britt said. “The current season is what I submitted as part of my interview.”

The first concert showcases the works of American composers. At this concert, Britt hopes to bring the community together in a spirit of unity. “We have just been through an election cycle, and we are pretty divided as a nation,” he said. “But we cannot deny that we are all Americans. We will perform works many people will recognize … pieces by Copeland, Whitaker and Randall Thompson.”

The second concert is Saturday, Dec. 16, at First Baptist Church. It is titled “We Sing to Remember.”

“We sing to remember and for nostalgia,” Britt said. “One of the things about Christmas is we think about times gone by. The performance is dedicated to that. This is also when we do Handel’s ‘Messiah Sing.’ That has been a mainstay for 25 years. Even I remember singing in COS production when I was fresh out of college.”

The third concerts takes place Friday, April 27, at Haymount United Methodist Church at 7:30 p.m. It is titled “We Sing to Experience.” Britt said, “This concert is dedicated to choir works every choral group should be doing — things like Mozart and Mendelssohn, things like that, which are very familiar.”

While he does hope to continue reaching out to the community, Britt said he plans to “continue the excellent work the COS did for the last 25 years. Last year they were inducted into Fayetteville Music Hall of Fame. This is an established group here in the community. It is my job to continue their efforts. That is the goal right now — to continue that standard of excellence.”

To find out more about the Cumberland Oratorio Singers, or to purchase tickets to a concert, visit www.singwithcos.org.

PHOTO: Jason Britt is the new director of the Cumberland Oratorio Singers.

On Oct. 14, the 2017 Authenticity Professional Women’s Retreat is set to take place at Ramada Plaze. Daphne B. Latimore, event hostess and founder of DB Latimore, chatted with Up & Coming Weekly about the event.

UCW: What takes place at Authenticity Professional Women’s Retreats?

DBL: The Authenticity Professional Women’s Retreat is a full day starting with a continental breakfast. We kick off the retreat with Jazzercise to help us to get energized and to discover techniques that allow us to incorporate exercise into our daily activities.

We will have seven sessions. Our moderator, Kim Gray, will lead us through the day where we will explore the dimensions of wellness. We will have four main sessions coupled with fun-filled breakout sessions all designed to enlighten, engage and energize. We will have a networking buffet luncheon with a keynote presentation. We conclude the day with a networking reception to allow participants to network with our presenters.

UCW: Why are events like this important?

DBL: As women, we embody a number of roles, personally, professionally and publicly. The Authenticity Retreat is designed as a space for women to explore leading an integrated lifestyle. As such, it is important for us to take time out to reconnect with ourselves, reintegrate the personal with the professional and enjoy the company of like-minded women. For this reason, we were inspired to create the Authenticity Professional Women’s retreat.

UCW: Are there special speakers/ presenters?

DBL: All our speakers are dynamic. We are excited to feature three local speakers from Fayetteville — Coach Billie Crutcher, Dr. Tracey Jackson and best-selling author Suzetta Perkins.

It is very important that we include local presenters in our retreats so that our attendees might continue the experience after the retreat with professionals that will assist them on their professional journey of Authenticity. We are excited that Christina Eanes, a mother of a soldier stationed at Fort Bragg and a renowned author and coach, takes us on the journey to achieve more in life.

UCW: What can attendees expect at this event?

DBL: Individuals can expect open and honest dialogue coupled with tools that can be immediately incorporated into our day-to-day lives.

UCW: What led you to found DB Latimore?

DBL: DB Latimore Professional Services Group was founded to allow individuals and organizations to maximize workforce productivity. We do this through individual, group and team coaching, management consulting and retreats such as the Authenticity Professional Women’s Retreat.

Our hummingbird logo represents the potential agility of any workforce. We support the belief that minor adjustments to the way work is defined and delivered will improve the productivity. The hummingbird possesses the innate ability to adjust quickly to any situation by shifting its wings in motion either forward, backward, by hovering and, when necessary, upside down. Our methodology allows you to embed this ability within your life and experience significant gains in productivity and performance.

UCW: What is something you wish every woman understood about herself and her life path?

DBL: That each of us is different. Our life plan is a journey, and how we manage that journey will enable us to live a fulfilling life. It is important that we as women know that our lives are integrated and that we must tend to each dimension: physical, spiritual, occupational, social, intellectual and environmental.

UCW: Who/what inspires you in your career and your life?

DBL: I am most inspired by my mother who raised seven children, worked full time, supported her marriage and maintained social relationships. My husband/co-owner has been very inspirational, supportive and encouraging of my life’s journey.

Find out more at www.dblatimore.com.

PHOTO: Daphne B. Latimore

The John Blue Cotton Festival is not new. In fact, the 34th festival is set for Oct. 14 and 15 in Laurinburg. Jim Blue has been the chairman of this festival for 31 years. He’s a descendant of John Blue, whose home is a big part of the event. After being rained out by Hurricane Matthew last year, Blue is excited for the festival’s return. “We have hayrides, clogging exhibitors (and) many different kinds of demonstrations, including a woodwright who builds amazing things without using modern tools,” Blue said. “We will also have a chainsaw carver there.”

It is a weekend of good old-fashioned fun that includes things like craft vendors, demonstrators, antique engines, a mule pull, a cotton gin, antique cars and more. Blue said, “We have contests and all kinds of homemade crafts and foods, too.” He added that families can look forward to pony rides and a mini train that runs on a half-mile track.

The activities provide plenty of reason to attend, but Blue said the John Blue house is the icing on the cake. The home will be open for tours and is furnished in period (circa 1890).

“If you stand and look at it from the right angle, you can see the house is designed after a steamboat,” Blue said. According to Jim, John Blue had family in Mississippi. “When he visited his family he fell in love with steamboats, and that inspired this home’s design. You can see where the water wheels would be, and you can see that it looks very similar to a steamboat.”

Over the years other buildings have been added to the festival, including a restored sawmill that dates back to 1920.

Reaching back to simpler times, children can look forward to games like marbles, walking on stilts and balance beams, playing hopscotch and checkers, blowing bubbles, face-painting and more.

All the standard fair food will be on hand, including funnel cake, fried apples, pulled-pork barbecue and Hawaiian ice. One of the vendors Blue is most excited about, though, is one that sells collard sandwiches. “It involves two pieces of flat cornbread topped with fatback and collards and dressed with your choice of vinegar, pepper relish or whatever you fancy,” Blue said. “If you’ve never had one, I think you should try them.”

The festival sits on about 10 acres, which allows plenty of room for attendees to explore the grounds and take in the stage, which hosts a variety of performers throughout the weekend. There will also be musicians roaming the grounds playing different instruments like banjos and guitars “and maybe stopping under a tree to sing a tune or coming to a crowd to take a request,” Blue said.

He added that Sunday morning, although the festivities don’t start until 10 a.m., those interested in attending can come to an outdoor church service. “It lasts about 30 or 40 minutes,” he said. “There are a choir and a sermon under the pecan trees, and it starts at 9 a.m. This is something we originally started for the volunteers and vendors. Then people from the community started joining us. Everyone is welcome.”

Pulling everything off usually involves about 220 volunteers, and on a good weekend, Blue noted, the festival draws 9,000 to 10,000 attendees. The gates open at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Find out more at www.johnbluefestival.com.

PHOTO: The John Blue House

Fayetteville’s Child Advocacy Center works with 19 community agencies, from the District Attorney’s office to Cumberland County Schools, to support victims of child abuse in an integrated, efficient and empathetic way. Every service the CAC provides comes at zero cost to the child’s family, as financial burden can be an impediment to getting child abuse victims the help they need. The CAC’s annual Pinwheel Masquerade Ball & Auction to Unmask Child Abuse is one of the ways it raises funds to keep its services free of charge. 2017 marks the fourth year of the Pinwheel Ball, which will be held Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Metropolitan Room in downtown Fayetteville.

The gala invites guests to get creative and have fun dressing up. As in past years, awards will be given out for best masks in the categories of male, female, couple, group, overall ensemble and most unique.

The evening also features a DJ, dance demonstrations, a photo booth and live and silent auctions with items donated from all over the county and state. Big items include a football ticket package to the UNC vs. vs. the Miami Hurricanes game, tickets to the 2018 NCAA final four basketball tournament, a trip to Bali, a one-week stay at a condo in Myrtle Beach, and tickets to a Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra concert.

Smaller items include themed gift baskets and locally made items like jewelry and hand-painted mugs. Vanessa Deering, co-chair of the event with Ann Shaw, said the live auction is her favorite part of the night every year. “We have so much fun watching the reaction of the bidders, especially when there is a bidding war,” she said.

Trish Neely, culinary chair of the event for the second year in a row, said guests can expect delicious food from Chris’s Steakhouse, R Burger, Dorothy’s Catering 2, Evans Catering, Elite Catering, Sherefe, Sweet Palette, Sweet Surprise Candy Buffet and Agape Bakery. Specific menu items include crab dip, chopped sirloin, jalapeno sliders, spanakopita and special pinwheel cookies. Beverages will be provided courtesy of Healy Wholesale, The Wine Café and The Coffee Cup.

Roberta Humphries has served as executive director of the Child Advocacy Center since 2009. She explained that the Pinwheel Ball is named for the initiative that Prevent Child Abuse America started in 2008, Pinwheels for Prevention. “The blue ribbon used to be a symbol for child abuse prevention, and (nine) years ago … they switched and came out with the symbol of the blue pinwheel,” Humphries said. “Basically, they wanted to change the way our nation thinks about child abuse prevention.” As stated on the Prevent Child Abuse America site: “What our research showed, and what our experiences since then have borne out, is that people respond to the pinwheel....the pinwheel connotes whimsy and childlike notions. In essence, it has come to serve as the physical embodiment, or reminder, of the great childhoods we want for all children.”

Securing the future that all children have the right but not the access to takes organizations like the CAC and the community’s support of them. Deering said a committee of 15 volunteers helped put the Pinwheel Masquerade Ball together while more volunteers help set up and tear down. “I love how the participants are genuine in giving and supporting such a wonderful organization,” she said. “It’s not truly about getting a deal on (an auction package), it’s about raising money to help this organization. It truly shows the love our community has for children and their well-being.” The CAC is hoping to raise $45,000 this year, all of which will go toward providing support and a voice to children in this community. The organization saves the community about $700,000 a year with its integrated approach.

Tickets to the Pinwheel Masquerade Ball on Oct. 14 cost $100 per individual, $175 per couple and $1,200 for a table of eight. They can be purchased in person at the CAC at 222 Rowan St. or online at  www.CACFayNC.org.

Imagine being in a Wal-Mart parking lot, piling your bags of groceries or Christmas decorations in the back seat of your car. Then you hear it: POP, POP, POP.

Your ears are ringing, and before you know it, someone you hardly noticed a few seconds earlier in a car a couple of spaces from yours has been shot. They look scared and bleary-eyed, and they wonder if there’s anyone who can help them or if they’ll live to see another day.

And then it hits you. After the initial shock, you realize that you were there, and you or a loved one could easily have been hurt — or worse — by a stray bullet. Then you get mad that something like this can happen right next to you... in your community.

Well, it happened in Fayetteville on Sept. 27, during daylight hours, in a crowded parking lot. The police say it was a drug deal gone wrong. But the potential for innocent bystanders getting hurt was real.

September was a banner month for crime in Fayetteville.

Sept. 1, a robber at a Cedar Creek motel shot his resisting victim in the upper leg, leaving him seriously wounded.

Sept. 3, two men robbed a woman as she was leaving a Raeford Road grocery store. They put a pistol to her head and pulled her handbag out of her shopping cart.

Sept. 5, Fayetteville police discovered two murdered men. Someone shot them while they sat in a car parked next to a popular Cross Creek Mall area restaurant.

Sept. 21, a lone gunman robbed a Raeford Road bank.

Sept. 22, a predator raped a woman along Old Wilmington Road.

Sept. 24, a man walked into a CVS pharmacy, pulled out a pistol and demanded Oxycodone pills.

And a day later, Sept. 25, a heartless subhuman shot two men just off Raeford Road. He left a 19-year-old dead and an 18-year-old seriously wounded.

We’ve become numb to violent crime in Fayetteville. They are statistics, headlines on a page. Besides, we’ll be fine in our homes.

Maybe not.

There was a time when your home was your castle.It was a haven from the freezing rain or searing sun. It was a place where you gathered with your family for dinner or an evening around a television. It was your sanctuary from all the bad things in the world.

But times have changed.

A couple of years ago, a 57-year-old woman living just off Rim Road started her summer day grocery shopping. I won’t mention her name. Instead, you can substitute the name of your mother, your wife or your daughter. That’s because this story can happen to anyone.

After coming home and bringing in her groceries, the doorbell rang. Like most people our age, she was a trusting person. She had no idea what was about to happen.

Before she could react, two thugs forced their way into her home. They held her hostage at gunpoint. They ransacked her home, stealing her jewelry, her money and more importantly, her belief that nothing bad would ever happen to her in her castle.

It wasn’t the first home invasion. Two weeks earlier, the same thieves robbed a 63-year-old man in another residential neighborhood, stealing money and a gun. He also answered his doorbell.

In fact, that summer, breaking into the homes of elderly became a popular crime.

Violent crime used to be a thug-on-thug event... a drug deal gone wrong. Home invasions are different. Criminals target innocent, mostly older adults... people who work hard for their money... people who should be safe in their homes.

We need to stop criminals who shoot people in crowded parking lots in the middle of the day or outside busy restaurants where families gather to eat.

You pay your taxes. That makes you the boss. Let’s demand that people getting your tax dollars do something about crime in our city... especially violent crime that has been happening way too often in Fayetteville.

I propose we establish a communitywide task force that figures out how to deal with Fayetteville’s violent crime disease.

Crime not only hurts people, it hurts our reputation. Employers who could put people to work don’t want to set up shop in a place where shooting people is an everyday event.

We have a good Police Department, be we need EVERYONE on board. That means the Sheriff’s Office must work with the Police Department; the County Commissioners must work with the City Council.

Finally, the court system — magistrates, judges and prosecutors — must work with everyone on the team.

And that team has to include people, citizens who have been victims, who are concerned about crime and what it’s doing to our reputation.

Is your love life a bit bumpy? Do other people seem to be on a happier romantic level than you? Here’s a love story that will make you feel better about your situation because it’s about people who had a bad time in love. Go waltzing with Matilda down Greek Mythology Lane. Let’s visit our old friends Hades and Persephone, who had a rough trip on the rocky road of love. Your love life compared to that of Hades and Persephone won’t seem half bad after reading today’s contribution to world literature.

Once upon a time, Hades was the god of the Underworld. Persephone was the daughter of Demeter, who was the Goddess of Nature. Hades was a bachelor looking for a bride. It was hard for Hades to meet nice women because he lived in the Underworld with the dead folks. He didn’t get out much because being in charge of dead people was a full-time job.

As luck would have it, one day while Hades was up above ground, he happened to spot the beauteous Persephone. Lovestruck, Hades had to have her for his bride. He foreshadowed Andy Griffith’s ode to love: “Sure as the vine twines round the stump / You are my darling, Sugar Lump.”

Hades wasn’t much to look at, so he cyphered that he would have to trick her into marrying him. Fortunately for Hades, his brother was Zeus. Zeus, as king of the gods, was a smart dude and cooked up a plan to twine the sugar lump Persephone’s heart around Hades.

On Take Your Daughter to Work Day, Demeter brought her daughter Persephone to Earth so Demeter could check out Nature. Demeter left Persephone to play with some sea and freshwater nymphs while she oversaw the forests. Persephone was supposed to stay with the nymphs, but she saw a real pretty flower called a narcissus in a distant field. Persephone left her nymph friends to pick the narcissus. This was a mistake. Zeus had gotten Gaia, the earth goddess, to plant the narcissus to draw Persephone away from her friends.

Persephone started yanking on the narcissus. The narcissus put up a real fight but finally came loose, leaving a small hole in the ground. The hole didn’t stay small. The hole became as big as the U.S. deficit. It was gigantic. Hades popped up out of the hole and grabbed poor Persephone, dragging her down to live in the underworld with him. This is not a good start for a long-lasting marriage.

Demeter looked all over for her daughter. Milk cartons had not yet been invented, so Demeter put Persephone’s picture on Greek urns to try to find her. Eventually, Helios the Sun god told her that Hades had shanghaied Persephone into the Underworld to hang out with the dead. Hades is Demeter’s brother, which makes him Persephone’s creepy uncle.

Demeter begged Hades to let Persephone come back to the land of the living, but Hades didn’t want to let her go. Finally, Hades had a sit-down with Zeus over whether to let Persephone come back to the land of the living. They agreed to let Persephone come above ground for six months out of the year, spending the rest of the year in the Underworld.

The story gets complicated when Persephone eats four seeds of a pomegranate before leaving the Underworld. Chowing down on the pomegranate seeds means she will always have to return to the Underworld, but only for four months instead of six.

Greek mythology is not always internally consistent as there are many different versions of most stories. However, I like the pomegranate seed version so I include it here.

Persephone’s leaving and returning to the Underworld is mythology’s explanation for the change of the seasons. When Persephone returns to the land of the living for six months, she brings spring. When she leaves for the Underworld six months later, she brings winter.

This explanation for the changing of the season makes as much sense as the Ground Hog’s Day’s version of climate change, although it lacks Bill Murray for comic relief. Perhaps if Punxsutawney Phil ate four pomegranate seeds before looking for his shadow, that would allow Persephone to leave the Underworld and return to the Land of the Living earlier, thereby cutting off winter by six weeks.

If you see a ground hog in late January 2018, kindly feed him four pomegranate seeds. The spring you save may be your own.

“Nothing Divides Voters Like Owning a Gun,” read a New York Times headline last week. The story was full of facts that surprise no one. Donald Trump voters are gun owners. Non-gun-owning households voted for Hillary Clinton. Ditto for white voters who went for Trump and nonwhites who voted for Clinton. Same goes for rural versus urban, marrieds and unmarrieds, religious and notso-religious and union and nonunion voters.

Even with these deep divisions in our political and cultural lives, the massacre in Las Vegas may mark a moment of change. Fifteen years ago, writer and keen social observer Malcolm Gladwell published “The Tipping Point,” described by Amazon as “that magic moment when an idea, trend or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips and spreads like wildfire.” Whatever is tipped can be small and insignificant, like Pet Rocks in the ’70s and the more recent acceptance of tattoos as “body art,” or profoundly meaningful and life-changing, like the distrust of government in the wake of Watergate and the Vietnam conflict and the complete reversal of social acceptance of smoking.

At some point, something unknown becomes highly desirable, something that was unquestioned becomes suspicious or something once acceptable is no longer.

If we are lucky, or in religious terms, “blessed,” Las Vegas’ mass murders will become the tipping point that makes reasonable gun control measures as acceptable in the United States as they are in the rest of the developed world.

I know. I know. After each of our numerous mass shootings, we say this is it — this is the one that will make us focus on the link between lax gun regulation and shooting deaths.

Remember the murders of kindergarteners, firstgraders and their teachers at Sandy Hook? Who could have imagined that nothing would change after that atrocity committed by a person with both mental disorders and firearms?

Mass shootings, shocking as they are at the time, have settled into a macabre American routine. We learn of an “active shooter.” We expect a “self-inflicted gunshot” or “death by police.” When it is over, news organizations interview survivors and families of those who did not make it, lovingly profile victims, and try not to say much about the shooter lest he — and I cannot remember any shes — becomes a model and inspiration for other disturbed wannabes.

The Las Vegas shootings seem to have taken us to a new level.

A shooter with automatic weapons 32 stories above a concert venue mowed down 58 of his fellow human beings. So stunning was this new kind of attack that even the National Rifle Association says the availability of “bump stocks” — the gun accessories that turn semi-automatic weapons into automatics — should be re-evaluated. The NRA’s openness to at least discussing regulation of these devices marks a change in its usual opposition to any and every gun control measure. The NRA’s campaign contribution tentacles are deeply entwined in our Republican Congress and Republican legislatures throughout the nation, rendering gun control efforts dead on arrival even after the Sandy Hook murders. As U.S. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut told MSNBC bluntly last week, “The gun lobby is much stronger now than the anti-gun-violence movement.”

Cynics are already suggesting that the NRA’s new receptiveness regarding bump stocks is merely a ploy to stall and derail broader gun control measures. Bump stocks, after all, are hardly household items, even in a nation that has more guns than people. Also, polls find that some gun owners are open to a federal database of gun sales and additional restrictions on assault weapons. The NRA may be willing to give a little on bump stocks to head off attacks on issues it holds dearer.

Whatever the motivation, the NRA’s openness on even this small issue indicates that America and American politicians may be ready for our long overdue conversation about guns and gun violence in our nation. We do ourselves no favors by pretending gun violence is not an issue, and we certainly do not honor its victims by avoiding the conversation.

In “The Tipping Point,” Malcolm Gladwell gives numerous examples of how tiny social trickles become roaring waterfalls. The United States has endured increasing numbers of mass shootings as well as countless other incidents of gun violence. It will take courage to confront this volatile and painful scourge. 

Let’s hope that some good can come from the Las Vegas massacre by finally initiating our national discussion.

Mahatma Gandhi is credited with saying, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Eldridge Cleaver is known for a rougher version of the same idea: “There is no more neutrality in the world. You either have to be part of the solution, or you’re going to be part of the problem.”

There is no shortage of changes to make or problems to solve. Let’s look at the people and organizations being the change they want to see, the ones who are committed to being part of the solution — and there are many. Up & Coming Weekly readers recently recognized many of the people, business and organizations that foster positive change every single day in this community. Four hundred people came to the party to celebrate these change-makers with us.

The thing about change is that it sometimes happens slowly and is based on small acts like consistently amazing customer service, high-quality products and experiences and acts of kindness and generosity repeated day in and day out over a long period. This is often the story of our Best of Fayetteville winners.

Other times, change is swift and farreaching. Four years ago, Cross Creek Mall was 46,000 square feet smaller and sans Loft, White House/Black Market, Lane Bryant and Men’s Wearhouse — businesses we used to drive to Raleigh to frequent. Just three years ago, there was no Fresh Market, H&M, Jos. A. Bank, Vans, Lumber Liquidators, McAlister’s Deli, Mission BBQ, Freddy’s Frozen Custard or Steakburger in Fayetteville. Add local businesses like Rogue American, Pierro’s, Little Italy, Grapes & Hops, Scrub Oaks, Zorba’s, 316 Oyster Bar, Bit of Carolina, High Cotton Consignment, Carolina Pet Care and Ben Stout Construction, and the potential for employment- and economic growth-fueled change is impressive.

Projects like the baseball stadium and the Prince Charles Hotel renovation are bringing big changes, too: financial changes, quality-of-life changes, cultural changes.

The City of Fayetteville’s 2016 Parks & Rec Bond has projects in the works and coming to fruition that will bring change for many in the community: splash pads, skateboard parks, a tennis center, a senior center and more.

Cultural organizations like the newlynamed Cool Spring Downtown District, the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, Cape Fear Studios, the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, Cape Fear Regional Theatre, Gilbert Theater, Community Concerts, the Airborne & Special Operations Museum, the Dogwood Festival, Cape Fear Botanical Garden and the Fayetteville Marksmen hockey team, among many others, positively impact the community as well, bringing a different kind of change. Organizations like these are vital to improving the community’s quality of life and fostering a sense of well-being.

Nonprofit organizations like the Care Clinic, the Rape Crisis Volunteers of Cumberland County, Better Health, Guardian ad Litem, KidsPeace, Friends of the Cancer Center – Cape Fear Valley Health, the Dream Center and more improve lives every day in countless ways.

This is just a small sampling of the change-makers among us. We are moving forward. Is it fast enough and far enough? Maybe not. Is there still work to do? Oh, yes. Plenty. Are there still problems to solve? In spades. Big ones.

But if the Chinese proverb is true and a journey of a thousand miles really does begin with one step, we are well on our way.

At the time of this writing, there is no shortage of local candidates vying to serve their fellow citizens. Oct. 19, one-stop voting begins for the Municipal Election. Voting ends Nov. 7.

What we need now is good leadership to continue to push our community forward; to tackle the difficult and ugly obstacles we still face; to see projects and development opportunities through; to lead us in solving the tough problems within our community.

If ever there was a time to be heard and to be a part of the change this community needs, it is now. Participate. Show up. Vote.

Be the change you want to see right here, right where you live. Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.