The end of 2025 marks the end of my second full year as editor of Up & Coming Weekly. It has been an interesting year in Fayetteville and Cumberland County. We saw a lot of change... and a lot of things stayed the same.
One thing that hasn't changed: if you say Fayetteville has nothing to do, you just aren't looking hard enough. UCW has covered events new to the area in 2025 and events that have been around for a while. We've covered a few of the goings on at Fort Bragg, and celebrated our amazing local colleges and universities as they continue to grow and change.
This year, UCW created one of the largest election guides in Cumberland County, giving candidates the opportunity to talk about their positions. We also celebrated our 28th annual Best of Fayetteville. We created the official guide to the Dogwood Festival, and commemorated Dan Nelson's wonderful artwork associated with the event.
We won awards this year, with Anna White scoring a nod as a Green Eyeshade third place winner in the Lifestyle Reporting category.
Troy Williams was welcomed back as a regular columnist for the paper, and has joined Pitt Dickey's and Margaret Dickson's voices for the community.
Several articles and opinion pieces this year covered the events surrounding the Crown Event Center in downtown. From the ground breaking, the halting of construction, the ultimate closing down of the project, and a lawsuit, this is one story that won't be left behind in 2025. The Crown Coliseum will see a facelift in the coming years, and the location of the Crown Event Center downtown still exists in limbo.
2025 saw the inclusion of Government Watch, a Greater Fayetteville Chamber sponsored column with writer Jami McLaughlin reporting on Cumberland County and City of Fayetteville governmental meetings.
Speaking of the Chamber, UCW celebrated the Chamber's 1,000 member in our April 2 edition. Publisher Bill Bowman wrote in his Publisher's Pen: "You can't keep a good man down. Or a
great organization!"
"This achievement marks a new era of growth and momentum for the Chamber. It continues to grow and is the leading advocate for businesses and organizations in Fayetteville and the surround municipalities," he wrote.
Continuing in the vein of government and politics, Mayor Mitch Colvin announced in June he wouldn't be running for another term in office. We covered the story in our June 18 edition. Nine other candidates ended up filing for the position, each hoping to make their mark on the city. Colvin reversed course, however, throwing his hat back in the ring at, quite literally, the last possible moment. He ended up winning over other primary election winner, Kathy Keefe Jensen for his fifth term in office. ,
The city did see other changes, however. In our May 7 edition, Jamie Bishop talked about the Fayetteville Area System of Transit working on electric buses for the city, making public transportation more environmentally friendly.
Bishop also covered the county's White Flag Shelters in our Dec. 10 edition. Bishop spoke to Garry Crumpler, who oversees emergency management for the county.
"A White Flag night isn't just about cold weather," Crumpler said. "It's about the reality that some people in our county have nowhere else to go, and we refuse to let winter decide their fate."
Habitat for Humanity was showcased several times this year in UCW, another organization within our community that strives to help those who need it the most. In our Nov. 5 edition, Sheila D. Barker wrote about a local veteran who was on the receiving end of that help. Phyllis McCroskey, a longtime volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and a 12 year army veteran was the receipient of the 2025 Veteran's Build.
"The project focuses on much-needed repairs and improvements to Ms. McCroskey's home, including replacing rotted trim boards and fascia, upgrading electrcial fixtures, performing yard work, painting and repairin gher deck," Barker writes.
Veterans were a focal point of our March 12 edition. The article, written by Jamie Bishop, talks about the Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Luncheon at VFW Post 670. The luncheon was part of a three day celebration to honor those who served in the Vietnam War. This event marked the 50th anniversary of combat troops withdrawing from Vietnam.
Amelia Smith, VFW Post 670 quartermaster and whose father served in Vietnam, said, "I can remember the bitterness my father sometimes expressed about the treatment that he and others in his community received upon their return from Vietnam. This event is so important to everyone at VFW Post 670 and me. It's about giving our Vietnam veterans the recognition they deserved all along."
Another veteran was the focus of a March 12 article I wrote. Private First Class Roland Leon Bragg was honored during a ceremony at Fort Liberty turned Bragg on March 7. Fort Bragg has been named "Bragg" since its inception in 1918. The original Bragg, Braxton Bragg, was a North Carolinian Confederate general. In 2023, Fort Bragg was renamed "Fort Libety," in an attempt to remove the honor of an Army post named after a traitor.
Enter PFC Roland Leon Bragg. The post was renamed in his honor, and his family couldn't have been more thrilled. Diane Watts, Roland Bragg’s daughter who was also at the ceremony, said, “They were looking for a man of good character, and they found my dad.”
Another big event happend on post. Army Community Service celebrated 60 years. In our July 16 edition, Jamie Bishop wrote about the festivities surrounding the milestone anniversary. ACS held a backpack giveaway, games, food and family friendly activities to DoD ID cardholders. Here's to 60 more years for the organization, who are dedicated to helping military families.
In our Aug. 13 edition, we celebrated an exciting event: the return of National Airborne Day at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum. The event had taken a hiatus for a couple of years, but came back in full force. The Golden Knights held a parachute jumping demonstration, riggers from Fort Bragg showed attendees how to pack parachutes, and fuselages used for jump practice were brought for everyone to check out. The event was a celebration of all things airborne.
The morning started with a different celebration, however. The Liberty Tree, a large live Virginia Oak on the ASOM property, was honored with a historical marker plaque. In 1775, 55 men signed the Liberty Point Resolves and carried this important document, a precursor to the Declaration of Independence, to the Liberty Tree. They nailed the Resolves to the tree for all in Fayetteville to see.
In our Aug. 6 edition, we talked about yet another historic event in Fayetteville. On July 25, ground was broken on the NC History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction.
“It will be the first and only museum in North Carolina that focuses on an important part of our history. Important and frankly overlooked at this point in time, and that's Reconstruction. It’s the story of our state putting itself back together after the Civil War,” said Pamela Brewington Cashwell, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
The museum is slated to be open in 2028.
Fayetteville celebrated the return of Lafayette in our Feb. 26 edition. Anna White's article talked about the lasting legacy of the Revolutionary War hero and the imprint he left on the city. The Lafayette Society with the American Friends of Lafayette put on a spectacular three day festival surrounding the historic events of 1825.
Another spectacular event this year happened at Cape Fear Regional Theatre. The season opener of 9-5 the Musical brought down the house. UCW sponsored the show and profiled the production in our Sept. 3 edition written by Katie Herring. UCW's next sponsored production will be CFRT's High School Musical, coming in early 2026.
Cumberland Choral Arts graced. our cover this October with their concert Water Works. This inspired show was new artistic director Maj. Curtis Kinzey's first as director. The show featured songs that all had a water focused theme, and inspiration was taken from folk songs, pop songs and spirituals. The article was written by Emily Sussman.
CCA had several features throughout their season, but the Yuletide Feaste was a reader's favorite. Written by Sheila D. Barker for our Nov. 26 edition, this article highlighted one of the ways Fayetteville could ring in the holiday season.
UCW celebrated a different holiday this season: Burns Night. In our Jan. 15 edition, Sheila D. Barker wrote about this Scottish day.
"Burns Night, or Burns' Supper, is a celebration of the life and poetry of Robert Burns, a revered Scottish poet born on January 25, 1759. The tradition began on July 21, 1801, when Burns' friends gathered at his cottage in Ayrshire to commemorate the fifth anniversary of his death," Barker writes. The Cape Fear Scottish Clans, in an effort to preserve the history and traditions of the Scots who settled in the area, celebrate Burns Night every January.
The list of amazing articles from this season is lengthy, and I haven't been able to get to all of them. Anna White wrote an article in our Jan. 22 edition about Opioid Research happening at FSU in conjunction with the Department of Public Health; Katie Herring wrote about the Fayetteville Ukulele Club's weekly jams as talked about in a Sept. 17 article. Crissy Neville profiled ZZ Top in our March 5 edition. Adam Taylor brought the Cameo Collective to our attention in our Oct. 8 edition, and has been covering all of the goings on at the historic downtown theatre all year.
It has been a privilege and joy to bring such stories to the community, and we all hope to keep doing just that for many more years to come.
On behalf of the staff at Up & Coming Weekly, Happy New Year! Here's to 2026.