Betty A. Green will be enshrined today into the Cumberland County Agricultural Hall of Fame and Paige Smart honored as the 2025 Young Farmer of the Year when the Cumberland County Cooperative Extension and the Kiwanis Club of Fayetteville host Farm City Week at a noon luncheon scheduled at the Honeycutt Recreation Center, 352 Devers St. “We are proud of the accomplishments of Mrs. Green and are pleased to have the opportunity to recognize her contributions to the youth of Cumberland County,” Lisa Benzaquen Childers, director of the Cumberland County Cooperative, said in a news release. “The success of the 4-H program under Mrs. Green’s leadership is the cornerstone of today’s Cumberland County 4-H youth development program.” Betty Green will be the 60th hall of fame inductee.
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Vikki Andrews is the newest member of the Fayetteville Technical Community College board of trustees. “Dr. Andrews’” deep roots in community service and her experience as both a veteran and former community college student bring valuable insight to our mission,” FTCC President Mark Sorrells said in a news release. “We look forward to her contributions as we continue supporting our active-duty service members, veterans and military families.” Andrews, according to the release, was appointed to the board by the Cumberland Board of County Commissioners. A retired Army officer, Andrews succeeds Esther Thompson and will serve a four-year term through June 30, 2029.
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Deborah Shaw has been promoted as assistant county manager for Cumberland County. “Deborah is a trusted leader,” County Manager Clarence Grier said in a news release. “Her collaborative approach and focus on outcomes have helped us deliver balanced budgets and stronger performance systems year after year. I’m confident she’ll continue to serve our community with distinction in this expanded role.” A graduate of N.C. State University, Shaw has worked the past 23 years for county, and more recently as the county’s chief budget and performance officer.
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Kudos to the Fayetteville Rotary Club for its $1,000 donation to the Fayetteville Police Foundation for the purchase of six LED illuminated traffic control signs for traffic control officers working in school zones. “Rotary is dedicated to protecting children and ensuring their safety and well-being,” David Deschamps, the Fayetteville Rotary Club president, said in a news release. “Annually, the Fayetteville Rotary Club funds projects that make our community better and we are happy to support this initiative that invests in the safety of our children and the officers that serve our community.” The Fayetteville Police Department provides more than 60 school zone traffic control officers in the city, according to the release, and the signs will increase the visibility of the traffic control officers on mornings before sunrise.
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“Our preparations will begin in earnest on Sunday with the cooking and packaging of cranberry sauce and gravy, and the cooking of sweet potato casseroles,” says the Rev. Chip Stapleton, senior pastor at Highland Presbyterian Church, which is preparing 2,500 holiday dinners for its Thanksgiving Community Meal for those in need. “Preparations continue throughout the week, with dozens of volunteers helping each day. On Thanksgiving Day, we will start making and putting together the meals at 8 a.m., with our drive-thru open no later than 9 a.m. We do deliver a majority of the meals, but we will serve hundreds through the drive-thru, and anyone that wants to come in to eat is always welcome. As long as we have food, we won’t turn anyone away.” The church is located at 111 Highland Ave. in Haymount, where Stapleton says “it isn’t uncommon for us to have well over 50 volunteers and sometimes closer to 100 on Thanksgiving Day.”
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Be on the lookout for Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future and Tiny Tim as the 26th annual A Dickens Holiday is scheduled from noon-9 p.m. on Nov. 28 along the streets of downtown. And the poignant candlelight procession as twilight fades will touch every Christmas heart. Visit www.adickensholiday.com for more information.
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If you find yourself looking for a good meal or a burger, Kris Johnson says you may wish to head over to Anchor Allie’s at 1204 Bragg Blvd., where Allison Stephens’ restaurant this month will donate 10% of your dining cost to the Fayetteville-Saint-Avold Friendship Alliance in support of Fayetteville’s sister city in Saint-Avold, France. “If you like to eat, and you enjoy a great meal, be sure to visit Anchor Allie’s in November,” says Johnson, who is president of the alliance. Johnson says you will need a voucher for the discount. For a voucher, send email requests to FayNC_SaintAvold@yahoo.com, and Johnson says she will send one to you.
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Dr. Hank Parfitt is calling it a cavalcade of all-star authors. “In all modesty, this might be the best line-up of authors over a four-week period Fayetteville has ever seen,” says Parfitt, who with his wife, Diane, owns City Center Gallery & Books at 112 Hay St. And they’ll all be at the downtown bookstore, according to the good doctor, telling us about their latest works, beginning with Mary Ferguson from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Nov. 22 to discuss Days That Bells Tolled about her experiences as an educator; Marc Leepson touting his new book The Unlikely War Hero: a Vietnam War POW’s Story of Courage and Resilience in the Hanoi Hilton from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. on Nov. 23; and Elliot Engel from 2 p.m.-3 p.m. on Nov. 28 in celebration of downtown’s annual A Dickens Holiday. But wait, there’s more. Former N.C. Poet Laureate Joseph Bathanti is scheduled from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. on Dec. 4 to read and discuss his novella Too Glorious to Even Long for on Certain Days and a volume of poetry Light at the Seam; former Fayetteville attorney and Cape Fear Regional Theatre actor Reggie Barton discussing his newest work, I Never Heard That Before, Local Lore you may have Missed, from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. on Dec. 6; and the bookstore’s Starr Branch, who will be letting us know about her poetry works THE IMPARTATION: A Self-Led, Self-Help Poetry Book and IN THE GARDEN: A personal journey of Love through Poetry from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. on Dec. 13.
Coming Sunday: “My biggest passion was seeing the children do outstanding things.”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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