Every day we are presented with countless opportunities. What to wear, what to eat, how to spend our time, who to spend it with … We take these moments for granted without a second thought. Yet for children in the foster care system, circumstances far from their control hinder their opportunities.

Nelson Mandela said, “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” In the United States, KidsPeace is one organization that tirelessly works for the benefit of kids who do not have a biological home. KidsPeace will host the 4th Annual Chair-ity Auction Thursday, Sept. 28, at 5 p.m. The event will showcase 50 chairs for auction that have been transformed into art by exclusively local artists.

KidsPeace celebrated its 135th founding anniversary last week. Its mission is “to give hope, help and healing to children, adults and those who love them.” This includes educational services, therapeutic treatments and providing basic human needs such as clothing for foster children.

As a private charity, it relies heavily on donations and volunteers to provide its services. But the local chapter in Fayetteville has devised a truly creative way to bring in money for its Foster Care Children’s Fund.

According to Fayetteville’s KidsPeace program manager Jennifer Lescaleet, the event has grown significantly over the years from roughly 12 chairs to the now standard 50 chairs, which are on display throughout downtown’s local businesses.

“I love working with the people I work with, the kids, the families and the community,” Lescaleet said. “The support over the last few years, especially toward this event, has been amazing because it all goes back to our kids.”

Last year alone, the Chair-ity Auction raised roughly $44,000. The group hopes to surpass that goal this year.

Lescaleet said, “Every chair started out as a chair somebody put on the curb or didn’t want anymore because they got a new one or tossed it away. So I can see how every individual or group (of artists) put time, effort, energy, love and support into doing each chair. It ties into what we do at foster care. For me, it’s a symbolic connection.”

The Foster Care Children’s Fund provides many necessities for children in the area. According to Lescaleet, educational improvement is a huge part of the fund’s allocation. Specifically, the organization funds the support of private school education, getting school supplies and clothes that fit and make children feel good on their first day of school.

“We’re seeing a lot of kids as they transition and move around a lot,” said Lescaleet. “It’s very difficult for them to stay within a school setting, and so we try to support whatever we can as far as getting them the education they need.”

The Children’s Fund also allows for the KidsPeace Winter Gala every year, where foster care families can join in solidarity to have fun, dance and get prizes.

“One of the nice pieces to this puzzle that makes it complete is that when we come together, everyone will bring something different to make sure that each year this charity auction is an amazing and successful event, raising funds for our kids in care,” Lescaleet said. “You don’t have to be a foster parent to support kids, families and the foster care world.”

The Chair-ity Auction will take place at the Metropolitan Room at 109 Green St. General admission is $25 per person. Vote online for your favorite chair. Tickets can be purchased at www.charityauction.com/events/.

Half a century ago in his first State of the Union speech, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a “War on Poverty.” Making poverty a national concern set in motion a series of bills and acts, creating programs such as Head Start, food stamps, work study, Medicare and Medicaid, which still exist today. The programs initiated under Johnson brought about real results, reducing rates of poverty and improved living standards for America’s poor. But the poverty rate has remained steady since the 1970s. Americans have allowed poverty to fall off the national agenda, said Sheldon Danziger, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan.

The city of Fayetteville and county of Cumberland are collaborating to address poverty in the greater Fayetteville area through a project called Pathways for Prosperity. It’s an initiative of District 2 City Councilman Kirk deViere to improve the economic lifestyles of area residents. “The district I represent includes some of the poorest households in the nation, and it’s time we gather as many resources and people as possible to move the needle on poverty,” deViere said. “It’s our duty, our responsibility.”

Pathways for Prosperity got underway with a widely-distributed community survey and will be followed up with a summit to be held Nov. 18. Feedback from the survey will be reviewed, and current
poverty data will be analyzed to hopefully identify areas in need and resources available to help people. After that, a community revitalization task force will be formed to study and produce a comprehensive action plan to help the destitute within 90 days.

Dealing with poverty is also on the mind of County Commissioner Glenn Adams. “Cumberland County is happy to partner with the city of Fayetteville on the Pathways for Prosperity initiative,” said Chairman Adams, who is also a leading advocate of Pathways for Prosperity. He cited virtually the same poverty concerns in his inaugural address early this year when named chairman of the board. “I am hopeful that this working partnership will result in a reduction of poverty in our community and will help empower residents on their path to a more prosperous future,” Adams said.

Adam Svolto, a Deputy Director of the North Carolina Justice Center, is serving as a consultant and is excited about the promise it represents. “I see a real sense of urgency and boldness, and I’m optimistic not only to see how P4P plays out in Fayetteville and Cumberland County but how this process may inform other communities dealing with similar issues,” Svolto said.

The Justice Center’s partnership with the initiative will be supported by a three-year grant administered by the North Carolina State Bar. Anyone interested in learning more about the project or partnering with Pathways for Prosperity can visit www.PathwaysforProsperity.org.

For a generation now, Cumberland County parents have been unable to persuade their sons and daughters to return home after college. The post-college student flight results from the belief that 20-somethings don’t see much of a future working in their hometown. The allure of opportunities in Raleigh, Chapel Hill and other points north and west is the apparent culprit. Indeed, Cumberland County’s population has not grown significantly in more than two decades. The city of Fayetteville came up with an idea that may help reverse, or at least slow down, the trend.

The city’s innovative Youth Internship Summer Program introduces young people who are still in high school to local career opportunities that may entice them to come home after college. The fledgling project focuses on STEM fields: science, technology, engineering and math. The program began last fiscal year with five city interns, nine Public Works Commission interns and three students in the private sector. It was expanded this summer with the city hiring 10 high school seniors, PWC 10 and the private sector two. “I’ll be working with Christine Michaels, new Chamber CEO, to help promote the program to our private sector employers,” said Assistant City Manager Jay Reinstein. “At a minimum, I would like to have at least 10 private sector commitments next year.”

The City and PWC pay their 20 interns $8 an hour or approximately $1,536 each for the six-week period they’re employed. To encourage more private sector involvement, city government agreed to subsidize local businesses by paying 50 percent of the cost, or approximately $750 per student. The total investment in the lives of 22 young people was $31,258.

Reinstein called it money well-spent: “This program exposes our youth to local government opportunities and provides them with career options they may not have considered if not for these summer internships.”

Students were referred by Cumberland County Schools and interviewed by city, utility and private sector staff before being hired. Reinstein said this year was very competitive. Of the nearly 50 students who applied, almost half of them were hired. Reinstein’s hope is that city council will be able to fund additional students next summer. City hall interns worked in engineering and infrastructure, finance, human resources, parks and recreation, transit, the airport and information technology. Some of the tasks and projects included: Billing, clerical work, data entry, website applications and FAST scheduling.

The Military Times has ranked Fayetteville a disappointing 44th in the nation among medium-sized cities as best places for veterans to live. The paper used data from numerous sources to compare locations in three broad categories: veteran and military culture and services, economic indicators — some veteran-specific and some not — and livability factors such as crime, health, school quality and traffic.

Specific factors considered were cost of living, employment, health and school ratings and proximity to top-ranked colleges and companies. “The issues in the piece are schools, jobs and health care … all of which are not status quo,” John Meroski, CEO of the Fayetteville Convention and Visitors Bureau, said. His agency has worked hard over the years to raise the military’s profile in Fayetteville.

Like Fayetteville,  many of the cities on the “Best Places” list have veteran representation in local government, which gives the veteran community an opportunity to weigh in on local government decisions. Six of Fayetteville’s 10 city council members are veterans. “I tend to take ratings with a grain of salt as a lot of the writers don’t bother talking with the community or the industries represented, so data is flawed or inaccurate,” Meroski added. 

Best Universities

U.S. News & World Report has named Princeton University the top college in the land, but North Carolina colleges have plenty to brag about in the magazine’s latest listing. The 2018 “Best Colleges” ranking comes as high school seniors start the process of applying to college. The ranking doesn’t change much from year to year. Among large national universities, Princeton has won the No. 1 position for seven straight years. Duke University again was in the top 10. UNC-Chapel Hill ranked 30th nationally, but fifth among public universities for the 17th consecutive year. NC State University had a significant jump, moving up 11 spots on the national list.

Other schools moved up or down a few spots. The magazine rates universities based on hundreds of data points and what it says are 15 measures of academic quality. It compares the schools in several categories to be fair. U.S. News breaks down universities and colleges based on mission or regional focus, best financial value or certain academic disciplines. The best regional universities in the South are the schools that offer undergraduate and master’s programs. Few of them have doctoral offerings. Elon University was first in the South; Campbell University 27th; Methodist University 85th; UNC Pembroke 102nd. The rankings have been criticized by some for fueling a competition that puts too much emphasis on elite colleges in the United States.

PWC to the Rescue

Fayetteville’s Public Works Commission is among hundreds of power companies in Florida working to restore electricity to millions of Floridians. PWC is part of statewide and national mutual aid networks, which depend on each other in time of need. Fayetteville benefited from mutual aid in the wake of Hurricane Matthew when crews came from Wilson to help with local power restoration. Also in Florida is ElectriCities coordinator Steve Blanchard, a retired PWC CEO.

Two PWC six-man utility crews with three trucks each marshaled at Fort Meade, Florida, according to PWC representative Carolyn Justice-Hinson. A contract tree trimming crew accompanied them. Over 20,000 municipal power line workers are expected in Florida. Among them are municipal electricity agencies from Greenville and New Bern. 

Walkability Lacking in Fayetteville

Unlike other large cities in North Carolina, Fayetteville has grown out, not up. It’s called urban sprawl by the experts. Fayetteville lacks skyscrapers but is the state’s second-largest city in land area with 148 square miles. Mayor Nat Robertson notes that’s one reason the city doesn’t have the sidewalks some say it should.

A new study by WalkScore, a consultant commissioned by the city, concludes Fayetteville is ranked last in America for walkability. The study noted that for every 5 miles of roadway, there is only 1 mile of sidewalk in Fayetteville.

Fayetteville’s population growth to nearly 205,000 residents resulted from the annexation of 50,000 people 10 years ago. Those suburban areas lacked sidewalks then, and still do. City council is considering a plan that would identify concentrated areas of pedestrian traffic to prioritize sidewalk construction going forward.

Domestic Violence Awareness Vigil

The last three homicide victims in Fayetteville died during violent domestic arguments. A candlelight vigil to raise awareness of domestic violence will be held Sept. 22 at 5:30 p.m. on the steps of the Cumberland County Courthouse, 117 Dick St.

Cumberland County Family Court, the CARE Center Family Violence Program, U.S. Army Family Advocacy Program, Fayetteville Police, Hope Mills Police and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office are among the agencies co-sponsoring the “Remember My Name” vigil in memory of victims of domestic violence homicides. The names of victims of family violence over the past year in North Carolina will be read aloud at the vigil. The event will also serve to highlight community resources for domestic violence victims.

Fire/Smoke Alarms Free to All

Residential smoke alarms are still available from the Fayetteville fire department. And the local Red Cross is also offering them. Officials say smoke alarms should be positioned outside each bedroom. The Red Cross says a representative will come to your home and install new ones for free.

More information is available at (910) 867-8151, ext. 27. Neighborhood Fayetteville fire stations also install smoke alarms at no cost. Anyone wishing to have their smoke alarm checked or to have one installed is encouraged to call the Fire Prevention Office at (910) 433-1730. “It is our determination that everyone within the city should have some form of detection and warning device,” said Fire Marshall Michael Martin.

Kenny was late almost every year. It became almost comical to those who knew him. I think it was a curse.

Kenny was a high school Sunday school teacher in a church I once served. He was a great guy. He had a wonderful wife and two beautiful girls. Everyone loved good ole Kenny.

You might call it the curse of Daylight Saving Time. It happens every year. It always happens at the same time. But every year, lots of people miss its coming.

It was advertised on the TV. It was announced at church. It was the rumbling of conversation for days leading up to it. But it didn’t matter; he would miss it.

As a high school Sunday School teacher, Kenny was expected to be at church and lead the boys’ class. The clock would strike, but there would be no Kenny. We’d wait … and wait … and wait. In fact, one year, Kenny was scheduled to sing a solo in the early worship service. But you guessed it: He was a no show.

Now don’t get me wrong. Kenny wasn’t lazy. He wasn’t lacking in smarts. In fact, Kenny sincerely forgot. Every year, Kenny felt sorry for missing it. But in the end, he still missed it.

In the end, we learned to adjust to Kenny’s curse of Daylight Saving Time. We just knew not to schedule him to teach or sing that day. And today, all is well.

But, the Bible tells us of a coming date when Jesus Christ will return. When that date arrives, it will matter if you miss it.

In Matthew 24, Jesus is asked about the signs of his coming and the end of the age. Recently, there has been a lot of interest in “end time” events because of all the recent natural disasters such as hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Jose, an earthquake in Mexico and more.

But whether the end of the world is tomorrow or in 50 years, the real question is whether you will be ready, whether you will have “set your clock” spiritually.

The Bible tells us that “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Whether your end comes by way of death or comes by way of Christ’s return, will you be ready?

Why not take steps today to prepare for eternity now?

I have a rather strange habit when it comes to Daylight Saving Time. I set my clock ahead on Saturday morning. Then, I go through that whole day one hour ahead. Why? So I’ll not miss the clock change that night. “Why?” you might ask. Because as a pastor, I don’t want to be late to Sunday worship.

Guess what? When the end comes, you have an even more important date with the Lord God Almighty. Why not start today in preparing for tomorrow? Give your life to Jesus Christ today. Don’t be late to your most important date.

I am in the midst of a revival of hope and unexpected direction for my life. The past nine years or so have been extremely difficult for me. By no means am I, or have I been, suicidal; however, there have been times when I found relief in the certainty of death and eternity in heaven.

This condition of despairing and profound lamenting was the result of watching what I see as the deterioration of America … this nation that I love, believe in and appreciate beyond description. This time of despair and lament was compounded by my response to approaching 70 years of age and feeling it. That combination produced thoughts of just taking life easy. That is, playing golf and not making any effort to assertively help address the ills of our society. In the end, I could find no peace in that approach. Every day became a time of struggle as I tried to do what I believed to be God’s will for me. It was a miserable time.

Then, along came this young preacher, Reverend Robert M. James Jr. For a little over one year, he has been the pastor at First Baptist Church (Anderson Street) in Fayetteville. I am a member of that church.

To my surprise, James is an exceptional preacher and pastor. My commendation of him should not be read to mean James agrees with my social, political or theological positions. My intent here is to share the very positive impact of his preaching in helping me start to, amazingly, break free of my despairing and lamenting. For me, he is proving to be “a messenger of encouragement and instruction.”

Let me explain the “to my surprise” statement in the preceding paragraph. Consider the following: I spent my teenage years listening to the preaching of my father who was a master sermon-crafter and presenter; have heard some of the great preachers of years past; earned a seminary degree; served as a pastor. Beyond this, my experience as a member of various churches has been where older, seasoned individuals were pastor.

All of that has shaped my conception of meaningful worship. Not for a moment do I contend my concept of worship is the only one acceptable to God. What I have seen recently by way of contemporary music in worship is often an atmosphere that reminds me of a place of entertainment and sermons that neither solidly encourage nor instruct. I was afraid this 32-year-old would bring that to this church where we still sing from hymnals. Finally, I did not expect a powerful and profound preacher at such a young age.

I was not in town when James and his family came for his “candidacy weekend.” He preached, and there was an event that allowed for interacting with the congregation. When I returned, all the reports regarding the weekend were glowing. Even though I was not there for the weekend, the Pastor Search Committee had provided information on the candidate. At some point, I knew he was a graduate of Wake Forest University and Yale Divinity School. Given my greatly diminished confidence in institutions of higher learning, due to the overwhelming majority of them being controlled by staunchly liberal adherents, I did not give much weight to  his education.

In my absence, the membership voted to call James as pastor. Some weeks later, he walked to the lectern and started his first sermon as such. Five minutes into that first sermon, I realized God had provided — and the First Baptist Church membership had called — an extremely mature and gift- ed preacher.

Over this year of listening intently to his sermons, I knew the effect on me was positive. In part, because of those sermons, my periods of despair and lament were occurring less frequently. Instead of procrastinating and justifying it by my advanced age and some physical limitations, I found myself getting back in the struggle to help make America a better place. Not only was I getting back in the struggle, but I also was not giving up in the face of difficulty, challenges or unwarranted opposition.

I saw all of that in the first year of James’ preaching. However, it was near the end of his sermon Aug. 27 that I realized the positive impact on me of his preaching was far greater than I had recognized. That’s when I knew I had to write about his tremendous effectiveness as a “messenger of encouragement and instruction.”

The title of that Aug. 27 sermon was “Missed Miracles: God’s Helpers.” The Scripture reference was Exodus 17:8-13. The pastor opened by explaining that Moses was leading some 2.5 million people from slavery in Egypt to freedom in a land God promised. Leading this group was not easy for Moses. He had to deal with recurring complaints, whining and various demands from the people. In this passage, the Amalekites come to fight with Israel. Moses sends a group out to battle. He then goes to the top of a hill with Aaron, his aged brother, and Hur, a young man not shown in Scripture as popular. Watching the battle, Moses realizes that when he keeps his hands raised, Israel wins. When he lowers them, they lose. The arms of Moses get tired, and he is unable to keep them up consistently. Recognizing the situation, Aaron and Hur seat Moses on a rock and, with one on each side, support his arms. Because they helped Moses without being asked, Israel won the battle.

Rob James shared a personal experience that so powerfully burned the point of his sermon into my mind that it brought me to tears. He talked about, as a young fella, falling a lot. Falling was such a frequent occurrence that he did not get new jeans because the old ones were too small, but rather because his falling wore holes in the knees of jeans. He then recounted how, when he would fall, the huge hand of his father would, time and again, take hold of his small hand and help him get up and move along. There were also times when that huge hand of his father caught him during a fall.

Then the time arrived when James’ father became ill and needed his son’s hand. That loving father with the huge hands died when this future preacher and pastor was just 16 years old. In those 16 years, the circumstances of life allowed father and son to help each other.

The sermon closed with a call to action on our part to be helpers and open to being helped by others. Nearing the end of the sermon, James said “We don’t have to be powerful to do what God is doing. We don’t have to be or think we are as able-bodied as we used to be. Aaron is an old man, and he is able to help here. We don’t have to be somebody that is well-known. Who knows anything about Hur, other than this story? We just have to be willing to listen, to see and to try. And God can handle the rest.”

This young preacher is playing a major role in God’s process of getting me back to listening, seeing and trying to help build a better world. A reasonable question is how does a person take on, like Rob James, those qualities that make it possible to influence others for good? A 3 year-old at Wake Forest Baptist Church answered the question. She said to her mother, “Reverend Rob really loves God.” The good news is that this life-changing relationship with God is available to each of us through Jesus Christ.

No doubt about it — starting today, it’s another yearlong celebration of Fayetteville and Cumberland County’s best of the best. Good things last, and Up & Coming Weekly’s Best of Fayetteville readership survey is celebrating its 20th anniversary. It’s a proud tradition of honoring the people, businesses and organizations that have proven themselves to be this community’s finest.

Each winning entity has distinguished itself within the community by reinforcing our values, defining our community’s personality and contributing to our quality of life. You need to know these people, businesses and organizations. They are the ones who will continue to impact our community. They are the ones who leave a positive and indelible impression of pride on us and future generations of residents,  visitors and guests.

The Up & Coming Weekly Best of Fayetteville edition you are holding in your hands will serve you well throughout the year. It is a valuable visitors’ guide, service directory and cultural and event resource. Every page touts the best of the best of what the Fayetteville and Cumberland County community has to offer.

The rules, format and guidelines of this sanctioned, time-tested survey have been designed and audited to provide residents, local businesses and organizations the recognition they deserve for their dedication and perseverance in their quest for excellence. Every category winner has achieved the highest level of excellence in what they do. For 20 years, we have successfully told their stories and revealed their secrets without a single regret or complaint.

There is no ballot stuffing, pay-to-play shenanigans, presale gimmicky advertising packages or dubious mischief designed to sway the result. Each winner is distinguished in its own way. There is no faking it when the community consensus selects you as the best in your field. This being the case, why not have your business or organization recognized as the best? After all, in a competitive world and tight economy, only the best (and the strongest) survive. This is why we are proud to be associated with and supported by with the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau. To build a better community, real leaders know that success comes from building on a sound foundation. Here, that foundation is this community’s best of the best people, businesses and organizations.

So, please join me, the staff of Up & Coming Weekly and the Best of Fayetteville sponsors as we begin this yearlong celebration. Pick up an extra copy of this special edition of Up & Coming Weekly at any one of our 500 countywide locations, or stop by our corporate offices at 208 Rowan St.

For 24/7, 365-day access to the Best of Fayetteville winners list, visit www.upandcomingweekly. com. While you’re there, sign up for our free electronic subscription and receive the Early Bird edition Tuesday afternoons. I promise you will be in the know and stay in the know. I also want to welcome Mark Pezzella and Five Star Entertainment as a corporate sponsor of Best of Fayetteville as well as thank Jimmy Keefe of the Trophy House and CPA Lee Utley for nearly two decades of supporting and partnering with us in this valuable endeavor.

Remember, the next time you hear someone say, “There’s nothing to do in Fayetteville.” Hand them a copy of Up & Coming Weekly and say, “BUSTED!”

Enjoy! And, as always, we sincerely thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly and making us your only locally-owned newspaper.

The new combination 3-A/4-A Patriotic Athletic Conference has created a headache for the league’s football coaches. They’ve got one less non-conference game to play with, which means one less game to evaluate players before making final decisions on starting lineups.

One game might not sound like a big deal, but listen to Terry Sanford first-year coach Bruce McClelland explain it. 

“That can mean 30 to 40 snaps easy for a kid,” McClelland said. “If I’m evaluating someone on 80 snaps, I’m comfortable.”

The trick for McClelland and his staff was to figure where to get extra snaps to replace the lost game.

Terry Sanford added an extra preseason scrimmage with St. Pauls and additional  preseason 7-on-7 passing skeletons.

Once full contact began during August practice, McClelland had the practice sessions videotaped so player performances could be evaluated from that film too.

“The only thing we haven’t evaluated is that biggame atmosphere and rivalry, how they are going to play,” he said.

South View coach Rodney Brewington said there’s another reason lineups need to be determined as soon as possible this season. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association will use MaxPreps rankings when determining seeding for this year’s football playoffs.

The rankings are based on a complex formula. “With strength of schedule being a factor, you want to be in a position where you are making a strong showing and scoring points,” Brewington said.

Like McClelland, Brewington relied heavily on watching practice. South View also got in extra scrimmage time at Campbell University and added extra 7-on-7s.

Brewington said regular attendance by Tiger players at summer workouts also helped. “When you go through the whole summer, you have an idea of who’s who,” he said.

The process of evaluating talent was complicated at Cape Fear this fall when a rash of injuries at linebacker forced coach Jake Thomas to make a number of unplanned adjustments.

“Typically if conference is further down the road you can rest those guys so they can heal for conference play,” Thomas said.

Thomas had to promote reserves to starting roles and elevate players originally destined for the junior varsity to the varsity.

“We’ve got six sophomores starting now,” he said. “When you’ve got sophomores and young guys in there, they are going to make some mistakes.

“But they’ve got the tools to work with and you understand there will be a learning curve.”

Thomas said Cape Fear continues to plug leaks and put its puzzle together. “Hopefully you will coach them up,” he said.

Before the recent Jungle Run night cross country race at South View High School, host coach Jesse Autry predicted that Cape Fear’s young squad could pose a challenge to other teams in the new Patriot Athletic Conference.

The results of the race proved Autry right.

The Cape Fear boys placed second in the developmental race behind Chapel Hill, scoring 44 points to 22 for the winners. Juan Alvarado and Colton Danks were third and fourth in the race for Cape Fear, Alvarado with a time of 18:07.27 and Danks 18:23.02.

Cape Fear was third in the girls’ developmental race, led by Adriana Alvarado in seventh place with a 22:29.73. In the girls’ championship race, Cape Fear’s Beth Ketterman placed 12th with a time of 19:45.12.

Cape Fear boys’ coach Matthew Hanes felt his team had the potential to do well this year. “We had three of the top five ninth grader times last year,” Hanes said. “Two of my top five times from last season were soccer players who converted full-time to cross country this season.”

Emily Freeman, who coaches the girls, was equally impressed with her squad’s showing in the Jungle Run. “Beth (Ketterman) did a personal best,” Freeman said. “We gave her a goal of breaking 20 minutes.”

Ketterman said the whole squad has been focused during workouts along with staying motivated and training hard. “I want to make the state meet,” she said. “It’s the highest level I can achieve in the sport in high school.”

Juan Alvarado was hoping to break 18 minutes in his race but fell just seven seconds short. “I’ve been focusing on workouts and getting mileage in,” he said. “I feel as a team we’ve worked harder and been getting better, focusing on higher goals.”

Hanes said running a 5K like the Jungle Run to start the season is a great early evaluator and gives the whole team valuable experience at big competitions to come later in the year.

“No matter what you do or how you train, you really don’t know where you stand until you get that race under your belt,” he said. “That’s especially true for those who haven’t run a 5K before.”

Hanes said the Colts are in a better position to start this season than they were this time last year.

“If they progress at the same rate they progressed last season, I really expect us to have a shot to run at the state meet for both the guys and the girls,” he said.

Picnic at the Hollow on the evening of Sept. 21 is the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra’s fall fundraiser. It features legendary barbecue as well as jazz performed by the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra in the beautiful Fox Hollow. Fox Hollow is the private home of Kathy and Daniel Fitch.

The picnic is the kickoff for this year’s North Carolina-themed season. “We were trying with our fall event to tie it into our North Carolina-themed concert series,” Christine Kastner, president and CEO of the FSO, said. “When we started talking about that, it seemed natural to do barbecue. Many of us happen to know Wyatt Dickson, and so while we were brainstorming, we decided to bring him home. Dickson has a restaurant in Durham called Picnic that has received local and regional attention for their barbecue.”

Fayetteville native Wyatt Dickson is specifically known for his woodsmoked, whole-hog barbecue. Barbecue is a ubiquitous experience in the south. It’s delicious, relatable and everyone has had some. It is for everyone. For Kastner, this represents something important about the FSO as well.

“One of the reasons we are doing this theme is to show that the symphony is approachable,” she said. “You don’t have to be formal to have a relationship with the symphony. It is available to all people.”

According to Kastner, the decision to make this season’s theme North Carolina came organically. When the new music director, Stefan Sanders, came to visit the area, he naturally asked a lot of questions. As they began to discuss all the wonderful and unique things that North Carolina has to offer, it seemed natural to celebrate it with music this year.

“Our first concert is titled ‘Cape Fear,’” Kastner said. “It focuses on our pirate history, the coast and oceanthemed music. We are inviting people to come in costumes because it is in October. Dress as pirates, or kids can wear whatever their Halloween costumes will be.” This concert will take place Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Huff Concert Hall at Methodist University.

Fundraising is important for the FSO. Each year, the organization does much more than its regular concert series. Currently, it is working on bringing concerts into neighborhoods. The Thursday before Picnic at the Hollow on Sept. 21, there will be a free concert in Westover Park, which is the first concert in this new outreach program.

The FSO is also well-known for the tremendous amount of work it puts into music education in the community. The symphony has a youth orchestra, hosts summer music camps and works closely with many Cumberland County schools. Continuing these programs requires funding, and that is what the funds raised as Picnic in the Hollow will support.

Admission is limited for this event and costs $50 per person. More information and options for paying this fee can be found at www.fayettevillesymphony.org/events. Fox Hollow is located at 2418 Sunnyside School Rd.

• Oct. 1 Cruise – Into – Paradise Come out and bring your shiniest car, motorcycle, truck or even tractor to display while enjoying BBQ, fried chicken and the fixins. Kids will love the train ride, jumping castle and playground. Free Admission, food prices ranging from $2-8. Details: www.paradiseacres.biz or (910) 424-2779

• Oct. 20-21 Ole Mill Days Festival Celebrate the Mills Way! Ole Mills street dance from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 20. Saturday, Oct. 21 runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Municipal Parks 1 and 2. Family fun to include: tractor pull, kids corner, movie night, food, vendors, craft vendors, and a Mills workers reunion. Details: (910) 429-4109.

Greetings from Up & Coming Weekly, Hope Mills’ Community Newspaper.

Wow! I love the sound of that. Actually, we have been a part of the Hope Mills community since our weekly community newspaper began publishing in 1996. As a marketing company, we have never strayed from our mission and mandates of focusing on all the positive quality-of-life aspects of living in Cumberland County.

Hope Mills has always been a part of our success. Starting today, we are taking our presence in your town to a new level. More papers, more newspaper racks (look for the bright yellow boxes) and a lot more Hope Mills coverage. Yes, the Town of Hope Mills will now have its own community section in Up & Coming Weekly. Pick up a copy every week to read about Hope Mills-related news, views, people and events as well as the many other great things happening in Cumberland County. We will also be marketing, profiling and promoting local businesses and organizations.

We will be working closely with Jan Spell and the Hope Mills Chamber of Commerce to market and promote “Shop local, Shop Hope Mills” as we invite newcomers, visitors and guests into the community. We are excited and pleased to have this opportunity to tell Hope Mills’ story to everyone in the county, including Fort Bragg.

And, we want to hear from you, the residents of Hope Mills. So, send us your editorials, comments, opinions, stories and events to hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com.

In closing, I want to thank the Town of Hope Mills for its vote of confidence. Specifically, Mayor Jackie Warner, Town Manager Melissa Adams, Deputy Town Clerk Debbie Holland, the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners and Jan Spell, president of the Hope Mills Chamber. Their combined leadership, vision, dedication and commitment to excellence will give us plenty to write about in the future.

How do you feel about the new partnership between the Town of Hope Mills and Up & Coming Weekly?

I’m excited about the opportunity to share what we’re doing with all of Cumberland County. I think that’s the big thing; Up & Coming Weekly covers all of Cumberland County. But the other thing is I think it’s important that we have focused news for Hope Mills. And now we have an opportunity to share in advance before things take place.

What are you most excited about when it comes to Hope Mills as a community?

Right now, it’s the fact that we’re growing by leaps and bounds. It has happened quickly. People want to live here. Hope Mills has that smalltown feel, but the numbers are quickly growing. We’ve got nice homes, nice schools, and our community and recreation facilities just can’t be beat. I’m very excited about the new businesses that we have coming in, too, and the fact that we have opportunities with our new golf course to make a nice recreational facility to attract even more families. I think that’s the key, that we’re a family-based community.

Where do you see the town headed over the next five years?

We have a positive direction. We do have a facilities plan and a strategic plan for our growth. When I was first elected, I didn’t see that. It was very hard to get people to look further than just today. Even the Town Hall — it was built for the time. Now, we’re planning for the growth. Over the next 5 years, you’ll see that with our plan we’re using tax dollars more wisely, and we’re planning not just for the next five years but for the next 30 years. It will be with the idea that Hope Mills is growing and that we want to meet those needs down the road.

What do you consider the town’s biggest accomplishment in recent years?

The fact that we’re starting to work with the other municipalities and the county. Years ago, it was almost like Hope Mills was an island. We didn’t participate or do a good job of sharing our ideas with the rest of the community. Now, we are. We’re getting grant money and DOT money that we probably wouldn’t have gotten if we had stayed isolated. We’ve also accomplished a lot by negotiating and winning a lawsuit for the dam. Even though it’s a process that’s taken a long time, we’re looking at the culmination of that because the (new) dam’s almost complete, and so the centerpiece of our town (Hope Mills Lake) will be back. And so I think that will again draw more people.

We also have a multi-modal congestion plan that’s being worked on so we can be more pedestrian-friendly and more bike-friendly. Once those plans are complete, we’ll be able to get more grant money to make this a more walkable community.

What is Hope Mills’ biggest asset?

Most people would want to say that it’s the lake or it’s the parks and recreation facilities. But I think it’s the people that live here. It’s our citizens. A lot of them have been here their entire lives. Those who have come back here or retired here are what make this community what it is. It has a small-town feel; people know each other and look out for each other.

What are your closing thoughts?

The most important thing right now is that with growth comes some change, and what we’re looking at now is change for everyone. But we’re planning that change. We’re being proactive, and we’re looking at what we know we need instead of having developers tell us what we need. We’re planning, and we’re going to keep Hope Mills feeling small-town while also accommodating the new growth.

The 3rd Annual Miss Hope Mills Cotton Pageant is set for Friday, Sept. 29, and Saturday, Sept. 30, with contestants 3-9 years old competing Friday and 10-22 years old competing Saturday. The pageant starts at 6:30 p.m. each evening at South View High School at 4184 Elk Rd. Here are the details to assist you in enjoying this annual event.

Age groups: Contestants are between the ages of 3 and 22 years of age. They are broken up into appropriate age groups based on ages: Wee Miss (3-5), Jr. Miss (6-9), Young Miss (10-12), Teen Miss (13-16), Miss Cotton (17-22).

Awards: The pageant is judged in divisions based on participant’s age group. A trophy, crown and banner are awarded to the winner in each category. First, second and third runnerups in each category are also awarded a trophy.

Sponsorship Award: A sponsorship award is given to the top contestant who raised the most sponsor money overall. This person receives a crown, trophy and banner. The other top four in this category also receive a trophy.

Judges: Judges are from the surrounding area. Contestants are judged based on the criteria of the pageant. The judge’s decision will be final. The judges’ score sheets will not be given to contestants on the night of the pageant; however, they can be picked up on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at the Hope Mills Recreation Center. The score sheets will be destroyed on Friday, Oct. 20, if not picked up.

 

Photographer: There will be a photographer on-site to take pictures. A Miss Photogenic is named the night of the pageant by the photographer and receives a trophy. 

Interviews: Contestants in the age groups 13–16 and 17–22 have an onstage question that will be added to their score. Questions may come from the pageant application or from other sources chosen by the pageant committee.

People’s Choice Award: Vote for your favorite contestant by purchasing a flower and placing it in the vase provided with the contestant’s name. The winner will be announced on Saturday night. The People’s Choice Award winner will receive the flowers from the vase plus the cash of the amount of flowers purchased in their vase only. Other contestants will receive their vase and flowers.

Admission: Admission to the pageant costs $5 per person when paid at the door. You may purchase advance tickets at the Hope Mills Recreation Center up until Wednesday, Sept. 27, by 8 p.m. Each contestant is given one ticket for a parent or friend.

For more information, call (910) 426-4109.

Hope Mills is full of up and coming events for residents and our neighbors to enjoy. We are working on plans to improve our services to the residents. We are developing a history of Hope Mills museum and a new shared training facility for our fire and police departments. We are in the process of developing a master plan for the old golf course, and our lakefront park master plan aims for optimum recreational use of our lake area. And, as always, our parks and recreation center is buzzing with activity for all, ranging from youths to seniors.

The Town of Hope Mills has activities for everyone. Whether you are a resident or you want to visit and check us out, all are welcome. We have a variety of road races throughout the year, parades on at least two occasions, Christmas and Fourth of July, the Hope Meals Food Truck Rodeo beginning the first Thursday of the month and the Miss Cotton Beauty Pageant. Ole Mill Days has many festivities over the course of two days to include an Ole Mill reunion. We have Trunk R Treat in our Municipal Park, multiple events for the Christmas holiday with visits from Santa, Valentine’s dinners, St. Patrick’s Day dinner and multiple events for Easter with a visit from the Easter Bunny.

We honor our fallen heroes on Memorial Day and Veterans Day with commemorative services. Of course, the Fourth of July is a big holiday for us as well, with all kinds of fun things for the entire family, including fireworks. If you haven’t gathered as much so far, Hope Mills is a family-oriented community, and our services are geared to keeping that our priority.

Our staff has developed a Citizens Academy that started again on Sept. 7. The academy is free of charge and exists for all citizens who would like to expand their knowledge of the workings of our town. It is an excellent avenue for anyone seeking potential service to the community in either elected or volunteer positions. There are interactive demonstrations throughout the eight-week course. At the first board of commissioners meeting in November, graduates of the academy will receive certificates to acknowledge their commitment to and completion of the program. There will also be a small reception to celebrate their outstanding accomplishment.

Hope Mills is a growing community with a wide range of diversification, and we are making every effort to include everyone in the celebrations and joyful events we sponsor.

Over the last year, Hope Mills formed a committee to help raise funds with matching sponsorship from the Cumberland Community Foundation. We not only reached our goal for the year, we surpassed it and are now on the way to having one of the few playgrounds that’s compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act for children in the county through Reid’s Journey. We are also contributing to the Alms House Backpack for Children program and helping with the beginning stages of the South View High School Arboretum.

Hope Mills is definitely on the way to bettering its community and making this an awesome place to live. We are proud of our community and encourage you to visit us for one of our many events. Who knows, you might find yourself looking at real estate.

Medieval Fantasies Company in cooperation with the Fort Bragg Family, Moral, Welfare and Recreation Department presents the 7th annual Fort Bragg Renaissance Faire Saturday, Sept. 16, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 17, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Smith Lake Recreation Area adjacent to Fort Bragg.

“This is a celebration of the time period in the Middle Ages of the Renaissance,” Chris Pugh, owner of Medieval Fantasies Company, said. “All of that entails shining knights, ladies and food and entertainment that goes along with that.” Pugh added this is the seventh year of the faire that serves troops, families and the surrounding areas.

This is one of the many events that the company produces while traveling around the country. The company puts on educational programs as well.

The event will feature classic favorites including turkey legs, the king and queen, a royal knighting ceremony, magician Flabbergast the Wizard, performers Thunder and Spice, Their Majesties The Blackwolfs, The Welsh Corgi Show and Henry Culpeper the Minstrel, The Queen’s Jewels belly dancers, musicians, sword swallower Master David and a full combat jousting by Round Table Productions. Some of the activities include flying hooves archery, live field demonstrations, mounted combat and archery and unicorn pony rides.

“We will have a variety of wonderful merchants offering all kinds of exciting and exotic wares for the faire,” Pugh said. “We will also have living history that includes the Hanseatic League.”

Other free activities include chess, Enchanted Unicorn/Mystical Nightmare Ring Toss, Bouncy Dragon, Bouncy Castle, stocks and crafts by Frame and Design Arts. The Masquerade Ball is Saturday from 4:30-5:30 p.m. 

“We are inviting everyone to come out to participate in this fun event,” Pugh said. “It is a family-friendly event and is a wonderful way to spend the weekend.”

All patrons are welcome. Period and modern weapons are not permitted. No alcohol, coolers or pets allowed. The cost is $10 per car load. Smith Lake Recreation Area is located at  1200 Honeycutt Rd. For more information, visit www.medievalfantasiesco.com/FortBraggRenaissanceFaire.htm or call (540) 294-1846.

This year’s NC Fall Festival is set for Sept. 8-16. It’s nine days of fun-filled events culminating in a full day of shows, entertainment and more. Once known as the NC Turkey Festival, the NC Fall Festival brings the community together for a week of activities.

The festival opens with the Turkey Bowl as the Hoke High Bucks take on the Lee County Yellow Jackets at Raz Autry Stadium. The pregame show starts at 7 p.m. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.

On Sept. 9, a Sip & Paint is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Beans Gone Wild. “Sip & Paint is a fundraiser for the festival,” NC Fall Festival Executive Director Melissa Pittman said. “The facility will hold 60 people. (The painting you will make) is a cute picture of a fence at night with a black cat sitting on the fence and with pumpkins in front of it. People can sign up on our Facebook page.”

Monday, Sept. 11, There will be a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at 8:30 a.m. at the Hoke County Courthouse. “The ceremony is a very short and sweet time to remember those we lost as well as the first responders who suffer from injuries and illnesses sustained on 9/11,” Pittman said. “It is also to honor our first responders here because they run in (to harm’s way) when everyone else is running out. We acknowledge law enforcement and the military community, including wives and children, because those families give up so much for us to have the freedom to do things like have a festival.”

At 5:30 p.m., it’s Manic Monday Music at The Wing Company. The concert is free. “Manic Monday Music is like a street dance,” Pittman said. “If you have those Monday blues, come out to (have) wings in Raeford on the corner of Harris and Main Street. The music is free, and we have three bands: Violent Smoke, Trigger and Nations Band. The music starts at 6 p.m. and will last till 10 p.m. All the groups involved in the fair have roots in Hoke County.”

The Raeford Civic Center will host a card tournament at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12. It costs $7 per person. “You can have as many at the table as you like and play any game you like,” Pittman said. “People play bridge, rummy, phase 10, you name it. Throughout the night, we give out prizes for game winners and door prizes.”

Pittman noted that the tournament started 30 years ago as a fundraiser for the Raeford Woman’s Club. It was so popular that when the club disbanded, the event organizers decided to keep the tournament. Call (910) 904 2424 to sign up. “There are finger foods and different snacks and tea, water and lemonade for everyone to drink,” Pittman said.

Wednesday, Sept. 13, is Senior Day and will be held at the Raeford Civic Center. The fun starts at 10 a.m. with bingo. It costs $5 per person. There is a 100 person limit. “We have a guest speaker who will speak about exercises that are safe to do in chairs, for people who are afraid of falling and have balance issues,” Pittman said. “We also serve a bagged lunch: a sub, chips and dessert. Then we play bingo for prizes. We try to make sure no one leaves empty-handed. This event is for seniors over 55. Call (910) 904-2424 to register.

On Thursday, Sept. 14, there will be a parade on Main Street at 5:30 p.m. “The parade is one of the biggest events of the festival,” Pittman said. “Every school in the county has a float in it. We have five bands in it and 75-90 entries.”

Friday’s schedule includes a Stuffin’ and Stompin’ Dinner from 5-8 p.m. at West Hoke Middle School. The dinner costs $8 per person. Pittman said the dinner was started years ago by Clara Pope to raise money for the now-defunct Raeford Woman’s Club. “Now, we partner with nutritional services,” Pittman said. “We split the proceeds with them.”

The dinner includes turkey dressing, green beans, yams, cranberry sauce and crusty rolls. “The rolls are to die for,” Pittman said. “I think people come for that. Our child nutrition employees cook and prepare the meals.”

The final day of the fair, Saturday, Sept. 16, includes a Corn Hole Tournament at 10 a.m. in the grass lot beside the main stage. Registration for the tournament starts at 9:30 a.m. At 11 a.m., there will be a car show on Main Street. Registration and sign in are at 10:30 a.m., and judging starts at 11 a.m. The Be Our Guest Kids Zone opens at 9 a.m. It is located near the library stage and closes at 4 p.m. There will also be pony rides from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. near the library stage.

“We will also have a scavenger hunt going on,” Pittman said. “Anyone can participate. Pick up a map at the festival tent. There are 10 locations in the festival ready to stamp maps/passports.”

Main Street will be lined with Festival vendors from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pittman noted that that are more than 30 food vendors offering everything from collard green sandwiches to egg rolls to funnel cake, brisket, hot dogs and more. More than 100 vendors selling crafts and commercial items will be at the fair as well. “It’s mostly handmade items this year,” Pittman said. “We will also have information booths for different organizations.”

The Library entertainment stage has a full schedule of entertainers from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Events open with a prayer and Carlton and Wanda Barber. Performers scheduled throughout the day are:

• 10 a.m. Jason and Michelle Melton

• 10:30 a.m. Holding Strong

• 11 a.m. Sheeniah

• 12 p.m. Rooster Roo

• 12:30 p.m. Break/announcements and Rooster Roo

• 1 p.m. Winslow Bartlett Jr.

• 1:30 p.m. Megan Judd

• 2 p.m. Dowdy Boys

• 2:30 p.m. Genesis

• 3 p.m. Men in Christ

• 3:30 p.m. JPC

The main stage, beside the Raeford Chamber of Commerce, opens with Glory Rain at 9 a.m. The schedule for the rest of the day includes:

• 10 a.m. Violet Smoke

• 11 a.m. GraceLyfe

• 1 p.m. Black Velvet

• 2 p.m. Bill and Paul

• 2:30 p.m. Trigger

The fair concludes with the Fight Durty Concert Saturday evening in Armory Ballpark. Gates open at 7 p.m. The concert honors those who have fought and won against cancer and who struggle with chronic illnesses. The fair will donate $1 for each ticket sold to Liberty Hospice and Home Care for Hoke County residents. At 7:25 p.m., the All Veteran Group Parachute Team will sky dive into the concert. At 8 p.m., The Sand Band will perform. Tickets cost $10 per person. Concessions will be available for purchase. This is a rain or shine event. No glass containers are permitted on the premises. Concertgoers are invited to bring lawn chairs and coolers. 

Call (910) 904 2424 or visit www.facebook.com/ncfallfestival to learn more.

The Arts Council’s 39th International Folk Festival with Compare Foods is a three-day festival beginning Friday, Sept. 22. During this festival, community members demonstrate and celebrate their different cultures through food, music, dance and crafts.

This year, the festival kicks off on 4th Friday with a street dance. “Sirius.B is performing,” said Mary Kinney, marketing director for the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County. “They are actually based out of Asheville, and they have an eclectic sound that they describe as ‘absurdist gypsy folk funk punk.’ They will perform Friday on a stage in the middle of the street on the corner of Ray Street and Hay Street. They will also perform Saturday... on the main stage.” 

Saturday, Sept. 23, kicks off with one of the most popular events every year, the Parade of Nations. The parade begins at 10:30 a.m. and will wind its way through downtown Fayetteville. “This is where our friends and neighbors proceed down Hay Street wearing their cultural clothes, playing their traditional music and dancing,” Kinney said. “It is celebrating all of the different cultures, and 30 cultures will be represented.”

The parade is expected to last about an hour and a half, which makes it convenient to walk over to Festival Park at noon to enjoy the rest of the International Folk Festival. The park will be filled with performers, food vendors, musicians and arts and craft vendors. “It is every color of the rainbow, every taste you can imagine on a plate and sounds from around the world,” Kinney said. “It activates all your senses, and it is truly global. You can really have egg rolls and ox tail on the same plate. It is very authentic. The people cooking, performing, and selling arts and crafts are all people from our own community. They are celebrating their cultures in a way that we can experience.”

This year, the festival’s hours are longer. On Friday, the festival will be open from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday starts at 10:30 a.m. Festival Park opens at noon and extended hours mean it will remain open until 8 p.m. These longer hours allow for a special performance by Mystic India, an internationally acclaimed Bollywood dance spectacular. Mystic India will perform from 6:30-8 p.m. on Saturday on the main stage in Festival Park.

On Sunday, Festival Park will be open to continue the festivities from noon to 6 p.m. 

The International Folk Festival is always a rain-or-shine event. This year, 100,000 participants are expected over the weekend. There is no admission cost, but according to the Arts Council, it is a good idea to bring some cash to purchase food, beverages and crafts from the local vendors. There will be an ATM, but it often generates a long line. This is a family-friendly event, so strollers are welcome, but dogs should be left at home. “Just bring yourselves. We will be selling beer, wine, water and coke products. Everything you need will be there,” Kinney said.

Find out more at www.theartscouncil.com.

Cape Fear Regional Theatre will kick off its 2017-18 season Sept. 14 with “Dreamgirls,” the Tony Awardwinning Broadway musical that follows the rise of The Dreams, a singing trio, in the 1960s.

Some audience members may be more familiar with the 2006 film version starring Jennifer Hudson and Beyonce than the Broadway show decades before starring Jennifer Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Loretta Devine.

The story is based loosely on Diana Ross and the Supremes and other girl groups in the Motown era who found that stardom often came with compromises, said Mary Catherine Burke, CRFT’s new artistic director. Every character has a compromise to make to achieve their dream.

“It’s a film onstage,” Burke said. Director Suzanne Agins does “an exquisite job of changing the perspective of the audience with constant motions.”

The progression of time from the ’60s R&B era when The Dreams are discovered to the ’70s disco era will make the production fun for the audience with a variety of music, dance and costume changes, Burke said.

“The thing that is most exciting,” Burke said, “is 20 people singing their faces off with a live band of nine onstage.”

The large cast of 14 local and six non-local performers is indicative of one reason CFRT has been so successful and still thriving after 55 years, said Leslie Flom, marketing director for CFRT. “The whole cast, mostly young, are representatives of local, regional and national artists working side by side,” she said.

Many in the cast said being in “Dreamgirls” was on their bucket list of shows.

“The underlying theme of the show is that dream of performing,” said Ricardo Morgan, who plays Tiny Joe Dixon. A local performer and veteran of several CFRT productions, Morgan said it resonates with the audience because “everybody, no matter what walk of life, has a dream.”

Darius Jordan Lee, from Charlotte, said playing C.C. White “is one of my dream roles. Since I was a kid growing up in my grandfather’s church, I knew I wanted to be a performer.”

For cast member Marktavious Patton, who plays Curtis Taylor Jr., performing onstage is a dream he relates to his own life. From Newark, New Jersey, Patton is facing his own compromise to reach his dream of entertaining audiences like he did last year as the Tin Man in CFRT’s production of “The Wiz.”

Despite having a master’s degree in technology management and a pending job offer working for Amazon in Arizona, Patton said his ultimate dream is to make a name for himself and his family from the stage.

“I am from a poor family, I was the first to graduate college, and I faced prejudices,” Patton said. Although grateful for his opportunities and the pending offer for a “solid career,” he said, “my compromise is that it is not what I want to do.” On the heels of what he believes will be a successful run in “Dreamgirls,” Patton has given himself a time limit to book another show before his deadline to report to Arizona. “If I book a show, I’m gonna go for my dream.”

The entire cast has that kind of passion for performing and is very talented, said Burke. The cast includes leads Nattalyee Randall as Effie White, Diamond Essence White as Deena Jones, Stephanie Rocio as Lorrell Robinson, Kwame Remy as Jimmy Early, and Wilson J. Randall as Marty.

“Dreamgirls” book and lyrics are by Tom Eyen, music by Henry Krieger. The show is choreographed by Randy A. Davis.

“The cast is phenomenal,” Burke said. “You’ll leave here singing.”

“Dreamgirls” runs through Oct. 8. There will be a Military Appreciation Night on Sept. 20 with childcare and a pre-show reception. Girls Glam Night will be Sept. 22 with a pre-show hair and makeup party.

For ticket information, call the box office at  (910) 323-4233 or visit www.cfrt.org.

Operation Inherent Resolve continues in Iraq, but the Army’s 3rd Armored Corps has taken over the fight against ISIS.

Fort Bragg’s 18th Airborne Corps Headquarters element has returned home. Most of the unit’s 450 paratroopers came back over the last few weeks. Their commander, Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, and the last 40 members of the outfit, arrived last Wednesday evening. They were met at Pope Field’s green ramp by family and friends.

“Our Soldiers and units are skilled, tough and stand ready around the clock to defend America,” Townsend said before his group deployed in August of 2016. “I could not be prouder of any organization I’ve served in,” he said upon their return.

Townsend’s Combined Joint Task Force was an international coalition of 73 nations formed three years ago to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The general told news reporters gathered to greet the soldiers, “It’s not over yet, but we put a huge dent in ISIS.”

None of the Corps’ soldiers lost their lives during the 12-month deployment but 13 members of the Coalition were killed. Townsend said the Corps’ mission was to help Iraqi and Syrian forces defeat the enemy by enabling them in five ways: supplying equipment, training, intelligence, precision air and ground fires and combat advice.

“In 2014, they were broken and defeated,” Gen. Townsend said of Iraqi troops. He now says that over the past three years the Coalition has made significant progress. It has trained more than 120,000 partner forces, and 80,000 square kilometers, which were once held by the enemy, have been reunified. And 5.6 million people in Iraq and Syria have been liberated from ISIS control. Townsend said Iraqi security forces lost 10,000 troops in the fight.

In July 2017, the Iraqi city of Mosul was recaptured by security forces backed by the U.S. “In Mosul we saw the toughest fighting anyone has seen since World War II,” Townsend told reporters. He noted this is not typical warfare. War fighters had to overcome ISIS’ use of chemical weapons, explosive-laden drones, suicide missions, armored car bombs and the use of civilians as human shields. “Every victory against ISIS in Iraq and Syria makes us that much safer here at home,” Townsend said.

The Corps transitions back to Fort Bragg to reset, refit and begin training for the next mission. “It is not the nature of Paratroopers to sit on their hands. We will train hard to ensure we are ready to answer the nation’s call,” Townsend said.

Returning paratroopers enjoyed a four-day weekend. Asked what’s next for him, Townsend said he’s not looking beyond commanding 18th Airborne Corps. The 56 year-old three-star general has been the Corps’ commander for two years, which is the typical length of a tour for Fort Bragg’s commanding general.

What do Southern U.S. Army posts have in common? They’re named after Confederate officers. The man for whom Fort Bragg was named was a military leader. Camp Bragg was established in 1918 as an artillery training ground and honored native North Carolinian Gen. Braxton Bragg, who also happened to be a slave owner. He commanded the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War and later was given command of the Department of North Carolina by Jefferson Davis. History records that he was loathed by his fellow generals. Author Earl Hess titled his most recent biography “Braxton Bragg: The Most Hated Man of the Confederacy.”

There are nine other posts named for Confederate generals and a colonel, including the head of the Army, the reported Georgia chief of the Ku Klux Klan and the commander whose troops fired the opening shots of the Civil War. Both the Army and the South are tradition-bound entities that revere their pasts. The naming of the posts came long after the Civil War.

Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, has said there is “no discussion” to rename the installations. That should put to rest the anxiety of Southern heritage traditionalists. “Every Army installation is named for a soldier who holds a place in our military history,” Brig. Gen. Malcolm Frost said. “These historic names represent individuals, not causes or ideologies.” Critics point out that with a rich history of American military leaders to choose from, it’s ridiculous to keep the names of Confederate generals.

In its outline of the history of naming Army installations, the Army notes, “It was common for camps and forts to be named after local veterans with a regional connection.” All 10 of the bases located in the South honor ranking officers who served in the Confederacy:  Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, honors Louisiana native and Confederate Gen. Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard (1818-93, West Point class of 1838). He led the attack on Fort Sumter.

Fort Benning, Georgia, honors Brig. Gen. Henry Benning (1814-75), a Georgia lawyer, politician, judge and supporter of slavery. Fort Gordon, Georgia, honors Lt. Gen. John Brown Gordon (1832-1904). He was reported to be the leader of the state’s Ku Klux Klan and has “become for many Georgians, and southerners in general, the living embodiment of the Confederacy,” according to a Georgia Historical Society publication.

Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, honors Virginian Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill (1825-65, West Point class of 1847). He had a frail physique and was frequently ill, attributes which some historians believe are linked to the gonorrhea he contracted while on furlough from West Point.

Fort Hood, Texas, honors Gen. John Bell Hood (1831-79, West Point class of 1853). Hood was wounded at Gettysburg. He led his troops in a massive assault during the Battle of Chickamauga, suffering wounds that led to the loss of his right leg.

Fort Lee, Virginia, honors Virginian General Robert E. Lee (1807-70, West Point class of 1829), the South’s commanding general by the end of the War Between the States.

Fort Pickett, Virginia, honors Maj. Gen. George Pickett (1825-75, West Point class of 1846), a Virginia native. Pickett’s 1863 charge at Gettysburg has been called “the high-water mark of the Confederacy” before ending up a Union victory.

Fort Polk, Louisiana, honors Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk (1806-64, West Point class of 1827), an Episcopal bishop born in North Carolina. His immediate superior was Gen. Braxton Bragg.

Fort Rucker, Alabama, honors Tennessee native Col. Edmund Rucker (1835-1924) who was often called “general” but never attained the rank.

Fayetteville’s murder rate is on pace to match the city’s all-time high of 31 homicides recorded last year. Twenty people have been killed thus far in 2017, eight of them since mid-August. On Friday, Sept. 8, just before 7 p.m., police found two individuals dead when officers made entry into a home on Yellow Brick Road off Hoke Loop Road in West Fayetteville. Police spokesman, Lt. Todd Joyce, said a third person and a child were in the home when officers arrived, but had not been hurt.

This was the second double homicide in Fayetteville in a week. On Sept. 5, police found two men shot in a car parked in the Smokey Bones Bar & Grill parking lot on Skibo Road. One of them was dead; the other near death. He died three days later at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. Twenty-four hours earlier, a female passenger in a car was killed in a drive-by shooting on Kennesaw Road. The driver was unhurt.

These most recent murder cases remain unsolved, and police ask that anyone with information notify them. Fayetteville/Cumberland County Crime Stoppers is offering cash rewards. Crime Stoppers can be reached at 483-TIPS. Anonymous information can also be submitted online at fay-nccrimestoppers.org or by downloading the free P3 Tips app available on Apple and Android devices.

Fayetteville Resident Dies in House Fire

A raging fire in a home on St. Paul Avenue in Fayetteville claimed the life of the resident over the weekend. Fayetteville firefighters found the home in the Evergreen Estates neighborhood fully engulfed in flames just after midnight on Saturday, Sept 9. A car was also on fire. Two firefighting crews entered the house to fight the blaze. “One of the crews located the victim in one of the back bedrooms,” said Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Morgan. Ambulance paramedics from Cape Fear Valley Medical Center declared the resident dead on the scene.

Firefighters battled the blaze for approximately an hour before it was fully extinguished. “Damage was done to the entire home with the bulk of the fire damage in the living room and carport area,” Morgan said. “Damage to the structure, its contents and the car was estimated to be $150,000.”  Cause of the fire and manner of death have not been determined. The origin of the fire was the living room of the home. A joint investigation involving the FFD, Fayetteville Police, ATF and SBI is underway.

North Carolina Sues Chemours

State officials have ordered Chemours to stop releasing all fluorinated compounds into the Cape Fear River and began legal action against the company to suspend its permit for discharging wastewater into the river.

The state of North Carolina initiated a lawsuit against Chemours in Bladen County Superior Court. Acting on behalf of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, attorneys with N.C. Department of Justice are seeking a court order against Chemours Fayetteville Works plant on the Bladen County line. In a separate letter, DEQ notified Chemours that the state has begun the process of suspending the company’s wastewater permit for failure to adequately disclose the release of GenX into the Cape Fear River.

Without the permit, the company cannot release any wastewater into the river. “Protecting people’s drinking water is our top priority, and we’ve put Chemours on notice that it must stop discharging these chemicals into the Cape Fear River immediately,” said Secretary Michael Regan of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. In June, DEQ and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services began investigating the presence of GenX, a chemical made at Chemours’ Fayetteville plant, in the river.

In a letter to the company, DEQ wrote: “We have found no evidence in the permit file indicating that Chemours or DuPont (Chemours’ predecessor) disclosed the discharge to surface water of GenX compounds at the Fayetteville Works.” DuPont operated the Fayetteville Works facility that produces GenX until 2015 when Chemours was created as a spin-off company.

911 Center Negotiations Continue

City of Fayetteville and county of Cumberland officials still do not agree on who should run a planned joint emergency dispatch and call center. Some city council members are ready to move forward as originally planned with the city operating the system. But the council agreed last week to have Deputy City Manager Kristoff Bauer and Assistant County Manager Tracey Jackson continue their negotiations.

At issue are operational standards and funding. Bauer told city council some progress had been made. The ultimate decision regarding which entity of local government operates the system hinges on whether the county is willing to match the city’s operational standards. The City Communications Division is nationally accredited; the county’s is not.

Police and Public Working Together

The police will tell you that one of their biggest weapons in the fight against crime is community. Detectives have arrested a pair of men in a string of armed robberies that occurred during the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, Sept. 3, and officers are crediting the public. 

Police said active social media outlets, shared public information and phone tips led to the successful identification and apprehension of the suspects. “Providing anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers, statements and sharing information with others is a key component of community policing,” said Police Chief Gina Hawkins. “We are grateful for the relationships that have been established in our community to work together to make it safe,” she added.

Thomas Eugene Skipper, 26, and Jason Allen Gates, 28, fled to Mount Olive, North Carolina, according to police. Detectives received information of their whereabouts once their photographs were shared across social media. The FPD violent criminal apprehension team along with Mount Olive and Duplin County authorities located and arrested Gates and Skipper without incident.  They’ve been jailed, charged with robbing a customer of a Raeford Road grocery store, a patron of a local tavern and an employee of a bowling alley. The public can contact the police via Crime Stoppers by calling (910) 483-TIPS.

Wilkes Road Yard Debris Dump Reopens

The county has reopened the Wilkes Road Compost Facility at 771 Wilkes Rd., following a pesky mulch fire that closed the facility Aug. 27. No equipment or buildings were damaged in the fire.

The facility is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Wilkes Road facility accepts residential yard waste and commercial land-clearing debris. Vegetative debris is treated and sold for boiler fuel and is also used to create screened compost and mulch. Residents can purchase the screened mulch Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

It is time to change the conversation in this city. And to change the conversation, you must change the leadership. For Fayetteville to become a stronger more progressive city it must represent the priorities of the entire city and not just certain areas. I have worked over the last two years to reduce the inequalities that will hinder our future growth in District 2 and I am ready to work to reduce these inequalities throughout Fayetteville.

We have heard across the city that the change people want for Fayetteville is not reflected in its current priorities of our current mayor. Other city leaders say they also care about the inequalities we see but what have they done to help change this issue other than talk about what they could do. When we have 25 percent of our city living in poverty and these same leaders are barely having conversations about it, helping our people is clearly not their priority. When leaders say they are “bringing jobs” to Fayetteville, knowing these jobs pay less than a living wage, perpetuate generational poverty and forego innovative growth possibilities, then they aren’t seeing the big picture because they aren’t bringing the right kinds of jobs to Fayetteville. When leaders aren’t working to revitalize our overlooked and blighted neighborhoods, they aren’t focused on the right priorities. If city leaders aren’t actively partnering with our military, county and educational institutions to transition our workforce, they don’t have the right priorities. And unfortunately, our current leader is not having these conversations at all. It takes hard work to create the type of change we want in our city. I have rolled up my sleeves, working alongside many of you, to improve Fayetteville and I am ready to continue. This is not rhetoric. Please look at my track record of hard work in our community over the last 17 years — elected office or not.

I will continue to champion the work already in progress to achieve our shared vision for Fayetteville. It is work on collaborative initiatives like our Innovation Corridor that positions us to leverage statewide projects like BRIGHT Futures (www.ncbrightfutures. org) and grow our economy in the markets of cyber security and innovative next generation markets in partnership with local universities/colleges and private businesses. Our work includes an initiative to address poverty called “Pathways for Prosperity” (www.pathwaysforprosperity.org) that is creating a community conversation along with a series of action steps with a goal of changing the generational poverty we see in our city. We are continuing the efforts and concepts of “My Brother’s Keeper” to enhance collaboration and grow a community youth mentorship program. These initiatives, coupled with the current city council’s success in building new parks and recreation facilities, increased downtown capital investment, our new baseball stadium, use of local contracting, and Murchison Road development all align to move Fayetteville on a path toward this shared vision.

We need an innovative and driven mayor that can lead our city’s transformation and understands we all grow stronger when the county, school systems, and other municipalities grow with us and have a shared vision. We need a mayor who will stand committed to changing the future of Fayetteville. We deserve a leader who believes in collaboration and construction, not confrontation and obstruction. I am asking for your vote and I am asking you to join me if you believe that we still have work to do in creating a stronger city. I may not have been born here. I may not have gone to high school here. But Fayetteville is my home, it is my wife’s home, it is our new son’s home and it is your home. Let’s make it  better together.

Cindy Blackwell announced this week that she changed her party affiliation to Republican. She plans to actively seek the GOP nomination for Cumberland County Clerk of Court in 2018.

“When I first registered to vote in Cumberland County, I was a young adult working for an elected official,” she said. Her family was Republican, Blackwell noted, but an acquaintance persuaded her not to register with the GOP — the friend was concerned that Blackwell’s party registration might affect her job.

Blackwell said she has always voted for the candidate she considered most qualified, regardless of party, and that she believes voters will look at her qualifications and experience and choose her for Clerk of Court.

“In light of recent events in our courthouse, I just couldn’t go along with the ‘status quo’ politics. So, I made my choice and switched party affiliations. I  feel good about my decision to join the Republican delegation. It feels right,” Blackwell said.

“The race for Cumberland County Clerk of Court should be about who is the most qualified candidate and who has the knowledge, experience and knowhow to serve the people. I intend to run a fair, hon
est, respectable, but, aggressive campaign to personally meet and introduce myself to both Democratic and Republican voters across the county,” Blackwell said. “I believe the Courthouse belongs to the people. No single political party owns it, and it’s no place for partisan politics that places personal political favor over competency, qualifications and an honorable and documented track record.”

She went on to say that the average person dreads going to the courthouse in Fayetteville, because the place is slow and frustrating to deal with and that the current system just promotes the status quo.

“They’re not trying to make the courthouse work better for average folks,” she said. “I want people to know that things can get better — that voters will actually have a choice this time around. I want them to decide who is the most qualified to be the next Clerk of Court.”