Cape Fear Valley Health System’s Emergency Departments at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, Hoke Hospital and Bladen County Hospital are now allowing one care companion to accompany patients once they are placed in private treatment rooms. In each instance, the patient should bring a care companion who is knowledgeable regarding the patient’s personal health information. He or she must also be willing to stay with the patient during the entire Emergency Department visit.

To ensure social distancing measures are followed, only patients are allowed in the waiting room. Care companions are asked to wait in their cars until the patients are settled into treatment rooms. To protect staff and patients from the risk of COVID-19, patients and care companions will be required to wear face masks during their stay in the E.R.

Patients going to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center for surgery may also have one care companion. He or she must wear a mask and will remain in the surgery waiting room for the patient. If he or she must leave for any reason, he or she will need to give waiting room personnel a phone number to be called when the patient is ready for discharge. Patients having short-stay surgeries may also have care companions who may join the patients in Phase II Recovery. Care companions are screened for fever and asked whether they have recently traveled to known hot spots.

General visitor restrictions remain in place at all Cape Fear Valley Health System locations, including hospitals and outpatient clinics, with the following exceptions:

• Laboring mothers may have one support person/coach for the duration of their stay. If the support person leaves the premises for any reason, he or she will not be allowed back into the building.
• Legal minors may have one parent or guardian with them.
• Patients who need health care decision makers or require communication assistance may have one assistant with them.
• End-of-life patients will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine the appropriate number of visitors.

Cape Fear Valley is a 950-bed health system serving a region of more than 800,000 people in Southeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit system is the state’s eighth-largest health care system and is made up of 7,000 team members and 850 physicians, eight hospitals and more than 60 primary care and specialty clinics. Cape Fear Valley Health offers residencies in emergency medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, psychiatry, general surgery, and transitional internships in affiliation with the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine at Campbell University. Visit www.CapeFearValley.com for more information.

Watching Dr. Fauci testify before the Senate about what will happen if the country opens up too soon and the COVID-19 Cooties resurge got me pondering the Greek myth about Cassandra. Cassandra had the ability to predict the future — like Dr. Fauci. It got both of them into trouble. Let’s take a ride in Mr. Peabody’s Time Machine to see what we can learn from Cassandra about what lurks down the road for Dr. Fauci.

Once upon a time, in an Aegean Sea far away there lived a beautiful maiden named Cassandra. Cassie, as her friends called her, was not just an ordinary gal. Oh my, no. She was a princess, the daughter of the King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. She was a very special lady. Pretty as a picture. But such a pity she as was considered to be a nut by the world. Her beauty put Snow White
to shame. She was such a looker that
 she came to the attention of the god Apollo. You can probably see where this is going.

Apollo was smitten by Cassie. He had to have her. In an effort to woo Cassie, he wrote her a beauteous love song that was later stolen by Andy Griffith. Apollo took a bath, got all gussied up, dry cleaned his best toga and went to see Cassie at the king’s castle. Apollo stood outside the tower where Cassie was sleeping. He started plunking out a song on his lyre. For those of you who slept through Greek mythology class, a lyre is not a Washington politician. A lyre is sort of harp that Greek gods would play when they went courting their lady loves. Most of his song has been lost in the mists of time and swamps of the Potomac. The fragment that remains gets Apollo’s point across pretty well. Apollo sang: “Sure as the vine twines round the stump, you are my darling, Sugar Lump.” No gal, not even a Princess of Troy, could resist a suitor armed with such an amorous song.

Cassie came down from her ivory tower to see what Apollo was doing. He told her right then that he had to have her for his girlfriend. Cassie was intrigued but knew about Apollo’s reputation as a lady’s man like Freddie Mercury. She was concerned that any love affair with Apollo might not last. Being a smart gal who knew how to take care of herself like Sharon Stone’s character Ginger in the movie “Casino,” Cassie decided to ask for some insurance in the event things didn’t work out. Instead of getting a safety deposit box full of jewelry, like Ginger, Cassie asked Apollo to give her the gift of prophecy.

Apollo was so hot and bothered by the prospect of getting down with Cassie that he resembled Meat Loaf in his immortal song, “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.” Meat Loaf is out parking and smooching with his girlfriend in his car. Things are about to get jiggy. Mr. Loaf sings “Though its cold and lonely in the deep dark night/ I can see paradise by the dashboard light/ Ain’t no doubt about it we were doubly blessed/ Cause we were barely  17 and we were barely dressed.” Mr. Loaf sings a few verses using a baseball analogy about getting to first, then second, then third base. (Remember baseball?) He is trying to steal home when suddenly his girlfriend throws up a red flag.

  She says: “Stop right there/ Before we go any further/ Do you love me? /Will you love me forever?/ Do you need me?/Will you never leave me?/ Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life?/ Will you take me away and will you make me your wife?” She concludes with the haunting lines: “What’s it gonna be boy?” Mr. Loaf is so worked up he promises her anything: “I started swearing on my mother’s grave that I would love you till the end of time/ So now I’m praying for the end of time so I can end my time with you.”

And how is Mr. Loaf’s song relevant to Cassie and Dr. Fauci, you might ask? Cassie promised Apollo some paradise by the dashboard light if he would give her the gift of prophecy. Apollo granted her wish. Then Cassie refused to live up to her end of the bargain to snuggle up with Apollo. Apollo was really cranky, but he couldn’t take back his grant of prophecy. So, he laid a curse on Cassie that even though she could accurately predict the future, no one would believe her. That’s why when someone is called a Cassandra it means that person is predicting doom and gloom.

Fauci’s testimony about the COVID cooties that will result from reopening America too soon puts him in Cassandra’s category. He is predicting troubles. Dear Leader doesn’t want to hear any of that kind of negative talk, he isn’t going to believe Fauci’s prediction. Magical thinking is the order of the day in D.C. Fauci better update his resume. Fortunately, unemployment benefits have been extended.

The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County presents Hay Street Live: A Virtual Jam Session, every Friday, from 6-7 p.m., streaming live through Facebook.

“Hay Street Live is a virtual jam session that is streamed live through our Facebook account, which is at Facebook.com/TheArtsCouncilFay,” said Metoya Scott, public relations manager of the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County. “It gives our community a chance to connect with local artists from North Carolina and comment and party in the house.”

It’s a fun and entertaining way to support and showcase local talent, but with a twist! For each show, the Arts Council invites a mixologist from a local restaurant to share their favorite mixed drinks with the audience and to share the secrets of how to make a perfect cocktail. Often, the drink recipes are original recipes or modern interpretations of classics. The audience gets a new recipe and insight on the science of beverage making, and businesses and mixologists get some exposure — it’s a win-win.

The entertainment lineup varies from week to week. Last week, soulful singer Leme Nolan of Beaufort, North Carolina, entertained Fayetteville audiences by belting out covers of pieces by Erykah Badu, Mary J. Blige and SWV, in addition to performing her original work, “Love with a Ring Attached.” 

The week before that, it was the All-American rock group, The Guy Unger Band — the ultimate “light up your life” party band that really knows how
to rock.

Coming up on the Virtual Hay Street Live program this Friday, May 22, is another local top-notch Carolina rock band known from the mountains to the coast, Rivermist. Voted the 2018 and 2019 Best Band in Fayetteville by Up & Coming Weeklyreaders,  Rivermist has been performing up and down the East Coast since 2014, although the band members have performed together for decades. According to Greg Adair, founding member and manager of Rivermist, they love working locally, especially when supporting the Arts Council, historic downtown Fayetteville and the military. He’s proud of the band’s motto: "Ain't No Party Like A #rivermistparty cause a Rivermist Party Don't Stop!"

The band did not feel right about accepting donations or tips during Hay Street Live for their personal use because of the circumstances of the virtual event, but there will be a link to the Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research should people decide to donate on behalf of the band.

Rivermist hopes to replicate the feeling of a live performance. “We figured what we’d do is set up several cameras — we've got a system that we’re going to try to use," Adair explained. "We’re going to try to do a full stage, lights, everything show. I know it’s going to be more work and a lot more tech involved, but people have waited this long for it.”

 Adair hopes that people will interact with the band online while the event is streaming and even make requests.

Hosted by Bill Bowman, publisher of the Up & Coming Weeklynewspaper, he will introduce the evening’s official guest mixologist, Joseph “BEAR” Dewberry, owner of On After Bar & Grub. BEAR will introduce viewers to two of his favorite signature summer drinks — "Bear’s Southern Peach" and the "Hot Head."

In addition, Hay Street Live introduces Jeremy Ruis, a young Fayetteville-born magician who has been making magic an art since he was 7 years old. Watch closely. Jeremy brings fun, wonder and amazement everywhere he goes.

Since the arrival of COVID-19, the Arts Council’s in-person events have been canceled, but that doesn’t mean the fun stops. “During this uncertain time, we want to give people a way to connect and still be entertained,” said Scott. “We recently had to cancel an exhibition, and the artist donated the money that they paid to have their art exhibited back to the Arts Council. That really warmed our hearts, so we wanted to do something to promote our artists — so we started doing Hay Street Live.”

Scott added that because COVID-19 has impacted so many artists, the Arts Council wanted to give them a platform to continue to share their artistry while engaging people at home with high-quality entertainment. With a little creative thinking, it didn’t take long to come up with something different and entertaining to look forward to every Friday night.

“Please join us by streaming — and interact by asking the band, bartender or host questions,” said Scott. “This event allows you to have a really
good time.”

There is a page on the Arts Council’s website for bands or artists to apply to perform. The performer for Hay Street Live on May 29 will be Kiari Moon. Viewers can send a virtual tip to the performer by visiting www.wearethearts.com. Visit www.theartscouncil.com for more information.

Virtual 4th Friday

The excitement doesn't stop when Hay Street Live ends. In a typical month, Fayetteville citizens could look forward to walking the streets of downtown Fayetteville, perusing local businesses, looking at art, hearing great music and participating in events for the Cool Spring Downtown District’s 4th Friday event. Although little has been typical recently, CSDD has been working  hard to provide the same level of entertainment and fun that locals look forward to every month but all available through handy technology. From 7-8 p.m., visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/1131937423837143/ to see a livestreamed Virtual 4th Friday.

"We want to help our downtown community during this time, and virtual 4th Friday is one of the few ways we can do that … 4th Friday is another thing people can experience from the comfort of their own homes but also be directed to a website with downtown businesses that are currently open," explained Lauren Falls, the marketing and events director for CSDD. "We want to do that because we not only want to support our downtown community but give back during this time. Virtual 4th Fridays are one of the few ways we can do that."

If you loved Rivermist's music for Hay Street Live, they will be back for an encore performance for the 4th Friday live stream. In addition to the live music, Matthew Mercer will create some new art during the stream. Mercer has an impressive resume. In his 20-year career, he has illustrated three books, drawn a family portrait of NFL Hall-of-Famer Emmit Smith of the Dallas Cowboys and his family and even been invited to the White House, where he drew a family portrait for President Barack Obama. In addition to these impressive achievements, Mercer has drawn over 20,000 caricatures between working as an artist at Walt Disney World and his own business.

"I think virtual events are important for the community not just to have something to do, but the way we try to do our 4th Friday event is to try to encourage people to shop, eat, and support local," Falls said.

The Fayetteville Public Works Commission’s  2019 Water Quality Report provides customers with the results of annual testing the utility is required to perform. The PWC report   says, “we don’t test our water just because we have to — it’s part of our unparalleled commitment to provide... the highest quality drinking water that meets and surpasses standard requirements.”

PWC is a charter member of the National Partnership for Safe Water and was the first utility in North Carolina to earn the Environmental Protection Agency Director’s Award for its efforts to provide clean, safe drinking water. PWC’s two water treatment plants use advanced technology to process the water. 

In 2018, Public Works treated 9.1 billion gallons of water. One hundred eighteen elements and contaminants regulated by the EPA are tested. PWC meets or surpasses the standard requirements annually. PWC understands that news reports about 1,4-Dioxane have caused concerns about the safety of the drinking water. 1,4-Dioxane has been detected in the Cape Fear River, which is the community’s primary source of water. The Environmental Protection Agency has no standards for 1,4-Dioxane and has not issued regulated safe limits.

Unregulated synthetic or naturally occurring chemicals that are not commonly monitored by water utilities are termed contaminants of emerging concern.

Some of these contaminants can be detected at extremely low levels in the environment by continuous laboratory and analytical methods. The health significance of these trace contaminants is ordinarily under review and the subject of further study and research.  An example of an unregulated contaminant of emerging concern is GenX or perfluorinated chemicals. Testing detected these chemicals in Fayetteville’s water supply. However, PWC’s water is below the health advisory levels for PFOS that have been established by the EPA.

The fact that a substance has been detected doesn’t necessarily mean it’s harmful to humans. For immediate concerns, the EPA would issue a health advisory based on the best available studies about the health effects of the unregulated chemical. Health advisories provide information on contaminants that can cause human health effects and are known or anticipated to occur in drinking water. EPA’s health advisories provide technical information to states, agencies and public health officials.

Fayetteville PWC is working to stay ahead of the science. With modern laboratory methods, these substances can be measured at parts per trillion concentrations.  For comparison, one part per trillion is approximately the equivalent of one drop of water in 10 million gallons. PWC reports the results of regulatory testing and unregulated contaminant monitoring in its annual water quality report, which provides a summary of water system operations and water quality management throughout the water system. Visit www.faypwc.com/water-quality-report to view the 2019 PWC report.

The fate of this year’s Hope Mills Fourth of July celebration is far from being decided, but town officials are moving ahead with plans to hold some kind of observance of the holiday, even if it may be muted.

The town’s Board of Commissioners voted earlier this month to move ahead with plans for the annual event. Now, Parks and Recreation Director Lamarco Morrison and his staff are looking at what they can do to make the observance, or some positive alternative version of it, happen.

North Carolina governor, Roy Cooper, recently announced Phase 1 of the plan to reopen the state to more normal activity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Morrison is hopeful things will get better and not worse as July 4th approaches, but town staff is considering a variety of options to deal with whatever the situation might be at that time.

The big news, for now, is that there will be a fireworks display, but people might have to view it in a different way.

“We want to do drive-in fireworks,’’ Morrison explained. “We’ll let people drive in and park at the (old) Hope Mills golf course. People can enjoy the fireworks from
their car.’’

As for the annual Fourth of July parade, it may have to be altered drastically if severe social distancing restrictions are still in place when the holiday rolls around.

Meghan Hawkins, assistant director for special events and programs, has been looking at alternatives to the parade if needed. Morrison said Hawkins has explored the possibility of doing a backward parade for the town.

Under Hawkins’ plan, the town would purchase Fourth of July decoration kits for people and allow them to register to decorate their homes. The town would provide a map of the decorated homes and allow people to visit the different locations in their cars.

Morrison is remaining hopeful that, by July, the restrictions will be lifted enough that an idea that extreme won’t be needed.

The problem is, to plan for a meaningful Fourth of July celebration, the town can’t wait until the last minute, especially if they are going to try to put on a parade, if the circumstances will allow it.

With the governor announcing that Phase 1 of reopening of the state is underway, that loosens the restraints a little on what can be done, but Morrison thinks the town will need to make some concrete decisions about what can and can’t be done with the parade by the middle of May.

One thing that likely won’t be seen in the parade, no matter how much better things are in terms of the pandemic, would be marching bands, which would clearly put large groups of people in close proximity with each other.

Units in the parade could be limited to things like vehicles and animals only.

As for spectators, Morrison said the town would likely need the assistance of the Hope Mills Police Department to make sure spectators along the parade route observed appropriate social distancing while the parade was in progress.

That could pose a problem, one that has already reared its head at the Hope Mills Lake Park.

“We’ve been met with resistance at the lake, with people’s emotions being heightened,’’ Morrison said. “They haven’t been the nicest about being told they can’t gather.’’

Morrison said crowd control is not normally a major responsibility for the lake attendants who work with Parks and Recreation.

In addition to the lake park, Morrison said there have been problems with the area around the proposed Heritage Park, where construction hasn’t even started.

“We had to rope off the future Heritage Park site,’’ he said. “People were parking and gathering down there, essentially breaking the rules by hanging out.’’

He said things have gotten a little better recently with fewer calls to break up inappropriate gatherings of people.

As for planning ahead for the Fourth of July, Morrison is hopeful with the addition of online registration for Parks and Recreation activities, he and his staff will be able to wait until the latest date possible to make definite plans for the Fourth of July celebration.

Morrison said he also remains hopeful that the town will be able to salvage the summer youth sports season. “I’m thinking July is far enough out,’’ he said. “A lot of people don’t want to refund their money. I’m thinking we’ll be able to play in some form or fashion.’’

He’s just hopeful that whatever steps are taken to reopen the state to business will be taken with caution.

“If they open too quickly, I’m afraid we’ll have another surge,’’ Morrison said.

In the meantime, if anyone has questions or concerns about Parks and Recreation department activities, they can keep up to date by going to the webpage, townofhopemills.com, and clicking on the Parks and Rec link. They can also visit the Parks and Recreation Facebook page, Hope Mills Parks and Recreation.

For other questions, call 910-426-4109. The front desk at the recreation center on Rockfish Road is staffed most days from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The thrill of gathering with old friends and making new ones around the spectacle of a live concert with a favorite musical artist is hard to beat. Whether the music  is locally, nationally or internationally popular, there's something about those events that level the ground for us socially. The music doesn't care if you pulled up in a new sports car or spent your last dime on a ticket. It's just there to please.

By the time you read this, we've missed more than a dozen opportunities to hang out together at local venues for an evening, afternoon or weekend of some ground-leveling. But, soon that will all end. And when it does, we need to remember how much we longed for time together during the isolation chamber known
as COVID-19.

I can hardly wait to walk the concourse in search of party food and artist memorabilia or stroll the aisles of artisan vendor booths at a local festival while greeting unmasked acquaintances. I genuinely miss freely gathering with people, and it only took a few weeks of semi-forced isolation to send me into a social tailspin.

The truth is, we're made for relationship — built that way from the origin of humans. Way back near the front of the Bible, God says, “...it's not good for man to be alone.” And, it's not. We can see that more clearly now than perhaps ever before — unless you were a space station astronaut or something, in which case you already knew.

So my question for you today is this: What will you take away from this COVID-19 thing? Will you be more thoughtful in accepting and following through when invited to local gatherings? Will you celebrate extended family birthdays and reunions with new vigor? Will you still choose church online on a busy Sunday, or will you carve out the time be with people you love being with?

It's easy to stay in the same lazy habits of avoidance when gathering freely is possible, but I hope after a period of standing six feet apart in line at the grocery store and returning home because there's nowhere else to go will help us return to the truth that we are built for relationship.

Column Gist: In the midst of this COVID-19 pandemic, many people are asking if it was caused by God. This column addresses that question.

As people ponder how God might be involved with the COVID-19 pandemic, the normal response is, “I don’t see how a loving God would cause an event such as this.” The implication is that God’s love does not allow him to, for any reason, bring hardship upon people of Earth … to punish. Even though I do not claim that COVID-19 is God’s punishment on America, my question would be: How can a loving God not punish America?

I think Rev. Billy Graham went to the heart of the matter in a statement where he referred to an assessment made by his wife, Ruth. This from an article in 2012 by Rev. Graham titled, “Billy Graham: ‘My Heart Aches for America.’”

“Some years ago, my wife, Ruth, was reading the draft of a book I was writing. When she finished a section describing the terrible downward spiral of our nation’s moral standards and the idolatry of worshiping false gods such as technology and sex, she startled me by exclaiming, ‘If God doesn’t punish America, he’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.’”

The 19th chapter of Genesis records God’s punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah. Scholars differ on the nature of the sin that caused God’s destruction of these cities. Some say it was because of rampant homosexual activity. Others point to a lack of hospitality. Discussion of these differing schools of thought may be reviewed at www.britannica.com. No matter what the causal sin was, these people were horrendously sinful. That is the level of sinfulness that has taken up residence in America. Consequently, Ruth Graham has my full agreement — America is due for God’s overwhelming punishment.

Whether COVID-19 is our punishment, I do not know. However, every American should seriously consider that possibility and respond accordingly. What follows offers some thoughts on how we might go about assessing the plausibility of this plague being God’s punishment of America. Granted, the whole world is adversely impacted by this frightful pandemic. However, this did not mandate that it come to America, especially with the tremendous devastation that we are experiencing.

By way of assessing, start with a definition of love and how true love looks in action. This definition of love from “36 Definitions of Love, According to Urban Dictionary” by Marisa Donnelly.

“The act of caring and giving to someone else … having someone’s best interest and well-being as a priority in your life.” This definition “hits the mark” because it requires taking actions that sometimes are necessary for the correction of those who are loved. In the “I can’t believe a loving God would do this” assessment of our difficult experiences, love is viewed as void of punishment or correction.

The following segments, from an article by  Monsignor Charles Pope titled, “Pondering Punishment in the Light of God’s Love,” makes crystal clear the great fallacy in how God’s love is generally viewed:

“We have become rather ‘soft’ in modern times (at least in the Western World). We have been taught in the ‘God is Love’ school, which is not wrong but has often understood that love in sentimental and simplistic ways. Modern notions of love are usually soft, permissive and nondirective. Love is often thought to be exclusively ‘supportive’ and ‘affirming.’ The understanding that love could or should include setting limits, correction, admonishments or
punishments is usually downplayed if not explicitly rejected as pertaining to love.

“God too has largely been relegated to being essentially an affirmer. He is the one who
‘understands.’”

Beyond recognizing the correction, the punishment, component of God’s love, our assessment of God’s possible role in COVID-19, as it relates to America, requires understanding that God deals heavily in quid pro quos. A Google search yields this definition: “Quid pro quo refers to the giving of one valuable thing for another.” The examples from scripture are almost limitless. For instance, there is this often quoted verse from 2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV): “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” God does not say that he will, without any action on the part of the people, heal their land. He lays out what they must do.

God goes even further and details for Solomon, the king, what he will do if Solomon does not live by God’s statutes. This from the  Life Application Bible note on 2 Chronicles 7:17-22:

“God plainly set forth certain conditions for Solomon to meet if he wanted the kingdom to continue. If Solomon followed God, he and his descendants would prosper. If Solomon did not, he and the nation would be destroyed. In Deuteronomy 27 and 28, these conditions were outlined before all the people.”

Over time, Solomon turned from God, and God did what he promised. Solomon’s descendants, and all of Israel, suffered tremendously.

God’s use of quid pro quos even shows up in the loving and, very likely, most quoted verse in scripture, John 3:16 (NIV): “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God offers eternal life, but receiving it requires that a person believes
 in Jesus.

The experience of Solomon not only illustrates God’s use of the quid pro quo; it also makes clear that God punishes disobedience. An even more telling instance of God’s love resulting in punishment shows through in his sending of Israel into the wilderness for 40 years. The following, from an article by David Treybig titled, “Why Did God Choose Israel?” sets important context for them being sent into the wilderness:

“God wanted Israel to be a model nation, a group of people through whom other peoples could learn vitally important lessons. God wanted Israel to be ‘a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’ (Exodus 19:6). Other nations would see that when the Israelites obeyed God, they were blessed (verse 5), and when they disobeyed God, they would be punished (Deuteronomy 28).”

God loved Israel and had a high calling for the nation; however, when the people rebelled and chose not to follow God’s direction and enter the land he had promised, God sent them into the wilderness for 40 years. God punished people he loved dearly.

In deciding what role, if any, God might be playing in COVID-19’s invasion of America, we must recognize that God must sometimes punish us because he loves us and must substantially employ the quid pro quo and treat us in the same way that he has treated individuals and nations across the ages.

When we examine the behavior of American society, the picture is clear. As a nation, in the overall, we blatantly reject the statutes, the way, of God. We have declared abortion a woman’s right. We decided the homosexual lifestyle acceptable and protected by law — no matter what scripture says, a person gets to choose their gender regardless of gender at birth. Sex before marriage is routinely accepted. Christians are under attack because of our faith.

Even further, government policies and programs support or encourage ungodly conduct. For instance, instead of taking actions that would discourage premarital sex, American governments provide free condoms to citizens. When that action fails and children result whose parent(s) cannot afford to financially support them, governments provide financial support, health care and other benefits. Then there is the push for expansion of public funding of abortions. All this at the expense of taxpayers, many of whom oppose these actions that advance
ungodliness.

I do not claim that COVID-19 is God’s punishment on America, but when the likelihood is examined as is done here, there is more than ample reason to seriously consider the possibility. If this is not God’s punishment on us, we would do well to treat it as a warning and change our ways. Ruth Graham spoke absolute truth.

Vernon Aldridge, student activities director for the Cumberland County Schools, has long stressed the importance of the county’s coaches taking courses to make them better at their jobs.

That commitment recently earned the county national recognition as the National Federation of State High School Associations listed three county schools as first in the nation to reach Level I status on the NFHS School Honor Roll program.

The three schools are Gray’s Creek High School, John Griffin Middle School and Pine Forest
Middle School.

Since the initial three schools were announced, five more have been added to the list. They are Pine Forest High School, South View Middle School, Hope Mills Middle School, Spring Lake Middle School and Anne Chesnutt Middle School.

To make the list, a school must have at least 90% of the full-time coaches on its staff complete four courses offered online by the NFHS.

The courses are Fundamentals of Coaching, Concussion in Sports, Sudden Cardiac Arrest, and Protecting Students from Abuse.

There are two more levels schools can achieve by completing additional NFHS courses.

Because all the county schools have been taking part in the NFHS initiative, Aldridge is optimistic it won’t be long before every county school is recognized for at least reaching Level I.

“The more we take these courses, the higher quality our coaches are,’’ Aldridge said. “I think it enhances the experience for the student-athletes.’’

He added all coaches in Cumberland County Schools have been required to take the four NFHS courses before the School Honor Roll program was started last December.

In addition, all county schools coaches must receive training in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation and using an automated external defibrillator.

“My goal is to have all our schools to be Level 3 in two years,’’ Aldridge said.

As the diagnosis of childhood communication disorders increases, the demand for speech-language pathology assistants is on the rise. A speech language pathology assistant is a person who assists a licensed speech language pathologist in a variety of areas including conducting screenings, implementing therapy in the areas of receptive and expressive language, articulation, fluency, augmentative and alternative communication, and oral motor skills. Other responsibilities include preparing materials for therapy, scheduling patients for therapy and maintaining files and equipment, to name a few. Fayetteville Technical Community College is helping to fill the gap in the community by continuing its two-year associate degree program in speech-language pathology assisting.

The SLPA program is an allied health profession that offers a great balance between healthcare professional and educator. Students who complete the two-year competitive health program graduate with an associate degree in applied science in speech-language pathology assisting and are equipped with the tools necessary to engage in evidence-based practices necessary to meet the needs of people with communication disorders and other exceptionalities. Graduates must take and pass the N.C. Registration Exam for speech-language pathology assistants to practice in the state of North Carolina. FTCC is proud to have maintained such a robust program since its inception in 1997.

Effective late 2020, for the first time in history, graduates will have the opportunity to gain national recognition through the American Speech-Language and Hearing Certification Program. National recognition will offer a special distinction that will set graduates apart and inform employers that they are highly qualified and committed to professional excellence.

It is the aspiration of professionals in the field of speech-language pathology to positively influence the most powerful tool offered to mankind — communication. If you are ready to take this journey, we invite you to join us.Fayetteville Technical Community College offers over 280 academic programs of study leading to the award of associate degree, certificate or diploma. These programs fall under the major subject areas of arts and humanities, business, computer technology, engineering/applied technology, health, math and sciences, and public service. For information about health programs of study, contact an admissions professional specializing in health programs at healthproadmissions@faytechcc.edu. For information about other program areas, contact admissions@faytechcc.edu, visit our website at www.faytechcc.edu, or call us at 910-678-8400. Registration is under way for summer I, summer II and fall classes. If you’ve been thinking of pursuing the career you’ve dreamed about, now is the time to take that first step. Fayetteville Technical Community College — the smart choice for education — can help you get there.

 For more information on Fayetteville Technical Community College’s speech-language pathology assistant program, please contact me, Charisse Gainey, department chairperson, at
910-678-8492 or gaineyc@faytechcc.edu.

The Town of Hope Mills recently got good news and bad regarding its Parks and Recreation Trust Fund Grant.

The grant, which will help fund planning for pedestrian walkways in the central area of Hope Mills, was scheduled to be presented to the state by the McAdams group on behalf of the town earlier this month.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation gets to pick which firm handles consulting work on the grant, and the good news for Hope Mills is it already had a longstanding relationship with McAdams.

But according to town manager Melissa Adams, there’s a downside to the future of developing the pedestrian plan.

Because of the COVID-19 crisis, people aren’t driving as much as they used to, which has cut into a lot of funding that DOT receives from sources involved with travel.

The bottom line is, if there’s a shortfall in funding this month, that could mean the planning for the Hope Mills pedestrian project could be delayed, which further means the actual start of the construction phase of the pedestrian project would also be set back.

Chancer McLaughlin, who is the development and planning administrator for the town, is trying to maintain a positive outlook on the situation and remains hopeful there won’t be a significant enough shortage of money to force the implementation of the design plan to be delayed.

“One of the ideas we are going to push with this plan, which I think will be groundbreaking, is to see about the facilitation of a greenway that connects the (old) golf course to Trade Street,’’ McLaughlin said.

Sidewalks are in the works from Town Hall on Rockfish Road to Johnson Street down to Trade Street, McLaughlin said. The greenway plan would complete a loop and link neighborhoods to the back side of the former golf course.

“Now you have something more impactful from a pedestrian standpoint,’’ McLaughlin said. “People can walk from the golf course to Town Hall, and from Trade Street to the lake. All through pedestrian avenues, greenways and
sidewalks.’’

McLaughlin stressed that the money that has already been allocated will go to funding the creation of an overall plan for the proposed pedestrian upgrade, there is no money to pay for building the new walking area itself. “Once they come up with a plan, we’ll have to come up with funding for construction,’’ he said. “This is strictly for design.’’

While there is a potential for delay in the pedestrian project, McLaughlin said town growth is doing well otherwise — in spite of the pandemic.

The new Chick-fil-A restaurant had a successful opening recently, taking drive-through customers only, as the state’s regulations designed to protect against spread of COVID-19 continue.

Another opening is expected to be held in the near future as the new Biscuitville franchise has wrapped up construction. McLaughlin said he was initially informed Biscuitville was planning for a summer opening, hopefully after the COVID-19 situation improves. There has been talk the opening date could come earlier, but McLaughlin said he had heard nothing concrete.

Otherwise, McLaughlin said town business is going well and he’s gotten numerous requests for construction permits.

“The staff is doing everything we can to be as innovative as we can during this pandemic, so we can keep things in some sort of normalcy until we can get back to our regular schedule,’’ he said.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it is distressing to learn that members of the U.S. Congress and our Justice Department would lie, cheat and conspire against innocent Americans to discredit and try to unseat a duly elected  president. Partisan greed, power and unbridled animosity have become way too common in America’s political scene, and those factors are undermining American rights and freedoms, not to mention wasting time and energy while distracting Congress from doing the people’s business. 

Regardless of whether you are a Republican, Democrat or Independent, we are all human beings and should not turn a blind eye to political injustice or conspiracies that ignore the rule of law. What is taking place politically in America today should scare the hell out of any decent, God-fearing human being. And, if it doesn’t, your principles and values may have already been compromised, and your levels of sensitivity and compassion toward humanity calloused. Again, it makes no difference what political affiliation you are. Human decency defines the boundaries of “right and wrong.” We live in a country where citizens are (or should be) equally entitled to freedom, fairness and justice. We do not live in a socialistic or communistic state where authoritarianism* dictates “what’s good for me, is not
for thee.”

This unsavory situation exists today and has escalated ever since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a public health emergency in January. Since then, based on faulty information, the world panicked, exposing the true talents, abilities and leadership skills of government officials worldwide. Here in the United States, under these dire circumstances, it is difficult for our national and local leaders to hide traits like political gamesmanship, greed, gross incompetence and the blatant abuse of power and authority for personal gain. 

No doubt, we have many capable leaders whose intelligence and level-headed strategies and management style aided their constituents during this crisis. But as the pandemic expanded through March and April, it became more and more evident that power-drunk government officials were slowly, conveniently and methodically eradicating our liberty and personal freedoms. Freedoms guaranteed to us by the Bill of Rights are being methodically replaced by Soviet-like directives from authoritarian state governors’ offices or from local city halls. Making this situation even more frustrating is the fact that these directives are often baseless, senseless, contradictory and, in some cases, deadly. It’s bad enough for the government to decide which businesses are essential and which are not, but deciding who lives and who dies? 

New York’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo could be the poster child for being the very best of the worst. His state has the highest rate of coronavirus cases anywhere on the planet with nearly 350,000 cases and over 27,000 deaths. With two-thirds of the cases and over 70% of the deaths in New York City, this governor sends 1,700 aging citizens to their deaths after mandating that nursing homes and senior care centers accept their residencies knowing full well that seniors and aging populations are the highest risk group most vulnerable to the disease. Instead of protecting them, this governor was digging mass graves to bury the victims by the hundreds.

Where is the logic? The leadership? The compassion? The humanity? Hell, where is the outrage?

And, just when you think it couldn’t get much worse, Cuomo’s leadership team releases 1,000 hardened criminals, rapists, murderers, dope pushers and child molesters from the Rikers Island jail. Not only did they unleash mayhem and an eventual crime wave upon innocent citizens of New York City, but over 1/3 of the criminals released were infected with the coronavirus. Cuomo’s logic? To protect the criminals and prevent the spread of the virus. No wonder they lead the world in COVID-19 infections.

While this craziness is going on in New York, a judge in Dallas is sentencing Shelly Luther, a single mother and beauty salon owner, to jail for seven days for opening up her small business so she can feed her children. Unbelievable. In California, you can be arrested if you go to beach, but you can be paid if you snitch on your neighbor. In Michigan, residents are storming the statehouse in protest because they can buy liquor and go to Home Depot, but they cannot worship in their churches. In North Carolina, under Gov. Roy Cooper’s reign, protesting has been deemed an “illegal activity.” You can be arrested for stepping on a sidewalk. In North Carolina, residents are told that exercising their First Amendment rights to peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress, was among the activities Gov. Cooper deemed “nonessential.” The arrogance. He actually took it upon himself to nullify the Constitution. But, Cooper’s not the only person drunk on power. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy had 15 members of a Jewish congregation arrested for assembling at a funeral service. When he was questioned as to whether he was concerned about violating their Bill of Rights, he responded, “That’s above my pay grade … I wasn’t thinking of the Bill of Rights when I did this.” Really? The governor of New Jersey wasn’t thinking that freedom of worship and the right to peaceably assemble are both protected in the Bill of Rights? In Fayetteville, the mayor curbed the COVID-19 virus and protected citizens by enacting a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew. Are you beginning to see the pattern?

Like I said in the beginning, it doesn’t matter what political affiliation you are, what color you are or what religion you practice, the COVID-19 pandemic is serious;  however, it doesn't just threaten your health. It threatens your livelihood. We must be mindful and protective of our civil liberties, or we run the risk of some serious “unintended consequences.”

In the case of some of these crazy and contradictory statewide restrictions, the cure could end up being worse than the disease. People want to be free. Democracy is in our DNA, and it is on the decline. We cannot allow this COVID-19 pandemic to be used as a vehicle to strip us of our rights or freedoms.  We need leadership that respects our Constitutional Rights. We don’t need surveillance of any type, and we have to make sure we maintain honest and well-managed elections. Where is the outrage?

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

* According to Lexico, the definition of “authoritarianism” is, “the enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom.”

The world has changed a lot in the last six months. We’ve changed the way we shop, worship and celebrate. We’ve changed the way we greet each other, and when we are lucky enough to meet in person, that’s changed, too — masks on and 6 feet apart, please. What hasn’t changed, though is our desire to have fun. To connect. To be entertained. To interact. Also unchanged is the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County’s passion to bring art and entertainment to the community. The organization has reimagined ways to support artists while engaging residents. Gallery tours are virtual now. And a new program called Hay Street Live provides an interactive and entertaining alternative to passively binge-watching yet another series. The next Hay Street Live is set for Friday, May 15.

Remember going to a live performance and laughing and chatting with friends? Watching the mixologist show off their newest recipe? Connecting with the energy of a talented performer? Hay Street Live has remixed that experience. It’s part talk show, part convo, part mixology lesson and 100% entertainment. And in this case, the audience is up close and personal with the host and the talent. Tune in to the Arts Council’s Facebook page at 6 p.m. for the Facebook
Live event.

The flow of the evening takes the natural course of a night out — some chatting, then maybe some entertainment and a short conversation with the performer. Cutaway to the mixologist for some chit chat and a new recipe and demonstration, then back to the performer for another song, etc. Attendees participate throughout the event, commenting and using Facebook’s interface to let the other people involved know how they feel about what is going on.

 This week’s host is Kia Anthony, founder and president of Circa 1865.

R&B singer Leme Nolan headlines the musical portion of the event with a combination of original and cover songs. Her original piece is “Love with a Ring Attached.”  She will also perform pieces by Erykah Badu, Mary J. Blige and SWV.

Nolan said one of her favorite things about performing is the connection she creates with the audience. “With music, it is all about connecting and being real. It represents who I am, and it comes naturally to me. I am really thankful for this opportunity. We are going to have a good time.”

Nolan also plans to relaunch her dance challenge at Hay Street Live.

Jaquetta “Lady J” Gooden is the mixologist for the week. She’s no stranger to the show, having been the host as well as the mixologist in the past.

This week, she’ll be making her take on a blood orange margarita and another tequila-inspired cocktail.

In addition to being fun, the program is important. “Hay Street Live is a virtual show that gives local artists a platform to showcase their talents,” said Gooden. “ … I believe what makes Hay Street Live stand apart from other streaming events (is that) it is providing a sense of going out without leaving your home. It’s like attending a concert from your home — and you get to learn how to make some fun cocktails along the way.”

Hay Street Live lasts from 6-7 p.m. and is set for every Friday through June 12. To find out more about the Arts Council and Hay Street Live, visit www.theartscouncil.com. Find out more about Nolan at https://www.lemenolan.com/ or check out her music on Youtube.

North Carolina has begun a tentative process of opening up selected businesses, as have many other states — some more aggressively than others, even though confirmed cases of  COVID-19 continue to rise. As we do so, we are also still learning what we do not know about this novel virus. Here are some of the unanswered questions.

Are people who have recovered from COVID-19 actually immune from an-other bout of it? Can they still pass along the infection to others even though they themselves are well?

What about children? Does the virus infect them differently than adults? At the time of this writing, North Carolinians who have been infected range in age from 6 months to 85 years.

Why do symptoms vary so much from person to person, with some people critically ill and others only mildly so? Does it depend on the concentration of viral particles in one’s body?

Why does  COVID-19 kill more men than women?

Does  COVID-19 cause lasting damage to the bodies of survivors?

Researchers are digging for answers for these and other questions, of course, as well as working overtime to develop a vaccine or vaccines. We do know a great deal about the pandemic, though, and it is not a pretty picture.  COVID-19 has pulled back the curtain on our nation’s health care system, who it serves well and who it does not. It reveals longstanding social and economic disparities long swept under the rug.

Common sense tells us that service workers face more exposure than people who can work remotely, and many service workers are considered essential during the pandemic. They are also often hourly workers, often minority workers, facing the stark choice of working in dangerous environments because they need the income or not being able to support their families. Service jobs are almost always low pay and with little or no employee control over working hours, a significant hurdle for working mothers.

Consider what kinds of work have been deemed essential during the pan-demic. Health care workers, including nursing home and elder care aides; child-care workers; teachers; domestic workers; all occupations heavily populated by women and all of which put workers in direct contact with others. These jobs of-ten require intimate work for others, work that has historically been done by women and has been historically undervalued and underpaid.

The cold hard reality is that millions of Americans depend on these service workers to take care of our children and our elderly parents, to prepare our food and to sell us goods and services, but we do not respect their work. We ask and expect them to do work we do not — and perhaps would not — do ourselves, and we are unwilling to pay them fairly. It brings up the ugly truth that underpaid and often dangerous care work is what allows other Americans, both women and men, to do their jobs at any time, and even more so during the pandemic.

This is not new news.

Speculation abounds as to how our society will be changed, even trans-formed, on the other side of  COVID-19. What will education look like? Will we go shopping in stores again? Will nonchain restaurants survive the pandemic?                        

Whatever else the virus has done and perhaps will do, it has shown a laser light on care industries and their feminine and insecure faces. Care work is absolutely essential work, but it is undervalued because women do it. The  COVID-19 pandemic is a lesson in why that has to change.

Legendary World War II paratrooper Lt. Col. James “Maggie” Megellas, one of the 82nd Airborne Division’s original “Devils in Baggy Pants,” died April 2 at his home in Colleyville, Texas. Megellas died three weeks after celebrating his 103rd birthday. His death was announced by the 82nd Airborne Division in a Facebook post on April 3 that said, in part, “This loss will be felt by us all. Remember, Paratroopers never die, they just slip away.”

Widely written about and portrayed in movies, Megellas’ wartime heroics occurred when he was a platoon leader in Company H, 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War II. In several combat engagements, he earned the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts, making him the most decorated officer in the history of the 82nd Airborne Division.

He was first wounded in action in Italy in the mountains above Naples. He also jumped into the Netherlands during Operation Market Garden, made the crossing of the Waal River near Nijmegen and served in the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. He often told the story of his unit and its crossing of the Waal River in rowboats, a scene that is portrayed in the 1977 classic film “A Bridge Too Far.” Discharged from the Army as a captain, Megellas continued serving in the Army Reserve and retired as a lieutenant colonel, according to his biography.

Fayetteville Technical Community College remembers Sen. Rand

FTCC was likely the community’s biggest benefactor of the late Tony Rand’s many legislative accomplishments. The former North Carolina Senate Majority Leader was a tremendous friend to the college and all aspects of public education, said FTCC President Larry Keen. 

The college student center is named for Rand, who died late last month at the age of 80.

“A giant in our community has been lost,” said Keen. “No one had more compassion for our diverse population than Tony Rand.”

He represented Cumberland County for more than two decades in the Senate. Rand served on the FTCC Foundation’s board of directors for 16 years, from 1992 to 2008, and in 2003 was the first person to be named an honorary trustee of the college. In 2004, because of his leadership and financial support, FTCC was able to build and renovate its campus facilities, including the student center, the Center for Business and Industry, the Continuing Education Center, the Health Technologies Center, the Advanced Technology Center and the Early Childhood Education Center. Keen also noted that the senator’s leadership was key in the passage of a 2000 bond referendum for higher education, which provided FTCC with more than $38 million. That money was used to open an FTCC location in Spring Lake and build the Virtual College Center and the Horticulture Technology Center.

Rand was influential in the establishment of the North Carolina Military Business Center and making sure it was part of the community college system, with headquarters at FTCC, said Scott Dorney, the center’s executive director.

Face coverings have become necessary
for some

Cape Fear Valley Health System patients and Cumberland County Courthouse visitors must bring their own face masks when receiving care at the hospital or responding to courthouse needs to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Cape Fear Valley recently made it mandatory for staff to wear face coverings in hallways, meeting rooms and shared workplaces. The updates were implemented as a result of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised infection prevention recommendations. Approximately 50% of people who are spreading the coronavirus have no symptoms, and half of them never develop symptoms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all patients, health care personnel and visitors wear cloth face coverings over their mouths and noses to contain their respiratory droplets. This decreases the likelihood of anyone with unrecognized COVID-19 infection exposing others. Local churches and businesses have donated cloth masks, personal protective equipment and supplies to Cape Fear Valley Health in recent weeks.

Masks should be worn when visiting any Cape Fear Valley hospital, clinic or outpatient facility.

 Airborne & Special Operations Museum support encouraged

The Airborne & Special Operations Museum’s doors are closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but researching and documenting artifacts, providing social media content and preparing to reopen the museum by early summer has kept the staff and supporters busy. Since 2000, ASOM has chronicled important battles and heroic achievements from times past, building a solid foundation of airborne and green beret combat. “This place gave me goose bumps,” said one visitor.

“That’s why planning now for the future has never been more important to our entire team,” said
Renee Lane, executive director of the museum’s foundation.

Lane said donations help staff and volunteers to continue engaging and inspiring visitors and educating 12,000 students every year. “Every dollar benefits those who walk through our doors and experiences history,” Lane said.

The downtown Fayetteville world-class institution is one of the few military museums built and operated off reservation grounds.

Meals for local school children continue to be available

All Cumberland County Public School meal sites, including bus routes, have been modified to a three-day weekly operation. Meals are now being distributed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, children will receive two days of meals that include frozen entrees with heating instructions. Altogether, five days of breakfast and lunch meals will continue to be provided. The Douglas Byrd Middle School has resumed serving meals. Cumberland County Schools closed that site for two weeks after a worker tested positive for COVID-19. Visit http://bit.ly/mealpickup for more information about meal service distribution.

I thought we needed a little humor. While working for the military, one of my commander’s favorite questions to almost any problem or decision started with “Does this make sense?” Then after weighing his options, he would answer with his orders followed by “Does that make sense?”

That is the approach that we should demand from our leaders. Not political partisanship but common sense like that of Thomas Paine’s little pamphlet back in 1776. The one calling for some intellectual consideration for the common man.

It seems most every day we see something that I like to call “Stupid Stuff of the Day.” I asked people to write about their “stupid” COVID stories and send them to me. Here is what I got:

• When applying for North Carolina’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance for contractors and self-employed workers out of work due to COVID-19, one of the questions asked was, “Are you willing to look for other employment?”

There was not a place to respond with,     
     “No, I had a job, but Gov. Cooper will not let me do my job.”
     What they are saying is, “You can work, but only at places he deems essential.”
             —  Frustrated Unemployed Hairdresser

• I was at Wendy’s yesterday. I ordered a double cheeseburger. “Sir, we are no longer serving double burgers so that other customers may also get food.”
  So, I ask, “Can I get two cheeseburgers?”
  “Yes, sir.”
       “So, if I pay for two cheeseburgers, I can get them, and damn everyone else. Can’t you just put them together and throw out the extra bread.”
       “Um, um. No, Sir.
                                — Al Reid
• Individuals in a car by themselves wearing a mask.

                          — Paul Douglas Vandeventer

• I had a repair guy come to my house to replace a window. I went to introduce myself and shake his hand when he showed up. He said he couldn’t shake my hand because of the coronavirus. He then proceeded to walk into my house. While measuring the window, he handed me one end of the measuring tape to help him. He handed me the quote for replacing the window. I agreed to his price. He did the payment on his phone and handed me his phone to sign for the payment. I handed his phone back to him and went
  to shake his hand. He once again reminded me he couldn’t shake hands because of the coronavirus.
  — Jay Plyman
• I went to the grocery store to buy 6 pounds of ground chuck. They said I could only buy two packs of meat at 1 pound per package. I told them I was looking for 6 pounds. So that means I would have had to get six packages. I went to the meat counter and told them I needed 6 pounds of ground chuck. They went to the back and got me two 3.4-pound packs of grounds chuck. You do the math.
  — Anonymous
• Last week, my wife and I went to get a COVID-19 test at a drive-up test facility. We both (had) flu-like symptoms back in March after a cruise.
  The lady drilled a stick up our noses and when she was finished, she said, “You two will have to quarantine yourselves for five days.”
  I asked her why, and she said “that’s the process since you wanted to be tested.”
       I don’t understand how these people can be smart enough to shove something up my nose but not smart enough to know that it has been over a month-and-half since we were sick, and I am not staying home. We just wanted to know if we had had the COVID.
                                — Anonymous
• I just heard one of the local drive-in theaters is reopening and plans to practice social distancing by spreading the cars out further from each other. … You’re in separate cars already. What about in normal traffic, at a red light, in a parking lot or a drive-thru? Are you freakin’ kidding me?
  — Jeff Campbell
• Common sense is not common.
  — MM
• A friend of mine and I traveled to West Virginia. We made reservations to stay the night at a large hotel chain in Charlottesville. As we pulled up, there were only three cars in the parking lot. The door was locked. We rang a bell, and the manager opened the door. There were tables set up in front of the check-in desk to keep people back.
  The hotel manager looks at us and says, “I have to ask that you two to stand at least 6 feet apart.”
  My friend looks at him and says, “We just drove seven hours in the same car.”
       The gentlemen replied, “Sir, we are taking the COVID-19 thing very seriously.”
       He then asked if we needed a room with two beds. My friend replied, “Yes.”
       The manager responded, “You are in room 427,” and handed us our keys.
   I looked at him and asked, “So we can share
  a room?”
       He replied, “Yes.”
       Then, I asked, “ We can share the same bathroom?”
       He replied, “Yes.”
       My friend asked, “We can ride up in the same elevator?”
       The manager responded, “Yes.”
       My friend and I looked at each other, and my friend said, “Makes sense to me,” and we just laughed and shook our heads as we realized that we were the only people on the fourth floor.                   
                                —  Jimmy Jones

As we all hear of these stories, most people understand that those working down in the trenches are just doing what the government is mandating. I think most people are not laughing as much at the people around us, but deep down inside, we are sadly laughing at the leadership (or lack thereof) of our elected officials.

When all of this is said and done, the last laugh for the men and women in high places will be had at election time.

And that, my friends, may not be a joke at all.

Cumberland County Schools are shut down for the rest of the 2019-20 year, but that hasn’t prevented Jack Britt High School teacher Henrietta Jutson and student Saathvik Boompelli from working together on a project providing needed support to frontline health care workers at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.

Jutson, an integrated systems technology teacher at Britt, has access to 3-D printers used at the school. Boompelli reached out to Jutson with the idea of putting the printers to use by programming them to print out a clasp that would be attached to masks like those worn by healthcare workers.

Unlike typical clasps that loop over the ears, the ones that Boompelli envisioned go around the back of the head, so they are more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time and don’t put as much strain on the ears.

Jutson has had the 3-D printers at Jack Britt since around 2015. There are a total of three of them, each roughly the size of a refrigerator you’d find in a college dormitory room.

Each printer has a gantry with a filament head that features an X, Y and Z axis.

Jutson said the printer head moves left and right, forward and backward.

“It’s like a hot glue gun,’’ she said. The printers are loaded with a roll of plastic, or filament, that Jutson purchased for the project.

The process is a bit time-consuming, Boompelli said, noting that it takes about two hours
 to print about five of the plastic clasps.

The Britt printers have produced a total of 350 of the clasps so far, which they’ve donated to Cape Fear Valley.

Boompelli said until the hospital makes a new request for additional clasps, they are looking around to see if there are other area hospitals or frontline care workers that could use the clasps to make protective masks of their own.

“The clasps can be reused and other people are making masks,’’ Boompelli said. “We thought we would focus on this.’’

Boompelli said Jutson recently received an email from the parent of another student thanking her for providing the clasps.

“It’s really cool to see how it’s affecting the doctors,’’ Boompelli said.

The only problem associated with the project is the plastic filament used to make the clasps isn’t free and has to be purchased. Jutson is using a teacher fundraising tool to help raise money donated to cover the cost of the filament.

The website is known as donorschoose.org. Visit the site and in the search space type in “Henrietta Jutson”, then look for the link entitled Filament for Good.

As of Monday, May 4, the project still needed $280 to help pay for the filament.

A number of Cumberland County high school athletes recently received statewide recognition by being honored as all-stars and were given the chance to compete in all-star competition, subject to the lifting of COVID-19 shelter-in-place restrictions later this summer.

Most of the athletes were chosen to take part in this summer’s North Carolina Coaches Association East-West All-Star games in Greensboro this summer.

Here’s a brief look at each of the honorees:

Football

Cape Fear head coach Jake Thomas was previously chosen as an assistant coach for the East team in this summer’s East-West game at Grimsley High School in Greensboro on Wednesday, July 22.

Four Cumberland County football players were named to the East roster, linebackers Mark Burks of Cape Fear and Jackson Deaver of Terry Sanford, running back Matthew Pemberton of South View and wide receiver Anthony Fiffie of Jack Britt.

Thomas will coach the linebackers in the game. He said Deaver was a four-year starter with
 the Bulldogs who plays like a coach on the field. “He’s very smart and will come up and hit you,’’ Thomas said.

Deaver was the defensive player of the year in the Patriot Athletic Conference. He finished second in Cumberland County in tackles with 162.

Burks is a versatile player who can also double as a safety. “That’s a plus when you’re coaching in an all-star game,’’ Thomas said. A three-year captain for Cape Fear, Thomas called Burks an outstanding teammate and leader.

Burks had 70 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He was first team All-Patriot Athletic Conference at linebacker.

Fiffie is the only one of the four county players that Thomas didn’t actually see in a game this season since Cape Fear and Britt don’t play each other. “I’ve heard offensive coaches talking about him, his size as a receiver and his hands,’’ Thomas said. “He does a great job of running routes and being precise.’’

Fiffie was a first team All-Sandhills Athletic Conference wide receiver. He led Cumberland County in receiving with 81 catches for 1,156 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Thomas called Pemberton a versatile playmaker who can do all kinds of things to help a team win. “He’s just a tremendous athlete,’’ Thomas said.

Pemberton was Athlete of the Year in the Patriot Athletic Conference. He rushed 230 times for 1,919 yards and 31 touchdowns. He caught 20 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns.

Girls soccer

Terry Sanford’s Maiya Parrous was the lone county player selected to the East girls soccer team. Previously announced as head coach of the team was Pine Forest’s Isaac Rancour.

Like the rest of the soccer players in the state, Parrous had her senior season stripped from her when the spring sports season was halted on
March 16.

Before play was halted this season, Parrous was one of the leading scorers in Cumberland County. She had eight goals and two assists. Last season she scored 19 goals.

Parrous, who will attend the College of Charleston in the fall, said she’s excited about what she hopes will be one more chance to put on the uniform and compete as a high school player.

“Everyone hopes it happens,’’ she said of the soccer all-star game, which is scheduled for Tuesday, July 21, at Greensboro’s MacPherson Stadium.

Rancour said he plans to play Parrous at a wing position. “I think she has good technical ability and fits in well with the other players,’’ Rancour said. “I hope she can score a few goals.’’

Rancour said all-star game officials indicated they would make a final decision on whether they will be able to play this summer around mid-June. “A lot of it revolves around the coaches clinic and what’s going on there,’’ he said.

The East-West games are annually held in conjunction with the North Carolina Coaches Association Clinic, which takes place at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.

Girls golf

Although not connected to the East-West competition in Greensboro, Cape Fear High School golf standout Toni Blackwell was chosen to take part in the fifth annual Tarheel Cup as a member of the
East team.

The competition, which has been canceled because of COVID-19, was scheduled May 15-17 at MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary.

The event would have pitted six girls and six boys from the eastern part of the state against six boys and six girls from the western part of the state using a Ryder Cup-style format.

Blackwell won the NCHSAA East Regional championship this year and placed third in the 3-A state tournament with a two-day total of 80-69-149.

She plans to join the golf team at UNC-Pembroke in the fall.

A federal legislation passed in 2018 that impacts child welfare funding and programs is gradually being rolled out across the United States and is due to be implemented in North Carolina by the fall of 2021. Local organizations are working with state legislature to figure out what that will mean for Cumberland County’s group homes. 

The Family First Prevention Services Act seeks to prevent children from having to leave their homes. To accomplish this goal, the legislation will allocate more money toward counseling agencies, Department of Social Services programs and other various avenues that try to keep families together. In so doing, the money that is needed to fund these causes will be taken from group homes.

“(The federal government) gave states the latitude to implement (the bill)  a year or two years later,” explained Joseph Leggett, CEO of Falcon Children’s Home and Family Services. “North Carolina has decided they will implement it by the fall of 2021.”

While the intention of keeping children with their families is well-meaning, it isn’t an ideal solution for every child. Part of the reason that group homes are so important in N.C. is because they are where children go when they don’t have anywhere else to be placed.

 “A child doesn’t come to a children’s home first unless there’s nowhere else for them to go,” Leggett said.

 “When they take a child from home, they try to find relatives first. If they can’t find relatives, they even try to find friends they can approve. If they can’t find friends, they’ll try to put them in a foster home. It’s only after they’ve gone through that that (the kids will be put in) group homes … There are more kids in foster homes than there are in group homes, so we aren’t talking about a large amount of money there.”

Leggett said the legislation has good components to it, but he wants to make sure that Falcon does its part to do what’s best for the children in the community.

“We aren’t against children staying at home. It would be our wish that every child could stay at home and no child would ever need Falcon Children’s Home, but that’s just not reality,” Leggett explained.

Thankfully, the state is supportive of residential care. The hope is that, although federal funding for group homes will be cut substantially, the state will pick up those additional costs. Although Leggett doubts that group homes will get dollar-for-dollar what they were receiving before, he believes they could survive off of less if they have to, even if that means having to cut down some programs.

“We aren’t doing this to keep our share of funds or to keep our children here,” Leggett said. “We’re doing this because after 100-something years, we know that for whatever reason, some children can not stay at home. And, we are a viable and productive part of helping children get past that and become important citizens in the community and the surrounding area … This is us saying, ‘We support anything that helps the child. … We want to be part of the solution.’”

The  home is working with a lobbying group called Benchmarks, which is “a nonprofit association of provider agencies advocating for quality and accountability among human service providers so that North Carolina’s children, adults and families can realize their full potential, contribute to their communities and live healthy lives,” according to its website. In addition to having quarterly meetings with the organization, Falcon is working with child advocacy groups and the Cumberland County Department of Social Services to gather information about the implementation of the legislation.

Advocating for group homes as the Family First Prevention Services Act goes into effect and learning about the good that they do can be done in a multitude of ways. Here are just a few:

Talk to local legislators. Call them or email them and explain how group homes are vital to the well-being of children across the county and state. Leggett said many elected officials are not as educated as they should be about the potential impact of the Family First Prevention Services Act. Additionally, group homes across N.C. are accredited in addition to being licensed by the state.They bring in billions of dollars in chartitable giving  every year to the state budget. If group homes close down, the state will lose billions of dollars and the state will have to pick up those child welfare costs.

Ask for a tour of Falcon or another group home you’d like to support and learn about what they do.

Donate, donate, donate. Monthly financial contributions, fundraisers for Falcon, gifts of land that they can utilize or sell for money, or donations of commodities are more helpful than ever before.

Ask about volunteer opportunities.

Visit https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/253/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22family%20first%20prevention%20services%20act%22%5D%7D&r=1 to read the Family First Prevention Services Act. Visit https://www.falconchildrenshome.com/ to learn more about Falcon Children’s Home and Family Services.

May is National Bike Month. Of course, millions of Americans enjoy biking, so there’s reason to celebrate. But even if you’re not much of a rider, you can apply some of the guidelines and lessons of bicycling to other areas of your life — such as investing.

Consider taking some of these ideas for a spin:

• Tune up your portfolio.When bicyclists tune up their bikes, they adjust their brakes, clean and lubricate the chain, tighten nuts and bolts and check the tire pressure, among other tasks. Such a tuneup keeps their bikes running smoothly and reduces the chances for breakdowns. And by “tuning up” your investment portfolio, you can help it stay in line with your goals and risk tolerance, while also preparing it for a “breakdown” in the financial markets, in the form of sharp downturns. To tune up your portfolio, look for ways to increase diversification, which can help reduce the effects of volatility, and watch for investments that may have chronically underperformed or are no longer suitable for your risk tolerance. You might be better off selling these and using the proceeds to invest in new opportunities.
  
  
• Know when to shift gears.Bicyclists move into higher or lower gears in response to changing road conditions and elevations. As an investor, you, too, may need to shift gears, or adjust your investment strategy, when your personal financial environment changes. So, for example, in the years immediately preceding your retirement, you may want to move some – but certainly not all — of your investment dollars from growth-oriented vehicles to income-producing ones. That way, you can lock in some of the gains you may have achieved while lowering your portfolio’s overall risk level. This is important because once you reach retirement and you need to start withdrawing from your retirement accounts – which essentially means liquidating some of your investments — you don’t want to worry too much about having to sell when prices are down. However, keep in mind that, even during retirement, you’ll need some growth potential in your holdings to help yourself stay ahead of inflation.
  
  
• Protect yourself.Smart bicyclists always wear their helmets — they know that an unexpected bump in the road could cause a dangerous spill. And on the journey toward financial security for yourself and your family, you can also expect that some hard knocks could come your way — which is why you need the proper protection. To safeguard your family in case anything should happen to you, you must have the appropriate amount of life insurance. And to help ensure your financial independence — and avoid becoming a potential burden to your grown children — you may want to consider some type of long-term care coverage, which can help cover many of the costs of a lengthy nursing home stay. You could choose a long-term care insurance policy or a “hybrid” policy, which combines long-term care protection with the death benefit of traditional life insurance. A financial adviser can recommend the option that’s most suitable for your needs.

You may want to observe National Bike Month by taking a few rides yourself. But in any case, making these cycling-inspired moves can help you keep rolling along toward your financial goals.

Have you noticed? Lots of things have been happening lately. Like Dick Halloran told Danny Torrance at the Overlook Hotel, “not all of them was good.” Kind of hard to avoid the Corona Cooties on the TV or in the produce section of the grocery store. But there have been some good things that have occurred that should give all of us hope for a brighter day tomorrow, or maybe Autumn 2021. So, let’s focus on the good stuff for the moment. Recall what Johnny Mercer once sang: “You’ve got to accentuate the positive/ Eliminate the negative/ And latch on to the affirmative/ Don’t mess with Mr. In-Between/.”

What is the most positive thing you can clutch to your bosom in this plague time? Consider Dear Leader’s best buddy North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Lots of gossip about Kim and his status as to whether he is healthy, lying in a permanent vegetative state floating in Hollandaise sauce or taking the dirt nap. As of the writing of this column’s assault on the intelligence of both my readers, to quote Winston Churchill, Kim’s health “is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” The usual unreliable sources have it that Kim took America’s Dear Leader’s advice and tried the Clorox cure to get out of Corona’s grasp. The Clorox didn’t work out so well. Allegedly the insertion of an ultra-violet lamp into a southern orifice of the North Korean didn’t bring Kim around. Some sort of cardiac surgery was then attempted on the portly prince of communism, which also seems to have gone askew.

So, what, you ask, is positive about Kim’s medical misfortune other than it may be a bit more difficult for him to launch ICBMs at America while he is enjoying a coma? The good news, and excellent news it is, is that you are not the cardiology surgeon who operated on Kim. Kim does not seem inclined to be forgiving of much of anything. A botched heart surgery is not something Kim would take lightly if he ultimately survives. Things are quite likely to be bad for the surgeon, the surgeon’s family, the surgeon’s village, the surgeon’s neighbors, the surgeon’s dog and the surgeon’s goldfish. You may rejoice in the fact that you are none of these entities. Whatever sort of day you are having, no matter how stressful, it’s gonna be better than the surgeon’s day and anyone or anything connected to the surgeon.

There are other good things to be happy about. Consider following day brighteners as the late Ann Landers would counsel. While sheltering in place, the dogs playing poker are continuing their card games. The Bull Dog’s bluff has been called. He lost, and the other dogs at the table are convulsed with laughter at his pair of twos losing to a full house. Gotta love dogs playing poker.

The governor of Georgia is taking medical advice from his new science advisor, Rasputin, who told the governor to open up the tattoo parlors,and  hair and nail salons. If you are in need of an emergency tattoo (and who isn’t?) you can hie yourself down I-95 to Georgia and get a battleship tattooed across your chest. Thank you, Gov. Brian Kemp, on behalf of “Your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be tattooed.”

Our old college buddy Flounder did not throw up in front of Dean Wormer. He threw up on Dean Wormer. Every time I see that scene in “Animal House,” tears of joy well up in my eyes. If you can think of that event and not laugh, you, my friend, do not have a heart. However, I know a surgeon in North Korea I can refer you to who is looking for new patients.

Unfortunately, the Clorox cure, the magical healing month of April, rectal internal lighting, and hydroxychloroquine turned out to be ineffective remedies for Corona. Dear Leader has instructed the CDC to cease trying to fix the boring and apparently insoluble problem of providing enough Corona tests. Instead, the CDC has been directed to look into the possibility of whether Slim Whitman yodeling songs could be used to destroy the Corona virus, which was so successfully done to destroy Martians in “Mars Attacks.” Many people are saying, “Sir, the Slim Whitman songs ‘Indian Love Call’ and ‘Paloma Blanca’ could be simultaneously played at full volume by all of the world’s radio stations and all Alexa and Google smart speakers, thereby causing the Coronavirus to explode.”

Dr. Birx will head up the Slim Whitman task force. She was last heard yodeling, “Una Paloma Blanca/ I’m just a bird in the sky/ Una Paloma Blanca/ Over the mountain I shall fly.”

 Now, don’t you feel better already? Put on a happy face and smile brother, smile.

Westover High School’s boys and E.E. Smith High School’s girls basketball teams made history last week, joining a handful of other North Carolina High School Athletic Association teams as the first virtual state champions in NCHSAA history.

After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NCHSAA to first postpone and then cancel this school year’s state basketball title games, Westover and Smith had been waiting for almost a month-and-a-half to learn what the fate of their title bids would be.

It came via a virtual meeting of the NCHSAA Board of Directors last week on the computer meeting app Zoom. The cyber gathering of NCHSAA board members voted unanimously to name all of the teams that made the eight state championship finals for girls and boys basketball state champions.

Westover was declared the 3-A boys co-champion while Smith was named the 3-A girls co-champion.

Brad Craddock, the NCHSAA president, who serves as principal at Glenn High School in Kernersville, said the board got a briefing
from NCHSAA assistant commissioner James Alverson on the precedent for not having single champions.

During the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918, no state champions were determined in football. For a period of time during the 1960s and 1970s, some sports didn’t play to a state title, stopping at regional championships because the NCHSAA feared the season was getting too long. One of those teams was Seventy-First, which ended its 1970 season with a 3-A Eastern football championship.

“We felt like in this crazy time we are in, crowning an East and West regional champion did not do either side justice,’’ Craddock said. “We felt co-champions was the best thing we could do to honor all the work the student-athletes put
 into it.’’

Both Westover boys’ head coach George Stackhouse and Smith girls’ head coach Dee Hardy were delighted with the decision.

“I think the folks involved put the kids first,’’ Stackhouse said. “That’s what we are in it for and that’s what it looks like they did.’’

Hardy has now had a hand in two state championships for Smith. She was a member of the Smith girls track team that won the state title in 1981. She said the basketball state title is the first Smith has won since then.

“The seniors have been through enough and it’s the least we can do to say they are state champions,’’ Hardy said. “I think that’s the best ending we could have at this point in time.’’

Vernon Aldridge, student activities director for the Cumberland County Schools, served on the NCHSAA board as representative of the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association.

Aldridge said he will reach out to city and county government officials to make sure Fayetteville and Cumberland County honor the Westover and Smith teams when the pandemic passes and people can safely assemble for a public celebration.

“This is very exciting for Cumberland County Schools to have two state basketball champions,’’ he said. “As long as I’ve been here, I can’t remember us having two state basketball champions in one year.’’

In other major action by the board, changes were approved in the practice restrictions for high school football.

Beginning with the fall season, the amount of preseason scrimmage time will be reduced from seven hours to five. Schools will have to observe a 48-hour break between scrimmage sessions. This does not include scrimmages in a one-day jamboree setting.

Beginning with April 15 and continuing to the final 10 days of the school year, teams can practice a total of 60 minutes of what is called bumping, a modified form of body-to-body contact that stops just short of tackling an opponent and bringing him to the ground.

In other rulings, athletes will not be required to get a new physical if they got one in 2019 but they will have to update their family medical history. The NCHSAA will develop a physical requirement for athletes who come from out of
state schools.

The realignment process has been put on hold by COVID-19 and will not resume until the realignment committee can safely meet face to face again.

The plan is still for the next realignment to take effect by the 2021-22 school year.

NCHSAA commissioner Que Tucker made no commitment on the status of fall sports but said it is possible one or more sports may have to start late and trim the nonconference schedule to get a season completed.

A cool evening breeze drifting lazily up the banks of the Cape Fear River. Live music wafting through the air. Friends and family gathering to enjoy an evening in the fresh air. This is what longtime musician and Fayetteville native Greg Adair had in mind when he set out to bring Rock’n on the River to Fayetteville in 2017. And he had the perfect spot in mind, just across the river from Fayetteville proper near Campbellton Landing.

“It is such a cool place — a quaint place with shade and a meadow off the river,” said Adair. “Using the Cape Fear River is always a plus. It has always appealed to me. … I love being riverside.”

He first had his sight set on the Sol Rose Amphitheater, home of the Cape Fear Regional Theatre River Show for many years. In the end, he chose to partner with Craig Williams, owner of both the nearby eatery Deep Creek Grill and the sporting goods store Deep Creek Outfitters. “Craig built a stage behind  Deep Creek Grill with a permanent top on it,” said Adair. “It’s perfect for what we wanted to do. We figure we can fit 1,100-1,200 attendees.” And they’ve already come pretty close to that.

Rock’n on the River hosted its first concert in October of 2018. About 400 people showed up to hear Adair’s band, Rivermist, and  The Guy Unger Band.

2019’s season had three successful concerts. The first brought in close to 400 people. The second had over 500 attendees and the third saw 915 eager listeners show up.

The 2020 season will have a late start but will include six concerts. The first two concerts had to be rescheduled, but  even if it means doubling up, the season will be completed, Adair said.

There are two bands at every show, Adair said, a regional or local band performs at 6 p.m., followed by the main headliner. “The headliners are all tribute bands this year,” he added.

The Rock’n on the River concerts are set for the third Friday of the month. “We worked around other events, so it gives everyone somewhere to go without  putting anything on top of each other,” said Adair. “I feel like everyone was getting out before, but I think when things are back to normal, people will really show up.”

Deep Creek supplies food for purchase. The menu usually includes barbecue sandwiches, corn on the cob and grilled burgers. “They sell soft drinks, and Healy Wholesale Company, our presenting partner, provides beer for purchase,” said Adair. “The CARE Clinic distributes the beverages. Sandy’s Automotive has also contributed, and BOB FM has been nothing short of great.”

Parking is $10 per vehicle and  $5 for a motorcycle,  but the concert free. The parking fee allows Adair and the event sponsors to pay for security. “We’ve never had a problem, and we don’t expect to, but we want to be smart and safe. It is always better to have it and not need it than vice versa,” Adair said.

Adair and the event sponsors have been thoughtful about providing a safe, unique and fun experience and have implemented all the practical amenities needed for a good time. Before each concert, Mosquito Squad comes out and sprays. “It knocks the mosquito count way down,” said Adair. “Then we have portable toilets brought out. They are always clean. We usually have two regular and one handicap-accessible.”

Rock’n on the River  is about people having access to entertainment. It’s about coming together and having a good time. “It is about having a place to go and having a good place to go,” said Adair. “There are several places we could go to fit more people, but I would rather keep it close to the river and have it in a more intimate atmosphere.”

Schedule:

June 19Stone Cloud opens at 6 p.m. followed by Bad Incorporated  at 8 p.m.

Stonecloud was formed in the spring of 2016 in Lumberton. The band is multitalented as they can play multiple genres from classical blues to rock and country.

Bad Incorporated is a Bad Company/Paul Rodgers Tribute Band out of North Carolina, honoring the music of British super group Bad Company and its legendary front man Paul Rodgers.

July 17Throwback Collaboration Band takes the stage at 6 p.m., and North Tower follows at 8 p.m.

Throwback Collaboration Band shares old-school music as well as original music they are proud to call their own.

North Tower is a Beach, Top 40 and Show Group. The band launched in October of 1978.

Aug. 21, at 6 p.m., Joyner Young & Marie take the stage, and at 8 p.m., enjoy Heart Breaker.

Joyner Young & Maries has played all over Fayetteville, Southern Pines and Pinehurst for over 30 years. They play a wide variety of music.

Heartbreaker is the Ultimate American tribute to the band Heart. They perform with the goal of playing each song with love, respect, and a true passion for the original material; their goal is to bring a truly transcendent, and pitch-perfect concert experience, both musically and visually.

Sept. 18 Rivermist, presented by Up & Coming Weekly, opens at 6 p.m. Tuesdays Gone takes the stage at 8 p.m.

Rivermist was formed in July 2014 in Fayetteville. The band is collaboration of musicians that have been playing in and around the Fayetteville area for more than 40 years. Rivermist is primarily a Classic Rock/ R&B/ Variety party band. They have been voted Fayetteville/ Fort Bragg’s 2017 Best Local Band, 2018 Best Local Band, and even more recently,  2019 Best Local Band by Up & Coming Weeklyreaders. 

Tuesday’s Gone is the ultimate tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd and was formed in 2005 in Raleigh. They are dedicated to reproducing the original sound of one of the greatest and most legendary bands of all time. 

Oct. 23’sperformance was originally scheduled for April and will feature Mostley Crue at 6 p.m. and Shoot to Thrill at 8 p.m.

Möstley Crüe is the ultimate tribute to one of the 80’s most notorious and legendary hard rock acts, Mötley Crüe. Möstley Crüe was formed in Raleigh in 2007 and quickly rose in popularity with local and regional hard-rock fans still longing for a taste of the 80s.

Shoot To Thrill is an all-female tribute to AC/DC. They decided on AC/DC in particular, because the band’s songs are a marriage of compelling music and creative storytelling.

The Nov. 16 show, which was originally scheduled for May, features Cool Heat at 6 p.m. and Trial by Fire at 8 p.m.

Cool Heat is a variety cover band from Southeastern North Carolina known for playing Motown, R&B, Soul, Funk, Beach and classics from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Cool Heat is made up of five accomplished musicians, three of which have played together since high school.

Trial by Fire is a tribute to Journey. Trial by Fire was born out of the hearts of five seasoned Charlotte-based musicians. They embrace the sound and visuals of the Steve Perry era of Journey.

Find out more about Rock’n on the River at the Rock’n On The River Facebook page.