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FSO Jams at Gates Four: A Summer concert experience

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Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Written by Sheila D. Barker

Get ready for an unforgettable summer evening on Saturday, June 28th, with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra at Gates Four, featuring a blend of classical and contemporary music, fun activities, and community spirit.
12Experience the Magic of Live Music at Gates Four
Get ready to be swept off your feet by the enchanting sounds of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra at Gates Four. This event promises a magical evening filled with live music that will captivate the senses. The lush surroundings of Cumberland County’s premier golf course and gated community provide the perfect backdrop for this incredible musical experience.
This concert is designed to leave a lasting impression on long-time live music fans and newcomers seeking a memorable night out. The gates open at 5:30 p.m., giving you ample time to find the perfect spot, set up your lawn chair or blanket, and soak in the beautiful atmosphere before the concert begins at 7 p.m.
A Night of Diverse Musical Performances
The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra Jam at Gates Four will feature a diverse lineup of musical performances that cater to a wide range of tastes. From 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the FSO String Quartet will delight attendees with arrangements of popular songs, including hits from The Beatles, Broadway tunes, and contemporary pop artists like Taylor Swift.
Following the string quartet, the FSO Jazz Quartet will take the stage from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., offering a smooth and soulful conclusion to the evening. This unique blend of classical and jazz performances means there's something for everyone to enjoy.
The FSO will add an extra layer of fun to the night: Music Bingo, a fun twist on the classic game. Instead of numbers being called out, the FSO String Quartet will play 30-second snippets of various songs. The task is to recognize the tunes and mark them on a bingo card.
This innovative approach not only tests musical knowledge but also adds an interactive element to the evening. It's a delightful way for music lovers of all ages to engage with the performance while enjoying a bit of friendly competition.
At Gates Four Golf and Country Club, golfers of all skill levels can enjoy an exceptional experience on the 18-hole championship course. Gates Four offers a challenging yet enjoyable golfing experience. Their club remains one of the premier destinations in the golfing community, consistently ranking at the top of the list for its quality and beauty.
Gates Four Golf and Country Club is more than just a golfing destination; it offers a range of luxurious amenities and facilities designed to provide an exceptional experience for all visitors.
The Summer Concert Series isn't the only entertainment Fayetteville Dinner Theatre hosts. After a 35-year hiatus, and under the leadership of Bill Bowman, FDT also offers a unique combination of theatrical performances and dining experience, bringing top-notch entertainment to Fayetteville.
Many events include a welcome reception, wine tasting, pre-show entertainment, and a three-course plated dinner prepared by local caterers.
According to Bowman, director of the Fayetteville Dinner Theatre and publisher of Up & Coming Weekly community newspaper, “I applaud and appreciate Gates Four Country Club’s willingness to host this free concert series for the residents of Cumberland County. This is our fifth successful concert season, but the first time we have invited the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra. This is going to be a unique and fun celebration of popular and contemporary music that will have the audience engaged and participating in the FSO’s fun and entertaining musical challenges.”
Kevin Lavertu, general manager of Gates Four Country Club, said, “This will be the first time the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra has performed at Gates Four. Our country club and HOA members truly enjoy the variety and quality of entertainment we bring to our community.
"Our relationship with Bowman and the Fayetteville Dinner Theatre has elevated Gates Four’s stature throughout the North Carolina golfing community—being the only golf country club that hosts its own Dinner Theatre, offers free Summer Music Concerts, and proudly hosts the longest continuous golf tournament in North Carolina: the 56th Annual Cumberland County Golf Championship.”
He added, “We take great pride in welcoming the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra’s String Ensemble and Jazz Quartet to our community for the first time. Their musical talents will bring a wonderful experience to Gates Four, Hope Mills, and all the residents of western Cumberland County.”
In addition to Gates Four and the J.P. Riddle family, Bowman and Lavertu also credit Jay and JJ Dowdy of All American Homes, Greg Adair of Rivermist fame, and Larry Parker of Certified Heating and Air Conditioning for having the vision to support and underwrite this free, fun, family musical venue.
Proceeds from the Fayetteville Dinner Theatre events are donated to Cumberland County education through the Kidsville News! Literacy and Education Foundation. The Kidsville News! Literacy and Education Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving literacy, education, and character development among young children across America.
13aThe Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra Jam is more than just a concert; it's a celebration of community spirit and collaboration. This event is made possible through the support of the Fayetteville Dinner Theatre, Gates Four Country Club, and the Up & Coming Weekly community newspaper. These local organizations are dedicated to providing free entertainment to the residents of Cumberland County.
Additional sponsors for this event are the Greater Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce and ShineLight.
“The Greater Fayetteville Chamber is proud to sponsor the 2025 Gates Four Concert Series. Each concert this summer has been a tremendous success, enjoyed by our members and their families,” said Jordan Sturgis, director of events at the Chamber. “The series highlights the talents and contributions of many Chamber members, including the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra. We are honored to support initiatives that help make the Greater Fayetteville area a vibrant, welcoming place to live, work, and visit.”
Their efforts ensure that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy a night of great music, dancing, food, fun, prizes, and surprises. It's a testament to the power of community-minded businesses and organizations coming together to create a memorable experience for all.
The Gates Four Golf & Country Club is located at 6775 Irongate Drive. Admission to the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra Jam at Gates Four is completely free, as is parking. Just bring a lawn chair or blanket, and invite family, friends, and even pets for an evening of entertainment under the stars.
No outside coolers, food or beverages are allowed. Food will be available for sale by Rolling Tacos, and adult beverages and water will be available for sale courtesy of Healy Wholesale. Rolling Tacos offers Mexican cuisine. They have various options, including tacos, pupusas, burritos, and quesadillas.
The gates open at 5:30 p.m., and the concert begins at 7 p.m., giving concert goers plenty of time to find a comfortable spot and enjoy the pre-concert atmosphere. There are a variety of ticket packages available for this show, including VIP Reserved Seating on the patio and in the pavilion. To see all of the ticket options and to purchase them, visit https://fayettevilledinnertheatre.com/shop/.
With a lineup of talented performers and a range of fun activities, this event promises to be a highlight of your summer. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to experience the magic of live music in a beautiful outdoor setting.

More Music to Come
• July 12th-Beggars Banquet-Rolling Stones Tribute Band
• August 8th-Shoot to Thrill-All Girls AC/DC Tribute Band
Tickets for these up and coming shows can be purchased at https://fayettevilledinnertheatre.com/shop/.

(Top Photo: The FSO String Quartet will be the first of two Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra quartets to take the stage at the Gates Four Summer Concert Series. Bottom Photo: The FSO Jazz Quartet will round out the evening at Gates Four. Photos courtesy of FSO)

Build better community: Habitat for Humanity’s 30 for $30 Build

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Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Written by Anna White

Ready to get your hands dirty sanding, staining, painting, having fun and supporting a bigger cause? A June 28 build your own stool workshop at the Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity will teach participants building skills and all proceeds will help fund the FAHH’s July 28 - Aug 1 Youth Construction Camp.
Ashley Thompson, director of Marketing at the Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity, says that while the 30 for $30 event gives participants the opportunity to build and finish a wooden stool, this is the first event they’ve hosted that focuses solely on building a stool. It’s not unlike other popular workshops they’ve hosted in the past.
10In March, they hosted a Woman’s Build that was filled to capacity and received feedback from many interested participants who would have loved to attend but didn’t get a spot. The Woman’s Build included instruction in a host of simple home repairs that were geared toward helping women cut down on repair costs by learning to diagnose simple problems like a tripped circuit or loose water pipes.
After visiting each station to learn a home repair skill, participants got to build and finish a wooden stool. Thompson said the event was well-received.
"The response was so good that we said, well, how about we just cut it in half? Do 30 people for $30... and then we'll put this build toward our upcoming construction camp for our youth."
This time around, the event will focus solely on crafting the stool that participants can then bring home and use for a variety of purposes - a plant stand, a foot rest, a book stand; the options are endless. Thompson says that participants always enjoy seeing the fruit of their creativity.
“Just the fact that you’re seeing what you finally put together is really rewarding,” she said.
At the 30 for $30 Build, participants will also enjoy knowing that their application fee supports the upcoming Construction Camp.
Hosted by the Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity and Sweet Valley Ranch, the Construction Camp’s tagline is “Building the future with the future.” It’s open to 16-19 year olds who will receive hands-on instruction from licensed tradesmen in drywall, installation, electrical, plumbing and framing. Breakfast and lunch are provided daily, along with t-shirts for participants to bring home and a graduation ceremony to celebrate their accomplishments. Though the 30 for $30 build won’t fund the entire event, it will contribute to important costs such as snacks for the students throughout the day. The Habitat for Humanity also accepts Construction Camp sponsorships, which can be facilitated by contacting marketing@fayettevillehabitat.org
Thompson said it seems participants enjoy getting out of the house, putting their phones down, and even participating in workshops alongside family and friends. She commented on the revitalization of trades and the practicality of learning hands on skills.
“The trades were lost at one point, and I feel like they’re slowly coming back, especially the way the economy is going, some trades are making more than a college degree now,” she said.
These and many other workshops offered by the Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity all support their mission of affordable housing for all.
“It’s just putting God’s love into action,” Thompson explained, “We want to make sure we live in a world where people can have a decent place to live and feel like ‘OK, I really have pride in what I work for’ without going broke.”
In 2024, the FAHH completed 8 homes and 26 repairs, according to Thompson, with some being veteran-oriented and others serving the community at large.
“That’s for critical home repairs and veteran repairs, because we do focus on the community as well.”
Additionally, they’ve recently opened their financial workshops to the general public, allowing participants to gain “free knowledge” about healthy financial practices, budgeting, credit
and more.
The Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity welcomes volunteers who sign up with their volunteer coordinator. Thompson says many volunteers attend to fulfill community service hours and come back just for fun.
“They say, ‘When can we come again, can you keep us posted?’” Thompson explained.
To reach FAHH’s volunteer coordinator, sign up for a workshop, or sponsor a construction camp student, visit www.fayettevillenchabitat.org.

(Photo: The Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity holds builds throughout the community to help teach skills to participants. Photo courtesy of Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity)

A little help for our friend: A benefit for Morris Cardenas

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Tuesday, 17 June 2025
Written by Aly Hansen

19Morris Cardenas, a "one man band," has long been a part of the music scene in the area. Playing blues, country and acoustic classic rock, he has also made a name for himself by singing songs in Spanish. Cardenas plays the Beatles "with a passion," and loves the Eagles and Neil Young. He is a rounded musician, a solo act that stands strong in the diverse music scene of Fayetteville.
He also has had a major back surgery, and this has limited his playing time. His musician friends have banded together to create a benefit concert for Cardenas, to help ease some of the bills that have been piling up. A Little Help From Our Friends productions and organizers P. Terry Shea and Jan Lee have pulled together local favorites to play at Louie's Sports Pub on June 22.
"It's old friends meeting up to help a friend," they said.
The music will kick off at 2 p.m. with The Heaterz. Mike Edwards and His Only Friends hit the stage at 3:30 p.m., and Joyner, Young and Marie round out the set at 5 p.m.
The cost of the concert is a $10 donation. Food trucks will be on site for hungry concert goers.
The Heaterz are a blues band, and have been playing together in some capacity, since the '80s. They have played all over North Carolina.
Mike Edwards and His Only Friends is an acoustic trio based out of Raleigh. The group have travelled the state, spreading their love of music.
Joyner, Young and Marie have been playing in the area for 30 years. With Rock'n On the River and Gates 4 Summer Concert Series stages to their resume, they are a local favorite, and will be closing the show on June 22.
Join Cardenas' friends and family and show support for a local musician who just needs a "little help from his friends."

(Photo courtesy of Morris Cardenas' Facebook Page)

Ham Radio Operators on air for nationwide event

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Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Written by Staff Report

Ham radio operators from the Cape Fear Amateur Radio Society, Inc. in Fayetteville will be participating in a national amateur radio exercise from 2 p.m. on Saturday until 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 28 – 29 at Chapter 1-18 Special Forces Association compound at 2909 Zinnia Dr., just off Old Wilmington Road. The event is ARRL Field Day (www.arrl.org/field-day), an annual amateur radio activity organized since 1933 by ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio in the United States.
8Hams from across North America ordinarily participate in Field Day by establishing temporary ham radio stations in public locations to demonstrate their skill and service. Their use of radio signals, which reach beyond borders, brings people together while providing essential communication in the service of communities. Field Day highlights ham radios’ ability to work reliably under any condition from almost any location and create an independent, wireless communications network.
Some hams from Cumberland and surrounding counties will also use the radio stations set up in their homes or their backyards and other locations to operate individually or with their families. Many hams have portable radio communication capability that includes alternative energy sources such as generators, solar panels, and batteries to power their equipment.
This year's event is also noteworthy given that a particularly active hurricane season is predicted. “Hams have a long history of serving our communities when storms or other disasters damage critical communication infrastructure, including cell towers,” said David Winfree, president CFARS, WD4NC. “Ham radio functions completely independently of the internet and phone systems, and a station can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. Hams can quickly raise a wire antenna in a tree or on a mast, connect it to a radio and power source, and communicate effectively with others, and that was seen during Hurricanes Katrina and, locally, during Helene in Western North Carolina,” Winfree added.
CFARS will be demonstrating Amateur Radio on June 28 beginning at 2 p.m. in the large red building. The Cape Fear Amateur Radio Society has been in existence for over 49 years and can trace its roots back to the first amateur radio club that was formed in Fayetteville in the 1930s. They invite the public to come and see ham radio capabilities and learn how to get their own FCC issued Amateur Radio license before the next disaster strikes.
During Field Day 2024, more than 31,000 hams participated from thousands of locations across North America. According to ARRL, there are more than 750,000 amateur radio licensees in the U.S., and an estimated 3 million worldwide.
Among the tenets of the Amateur Radio Service is developing and practicing skills in radio technology and radio communications and even contributing to international goodwill. Ham operators range in age from as young as 9 to older than 100. For more information about ARRL Field Day and ham radio, contact Rod MacLean at 910-977-0248 or WWW.CFARSNC.ORG.

(Photo: KD4B, Jeremy and KN4ODS, George running Single side band - voice during an event. Photo courtesy of Rod MacLean)

Liberty Point Resolves celebrated in Fayetteville

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Tuesday, 17 June 2025
Written by David L Mann

Fayetteville played an important role during the American Revolution. It is the place where delegates from all counties, towns and boroughs from around the state gathered at The Old State House-site of the current day Market House-in 1789 to ratify the U.S Constitution. It is also where fifty-five Patriot supporters gathered to sign the Cumberland Association in 1775. The document was recorded as being signed at a place called Liberty Point and the document is now more popularly known as The Liberty Point Resolves.
17By all accounts, Robert Rowan was the leader of the group of men who signed the document, which was a resolution that supported independence by the colonists from the Royalist rule of Great Britain. The men who signed the document consisted of taverners, merchants, planters as well as military leaders of the region who had also been involved with local government, commerce and Committees of Safety. Rowan himself had served as a colonial sheriff and legislator. Other notable figures to have signed the document were Lewis Barge, a local tavern keeper who had arrived in Cross Creek from Philadelphia, and other merchants, including James Gee, who was a hatter in the village.
The signing of the document followed events in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts in 1775 in which British authority had been challenged. After word circulated about the uprising, North Carolina became an early colony to publicly challenge British rule. The Liberty Point Resolves document, Cumberland Association, was one of a series of similar documents that were signed across the state.
The names of all of the signers have been transcribed on a stone which sits at the intersection of Bow and Person Street in downtown Fayetteville inside an iron clad fence. The names are also listed on the original historical document itself, which is being preserved at the Southern Historical Collection at the University of North Carolina.
Throughout decades and now centuries, organizations of Fayetteville residents have held commemoration and anniversary ceremonies to mark the occasion of the signing of the document and to remember those who bravely stood against retribution and stood for their beliefs by “sacrificing their lives and fortunes” against a powerful monarchy. The local Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution chapters, in conjunction with other organizations, began an annual commemoration in downtown Fayetteville around 2021, and this year will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing.
The event will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 21, on the grounds of First Presbyterian Church at the corner of Bow and Ann St in downtown Fayetteville and will include a ceremony hosted by the Marquis de Lafayette Chapter NC Society, Sons of the American Revolution, The Liberty Point Chapter N.C. Society Daughters of the American Revolution, The Col. Robert Rowan Chapter N.C.Society Daughters of the American Revolution, The Isham Blake Chapter N.C. Society Children of the American Revolution and The Lafayette Society. Everyone is welcome to attend.

(Photo: The celebration of the 248th Commemoration of the Liberty Point Resolves was held at the stone on Bow and Person streets in downtown Fayetteville. The stone bears the names of the signers of the document. Photo courtesy of David Dowless Jr.)

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