“I’m not sure what I want to be when I grow up.”

This is a statement often presented to me not only from students in high school, but also individuals who have been working for a while, as well as students who are currently enrolled in college but are considering changing career fields. There was a time when people would decide upon a career field and maintain that same career for 20-plus years until retirement. Today, however, people will change career fields five to six times during a lifetime.

For many individuals, career awareness is a challenging and difficult activity to engage in. It can often feel overwhelming, time-consuming, and intimidating. Career awareness is an individual process, and individuals should recognize that each person starts at different places when exploring career interests. One should begin the process early to help focus energy towards making better career choices, and this effort will lead to realistic options for success.

Time spent exploring one’s interest, values and abilities, as well as gaining more insight into what makes each person “unique” is considered to be a key component to career decision- making.

One of the main functions of the Career Center at FTCC is to help aid individuals in solving some of the crucial problems likely to be faced as they turn their career plans into a reality. We can offer and administer a variety of career interest inventories, which help to link personality types and abilities with careers. These assessments provide valuable background information for career planning.

Once the inventories are completed, the individual can sit and talk with a professionally trained counselor and work jointly in solving problems associated with career choices, daily living, and educational planning. The goal is to pull all of the relevant information together and formulate a plan of action!

The services within the FTCC Career Center are free and open to the public. You can contact us at www. faytechcc/counseling/CareerCenter.asp or 910-678-8205 or 910-678-8422

Photo: Career awareness is an individual process, and individuals should recognize that each person starts at different places when exploring career interests.

Saturday, April 30 marks the endof the Cumberland Oratorio Singers and the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra 2010/2011 season. The two are teaming up to present Ralph Vaughn Williams’ Serenade to Music at Reeves Auditorium on the Methodist university Campus .

While there are indeed some purists who perform this piece with only 16 soloists, there are also full choirs that perform this piece with feature soloists. Cumberland Oratorio Singers Director, Michael Martin has chosen to audition singers from the Cumberland Oratorio Singers membership as well as the greater Fayetteville area to come up with a group of 28 amazing singers who will perform to the talented musicians of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra.

Martin considers Vaughn Williams a standard bearer of choral music, and Serenade to Music the perfect piece for a collaboration with the symphony.

“This is not a large piece or all that diffi cult to put together. What is remarkable about it is that is does show a willingness by the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra and the Cumberland Oratorio Singers to start partnering to do choral works together,” said Martin. “I think this is a fi rst step in a much larger process. Next year we are going to be working on Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, so I will be looking to coordinate several choirs from all over the area to come together as a mass choir and sing with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra. We are trying to build the idea of a large choral work with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra on a regular basis and bring that kind of experience of art to Fayetteville. I think you always have to start with small successes and build to larger ones. that is what Fouad Fakhouri and I are trying to do.”

While bringing great choral music to Fayetteville is Martin’s goal, there is always room to grow. In fact, the group is hoping to add a few more men to their ranks. “I would like to have more men join this group,” said Martin. “I can’t understand how in a demographic our size we can’t fi nd an additional 15 or 20 men who can sing. Not to say the men we have don’t sing well, they do, but the proportion from man to woman is high on the women side right now. We want basses. We want tenors.”

Fouad Fakhouri, conductor of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra is excited about including the COS in the orchestra’s season finale and considers it the perfect ending to an artistically strong season. “I am very much looking forward to working with Michael Martin on this,” said Fakhouri. “It has been a great season, a very gratifying season in terms of the artistic products that we produced. This is going to be a great fi nale.”

In addition to collaborating with the COS, the symphony will perform Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major Romantic by Anton Bruckner.

“I would just encourage anyone and everyone who has ever thought of going to a symphony to attend this concert,” said Fakhouri. “You seldom hear this piece performed in the United States. It is a little bit longer, but it is a very powerful work and I wanted to fi nish the season with a substantial work.”

As has become the custom, audience members are invited to come early and enjoy a pre-concert chat with Fakhouri. In this session called Know the Score Fakhouri discusses the music that will be performed and talks a bit about the composers of the pieces. “I am hoping that Michael (COS director) will join me on stage with a few musicians and we will talk about the music,” said Fakhouri.

The pre-concert chat starts at 6:45 p.m., while the show starts at 7:30 p.m. COS season tickets will be accepted at the door or tickets may be purchased at the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra price of two tickets for $15 for the fi nal concert of the season. Find out more at http:// cumberlandoratoriosingers.org or www.fayettevillesymphony.org.

We’ve all been there. Those heady fi rst days of a relationship when absolutely everything the other person does is wonderful and everything they say is amazing. We’ve all ridden the wild ride from wonderful and amazing to irritating and intellectually challenged. Romance is indeed a rocky road and “relationships” are really minefi elds that must be carefully navigated. It is this tricky route to happily ever after that the Cape Fear Regional Theatre will tackle when some of its brightest and best bring I Love You. You’re Perfect. Now Change. to the stage.

Opening on Friday, April 29, I Love You. You’re Perfect. Now Change is sure to be another runaway hit for the theatre, which has had an exceptional season to date.

In this dizzying trip into the chaos that is love, four actors play more than 40 roles in a collection of scenes and songs scaling the dizzying spectrum of relationships. Bringing this roller coaster ride to life are some of the CFRT’s funniest and most talented performers.

Cassandra Vallery, who has played in a host of productions at the CFRT and other theatres will be joined on stage by Lynne Rosenbert, fresh off the runaway hit Rumors. Playing their male counterparts are veteran CFRT performer Greg King and Tommy Foster, who was last on stage at the CFRT in The Full Monty.

Throughout the two-week run, the theatre will ofer a number of special events:

• Girls Night Out - Gather your girlfriends for a night at the theatre that you won’t soon forget. Come for wine and cheese following the performance on Thursday, May. Admission is $20 for show and soiree!

• Couples Night – Every night is couple’s night at I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; however, May 13 is the night to bring your special someone for champagne, and chocolates with the cast following the performance. Friday, Admission is $22.

CFRT’s production of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change runs from April 29-May 15. To purchase tickets, you can go online at www.cfrt.org or call the box offi ce 323-4233.

What young kid can pass up a rain puddle, some nearby dirt and the opportunity to fashion that sublime art creation of youth, the almighty mud pie? Such earthy fun is worth the almost certain unhappy parental reaction; a right of passage in childhood.

Yet some children never give up their love for playing in the dirt and grow into adults who turn their passion for mud into creative careers as potters. The wares of many talented potters who perhaps slipped into the mud and got all fi red up about clay will be on display during North Carolina’s largest pottery festival, the Sanford Pottery Festival. The Special 10th Anniversary Event & Celebration of N.C. Wines take place on Saturday, April 30, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, May 1, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center, 1801 Nash St. in Sanford.

“In North Carolina, we take our pottery very seriously,” said event organizer and potter Don Hudson. “There are probably about 2,000 potters in North Carolina. Our festival draws potters from all over North Carolina and beyond.”

The Sanford Pottery Festival has its roots in the Seagrove Pottery Festival, explained Hudson. “The Seagrove Pottery Festival is the granddaddy of them all. It is about to celebrate its 30th anniversary event in November. It was created by a gentleman named Richard Gillson. (Gillson passed away in 2008.) His pottery studio was named Holly Hill, and he created the Seagrove Pottery Festival. I worked with Richard for 11 years to help him produce the Seagrove Pottery Festival. Richard encouraged us to create a festival in Sanford to help project a positive image of the Seagrove-area potteries into the Triangle. He always said if it were promoted correctly, that the Sanford Pottery Festival would be bigger than the Seagrove festival. When it was fi rst held in 2002, it did become the largest pottery event in a state that loves its pottery.”

Hudson offers a variety of reasons for its growth and notes that 50,000 different people have visited over the past nine years, representing 98 of N.C.’s 100 counties and every state in the union.

“For one, Sanford has a great location,” Hudson said. “We’re right in the middle of everything, and great roads connect us to all the areas around us. We’re easy to reach, and there is a whole lot of free parking on paved lots. The amazing thing is that people who love pottery come out even in bad weather,” he said.

The festival features 110 oversized booths and 30,000 square feet of tents in addition to the civic center space. Yet the pottery festival is not all pottery.

“The goal for the festival is to pull together the very best selection of North Carolina pottery found in one place,” said Hudson. “Twenty percent of the booths are for non-pottery traditional arts and crafts. This goes back to Richard Gillson, who always believed that a pottery festival should have some non-pottery, for people who are dragged along by pottery fanatics, in the areas of jewelry, clothing accents, gourmet chocolates and salsas, sweet breads, leather, woodwork — all the basic non-pottery traditional arts.”

The event is also very child friendly, notes Hudson.

“We have a ‘paint your own raku’ that is tremendously popular with children. There’s going to be the National Guard climbing wall there as well, another tiein with the military. During the festival, there will be shuttle service to historic downtown Sanford. There is a bicycle race on Saturday with lots of children’s activities at Depot Park,” he continued.

Hudson views the event as an opportunity for Sanford to shine as a community in the midst of the military’s ongoing BRAC efforts. The festival is repeating its highly successful military appreciation feature of free admission with a valid military ID, offered at the festival’s first Christmas show this past December, and hinted at a future event in Cumberland County.

“We are very definitely looking at creating an event in Fayetteville. The Cumberland County population is drawn from all over the U.S.A., and many of them are world travelers, and they have a tendency to want to know something about what goes on where they are stationed at any given time. And they send souvenirs back to friends and family all over the country and all over the world. What better opportunity to popularize North Carolina pottery on a national basis, than to make the military aware of what is in their own back yard!”

The wine-tasting event, held in a separate venue, features N.C. wines, “from the sweetest sweet, to the driest dry,” Hudson said. For $10 admission, attendees receive a free glass and may sample from different wines and then purchase them by the glass, bottle or case. A selection of health-conscious food will also be available at the festival.

The timing of the festival is ideal for Mother’s Day and graduation gifts, he noted.

“We focus on Mother’s Day,” said Hudson. “Bring your mother out. Buy her something for Mother’s Day. We have all sorts of gifts anywhere from $10-20. We have a very broad selection of pottery. There are actually thousands upon thousands of moderately priced gift items that can be used in the house and passed down from generation to generation as much of the pottery is. We also have high-end pottery. We have had things sell at the festival for $15,000.”

Two of the potters that regularly attend the festival are Phil Morgan of Seagrove and Olivia D. Dowdy of Wagram.

Morgan established his pottery in 1973 after determining he did not want to work in a routine that required a suit and tie. He fi rst discovered pottery at Montgomery Tech (now Montgomery Community College) and is known as a “world-master crystalline potter.” According to his website, www. philmorganpottery.org, “Phil’s cystalline jewels are in museums across the globe — from the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., to Europe’s Wedgwood Museum. Phil and his crystalline works of art have been featured in a variety of publications, including The Washington Post, The New York Timesand The Orlando Sentinel and on ABC TV’s Good Morning America and CTV’s Good Morning Canada.”

“I’m in my 39th year and have been doing crystalline since 1973,” said Morgan. “I strive to do the original art. I do not use computers. I mix my own porcelain. I mix my own glazes. That’s kind of what makes me different than everyone else. I started in the time when there weren’t a lot of companies producing clay and glazes, and I learned to do my own, and I still do it the old way I did way back in the ‘70s. I take pride in that I only allow the best ones that survive through the fi ring into the showroom.”

Morgan has attended all but the very first Sanford Pottery Festival.

“I’ve been proud to be in that show every year since. It’s a wonderful pottery event. And if people come to that show and they don’t find pottery they like, then they didn’t like pottery to begin with. It’s a great time for people to meet the potter, the potter takes time to explain what they do and talk to them and they more or less become friends, not just customers. I would just like to invite everyone to come to the show and have a good time.”

Dowdy reflects fondly back on those mud-pie making times of her youth.

“As soon as it rained, I was outside in the mud,” said Dowdy, who has been working in mixed media for the past 20 years, but claims pottery as her first love. Her wire and raku jewelry has been featured in Step by Step Wire Jewelry. “There’s something about being an adult where we can just get dirty, and it’s okay.”

“I didn’t go to college until later in life. I got a visual-arts degree, and I liked everything I worked with, but I didn’t feel like I could make a living using my skill that would let me be a happy person.”

Dowdy then transferred from Sandhills Community College to UNC-Pembroke. “I was wondering, how would I make a living doing something in the arts, and I stumbled upon the pottery class. I saw Ceramics I, which is hand building with clay. When I went into that class, I mean I fell absolutely in love with the whole process. I felt like I had found my place. It’s a humbling medium to work with because you know what you can and cannot do with clay. You can push it, and it pushes back. If you don’t follow part of the rules, you will work multiple hours and have absolutely nothing to show for it. I have the greatest respect for clay. The clay just feels good in your hands. After you manipulate and pull it and do all these things to it, you get something wonderful, something beautiful, something that speaks volumes just because it came from the earth.”

Dowdy’s mantra, posted on her site at www.etsy.com/people/Odddesignsnc#, says it all: “My soul would be empty if I did not do art!”

Which involves, no doubt, playing in the “mud.”

Admission to the festival is $5, children 14 and under are admitted free and anyone with a valid military ID, active or retired, will be admitted free with an adult guest. Admission to the wine-tasting event is $10 extra for adults 21 and over.

For more information on The Sanford Pottery Festival, visit www. sanfordpottery.org.

Photo: Olivia D. Dowdy from Wagram, N.C. specializes in pottery and raku jewelry, like the piece shown above.

The Windsors and Me

I confess to being among thebazillions of people around the globe who got up at all hours to watch the televised ill-fated wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. It probably helped that I had a newborn, whether he tuned in with me or not.

I will not be able to watch the wedding of another Windsor, Charles’ son Prince William, and his lovely bride, Catherine Middleton, at the moment it occurs, but I have no doubt there will be plenty of opportunity to get my fill in the unavoidable 24/7 coverage of the occasion that has already been underway for weeks.

The Windsors were a part of our household when I was growing up.

I saw them frequently and viewed the Windsor children who were close to my age as my chums. Our mothers dressed us in much the same ways, and it seemed to me that we had common interests and experiences as Baby Boomer children growing up in the decades following World War II.

It really did not register with me that the Windsor children’s mother was Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and all its dominions, and mine was, well, my mother.

My father had been an Army medic in England, and he and another soldier boarded in the home of an English widow. My father, a personable and courtly southerner, struck up an acquaintance with the widow, Mrs. Fox, which endured until she died many years later. I suppose because the two young families, the Windsors and the Highsmiths, were in the same stage of life, she sent us many books about the British Royal Family.

I did not recognize this then, of course, but the books were well-crafted public relations efforts to portray the Royal Family as — almost — regular folks. Like similar books about the Kennedy family during the Camelot years, these books were fi lled with wonderful and charming family photographs. Some were formal portraits involving crowns, scepters and robes trimmed with ermine. Most, though, were family scenes, concocted I am now sure to garner and keep the affection of the Queen’s British subjects. We in America and elsewhere were just icing on the cake. The Queen’s son Charles, who much later would be humiliated when a recording surfaced of him expressing a wish to be in his mistress’ “trousers,” was actually a cute little boy and her daughter Anne had Shirley Temple-like yellow curls. They and their younger brothers were pictured swinging, playing with their dogs, and, occasionally, getting into some slight mischief.

I loved these books and remember once asking my father to write to Mrs. Fox requesting that she invite the Windsor children to visit us in Fayetteville. I imagined they would enjoy running around with the children and dogs in our Haymount neighborhood as much as my sister and I did, and they probably would have. Maybe they would even have gotten dirty.

Needless to say, they never showed.

There has been much water over the dam since then for the Windsors and the Highsmiths, but I still have a soft spot for the Windsors, and a special and enduring fondness for the Queen who reminds me of the mother I continue to miss 36 years later.

The Queen who will watch her grandson marry and make a commoner a princess has led a life none of us can begin to understand. It has been fi lled with luxuries, of course, but think about having to meet with Prime Ministers ranging from the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, to the free-wheeling Tony Blair once a week, week in and week out whether she liked them or approved of their policies or not and without legal authority to affect anything they might do. All she can do is advise.

The Queen has remained unruffl ed and serene for more than half a century as she presided over everything from the fi nal dismantling of the once-global British Empire to the toe-sucking antics and infi delities of my long-ago imaginary playmates and their ever-wacky spouses. 

Think of watching your empire shrink as the European Union took hold. Imagine what it felt like to see the monetary system adorned by your own face and those of your ancestors be eclipsed by the drab but convenient Euro.

Queen Elizabeth has done all this and more with dignity and a constant and unwavering hairdo that could have been styled at a downtown Fayetteville beauty parlor in 1965.

I have a favorite Queen Elizabeth story that pretty much sums her up, at least my vision of her.

It seems the Queen was out walking her beloved Corgis one day, her securitydetail at a discrete English distance. One of her subjects approached and cluelessly observed, “My,you certainly look like the Queen.” To which Her Majesty, Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and Defender of the Faith, replied serenely, “That’s reassuring.”

I hope the Queen thoroughly enjoys the latest Royal wedding celebrations and I wish the happy couple — and the Queen — a palace full of beautiful, bouncing and well-behaved baby Windsors.

Photo: Queen Elizabeth.

Hogs & Rags is the traditional Dogwood Festival rally for motorcycles and convertibles (including Jeeps). The riders gather every year, early in the morning, on the last Saturday in April. This year, instead of gathering at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum, they will gather at Cape Fear Harley Davidson on Sycamore Dairy Road. Registration starts at 8 a.m., followed by a southern country breakfast at 8:30 a.m.

Kickstands are up at 9:30 a.m., and the fun begins. It is a nice, easy, escorted drive from Fayetteville that will end at Landry’s Seafood Restaurant at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Not only is breakfast included, there will be several local dignitaries as well as members of the American Cancer Society serving up the hearty fare. According to Gardner Altman Jr., one of the founding members of the rally, attendees can look forward to seeing Sheriff Moose Butler, Senator Eric Mansfield, Cumberland County Commissioner Ed Melvin, Mayor Tony Chavonne, Senator Wesley Meredith and Judge Billy West among others at the early morning gathering. It’s a great start to a great day and part of what Altman considers the magic of the event.

“It has grown more than we thought it would, but any time that you have good friends and good food, fun people will come,” said Altman. “Food, friends and fun will bring people together. We’ve noticed that everyone really seems to enjoy it, and that is what we are looking for. It is really low key and having the police escort us is a big hit. People enjoy being able to ride from Fayetteville to Myrtle Beach with a police escort. They enjoy driving through the little country towns and the townsfolk waving at them.”

Don’t mistake it. Hogs & Rags isn’t just another road rally, it’s a whole lot more than a ride. It’s a chance to enjoy a ride to the beach; a chance to participate in one of the many Fayetteville Dogwood Festival-sanctioned events; a chance to make new friends, reconnect with old friends and enjoy the camaraderie of some wonderful, caring and high-spirited people. Most importantly though, it is a chance to change lives and better the community. This year, the proceeds from Hogs & Rags will go to the Shriners Hospital for Children, the American Cancer Society and Kidsville News! of Cumberland County’s literary initiative.

“I think one of the most exciting things about this ride is the charities that we sponsor and support,” said Hogs & Ragsvolunteer Steve Adam. “A lot of times we do these rides, and you are out there collecting for individuals who are fi ghting a battle, which is a great thing, but this is one of those events where you have a chance to get out there and raise a pretty signifi cant amount of money for some great causes.”

The ride is a great value at $50 per entry and $30 for additional passengers. And, you get a big bang for your buck.

“I think a lot of people forget when they look at the cost of this. They think ‘Oh man, Hogs & Rags is $50 per driver and $30 a passenger, and they start comparing that to a poker run that is $10 a hand, and you really can’t compare the two,” said Adam. “This is an all-day event. You get your meals, both breakfast and lunch and a T-shirt. Also, the first 100 people get a $10 raffl e ticket for the Cape Fear Hog raffle on May 7 at their open house. They should also consider what we give to the charities. We get nothing out of this event. Every bit of the proceeds go to the charities. It is a nice ride, and I think everyone really enjoys it.”

The Shriners Hospital

Ernie Grooms is a Shriner of the Sudan Temple here in Fayetteville and has witnessed first hand the wonderful work that the Shriner’s do for children. With 22 hospitals throughout the U.S., four of which are burn centers (the rest are orthopedic), there is plenty of goodness that gets spread around.

“The first child I ever saw when I went to Greenville, his mother was actually pulling him in a little red wagon. His arms and legs were stubs basically,” said Grooms. “He had to have both legs amputated and they gave him prosthetics. He was actually out of Fort Bragg, that is where his father was stationed. We saw him grow up to be a real nice young man. I will never forget when he danced at one of our ceremonies with my wife. He is a real nice young man, and his father actually became a Shriner, too, because of what we did for his child.”

The Shriners Hospitals for Children has a mission to:

Provide the highest quality care to children with neuromusculoskeletal conditions, burn injuries and other special healthcare needs within a compassionate, family-centered and collaborative care environment. Provide for the education of physicians and other healthcare professionals. Conduct research to discover new knowledge that improves the quality of care and quality of life of children and families.

For more information, visit www.shrinershq.org.

American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy and service.

The American Cancer Society is a proponent of healthy living and avoiding behaviors that can play a part in causing cancer. They are there for cancer patients and their families from the moment of diagnosis, through the treatments, and when needed, through the healing and grieving process. For more information, visit www.cancer.org.

Kidsville News! of Cumberland County

Kidsville News! is Cumberland County’s fun family newspaper and educational resource. It is provided free of charge to all elementary school age children in Cumberland and Hoke Counties, as well as teachers and parents. The goal of the publication is to help children develop reading skills, promote literacy and provide good quality character education.

Kidsville News! has been continuously published since 1998 and has been recognized and utilized by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for its measured progress program and hosts the Character Education Program in Cumberland County Schools plus several literacy, arts, writing and environmental educational programs.

For more information, visit www.kidsvillenews.com/cumberland.

Find out more about Hogs & Rags at www.hogsandrags.com.

We’ve seen it on TV — the videos of families in the Midwest picking through what’s left of their homes after damaging tornadoes sweep across the farmlands. We’ve watched as children stand in the rubble, clutching a teddy bear, as their mothers and fathers pick up the pieces of what is left of their lives. But that was just television.

On Saturday, our community lived that picture as a devastating tornado swept its way up Reilly Road, across Yadkin Road and on up to Ramsey Street. It was not some unknown farmer in the Midwest who was sifting through the rubble. It was our neighbors and our friends.

The streets, eerily silent, did not belong to strangers. They were ours. And when the city declared a curfew and people were turned away from their neighborhoods, the power and fury of the storm was a reality in our lives.

At this writing one Cumberland County resident is dead, dozens injured, hundreds left homeless and millions lost in property damage. Statewide more than 20 people have lost their lives. When compared to other areas in the southeast we should consider ourselves blessed.

In the midst of the storm, it would have been easy for those effected and for the city and county leadership to throw up their hands and give up. But they didn’t.

I was extremely impressed with how our city and county rallied to meet the needs of its residents. On Sunday, a news conference was held and the Cumberland County-City of Fayetteville Joint Emergency Operations Center personnel updated the media on the status of the community. It was heartwarming to see and hear how we, as a community and government, responded to this natural disaster.

Ken Edge, chairman of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, expressed so eloquently the appreciation for the hard work and spirit of cooperation shown by city and county departments that persevered during this crisis.

The Highlands Chapter of the American Red Cross, Cumberland County Emergency Services, City of Fayetteville Police and Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department personnel were there along with State Representatives Rick Glazier and Elmer Floyd, Senator Eric Mansfi eld, City Councilman Ted Mohn, Asstistant School Superintendent Tim Kinlaw, County Manager James Martin and Commissioners Ed Melvin, Jimmy Keefe and Charles Evans.

Everyone listened attentively as offi cials told us how best we could assist the victims of the storm and what we could to get our community back to a state of normalcy. It was heartwarming to see this type of professionalism, cooperation and compassion.

The stories of tragedy; survival, luck and good fortune are numerous and incredible. We’ve read about residents huddled in storage rooms in businesses, a bathroom in another, wrapped around each other in their homes. We are fortunate that in the midst of the storm, the lives of many in our community were spared. They’ve been altered, but they will go on. However, the bottom line now is that we move on to rebuild our damaged communities.

I have no doubt that had it not been for the tornadoes, the Fayetteville Observer’s front page story on Sunday morning may have very well been about City Councilman Bobby Hurst and the hundreds of volunteers who supported the Fayetteville Beautifulcampaign and hit the streets early Saturday morning under cloudy, overcast and menacing skies to pick up litter along our city streets and beautify our city.

It’s so ironic to have both events occur on the same day. However, it is reassuring to know we are as beautiful on the inside as on the outside.

If you would like to help or assist local victims, the Red Cross is accepting monetary donations. Donations may be made to the American Red Cross Highlands Chapter at 807 Carol St., Fayetteville, N.C. 28303.

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Volunteer: noun; a person who performs a service willingly and without pay.

It takes a special kind of person to be a volunteer — someone who will give of their time and talents for the benefi t of others never mind that they aren’t getting a paycheck in return. In a day and age when folks are busy running helter skelter, shuffl ing kids here and there and are often overwhelmed with the details of their own lives, volunteering can sometimes be at the bottom of their to-do list, if it even makes the list at all.

Cumberland County Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) has a treasure trove of volunteers who make contributions to the community daily, doing a variety of things like delivering meals to the homebound, tutoring, serving as a guardian ad litem, working in the arts community, at local museums and for local government agencies and that is just scratching the surface. In fact, in 2010 alone, 575 volunteers worked 108,903 hours which, had they been paid, would have cost the community $2,270627.50.

On April 15, RSVP honored Cora Lee Atkins as their Volunteer of the year. The banquest was held in the Snyder Memorial Baptist Church Fellowship Hall. Mary Brymer-Chanza was the mistress of ceremonies.

“She is an outstanding volunteer,” said RSVP director Judy Dawkins. “All of our volunteers are, they are all priceless. They serve our community so well.”

Atkins has been volunteering on a local and state-ide basis for years. She joined RSVP in 2003 where she has helped to ensure the highest quality of life not only for seniors but all residents of Cumberland County.

Her volunteer service includes: rreasurer of the Loyal Seniors for eight years; vice-president of the Coffee Club for one year; Spring Lake Senior Club Board Member for five years; Area A Senior Club president for four years, District II Assistant Treasurer for two years; District II chairperson for two years; and NorthCarolina Association of Senior Citizen Clubs assistant treasurer for two years.

Atkins is a member of the Senior Road Runners Club in addition to being a Fayetteville- Cumberland Senior Center Ambassador where she plays a vital role in the implementation of the center’s travel program as well as assisting with other primary program facilitation functions.

She has served in the Cumberland County School System, Fay-Cumberland Chamber of Commerce, Cross Creek Welcome Center, and as a Training Coordinator for Mid- Carolina Council of Governments. However, her major volunteer activities are at the Fayetteville-Cumberland Senior Center, where she participates in the center’s “Hands Thru Time” — a program that works to provide intergenerational programming for Cumberland County youth. She also serves as the caller for the center’s Bingo program and as a club offi cer. Atkins can be counted on to assist by either offering her time or by recruiting fellow seniors to participate at a moment’s notice! She continuously gives of herself, her timeand her talents to help others.

PHOTO: RSVP volunteers gather each year to celebrate their accomplishments and to honor one of their own.

The motto of the Continuing Education Division at FTCC is “life-long learning.” In the Business Services Area, the staff and faculty strive to meet the various training needs and interests of our business and industry customers, as well as the general public.

FTCC’s Small Business Center is designed to assist prospective small business owners with the knowledge and resources they need to start a business. Free weekly seminars are presented by business professionals from around the state. In addition, small business counseling sessions are available to clients at no charge.

Special events, such as the Small Business Extravaganza (May 23-25) and Home-Based Business Expo (May 26), provide an excellent opportunity to gain valuable knowledge while networking with other small-business owners.

FTCC’s Small Business Center is co-sponsoring a Business Plan Competition with nine eastern North Carolina counties, which is intended to stimulate and assist with new startup or expanding businesses. Monetary awards of $5,000, $2,500 and $1,500 will be presented to the winners from the North Carolina Rural Center grant. The deadline to present your business plan is April 29. Don’t delay — start writing your plan today! For more information, call Tamara Bryant at 678-8462.

Since 1992, FTCC has partnered with the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce to offer the nationally recognized American Management Association’s Certifi cate in Management Program. This 126-hour supervisory training program allows students to design their own curriculum, by selecting six management-related courses of their choice. Upon successful completion of the six courses, students earn the Certifi cate in Management and are recognized at the monthly Chamber of Commerce Coffee Club Meeting.

Evening classes meet at the Center for Business and Industry. AMA inhouse training is also available, and both the Public Works Commission and the Cumberland County Schools System have utilized this valuable training program as a means of professional development for their employees. For more information, call 678-8210.

In order to meet the preemployment training needs of our community, the Business Services Area offers more than 300 courses each year. Computer-education classes and medical-related classes are popular choices, as well as specifi c job training to become a bank teller, notary public, manicurist, esthetician or barber (coming summer 2011). We also develop customized training programs for local business and industry and offer required certifi cation classes in various fi elds. For more information, call Kimberly Allen at 678-0033.

It’s time to get down to business: the business of education! We hope you will take advantage of the many training opportunities available through the Business Services area at FTCC!

PHOTO: FTCC’s Continuing Education has a lot to offer the community from new-business counseling to computer training and even training new barbers.

There are several things that make Fayetteville a great city to live in. We have some of the best southern hostility, wonderful attractions, a rich history of how the city was founded and named and most importantly, we have some of the bravest soldiers to have ever put on an Army uniform. Behind these courageous soldiers stand their spouses, parents, friends and those little ones we often forget; their children.

Children of military parents are not often mentioned. It can be easy to forget that children have sincere feelings about what is happening in our world and to their parents. We forget that military children read the newspaper, watch the news and overhear people talking about the wars their parents are fi ghting. Unfortunately, we forget that when parents are deployed, it not only affects their spouse, but also their children.

Military children endure great loss with the deployment of their parents. For some children a deployment means that for one year a son may not have a mom to come cheer him on at a ball game, or a little girl may not have dad to shower her with never-ending love. We know that no one person or one thing can take the place of a deployed parent; however, the month of April is the Month of the Military Child, and Fort Bragg is paying tribute to military children with several events, sponsored by the Child Youth and School Services (CYSS).

Deployment Specialist, Kajsa Blansett says celebrating the Month of the Military Child gives the community “an opportunity to applaud military families and their children for the daily sacrifi ces they make and the challenges they overcome.” This is important because “All children want to feel loved and appreciated when a parent isn’t there the community steps in to fi ll the gap,” she said.

The center has done several things to kick-off this special month. The theme for the month is “health & fi tness.” They have celebrated this by having a Volks March and by getting the children outside to plant flowers.

For the first time this year, CYSS is throwing a Spring Block Party. The block party will be on April 23, from 1 to 3:30 p.m., at the Tolson Youth Activities Center. The block party is free and open to the public.

“Throughout the day children and parents can enjoy activities, games, prizes, face painting, Palabar the Clown and much more,” said Blansett.

She encourages the community to support the event because it is a chance to enjoy time with their family and the free activities, as well as foster a partnership between the military and the surrounding community.

Blansett noted that “Military children face many obstacles unique to their situation, such as having a parent deployed for extended periods of time and moving frequently. Deployments and family separations can be stressful times for children.”

This month-long celebrated is designed to offer them the support they need. CYSS also wants to recognize April 28 as national Bring Your Child to Work Day, an event Fort Bragg is glad to be participate in.

On April 23 have some fun family time. The block party is available to military families and non-military families. For more information, contact CYSS Deployment Specialist, Kajsa Blansett at 910-396-4481.

Looking for something to do on your next date night? Need an excuse to get the gang together? Why not experience the nostalgia reminiscent of the Golden Age of Radio by attending Temple Theatre’s upcoming production, Beguiled Again? The musical, which highlights some of the greatest popular music from the 1920s through the 1940s, is sure to get your fingers snapping and your toes tapping!

Performed by six entertainers and a live band, Beguiled Again features more than 50 songs by the famed songwriting duo, Rodgers and Hart. In their 20 year partnership, the pair wrote the music and lyrics for 26 Broadway musicals. Peggy Taphorn, Temple Theatre’s Producing Artistic Director, describes the show, “It is set up in two distinct acts. The first act has a bit more structure to it and goes through their songs throughout their career. It begins with some of their biggest hits: “Bewitched,” “The Lady is a Tramp,” “Thou Swell,” “This Can’t Be Love” and “Johnny One Note.” She goes on to explain that the story traces their careers from their humble beginnings, to their early radio success, through their Hollywood years, and finally, back to their roots in New York City.

The second act, according to Taphorn, “deals with their favorite topic, love, and is broken into four categories of love: love through humor, unrequited love, a fine line between love and hate and the search for true love.” Some of the big hits in this portion are: “My Romance,” “It Never Entered My Mind,” “Isn’t It Romantic,” “To Keep My Love Alive,” “Falling in Love with Love” and more.

Returning to the Temple for a starring role in Beguiled Again is Dr. Ken Griggs of Fayetteville. Other familiar favorites are Galloway Stevens and Peggy Taphorn. Hailing from New York City and new to the Temple, are Daniel Robbins, Megan Rozak and Melody Baugh.

If the musical scores aren’t enough to motivate you to buy a ticket, consider this. The Temple Theatre was built in downtown Sanford in 1925 and was a frequent stop of Vaudeville shows as well as a bit of Burlesque in the 1930s. Despite being refurbished in the early ‘80s, audiences can still appreciate much of the architectural charm of that era.

From the richly painted walls in the lobby to the twin staircases leading to the balcony and its restored tin ceiling, what better locale from which to experience a musical than in a theater erected in the same period in which many of its songs were written! B

eguiled Again runs from April 28-May 15 at Temple Theatre located at 120 Carthage Street in downtown Sanford. The box office hours are Monday- Friday from 2 p.m.-6 p.m. and tickets range from $16-$20. For more information or to view the theater’s seating chart, visit the website at www.templeshows.com. You can reach the box office by phone by calling 919-774-4155.

What do Brittany Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christiana Aguilera have in common? Besides the fact that they are all absolutely gorgeous and super rich (I have decided to leave the tabloid rumors out). They were all members of the ‘90s musical performing group The Mickey Mouse Club. They all gained the confidence, style, poise and grace we see them exemplify on stage by being in a music group in their early teenage years. This is the beauty of performing arts.

Performing arts is a key component to the development of a child. Research studies have found that the “academic side of schooling only develops one side of the brain, the left side while creative arts develop the right side which is primarily responsible for the social interaction and creativity” of a child. Performing arts “help in the holistic development of a child.” Performing arts can help a child overcome shyness as well as help in their overall development.

Up & Coming Weekly’s, award-winning sister publication, Kidsville News! created the Kidsville Kids performance troupe; a performing arts troupe for young people ranging in ages 5-12 in the fall of 2009. Director, Joy Cogswell says the group strives to emulate, through singing and dancing, good moral values, literacy and leadership qualities which are the goals of Kidsville News!”

The Kidsville Kids group has seen great success since its initial conception. “They have performed regularly throughout the region and in the Raleigh area” and are “fast becoming known for the excellence of their performances.”

Each year Kidsville Kids hold auditions for new performers. Auditions for the 2011-2012 group will be held on Monday and Thursday, May 23 and 24 from 6 - 8 p.m., in the choir room at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church. The group is trained through the Snyder Music Academy and is directed by Jog Cogswell and choreographer, Chelsea Carey. Ages for openings vary each year, so call the Music Academy for age opening, as well as tuition information and to schedule an audition time for your child. Children who audition must sing one song, which represents their ability; and although it is not mandatory, children with dance experience are welcomed to perform a dance routine as well.

On an average, children spend at least eight hours a day in school. Often times parents feel that during those eight hours their child has received every tool they will need to success and become a great person and a successful student. Extracurricular activities are viewed as a distraction from the most important matter — academics. However, is it this “kind of thinking that leads to children who develop in a one dimensional manner.” Creative and performing arts “are equally as important in helping children to develop holistically.” The gift of music is available to everyone including children. Let’s begin to take advantage of this free gift and encourage our children to embrace the never endless possibilities of music. For more information contact Joy Cogswell at 910- 484-1041.

The Army Ground Forces Band’s 64 soldiers and two officers will be moving permanently to Fort Bragg this June with its parent unit, U.S. Army Forces Command.

Eager to become a part of its new hometown community, the band is sending its Jazz Guardians to perform a vanguard concert as part of Fayetteville’s Jazz Appreciation Month at the Fayetteville Technical Community College’s Horace Sisk Gymnasium, 6 p.m., April 22.

The Jazz Guardians is an eleven-member ensemble whose primary mission is to maintain and promote the uniquely American art form of Jazz.

The Jazz Guardians pay tribute to the big bands of yesteryear by performing the music made popular by such greats as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Glenn Miller and Woody Herman.

Demonstrating great versatility, the group also performs the latest and most innovative sounds of today’s most popular composers.

“We’re really glad this opportunity to work with WFSS-FM 91.9 came up to introduce the Jazz Guardians during Jazz Appreciation Month as the first of many performances our band will be performing as we establish Fort Bragg and the Sandhills area as our new home,” said Maj. Treg Ancelet, the band commander and conductor. 

“It is particularly appropriate that we will feature the vocal talents of our Sgt. Shirley Dirden because the Smithsonian Institution has declared 2011 to be the year of the Female Jazz Artist.”

The Jazz Guardians is just one Army Ground Forces Band ensemble. Other groups, or Music Performance Teams, include the concert and ceremonial bands, a brass quintet and brass ensemble, a woodwind quintet known as the Quintessential Winds, a rock/pop group called the Loose Cannons, a jazz combo, a Dixieland Band and the Brass Brigade, which pushes performance styles with a broad repertoire of music from traditional Dixie to funk and rap and even a little soul.

The band and its MPTs serve as musical ambassadors of the American combat Soldier to the American people.

Indeed, one of The Army Ground Forces Band’s major missions is to serve as a community outreach asset for the Army’s largest command, United States Army Forces Command, currently headquartered at Fort McPherson, Ga., but relocating here this summer in compliance with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) legislation.

Through parades, concerts, ceremonies and other public appearances, the band offers a positive perception of the U.S. military to diverse publics, promotes good will among its fellow Americans and fosters a sense of patriotism and national unity.

In addition to traveling throughout the United States, performing at local, regional and national events, the band regularly holds master classes and clinics at middle schools, high schools and colleges, thus providing a valuable, free resource to the rising generation of America’s musicians by exposing them to professional musicians and a possible career path.

Ancelet has already been in the area twice to meet with school music directors and arts and community organizations.

“I’ve been very pleased with how enthusiastic everyone I’ve met on these visits has been that we are coming to Fort Bragg. That has given me lots of positives to take back to my Soldiers about what they have to look forward to when we arrive here,” he said.

“And, as we settle in, I hope to meet with more schools and community organizations to discuss ways that we can collaborate with them.”

The 64 soldiers assigned to the AGFB have passed highly selective auditions and are among the finest musicians in the United States Army Band Program. The majority of the band’s members have studied music at some of the finest universities and conservatories.

For more on the band and to request the band, go to www.forscom.army. mil/band.

Insidious(Rated PG-13)   • 5 STARS

Insidious(103 minutes) slid in completely under my radar. I keep alphabetized lists of upcoming horror movies, and somehow this marvelous little gem completely escaped my notice. Director James Wan (Saw) does an absolutely fantastic job of terrifying the audience, somehow managing to reinvent overused clichés that shouldn’t still be scary, but are. Of course, Wan is directing from a script by long-time collaborator Leigh Whannell (Saw), so that might have something to do with how awesome everything turned out.

The film begins with some pretty nifty opening credits. If you have an eye for detail you can play spot the spooky shadowy person shape in almost every shot. The music sets just the right tone, with jangling discordant notes introducing the larger than life title cards in way that is usually only accomplished with classic Spaghetti Westerns. The soundtrack is nicely atmospheric throughout the film, especially the use of “Tiptoe through the Tulips.”

Renai (Rose Byrne), who pretty much deserves what happens to her because of the way she spells her name, and her husband Josh (Patrick Wilson) move into a new home. How they can afford the rent on the near mansion that they are renting is a bit of a mystery, even if these troubled economic times are causing below market prices. Perhaps public school teachers and out of work composers make more money than I think they do?

Well, in this case suspension of disbelief might be worth a little extra effort, because the extra-large house offers extra-long curvy stairs and lots of secret nooks to conceal creepy-crawlies. And too bad for the kids, the creepy-crawlies are everywhere.

One of the kids, Dalton (Ty Simpkins) heads up into the attic. He falls off a ladder and ends up in a mysterious coma, not that there was any cause and effect to that sequence of events. Once Dalton is brought home, weird dudes with claws begin appearing all over the house. After some terrifying scenes in which Renai and her stupidly spelled name hear strange stuff over the baby monitor, Josh begins to stay late at work. Why she does not immediately divorce him for leaving her alone with three kids in the haunted house is unclear. Instead of counseling, they decide that a new ghost-free house will solve their non-coma related issues.

Once in the new house we meet Josh’s mother, Lorraine (Barbara Hershey, fresh off her success in Black Swan). Like, Renai, she “feels” that there is evil following the family around, and since women are so intuitive and feel things so much more than men do, she manages to convince her more skeptical son to call in the Ghostbusters. The Ghostbusters (Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson) arrive with homemade toys, but it turns out they are just the opening act. Once they have verified the spooky goings on are not the product of anyone’s imagination, they call in the real psychic.

Tangina, I mean, Elise (played here by Lin Shaye instead of Zelda Rubinstein) is apparently an old friend of Loretta’s. How did Loretta find her? Well, I am sure it is an interesting story, but we don’t get to hear it. Elise wanders around muttering to herself in an intensely spiritual way, and finally tells them why their son is in that mysterious coma.

Although Josh tries to give her the boot at first, he finally allows Elise to work her mojo in the house, which leads to some very Baroque set pieces. I am from the section of the audience that Loved, Loved, Loved, every second of the final scenes in all their ostentatious glory. There is, however, a whole other section of the audience that will do nothing but complain about the seeming hard left taken by the filmmakers. You know what? They should stop whining, because the movie, and its ending, is awesome.

Double Dipping Is Double Dog Bad

I think I can speak for hundreds of Fayetteville and Cumberland County small business owners when I say that in private business when the economy slows down, business is off and unemployment is hovering at nine percent, we automatically go into “survival” mode. This usually means tightening our belts by instituting hiring freezes, reduction of staff, limited operating hours, elimination of, or reduced, benefits and consolidation of staff work loads and responsibilities. No one, except local, state and national governments, of course, would operate “business as usual” if they wanted to survive these harsh economic conditions.

Cumberland County should be no different. County Manager James Martin should be encouraging and mandating that all county department heads and supervisors start demonstrating fi scal responsibility by cutting back and reducing expenses and overhead. The county should not be operating in a “business as usual” mode. I’m a fan of our county manager, James Martin, however, he seems to have become overwhelmed or infl uenced by misguided bureaucratic traditions and logistics if he thinks that hiring back those who have retired and left the county’s employ is actually benefi ting anyone. It surely isn’t helping the county taxpayers nor is it helping those qualifi ed Cumberland County residents who are searching for employment and career opportunities. Even, more importantly, it surely is not helping build or maintain morale among the hundreds of dedicated, committed and hard-working county employees. More on that in a moment.

Commissioner Charles Evans was right for raising this “double dipping” and rehiring practice concern to Martin and the board of county commissioners. Board Chair Kenneth Edge’s position on this topic was quoted in last Friday’s Fayetteville Observer: “We’re tying ourselves down if we put a limit on it.”

Oh, really? Hmmmm. Spoken like a life-long government bureaucrat with little or no experience in business.

Retired employees should actually retire and enjoy their retirement. Secondly, re-hiring and bringing back the “double dippers” stymies loyalty, lowers morale and dampens the enthusiasm of loyal county employees looking to better themselves by moving up and enhancing their careers. Finally, the practice of hiring substitute workers for sick and vacationing personnel is ridiculous and a gross misuse of taxpayers money.

Managers should manage. Why should Cumberland County taxpayers dole out double wages just so a department manager can avoid temporary inconvenience. Few private businesses pay twice for sick and vacationing personnel. When extra help is needed on a short-term basis most call a temppersonnel agency and hire a temporary worker. This has proven to be much more cost effective. Also, and even more to the point, no one retires and leaves a position in 24 hours. Why are managers not making provisions to accommodate such situations?

The 19 county re-hires and double dippers that are costing county residents $422,000 annually are scandalous. The mere fact that we have that much money to squander signals that county leadership and government are not in control. Perfect example: Cumberland County Workforce Development.

Now, back to the “morale” situation. Besides blocking the growth and career advancement of other deserving county employees, it is incomprehensible that the County Manager would turn a blind eye to the recent circumstances and deplorable management that surrounded the Cumberland County Workforce Development Program. A situation so disgraceful and embarrassing that it resulted in the transfer and demotion of its director Cynthia Mixon and the program being transferred to the capable and responsible hands of Fayetteville Technical Community College. It’s not doing much for the morale of county workers to know that the person in charge of overseeing the program and to whom Cynthia Mixon reported to was the Deputy County Manager Juanita Pilgrim. What? Really? And, she was rehired? Yes! Martin awarded and rewarded Pilgrim with a sweet rehire deal of 12 weeks at $60 an hour? Wow! $60 an hour! Some say she never actually moved out of her offi ce. Yet, think of how many part-time employees could be hired at that price. That is, if the purpose was to really get the work done. Taxpayers should be outraged at this reward bestowed on Pilgrim who ill-managed and nearly destroyed a highly valued and much needed county development program.

In difficult times, we all must make difficult decisions. We cannot continue to operate our local government this way. It is abusive. It is my hope that Charles Evans can rally his fellow commissioners to begin applying a practical common sense approach to managing our county and the hard earned money of Cumberland County residents. It’s the right thing to do.

Each Spring the Fort Bragg Fair serves as a welcoming sign that summer is on its way, as families flock to the Fort Bragg Fairgrounds to frolick. This year’s fair will bring great rides, food and entertainment to the area from April 28 to May 15.

The fair, which is held annually, kicks-off on Thursday, April 28. Fort Bragg fairs have become a tradition in the community, and many missed October Fest last fall. That’s why organizers are pulling out all the stops to bring a top- notch event for families to the community this spring.

A new addition to the fair this year is a special attraction known as the Sea Lion Splash. The show was established when Marco and Kathi Peters began adopting and providing a permanent home for beached sea lions who were unable to be returned to the wild due to age or injuries. Because many of these injuries were direct effects of human carelessness, the Peters decided to educate the public on the plight of these incredible marine mammals and how we, as humans, need to coexist together in harmony. So, they took their show on the road.

Thus began the journey of the Sea Lion Splash, which travels all over North America entertaining thousands of people each year with their spell-binding show. The 30-minute show is geared around educating the audience on the habits and nature of the sea lions and brings out the inherent comedic behavior of these animals: catching and retrieving objects, balancing, handstands, dancing, singing and interaction with the audience. The show schedule is: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 6 and 8 p.m.; Thursdays at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 4, 6 and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 2, 4 and 6 p.m.

In addition to this unique show, the fair also offers a wide mix of musical entertainment each day of the fair. A mix of country, rock, rhythm and blues and pop will be offered throughout the fair’s run, with many local bands getting some stage time. A full entertainment schedule is available online at www. fortbraggmwr.com.

And if the entertainment isn’t enough to get you out of your seat and down to the fairgrounds, there is always the thrill of the midway. The Fort Bragg skies will be lit up with the glow of the ferris wheel, the Himalayan, the swings and a whole host of other rides for thrill seekers. Of course, there is also a kid’s section for the less adventurous in the family. After all, who can resist a spin on the carousel?

And then, of course, there is the food. A fair is a good excuse to wave goodbye to your diet — at least for one night — and sample some unique food from the zest of a bloomin’ onion to the sweetness of a funnel cake. This year is no exception, so when you head out, bring your appetite and your wallet.

This year there are two special ways you can take advantage of discounted ticket prices. The fi rst is attending Customer Appreciation Nights, which are Monday- Thursday from 5-7 p.m. Anyone entering the fairgrounds during these hours is admitted for a reduced ticket price of $5. The second special admission day honors mothers, and is scheduled for Mother’s Day. All mothers are admitted at a reduced rate of $7 when accompanied by a paying child ages 3-17.

The fair admission is inclusive of rides. Regular admission Monday through Thursday is $12; military and Department of Defense civilians, $10; children ages 3-9, $10; handicapped non-riders, $7, and those aged 50 and over, $7.

Admission Friday through Sunday is: $17; military and Department of Defense civilians, $15; children ages 3-9, $15; handicapped non-riders, $7, and those aged 50 and over, $7.

Children under the age of 3 and shorter than 3’ are admitted free.

The gates open Monday through Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. Parking is free. For more information, visit www.fortbraggmwr.com.

PAUL (Rated R) 4 Stars

Director Greg Mottola is building up an impressive resume of funny films, and he demonstrates his knowledge of the loyal fanboys-and-girls with Paul (104 minutes). Of course, he can’t take all the credit. This tribute to nearly every even tangentially science fiction nerd-friendly film anywhere ever probably owes more to notoriously nerd friendly writing team Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

If you’ve seen Fanboys, (and if you haven’t, why haven’t you? Go now. Watch it immediately) then you will know more or less what to expect here. Paul is a road movie that aims to satisfy the movie nerd in us all, referencing Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Aliens, Back to the Future and E.T., among others.

Unusual for a Pegg and Frost film, the film takes place in America. In 2009 Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg) and Clive Collings (Nick Frost) are attending the San Diego Comic Con, the lucky bums. After they finish geeking out all over California, they plan to take a road trip across the U.S., hitting all the major alien-conspiracy theorists sites (Area 51, Roswell, the Black Mailbox, etc.). After stopping at a diner run by Jane Lynch, they have a close encounter with Todd Packer from The Office (David Koechner) and the Ginger Matt Damon (Jesse Plemons). Eventually, they run into a little green man named Paul (Seth Rogen). Paul sets his phaser to faint and wet yourself, which Clive does. Toilet humor is hilarious!

The next scene reveals one of the Men in Black, Lorenzo Zoil, (Jason Bateman) is in hot pursuit of the alien. He recruits two local FBI agents (Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio) without mentioning that the thing they are looking for can disappear at will, which renders their emergency dragnet utterly useless. The Super Best Friends League ends up safely behind the Pearly Gates, a motor home park run by Buggs.

Ruth Buggs (Kristen Wiig) is a little old to still be home with Daddy (John Carroll Lynch), but she dreams of travel. Her dreams come true when she is kidnapped by foreigners and initiated into their bizarre cult of unexplained, yet plot convenient, mind-melding. It doesn’t take her long to begin creatively swearing, although her timing needs work. Naturally, she immediately falls in love with the nerd who is not sporting the long greasy hair (even if his chipmunk teeth are incredibly appealing). Meanwhile, the Feebies have caught on to the nature of their prey and manage to track them to a small town.

After a scene in which Jason Bateman channels his inner Clint Eastwood, I begin to forgive him for Extract. It finally becomes clear where Paul is taking his traveling companions. Zoil is still tracking him, and the Feebies are still tracking them, and Ruth’s father is still tracking them, and of course they all end up at the same farm just in time to head into the climax of the movie.

There are some lovely cameos throughout the movie, including Blythe Danner, Sigourney Weaver, and Jeffrey Tambor. Overall, I liked this better than Hot Fuzz, but it didn’t quite live up to Shawn of the Dead.

Summer is indeed an exciting time of year for kids — no school, warm weather, long days and extra time to sleep! This situation can present a dilemma for some parents when they wonder how they can provide fun activities for their kids without having them stuck indoors. FTCC has the solution, and it’s called Summerscapes.

Kids ages 8-16 can get involved in fun classes at FTCC to express their creativity while they discover new talents. We realize that kids may tend to be more interested in Summerscapes’ fun classes, but parents may be interested to know that Summerscapes also offers academic refresher courses. The academic refresher courses are offered to help students master the grade-level objectives set by the state of North Carolina. Parents can check out the list of classes and register their kids for as many classes as their schedules will allow. All classes are taught by motivated instructors who will provide a positive learning environment. Whether your child enjoys art, photography, reading, cooking or music, we have it all! Some of the most popular Summerscape’s classes include Art Attack, Acting, How Do Airplanes Fly, Chef for a Day, Guitar, Shag, Reading and Math Refresher Camps and Multicultural Arts.

The Summerscapes program will begin in June to allow year-round students to participate. Classes will begin after school is out in June and will run through the end of August. The classes listed in the Continuing Education Spring II course schedule are only the beginning! There will be additional classes advertised in the summer course schedule available in the June 2 edition of The Fayetteville Observer, which will include July and August classes. The community college can offer these self-supporting courses only during the summer, so take advantage of these enjoyable, inexpensive learning opportunities for your child.

While these courses are offered to the public at a discounted rate, some may require that supplies be brought to class. Additional fees for classes requiring supplies will be kept as low as possible. On the fi rst day of class, please accompany your child to meet the instructor, to discuss supplies and to leave a contact number.

Classrooms do not open until time for class to start, so parents should not drop off their children early. Also, parents need to pick up their children immediately after the class ends. Parents are welcome to stay in the building where their child’s class is located, but we ask that parents not remain in the classroom. For security purposes, parents are required to accompany their child to the classroom (for every class meeting) and pick up their child from the classroom. If your child is taking a cooking class, parents should inform the instructor about any food allergies. Since class sizes are limited, students must pre-register for all Summerscapes courses. Sign your child up today! It’s easy to get started!

If you are interested in learning more about FTCC’s Summerscapes program or how to register, please call us at (910) 678-8243/8309 or e-mail to mclamba@faytechcc.edu. For a complete course listing, visit our website at www.faytechcc. edu/con_ed/default.asp.

PHOTO: Whether your child enjoys art, photography, reading, cooking or music, FTCC has it all.

The 50/50 Rule Part Three

As mentioned several weeks ago, we are sharing a series titled The 50-50 Rule. Home Instead, Inc. conducted a study to assist siblings’ collaboration in caring for their aging parents. Today we will discuss birth order and the Top Five Sibling Caregiver Hot Buttons.

Birth Order

According to research conducted for our network, 64 percent of youngest siblings are primary caregivers compared with 57 percent of oldest siblings and 49percent of middle siblings. Furthermore, 43 percent of youngest children say they have the closest relationship with their parents, while 70 percent of oldest children describe themselves as the responsible ones and 40 percent of the middle children as the peacemakers of the family.

The Cornell University gerontologist Karl Pillemer, learned that mothers ages 65 to 75 were willing to name favorites and express a preference for their primary caregiver. Mothers generally desire the one to whom they feel most emotionally close. Another significant bit of criteria for selection of primary caregiver is who lives the closest to the parent. That particular child is more likely to know the current history of the parent so he or she might be the best choice.

Discussions among all of the family members, prior to any caregiving needs, can help to pave the way for good decision making. A parents’ desire should weigh heavily in this process.

Top Five Sibling Caregiver Hot Buttons

Family caregivers know all too well the sensitive issues that can send brothers and sisters into turmoil. Family caregiving can be stressful under any circumstances. But certain situations are hot-button triggers. These events can make the life of caregiving siblings more difficult and lead to family conflicts.

• ILLNESS: A senior loved one who becomes ill or faces declining health can leave a family facing all sorts of potentially difficult issues. Who provides the additional care? Is there a team approach or does one sibling bear the brunt of the caregiving? Family members’ differing opinions and the changing needs of a senior can exacerbate the situation.

• MONEY: Money matters often complicate life for seniors as well as their adult children. The recent recession left many older adults depleted of their savings while others may be outliving their nest eggs. Families can be forced to make tough caregiving decisions when their love ones’ finances factor into the equation.

• INHERITANCE: While some families contend with a lack of funds to provide care for their loved ones, others have the temptation of a family inheritance influencing their decisions. If one sibling is encouraging a parent to spend the siblings’ inheritance and another is coaxing that parent to save the money, trouble is sure to ensue.

• DISTANCE: While absence may make the heart grow fonder, it certainly doesn’t make life easier for a family caregiver. The siblings who live in the same town or city as their parents may be stuck with most of the caregiver work. According to research, one sibling is responsible for the bulk of the care of Mom and Dad in 43 percent of US families. Siblings who live far away can feel left out or, if they do speak up, they are viewed as intruders by the primary family caregiver.

• STRESS: Life is stressful and family caregiving oftentimes makes it more so. Adult caregivers who have started a new job, are raising children or caring for their own spouse can soon become overwhelmed when senior family members need help. Those who are bearing the brunt of caregiving may resent siblings who are unable or unwilling to help. In fact, 46 percent of caregivers who say their sibling relationships have deteriorated say their brothers and sisters are unwilling to help.

For more information including a guide to real-life situations that address the issues above and more, visit www. Solving family conflict. com, call 910-484-7200 or visit the local Home Instead Senior Care office at 2825 Arlington Avenue, Fayetteville, N.C. 28303.

PHOTO: According to research, one sibling is responsible for the bulk of the care of Mom and Dad in 43 percent of US families. 

With less than a month to go until the Duck Derby, things are really picking up and Quacky is busier than ever.There have been more than 5,000 duck adoptions so far. Folks have really stepped up to support local charities and at the same time they’ve got a chance to win one of the four amazing prizes that will be given away to the fastest ducks on May 7 at Campbellton Landing.

Even if you don’t win the 2011 Toyota Camry, Las Vegas getaway, the Myrtle Beach escape or the Cape Fear River Cruise, at $5 a duck it is hard to say no to a chance to reach out and help support the local nonprofi ts that will benefi t from the event.

The local restaurants are having a blast as they compete for the title or the best Duck Derby Drink and Appetizer.

“I think it is going really well, all the restaurants are really having fun with it,” said Katie Crenshaw, Duck Derby co-chair. “We feature a different restaurant every week on Facebook and the votes are kicking in on the website, so we know people are participating. And honestly, I think some of the restaurants are shocked at how much they are enjoying it. Some of them are already thinking about next year, so that is great news, too.”

With only a few weeks left to help choose the winners, Crenshaw hopes that people will be out at the restaurants sampling the many dishes and drinks available and then take time to vote for their favorite at www.fayettevilleduckderby.com (where you can also adopt a duck to compete in the derby if you haven’t done so yet.) Once a vote is submitted, there will be a chance to see where your favorite restaurant ranks in the competition.

As of this writing the Hilltop House and Latitudes were the favorites.

“Every restaurant is different. Scrub Oaks has put mini ducks on their tables at different events,” said Crenshaw. “If you walk into Luigi’s they have a feather boa and a little duck hat on their menus, at Chris’s Steakhouse they have the big cow with duck derby specials on it. It is really interesting to see how each restaurant is doing this.”

Winners of the drink and appetizer competition will be announced at the Duck Derby, but by then it may be too late to get a taste of all of the different concoctions in the competition. Crenshaw is hoping to make the namesake wanna-be’s available only during the weeks leading up to the big event each year. The good news is that next year there will be another round of drinks and appetizers to vote on.

Don’t forget to adopt a duck (or a few ducks) and then show up at Campbellton Landing on May 7 for the Duck Derby at 1 p.m. While you’re there, stay awhile and enjoy live entertainment featuring Suckerpunch, Summerfi eld, Refl ections II, Kidsville Kids, Falcon Children’s Choir and Taylor Bridges. There will also be wagon rides, boat rides, a kidzone with face painting, bounce houses, arts and crafts, train rides for the kids and plenty of food and drink vendors to check out, too.

Find out more at www.fayettevilleduckderby.com.

Duck Derby offerings:

Vote for your favorite! Drinks:

Circa 1800; Duck, Duck, Goose

Chris’s Steakhouse; What’s Good for the Goose Juice

Hilltop House; One Lucky Duck Martini

Huske Hardware House; Get Quacked

IT’Z Enterainment City; The Duck is Happy

Latitude 35; A Duck’s Life

Luigi’s Italian Restaurant and Bar; Duck L’Orange

Morgan’s Chophouse; The Perfect Pear

Pierro’s Italian Bistro; Skye Ducktini Riverside Steakhouse; Waddle-tini

Scrub Oaks; All Duck’ed Up Martini

Appetizers

Circa 1800; Get the “Duck” Outta Here

Chris’s Steakhouse; Quacky’s Crabby Cakes

Hilltop House; Duck Quesadillas

Huske Hardware House; The Quacky Conch Fritters

IT’Z Enterainment City; The Duckster

Latitude 35; Stuffed Plucker

Luigi’s Italian Restaurant and Bar; Kalamata Kwackers

Morgan’s Chophouse; Apricat Glazed Pork

Pierro’s Italian Bistro; Ducktacular Duck Cakes

Riverside Steakhouse; Daffy Q Tacos

Scrub Oaks; SeDUCKtion Pasta

4th Friday started as a gallery crawl sponsored by the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County. Over the years, the event grew and more and more of the downtown businesses became involved, adding extra events and performances to the monthly celebration that has become a downtown tradition that so many people look forward to with anticipation. It got so big that the Arts Council and the Downtown Alliance decided to split the responsibilities. The Arts Council handles Arts Alive and the information regarding the local galleries and the Downtown Alliance coordinates the concerts, themed events like costume competitions and other downtown events.

Arts Alive takes place on Maxwell Street (the street between the Arts Council building and Beef Obrady’s). It lasts from 6-10 p.m. and features artists performing, exhibiting their works and interacting with the public. If you have ever wanted to watch a basket weaver in action or learn about the secrets of throwing pottery, come on down and ask the artists yourself. They are there not only to entertain, but to educate and inspire, too.

4th Friday takes place from 6-10 p.m. all over downtown and includes not only Hay Street, but reaches down the side streets and even over to the Cumberland County Headquarters Library.

“While the both 4th Friday and Arts Alive are from 6-9 p.m. each business and/or gallery determines their own schedule,” said Sheri Collins, 4th Friday coordinator, Fayetteville Downtown Alliance. “For instance, the Arts Council hosts a reception for their new exhibit each month from 7-9 p.m. But there is defi nitely plenty to do for anyone who can make it downtown between 6 and 9 p.m.”

This month, 4th Friday falls on April 22 and promises to be as full of fun and excitement as ever. The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County will host the opening reception of the Public Works Exhibit featuring the work of local artists from Bladen, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson and Scotland Counties, Fort Bragg or Pope Army Air Base. It’s open to everyone and gives remarkable insight to the different perspectives of the artists in the area.

It is a chance for all local artists to showcase their talents and share their passion with the community, not to mention a wonderful way for the folks in the area to see some of the great talent that resides locally. The exhibit will hang through June 18, so if you don’t make it to 4th Friday, be sure to stop by the Arts Council building at 301 Hay St. and check it out.

City Center Gallery & Books is pleased to host a “meet and greet” with the new president of Methodist University, Dr. Ben Hancock, and with author and former newsman Bill Billings, who has written a history of Methodist University. Copies of From Cotton Field to University will be available for signing.

Also showcasing local artists this month is Cape Fear Studios. Located at 148 Maxwell St., Cape Fear Studios is the only visual-arts cooperative in Fayetteville. They’ve recently featured the work of international glass artist Robert Levin and just hosted an exhibit titled Create: The Mysterious Art of Wood which showcased the works of artists from North Carolina to Hawaii to England. The Create exhibit can be viewed until April 20. When their newest show is presented to the public on April 22, it will be the Annual Member Show. The exhibit will include the works of 2-D artists who paint in water color, acrylics, oils and more, as well as the works of 3-D artists who work in fused glass, wood-working, basketry, pottery and jewelry. The styles range from classic to modern to eclectic. You’ll have the chance to meet some of the artists and even catch a few of them at work during the evening’s celebration, too.

PHOTO: 2010 Public Works 3rd place winner Blue Zwartkop by Drota Quiroz

Imagine soft string instruments playing light melodies that remind you of the cool and soft feeling of spring time. This is the feeling one will experience when listening to the musical sounds of the five-member quintet, Imani Winds.

Imani Winds is the premier wind quintet in North America. On April 19 this wind quintet will perform on the campus of Fayetteville State University at 7 pm. This event will be held in the J.W. Seabrook Auditorium. There is no cost to attend, and the community is strongly encouraged to come out to enjoy some great music.

Imani Winds has received recognition for its contributions to the music industry. In 1997, the group was nominated for a Grammy award.

The name Imani means “faith” in Swahili, and is what the group reflects since first beginning its career. The ensemble consists of five members: Valerie Coleman on the flute, Toyin Spellman-Diaz on the obo, Mariam Adam on the clarinet, Jeff Scott on the French horn and Monica Ellis on the bassoon.

Coleman formed the group. Coleman stated that the idea came to her during her first year of graduate school. “I wasn’t thinking of just any wind quintet,” she said, “but of a group of virtuoso musicians of color who join together to change the conventional view that classical music is somehow ‘exclusive’ and too stuffy to be accessible.”

Each member has intense musical backgrounds; they have studied at top schools like; Juilliard and the Manhattan School and Stony Brook.

Members of the quintet adore artist like; Prince, Herbie Hancock, Manhattan Brass Quintet, and of course, Michael Jackson. They have an impressive background that includes collaborations with jazz artists. However, such collaborations are unique in the musical genre of classical music.

Adam said, “Classical musicians don’t often get the opportunity to combine so many disparate musical and even visual elements into a performance. So we like to plan each program like a five-course mean. Sometimes it’s all a form of tapas, but mostly it has a structure that opens the ears of new listeners and hopefully prepares them for all different sounds they can hear along the way.”

The quintet spends a lot of time touring, but in their downtime they love to indulge in some of their favorite things, which include: “eating, exercising, sleeping and more eating.

They are extremely appreciative of the influence they have received since establishing themselves as “one of the most successful chamber-music ensembles in the United States.”

They are no strangers to the city of Fayetteville. Their free performance on April 19 in the Seabroook Auditorium will mark the quintets second time performing at the university.

To learn more about Imani Winds visit the website at www.imaniwinds.com.

PHOTO: Imani Winds will perform at Seabrook Auditorium on the Campus of Fayetteville State University on April 19.

As an entertainment lover, I find it very relaxing to go home on a Friday or Saturday night and pop in the latest movie to come out on DVD. However, I also love to experience the joy of live theatre. There is nothing like seeing actors perform on stage, making your break for the restroom during intermission or laughing hysterically with the person sitting beside you. All of these things are what one can experience by going out and supporting a live-theatre performance.

The ‘60s musical: A Slice of Saturday Night will be performed in the Butler Theatre, located on the campus of Fayetteville State University, April 14-16. The shows will start at 7:30 p.m. and tickets range in price from $2 - $10.

Most of the shows action will be set in “The Club-A-Go-Go” which is operated by Eric ‘Rubber Legs’’ DeVere. Devere is an old rock star who, like most teenagers, is fascinated by the fun-filled action that takes place on Saturday nights. The show’s plot is centered on teenagers, their hormones and their unpredictable behaviors.

The play will take a look back at an era fi lled with “fast-moving score of doo-wop, soft rock and many laughs (and a few reminiscent sighs) along the way!” called the ‘60s. It is Saturday Night at the provincial “Club A-Go-Go” and with three blokes down and four birds out and ready for pull, these teenagers are about to have some fun.

A Slice of Saturday Nightwill be the fourth show performed by Fayetteville State University’s theatre department, and it will also be their final show of the season. A Slice of Saturday Night is directed by Phoebe Hall, musical direction is by Howard Kim, and choreography is by Avis Hatcher-Puzzo. Everyone is encouraged to arrive on time, because after the show has started no one will be seated until intermission (this is another added pleasure of live theatre).

Make it a family affair on April 14, 15 or 16 and take the entire family to relive or experience the action-packed decade of the ‘60s. Go and see A Slice of Saturday Night. Shows begin at 7:30 p.m.

PHOTO: The ‘60s Musical: A Slice of Saturday Night will be performed in the Butler Theatre, located on the campus of Fayetteville State University.

Bad Carma

I know a few people who seem to change vehicles the way most of us change clothes. Their vehicles are not always new. They are just different. These people like vehicular variety.

Dicksons, on the other hand, drive our vehicles until they are members of our family and beyond. We have even named some of them. Our current senior wheels arrived when the fi rst Precious Jewel graduated from college in 2004, and it was not new then.

Not surprisingly, I know each of my cars pretty well, but one of them stands out in all Dickson minds. It had so many “adventures” while it was in our care that my friends gave it their own nickname: Bad Carma.

It appeared to be a perfectly normal vehicle, a station wagon chosen for safety and its highway gas mileage. It performed as I expected, and I felt comfortable and safe driving both in town and on the interstate for several years. I was especially fond of its “bun warmers.”

Never did I imagine what troubles would befall and ultimately destroy my nice sedate car. Never did I sense her ultimate karma.

My car’s first “adventure” got underway one fall morning when I looked out the window and she was not in the driveway.

The Dickson men had been moving vehicles around the night before, so I inquired where mine went.

“Nowhere. It’s in the driveway,” came the response.

But she was not. We called the Fayetteville Police who came promptly, and shortly thereafter friends began calling.

“Margaret, I just saw two men in your car on Robeson Street.”

“Margaret, I just saw two men in your car on Owen Drive.”

This went on for four or five days until she was discovered abandoned not far from downtown Fayetteville, dirty, out-of-gas and with a flat tire but otherwise unscathed. I did not allow her to come home until she had been, as we say these days, “detailed,” but even then, I was not quite confi dent of her cleanliness. So, I put on kitchen gloves and hopped in with spray cleaner and paper towels. To my astonishment, I found the ID card of the person the police established as the “perp,” a man who was scooped up immediately and who shortly thereafter went away on a state-funded vacation. His adventure with my station wagon was the last straw in a long criminal record.

Normal life with my station wagon resumed, but not for long.

Lightening was about to strike twice in the same place — upon my car in my driveway.

It was an unseasonably warm Friday the following January, and as was my custom, I was up before dawn to meet my walking chum. As I passed my car in the driveway, I felt crunchy debris underfoot.

By the time we returned it was light, and I still get goose bumps by what I found.

A concrete cherub the size of a toddler, beloved by our neighbors, had been ripped from their bench to which it was glued and heaved through the passenger side window of my car, still wearing the festive red ribbon his owners had festooned him with for Christmas.

His creepy, sightless eyes were staring at me through the broken window.

The grit I had walked over an hour earlier was glass shards from that shattered window. I felt like taking a long, hot shower.

Many weeks and dollars later the seats and the gearshift assaulted by the concrete toddler were restored.

By this time, our second Precious Jewel graduated from college, and in true Dickson tradition, received a used car. An avid camper, she took my longsuffering station wagon to rural Canada, where her tired and wounded self was parked for nearly two months.

Late that summer, I was expecting to receive a call that Precious Jewel was out of the wilderness, but I did not expect to hear every parent’s greatest fear and greatest relief rolled into one.

“Mom, don’t worry. We are OK.”

The station wagon had gone up in flames on a gravel road in next to nowhere, immolating the belongings of Precious Jewel and two friends but blessedly sparing them. Precious Jewel said she knew they were in trouble when the paint on the hood bubbled and smoked wafted from the air conditioning vents, and they dove out of the car just in time.

The Canadian insurance adjuster said the sudden blaze was odd, but not that odd. It seems that when vehicles are parked in rural areas for extended periods of time, critters build nests and raise babies in their cozy, sheltered engines. The problem is that when that vehicle is started and heats up, the nest of sticks and whatever else catches fire.

Who knew?Cell phone pictures zapped from the North Woods revealed a burned out carcass of a station wagon, tires and windows blown out but with a Dickson political sticker still on the back window.

It was a sad ending for a faithful friend who had endured more than her share of tribulation.

Rest in peace, Bad Carma.

In 1911, the counties of Cumberland and Robeson spanned a great deal of territory. The people who lived in the outlying areas of both counties had quite a distance to travel if they had business to conduct at either county seat. Residents in the far reaches of Robeson County had to travel two days to visit the county seat.

In 1907, North Carolina Senator John W. McLauchlin, a representative of Cumberland County, proposed the formation of a new county in this outlaying area. At the time, he proposed it be named Glenn County in honor of the governor. The bill did not garner the support it needed in 1907 or 1909. Instead he found opposition from people in both counties. But in 1911, he built enough support to pass the bill, and instead of naming the county after the governor, the N.C. Legislature decided to name it in honor of Gen. Robert F. Hoke, a Confederate Army officer.

Hoke, a contemporary and friend of Robert E. Lee, served the Confederacy with distinction. Hoke, hero of the Confederacy, had captured 3,000 prisoners at a battle in Plymouth. He was a spirited and inspiring commander. North Carolinians had filled his ranks and were proud of the successes they achieved under him. North Carolinians across the state wanted to have General Hoke honored. A new county named for him was a popular concept with people across the state.

Although the legislation passed the legislature on Feb. 15, 1911, it did not actually go into effect until April 1, and it is that auspicious event that the citizens of Hoke County are celebrating.

Throughout the month of April, a number of events will take place to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the county. Put together by a committee of local citizens, the Hoke 100 project kicked off March 30 with a carnival and will end on April 16 with a special dinner and celebration of life in the county.

So if you live in Hoke County, and even if you live in the counties surrounding it, you might want to take a drive over to Raeford to take part in the celebration of this unique event.

On Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9, the Centennial Play, The Music Man, will be on stage at Turlington School. Directed by Beth Walters, the show features some of the county’s most talented citizens. Tickets to the show are $8 and can be purchased at The News Journal or at the Raeford-Hoke Museum. The curtain rises at 7 p.m. each night.

On Sunday, April 10, the celebration will focus on the museum, with the dedication of the Raeford-HokeEmergency Service Museum. The event will feature an old-fashion singing, carriage rides, a band and the dedication. The fun starts at 2 p.m. and ends at 4 p.m.

On Friday, April 15, a Family Fun Night will take center stage at the Raz Autry Stadium at Hoke High School. Sponsored by First Health of the Carolina, the event begins at 6 p.m. and is free to the public.

And while there will be some traditional events, like bands, games and inflatables for children, there will also be a couple of unique events to celebrate life 100 years ago. Men will have the opportunity to participate in the Warm Chins for Charity Beard Contest. Yes, that’s right, men are asked to grow their beards to pay homage to the farmers who worked the area that is now Hoke County, but also to support local charities. The individual with the best beard will win $200 and a $400 prize will be awarded to a charity.

If growing a beard isn’t up your alley, you can also try your hand at creating a period costume to reflect the styles of 100 years ago. Prizes will also be awarded. You must be 18 years or older to participate in the contests.

And if you aren’t in the mood to compete, you can just have fun with your family enjoy food from local vendors or play the myriad of games that will be on hand. The night will end with a fabulous fireworks display.

The closing event will be held on Saturday, April 16, with the burying of a time capsule at the county courthouse at 2 p.m. Later that evening, a dinner will close out the celebration. The dinner will feature guest speakers, entertainment and a glimpse at the history of the county. Raeford Presbyterian Church will host the event in the John Ropp Hall. Tickets for the event are $10.

For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit www.hoke100.org.

Photo: Hoke County residents will celebrate 100 Years of History during April.