The Darkest Hour (Rated PG13) 4 Stars

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and pronounce The Darkest Hour (89 minutes) an enjoyable little sci-fi, even though apparently everyone but me hates it. Director Chris Gorak’s freshman film was a neat little Indie flick called Right at Your Door, and if you blinked and missed its release, Netflix has that little gem. Along with Gorak, for those of you who care, this is the first screenplay credited to Prometheus writer Jon Spaihts (the Ridley Scott movie set in the Alien universe!). Not to mention that producer Timur Bekmambetov directed the original Russian version of Nightwatch!

Before we get any farther, I want to put out there what everyone was thinking about during the trailer for this movie. I don’t think this counts as a spoiler, because it is in every commercial. Filmmakers, it would be much easier to like you and celebrate your good points if you hadn’t killed the dog. Never kill the dog. Seriously. Wipe out most of humanity, gut the planet, knock down the buildings. But you heartless monsters: Do. Not. Kill the dog. Ever. I don’t even want to think about what hap-pened to Faraday kitty DJ Lance Rock.

The film takes place in Moscow, where Sean (Emile Hirsch) and Ben (Max Minghella) have traveled to seal the deal on some kind of dot-com startup. After a day touring the city, they wind up in a nightclub that only allows pretty people inside. Naturally, they meet the only other Americans in Moscow, Natalie (Olivia Thirlby) and Anne (Rachael Taylor, who is techni-cally Australian).

Since none of them speak Russian or know their way around Moscow, when the aliens come they are immediately dispatched. Except that some-how doesn’t happen, and they wind up hiding in some kind of basement pantry. Eventually, they claim to be out of food (despite the sticks of delicious pepperoni clearly visible in the background) and decide to leave their safe haven in search of the American embassy. That works out about as well as you would expect.

For most of the search, it seems that Natalie would apparently rather walk barefoot through the bizarrely clean Russian streets than loot some Russian sneakers. I hear you Natalie! Buy American! Finally, they hole up in a mall (as you do following an apocalypse) and after a few hours of staring blankly at each other, decide to liberate some sup-plies, including some stylish black suede calf length boots for Natalie. Remember, the world might have ended, but that is no excuse to ignore fashion! Of course, it helps when your hair and make-up are designed to last for weeks without a shower.

In their travels, they discover the scientific principles of the alien defense systems, despite having no technical training whatsoever. It is good to know that in every end-of-the-world scenario, there is that one smart guy who lives just long enough to explain what is going on to the pretty young idiots, who aren’t even smart enough to remember how to hide from aliens from one scene to the next.

Finally, let’s take just a moment to ponder over the anti-intellectual theme of the movie. To put it simply, the smarter the character, the quicker they died. The entire film is a celebration of impulse and intuitiveness. Ah well, the prettiest ones lived. Overall, if you enjoyed Skyline you will like this, and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.

Now showing at Wynnsong 7, Carmike 12 and Carmike Market Fair 15.

If you had visited in Fayetteville in early 1997, you would not have found the bustling historic downtown you see today. You also would not have found many of the national businesses that have located here or the numerous restaurants that dot the city’s busy commercial corridor around the mall and on McPherson Church Road.

Instead you would have found a derelict downtown, with dark bars with names like the Seven Dwarves, the Pump House and the infamous Rick’s Lounge. The city’s downtown was just beginning to come back to life, and the first conscious attempts were made to separate the city from its derogatory nickname of Fayettenam.

Flash forward to today, and you find a community on the move. Over the past couple of years, the city has received numerous national accolades:

• 18th on the 2010 Milken Institute’s Best Performing Cities Index

• Second highest increase in the nation on per capita income in 2010

• America’s Most Pro-Military Community, Time

The results say that the community has done something right, but it hasn’t been by chance, but rather through careful planning and community involvement. That cohesive community effort paid off last summer, when Fayetteville earned its fourth designation as an All America City. The question begs to be asked: How did we get here in just 15 short years?

The city answered that question best in its application to the All America City Award” “We believe that we are worthy of a fourth award, because we are addressing the city’s challenges through civic engagement and collaboration, a community-wide effort for inclusiveness and through creative leveraging of resources to complete projects that have dramatic impact in our community.”

The city highlighted four key projects in the award:

• Working together to move Fayetteville Forward

• Improve the image of Fayetteville and embrace our military

• Address sustainability through leveraging resources for innovative economic development

• Embrace Reading Rocks! to benefit Fayetteville’s Youth

Key to Fayetteville’s transition was the involvement of the community as a whole. That is best manifested in the Greater Fayetteville Futures project, which has been ongoing since 2000. The goal of Greater Fayetteville Futures, which continues to meet today, is to bring hundreds of Fayetteville citizens together for the purposes of transforming the community’s vision into innovative projects. More importantly, the group focused on one question: How can its citizens work together to move Fayetteville and Cumberland County forward?

The initial effort was spearheaded by local business owners and the University of North Carolina’s Offi ce of Economic Development, and focused on three topics: How to diversify the economy; how to leverage the military presence to build a more dynamic local economy; and how to establish an identity that was a true refl ection of the city

.The first two topics were closely related, and work in these areas has changed the face of the community, and is continuing to build the local economy. In 2001, Fayetteville’s per-capita income was stagnant. Jobs were not being created, and the community’s brightest and talented young adults were leaving to build careers in more progressive areas.

Working with the leadership of Cumberland County, a concerted effort was made to consolidate the community’s economic development efforts to recruit traditional industries, while leveraging Fort Bragg’s presence in the community. That effort has resulted in all economic-development efforts falling under the auspices of the Fayetteville-Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce. The efforts are funded to the tune of $1 million, which is contributed by the county, the city and the Fayetteville Public Works Commission. An additional $3.6 million was contributed to the economic-development funds through private businesses and individuals, with the most recent infusion coming through the creation of the Linda Lee Allan Legacy Fund.

The first fruits of the community’s labor began to be seen in 2005, with the creation of the N.C. Military Business Center, which assists businesses with obtaining military and other federal contracts. To date almost 600 contracts have been awarded, which has brought $2.7 billion to the state.

2005 also saw the announcement of the BRAC commission to move the U.S. Forces Command and the U.S. Army Reserve Command to fort Bragg. That decision spurred the creation of the Partnership for Defense Innovation and the Defense & Security Technology Accelerator, with the later creating more than 150 jobs, securing 91 military contracts and infusing $31.8 million into the local economy.

In recent years, more than 600 high-tech jobs have been secured in the community through the work of the PDI, including, Booz Allen Hamilton’s opening of a corporate offi ce in the city, L3 Communications, SAID and other military contractors. Home-grown entrepreneurs include RLM, K2 and The Logistics Company.

Economic growth has continued through the investment of more than $120 million in downtown by the private and public sector, and a $113 million investment in the city through a Hope VI project, which is designed to revitalize blighted areas near the downtown area.

Fayetteville residents may be more aware of the change in the way the city is viewed, but with the construction of the Airborne and Special Operations Museum Downtown, followed by the N.C. State Veterans Park, Fayetteville has embraced its military heritage, and has leveraged it to become the military destination. Touting itself as a city of “History, Heroes and a Hometown Feeling.” Leaders felt the phrase captured the sentiments of how Fayetteville saw itself as it entered a new millennium. In 2001, America went back to war, and troops again amassed at Fort Bragg, but long gone were the bars and strip clubs that earned the city its unfortunate moniker. Instead, troops converging on the city found an emerging and growing downtown, and a community that was ready to not only support them, but embrace them.

Fayetteville didn’t just pay lip service to its new slogan, its citizens lived it. The creation of a number of organizations that served the troops happened quickly. First was the creation of the Society of Patriots, which was comprised of community leaders representing the military, local governments, businesses and cultural organizations. The group created a community-wide plan to show the nation Fayetteville’s true colors. This was quickly followed by the creation of the 31 Day Salute, a month-long celebration honoring the military, veterans and their families. With this May celebration, the city, reaffirmed the pride it has in its military history and its commitment to supporting the troops.

With BRAC came many challenges, chief of which was convincing families to make the move from Atlanta to Fayetteville. The community answered the call with the creation of the Army’s Army, a non-profit volunteer organization that worked tirelessly to educate, inform and make welcome those who would be making the move. That effort resulted in Fayetteville being named America’s First Military Sanctuary, and later being named by Time as America’s Most-Pro Military Community. Other organizations, like Fayetteville Cares ensure that Soldiers serving today are taken care of while they call Fayetteville home.

In November, Fayetteville paid homage to its Vietnam-era history by hosting a Heroes Homecoming, the nation’s first welcome home for Vietnam Veterans. The two-week event brought Vietnam vets from across the nation to the community, many of whom reveled in the changes to the city, while affectionately recalling their time here.

At the heart of all of these improvements has been the involvement of local citizens not only in Fayetteville Futures or in America’s Army or in packing care packages for the troops, but in creating a vibrant community that is alive with arts and culture, that embraces its green spaces as much as it does its businesses and that has found a way of keeping its most precious resource — its children involved, active and returning to the city to pursue their careers following the completion of their education.

Fayetteville has come a long way in the past 15 years, and city leaders are continuing to craft a vision for a vibrant future, but they are the fi rst to acknowledge it takes the work of the entire community to continue the momentum. Fayetteville Mayor Tony Chavonne probably said it best in an opinion piece that he wrote to launch the Greater Fayetteville Futures initiative:

“Let’s agree to look back one day and say that 2001 was the time when we rolled up our sleeves and worked together to improve our community’s economic health, to restore our rightful place as an economical infl uence in the region and the state and to build a stronger economy and better life for everyone who lives and works here.”

It has been said you can judge a society by how it treats its weakest members — its children. If that is the case, there is a lot to be said for the City of Fayetteville and the way it celebrates its youngest citizens.

While nothing replaces the time and attention of parents, the Fayetteville community has several resources that make parenting a little more fun and interesting.

Each fall the community rallies around its youth to support education and literacy with Reading Rocks, a 1.5 mile walk through downtown Fayetteville that draws crowds of more than 20,000. The local high-school marching bands are stationed along the route and provide inspiration to the walkers. Dignitaries from the school system, local community and Fort Bragg attend the event in celebration of local youth.

The funds raised through this program support public education and raise money for literacy. The money also provides grants for teachers and programs that support 53,000 students in the 88 schools in the community. Reading Rocks has raised more than $800,000 since its inception — all of which is used to locally to support literacy in Cumberland County Schools. It’s an investment in the community’s future — it just happens to be fun, too.

Most every parent knows that no matter how old kids are, one of the easiest ways to keep them out of trouble is to keep them busy. Fayetteville Cumberland Parks and Recreation offers local citizens a bevy of choices when it comes to keeping youth engaged.

Boasting 18 recreation centers county-wide and at least twice as many parks that range from school and community playgrounds to sports complexes to multi-use and community parks, the possibilities for healthy activities are impressive.

Recreation-league sports like soccer, football, basketball and baseball are just the beginning of what the community’s parks and recreation department has to offer. Peel back another layer and there are self-guided scavenger hunts, kayak lessons and fishing events at Lake Rim Park, nature totes for check out and nature-themed story time at Clarke Park.

Dig deeper still and find a variety of classes and activities that are offered each month. Archery, stars and constellations, cooking, geocaching, dancing, music lessons, tennis and martial arts classes are just a few of the options available through the parks and recreation department at amazing prices.

When youngsters are restless for some wholesome and fun activities, why not take them for a stroll on the Cape Fear River Trail or to Mazarick Park for an outside adventure? To find out everything there is to know about the community’s green spaces, checkout the parks and rec activity guide at www.fcpr.us.

Another great resource for youth is the Cumberland County Library. Yes, books are available for check out, and sure, they’ve got story-time activities for kids of all ages (including book clubs and visiting authors for mom and dad), but that is just the beginning.

With eight locations throughout Cumberland County, the library is always looking for new ways to become involved in the community. Events like movie night and the many make it/take it activities are popular, but there is still more. Perhaps gingerbread house contests, musical performances, weekend storytelling festivals, gaming clubs, writing workshops and photography and art contests aren’t the first things that come to mind when someone mentions the word library, but these events and many more happen all the time, right here in Fayetteville — at the library.

Check out the calendar of events at their website www.cumberland.lib.nc.us.

Photo: Reading Rocks is one of many youth-based programs that enriches the community and encourages its youth.

There are more than 57,000 soldiers stationed at Fort Bragg, many of them with families in tow. Sure, a few choose to stay within the confines of the post, but the majority are in the community raising families, worshipping at local churches, serving on PTA boards, and supporting the arts and local businesses.

The sacrifices made by the service members and their families are not lost on the community. In fact, it has moved many to action. The organizations that rally around troops and their families are not only well-meaning, they are creative and thoughtful in how they go about meeting the needs of our nation’s heroes.

“We want soldiers and their families to know that no matter where they have been or what they have been through, there is a community here that loves and understands them,” said Jennifer Lowe, corporate communications, City of Fayetteville. “Service members of every generation can come here, build a life and know that they will be accepted and appreciated. Because we have such a large military population, there is no shortage of people, businesses and facilities ready to meet the needs and support the interests of veterans and active duty service members. This understanding attitude is part of what makes Fayetteville the nation’s first Military Sanctuary City.”

You have only to look around to see the impact the military has on our community. On July 4, 2011, the North Carolina Veterans Park opened to a crowd of 3,000. With a 3,500 square foot Visitors Center and a chandelier made from 33,000 dog tags, the North Carolina Veterans Park was designed for refl ection and celebration.

With the thousands of military members who pass through Fayetteville Regional Airport each year, it just made sense for the USO to open a center there. Which is exactly what happened in November 2011. Renee Lane, USO-N.C. center director Fort Bragg and USO Fayetteville, said, “The service members are so happy to have access to a travel center before they head to all points across the globe. We have had nothing but positive comments.”

The Army’s Army was founded in 2008 and is made up of citizens and businesses who’ve pledged their moral, physical and spiritual support to those in the military. The group has 1,500 members and 50 businesses that take their role in “watching over those who watch over us” very seriously.

The Army’s Army offers relocation support and looks for creative ways to support the military. The group has packed care packages for deployed soldiers; hosted Heroes Crusade, an athletic campaign that took place during Heroes Homecoming; and created a blog called Military Discounts where business partners offer and advertise special discounts to the military.

With the brisk operations tempo over the past decade, Fayetteville Cares was formed in 2007 to provide support to military personnel and their families during and after deployments.

The group has hosted the World’s Largest Baby Shower to benefit military spouses, which offers love and support to 1,000 moms and moms-to-be. Fayetteville Cares routinely sends care packages to deployed military members, prepares the barracks for single soldiers prior to their return from deployment, and works with other military support organizations in the area to meet the needs of military members and their families.

Each May, Fayetteville spends an entire month honoring military service members and veterans with a 31 Day Salute. The event is a month-long celebration of performances, ceremonies, exhibits and activities designed to show the community’s enthusiastic appreciation, respect and support for those who serve and have served in our armed forces.

It’s one of the many ways Fayetteville reaches out to its military neighbors.

Photo: Fayetteville Cares’ Boots & Booties Baby Shower is one of the many ways the community supports the military.

Given the size of Fayetteville — a little more than 200,000 citizens according to the 2010 census — and the many nationalities that make up the population, it just makes sense that the city chooses to celebrate its diversity and cherish the strength that comes from being a city with such a large international influence.

Fort Bragg adds richness to the ethnic and cultural composition of our population. Military-connected students are more than 20 percent of the school district’s enrollment. More than 40 languages are spoken by students in local schools ranging from Spanish to Farsi. The ethnic composition of local schools consists of 63 percent minority populations.The city is so dedicated to embracing its diversity, that in September 2011, the Fayetteville City Council gave formal support to the State proclamation that declares September as Diversity Month. The celebration of diversity month goes hand-in-hand with the community’s own celebration — the International Folk Festival.

The State proclamation reads, “cities and towns across our state will celebrate … by encouraging citizens to have lunch and open a dialogue with someone from a different background during the month of September and throughout the year.” The International Folk Festival, which was held Friday, Sept. 23 through Sunday, Sept. 25, offered local citizens the chance to not only initiate such a conversation, but to experience some of the customs practiced by citizens in the All-America City.

This is fitting, as Fayetteville can best be described as a cultural mosaic and is, in fact, statistically the fourth most diverse city in the country.

The State proclamation speaks to that kind of diversity: “our cities and towns reflect the ethnicities, cultures, religions, orientations and abilities of many people living out the promises of a nation founded on the premise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all.”

The Arts Council Fayetteville Cumberland County is especially good at showcasing the beauty and differences of the many nationalities found locally.

The organization funds much of the artistic and cultural activity in the area and sponsors exhibits and festivals throughout the year. Operating grants for things like the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, local theaters and arts organizations make the quality of life better for everyone and contribute to the many reasons Fayetteville won the All America City Award for the third time.

A sure sign of the community’s dedication to celebrating its heritage and culture occurs every fall. For more than three decades, the Arts Council has hosted the International Folk Festival, which is a weekend celebration of diversity and culture. The event includes a parade that showcases local cultural groups. Participants wear the ceremonial dress of their native countries and sing and dance as they make their way down the city center in a Parade of Nations. As the festival continues, Festival Park fills with people eager to try cuisine from the many nations represented in the various celebrations. The stages overflow with dancers in colorful costumes and melodies from around the world fill the air.

Fayetteville residents have the opportunity to share their unique heritage and culture with their neighbors. School children get to see their classmates in a new light. They see them not as the kid who sits next to them in class, but as the kid who has an exotic and rich hertiage, and as a kid who honors that heritage.

In addition to participating in the International Folk Festival, many local cultural clubs host events throughout the year and invite the public to partake in the festivities.

In the fall the Greek community spends a weekend sharing their love of people, music and food. Sample the fare, dance with the dance troupes and tour the church to learn more about the culture and faith of these passionate and friendly people.

“So many of the Greeks came here with nothing,” said Kelly Papagikos wife of Father Alex Papgikos of Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Fayetteville. “They built their lives here and became successful and they want to share their blessings with the people and the town that accepted them and made them feel welcome.”

Likewise, each spring the India Festival entices the community to partake in the culture of the Asian Indian community. Visitors learn about customs, sample the food and enjoy traditional dances and customs. The festival organizers then donate the money raised from the event to different charities in the community as a way to give back to their friends and neighbors. In the past six years the festival has donated more than $85,000 to local organizations including Wounded Warriors, YMCA, Falcon Children’s Home and the Center for Economic Empowerment & Development.

Reinforcing cultural diversity, Friends of African & African-American Art brought WE ARE THE SHIP: The Story of Negro League Baseball to Fayetteville in 2011. The exhibit is described as “The story of gifted athletes and determined owners, racial discrimination and international sportsmanship, fortunes won and lost, and triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It is a perfect mirror for the social and political history of black America in the first half of the 20th century.”

These are just a few of the many events put on by different groups in the community. These efforts share with friends and neighbors, build bridges and grow relationships. Events like these are just one of the many factors that contribute to Fayetteville’s prize-winning, multicultural atmosphere.

“For a city this size, we are blessed to have such diversity,” said Papagikos. “As a pastor’s wife, having lived in more than one place, I can tell you that the warmth we have felt here is like none other we have felt before. The people here are diverse and beautiful and amazing. I’ve never lived anywhere like this before and I cherish it.”

In August of 2010, Fayetteville was ranked as the second highest per-capita income in North Carolina, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The per-capita income in the Fayetteville metro area, which includes Cumberland and Hoke counties, was $40,917 in 2009, up 4.8 percent from 2008’s $39,054.

In October 2010, the Miliken Institute ranked Fayetteville as the 18th best-performing large city in the nation, up from 31st place the previous year. Fayetteville was also ranked third in the nation for one-year job growth and sixth in the nation for one-year wage and salary increases by the same institute.

June of 2011 saw Fayetteville named the best city for college graduates by the Daily Beast .

Policom Corporation’s Economic Strength Rankings 2011 ranked the Fayetteville metropolitan statistical area as the 92nd strongest in the country.

In June of 2011, Fayetteville won its fourth All-America City Award.

These are some impressive achievements for a place once known as Fayettenam.

It takes more than one industry to rate numbers like this. The city’s small business community is a large part of what drives the economy and what makes Fayetteville news worthy.

One sign of the strength of Fayetteville businesses is the success of non-franchise restaurants that are successful in the community. Fayetteville’s locally owned restaurants span a wide variety of tastes and cultures: The Bombay Bistro, Vietnamese Restaurant, Zorba’s, Mi Casita, Lido’s, Bella Villa, Mash House, Huske Hardware House, Hilltop House and the Haymont Grill.

These are just a few of the many locally owned businesses that, through patronage of their customers, strengthen the local economy. They hold a special place in the community’s heart because they offer experiences that can’t be found anywhere else. Manufacturing and industry also have a long established presence in Fayetteville. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., employs 2,600 people and has invested more than $295 million locally. DuPont has a plant here too and has invested more than $70 million in our economy.

Adding to the momentum of the local economy, is the push to bring higher technology and higher wage jobs to the area. A dedication to growth by leveraging our military presence to strenthen the economy has seen impressive results. Greater Fayetteville Futures opened the Military Business Center in Fayetteville to assist businesses with military and other federal contracts and help military family members connect with job opportunities. The result is nearly 600 contracts worth $2.7 billion awarded to North Carolina firms. Companies including RLM, L3 Communications and Booz Allen Hamilton have come to Fayetteville bringing with them more than 600 high-tech jobs.

Together, these businesses pack a mighty punch in our favor — both locally and nationally.

While much of the community and nation has been focused on the economy, Fayetteville leaders have managed to look beyond the economy to the city’s future and have undertaken a number of initiatives over the past year to improve not only city services, but the qaulity of life for its citiznes.

For a number of years, the Fayetteville Area Transit System has been a top priority for the Fayetteville City Council. A large segment of the city’s population depends on the city buses to get to work, to doctors appointments and shopping destinations. While many city’s are cutting services, Fayetteville has maintained its commitment to the community by increasing not only the number of citizens served by the buses but also the quality of the service.

In September 2011, the city added extended services to a number of bus routes, including the FASTtrac van service for disabled residents.

“By adding evening hours to these routes, travel will be enhanced from downtown to north Fayetteville,” said Transit Director Randy Hume. “Connections are also being added to Cape Fear Valley satellite locations and western portions of the service area. Funding for these improvements was provided by the Fayetteville City Council in the city’s budget. These changes are only a few of the improvements clients will experience as FAST continues to enhance citizens’ travel options one step at a time.”

The same attention that was given to the FAST system was also extended to the disabled in our community.

The Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Commision is active in working to create opportunities for the disabled. Following the completion of a Self Evaluation and Transition Plan in 2007, the city has undertaken a wide variety of projects to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, including closed captioning and listening devices for city council meetings; a city council chamber renovation; numerous ADA projects at City-owned facilities, recreation centers and parks; handicap lifts at the Amtrak station; curb cuts and sidewalk upgrades, along with special doors, to accommodate persons who are disabled; and appropriate signage in city hall.

“The City of Fayetteville has taken great strides to address ADA requirements,” said Ron McElrath, city ADA coordinator and human relations director.

From its people, to its environment, the city continues to look for ways to improve.

One unique aspect of innovation is the purchase of four Big Belly solar compactors for disposing of recyclables and trash. These compactors are used at large events downtown including the International Folk Festival and the Dogwood Festival. Each Big Belly solar compactor uses solar energy to compact trash and actually cuts public garbage collection emissions by up to 80 percent, because it has five times the capacity of a regular trashcan.

Reducing waste and increasing effi ciency are key elements in this great form of technology. Also, equipped with wireless monitoring, staff is notified when the trashcans need to be emptied and can be tracked from a remote computer.

The second part of the unit is a recycling component that collects glass, plastic, and paper recycling, which was one of the number one requests for things to be added to downtown. the like during the International The compactors are an example of green efforts in the All-America City of Fayetteville.

It is that time of year again. No, it is not time to start that diet or quit smoking — although both are really great ideas. It is time for stu-dents who wish to pursue a degree in healthcare to apply for a seat for the fall 2012 semester at Fayetteville Technical Community College.

Anyone seeking a degree in the healthcare field knows how important it is to have the proper credentials.

At Fayetteville Technical Community College, we are here to help our students achieve their health career goals, but in order to be competitive, students need to apply to the program of their choice before Jan. 30.

Sound easy? Well, it is, and it isn’t. At FTCC, we have a competi-tive process for entry into our cur-riculum health programs. Due to the limited number of applicants we can take every fall, the competitive pro-cess, though confusing, is very ef-fective. The competitive process not only gives us the best and brightest, it allows students who enter the program the luxury of having most of their general college classes completed so they can concentrate on their core and clinical classes. Since the deadline is approaching, it is essential that students act fast.

These admissions requirements include an application, submission of all high school and college transcripts and testing if necessary. An applica-tion for admissions can be completed on our website www.faytechcc.edu. Transcripts must be official, meaning that they were sent from the original institution directly to us, or they can be hand carried in official sealed en-velopes. Even students with advanced degrees are required to bring in high school transcripts. Many prerequisites are high-school level, and the great thing is that they do not expire! Testing may not be required for students who have certain college-level classes.

After all admissions criteria are met, students should see a counselor or attend a group counseling session and, most important, apply for the de-sired program on the computer terminals located in the Tony Rand Student Center lobby, the Spring Lake Campus lobby, or the FTCC Fort Bragg of-fice. It is quick and easy and takes about five minutes; once completed, stu-dents are given a receipt. It is essential that the student keep that receipt. It has dates, deadlines and expiration dates listed on it. Also, it is proof of the date of application.

While it is true that time is of the essence, all hope is not lost. Students who do not apply on time, or have missing documentation, can still be con-sidered for a health program on a space-available basis.

Please feel free to call Counseling Services at 678-8419, or go online to www.faytechcc.edu/areas_of_study/HealthPrograms.asp.

Fayetteville Technical Community College offers you affordable, high-quality education for life’s changing circumstances. Let us help you get started today on your new educational journey!

Photo: It is time for students who wish to pursue a degree in health care to apply for a seat for the fall 2012 semester at Fayetteville Technical Community College.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Family Caregivers

Caring for seniors — a family affair for thousands of households across the United States — requires a special action plan when kids go back to school after the holidays. Nearly one-quarter of American adults (23 percent) currently provide companionship or assistance with daily living to an elderly parent or relative, according to a study for Home Instead Senior Care by Harris Interactive®.

While each family caregiving situation is different, stress is a com-mon denominator.

Stress and time demands often increase during times of change, like after the winter break, when children prepare to go back to school and get involved with winter sports and other activities. “During the school vacation, children sometimes play an active role in the caregiving pro-cess, running errands and cleaning house for Grandpa and Grandma, or simply serving as a companion,” according to the report. “Many times, those grandchildren provide heartfelt support when seniors are ill or re-covering from sickness or surgery.”

“Not only do many families lose that extra pair of hands, but their children need more help as well,” said Suzanne Mintz, co-founder and president of the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA). “Life is always easier on an even keel. When your norm is disrupted, as during times of transition, the stress levels go up until a new norm is estab-lished.”

Home Instead Senior Care sees an increase in the number of families caught in this gap each January, when return to normal activities throw their lives into turmoil again. People search outside the family when the pressures of homework, basketball and other activities become too much to handle. Outside caregivers can help seniors with meal preparation, housekeeping, errands and shopping, personal-care services, and other non-medical home care and companionship duties. Deciding what’s im-portant by creating a plan of action and prioritizing are the keys to helping families maintain their sanity, said leadership expert Stephen Covey, whose books, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, have helped revolutionize how Americans manage their work and home lives. Covey said he sees particular stress among working women who are trying to juggle the care of seniors and children. “My basic response is you’ve got to really decide what is very important so that you can learn to say ‘no’ to what is not that important, even though it has the feeling of urgency,” Covey said. “If you can say ‘no’ guilt-free, that means you have a burning ‘yes’ about something that is more important.”

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Caregivers

Stephen Covey partnered with Home Instead Senior Care to apply his 7 Habits to the unique role of a family caregiver.

• Be Proactive. Don’t react to the stress of juggling a child’s sched-ule and caring for your elderly loved one. Think and plan ahead to be prepared for this stressful time.

• Begin with the End in Mind. If family is what is most important to you, contribute your time, energy and talents to that end.

• Put First Things First. Plan weekly and daily as a family and indi-vidually so you’re focused and prepared to meet goals, appointments and obligations.

• Think Win/Win. Approach the idea of caring for youngsters and elderly parents, and balancing school and work with a win/win at-titude. Meet together to establish parameters (everyone’s roles and responsibilities) upfront so everyone feels good about the care situa-tion.

• Seek First to Understand …Then to be Understood. Listen empathetically with your heart and your ears to your children and parents when concerns arise and relationships may be strained. Try to understand exactly why Grandma is crabby.

• Synergize. Brainstorm to solve problems so that everyone feels a part of the so-lution. There are many ways to utilize our differences for the good of everyone.

• Sharpen the Saw. Strive to live, to love, to learn and to leave a legacy. To do that, a family caregiver must take care of himself or herself. They love being appreciated and valued. And when they feel how their grandkids look to them and listen to their wisdom, their whole world will change.”

Photo: Author Stephen Covey part-nered with Home Instead Senior Care to apply his 7 Habits to the unique role of a family caregiver.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows(Rated PG-13) Three Stars

Maybe it’s the Guy Ritchie factor, but I just don’t get why these films are popular. I like Robert Downy, Jr. and this film had like, 75 percent less Rachel McAdams, but I was just as bored watch-ing this as the original. At 129 completely unjustified minutes, why can’t even die-hard fans admit that Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a bit on the lengthy side? 

The first 30 minutes or so are a pretty big waste of time, what with all the non-sexual tension between Holmes (Downey, Jr.) and Irene Adler (McAdams). Since the entire set-up could have been done in 10 minutes the lengthy intro just to establish that Moriarty (Jared Harris) is the Big Bad seems padded. After wrapping up the nonsense (Elaborate fight scenes! Bombs! Poison darts! Moriarty can clear a restaurant!) we transition into something resembling the meat of a plot. It seems that Dr. Watson (Jude Law) is about to get married, and he has trusted Holmes to be his best man. Watson isn’t nearly as smart as he is supposed to be.

Holmes and Watson hit the town, supposedly for a bachelor party, and Sherlock’s brother (Stephen Fry) goes along for the ride. I take a little nap, and when I wake up, Holmes is completely blowing off his best man duties to do some Sherlocking, which leads him into the parlor of a fortune teller. It seems that at some point, Holmes deduced that Madame Sim (Noomi Rapace) is being targeted by Moriarty for some vague, un-explained reason. At least we get a super cool chase scene out of it! 

The next day, after the wedding, Holmes goes to visit Moriarty at a university. Since Moriarty is clearly such an evil genius, Holmes takes the opportunity to slip him some poison, and the movie ends. Except that doesn’t happen, and instead the two archenemies do some verbal sparring that involves announcing how much they respect each other, and that’s why they’re not killing each other, and blah blah blah. I do not share their admiration, since the smart thing to do involves a blunt instrument of some kind, and neither of them is stepping up.

So, since Holmes knows that Moriarty is a sociopath, he intercepts Watson and puts him on his guard so he can effec-tively protect his new bride. Except that doesn’t happen either. Instead, he dresses up as a lady and prepares elaborate train urinal-based booby traps, finally blowing the train in half. Then, he drags Watson into a gypsy camp that in no way reinforces popular stereotypes.

Reunited with Madame Sim, she feeds them clues about her brother, who is somehow involved in Moriarty’s master plan. I cross my fingers and hope that this is an elaborate set-up that will end with Sim partnered with Moriarty, laughing evilly at the ineptitude of a supposedly great detective. The trio follows the trail, which eventually leads them into Germany. Holmes confronts Moriarty, and once the Big Bad has neutralized him, he is killed and his body is dumped in a river. Except that doesn’t happen. Instead, Moriarty explains his whole elabo-rate plot and toys with Holmes, giving Watson time to save the day. Will Hollywood villains never learn?

When the two meet for the final time, the setting is a pretty groovy castle in Switzerland, built into the side of a mountain and straddling an enormous waterfall. Pretty cool. Do you think that waterfall might be im-portant later?

Frankly, I was bored. The plot was confusing, the dialogue mumbled, the camera work pretentious and the ending a great big cheat. To be fair, my husband said he really liked it.

The film isn’t for everyone, but fans of the first will find more of the same and probably enjoy what they get.

Now showing at Wynnsong 7, Carmike 12 and Carmike Market Fair 15.

Fayetteville is in for a treat as we kick off 2012. The Friends of the Library are sponsoring author and journalist, Celia Rivenbark, on Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. The visiting author’s program will be held at the Cumberland County Headquarters Library, 300 Maiden Lane. She will sign books following her program.

Rivenbark is an award-winning journalist and author of six books. Her latest book, You Don’t Sweat Much for a Fat Girl came out in August of 2011. Like her previous books, her newest book is a collection of humorous essays that explore topics such as the idiot who had the bad timing to tell a terrorist joke at an airport to Nebraska’s law allowing the drop-off of babies and teens.

Says Kelly Tomita, marketing and communications manager for the library, “She is very popular in the area for her lighthearted approach to southern culture.”

In her book Bless Your Heart, Tramp: And Other Southern Endearments, Rivenbark says, “I’d sooner wear white shoes in February, drink unsweetened tea and eat Miracle Whip instead of Duke’s than utter the words ‘you guys.’”

The author grew up in Duplin County, N.C., where she claims, “Her grandparents’ house, just across the ditch, had the first indoor plumbing in Teachey, N.C., and family lore swears that people came from miles around just to watch the toilet flush.”

After just a few years of college, Rivenbark went on to work at the local newspaper at age 19, and eventually moved to the Wilmington Morning Star. She currently writes a syndicated weekly humor column for McClatchy-Tribune Media Sources that appears in 30 newspapers. USA Today says of Rivenbark, “Think Dave Barry with a female point of view.”

The author currently lives in Wilmington with her husband and 14-year-old daughter, who is often featured in her writing. In a recent interview she claims, “I let her read everything I write about her, and so far, she hasn’t killed anything.”

Rivenbark admits that her true love is the Snuggie. “My mother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas, and I fell in love immediately. It is more than a blanket with sleeves. It’s like being back in the womb floating in a sea of amniotic fluid — but with TV.”

In her latest column, which can be found on her website ,she gives the “Forever Lazy,” the newest incarnation of the Snuggie, a try. You can read this and more at her website: www.celiarivenbark.com. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Says Tomita, the author’s program will follow a “very brief business meeting for the Friends of the Library.” The public is welcome to attend. While the library will be closed due to remodeling, the event will be held in the Pate Room, just off the main lobby, which will be accessible to the public.

For a full schedule of visiting authors for 2012, you can view the library’s interactive online calendar at www.cumberland.lib.nc.us. Click on the Events tab, and then use the “Search by Event Type” and choose Author Visit.

Photo: The Friends of the Library are sponsoring author and journalist Celia Rivenbark on Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. 

Christmas is over and it is time to think about taking the tree down. While live trees are indeed beautiful, fragrant and celebratory, they come with a certain workload and set of responsibilities, one of which is their proper disposal. The Grinding of the Greens makes the decision about what to do with those leftover trees a little bit easier. Each year, Cape Fear Botanical Garden and the Public Works Commission of Fayetteville (PWC) team up to recycle and reuse local Christmas trees at the Grinding of the Greens.

Now in its 17th year, the Grinding of the Greens is as much a local tradition as Black Friday and the annual performance of the Best Christmas Pageant Ever at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre. In addition to its sentimental value, this event provides a common-sense approach to managing (at least a portion of) the aftermath of holiday festivities.

City residents, who set their tree by the curb, can feel great knowing that they are contributing to a good cause. County residents, or city residents who missed the pick-up dates for roadside pick-up, are welcome to bring their trees to the garden and drop them off to be ground into mulch. Of course, trees donated to Grinding of the Greens must be live trees with no decorations or lights left in them. Trees are collected at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden until Jan. 13. To drop off a tree, follow the signs to “tree drop-off” at the Fire Tower parking lot.

Bright and early on Jan. 14, PWC comes with wood chippers and mulchers to grind the trees into enough mulch to keep the plants at Cape Fear Botanical Garden covered (literally) for months.

It is a win-win-win situation. The mulch protects the plants from extreme temperatures and water loss, the trees don’t end up taking up space in local landfi lls and, for weeks after the event, the garden smells delightful.

It takes volunteers to make it happen, and year after year, folks gather to help feed trees to the PWC employees who man the shredders. In fact, the garden welcomes the extra hands.

In the following weeks, volunteers come out and spread the mulch throughout the garden, sprucing up the beds to ride out the rest of the winter season. Volunteers are always welcome and appreciated at Cape Fear Botanical Garden

.Contact Cape Fear Botanical Garden at 486-0221 for more information.

Photo: Now in its 17th year, the Grinding of the Greens is as much a local tradition as Black Friday and the annual performance of the Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

Looking for a fun and family-friendly way to celebrate the end of 2011 and welcome in 2012? Then head to Downtown Fayetteville on Saturday, Dec. 31, for the third annual Party in the Park, sponsored by the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival, from 6:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

If past events are any indication, this year’s party promises to be a great time for everyone, with live music by North Carolina-based bands Tommy G and The Fixers and Joyner, Young & Marie on the Bud Light Stage; food and beverages; fireworks and party favors and a children’s area hosted by The Partnership for Children. The stage, hosted by Stoney of 96.5 BOB FM, will include a live feed from Times Square, and as the ball drops in New York City at the stroke of midnight, the dogwood will drop or “blossom” in Downtown Fayetteville!

But partygoers will want to arrive early, said Carrie King, executive director of the Dogwood Festival.

“We have changed it just a little bit this year. We are going to have a fee after 9 p.m., so we want to encourage everyone to get there early so they don’t have to pay to get in. It will be $5 admission after 9 p.m.”

Also new this year, are games to help pass the time while waiting for one of the two fireworks displays and live music.

“We will have 10-12 carnival games for everybody, like the bean-bag toss,” King said. “Kids can play the games as many times as they want. It’s an interactive-type thing for kids and adults, and they’re all free.”

Missing from this year’s lineup is the chili and chowder cook-off, but King assures everyone there will be ample food available for purchase.“We’ll have three food vendors, so we’ll have plenty of food, snacks, champagne and beer.”

And what would a party be without party favors?

“Something new for us this year is a huge selection of glow products, like swords, wands, New Year’s Eve hats, tiaras and Mohawks available for purchase,” said King.

The event kicks off with opening remarks at 6:30 p.m. and standard house music until 8:30 p.m., which is followed by a fireworks show for the children.

“The first band, Tommy G and the Fixers, will take the stage from 9-10 p.m. and then Joyner, Young & Marie will finish the evening out until 12:30 a.m.,” King said. “We’ll stop at 12 to do the countdown and blossom the dogwood and fireworks at midnight.”

Party in the Park has proven to be an increasingly popular New Year’s Eve event for the community, doubling in size from 5,000 attendees the first year to 10,000 the second year.

“Last year, over the course of the entire night, we had 8-10,000 people,” said King. “It really is honestly two events in one. At 8:30 when we do the kids’ fireworks show, there’s like a mass exit of families. And then from 9 to 10, the adult crowd starts rolling in. It has been really well received by families in our community.

“Our goal is to have as big a crowd as we had last year. The focus is just to continue to produce a quality event for the community. We’re doing our very best to make it a free event for the community, but at the end of the day, we also have to pay for it. It is free until 9 p.m., everything is very reasonably priced, and the event definitely gives the family something to do. We’re offering a quality, affordable event, and you’re guaranteed to have a good time.”

The party takes place rain or shine. Chairs and blankets are welcome, but no coolers, weapons of any kind or pets (except service animals) are allowed. For more information, please visit www.faydogwoodfestival.com/new-years-eve.

Happy New Year!

Photo: If past events are any indication, this year’s party promises to be a great time for everyone, with live music by North Carolina-based bands.

2011: A LOOK BACK

2011 has come and gone, and many people are probably glad to see it go. With the New Year come expectations of things getting better, of a fresh start. That seems incredibly important as 2011 winds downs.

2011 has not been kind.

Unemployment has soared, businesses have failed, financial leaders have scammed those who trusted them, our government has floundered and many have given up hope. But all is not lost. Businesses who managed to ride the storm see hope in 2012. They learned to do more with less, and to see the value in dedicated employees. If the economy turns the corner, hopefully those business owners, who weathered the storm, will remember they were not alone in the boat, and take care of the employees who steadily bailed water to keep the ship from sinking.

2011 also saw more Americans stepping up to help those in need. It saw more Americans finding their voice to speak out — even if some of them didn’t know what they were talking about. The idea behind Occupy Wall Street — that those who have the most should step up to the plate and pay their fair share — was great. The way it played out was not. But maybe, some people listened.

2011 saw the death of Osama bin Laden and Mahmur Gaddafi. As these leaders who were tied to terrorism fell, an awakening occurred across the Middle East. During the Arab Spring, democracy began to bloom. Hope springs eternal.

In 2011, celebrity came cheap with reality TV stars claiming more press than the economic crisis. The news carried every movement of Lindsey, Kim, Courtney and the pregnant teen moms. Most of them attracted attention because the average person can look at them, and say, “Wow, thank God I’m not like them.”

In Cumberland County, we’ve also weathered the storm. Businesses have been bruised and battered but most are still standing. We’ve seen growth in our downtown, but we’ve also seen loss. The demise of Dock’s at the Capitol left a big hole in our downtown. As the year ends, construction is underway and a new plan is being made for the building.

The BRAC move is complete. Some new neighbors have joined our community. But as the year winds down, Fort Bragg announced cuts in jobs at the XVIII Airborne Corps and at the U.S. Forces Command.

Many of our neighbors and friends have returned from Iraq. As the last soldiers rolled out of Iraq last week, many in the community breathed a huge sigh of relief — while others turned the eye around the globe to try and plan for the next mission our military will have to tackle.

As 2011 chugs to an end, many in our community will pause to take stock of what has happened and to plan for 2012. We are doing that here at Up & Coming Weekly. We have weathered the storm. We have an awesome and dedicated readership. We have community partners who have supported use throughout the years, and who will do so in the coming year. We have an awesome staff that has proven themselves time and time again. 2011 may not have been kind, but it didn’t beat us. We are going into 2012 with a renewed dedication to our community and our readers. Stick with us; the best is yet to come.

Photo: Unemployment continued to soar in 2011.

You can always find a great party in Fayetteville, especially during the holi-days. This New Year’s Eve, there is plenty to see and do around town.

If you are looking for something on a grander scale, the Dogwood Festival is hosting the annual Party in the Parkat Festival Park.The event features live entertainment, a chili/chowder cook-off, activities, games and food and beverage vendors. Families are welcome and the kids are sure to enjoy the early count-down at 8:30 p.m. Another countdown fol-lows at midnight and a live feed from Times Square is visible on-stage throughout the evening. Find out more at www.faydogwoodfestival.com/new-years-eve.

The Crown Center offers entertainment at its New Year’s Eve Party with a Purpose featuring guest per-former R&B artist Kenny Lattimore. The concert starts at 9 p.m. in the Crown Arena. Visit www.atthecrown.com for ticket pricing and more information.

Before heading out to enjoy the entertainment, check out some of the local restaurants and enjoy a hearty meal. Here are a few suggestions for local restaurants providing fine-dining experiences. Circa 1800 is accepting reservations for a New Year’s Eve meal. Hilltop House, The Mash House and Pierro’s are all great pre-party dinner options as well.

Lido’s has a New Year’s Eve Masquerade ball planned for party guests, along with a champagne toast at midnight. $10 advance tickets are available. Call 222-8237 to make a reservation.

Huske Hardware House anticipates a great time with a champagne toast, balloon drop and countdown with Times Square to ring in the new year. For $8 get a fast pass and you’ll have access to Huske and Wet Willies the entire eve-ning. Vist Huske Hardware on Facebook to get more details.

Hellas, Hope Mills’ newest night club, offers VIP packages and pre-sell tickets to its New Year’s Eve Bash. Party-goers can look forward to a performance by Strong Hold at 10 p.m. in the Sports Bar and a festive celebration to welcome 2012. Find out more at www.clubhellas.com.

It’z Entertainment City’s New Years Eve party costs $15 and includes party favors, a champagne toast at midnight and entrance to the night club. Visit It’z on Facebook to keep up with all the happenings.New on Fayetteville’s nightclub scene, Club Barcelona has an indoor ball drop planned along with a show of indoor fireworks. Admission is $20. The doors open at 9 p.m.

The Fayetteville FireAntz take on the Huntsville Havoc this New Year’s Eve at the Crown. The puck drops at 4 p.m. Enjoy a rousing hockey game before heading out to celebrate. Visit www.fireant-zhockey.com for more information.Celebrate the New Year family-style at Fort Bragg’s Dragon Lanes on New Year’s Eve. From 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. enjoy extreme bowling, hors d’oeuvres and party favors. It costs $15 for early-bird tickets and $25 at the door. Lanes will be shared. No refunds after Dec. 27. Call 907-BOWL for more information.

Pope Lanes offers a family New Year’s Eve Party from 4-8 p.m. includ-ing unlimited bowling, shoe rental, non-alcoholic champagne, party favors and food. Early-bird tickets are $10 and regular tickets are $15. Lanes will be shared, no refunds after Dec. 27. Open to the public. Call 394-2891 for more information.

After the parties have ended, head to the Crown on New Year’s Day for a Black-Eyed Pea Dinner, which starts at 11 a.m. and lasts until 2 p.m. There are sure to be plenty of friendly faces along with the great food. Visit www.atthecrown.com for more information.

The Sitter (Rated R) 2 Stars

There is a very good reason that the release date of The Sitter (2011) was pushed from August to December. August 2011 saw the release of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Help and a little sleeper called 30 Minutes or Less … and since The Sitter is dreck, it could not risk any competition. I certainly wouldn’t have seen it if there was anything else to review (that wasn’t a cartoon or a Gary Marshall movie. And yes, Muppets count as cartoons for the pur-poses of my example).

Director David Gordon Green is just going steadily downhill: His last good movie was Pineapple Express, and that was only good, sort of. Some people really seemed to like it. I guess it made me laugh. I wish The Sitter were funnier so I could laugh and have some-thing more interesting to put in the review. Screenwriters Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka don’t even have any other credits under their belts, which actually makes me wonder if these are Alan Smithee type screenwriter credits (Look it up kids. You can even watch the documentary!)

So the “hero” of the piece is Noah Griffith (the before shot of Jonah Hill). He isn’t very likeable, and he must have watched every after-school special ever, be-cause by the second half of the film every discussion he has with another character involves a lengthy public-service announcement.

We open on Noah and his pseudo-girlfriend, Marisa (Ari Graynor, Meadow’s college roommate from The Soprano’s) “telling secrets.” That thankfully brief scene ends, and Noah heads home to be an unemployed burden to his poor mother (Jessica Hecht). I am sure the scene where he refused to answer the phone is supposed to be funny. It is not. It is what men who sit on the couch and drink beer while their wives simultaneously cook, clean and change diapers think is funny when they do it, but which hopefully ends with aforementioned dirty diaper dumped on their heads. Can we mail David Gordon Green some dirty diapers?

Anyway, the phone call is about canceling his saint of a mother’s dinner plans, at least until Mom guilt trips her obnoxious son into agreeing to babysit. He arrives at the House of Poor Parenting to greet Mrs. Bad Parent (Erin Daniels). She introduces him to Future Lindsay Lohan Blithe (Landry Bender), Slater (Max Records) and Walking Talking Stereotype Rodrigo (Kevin Hernandez). One and a half of the children are se-verely neglected, and I wonder how they managed to adopt, since it would require passing a rigorous home screening (Spoiler Alert: One of the kids is adopted. See if you can guess which one!)

After Noah sexually harasses Mrs. Bad Parent for a while, Mr. Bad Parent (D.W. Moffat) pede-texts his way into the room. They head out, leaving Noah to emotionally abuse their already fragile children. Not too long after, he gets a call from pseudo-girlfriend to swing by Poorly Characterized Drug Dealer’s (Sam Rockwell) house and get her some illegal drugs. Noah takes about five seconds to consider her request, and decides that taking three small children into the city to buy drugs, and then escorting them to an adults-only party is a great idea that will never possibly go wrong in a million years.

Except, of course, it does, leading to the repetition of a scene from A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas that wasn’t funny the first time. His poor impulse control leads Noah to a child’s Bat Mitzvah party, a shady Chinatown set piece based on the drug den from Boogie Nights, his estranged father’s, the Diamond District, and an even shadier set piece based on the Blues Club from Adventures in Babysitting. Finally, he gets to the party, experiences some character development, forces the children to listen to several inane speeches and discov-ers his inner-strength — or something. Overall, a waste of two hours of my life. But feel free to judge for yourself, when it is released on basic cable sometime next month.

Now showing at Wynnsong 7, Carmike 12 and Carmike Market Fair 15.

If 2011 wasn’t the year you were hoping it would be, put 2012 on the right track by attending the Black-Eyed Pea Dinner on New Year’s Day hosted by Cumberland County Register of Deeds Lee Warren, Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West and Ed Grannis, retired District Attorney and N.C. Department of Transportation board member. The din-ner is at the Crown Coliseum Expo Center from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The Black-Eyed Pea Dinner has a tradi-tional Southern New Year’s Day menu of black-eyed peas, candied sweet potatoes, collard greens, barbeque and bread. Each item includes symbolism and meaning dat-ing back for generations.

Black-eyed peas are a Southern symbol for luck. The legend dates back to the Civil War in Vicksburg, Miss., when the resi-dents of Vicksburg were under siege and starving. They had the luck to find black-eyed peas to help survive starvation, securing the legume’s place in history and tradition. Sweet potatoes are a symbol of strength through strong roots. Collards symbolize money and pork is symbolic of progress — because pigs root forward rather than backward like some barnyard animals.

This is the 19th year that Warren has hosted the event, but the Black-Eyed Pea Dinnerhas a history that dates back to Sheriff Ottis F. Jones, who served Cumberland County for 14 years through the 1970s and ‘80s. Warren explains, “Back in the early- to mid-’70s, there was a black-eyed pea dinner that was put on by our former sheriff, Ottis Jones and local attorney, Willis Brown. Well, Sheriff Jones died in 1987. The event stopped with him.”

After Warren took office, he wanted to show his appreciation to the community. “I believe it was in 1993, I was talking with my father and a friend of mine named Owen Spears. Owen was a member of the N.C. General Assembly. We were talking with my father about things we’d like to do, since we both held political office, to let people know we appreciate them and that they would not just hear from us every four years. My dad said, ‘Well you should bring back the black-eyed pea dinner.’ So we did and we’ve been doing that ever since,” said Warren.

As time has moved on, so have the hosts of the dinner. “Mr. Spears stopped serving in the (North Carolina) house about 1996 and at that time, Ed Grannis, who had been the district attorney here since the early ‘70s, came on board with me. The two of us hosted until last year when Ed retired. Billy West was elected district attorney, so Ed and I invited Billy to be a part of the dinner,” Warren said, adding that “It’s always been very well attended. We’ve had the lieutenant governor attend on a number occasions, a number of council of state and representatives to the legislature have come, so have Congressmen. We always have a very big time.”

The event takes months of preparation and “a lot help from a lot of our friends” to serve close to 4,000 residents, said Warren. The hosting families cook the food, starting days ahead of time. It’s been well worth the effort, according to Warren, “There are people who have been attending this dinner for 18 or 19 years. It’s a tradition in our community. After each dinner my wife and I will say, ‘Well, so-and-so didn’t make it this year. I think this is the first they’ve missed it.’ We always are happy to see people year after year.”

The Black-Eyed Pea Dinner is open to the public at no cost.

Photo: A sampling of the tasty fare from last year’s black-eyed pea dinner.

If you have been looking to take a short day-cation, and you don’t want to break the bank, The Givens Performing Arts Center (GPAC) at the University of North Carolina in Pembroke, is an enjoyable and inexpensive getaway. Aside from the Givens Performing Arts Center reputation as one of the Southeast’s most prominent destinations for arts, culture and entertainment, the theatre also features many performances from Broadway, On Stage for the Youth, Distinguished Speakers and other special events and activities. “I go to a conference in New York every year and find out what shows are new, what shows are hot, what shows will fi t in our theatre, and that’s how we decide what to show to our audiences,” says David Thaggard, assistant director and booking manager of the GPAC.

The Givens Performing Arts Center starts the New Year out right with the Broadway musical In the Heights, a 2008 Tony award winner for Best Musical, Best Orchestration, Best Choreography and Best Score. The musical tells a story of the vibrant community of Manhattan’s Washington Heights and its residents’ struggles, hopes, dreams and family traditions.

In the Heights shows at the GPAC on Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. and ticket prices range from $15 to $45; $12 for a child or student; and $5 for UNCP students.

If you prefer the symphony orchestra over Broadway, you’re in luck! The Tchaikovsky St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra performs at the Givens Performing Arts Center on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. These Russian composers’ repertoire range from the baroque era (Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Schnitke, Banshikov, Desyatnikov and Kancheli) through the classics of the 20th century.

Tickets for the Symphony Orchestra cost $15 to $30; $12 for a child or student; and $5 for UNCP students.

Aside from Broadway and the Symphony Orchestra, The Givens Performing Arts Center also welcomes the Winnipeg Ballet’s production of Moulin Rouge. On Tuesday, March 20, the prestigious ballerinas will take the stage and impress the audience with elegant choreography as they tell apassionate story of desire and despair during the turn of the century in Paris. While Broadway continues to be one of GPAC’s most popular events, “the ballets have done really well,” says Thaggard. “We’ve even been getting some dance classes in the audience from Fayetteville, like Seventy-First High School off of Raeford Road.”

Admission to the ballet ranges from $15 to $30; $12 for children and students and $5 for UNCP students.

Experience a new style of dance on April 24, with the production of Ballroom with a Twist. This show introduces a different genre of dance that is best described as traditional ballroom dancing infused with hip hop. Ballroom with a Twist features talented dancers from hit television series like American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance? and from the hit film, High School Musical.

The dancers hit the stage at 8 p.m. Admission costs $15 to $30 for adults; $12 for children and students and $5 for UNCP students. If you’re an avid Eagles fan and you’re in the mood to sit back, relax, and listen to some of their classic tunes, the Givens Performing Arts Center has the perfect show for you. Check into the Hotel California show on April 27 at 8 p.m. This tribute to the Eagles features the hits of the Grammy Award Winning musicians and will leave you wanting more.

Admission to the Hotel California ranges from $15 to $30; $12 for children and students and $5 for UNCP students.

If you are in search for an educational program for your youth, the GPAC shows the children’s classic, Jack in the Beanstalk, on April 26 at 10 a.m. Tickets for this play are $7 for students; $8 for teachers and $10 for adults. The recommended ages for this performance are ages 4 and up.

Another kid-friendly event coming up at the Givens Performing Arts Center is the Sing A-Long: A Sound of Music, which features the wide-screen showing of the classic Julie Andrews film complete with subtitles. In addition to the performance, look for a fancy dress competition where those in costume can come on stage and practice their vocals along with the subtitles.

This event is on Feb. 4, and begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25, $15, or $12 for students and children and $5 for UNCP students.

Also coming in February, is distinguished guest speaker and author, Frank Warren. On Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m., Warren discusses his popular blog, PostSecret Project and his New York Times Best Seller book, PostSecret: Confessions of Life, Death and God. Not only will the audience get to see the internet’s fourth most infl uential person live, but this once in a life time event is also free of cost.

The Givens Performing Arts Center attracts audiences from all over North Carolina explains Thaggard. “We draw our audience base from a 100 mile radius; Lumberton, Southern Pines, Fayetteville, and sometimes as far as Wilmington, Charlotte and South Carolina.” 

He continues, “The Spring of 2012 is going to have a variety of shows that everyone can enjoy, from ballet, to symphony orchestra — and we’re right in the heart of your backyard, so we hope that everyone will come out and see them!”

Merry Chriustmas and Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas and Happy-Happy Holidays from everyone here atUp & Coming Weekly and Kidsville News! of Cumberland County.

This holiday season is very special to us. Not only do we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, but, the end of our military presence in Iraq and the welcoming home of the sons,daughters, mothers and fathers who are serving our country so proudly in our armed forces. Additionally, our Jan. 4, edition of Up & Coming Weekly will mark our 17th year as Fayetteville and Cumberland County’s weekly community newspaper.

What an honor.

So, on behalf of our entire staff, I want to collectively thank everyone for their support and vote of confidence that enables us to deliver week after week the local news, views, arts and entertainment venues that define Fayetteville and Cumberland County’s quality of life. It’s our job to tell this story, but you are the people making it happen. So, to the City of Fayetteville, County of Cumberland, Fort Bragg (ACS & MWR), Fayetteville Convention & Visitors Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, FTCC, Methodist University, PWC, the Arts Council and all its member arts organizations, the many cultural social and civic organizations, our dedicated non-profit organizations, dozens and dozens of advertisers and a unique, creative and diversified collection of community writers, we say thank you.

To these folks, and to you, our most precious asset, the reader of Up & Coming Weekly, we want to share this simple 4:43 minute Christmas gift. Just the following link and enjoy! Then, pass it on. We couldn’t think of a better more appropriate gift. Again, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from everyone here at Up & Coming Weekly and Kidsville News!

To claim your gift, scan the QR code below or visit www.carlsonschool.umn.edu/holiday11.

At a time during the holiday season when many look forward to some quiet time and even some time off, Christine Kastner fi nds herself in the very thick of it in her new position, which started right after Thanksgiving. After an extensive national search and selection process, The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra (FSO) has named Kastner as its new president and CEO to “direct” the business aspect of North Carolina’s oldest continually funded orchestra.

“Right here at the beginning, I jumped right into two concerts,” said Kastner, referring to the performance of Handel’s “Messiah” with the Cumberland Oratorio Singers at First Presbyterian Church on Dec. 4 and the orchestra’s festive Holiday Extravaganza on Dec. 10. “There’s no slow time to get up to speed as far as what needs to be done for the concerts!

”Kastner, who has lived in Fayetteville for 13 years, most recently served for three years as the executive director of Cape Fear Studios and views the move into her newly created position with the FSO as a “fairly smooth transition in some respects.”

“I’m using a lot of the same granting agencies, and I’m already familiar with the Fayetteville and the Cumberland County community,” Kastner said.

Maestro Fouad Fakhouri, music director and conductor of the FSO, notes the importance of Kastner’s connections to the area.

“I think she’s very, very capable, I’m very, very optimistic for our future, and I am very much looking forward to working with her,” said Fakhouri. “She understands community and has a proven record. It’s a win-win to have her come work with us.”

“I think the symphony in Fayetteville — and all symphonies really — are having to reach out and explore new audiences and become more accessible for people. It [the classical music culture] can be somewhat intimidating for a lot of the population, so we want people to realize that it doesn’t need to be intimidating. One of the projects we have for spring is actually to invite, through a grant of the N.C. Arts Council, the 21- to 40-year-old set to some dress rehearsals so that they’ll start to feel comfortable and be able to actually interact with the musicians and with Maestro Fakhouri.

“We’re exploring several new ventures with the school system and with young people because that’s our future audience. All third graders in Cumberland County get to come hear the symphony perform Peter and the Wolf,” she said. “There’s been curriculum developed in the school that the music teachers do with the children before they come.”

Kastner steps into her new position in challenging economic times but remains optimistic about the symphony’s continued success and growth through coordinated efforts with other arts organizations

.“Well, there are challenges for all arts organizations right now,” said Kastner. “Funding is reduced at the state and federal level, granting agencies are tapped to a greater extent and have a hard time meeting the needs, so there are defi nitely funding challenges, and we’re not alone in that. But we hope by partnering with other organizations we can overcome some of those funding challenges by combining our audiences and our supporters and tapping some new grant sources.”

Kastner sees a bright future for the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra as it continues to ensure its artistic excellence while broadening its audiences and reaching young people though diverse performance venues and educational programs.

“I’m very excited, and I think there is a lot of potential for growth for our symphony. They have reached a point where Maestro Fakhouri has elevated the artistic programming, and now we need to bring the operations in line with the artistic programming to allow for even more expansion.”

For more information on the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra and its upcoming performances, visit www.fayettevillesymphony.org, call (910) 433-4690 or email info@fayettevillesymphony.org.

Photo: Chris Kastner

Almost one in five families in Cumberland County will wonder where their dinner is coming from tonight. That’s higher than the national average. Of those families, 34 percent do not qualify for food stamps or federal programs, according to a March 2011 article in the Philanthropy Journal.

Food insecurity is the lack of access to enough food to feed all family members and food insecurity is exactly what a new organization called Ruth’s Mission plans to battle in Cumberland County by bringing farm fresh foods to Second Harvest Food Bank.

Ruth’s Mission is the vision of six lifelong friends: Dionne Evans, Robyn Johnson, Courtney Locus, Kathy Hardy, Toni Bennett and Chelsea Forbes. After one of the group participated in a farm-gleaning project with her church, she brought the idea to her friends. Gleaning is the act of foraging food left behind after the harvest.

“When you think of a food bank, you always think of canned goods. This was an awesome opportunity to bring fresh food to families in need,” explained Johnson.

They named their organization after the Biblical story of Ruth, who gleaned the fi elds to care for her family and taught lessons of loyalty, love, kindness and the value of the human being.

“We have to look out for our brothers and sisters in our community. We thought we could do that by gleaning the fi elds and raising non-perishable items to give to Second Harvest Food Bank,” said Johnson, a health educator at the Cumberland County Health Department.

Though each member of the group has a professional career, they are not afraid to get their hands dirty to benefi t the community. A local farm, that prefers to keep their gift anonymous, worked with Ruth’s Mission on its fi rst gleaning on Dec. 10.

“Once local farmers harvest their crops, they allow us to come in and glean the remaining produce and distribute as we feel necessary,” said Johnson. It is the group’s first joint collaboration, even though the members of Ruth’s Mission have been volunteering in the community for years.

Ruth’s Mission is also working with the Society of Saint Andrews, which also gleans from local farms, to provide produce to families in Cumberland and surrounding counties. For the time being, Ruth’s Mission will focus on supporting Second Harvest Food Bank and Cumberland County. Future plans include branching out to group homes and women’s shelters.

As harvest season draws to a close, Ruth’s Mission is also accepting canned goods to help families get through the winter. “One can of food will feed a family of four,” says Johnson.

Ultimately, Ruth’s Mission hopes to inspire others to act for the good of the community.

“I believe we sometimes get so caught up in our daily lives, the things we have to do, that we forget that others in our community are in need. I’m hoping that this program will branch off and get other people to take a moment out of their busy schedules and remember that there is someone out there that needs our help,” says Johnson.

For more information on volunteering or donating to Ruth’s Mission, please contact Robyn Johnson at 257-8702 or Courtney Locus at 494-6192.

Photo: Volunteers with Ruth’s Mission are not afraid to get their hands dirty, as they glean produce from local fields after they are harvested. The food goes to the Second Harvest Food Bank.

 Arthur Christmas(Rated PG-13)  3 Stars

Arthur Chrismas (97 minutes), how can I watch you if I claw out my own eyes to avoid watching Justin Beiber “dance” in a music video? And won’t it be hard to hear the witty repartee if I have punctured my own ear drums in an effort to avoid his “singing?” For a Christmas movie, you’re awfully mean spir-ited. Minus one star for making me live through that. As for the rest of you, you can’t say I didn’t warn you. Arrive about 20 minutes late, and you can avoid some pain.

So, James McAvoy continues his tradition of being the cut-est kid in the room without having any actual talent by doing a little Aardman entertainment flick.That is actually fine, because Aardman makes Wallace and Gromit, and McAvoy is getting a free pass from me because he is doing the X-Men sequel.

Despite my overall Grinchiness when it comes to Christmas movies (except for movies like Silent Night, Deadly Night, and The Night the Reindeer Died), I am willing to admit this is pretty freaking cute. It did make me laugh, and if you’re paying attention, you can even spot Shaun the Sheep!

Interestingly, director and co-writer Sarah Smith is a bit of a newbie, and will bear some watching. For such a male-oriented film, she manages to tell a story that is not only innovative, but also easily relatable.

The film updates the legend of Santa Claus with the idea that Santa is a monar-chist, and each Santa does 70 “missions” before retiring to sit by the fire with his favorite flea-bit reindeer.The current Santa (Jim Broadbent) is on his final mis-sion, while Mrs. Santa (Imelda Staunton) learns survival skills while also filling the story’s quota of Mom stereotypes. Grand-Santa (Bill Nighy) is a bit grumpy since retirement, and his grandsons Steve (Hugh Laurie) and Arthur (McAvoy) are involved in the family business.

For Arthur, this involves wearing really and truly awesome goggly-eyed light up reindeer slippers while charging around knocking over elves like they were bowling pins. For Steve, this apparently involves bringing a military industrial complex-like technology to bear on the trouble of delivering gifts over a limited time-frame to an exponentially increasing population of children. Also, elves are ninjas.

After a successful Christmas, an elf discovers that a gift remains undelivered.Bryony the elf (Ashley Jensen, who I to-tally failed to recognize as Maggie from The Extras) tries to convince the Santa’s that the gift must be delivered, and fails.Hijinks ensue as Arthur and Grand-Santa band together with his wooden sleigh and the great-grandchildren of his old rein-deer can take the present where it needs to be.

They head out into the night, and one by one the reindeer suffer horrible fates.It is a bit gruesome, but (Spoiler Alert!) it turns out that Santa’s reindeer have a built in radar and are pretty hard to kill. Meanwhile, Arthur goes through several stages of character development, which bring us into the finale.

There are some truly hysterical scenes mixed in with the more obvious gags, including a mass breakdown amongst the elves that leads to them to begin using the Meltdown button to blast the North Pole off the face of the Earth because they are left without direction for a few hours. Which is totally what elves would do.

Overall, this a decent holiday flick that manages to tell a sweet story without being too smaltzy.While it does drag on a bit and is drenched in testosterone, at least it’s not another Christmas Carol knockoff.

Now showing at Wynnsong 7, Carmike 12 and Carmike Market Fair 15.

The Holidays

Years ago, I read in a women’s magazine that for American women, the only two situations more stressful than the holidays are the loss of a spouse or of a child.

That is surely an overstatement, but the stress can be intense this time of year.

As a young working mother, I felt overwhelmed most of the time, and the weeks leading up to the holidays only magnified my distress.

What would I give to my family and friends? What would Santa bring? When would I shop for all this and how would we pay for it? Would I be able to get it all wrapped in time? When would we haul all the decorations down from the attic and when would we put them out? Would we take a family photograph and send it to our family and friends? Would we have a family party and what would we serve? What would we have for Christmas dinner and who would join us?

And those were only the general stresses.

Each holiday season added its own special touch like the year one child found his Santa presents early and had them out playing with them one day when I came home from work. Then there was the year I had an hours-long crying jag on the sofa, because I had not been able to get a wreath on the front door when every other house on our street was decked out beautifully. Then there was the year I apparently took leave of my senses and allowed our house to be part of a home tour even though our three children were all pre-schoolers, and we somehow got a tree that required furniture to be moved out of the living room probably topped them all.

There were wonderful moments as well, like the unexpected arrival of a friend the morning after my crying jag with her present for me, a gorgeous boxwood wreath she had made herself. I was so thrilled I popped it right on the front door and was happy the rest of the season. I will remember all my days standing at a window holding my youngest child, then an infant, warm and enjoying the peace brought by a beautiful and unusual December snow which stopped the holiday bustle in its tracks.

That was the only white Christmas I have ever experienced.

People my age have learned that there are many blessings that come with maturity, and a sense of perspective about the holidays is one of them. I now know that it really does not matter much how we decorate, what we eat or what presents are under the tree.

What does matter is that those we love are safe and well and that we can be together.

Presents are fewer these days for many reasons. Children who once pined for many packages with even more parts now hope for fewer, though dearer, items. Friends, like me, want fewer things and are happy to be thought of with a charitable contribution in their honor, a homemade goodie or with only a hug and warm wishes. We understand that while our needs have been simplified, others people’s needs are great and that our resources are more valuable used in that way.

Wrapping what presents there are is no longer the chore it once was. Many of the presents are now in simple envelopes, and a genius who must be kin to Albert Einstein has invented the gift bag.

I no longer feel driven to bake the perfect cookie, not even using my grandmother’s recipe, or to roast the most fabulous turkey in the neighborhood. I may or may not make my annual chocolate mousse. I am content to cook what those I hold dear want to have and to enjoy their company.

Even decorating is less pressurized. A wreath is on the door with a bow made by a friend, and the tree is twinkling in the living room. I have not put out all our Christmas decorations this year, though, because I got tired of doing it.

I am just fine with that.

What is most important this holiday season is that we are looking forward to several occasions to be with treasured friends, both old and new, and that our family will be together in one place, at one time, including a most welcome daughter-in-law and our baby, now in his fi rst post-college job, who watched the rare Christmas snow with me.

The joys of a young and active family are many, and I loved those years. I look forward to experiencing them one generation removed with grandchildren, if we are so blessed.

The joys of an older family are different, calmer and more peaceful, and perhaps more savored. They are certainly less stressful.

However they come, though, holiday times are unique and precious, to be held close to our hearts forever.

From my family to yours, a safe, peaceful and dear holiday season to all.

The Fayetteville FireAntz are back in action at the Crown Coliseum and it is not too late for you and your friends and family to come and enjoy some of the excitement on the ice during the holiday season.

There are luxury suites, ice suites and special group rates available through the front office that are perfect for any occasion. With the season in full swing now, the next home game is on Friday, Dec. 23, against SPHL league rivals the Knoxville Icebears. The FireAntz will be wearing specialty Christmas jerseys for the game.The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.

There will be a post-game auction for the specialty jerseys as well as an on-the-ice meet and greet that night.

Bring your family out the day after Christmas to see your Fayetteville FireAntz take on the Columbus Cottonmouths at 7:30 p.m.

Fans can also make their plans to ring in the New Year with the Fayetteville FireAntz as they host the Huntsville Havoc on Saturday, Dec. 31, and Sunday, Jan. 1, with a special puck drop time of 4 p.m. on both nights.

Those who will be out of town for the holiday season, won’t miss out on a chance to see the FireAntz in action, because they will be home again on Sunday, Jan. 8, to take on the Augusta Riverhawks. The game starts at 4 p.m.

FireAntz fans, remember, you can catch all of the Fayetteville FireAntz away games at O’Charley’s on Skibo Road. The full 2011-2012 FireAntz schedule is available at www.fireantzhockey.com. Do not forget to contact the FireAntz Office by phone 321.0123 so you, your friends and family can come out and enjoy fun fill nights of Fayetteville FireAntz Hockey where Fire and Ice unite!

Photo: It is not too late for you and your friends and family to come and enjoy some of the excitement on the ice during the holiday season.

A new year is just around the corner, and people are starting to plan their 2012 New Year’s resolutions! If one of your resolutions involves starting a business or changing careers, the Small Business Center (SBC) at Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) has a great opportunity for you. SBC was awarded a grant from the City of Fayetteville! The City Development Block Grant lets SBC offer the Rural Entrepreneurship Through Action Learning (REAL) course in conjunction with a QuickBooks course. This opportunity is free to individu-als who have a strong interest and desire to start their own business in the service-related fields of welding, carpentry, HVAC services, esthetics, cosmetology or bar-bering. These classes will provide the proper tools and resources for the entrepreneur to start and stay in business.

REAL is a business course designed to assist and empower a person with entrepreneurial interests and abilities to plan and start a business or trade. The REAL curriculum uses active learning and experiential methods that have proven to be a highly successful teaching style for adults and entrepreneurs. The objective of the course is to have a complete business plan finished to use as a guide or roadmap to help the entrepreneur navigate through the journey of business ownership. The QuickBooks course assists the business owner with managing the financial part of the business: keeping track of sales, expenses, invoices, payroll and creating financial statements to help stay on top of business obligations with entities, such as the IRS, Department of Revenue, suppliers and vendors. Participants will learn to make sure their business stays profitable and have a positive cash flow. After completion of both courses, the aspiring entre-preneur will be better equipped to manage a business for success.

According to the N.C. Employment Security Commission September 2011 report, Fayetteville’s unemployment rate of 10 percent has resulted in 13,958 people being out of work. The solution to the problem is to create and grow jobs. The industry fields listed above are service industries that typically can lead to business opportunities. Individuals who attend a community col-lege to acquire training in HVAC services, carpentry, cos-metology, etc., will likely go into business for themselves. The intent of the grant is to assist individuals with these trades to acquire the knowledge, skills set and resources to create their own business and help decrease the rising unemployment rate.

FTCC’s Small Business Center mission is to increase the success rate of small businesses in Cumberland County by assisting prospective and established small-business persons reach their full potential by utilizing all resources available. According to last year’s SBC statistics, 1,300 participants attended 85 seminars, eight businesses were started and 50 jobs were created and retained.

The SBC offers free weekly seminars; counseling sessions are also available to clients at no charge. If you are interested in learning more about the Small Business Center, visit our website at www.faytechcc.edu/sm_bus/.

For more information on the dates and requirements on the REAL grant, please con-tact Tamara Bryant at 678-8462/8496. Class size is limited, and income qualifications must be met.