Those longing to resurrect the 1960s era of flower power and hippies have an outlet for experiencing that this weekend at a local venue.

The Hippie Revival Festival is unfolding for the second year at Miss Angel’s Farm and Orchard near Mount Airy, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to noon Sunday.

“Last year was such a groovy, far-out great experience that we’ve decided to make our 2022 Hippie Revival even better,” says an announcement for the two-day July 23-24 event.

Organizer Angela Shur of the farm launched the festival in 2021 for multiple reasons, including no similar gathering being held elsewhere in the area.

Another involved allowing the public to experience peace and love during turbulent times while also paying homage to the colorful hippie era, with a bit of nostalgia thrown in for those around then.

This will include two bands providing “Woodstock” music; best-dressed hippie/flower child, dance and other contests; face-painting and tie-dyeing; morning yoga; more than 50 hippie and other vendors; a petting zoo and pony rides; jugglers; and a peach pancake breakfast, among additional attractions.

Attendees are invited to take picnic blankets and lawn chairs along with their best flower crowns, paisleys and peace signs, but coolers are discouraged.

There are options to camp on the farm, where food and beverages are to be sold.

Saturday’s admission cost is $10, with overnight camping $50 per tent (which includes yoga). A Sunday breakfast and yoga bundle is available at $15 for adults and $12 for kids, with breakfast alone $10.

A portion of the proceeds will aid local food pantries, including one at Trinity Episcopal Church. Miss Angel’s Farm and Orchard is located at 252 Heart Lane (formerly Quarter Horse Lane), which is west of Mount Airy near Interstate 77, off N.C. 89.

Students’ recent training, quick action save life

In the racing world a good crew helps, and that’s what Frank Fleming was surrounded by when Mount Airy officials green-flagged action to settle a controversy involving the local modified legend.

“I think it’s positive,” Fleming said after the city commissioners voted during a Thursday night meeting to set a public hearing on a proposed amendment to regulations presently prohibiting a tall sign for a $2 million expansion of his body shop.

The stage had been set for this when those officials last met — on June 16 before taking a summer hiatus — greeted by a crowd of supporters who crammed into Council Chambers in favor of a request Fleming made then for such relief.

In the interim, new language was injected into the City of Mount Airy Zoning Ordinance which if approved will exempt rundown property Fleming bought on Merita Street — to improve and expand his longtime shop — from signage height restrictions imposed in 2016.

A similar crowd of well-wishers was on hand Thursday night, but the mood seemed to be more one of joyous support rather than tenseness as was the case before.

This was accompanied by the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners voting to schedule the required public hearing on the proposed amendment for Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. It would permit the re-use of non-conforming sign framework on the property which exceeds a 15-foot limit set in 2016 for new business developments such as that by Fleming, who is relocating his shop from Springs Road.

He has sought to utilize the metal remnants of a signage earlier drawing attention to a Winn-Dixie supermarket formerly located on Merita Street. Supporters of the amendment say such a tall structure will be needed to highlight the new body shop on a site not readily visible from nearby U.S. 52.

It also is viewed as a safety measure to easily guide people to the business and prevent them from possibly missing it and then having to double back via a U-turn in the face of heavy traffic.

The amendment contains added provisions pertaining to the Merita Street property. It says such signs that are set back a minimum of 300 feet and no more than 600 feet from U.S. 52-Bypass, U.S. 601 and Interstate 74 rights of way shall be exempt from other sign rules in the city ordinance.

An earlier attempt by Fleming to have the Mount Airy Zoning Board of Adjustment approve an exception permitting the sign was unsuccessful, and he appealed the case to Surry County Superior Court.

Unlike the June 16 city council meeting, there was little or no mention of the issue Thursday night by Mount Airy officials — and no one addressed it during a public forum, as had been the case last month.

The commissioners approved the scheduling of the public hearing through a consent agenda, in which items are lumped together for a single vote without in-depth discussion.

But Fleming said after leaving the room that he is satisfied with the direction in which council members are taking the matter.

“They’re doing it by the book the way it’s supposed to be done,” he said of the ordinance-change procedure being employed, including next month’s hearing that he hopes will bring a successful resolution.

“We just have to be patient and time will tell.”

Mount Airy Wesleyan Church will be hosting a gospel music concert on Saturday, August 6 at 6 p.m. featuring multiple Dove Award nominees The Sound.

The Sound is a family group made up of gospel music veteran Rob Mills and his two sons, Levi and Jacob. Their distinct, country-pop inspired style has captured the attention and affection of fans around the world. The Sound has performed live for thousands of gospel music enthusiasts and has been viewed by millions on television and via social media.

The group travels thousands of miles every year to share their engaging and eclectic shows full of music, laughter, and testimony. Since their formation in 2019, their short career has been marked by four consecutive chart-topping songs, three Dove nominations, and a feature performance on the 2020 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards. Their latest 2022 album, God Is Real, incorporates elements of Nashville country-pop and worship.

Mount Airy Wesleyan Church is at 2063 South Main Street, Mount Airy. The concert will be held in Mount Airy Wesleyan’s gymnasium/worship center. This is a ticketed event, and persons may purchase tickets at Mayberry Music Center, Charis Christian Books and Gifts, Mount Airy Tractor Company Inc., Toyland, Mayberry Primitives Rustic Décor and Embroidery, and Pages Books and Coffee or by calling 336-442-2991. Tickets will also be available at the door.

Major Larry Lowe will be taking over on August 1 as the chief deputy to Surry County Sheriff Steve C. Hiatt, filling the position being left vacant by a retiring Paul Barker.

“I’m beyond blessed and honored that the sheriff has given me this opportunity. I will work tirelessly to continue the route that’s been set forth before me by the previous chief,” Lowe said this week at Surry County Courthouse in Dobson.

Major Lowe entered law enforcement in 1991 before stepping away in 2010 from full time service, he remained a part time sworn officer and retained his certifications before returning full time in 2016.

Lowe steps into the role being vacated by Barker, who said this week that he thinks 30 years of law enforcement is enough and he is now ready for a “a new chapter in life.”

Barker leaves the sheriff’s office after four years of service having moved over from the Mount Airy Police Department where he started serving in September 1993. He climbed from patrol office through detective and rose to lieutenant over all criminal investigations in 2010.

After 26 years of service to the city Barker said it was an easy decision to make the move “when Sheriff Hiatt came in and asked me to come over and be part of his command staff in 2018.”

As the chief deputy, Lowe explained he will be the second in command to Sheriff Hiatt over a force that “has grown a lot in the last few years.” He will take on a leadership role with the departmental budget and personnel matters as well.

In the latter area he knows the road will be difficult, finding applicants for law enforcement jobs is a struggle. “In today’s time in law enforcement, trying to find personnel is hard, no one wants to be a public servant.”

“We are battling it the same as others, although I do believe we have combated it better than some agencies over the last few years. We are still facing (trouble) though right now, trying to find these folks,” Lowe said.

Knowing the solution to draw new candidates into law enforcement Lowe said is the million-dollar answer. Barker said, “I think it’s a calling that a person has to have to go into any type of public service.”

These problems may be exacerbated by a shift among some Americans toward demonizing law enforcement of all stripes for the actions of some within a system some see as fundamentally broken.

Barker noted, “It’s not only police, it’s fire and rescue, too. A lot of these are volunteers, we are not, they have made a conscious effort to get into emergency services to be a servant to their town or community. I think there has been a falling away in interest in that.”

“I’ve seen in,” Lowe agreed. “Back in high school I was a volunteer firefighter, that was something you wanted to do for the community. It was a desire I had, I’m not sure why more people don’t anymore. Maybe it’s the environment of today’s world.”

Barker notes this is not an issue of a lack of local pride, but it is something happening all over. “The sheriff, Larry, and I are in close contact with our counterparts across the state. Everyone is having problems.”

The Surry County Sheriff’s Office leaders bristled at the notion a shortage of staff may hinder the services they offer or their response time. “One of the good things with the people that are involved in service to others is that heart that they have for it. They pick up the slack. Sometimes you do more with less, but those people who are in it, they are the real heroes in my opinion,” Barker said.

“For all intents and purposes, these men and women could go and make more in the private sector but choose to stay in this line of work for that reason, there is no other reason.”

The leadership took time to discuss the new detention center. Progress is ongoing with Barker reporting curbing and landscaping would be likely move forward in August.

In the interior the last cell was placed in June and finishing work is ongoing. “It’s a large building, so they have to go through and clean it, paint it, etc. We are on course from what I am hearing. The weather is the elephant in the room,” Barker said. Estimates currently have the construction done early in 2023 for an opening in late summer.

“My understanding is that it’s all under a roof and that the insulation project is well underway,” Barker said. “If you go down there from this week to next, it’s leaps and bounds in the differences.”

Sheriff Hiatt said his office plans to still use the intake part of the existing jail structure when the new facility opens, but they have no plans to continue housing inmates there.

“There is a reason we are building a new jail, the reason is it’s outdated,” Barker added. “For today’s times it’s broken up into an odd layout” that is not conducive to effective management nor in line with modern jail design.

In another change to modern tactics, the war on drugs finds the county investigation deaths that occur that are related to the scourge of opioids. Arresting and prosecuting the end users of such drugs will never end the blight but Lowe said “our county is leading the way and trying every option that is possible” to fight back.

Coming off the heels of a 13-month investigation into the overdose death of Melissa “Shannon” Dublin and the arrest of Chris Wayne Mosley on a charge of second-degree murder, the leadership said they would consider asking for more resources to add to opioid death investigations. The county’s substance abuse recovery office and sheriff alike are also looking forward to having space in the new jail for drug counseling and education.

On the radar recently with the county commissioners has been the county’s animal control. Sheriff Hiatt said a brainstorming session was scheduled for Wednesday to have discussion on that very topic. Lowe said, “We are looking to try and enhance what we have. We are doing the very best we can for the animals because ultimately that’s what it’s all about.”

Lowe is ready for the task at hand and yet knows he does not yet know everything. His goal for his tenure is laudable, “To continue to push the sheriff’s office in a professional manner to the highest level we can.”

All signs are pointing to a solution on the horizon regarding a situation whereby a local body shop owner has been barred from using an existing sign for a $2 million expansion of his business in Mount Airy.

This involves a proposed amendment to city zoning regulations, which if approved would set new distance boundaries allowing Frank Fleming to re-face the large sign left behind by the Winn-Dixie supermarket when vacating a site on Merita Street years ago.

Fleming has been denied from utilizing the framework of the former grocery store sign due to updated rules implemented in 2016.

These limit a sign’s height to 15 feet in cases of new business developments such as his, where the existing one is taller — and which Fleming says is needed to draw attention to the new body shop location tucked away off U.S. 52-North.

Construction recently has been occurring at the site where the owner plans to double his staff of about 10 employees at the present shop on Springs Road. He bought the property on Merita Street in a rundown state that is anticipated to be greatly improved through the expansion.

The local businessman, backed by a crowd of supporters, attended the last meeting of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners on June 16 seeking an amendment to the regulations which would permit the sign use.

After hearing spirited pleas for that, city officials announced that the matter would be discussed at their next meeting scheduled today at 6 p.m.

Since the June meeting, an amendment has been devised by city planners to address what are described as non-conforming freestanding signs existing in highway corridors, mirroring the situation involving Fleming.

The added language says such signs that are set back a minimum of 300 feet and no more than 600 feet from U.S. 52-Bypass, U.S. 601 and Interstate 74 rights of way shall be exempt from other sign rules in the city ordinance.

Those pertain to one or more non-conforming signs located on a parcel of land or building whose occupancy or use has been discontinued for two consecutive years, among other provisions. Such signs are to be removed, replaced or otherwise brought into compliance with present standards.

The Mount Airy Planning Board, an advisory group to the commissioners, voted 4-2 in favor of the proposed amendment’s approval on June 27 and now the ball is in their court.

“All we’re going to do Thursday is set a public hearing,” Commissioner Jon Cawley said Tuesday regarding the fact that citizens must be allowed a chance to comment before such an ordinance change occurs. It is scheduled during another meeting of the city board on Aug. 18 at 6 p.m.

Cawley has been highly vocal in his support for Fleming’s sign request and is satisfied the amendment will solve the impasse that has included the businessman appealing the case to Surry County Superior Court.

The North Ward commissioner and 2022 mayoral candidate said he went to the Merita Street site where the expansion is underway and took a measurement with a golfing device to ensure the new language pertained to Fleming’s property.

“When I went out and shot this, I used a golf rangefinder and it was 504 feet from the edge of (U.S.) 52,” Cawley said. That device magnifies a target and shoots a laser beam at it in order to determine a precise distance.

“I didn’t know how we were going to go about it,” Cawley said of providing relief to Fleming which he and other municipal officials expressed support for during the June 16 meeting. “I thought was going to be a variance.”

A variance can be granted to a property owner when his or her planned use of a site deviates from local zoning laws.

Cawley applauded the proposed amendment as a pro-business move.

“We always need to be helping our business owners,” he said, who are often in the best position to know what’s best.

“If he thinks he needs the sign, then he needs the sign.”

• A civil disturbance Tuesday led to a Mount Airy man being charged with breaking and entering, according to city police reports.

Bobby Durelle Robinson, 40, of 401 Hadley St., allegedly took the keys to the residence of Jeffery Lee Frost on Marshall Street from a caretaker, which he entered without permission while the occupants were away and remained inside, police records state. Nothing was listed as stolen from the home.

Robinson is scheduled to appear in Surry District Court on Aug. 8.

• A $40,000 work vehicle was stolen Tuesday from a parking lot on Hay Street, where it had been left unsecured. The 2011 Ford F-350 cutaway van/truck, equipped with an 18-inch box, is owned by D Phillips Enterprises, LLC, with David Wayne Phillips of Summit Drive reporting the theft.

The vehicle, white in color, was bearing license plate number KM8056 when stolen.

• Ethan Bradly Gallimore, 22, listed as homeless, was jailed as a fugitive from justice and on an outstanding order for arrest on June 30, when he was encountered by police at Tlaquepaque Mexican Grill on Rockford Street. Gallimore’s name was found to have been entered into a national crime database due to being wanted in Virginia on an unspecified matter.

The order for arrest had been issued in Surry County, with no other information listed. Gallimore was held in the Surry County Jail under a $5,500 secured bond and is scheduled to be in District Court on Aug. 8.

• Herbert Eugene Burrows, 50, of Walnut Cove, was served with a warrant for a charge of assault on a female after being encountered by city officers during a June 30 drug activity investigation at the Circle K convenience store on Rockford Street.

The assault warrant had been filed in October 2018 through the Surry County Sheriff’s Office with Brianna Hope Ayers of Bourbon Lane as the complainant. The case is slated for Friday’s District Court session.

Jurassic Park will have nothing on Pilot Mountain this weekend.

The famous series of best-selling movies always revolve around the re-emergence of prehistoric dinosaurs, and it is those very creatures which will be let loose on Main Street in Pilot Mountain — or at least animatronic versions of the creatures.

Running the show is Ed Bounds, of Ed’s Dinosaurs Live, who said he is familiar with the area, having done a Dinosaurs on Main Street program in Pilot Mountain in 2019, as well as appearing in the Surry County Agricultural Fair.

Saturday, he and his prehistoric friends will be set up in the parking lot of town hall in Pilot Mountain. While the raptors in the Jurassic Park movies are pretty scary, the ones Bounds will be pulling out Saturday are of a much friendlier nature — though at times they may seem real, with life-like movements and the occasional whimper, cry, or roar, not to mention an amazing ability to talk just like a human.

Bounds, who was volunteering at the North Carolina zoo a decade ago, working with chimpanzees, was recruited to help out with a traveling dinosaur display at the zoo. He didn’t do a lot — essentially held a dinosaur puppet during the show, but once he held that puppet and saw how kids reacted to it, he was hooked.

So he started building his traveling dinosaur show, designing it to be fun for kids, and to be a bit of a cross between Mr. Rogers and the old Captain Kangaroo show, helping to encourage kids while teaching a few understated character lessons.

“The dinosaurs are always pranking me,” he said of how the shows play out.

He also makes a point of involving kids from the audience — “it is always interactive and immersive” he said. “The kids scream and laugh and stand up and dance. I always put a lesson in there, but you don’t really know it, you’re having fun, laughing, we sort of sneak that in there under the radar.”

On Saturday, Bounds said he will be set up in the Pilot Mountain town hall parking lot from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., with two official shows set for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The rest of the time, he said, he and his prehistoric friends will be interacting with the crowd.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun. During the show, a baby dinosaur may very well hatch from an egg.”

Jenny Kindy, the Main Street coordinator for Pilot Mountain, said the show is free for all. In addition to the dinosaur show, she said there will be other kids’ activities, as well as a couple of food trucks and probably vendors selling ice cream and Icees.

The last time Ed’s Live Dinosaurs visited the area was 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic shut downs.

Kindy said she and Events Coordinator Christy Wright were attending a conference together regarding Main Street activities, and were in a vendor show when they saw “A man off in the corner with his dinosaurs.”

That was Bounds, showing off what his animatronic creatures could do.

“Christy said from being a mom, how much her kids like dinasoaurs, that really inspired her,” Kindy said of Wright’s decision to pursue the dinosaur show for the town.

She said she was not sure what to expect from the crowd the first time.

“I was incredibly and pleasantly shocked. It was gangbusters. It was completely filled the whole day,” she said. “Each showing was completely packed, there were so many families walking up and down the sidewalks, going in the stores. It really gave an inviting and friendly atmosphere to downtown.” She said even most of the merchants got into the spirit of the show, selling dinosaur-themed goods, and many are excited for this year’s return of the dinosaurs.

Bounds, too, is hoping many folks will come out Saturday.

“They’re not going to want to miss this,” he said of area residents. “It will be more fun than they’ve had in 65-and-a-half million year.”

The Surry County Board of Commissioners heard Monday night from Teramore Development and the residents of Sheltontown about a rezoning request that would have turned the plot of land at the corner of Westfield Road and Quaker Road into a new Dollar General.

After hearing from both the developer and residents, Commissioner Larry Johnson said as one of the commissioners representing the district that he moved to deny the rezone request for the parcels of land at 2953 Westfield Road. The motion passed unanimously, and the rezoning request was denied.

Representing Teramore, Mike Fox had said they felt the rezoning request was a reasonable one that was within the land use plan. The new Dollar General location he told the board would not be a destination shopping location, but one that would fill the daily needs of the community in which it was to be located.

The Teramore request was for a conditional rezoning, and he made the statement that the developer would be open to making some changes to the plan to make it more palatable. These would be changes to landscaping or buffering but not a change in type of business or any other accommodation that would have addressed the neighbors’ concerns.

Joe Strickland, director of operations for Teramore, told the commissioners that they had opened an eye-popping 500 new Dollar General locations in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida in the past three years.

On his last visit there was some back and forth with the board and Strickland about how many Dollar General locations are in Surry County, this time Strickland was armed with an answer that 18 exist.

Five new locations have been built in Surry County in the past four years making a $10 million economic impact, he said. A sixth new location on Mount View Drive was approved in short order by the commissioners in June. The proposed Westfield/Quaker Road location would have been the seventh new location.

For Monday’s commissioners meeting both the Sheltontown opposition and the developers came armed with the knowledge gained from the planning board meeting last week. The anti-rezone group had been commended by the planning board for their organization and presentation one week prior that yielded a successful motion to deny the rezoning request.

One of the strongest points the opposition made had to do with the economic and tourism impact of the NC Scenic Byway and Bikeway that run through the area along Westfield Road. The developers asked about 14 acres that are zoned for commercial use along the byway pointing to Po-Folks, Moore’s General Store, Hiatt’s grocery, and Kustom Kraft Woodworks as examples that such business exists and does not detract from the byway.

Treva Kirkman rebutted this assertion by pointing out that many of the businesses are closed and/or the owners retired. Commissioner Johnson offered his observation that many of those businesses were family-owned on family-owned land.

Fox reminded the board as he did the planning board that this is decision to be made about land usage, and what is allowed or not based on the land use plan. It is no time for emotions nor is it for the commissioners to “choose winners and losers.”

He went on to say that “family owned is not a zoning condition” and for the planning board or the commissioners to weigh a decision on such flies in the face of the hands of government attitude so many espouse to.

Susan Krepps plays the piano at Shelton Church of Brethren across Quaker Road from the proposed location and disagreed, telling the board, “I am emotional about this, I’ll admit that. We are perfectly capable or driving two miles if we need something that we can’t get at Moore’s or Busy Bee but nine times out of ten you don’t have to.”

It was the need factor that Melissa Hiatt hammered home noting the land use plan allows for rural commercial development on a case-by-case basis if the needs are not already met by a business serving the area. With five locations within five miles the saturation of existing Dollar Generals she felt certainly does the job covering the area.

Commissioner Van Tucker, who said he shops at Dollar General, asked why this area needed another store. Strickland replied that market planning shows them this is an area that can support another location, “I was there, it is a busy area with lots of traffic. We want to capitalize on it.”

Furthermore, Strickland said the new locations have the larger floor plan “could potentially” offer new product offerings such as fresh produce. This statement was seized on by the opposition noting that when Mount View Drive was being proposed to the board Teramore alluded that all future locations would have the expanded fresh options.

Security was a concern the residents listed and Teramore addressed this with an analysis of 911 call data. The analysis was done by Ken Miller, the former police chief of Greensboro who was more recently the chief of police in Greenville, South Carolina, before resigning in 2019 after an ethics investigation that yielded no charges.

Miller told the developers that in his opinion that stores of this sort do not drive crime, and if they do it tends to be property crimes such as shoplifting. Fox added that Moore’s General Store touted the addition of dozens of new security cameras, there would have been no need for such if there was not an element of crime already found in the area.

Sheltontown organizers Heather Moore, of Moore’s General Store, and Melissa Hiatt, had told their group that Teramore would come back armed with rebuttal points, and they were not wrong.

A thorough reading of the county’s land use plan turned out to be the greatest asset the residents had besides the solidarity of purpose they showed in opposition.

Plans for Dollar General growth in Surry County will go on and as was the case for Mount View Drive, not all neighborhoods are going to fight as ferociously as did Sheltontown. The opposition always wanted it made clear that Dollar General was not and is not the enemy, but theirs was a case of “not in my backyard” that the planning board and county commissioners heard unequivocally.

Surry Medical Ministries has moved a big step closer to a new building for the free clinic it operates thanks to an injection of $400,000 in state funds.

Word of that development came earlier this week, hailed as “awesome news” by President Nancy Dixon of the board of directors for the Mount Airy facility where medical services are provided without charge to people lacking health insurance.

Dixon added that she had just learned the $400,000 was included in a state spending plan recently approved during a short session of the N.C. General Assembly.

She mentioned that the money will go toward ongoing capital efforts for the new building to replace Surry Medical Ministries’ present base of operations on Rockford Street, across from Northern Regional Hospital. The clinic, which opened in 1993, is housed in a structure that is about 70 years old, where a lack of space has hampered the growing operation.

Rep. Sarah Stevens of Mount Airy, who serves Surry County in the state Legislature — where she occupies a top leadership position as speaker pro tempore in the House of Representatives — has been a major supporter of the clinic and its mission. This also includes dental services.

“They serve people who have nothing,” Stevens has said of the facility that provides primary medical care to a large number of uninsured patients in Surry County.

Late last year, Stevens was instrumental in securing an earlier allocation of $300,000 in state budget funding for the Surry Medical Ministries clinic that renders services as a non-profit foundation with the help of volunteer health-care professionals.

That appropriation was approved to enable the clinic to become a full-time operation and possibly help provide for the new building, based on previous reports.

This past winter, the clinic’s hours were expanded from a two-days-per-week schedule to four days, in response to its caseload more than doubling after COVID-19 struck. That included an increase to around 5,000 during 2021 alone.

In addition to the state funding, clinic officials have asked the city of Mount Airy for $200,000 in capital support for medical needs of Surry County residents as the operation transitions to a new building to better serve the community. The project cost is listed as $2.7 million in city government documents.

No location for the building has been publicly announced.

Surry Medical Ministries is one of 16 non-profit organizations seeking a total of $2.4 million from federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding awarded to Mount Airy. This far outstripped the sum available for these groups, meaning some tough decisions await city officials on that issue, expected sometime later this year.

Those organizations were invited in January to request a share of the ARPA funding.

Meanwhile, Surry Medical Ministries has been tapped by county government officials to receive a $89,345 grant through an Invest in Surry program.

Dixon, the clinic official, has said realizing the new building will involve “a multi-year proposition that will take the partnerships of everyone in our community to address.”

If it seems that the community theater at the Stokes County Arts Council has been focusing on plays with a little more relevance to North Carolina, that is because the folks there have been doing exactly that since returning from the pandemic closures.

The play opening this weekend also brings a bit of Grammy exposure to local audiences.

“Brother Wolf: An Appalachian Adventure” opens on Friday for a four-show run over the weekend. Under the direction of Laurelyn Dossett, the show features several musical pieces, including the song “Anna Lee,” penned by Dossett and recorded by multiple national artists, including by Levon Helm and Appalachian Road Show. It appears on two of Helm’s Grammy-winning recordings, “Dirt Farmer” and “Ramble at the Ryman.”

“Anna Lee is half death ballad and half lullaby. I wrote it in the carpool line when my daughters were in school. I never expected that little song to go as far as it has,” Dossett said.

The show, a loose retelling of the epic Beowulf, was written by Preston Lane, with music written by Dossett, and debuted 16 years ago in Greensboro before going into national publication.

That was the same team which wrote Bloody Blackbeard, a show that was performed last year at The Arts Place in Danbury.

“We’re going in that direction,” said arts council Executive Director Eddy McGee, in referencing this year’s play and last year’s Bloody Blackbeard. “What we’re trying to do is go in the direction of supporting more North Carolina based stories. For years, we were much like a lot of other arts councils, producing nationally recognized productions. We’re just trying to add a little more home state flavor, if you will.”

He said that is important to the arts center.

“We are looking for North Carolina-based content…it’s not just performance, there is an educational component as well. You’re learning about North Carolina history, you’re preserving history as well. It’s not just performances for performance sake.”

That effort has paid off handsomely thus far. In 2021, McGee said the arts council made the mistake of scheduling just three performances for Bloody Blackbeard.

”They all sold out and we basically had standing room-only at those performances.”

This year, Brother Wolf is set for four shows — 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, along with a 2 p.m. Sunday performance.

“I fight sin with the good book. But I fight hell with a long sharp knife.” Such is the creed of the show’s hero, Brother Wolf, an itinerant mountain preacher.

In addition to Dossett directing, the show will include actors Lee Bodenhamer, Elise Spencer, Ava Smith and five members of the Burgess family of Danbury: Bruce, Emily, Anakin, Django and Zinn. The music will be performed live by Dossett, Andrew Young, Marci Shore and Molly Heath, a fiddle student in the Junior Appalachian Music program. Among the traditional instruments to be used are the fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and guitar.

“Beowulf is one of those classical literature pieces that everyone has heard of, but few of us really know it,” Dossett said. “Brother Wolf is a fun and exciting way into the story, with mountain monsters crawling up out of caves to wreak havoc on the Speerdane family. It’s a story of revenge and forgiveness, themes as old as time but as relevant today as ever,” said Dossett.

Some Stokes County high school seniors study the original Beowulf in class. “Seeing Brother Wolf can really help bring it to life,” she said.

All shows will be at The Arts Place, 502 Main Street in Danbury. For tickets or more information, call 336-593-8159 or visit www.StokesArts.org. Brother Wolf is rated PG-13 for mild language.

DOBSON — The first youth apprentice program for registered nurses in North Carolina has culminated this year in nine local students committing to apprenticeships at Northern Regional Hospital in Mount Airy.

An additional five have signed to continue their employment with Northern Regional Hospital through the Surry-Yadkin Works program at a signing event held at Surry Community College. Ten nursing apprentices signed with Northern Regional Hospital in the program’s inaugural year in 2021.

“The youth apprenticeship program has developed even more amazingly than we could have dreamed,” said Robin Hodgin, senior vice president of Patient Services and chief nursing officer at Northern Regional Hospital. “We have been truly blessed with this group of students, a group that our staff has grown to love and appreciate. We’ve enjoyed seeing their smiling faces each day, not to mention their eagerness to learn new skills. We know these young ladies have very bright futures ahead, and we hope those futures return them to Northern Regional Hospital.”

The apprentices who signed are: Trista Berrier of North Surry High School, Hannah Hall of Starmount High School, Gisell Hernadez Aguilera of Yadkin Early College High School, Brianna Key and Mariela Secundino of Surry Early College High School, Callie Moore and Kate Parks of Surry Central High School, Cristina Seawell of East Surry High School, and Ashlyn Shore of Forbush High School.

Additionally, the following Surry-Yadkin Works pre-apprentices working at Northern Regional Hospital signed with with the hospital as PRN nurses at the event. (“PRN” stands for the Latin phrase “Pro re nata,” meaning “as needed,” and “occasionally”): Kylie Bruner, Hannah Johnston, and Clara Willard of East Surry High School, Ellen Bryant of Surry Central High School, and Natalie Payne of North Surry High School.

“Working at Northern Regional Hospital has not only been an eye-opener for me but has been a wonderful learning and working experience,” said Cristina Seawell. “The staff and especially my mentors on the Labor and Delivery floor, who are now like my family, have been amazing. They are the best teachers and have taught me so much. This must be my most amazing opportunity yet. My choice in pursuing my nursing career has become clearer since being here, and I am excited to continue my journey here, as I know that I will have lots of help and support along the way. I am very thankful.”

This opportunity is a part of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship program and the state’s ApprenticeshipNC program through the N.C. Community College System Office that combines a paid work-based learning experience with classroom academics leading to a national certification. These students will earn free tuition for the associate degree nursing program at a North Carolina community college to become registered nurses.

The students began their paid pre-apprenticeships on Jan. 10 and worked through May 13 as certified nursing assistants and patient care technicians. They received high school or college credit for their employment along with a stipend each month for travel expenses.

“The partnership that Surry-Yadkin Works has established with Northern Regional Hospital is incredibly exciting for our local students as they are connected early in their educational journey to the hospital, so they can explore career paths,” said Crystal Folger-Hawks, program director of Surry-Yadkin Works. “If it’s a good fit, students can continue working at Northern Regional Hospital, while their college education is paid for through the ApprenticeshipNC program. This is a win-win for the business and students, and I’m proud to be a part of this endeavor.”

For more information about Apprenticeships at Northern Regional Hospital, visit wearenorthern.org/careers or email hrhelp@wearenorthern.org.

Surry-Yadkin Works is the first community-based internship program of its kind in North Carolina, officially beginning on Jan. 1, 2021, covering a two-county region.Surry-Yadkin Works is the collaborative effort of four public school systems in Surry and Yadkin counties including Elkin City Schools, Mount Airy City Schools, Surry County Schools, and Yadkin County Schools, as well as Surry Community College. The funding is also a joint effort with commitments from the Surry County and Yadkin County commissioners. An anonymous contributor donated $100,000 prompted by a presentation about the program at an educational summit to help begin the program.

For more information about the Surry-Yadkin Works program, contact Folger-Hawks at 336-401-7820 or folger-hawksc@surry.edu or visit www.surryyadkinworks.org.

With much focus nowadays on space tourism ventures launched by visionaries such as Jeff Bezos, Sir Richard Branson and Elon Musk, local kids got the chance to explore the galaxy without even leaving Mount Airy.

This was courtesy of a summer enrichment program offered by Mount Airy City Schools which has a different theme each week, including a “Reach for the Stars” session that concluded last Thursday allowing youths to learn about space.

The theme for this week is “Under the Sea.”

Mount Airy City Schools bills the different segments of the summer enrichment program as “family engagement sessions” that are geared toward school-age children and parents.

And the beauty of the concept is that they don’t have to travel to some facility on the other side of town to participate.

“We’re bringing it to them,” said Candice Haynes, one of two lead teachers for the summer program along with Ashley Pyles. This occurs using the familiar Blue Bear Bus, which is driven to different locations around town each week, filled with books and other materials to match the different themes.

On Mondays, the bus travels to the Madoc Center, and on Tuesday program organizers set up shop on Granite Road. Fellowship Baptist Church is penciled in on the schedule each Wednesday and the week concludes with a Thursday stopover at Riverside Park.

(Today’s session has been shifted from Granite Road to Riverside Park due to the threat of rain, but will resume at the normal sites on Wednesday.)

The segments run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the different locations. The summer enrichment program began in early June and will end on July 28.

Along with “Reach for the Stars” and “Under the Sea,” the weekly themes have included “Ready Set Grow,” “STEAM into Summer” and “Red, White and Blue,” an appropriate lead-in for the July 4 weekend before the program took a brief break.

The final theme for next week’s session is “Fun Fitness.”

“We give away free books every day,” Haynes said, with breakfast and lunch also provided at no charge to participants.

Additionally, a field trip component is built into the program, including to a facility in Winston-Salem.

Along with providing fun activities for children and families, the summer enrichment effort reflects an ulterior motive of sorts: avoiding what educators refer to as “summer slide.”

That is the tendency among some students to lose academic gains they achieved during the previous school session — forcing them to play catch-up when the next term begins.

The different themes of the enrichment program each week are designed to keep the kids’ minds engaged and focused on learning.

“These are activities they’re not going to go out and do in the summertime (otherwise),” Haynes said.

Last week during the “Reach for the Stars” session, for example, participants developed Mars Rover models; worked with Legos figures; learned about the different phases of the moon and its orbit around Earth using cookies; and enjoyed hands-on time with “slime,” reminiscent of experiments undertaken with that substance in 2020 aboard the International Space Station.

The Nickelodeon television network provided the slime that has become an iconic feature of the network which is dumped on people’s heads during game shows in acts of either celebration or humiliation — which most consider a privilege overall.

Simulated slime also covered the endzone after every touchdown during a special Nickelodeon telecast of the San Francisco 49ers-Dallas Cowboys playoff game in January.

A humble mixture of vanilla pudding, applesauce, green food coloring and a little oatmeal, the slime was used by International Space Station crew members to test how the unique fluid reacted in microgravity.

Nickelodeon also created a teacher’s guide on the experiments conducted to stimulate young students.

Slime was in plentiful supply at the Madoc Center along with LEGO pieces students worked with, coinciding with another endeavor in which 26 LEGO figures were transported to the International Space Station as part of a special mission.

This week’s “Under the Sea” theme is being accompanied by activities showing the dangers of plastic to marine life, an oil slick experiment and more.

Yet aside from the educational components involved with the Blue Bear Bus summer enrichment program is the opportunity for socializing which it provides.

“Definitely, the interactions, especially with my daughter,” parent Vasso Iliopoulos said of the benefits for her two children, the daughter who is 4 and a 10-year-old son. They have been able to meet many other people during the Madoc Center gatherings that they regularly attend.

Iliopoulos also praised the program for its offering of unique activities that typically would not be available to her children during the summer — “things they don’t get exposed to at home.”

• A vehicle was stolen Saturday in Mount Airy by two suspects, according to city police reports.

The theft occurred at Quality Mart on Holly Springs Road, where the 2008 Kia Spectra was taken from the parking lot of the business.

Billy Hassell Tilley of King was identified as the owner of the car, which is white in color and was bearing license tag number TJL8448. It is valued at $3,000.

• Ronald Lee Carter, 57, of 189 Eleanor Ave., was arrested Saturday on a charge of resisting, delaying or obstructing a public officer after an incident at Dollar General on North Renfro Street.

Carter was encountered by officers responding to a shoplifting call at the store and fled on foot upon being pointed out by the manager as the suspect during the larceny investigation, police records state.

He was placed under arrest on Oak Street near Junction Street after a short foot chase, but only the resisting charge is listed in those records. Carter was held in the Surry County Jail under a $500 secured bond and slated for an Aug. 8 appearance in District Court.

• Nathanial Brendon Lee, 20, of 328 Wallace Creed Road, was jailed on a felony drug charge on July 9 after a traffic stop in the 500 block of North Main Street.

During that encounter, Lee allegedly was found in possession of an unspecified drug, leading to him being accused of possession of a Schedule II controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Lee was confined in the Surry County Jail under a $2,500 secured bond. He was scheduled to appear in District Court Monday.

The Surry Arts Players will be performing Music Man directed by Tyler Matanick this weekend. There will be Friday and Saturday July 22-23 performances at 7:30 p.m. and a Sunday performance at 3 p.m. at the Andy Griffith Playhouse.

The Music Man follows fast-talking traveling salesman, Harold Hill, as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band that he vows to organize – this, despite the fact that he doesn’t know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian, the librarian, who transforms him into a respectable citizen by curtain’s fall.

The production stars David Timm as Harold Hill, Katelyn Gomez as Marian Paroo, Hollie Heller as Mrs. Paroo, Quintin Zemon as Winthrop Paroo, Chloe Lawson as Amaryllis, David Nielsen as Mayor George Shinn, Jane Tesh as Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn, LillyRuth Beck as Zaneeta Shinn, Noelle Snow as Gracie Shinn, Scott Carpenter as Marcellus Washburn, Walker York as Tommy Djilas, Robert Parks as Jacey Squires, Greg Matthews as Ewart Dunlop, Tom McCluskey as Oliver Hix, Will Banfield as Olin Britt, Judy Beamer as Alma Hix, Lori Hawkins-Beck as Maud Dunlop, Julia-Ann Banfield as Ethel Toffelmier, Ashley Mills as Mrs. Squires, RJ Heller as Charlie Cowell, Allie Pell as Constable Locke, Hailey Nichols and Tess Ramey as Pick-a-Little Ladies.

Additional cast includes Kinston Nichols as the train conductor; Devin Poindexter as a farmer; Raegan Amos as the farmer’s wife; Charlotte Banfield, Madeline Caudill, Paisley Chilton, Ava Chrismon, Reese Cox, Remi DeVore, Catherine Douglas, Molly Easter, Atticus Hawks, Prim Hawks, Hannah Hiatt, Charlie Johnson, Cassidy Mills, Brooke Nichols, Sierra Nichols, Zoey Rumsey, Charlotte Sheets, Abby Smithson, Maggie Wallace, Claire Youell, and Maddie Youell as the ensemble.

Serving on the production crew is Director/Choreographer Tyler Matanick; Music Director Darrell Beck; Stage Manager Abby Brady; Dance Captain Cassidy Mills; Assistant Director Madeline Matanick; Technical Director Tyler Matanick; Sound Engineer David Brown; Light Board Operator Patrick McDaniel; Costumes Lori Hawkins Beck, Tess Ramey, and Abby Brady; Set Building David Brow and Tyler Matanick; Conductor Darrell Beck; Piano Adam Rudisill; Keys 2 Wilson Smith; Trumpet Allen Nichols; Flute Linda Twedell; Bassoon Sherri Collins; Saxophone/Clarinet Bobby Heller; Percussion Brady Reed; and Stage Crew Brody Sheets and Kori Hawks. Instruments were provided by Olde Mill Music.

Performances are on Friday, July 22 and Saturday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 24 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20. Tickets are available online at www.surryarts.org, via phone at 336-786-7998, or at the Surry Arts Council office at 218 Rockford Street. Tickets will also be available at the box office one hour before each show if available. For additional information, contact Marianna Juliana at 336-786-7998 or marianna@surryarts.org. This show is funded in part by a Grassroots Grant from the North Carolina Arts Council along with the Diane Holcomb Endowment.

While some “new business” has emerged with the recent collapse of the Main-Oak Building, Mount Airy officials’ attention also has been focused on a bit of “old business” surrounding three dilapidated structures elsewhere in town.

These include the former Koozies/Quality Mills located at 455 Franklin St; the old Mittman body shop at 109 S. South St.; and what is referred to in municipal documents as the “red building” at 600 W. Pine St. beside Worth Honda.

All three have been declared unfit for human occupancy by the city building codes officer and on Feb. 17 the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners took action giving the separate owners of the sites 90 days to repair or demolish the structures.

With that deadline having come and gone in May, the three are still standing, but Mayor Ron Niland says some movement has occurred with two of the three locations.

The days could be numbered for the third, the so-called Koozies building, the name of a private club once operating there, which has been especially problematic — included two fires in recent months linked to homeless occupancy. Its owner is listed as an entity in Oklahoma.

During an interview last week, the mayor reported on the present status for the trio of structures, having just spoken with City Manager Stan Farmer regarding the situation.

Niland said that the red building on West Pine is in the process of being sold to a buyer who knows the structure needs to be razed and reportedly is willing to do this. The mayor did not know the identity of the supposed purchaser.

Meanwhile, the former Mittman Paint and Body Shop on South South Street was auctioned in April to J&E Properties of North Carolina based on Park Drive, which includes a business called Ultimate Towing and Recovery.

The mayor said it is his understanding that the new owner bought the site with the intention of bringing the dilapidated structure up to code for reuse.

That leaves only the Koozies building, which at last report was said to be in limbo after an auction attempt in late April.

After making a high bid of $165,000, an unnamed New York party backed out, reportedly upon learning of the demolition mandate after initially being unaware of this.

Mayor Niland indicated that the Koozies property remains unsettled — a situation municipal officials are poised to rectify shortly.

He said the plan includes going back to the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners at some point in the next 30 to 60 days for “a decision on how to proceed going forward.”

“It’s going to have to come down sooner rather than later,” Niland added concerning the Koozies facility.

“That’s got some of the same issues as the building downtown,” he said of the Main-Oak one, which collapsed on July 5. The Koozies structure also contains a wall in danger of falling, the mayor mentioned.

Under the city’s action in February, the owner’s failure to act by the May 18 deadline included giving the commissioners authority to direct the codes officer to facilitate demolition.

The price tag for that has been put at hundreds of thousands of dollars. The municipality could then seize the property to help offset the cost.

Surry County announced the appointment of Laura Neely as the county’s new finance officer. Neely will be filling that role on Sept. 1, following the retirement of Rhonda Nixon, who after a career spanning 25 years of public service is ready to pass the baton.

Neely has been employed with the Town of Dobson since 2012, serving initially as finance officer and most recently as town manager. “During my time as town manager, I gained invaluable skills and insights into working with boards and elected officials, project management, budgeting, leadership, and effective communication,” she said.

“I learned lessons from each accomplishment and mistake made while in this role. My time also solidified my love of working in the public service sector and opened my eyes to all of the amazing individuals who work daily to make Surry County a great place to live and work.”

A graduate of North Wilkes High School she earned a Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro followed by a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

She is also a graduate of the Municipal/County Administration course at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Government.

The Dobson board of commissioners met in closed session Monday, July 11, to discuss the search for a new town manager. Neely said, “Their plan is to appoint a temporary internal interim town manager at the July 28 meeting so business can continue as usual until another interim town manager is appointed.”

This will not be her first transition as a public servant. She said the last job change was made easy, “Moving from finance officer to town manager while at Dobson was a relatively smooth transition because of the mentor I had in previous Town Manager Josh Smith.”

“I felt prepared to take on the challenge and already had a good relationship with the staff and town board. My staff and board were extremely supportive during that transition and were always quick to lend a helping hand or a listening ear if needed.”

She said, “I am excited to begin a new chapter in my career at the county of Surry. This role will allow me to continue to serve the great citizens of Dobson and all of Surry County in a new capacity while presenting new challenges. Finance is my background, and I am eager to dive back in as finance officer. I feel very honored to have been selected for this role.”

“I would like to thank each and every employee, the mayor, and commissioners for their continuous support during my time with the Town of Dobson. I am so proud of our small town and the great strides we have made during my time,” Neely said.

Misty Marion currently serves a dual role for Dobson as finance officer, Neely’s job prior to town manager, and as assistant town manager. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Laura for many years. While I will miss her greatly, I know that she will be an invaluable member of the team at Surry County. I wish her the best of luck as she moves on to this net chapter in her career.”

“I am very excited to have Laura join our Surry County team,” Assistant County Manager Sandy Snow said of Neely’s move to join the county. “I am confident she will be a great asset to the county. Her finance background and public sector experience will serve her well in her new role.”

Surry County Manager Chris Knopf added, “I would like to congratulate Laura on her appointment as finance officer. I’ve had the pleasure to work cooperatively with Laura for a number of years and look forward to her joining our team here at Surry County.”

Neely says it is a bittersweet transition, but her neighbors in Dobson are being left in good hands, “The staff and board of commissioners that I leave behind are outstanding and truly desire to always do what is best for this wonderful town.”

The Board of County Commissioners made an allocation of $2.1 million within the Invest in Surry program for qualifying grants to local non-profit organizations earlier this year. At last week’s meeting of the commissioners, County Manager Chris Knopf released the details on the decisions on disbursement to area non-profits.

County staff compiled the applications from those that were submitted throughout late winter and into spring and reviewed them for compliance against the stated goals of the programs.

Applications had to meet a two-part test by the county’s Finance Committee to determine is the activity had a reasonable connection to a legitimate aim of the government. Also, the application had to prove that the program was for the public’s gain and “not that of an individual or private entity.”

Other restrictions were placed as well such as one that stated that organizations who had received other pandemic relief from the CARES Act or American Rescue Plan Act were not eligible. The size of the nonprofit was considered as there is an “assumption that larger organizations have more diverse funding and support options, and that this program’s support should be reserved for smaller non-profits in the county.”

All restrictions presented exemptions for those groups “directly dedicated to COVID patient care,” the application materials read.

In the end there were 37 applications received requesting a total of $4,722,260.45 against the $2.1 million amount allocated; so, some applications had to be weeded out.

Surry County used a variety of methods to base the decision making process on reducing the number of applications for non-profit grants so that the greatest number of organizations as possible.

An application for one of the nonprofit grants could not exceed 50% of the organization’s annual operational budget. Knopf’s office noted that applications were received from groups who exceeded that threshold amount and were therefore disqualified.

Other ways to whittle down the applicants was to set some restrictions on what the grant monies may be used for. “Funding could not be used for salaries, benefits, etc. because there was no guarantee with these types of expenditures that a tangible outcome would remain,” the county said.

Organizations who are awarded an Invest in Surry nonprofit grant will receive 50% of the awarded funding in August and the remainder in February. The county’s finance office will track the spending of funds awarded and will require reports be submitted on a regular basis to monitor compliance.

The nonprofits sharing the $2.1 million in grants through the Invest in Surry program are:

– Greater Mount Airy Habitat for Humanity $ 113,000

– Mount Airy Junior Women’s Club $25,000

– United Fund of Surry County $59,205

– Children’s Center of NWNC $100,000

– Surry County Schools Educational Foundation $25,000

– Helping Hands of Surry County $100,000

The Blackmon Amphitheatre will have a full schedule of music this weekend. Liquid Pleasure will play Thursday night. The Magnificents will take the stage on Friday night and Part Time Party Time Band will perform on Saturday night. All three shows will be at 7:30 pm.

Liquid Pleasure is a Chapel Hill based party band that plays everything from Top 40, rap, rock, and a variety of other genres. After more than two decades of bringing audiences to their feet, the band Liquid Pleasure has become a multi-cultural icon.

With no album high on the charts to boost them, Liquid Pleasure is a marketing phenomenon, generating buzz and full venues through word-of-mouth only. Liquid Pleasure brings fun and excitement to the stage.

The Magnificents Band has a wealth of live playing experience in varied styles of music, including classic soul, beach, Motown, Top 40, and dance hits.

Not just a beach music band, the Part Time Party Time Band plays a host of Motown, soul, ’60s, ’70s, and timeless classics. The band will even slide in a funk or country song to keep the dance floor full. No sequencers, synthesizers, drum machines, or backing tracks are allowed. These are real musicians playing real music with heartfelt passion.

Each concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Admission to each show is $15 or a Surry Arts Council Annual Pass. Children 12 and younger are admitted free with an adult admission or Annual Pass. The Dairy Center, Whit’s Custard, and Thirsty Souls Community Brewing will be at the concerts to provide food, snacks, drinks, beer, and wine for purchase. No outside alcohol or coolers are allowed to be brought into the Amphitheatre area. Those attending are asked to bring a lounge chair or blanket to sit on.

Tickets are available online at www.surryarts.org, via phone at 336-786-7998, or at the Surry Arts Council office at 218 Rockford Street. For additional information, contact Marianna Juliana at 336-786-7998 or marianna@surryarts.org

For years, residents in and around Pilot Mountain have enjoyed using the Edward M. Armfield Senior Civic and Recreation Center.

The facility, built specifically to serve Pilot Mountain as a community center, fitness and workout facility, among other uses, has been owned and operated by a non-profit private foundation.

That may be changing soon — though members and local residents should not worry about the prospective new owner.

That would be the Town of Pilot Mountain.

Mayor Even Cockerham recently said the town staff and commissioners have been in discussions with the foundation’s board about the concept.

“We’ve always kind of thought this might be something we need to do,” the mayor said. He said being owned by a municipal government, as part of a parks and recreation department, would give the center some advantages over being owned by the non-profit foundation.

Among those would be a host of grant opportunities not now available to the center.

Funding has been a problem, at times, for the center, although Cockerham said the membership of the center and volunteers have done an amazing job over the years of fundraising to handle needed repairs and upkeep. Volunteer work there at times has saved tens of thousands of dollars on some projects, the mayor said.

Still, the expensive process of resurfacing the pool every 20 years, periodically replacing the HVAC system, the roof, and other major projects “have been a little bit of a struggle.”

He said the center has also been hit by the coronavirus pandemic — being forced to close for many months under state orders that shuttered all gyms and workout centers across the state in 2020. Even after the gym and other facilities there reopened, some individuals opted to cancel their memberships rather than comply with state mask mandates that were in effect at different times.

“Membership has rebounded some, from what I understand, but I don’t think they’ve rebounded to pre-pandemic numbers just yet. To their credit, between volunteer work and staff going the extra mile, they have been, for the most part, a break-even operation, but it’s those long-term expenses” the are challenging.

Cockerham said the facility is vital to Pilot Mountain and Surry County. In addition to a weight room, walking track and basketball court, it is also the town’s senior center where the Meals on Wheels program operates. Additionally, the mayor said several county schools, including East Surry High School, use the indoor pool for swim meets.

“The main thing we want to make sure going forward is working with the county and with the school system to maintain the building properly and set aside funds for capital needs.”

The town has applied for a $300,000 Rural Transformation Grant from the North Carolina Department of Commerce to use for the purchase. He said buying the center for that cost would essentially wipe out all of the center’s debt.

At present, he said a lot of “due diligence” is underway, including commercial building inspectors looking over the facility and grounds, and developing a capital improvement plan for the community center.

Should the process conclude with the town’s purchase of the property, Cockerham said details of how it would operate have yet to be worked out.

“Right now we’re exploring our options how best to manage the facility. The employees there would stay on as town employees, or as employees of the Armfield Center under the town’s umbrella. We won’t make any major changes.”

He also is not sure if town residents would get a break on membership fees while out-of-town members would pay more, although such an arrangement is a possibility, he said.

“The memberships there are really affordable, I’m a member of Armfield myself,” he said.

Attempts to reach officials at the Armfield Center were not successful. It is unclear how many individuals are employed there — Leah Tunstall is listed as director and Geneva Cheek as assistant director. Overall 20 people are listed on the website as employees, though it is not clear how many are fulltime, part-time, or temporary seasonal staff.

Cockerham said it’s not yet a done deal, but he is hopeful the town will learn this year what it will be able to do and get started.

“We’re still working out details when those funds will actually be available to us, timeline on when the town will take over. The staff and volunteers there have really gone above and beyond…We want to make sure anything we do respects what they’ve done to get us to this point. We hope we can be part of Armfield Center’s future, make sure it can continue to operate and be a successful asset to our town.”

SALISBURY – Food Lion recently said nearly 300 of its associates will be celebrating 30 or more years of service with the company including five long-term associates from stores in the Mount Airy area.

“Recognizing associates who have shared their gifts and talents with Food Lion and nourished their neighbors for decades is incredibly important to us,” said Meg Ham, president, Food Lion. “These dedicated associates have touched the lives of their fellow associates and customers alike. We are so fortunate to have such committed associates and I so appreciate the care, compassion and commitment they share with Food Lion and the towns and cities they serve.”

Food Lion recognizes these associates celebrating 30, 35, 40, and 45 years of service with the Years of Service Award. Each year, the omnichannel retailer holds a recognition event to share appreciation and gratitude for associates who have achieved these service milestones. At the Years of Service Awards event, each associate’s name, position, location and service milestone are read aloud and celebrated.

Locally, those recognized for 30 years of service include Pricing Coordinator Mary Fultz, Produce Sales Manager James Haymore, and Evening Manager Jason McGee.

Those recognized for 35 years of service include Perishable Associate Billy Meyers and Store Manager Chad Hiatt.

Food Lion, based in Salisbury has more than 1,100 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 82,000 associates companywide.

Mount Airy City Schools recently announced several administrative changes for school and district positions.

Among those is Andy Mehaffey joinging the school system as finance director. He graduated from Johnson & Wales University in 2005 and from Wake Forest University with his master of business administration in 2010. Mehaffey comes with a variety of financial experiences Most recently, he has worked as finance director for Graylyn Estate at Wake Forest University. Mehaffey replaces Audra Chilton and began his role in late June.

“We are pleased and excited to have Andy Mehaffey on our team,” said Superintendent Dr. Kim Morrison. “He has a wealth of experience and visionary thinking that will contribute greatly to our financial success. After extensive interviews of many capable candidates, Andy rose above those to win the top spot. We are glad to welcome him to the Mount Airy City Schools family.”

Shannon Collins joins the school system’s finance team as finance specialist. She earned her BBA in Business administration from Campbell University and graduated from The North Carolina Association of School Business Officials Academy. She brings more than 21 years of experience in accounting, school business, and education with her. She began her role in late June.

“Shannon Collins has an extensive background in school finance and will be a tremendous asset to our finance team,” said Dr. Morrison. “She has been a leader for many years and will help us navigate the changing waters of North Carolina school finance. We welcome Shannon to the Mount Airy City Schools family.”

Nora Santillan has been named assistant director of innovative programming and world language. She will continue to oversee Language Leaders, the district’s dual language immersion program, as well as other programs with Innovative Programming Director Penny Willard.

Santillan earned her bachelor of arts in test of English as a foreign language from Instituto Neuquino del Profesorado de Inglés in Argentina and her master of arts in teaching English to speakers of other languages from Greensboro College. Most recently she earned her M. Ed. degree in education leadership and her N.C. School Administrator: Principal K-12 license. She began her role on July 1.

“We are excited to have Nora join the Mount Airy City Schools Innovation Team to support many of our pivotal program areas,” Willard said. “She has already established many positive relationships with our families and community partners and this is essential to our continued work. Nora’s skill set paired with this new role will allow her to lead, innovate, and serve at a greater capacity.”

Melanie Sparks has been named as Mount Airy Middle School’s assistant principal. She graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor of science degree in secondary mathematics education in 2001 and with a master of school administration in 2015. She has worked as a high school math teacher and most recently an exceptional children’s teacher. She is a National Board Certified teacher who brings more than 20 years of teaching experience to her new role. She will begin on August 1.

“We are excited and looking forward to Mrs. Melanie Sparks joining our family at Mount Airy Middle School,” said Principal Levi Goins. “Her wealth of experience and background will serve our students and community well. Mrs. Sparks’ desire to connect with students and staff will allow her to have a lasting impact on our school.”

DOBSON — Many Surry Community College programs were recognized for 100% pass rates for first-time state licensure examinations during the spring 2022 faculty/staff meeting.

The N.C. Criminal Justice Standards Division announced the 2021 results of the Standards Examination for SCC Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) students. Students in the BLET evening program achieved a passing rate of 100% for first-time test takers.

The Detention Officer Training Program students have also achieved a 100% pass rate for first-time test takers on the State of N.C. Criminal Justice Standards Division Examination for the fifth consecutive year.

The Basic LIDAR Operator Certification students also achieved a 100% pass rate on the N.C. Criminal Justice Standards Division Speed Measurement Instrument Examination.

BLET Director Jim McHone was presented with three resolutions for these achievements from the SCC Board of Trustees by SCC President Dr. Shockley at the meeting.

The N.C. Board of Cosmetic Arts announced the 2021 Cosmetology State Board Results for SCC. The SCC Cosmetology program students have achieved a passing rate of 100% for first-time test takers on the cosmetology licensure exam for the second consecutive year.

Lead Cosmetology Instructor Robin Minton accepted a resolution from the SCC Board of Trustees on behalf of the cosmetology faculty.

Phi Theta Kappa Co-Advisor Dr. Kathleen Fowler was recognized for leading the chapter to achieve state, regional, national and international recognitions during the 2021-2022 school year.

Fowler received the Paragon Award for New Advisors from the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, consisting of 1,300 chapters. She also received the PTK Carolinas Horizon Award. Other recognitions earned by the chapter include: three International Hallmark Trophies for 2020, four International Hallmark Trophies for 2022, six Regional Trophies including the 2022 Most Distinguished Chapter, Distinguished Theme Award for Honors in Action, Distinguished Honors in Action Project, Distinguished Chapter and seventh finalist for Most Distinguished Chapter of 1,300 Chapters.

Fowler was presented with a resolution from the SCC Board of Trustees for PTK’s honors.

Other programs and individuals were recognized for their work.

The NC Department of Public Instruction announced that for the academic year of 2020-2021, Surry Early College High School of Design had a 100% graduation rate, surpassing the state average of 87$. The school also received the recognition and honor of being named a Signature School of the Piedmont.

The NC Department of Public Instruction announced that for the academic year of 2020-2021, Yadkin Early College High School had a 100% graduation rate, surpassing the state average of 87%.

Surry Cellars, the college’s viticulture and enology program winery, continually receives awards at local, state, national and international competitions. Since 2009, Surry Cellars has received 96 wine awards – 42 medals in North Carolina, 18 nationally and 18 internationally. In 2021, Surry Cellars won Best Sparkling for their Traminette Pet-Nat from NC Fine Wines for the fourth consecutive year.

Surry Community College has been named a Military Friendly School for 2022-2023 and has been recognized as “Military Friendly” for the eleventh year.

• A Dobson man has been arrested for allegedly discharging a firearm at a Mount Airy nightclub, according to city police reports.

Francisco Rayo Ocampo, 35, of 109 Mexico Way, was encountered by officers last Saturday during a shots-fired investigation at Cumbia Mix on West Pine Street. He was found to have fired multiple rounds from a handgun at that location, arrest records state.

Ocampo was charged with discharging a firearm in the city limits and held in the Surry County Jail under a $300 secured bond. He is facing an Aug. 1 appearance in District Court.

• Melissa Ann Sheets, 45, listed as homeless, was charged with second-degree trespassing Monday during the investigation of a suspicious person at a residence on East Bluemont Road. It revealed that Sheets was trespassing due to being banned from that location on June 29 by a city officer.

The case is slated for the Aug. 29 session of Surry District Court.

• Cash and credit cards were stolen from a local medical facility on June 28, when the wallet of Earl Ray Marshall of Woodland Drive in Elkin was taken from Northern Wellness and Fitness Center on North Pointe Boulevard.

In addition to the brown tri-fold wallet, the loss involved an undisclosed sum of money; two credit cards, including one issued by Capital One; Dell, Amazon and Belk charge cards; a Social Security card; and a driver’s license.

• William Michael Judd, 26, of 218 W. Lebanon St., was charged with driving while impaired on June 30 after officers investigated a single-vehicle collision involving a 2013 Honda NCH50 scooter he was operating.

Police records do not list the location of the incident. Judd is scheduled to be in District Court on Aug. 8.

Last weekend on Riverside Drive in Mount Airy, a plume of smoke was rising from a small grill in front of the S&S Salon next to the DMV tag office.

The cookout and clothing distribution event were the second such that Bruised Not Broken, and Rhonda Baylor, put together. “We had a nice turnout, compared to the first one this was more. We’ll grow it. We had a whole lot, but we only have two buckets of clothes left,” she said gesturing to two large plastic totes filled with gently used clothing.

Baylor is having these events to give back to those in need. She faced struggles in her life, now she wants to be in the corner of those who may not have anyone. She has husband Keith nearby for the cookout. “I support my wife in any way I can,” he said.

More than just standing by his wife, he sees ways that he can share his knowledge and experience too. He said it means a lot to him, and to those who the Baylor’s help, to be doing good. “It means a lot. Sometimes they can look at me, some of them know my story or have heard me give testimony. With some I already know what they are thinking.

“What he is doing – I already done it,” Keith Baylor said, “He’s just doing it different.” The means and methods may have changed, but he sees a similarity in the way he lived his life for so many years, “I did it Keith’s way for all my teens, twenties, and thirties.”

“Some of the youngsters know my story and to watch me change and help others, it may touch their heart to do the same because that’s not what’s happening out there. All those bads I try to make good, but I can’t do it without Him,” he said, pointing to the skies.

The hamburger was made fresh to order, juicy right off the grill from Sister Rucker. She held court while cooking burgers and hot dogs for those who stopped by, stopping to count the remaining patties to report the headcount. Bruised Not Broken served nearly 50 burgers and three packages of hot dogs. An elderly gentleman pulled up and stepped out of his pickup, not known to the Baylors or Sister Rucker but the latter welcomed him warmly and insisted he take two burgers.

Shania Cornigans was inside doing hair at S&S Salon while the event was ongoing, she also bought the meat for the grill. She is more than happy to offer ongoing support to the cause, “What (Rhonda) is doing is a good cause, there are a lot of homeless people around here and kids that are in need, families that are in need.”

“I just feel like it’s a blessing that God put that on her heart. I wish more people would get involved so it could become something big. I encourage people to come out, make donations, purchase clothing and bring it – this can be a big community.”

“A lot of people don’t realize how many people are in need,” she said. “I see it all the time, families don’t have. We have people not working around here and the need things, need food, especially the kids. I just hope everyone can come together and make it bigger, grow it.”

“Thank you so much and God bless y’all again,” a local mother said as she was leaving the event before heading to see wrestling later in the day at Veterans Park.

Baylor said the majority of those who came to the event to get something to eat, or clothes, were strangers to her. “Some were, not all of them. I asked how they heard about it they said the newspaper and one lady said she overheard someone at Circle K.”

“Ha! That we me,” Rucker shot back from over the grill also offering a suggestion for some pulled BBQ at the next event.

Cornigans and her mother, Rucker, both said S&S Salon will continue to host these events “They can have it here,” Cornigans said because there will still be a need. She suggested, “You don’t have to donate money. Shoes, clothes, if you’re in your closet and think ‘I don’t need this anymore’ just bring it down to help someone else.”

Rhonda Baylor has a calling to serve, and she wants to do more but has found that getting the clothes to Surry County in her current car is not the best solution. “I need a van because I go back and forth the Statesville to get the clothes. What I need is a van so I’m going to sell my Cadillac and buy a van to get these clothes.”

“I love that car, and I haven’t had it long, maybe six months, but I can’t put everything in there. I said, ‘I need a van Lord’ and it came to me to sell the car.”

She said she first came to Surry County with the clothes in a garbage bag and a busted black and white television. Years later she and Keith are together owners of a Habitat home and are finding ways to feed, clothe, and share their experience with those who may benefit from it. Be on the lookout for a Bruised Not Broken event again in August, Baylor said.

After more than eight years and almost as many pitfalls, the redevelopment of the former Spencer’s textile mill property in downtown Mount Airy is reaping dividends, local citizens learned during a meeting Friday.

This included a before-and-after comparison by Randy Collins of the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce, who mentioned turbulence encountered soon after the city government acquired the sprawling, dormant industrial site in May 2014.

“The battle was going pretty hard at that time,” Collins said in recounting citizen unrest that peaked in 2015 over the public dollars being spent toward rejuvenating it and eminent domain concerns about neighboring properties initially included in the redevelopment area.

“And what we’ve done in seven years has been nothing short of miraculous,” the chamber president and CEO added regarding a partnership with the city and county governments, local groups and volunteers which has made good things happen.

Collins was speaking during the latest edition of a Lunch and Learn series sponsored by the chamber that allows its members and others in the community to stay abreast of important issues.

The topic of Friday’s luncheon event at Cross Creek Country Club — attended by about 100 people — was a downtown economic-development update in which the featured speaker was Main Street Coordinator Lizzie Morrison of the group Mount Airy Downtown Inc.

It has been a key player in the redevelopment effort since Mount Airy bought the old Spencer’s complex dating to 1888, which included 22 buildings and 10 acres when acquired about seven years after children’s-apparel manufacturing ceased there.

Using a PowerPoint presentation, Morrison detailed the progress that has occurred so far, including a Phase One segment focused on downtown residential growth as evidenced by the development of loft condominiums and apartments on former Spencer’s property.

Phase Two is underway, including a hotel, identified as a Marriott Tribute facility, and market center elsewhere on the site, with the hotel scheduled to be open in the spring of 2025.

Planning efforts now are focused on a Phase Three project to add a conference center in a 50,000-square-foot space at what’s known as The Cube property and an adjacent visitor center.

City officials learned this week that a $2 million state grant had been awarded for site-preparation work in The Cube area.

Upon reaching fruition, the overall redevelopment will represent an investment of $55 million to $60 million, Morrison told an audience that included city government, tourism and industrial recruitment representatives in addition to chamber members.

“When this project’s completed, it’s going to be the largest economic-development project ever in Surry County — not just Mount Airy,” said another speaker Friday, Steve Yokeley, a member of the city council who’s served all during the transformation process.

“It’s been a long battle to get things done,” Yokeley said regarding what has occurred since 2014.

Morrison related some of the pitfalls endured to reach this point.

One involved a plan to bring an expansion of the Barter Theatre in Virginia to the former Spencer’s property along with an earlier hotel envisioned by a business group in the Winston-Salem area.

However, the Barter project fell through in late 2018 over funding concerns, with the proposed hotel also doing so soon after. Yet the Barter setback served as fuel for stepping up the redevelopment efforts including the preparation of a key site plan, Morrison said.

She also addressed funding concerns by some citizens which have dogged the Spencer’s project since it began.

“There was some criticism about the amount of money the city spent on Phase One,” the Main Street coordinator said of site work and related infrastructure improvements for the residential developments with a price tag of $3.2 million.

But she said that injection of housing downtown has reaped benefits including those residents spending $2 million to $2.5 million in the downtown district annually. Their presence also helped businesses there survive the pandemic due to the extra customer base involved, Morrison said.

She also mentioned another $3.2 million earmarked by the city and county governments for site work/infrastructure during the Phase Two segment involving the hotel and market center. Those funds would have been spent anyway due to the need to replace utility lines at that location which had been in the ground more than 100 years, the coordinator advised.

Meanwhile, private investment of $15.3 million and $15 million is reflected in the Phase One and Phase Two efforts, respectively.

“It’s just a perfect storm for economic growth in Mount Airy,” Morrison said.

Collins, the chamber official, agreed with the assessment of the redevelopment now being on firm footing.

“It’s really exciting to see it,” he said.

Collins tied that in Friday by telling those gathered about an out-of-the-blue telephone conversation he had around 2017 with a woman who had been a longtime employee of Spencer’s along with her husband.

The former worker said she hoped something good could be done with the property.

After viewing conceptual drawings Morrison presented showing what the hotel/market center will look like along with the conference/visitors center — adorned by green spaces and other amenities one might see in metropolitan areas — Collins believes the woman should be encouraged.

“A lot of them are still around,” he said of former Spencer’s employees, “and I think they’re excited about what could be done there.”

Normally a sedate affair, Monday evening’s meeting of the Surry County planning board was this week anything but. Residents of Sheltontown came out in force to express their desire to block a rezoning request on Westfield Road from Teramore Development.

Teramore sounds familiar because around these parts the firm is known for building Dollar Generals and would like to build more.

Officials with the retailer say this part of the county is showing growth and that they see a need for another retail option to serve the future growth. New larger floor plan Dollar Generals they said are also incorporating fresh fruit and an increased selection of frozen/cold goods to better serve residents.

Sheltontown residents organized themselves in preparation for the planning board meeting by gathering at the Westfield Church of Brethren directly across Quaker Road from the proposed DG location at 2953 Westfield Road. When the weather turned sour, organizers Heather Moore and Melissa Hiatt moved the strategy session inside so the group could set their lineup.

Residents gathered more than 1,000 signatures for a petition against the request to rezone two parcels of land on Westfield Road from Residential General to Rural Business Conditional. They have also made up and deployed yard signs that read “Say No to Rezoning Sheltontown” in a bright yellow color reminiscent of the Dollar General coloration.

The public was allowed to offer comment at the meeting. Sheltontown residents laid out the case for why they are objecting to the rezoning request itself and not specifically objecting to Dollar General. Any commercial development along Westfield Road would raise similar concerns whether that were a proposed dollar store or not.

They say it would encroach on the natural beauty of the area, disrupt wildlife, lower property values, add traffic (including foot traffic), and they fear it could attract crime. The group presented available crime stats at the meeting to show a comparison between similar types of retail stores. The Busy Bee and Moore’s General Store were said to have had a fraction of law enforcement calls of any kind comparatively.

Chris Hiatt lives 200 yards from the proposed Dollar General. His family has roots in this area that run deep, he estimated he is in the tenth or eleventh generation of Hiatt to reside in Sheltontown. “I am one of four that still reside there, three are represented in the room tonight. That’s approximately 200 years of my family living in a three-to-four-mile radius.”

“I’ve seen traffic patterns change, what was once mill traffic is now all day traffic – we do not need more. We have a rural setting, most of us know our neighbors and what day they mow their yard or what kind of car you drive.”

“One thing that has not changed is the need for more commercial and retail business in Sheltontown. If Moore’s General Store or Busy Bee doesn’t have it, the other Dollar Generals will have it covered. We don’t want our community to look like 601-Rockford St. We don’t need any more grass, tress, or flowers replaced with asphalt and cement. We are happy as we are.”

Melissa Hiatt led off with the six applicable points of the county’s land use plan. In part the land use plan calls for decisions on use that will preserve open spaces; maintain the quality of life; encourage development of underutilized building; create sustainable economic growth to include higher wage jobs. She also noted that in the 2039 land use plan this parcel of land is zoned rural — just as it is today.

She hammered home that decisions should, “encourage isolated business in predominantly rural areas on a case-by-case basis if the amenities are not already available in the vicinity.” There is no way she sees the need for a sixth Dollar General within five miles of Sheltontown.

“The businesses built by Teramore do not offer amenities that we don’t already have. We currently have two wonderful family run, community family general stores within two miles.”

Conversely, Greensboro land use attorney Nick Blackwood gave his opinion that this rezoning request was in accord with the county’s land use plan. “(It) seems your land development ordinance itself contemplated this exact type of commercial development when that ordinance was enacted to allow for this kind of isolated commercial use to serve these specific rural areas that we are here talking about tonight.”

Mike Fox, who was representing Teramore at the planning board concluded, “Just a reminder this is land use decision… It is the use that the board is considering tonight, and it is looking at whether or not it meets your plan, which we feel it does. We feel it is not in the purview of land use decisions to pick winners and losers.”

At the air pump at Moore’s General Store Wednesday a local resident said he did not see any need for more retail options, “We got one out at Bannertown, why we need one here? Where they gonna put it anyway?”

Add Betsy Davis to the list of those who say needs are being met. “In Sheltontown we have all the amenities we need in our current community stores and if in the event that on one crazy day – that has never happened – they didn’t have something, there are five Dollar Generals within five miles, and two of those within two, I think our bases are covered. We chose to live in this area precisely because of the quiet rural environment and I hope it remains that way.”

Inside Moore’s Tarren Wright was checking out as she picked up one of the bright yellow signs. “I think there’s too many Dollar Generals. (Moore’s) is just so convenient and has gas, food, accessories, hardware, beer, jerky, and fishing supplies.”

Behind the counter Russell Davis loves hearing customers appreciate Moore’s and that support for the fight against the rezoning has garnered attention from outside the area. Some of the yellow signs, he said, have shown up in Pilot Mountain already.

“It’s not even just Dollar General, we don’t want anything else out here. I was born across the street from the property in question, and I moved back from Ohio. I came back for the quality of life here. People come here to be near town but not quite in town.”

Joe Davis has the house across the street from the site and said it would create “headaches which we purposefully chose to avoid when we moved in our home 37 years ago.” He asked that rezoning for any commercial use be denied, “Please help us protect our way of life in our community.”

The names on residences may have changed, but the sense of community has not Melody White told the board. She grew up walking to Sheltontown Grocery, now Moore’s General Store. She appreciates the sense of community, “Conversations go ‘how was the game’ or ‘how is your back?’ because neighbors know. Neighbors have skin in the game.”

A real estate agent in Mount Airy, she recounted helping a couple resettle to North Carolina after an exhaustive search. They chose this area for the very reasons the Sheltontown group opposes the rezone: the peace and quiet of a rural community coupled with its natural beauty.

One argument that the opposition stated had to do with the North Carolina Scenic Byway that runs along Westfield Road In fact, Mary Rush told the board the Hanging Rock leg of the byway begins just a stone’s throw from the Sheltontown Church of the Brethren. It should be noted that the bikeway follows along this route as well and by design the bikeway and byway were meant as a draw for tourists. The board was told that tourists come here for green spaces, not Dollar General.

After the residents made their case, the board took a moment to offer comment back to the presenters before offering a motion to deny Teramore’s rezone request. It passed the planning board to thunderous applause from the crowd.

The group are now preparing to speak to the board of county commissioners who meet Monday evening at 6 p.m. in Dobson. The commissioners may at that time chose to approve the request to rezone the land even though the planning board said no.

There is some precedent for such as Salisbury’s city council members broke with their city planning board in May to approve a new Dollar General despite vigorous local objection.

Heather Moore was excited for the group’s success at the planning board this week and hopes other communities may be watching. “Sheltontown showed up. This is just the first victory as our fight will continue in front of the county commissioners next Monday. Remember this could happen in your neighborhood as easily as it is ‘trying’ to happen in ours.”

DOBSON — Almost all candidate filing periods include some office-seekers waiting until the last minute to toss their hats into the ring, but a Friday deadline came and went without anyone doing so for municipal elections across Surry.

With the field now complete for nine different positions affected in Dobson, Pilot Mountain and Elkin, the final lineup ensures that the only contested election among all three will be for two commissioner seats in Dobson.

However, an unrelated development emerged Friday with word that a possible write-in candidacy could be undertaken for the Mount Airy Board of Education election for which the filing period had closed on March 4.

The exact seat involved was not specified by Surry County Director of Elections Michella Huff.

Meanwhile, the final list of candidates for the non-partisan municipal elections includes:

• In Dobson — Mayor Ricky Draughn will be running unopposed for his sixth four-year term on the board, while incumbent town commissioners J. Wayne Atkins and Walter White are being challenged by a pair of first-time office seekers, Sharon Gates-Hodges and John Jonczak.

Atkins is a longtime council member, while White is a recent appointee to fill a vacant term of a commissioner who resigned.

The two council candidates receiving the most votes among the four in the Nov. 8 general election will take the prize.

• Pilot Mountain — Mayor Evan Cockerham and commissioners Donna Kiger and Scott Needham are each seeking re-election to their second four-year terms without opposition.

• Elkin — The mayor there is not up for re-election, but three incumbent commissioners all filed to seek new four-year terms with no opponents having dropped the gauntlet. They include Cicely McCulloch, William Gwyn and Jeffrey C. Eidson.

Huff, the elections director, mentioned Friday the possibility of someone filing a petition to be a write-in candidate for the Mount Airy Board of Education election.

“But the signatures needed have not been turned in to date,” she added.

The city school board is partisan in nature.

After the filing period for it ended in March, only three incumbents had tossed their hats into the ring with no challengers then coming forward.

They included Kyle A. Leonard in District A and Ben Cooke, District B, both Republicans, and the board’s at-large member, Democrat Tim Matthews.

Something didn’t look quite right about the man with a bulky protrusion in his clothing, who wound up being charged this week with stealing costly steaks from a Mount Airy supermarket which he had stuffed into his pants.

Rodney Jay Canter II, 39, of 153 McMillian Lane, is accused of taking items valued at more than $100 from Lowes Foods on West Independence Boulevard, including two packages of ribeye steaks along with bacon.

After the Tuesday morning theft, Canter was able to make it outside the store — where his appearance gave him away, according to Mount Airy Police Department reports.

“I noticed a bulge in his front pants,” Lt. R.N. Bennett stated on an arrest report regarding his encounter with Canter, who subsequently was charged with larceny and possession of stolen property.

This occurred after a call was received at the police station in reference to a man stealing merchandise from Lowes Foods. And upon responding a person matching the description of the alleged perpetrator was located nearby on West Pine Street at South Street, identified as Canter.

After the investigating officer noticed the bulge at the front of the suspect’s pants and “called him to me,” Bennett’s report states, Canter — whom police records indicate was on foot — admitted to taking the steaks, saying he had made a mistake.

The officer then located two packs of steaks, listed as USDA Select ribeyes and USDA Select Angus ribeyes, along with a package of smokehouse thick-sliced bacon, stuffed into the front of Canter’s pants.

“Like the old Wendy’s commercial, we found the beef,” Police Chief Dale Watson said Thursday afternoon in commenting on the case.

He was referring to a 1980s-era advertising slogan for the fast-food hamburger chain involving an elderly customer going to a competing restaurant and complaining about the small patty placed on her bun by shouting “where’s the beef?”

“It’s not very unusual,” Watson said of the type of offense involved.

“People will go to great lengths to conceal this type of crime,” he added, although Canter’s fashion choice for the alleged theft proved to be problematic. “Typically, people try to wear a different type of attire so it cannot bring attention to what they are doing.”

In addition to the bulging pants, Canter’s demeanor was suspicious when approached by the investigating officer, the chief said.

The total value of the meat products was listed as $101.

Although the merchandise was recovered from the man’s pants, restitution is owed to Lowes Foods in the matter, according to police records.

“The items were not in resalable condition,” Watson advised.

Canter was released from custody after a citation issuance and is scheduled to appear in Surry District Court on Sept. 12.

CHARLOTTE. – Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) this week declared a quarterly cash dividend on its common stock of $1.005 per share, an increase of 2 cents per share. This dividend is payable on Sept.16 to shareholders of record at the close of business on Aug.12.

The company also declared a quarterly cash dividend on its Series A preferred stock of $359.375 per share, payable on Sept. 16, to shareholders of record at close of business on Aug.12, 2022. This is equivalent of 35.9375 cents per depositary share.

In addition, the company declared a semi-annual cash dividend on its Series B preferred stock of $24.375 per share, payable on Sept.16, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Aug.12.

Duke Energy has paid a cash dividend on its common stock for 96 consecutive years.

Duke Energy, headquartered in Charlotte, is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, and Kentucky. The company employs 28,000 people.

The Surry Arts Council hosted its annual Surry Strings Camp at the Historic Earle Theatre from July 11 to July 14. This camp is one of the many weekly artistic youth summer camps provided by the Arts Council from the beginning of June through the end of July.

Young musicians from as far away as Asheville attended the week-long camp. The camp consisted of youth with varying skill levels from beginners who had never before touched an instrument to those who had experience with several instruments.

Award-winning musician and teacher Jim Vipperman introduced the participants to the basics of playing the fiddle, guitar, mandolin, and banjo. He also taught them about Surry County music. All instruments were provided for the duration of the camp to give each child a hands-on music experience.

At the close of the camp, each child was encouraged to continue learning through the free Traditional Arts Programs (TAPS) held every Thursday in the Historic Earle Theatre starting at 4:30 p.m. traditional dance, 5:30 p.m. for fiddle instruction, and 6:15 p.m. for guitar, banjo, and mandolin lessons. These free classes and the Surry String Camp are funded in part by a TAPS grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, a Division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the local ABC Board.

For additional information on Surry Strings Camp or Traditional Arts Programs, visit www.surryarts.org or call the Surry Arts Council office at 336-786-7998.

The Reynolds Homestead in Critz, Virginia, will offer two weeks of summer camp opportunities for middle grade students in July.

Art Camp will begin Monday, July 18 and run through Thursday, July 21. Students will explore landscapes and biomes through art in this “Mythical Adventure” themed camp. Art camp is led by Grace Helms and runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day, with the final day offering a public reception for the students. Art Camp is open to students ages 7-12 and registration is $45.

The following week, staff and volunteers of the Reynolds Homestead will host Camp Homestead, a three-day experience packed with traditional camp fun, including field games, crafts, and STEM challenges. Camp Homestead is held Monday, July 25 through Wednesday, July 27 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Camp Homestead is offered to students ages 7-13 and the cost is $35

Snacks are offered daily for both camps. Registration details can be found by visiting the Reynolds Homestead website at: https://reynoldshomestead.vt.edu/upcoming-events/education-programming.html. Questions can be directed to Kristin Hylton, communication and program support assistant, at krhylton@vt.edu.

For the second time in less than a week, murder charges have been filed against a local man in connection to a drug overdose. This one stretches back 13 months, to spring of 2021.

Chris Wayne Mosley, 50, of 219 William Penn Street, Mount Airy, was charged with second degree murder in the May 2021 death of Melissa “Shannon” Renee Dublin, who was 29 at the time of her death.

The case stems from a report the sheriff’s office received on May 28, 2021, of an unattended death. Deputies arrived on the scene at 137 Greenhouse Trail, Lowgap, where they found Dublin deceased from an apparent drug overdose.

“The detective division was contacted and started investigating the origin and supplier of the illegal narcotics that were provided to Ms. Dublin,” according to Sheriff Steve C. Hiatt.

That probe ultimately led to Mosley’s arrest on the second degree murder charge. He was placed under a $300,000 secured bond and is in the custody of the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections, where he was being held on unrelated charges unrelated to the local murder charge.

Earlier this week, second degree murder charges where filed against Mosley, and Laken Nichole Mabe, 34, of 257 Tolbert Road, in connection to a similar case, which saw a local man die on Halloween.

In that case, deputies received a call of an unattended death, arriving on the scene at 137 Bobs Way, Ararat to find Jeremy Franklin Collins III, 34, dead from a drug overdose.

“Detective Donald Blizard was contacted and started investigating the origin and supplier of the illegal narcotics that were provided to Mr. Collins,” the sheriff said in announcing those arrests, which came after an eight-month probe.

Mosley, who was already in custody of North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections at that time, was served with the charges with another $300,000 secured bond slapped on his detention.

Mabe was arrested by the Surry County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina Department of Probation and Parole and placed under a $200,000 secured bond.

The calendar might show summer, and the outdoor temperatures will reinforce that, but some area folks are already gearing up for an annual autumn event that has a special meaning for many.

The yearly Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s teams are starting their fundraising and organizing efforts, working with the Alzheimer’s Association to get ready for the Mount Airy walk — which is less than two months away.

Christine John-Fuller of the Alzheimer’s Association Western Carolina Chapter said the walk is set for Sept. 10 at Riverside Park. Check-in opens at 9 a.m. with an opening ceremony at 10 a.m. and a walk start time of 10:30 a.m.

“On walk day, participants honor those affected by Alzheimer’s with the poignant Promise Garden ceremony — a mission-focused experience that signifies our solidarity in the fight against the disease,” the organization said in a statement announcing the walk date. “The colors of the Promise Garden flowers represent people’s connection to Alzheimer’s — their personal reasons to end the disease.”

More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease – a leading cause of death in the United States. Additionally, more than 11 million family members and friends provide care to people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia. In North Carolina, there are more than 180,000 people living with the disease and 356,000 caregivers.

“Registration actually opens in January every year,” John-Fuller said. “We’ve had people all spring getting involved. A couple of months out is when people really kick into gear.” she said.

Typically, those participating in the walks will do fundraising efforts of various sorts, with the money going to the Alzheimer’s’s Association.

“Some do an online fundraising page, they put their picture up, tell their story of who they are walking for,” she said, explaining that many participants have been touched by Alzheimer’s’s. “One person might decide they are going to fundraise by creating a Facebook fundraising page and sharing, another person may say ‘I’m going to throw a lemonade stand together and raise money that way.”

She said most of the folks taking part in the walk, or volunteering to run the event, have often had a brush with the dreaded disease. Often, she said they have had a family member or close friend who was claimed by Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia.

Others, she said, are professionals who work in the medical and long-term care field, who often work with Alzheimer’s’ and dementia patients.

For those wishing to participate, either as a walker or a team captain, she said registration for the walk is free at act.alz.org/MountAiry.

John-Fuller said there is no cost to register, and once a person joins up, they are paired with someone within the association along with an online “tool kit” that can help them with fundraising and preparation for the walk.

While her agency oversees a number of walks each year, he said Mount Airy is one of the stand-outs because it often “overperforms” when compared to communities of a similar size.

“We are incredibly impressed with Mount Airy. Several hundred people come out and participate…Every year, year after year, they have done unbelievable work and surpassed their goal.” This year’s goal, she said, is $90,000. By comparison the walk in Winston-Salem, one of the largest ones the agency administers drawing from a population base ten times larger than Mount Airy, has a goal of $240,000.

“It’s important for people to understand, the funds we raise, whether you have a walk or not, serve the individuals in the community or that county where the money was raised,” she said. That support may take the form of education programs for caregivers and family members of a person with Alzheimer’s, providing support groups, or the use of the 24-hour help line.

For individuals who do not want to go through the formal fund raising efforts, she said there is still an opportunity to help.

“In addition to getting a team together or considering sponsorship, we’re always looking for volunteers. Both the Winston-Salem walk and the Mount Airy walk have local committees that help rally the troops. Getting involved as a committee member or volunteer at a walk is a great way to help.”

For more information about the walks, volunteering, or for anyone seeking information, visit alz.org/northcarolina or call 800-272-3900

• An area electrical provider was the victim of a theft discovered Monday in Mount Airy, according to city police reports.

This involved copper wire valued at $400 being stolen from a roadside site on Forrest Drive near Reeves Drive, off U.S. 601. The owner of the wire was listed as Duke Power, also known as Duke Energy, with a local employee of the company, Austin Chrissman of Beeswax Lane, reporting the incident to police.

• Police also learned Monday that property valued at more than $1,200 had been stolen from a local residence during a breaking and entering.

This occurred at the home of Ibarra Thomas Garcia and Amy Lynn Garcia on Galloway Street, where an LG 60-inch television set was taken along with another 42-inch TV set for which no brand name was specified. Also listed as missing were a speaker, miscellaneous alcohol and a wooden cross bearing a likeness of Jesus.

• Johnny Ray Gwyn, 53, of 143 Welch Road, was jailed under an $8,000 secured bond for a felonious larceny charge on July 1 after police encountered him during a traffic stop on South Franklin Road near Snowhill Drive.

A warrant for the theft case had been issued through the Surry County Sheriff’s Office with no other details listed. Gwyn was scheduled to appear in District Court on Wednesday.

• Sixty dosage units of prescription medication and a tumbler cup were stolen on July 1 from the residence of Krystal Dale Whittington on South Gilmer Street, where an unknown suspect reached through an open window in order to effect the crime.

Mount Airy has been tapped to receive $2 million in state funding to aid further redevelopment of the former Spencer’s textile property, which is tied to plans for establishing a large conference/visitors center there.

“It’s an exciting next step,” Mayor Ron Niland said Tuesday in announcing the assistance for continued transformation of the downtown site where children’s apparel production ceased in 2007, which the municipality bought in 2014 and has spearheaded two phases of development.

Phase 1 included the private developments of market-rate apartments and loft condominiums.

Much attention in recent months has been focused on Phase 2 plans for a hotel and market center by another private entity, Sunhouse Development Co. The lodging establishment, rumored to be a Marriott facility, is to utilize what are known as the Sparger Building and the Barrel Building, both fronting Willow Street.

The market center, meanwhile, is eyed for a section of the so-called Cube Building site located behind, or west, of the Sparger Building. It is to feature mini-convention meeting rooms, mezzanine amenities both for hotel guests and the public, a spa and a tap room/coffeehouse.

That leaves the rest of the large site open for additional redevelopment, including what are commonly referred to as The Cube and the Cube Annex.

The proposed Mount Airy-Surry County Visitor Center and Conference Center is now the focus for that property, which Mayor Niland said represents a third phase of the Spencer’s redevelopment.

He added that the $2 million from Raleigh will be used for “outside” improvements there, rather than building work itself.

This will include providing infrastructure needed to support what Niland described as a convention center to host large gatherings and the adjacent visitor center, with amenities on the grounds also part of the mix.

While no plans have been forged so far, he said those amenities likely will include some type of green space, a farmers market and a splash pad facility.

“There has been no final decision on exactly what,” the mayor said, but the plan is to use the state funding to hire architects and engineers to chart a course for the third phase with such items in mind.

The funding is directed toward site planning, design, engineering, grading, utilities and additional infrastructure, stabilization and any other required pre-development activities surrounding The Cube property.

“I’ve been working on this with our state legislators,” the mayor said of efforts to secure the funding, which included a request from the city government along with its partners Mount Airy Downtown Inc., the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce and the Mount Airy Tourism Development Authority.

“We just heard about it yesterday (Monday),” Niland said Tuesday of receiving notification that the $2 million was included in the state budget for the 2022-2023 fiscal year through the support of legislators serving this area in the North Carolina General Assembly.

“And the first thing I want to do is thank Sarah Stevens, Sen. (Phil) Berger and Kyle Hall for their continued help in making our city stronger going forward,” the mayor said. Stevens, of Mount Airy, and Hall, Stokes County, are members of the state House of Representatives.

“They have been champions in the transformational projects going on in our town,” Niland added regarding the state lawmakers involved.

City Manager Stan Farmer also reacted to the news of the state funding this week.

“The city, along with local partners, sends our utmost appreciation to the state of North Carolina for supporting small-town economic development,” Farmer said in a statement.

Bryan Grote, who is president of the governing board of Mount Airy Downtown Inc., offered similar comments affirming the impact of the initial investment by the state in the further reuse of the former textile mill complex.

“The proposed Phase Three visitor center and conference center project is a capstone development that best leverages the $30 million of private investment already committed to the Phase One and Phase Two projects,” Grote said in a statement. “The Spencer’s initiative is a transformational economic-development project with major long-term public benefits.”

DOBSON — More candidates have filed for elected offices in municipalities across Surry County this week, including a Dobson woman who wants to improve the quality of life for older residents in town.

“We don’t (have) anything for seniors,” Sharon Gates-Hodges said in listing her reasons for seeking a seat on the Dobson Board of Commissioners in the 2022 municipal election. “We don’t even have bingo.”

Gates-Hodges, 64, who resides on Freeman Street, has never sought public office before. And in addition to wanting to help provide more programs or activities to help prolong the lives of senior citizens, the candidate is interested in serving Dobson residents as a whole.

“I guess my main motivation was, I’m a lifetime resident and a retired engineer and I have time and I just want to make a positive difference in our town,” Gates-Hodges said.

She seeks to work for the betterment of all Dobson residents, including listening to their concerns and needs and trying to respond to those.

The filing of Gates-Hodges as a candidate in Dobson was joined by others tossing their hats into the ring this week at the Surry County Board of Elections office.

Also doing so was a present member of the Dobson town board, Walter White, who took office last fall as the replacement for Commissioner John Lawson. Lawson had resigned in June 2021 after 13 years of service, for health and family reasons.

White is 58 and lives on Windsor Park Drive.

Filing last week were a longtime incumbent commissioner, J. Wayne Atkins, 78, a resident of Lewis Lane, and John Jonczak, who is a political newcomer along with Gates-Hodges.

There are only two seats available on the Dobson Board of Commissioners, now held by Atkins and White, and in addition to the four candidates already involved, more could enter the race by the filing deadline Friday at noon.

The two top vote-getters in the Nov. 8 election will win four-year terms on the board.

Dobson Mayor Ricky Draughn also has filed for his sixth term, with no challengers coming forward at last report.

At last report, the only candidates filing for the three offices at stake this year in the Pilot Mountain municipal election are the incumbents.

They include Mayor Evan Cockerham and commissioners Donna Kiger and Scott Needham. All are running for re-election to their second four-year terms.

The situation is much the same for the Elkin municipal election, which affects a trio of seats on the town council. All three have filed for re-election.

Cicely McCulloch, 58, a West Main Street resident, did so this week, joining the previous filings of fellow incumbent commissioners William Gwyn and Jeffrey C. Eidson.

Jewel Carrie Parker of Greensboro, a graduate of Surry Community College, is taking on the role of a university-level instructor.

Parker graduated from Surry Community College in 2014 with an Associate in Arts degree, before transferring to Appalachian State University where she continued her educational career. She went on to earn a B.A. in history in 2016 and an M.A. in history in 2018.

“I had a wonderful experience at SCC. Dr. Cory Stewart (division chair of social sciences) was my advisor, and he was a wonderful mentor,” she said.

Parker was also a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor organization’s chapter at SCC and served as chapter president in her second year. She gave a presentation on campus with her fellow chapter members that was covered in local newspapers, and she attended PTK’s national convention that was held in Orlando.

Parker got her first glimpse at helping students learn when she became a tutor during her last semester at SCC. She tutored students in American history, English, biology and political science courses. “I think it’s a great resource for students on campus,” she says of the Academic Support Center’s free tutoring services.

Since 2018, Parker has been in a Ph.D. program at University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She spent her first two years of the program working as a teaching assistant, and the following two years as an instructor of record. Classes she has taught as an instructor include: American History to 1865; Women and Gender in Early America; Human Rights in Modern World History; American Indian History to 1840; Women, Gender, and Power in the Premodern Atlantic World; and this summer, History of Christianity.

Starting in the fall 2022 semester, Parker will begin teaching as an adjunct history instructor at Appalachian State University. She aspires to become a history professor upon completing her doctoral degree.

Though she’s gone on to earn additional degrees and teach a wide variety of courses in the field of history, Parker still looks back at her time at Surry Community College as a positive experience. She has also returned to the campus several times to give presentations to students. She was the guest speaker at the Edward M. Armfield Sr. Foundation College Scholarship Program in May. Parker was a 2015 Armfield Scholarship recipient.

“Attending SCC is a great way for students to gain an affordable college education. The faculty and staff are extremely supportive and offer top-quality education,” said Parker.

It’s been said that there is no better gift than a good book, and a local organization is fulfilling that sentiment through a recent gesture with kids in mind.

This involved the Mount Airy-Surry County Branch of the National Association of University Women (NAUW) donating eight children’s books to the public library on Rockford Street.

This is part of the non-profit organization’s mission including health and education, which has involved delivering meals to persons taking refuge in their homes at the height of the COVID crisis and recognition programs for veterans and others, among additional initiatives.

For the past six years, the NAUW — which was founded in early 2016 — has donated books with African-American subject matter for readers of all ages.

The Mount Airy Public Library was the 2022 recipient of the NAUW’s annual book program.

“We just have projects we do every year and donating books is one thing we like to do,” Emma Jean Tucker of the group said Tuesday, along with other efforts on behalf of the city library.

“We have a tradition of giving something to the library every year,” added Tucker, who is the corresponding secretary for the local NAUW.

It also distributed free books to youngsters during a Juneteenth celebration at Mount Airy Museum of Regional History.

The latest book donation has a dual purpose, she said, including promoting literacy and exposing readers to material they might not have access to otherwise via regular library channels.

Among the titles of the volumes are “I am Jackie Robinson” by Brad Meltzer, about the first African-American player in Major League Baseball; “Five Brave Explorers” by Wade Hudson, detailing exploits of individuals such as Matthew Henson, the first African-American to reach the North Pole;

Also, one on famed composer and pianist Duke Ellington; books about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. including “My Daddy,” authored by his son; and “28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World.”

Tucker says providing books to a segment of society that can be considered underserved is another key element of the donation program.

“It’s important that children see themselves in books,” she said of being able to identify with subjects of one’s own race.

While growing up, Tucker said the availability of such material was an obstacle for her, yet she was able to read about agricultural scientist and inventor George Washington Carver — “all those wonderful things he did with peanuts.”

Earlier this year, Mount Airy City Schools was awarded a grant for approximately $900,000 to help diminish the negative academic impacts of COVID. Since then, district leaders have been building the foundation of the school system’s Professional, Innovative, Versatile, Open-minded, Talented yet Teachable (PIVOT) project.

Advanced Teaching Roles (ATR) have been integrated into this work. Each school within the district was allotted a certain number of ATRs based on enrollment. Interested individuals were interviewed and several were awarded these positions. They will continue to serve in their regular roles while lleading within the district’s new PIVOT team.

Through creative scheduling and administrator support, these individuals will devote a portion of their time to co-teaching, modeling high-quality instructional practices, coaching, serving small groups of students, and working alongside others to increase their reach and build the efficacy of others.

This three-year grant funding will begin in August. The following teachers and staff members will become leaders in their content areas and grade levels.

• Beth Martin – Multi-Classroom Leader: first grade

• Brooke Ledford – Master Teacher Leader of Literacy

• Nicole Hooker – Master Teacher Leader of MTSS and Intervention

• Eve Trotter – Master Teacher Leader

• Ginnie Deaton – Master Teacher Leader of MTSS and Differentiation

• Ben Pendleton – Master Teacher Leader of Exceptional Children

• Dalton Tedder – Master Teacher Leader

• Katie McCrary – Master Teacher Leader of Math: third-fifth grades

• Tarona Hollingsworth- Master Teacher Leader of Literacy: third-eighth grades

• Marie Hauser – Master Teacher Leader of Math: sixth-eighth grades

• Courtney Howlett – Master Teacher Leader of Math: ninth-twelfth grades

• Garrett Howlett- Master Teacher Leader of Career and Technical Education: ninth-twelfth grades

• Nora Santillan- Master Teacher Leader of Dual Language Immersion

“This is a unique and innovative opportunity for Mount Airy City Schools, which is multi-faceted because educators will be empowered with leadership opportunities without having to leave their classrooms,” said Penny Willard, director of innovative programming. “Our highly-skilled and newly formed PIVOT team will continue serving in their current capacities but have increased responsibilities to serve both students and other teachers. This will allow them to support their colleagues in a non-traditional, yet highly valuable manner that is projected to yield high results for student achievement. Building capacity within our own district allows us to foster meaningful relationships that revolve around professional growth that is centered around meeting both students and teachers at their individual point of need.”

Superintendent Dr. Kim Morrison added, “These teachers and administrators have demonstrated a desire to lead within our school buildings. Advanced teaching roles keep these strong leaders closely connected to students by collaboratively problem-solving solutions to ensure every child grows every day. This new paradigm leads a way for the future of education spreading expertise across classrooms and impacting all students.”

During COVID, educators and staff members have gained and strengthened their skills in a multitude of areas. This grant will allow the district to capitalize on these skills with more attention to technology, remote learning, and intentional and consistent collaboration practices around highly effective teaching and learning.

The implementation of the Mount Airy City Shools PIVOT project will follow the Opportunity Culture Principles to allow the district to prioritize overall improvement in the following areas:

– superior teaching and learning for all learners

– recruitment and retainment of quality educators

– teacher efficacy (with a priority around teachers viewing themselves as leaders)

– professional learning communities (PLCs) with a focus on high-quality instructional planning times

– family and community engagement in the learning process

CLAUDVILLE, Va. — It doesn’t involve the Mississippi, but an annual event that makes use of an area waterway continues to roll along in its own right.

The 2022 Kibler Valley River Run is scheduled Saturday, when canoeists and kayakers will invade the upper portion of the Dan River in Patrick County for a whitewater event now in its 39th year which benefits charitable causes.

Several hundred people tend to gather along the headwaters of the Dan for the run, both competitors and spectators who enjoy the mountain scenery of the valley along with sporting aspects of the downriver race course.

The event is sponsored by the Red Bank Ruritan Club in Claudville, which is expecting a good turnout this year on the heels of a successful river run in 2021 after being cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus.

“Last year we had more than we’ve ever had,” Ruritan Club President Lottie Gammons said Monday.

“And we were really surprised,” she added of the event routinely penciled on the calendars of whitewater enthusiasts from a wide region. “We get people from all over the place.”

The run is enhanced by the presence of the Pinnacles Hydro Plant at the end of Kibler Valley Road in Claudville where the race course starts. The velocity of water released by it into the river is increased on Race Day to ensure good canoeing and kayaking conditions through a cooperative arrangement with the Ruritans and the company that owns the electricity-generating complex.

“They’re great,” Gammons said of Northbrook Energy, an Arizona company that bought the plant in early 2021 from the city of Danville, the longtime owner of the facility since its construction in the 1930s.

The increased water flow results in Category III rapids, which are high, irregular waves and narrow passages that often require precise maneuvering. Category II waters also are part of the mix — easy rapids with smaller waves and clear channels that are obvious without scouting, but with some maneuvering possibly required.

Trophies are awarded to the fastest finishers of competition categories.

Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at a cost of $25 per person, with the races to begin at noon. There is no charge just to watch. Rustic camping is offered for $20 per night, recognizing the fact that some attendees make the river run into a weekend outing.

The event relies on a shuttle system to transport canoes and kayaks as runs are completed.

“It takes a lot of people to put it on,” Gammons said.

Proceeds from the Kibler Valley River Run are used by the Red Bank Ruritans for an array of community projects that benefit schools along with aiding cancer patients and residents coping with deaths in their families.

The river run area can be accessed from Mount Airy by taking N.C. 103 to Claudville and turning left onto Route 773, also known as Ararat Highway, and then right on Kibler Valley Road and proceeding about four miles.

Concessions will be sold, with no pets permitted in the food preparation area. Service animals are allowed.

• A Greensboro woman was arrested Saturday night in Mount Airy on a charge of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, according to city police reports.

Amy Virtudes Galindez, 36, was located by officers in the Walmart parking lot along with the 1997 Plymouth Voyager van that was found to have been stolen.

Galindez was confined in the Surry County Jail under a $2,500 secured bond and slated for an Aug. 8 District Court appearance in Dobson.

• April Dawn Bowman, 44, listed as homeless, was arrested Friday as a fugitive from justice as the result of a welfare check by police at 541 W. Pine St., the address for Mill Creek General Store.

Bowman’s name was discovered to have been entered in a national crime database due to being wanted in Patrick County, Virginia, on an unspecified matter.

She was jailed under a $1,000 secured bond and was scheduled to be in Surry District Court on Monday.

• A break-in involving a larceny was discovered on July 3 at the residence of Anthony David Manley at Davis Rooms and Apartments on West Pine Street.

A brown wallet was taken, with the loss also including an undisclosed sum of money, a North Carolina driver’s license and ID card, an insurance card, a Social Security card and a Sheetz reward card.

• Police learned on June 30 that a utility trailer valued at $2,209 had been stolen from a business on North Andy Griffith Parkway earlier in the month.

The property was described as a 5-foot by 8-foot black metallic high side utility trailer, which was taken after a security cable was disconnected on the premises of Leonard Aluminum Utility Buildings.

Three favorite bands among local music fans return to the Blackmon Amphitheatre this weekend. The Embers will play Thursday night. Legacy Motown Revue will take the stage on Friday night and Phatt City will perform on Saturday night. All three shows will be at 7:30 p.m.

The Embers are widely considered a musical marvel and have laid the groundwork for what has become known as ‘Beach Music’ in the Carolinas, Virginias, the gulf coast region of North America, and every beach in between. They are a true musical tradition with which many Americans have listened to from childhood to adulthood. The Embers consider the genre of Beach Music as “music with a memory” and have been creating lasting memories since its inception in 1958. Simply put – heart and soul, rhythm and blues, feel good music.

The Legacy Motown Revue takes listeners back to the days of The Drifters, The Coasters, The Jacksons, Earth Wind & Fire, The Temptations, and so many more legendary icons. Featuring talented performers that dance and sing, plus an amazing six-piece horn band, residents will be transported back in time to one of the most influential periods in American Musical History.

Phatt City is a nine-member band that plays the best of beach, R&B, and dance music. Phatt City draws inspiration from the bands Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire as well as the energetic audiences that attend their concerts.

Each concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Admission to each show is $15 or a Surry Arts Council Annual Pass. Children 12 and younger are admitted free with an adult admission or Annual Pass. The Dairy Center, Whit’s Custard, and Thirsty Souls Community Brewing will be at the concerts to provide food, snacks, drinks, beer, and wine for purchase. No outside alcohol or coolers are allowed to be brought into the Amphitheatre area. Those attending are asked to bring a lounge chair or blanket to sit on.

Tickets are available online at www.surryarts.org, via phone at 336-786-7998, or at the Surry Arts Council office at 218 Rockford Street. For additional information, contact Marianna Juliana at 336-786-7998 or marianna@surryarts.org

Area residents and leaders will have a chance to get an update on what at least one local business official is saying could be among the biggest economic development efforts in the history of Mount Airy.

The Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a Lunch and Learn on Friday at Cross Creek Country Club from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lizzie Morrison with Mount Airy Downtown Inc. will be speaking, presenting a downtown economic development update centered round the Spencer’s Mill Redevelopment project.

“Mount Airy Downtown has done so much to bring a vibrant downtown to Mount Airy,” said Chamber President and CEO Randy Collins. “The Spencer’s Project could very well be the largest economic development project in the history of the city.”

The three-phased $55 million Spencer’s Mill Redevelopment Project centers around a former complex of textile facilities downtown, preserving as many of the buildings as possible for their historic value, while converting the buildings and surrounding area into a commercially and residentially viable community.

The plan calls for a mix of residential and business development, including an upscale hotel, convention center, and other public uses.

In making her presentation, Morrison joins a long line of area leaders — including state officials, local school district heads, commissioners, and others who have taken part in the Lunch and Learn series sponsored by the chamber. Those are quarterly lunch meetings that give area leaders and those with expertise in a particular subject matter a chance to bring the public up to date on various projects, and is a way for residents to interact with and learn more from these leaders.

Collins said the series was started several years ago “To help educate our members and the business community on the issues of the day. We felt it was time to give everyone an update on downtown Mount Airy economic development.”

Friday, after Morrison’s remarks, there will be a question and answer session on her presentation open to those in attendance.

Tickets to the event can be purchased at the chamber website www.mtairyncchamber.org. Sponsorship packages are still available for this event, which include tickets to the event. The gathering is open to both members and non-members of the chamber.

For more information on the event contact Jordon Edwards at the chamber, 336-786-6116 ext. 204 or via email at jordon@mtairyncchamber.org.

DOBSON — No one enjoys being forced to dole out money, but at least Surry County residents are getting a good value for the property taxes they pay, according to a new report.

The recent study by an entity called SmartAsset shows that Surry ranks third among North Carolina’s 100 counties in terms of citizens receiving the most value for what they spend in property taxes.

Mitchell and Avery counties rate first and second, respectively, in the report from SmartAsset, a 10-year-old financial technology company headquartered in New York City which publishes articles, guides, reviews, calculators and tools on various monetary matters.

To determine the rankings, the study measured the effective property tax paid in each county to determine a relative property tax burden, then incorporated data on school quality within each. It also assessed where home values have increased the most during a five year period, 2016 -2021, which was 52% in Surry County, to reach an overall index for purposes of the rankings.

The SmartAsset report points out that North Carolina property taxes are relatively low compared to other states, with Surry County’s level of taxation below both that of both the state and national averages — nearly $1,000 less than the latter.

Based on a median home value of $121,000, Surry Countians have a median annual property tax payment of $892, according to the study.

“I think that is indicative of several things,” county Commissioner Eddie Harris said Monday in reacting to the new report and the financial stability it reflects.

Harris credits the people of Surry along with its businesses, industries and three public school systems — “the fine job they do for the funds that they receive,” he said of the educational component.

The local college also is a key part of that equation, added Harris, the longest-serving member of the Surry County Board of Commissioners who lives in the State Road community and represents the South District.

“We’re very fortunate to have a community college that’s laser-focused on businesses and industries,” he said of their training and other needs, which also has coincided with the county having a diverse manufacturing base.

Surry is well-positioned geographically with good highways, with Harris further mentioning how Mount Airy, Pilot Mountain and Elkin are centers of commerce located at corners of the county. This collectively allows them to draw consumers from neighboring localities and regions.

Meanwhile, the county continues to maintain strong farming and tourism communities, Harris said in listing factors that have helped create a forecast of financial stability for years to come.

The longtime commissioner says Surry County leaders across the board traditionally have done a good job managing the financial and other resources available to them.

Coupled with that, overall revenue efforts have been undertaken to keep property taxes low — with that rate now 55 cents per $100 of assessed value.

“I’ve been on the board for 12 years and there hasn’t been a tax increase since,” said Harris.

“Another thing is, our people pay their taxes,” the county official mentioned. Surry’s annual budget projects a 97% collection rate, but the actual figure is “north of 99,” he said.

Harris pointed out that one way in which officials has made wise use of those revenues is maintaining infrastructure and good services along with a generally fine quality of life — benefiting both present and future residents.

“I think there’s a wide range of things that make Surry County more attractive to move to,” he observed.

Having been selected as the pilot county for Strengthening Systems for North Carolina Children (SYNC), the Surry County team has been working together since May to develop a plan of action.

The SYNC team has a goal to improve the lives of children in the county by finding ways to mitigate a variety of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Officials hope that doing so will reduce instances of childhood trauma the effects of which can have a life-long impact. Studies have shown these traumas may also be passed on to the next generation and have a cascading effect on families.

The CDC reports, “A large and growing body of research indicates that toxic stress during childhood can harm the most basic levels of the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems, and that such exposures can even alter the physical structure of DNA.”

With county staff, teachers, health care professionals, peer support counselors, and representatives from local non-profit groups across the spectrum coming together meetings have been something like an All-Star game of subject matter experts.

Community teams have completed a trio of workshops during which they were introduced to the use of tool called causal loop diagramming to create a map view of institutions and systems that may influence ACEs in their community. The map identifies two types of loops — one that reinforces patterns, and the ones that seek to balance out systems or bring them back into order.

The map they developed is a bulky crisscross of lines and arrows that run between varied concepts such as “positive self-image” and “ability to meet needs” to see where they intersect or may influence one another.

The map can show at times a path of progression that creates a loop like how substance abuse may lead to decreased decision-making capacity and then to more risky behavior including the possible progression to the justice system getting involved. An outside influence along the path can easily create a nudge toward a different way forward and a new outcome.

SYNC is trying to find ways that the community, not just experts from UNC Chapel Hill or Raleigh, can create that nudge to influence these loops or cyclical patterns. Determining a role for parents, faith groups, educators, or law enforcement to play on the prevention of trauma, as opposed to after the fact, will also prove one of the best tools to create positive outcomes for children.

Groups such as educators, counselors, and parents need to be brought up to speed on how to identify warning signs of potential trauma. When these signs are spotted there is a ‘signal for need’ that may then be detected, and this is where loops can break free of reinforcing cycles.

This will require teaching people to know what these signs are, and to look for them in all children. That also means “looking at prevention and detection in perceived healthy children,” county parks and recreation director Danny White said. The pandemic and remote learning created more feelings of isolation for children and their families, he noted, and warning signs can be impossible to distinguish when focused on “squeaky wheels.”

Practice is an invaluable commodity, so the SYNC squad spread out to conduct interviews with members of the community. This was a chance to put what they learned to the test – at least a dry run – before the training is over. Their mission was to express the concept of loop diagramming to a community member and then pick their brain for input on what areas the all-star SYNC team had missed.

The public’s input revealed places where they saw shortcomings such as the need to address a stigma around men’s mental health. There was also concern expressed that minority representation needs to be considered. Juan Sanchez agreed and wanted to make those parties not seated at the table like people of color, LGBTQ, and immigrants were being taken into consideration while setting goals for SYNC.

After the diagrams and feedback from the community came together the team’s next challenge was to take concepts and turn them into actionable ideas. Their concepts were weighed on their level of importance versus probability to create change.

Some ideas can have great potential impact to change many lives but the implementation of them is so far-fetched due to costs, logistics, or red tape that they just are not feasible. One could lump a wide-reaching county public transportation system in this category.

Other ideas such as having substance abuse education happening in the county jail seemed unlikely until Mark Willis chimed in to remind that just such a program is forthcoming in the new detention center. Having these voices and expertise from different elements of the community addressing the same problem is part of the hallmark of the SYNC design.

Surry County’s leadership in this program may create a guide for further implementation of these concepts in other counties or states. To that end Jaime Edwards said he hopes the group can help create advocates for change in spaces of all sizes.

Facilitator Kristen Hassmiller Lich of UNC concurred saying that discussions such as these that the group is having may create the very changes needed to institutions and systems, “If all of you reached into your organizational policies after having these conversations; that could be very powerful.”

By design SYNC is meant to look at systems but the team made sure to bring their focus back to the human element and invested some time in a discussion on empathy and compassion. Charlotte Reeves reminded regarding empathy that it needs to be applied generously and to not forget to include yourself.

“Once you have empathy for yourself you can start to forgive yourself and then you can start to come to terms with the traumatic event and the healing.”

Co-advisor of Surry Community College’s Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Dr. Kathleen Fowler attended the organization’s annual convention this spring Denver, Colorado, where she was recognized for her and her chapter’s accomplishments.

Fowler won the Paragon Award for New Advisors and the Phi Theta Kappa Carolinas Region Horizon Award. Advisors who receive the Paragon Award are recognized for significant contributions to the growth of individual members, serve as the chapter’s advocate on campus and encourage the chapter to be involved on the local, regional and international level of the organization. The Horizon Award is given to advisors who participate in regional and international programs, as well as attain new levels of achievement in PTK programs.

The additional award recognitions include: three International Hallmark Trophies for 2020, four International Hallmark Trophies for 2022, six Regional Trophies including the 2022 Most Distinguished Chapter, Distinguished Theme Award for Honors in Action, Distinguished Honors in Action Project, Distinguished Chapter and seventh finalist for Most Distinguished Chapter of 1,300 chapters.

“I am so elated that Dr. Kathleen Fowler was chosen as a recipient of the 2022 Phi Theta Kappa Paragon Award for New Advisors,” said SCC College President Dr. David Shockley. “She continually leverages superior leadership qualities, advising, knowledge, and work-ethic to transform our Alpha Xi Tau Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa while always seeking to improve the lives of students.”

Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 nations.

For more information about Phi Theta Kappa and their projects, contact PTK’s faculty co-advisors Fowler at 336-386-3560 or fowlerk@surry.edu or Kayla Forrest at 336-386-3315 or forrestkm@surry.edu or go to www.ptk.org. Follow the local chapter on Facebook @surryPhiThetaKappa.

A nine-month probe following a deadly Halloween overdose has led to two Mount Airy residents being charged with murder.

Surry County Sheriff Steve C. Hiatt said this morning that Chris Wayne Mosley, 50, of 219 William Penn Street, and Laken Nichole Mabe, 34, of 257 Tolbert Road, have both been arrested and charged with second degree murder in the Oct. 31 death of Jeremy Franklin Collins III, 34.

The sheriff said the case began on Halloween when deputies responded to a call of an unattended death at 137 Bobs Way, Ararat. Upon arrival, they found Collins, dead from an apparent drug overdose.

“Detective Donald Blizard was contacted and started investigating the origin and supplier of the illegal narcotics that were provided to Mr. Collins,” the sheriff said.

That probe led to the arrests of both Mosley and Mabe.

Mosley, who was already in custody of North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections on an unrelated matter, was served with the charges, remaining incarcerated under a $300,000 bond.

Mabe was arrested by the Surry County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina Department of Probation and Parole. She is being held in the Surry County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center under a $200,000.00 secured bond with a pending court date of July 18.

No other details on the case were available.

• A Mount Airy man was jailed Wednesday after allegedly “causing a problem” at a demolition area downtown, according to city police reports.

Donald William Branson, 28, a Willow Street resident whose exact address was not listed, was encountered by police upon crossing a marked line in violation of street-closing restrictions implemented after the collapse of the Main-Oak Building on the corner of North Main and East Oak streets earlier in the week.

Branson was advised to leave the demolition area and responded by cursing and otherwise hindering the situation, arrest records state. He subsequently was taken into custody at the North Main-Virginia Street intersection nearby and charged with disorderly conduct.

The man was held in the Surry County Jail under a $300 secured bond and slated for an appearance in District Court on Monday.

• Property damage was discovered last Sunday at Grand Pup Resort Hotel and Spa on North Main Street, where a Mediterranean four-tier decorative water fountain was targeted by an unknown suspect. The damage was put at $1,600.

• Patrick Marquis Allen, 31, of 515 Linville Road, was jailed on three charges Sunday stemming from an incident at Dollar General on North Renfro Street: larceny; possession of stolen goods; and resisting, delaying or obstructing a public officer.

He is accused of stealing a four-pack of men’s white T-shirts from the store, which were recovered with the arrest of Allen, who allegedly fled on foot from an officer arriving at that location.

The Linville Road resident was jailed under a $200 secured bond, with the case scheduled for the July 18 session of Surry District Court.

DOBSON — A small business owner who lives in Dobson is among the latest candidates to toss their hats into the ring for elected offices there and elsewhere across Surry County, including both fresh and familiar faces.

Newcomer John Jonczak filed Thursday to run for a seat on the Dobson Board of Commissioners, with incumbent board member J. Wayne Atkins doing so Friday.

And on Wednesday, incumbent Commissioner William Gwyn filed for re-election to the Elkin town board, joined by another sitting commissioner, Jeffrey C. Eidson, on Friday.

As of Friday afternoon, eight candidates had officially declared their intentions to run for municipal seats in Dobson, Elkin and Pilot Mountain, where nine elected offices altogether — all non-partisan — are at stake in a general election on Nov. 8.

The deadline for others to do so is next Friday at noon at the Surry County Board of Elections in Dobson.

Jonczak said Friday that a motivation to help businesses in Dobson and otherwise aid the town’s growth fueled his decision to seek a spot on its governing board.

“My wife Jessica and I and our family have lived in Dobson for five years,” he said, with ancestral ties going back much farther.

For six years, the Jonczaks have owned and operated The Barn at Heritage Farm, a family farm and event center just outside town.

The candidate says they are “heavily invested” in the Dobson community and he also wants to help other small businesses thrive in Dobson by sharing information and basically working for the betterment of all.

Pointing out that the town has good schools and other attributes, Jonczak, 37, of Saddle Brook Drive, seeks to play a role in taking Dobson to the next level and meeting needs of citizens overall.

“I think the main thing is just listening,” the candidate said of what he would bring to the table if elected as a commissioner.

Two seats on the Dobson town board, now held by Atkins and John Lawson, are up for grabs this year altogether.

Dobson Mayor Ricky Draughn signed up to seek his sixth four-year term on July 1, the opening day of the filing period.

Along with Draughn, Atkins and Jonczak in Dobson, all three incumbents in Pilot Mountain whose seats are affected in 2022 have filed to seek re-election: Mayor Evan Cockerham and commissioners Donna Kiger and Scott Needham.

As of Friday morning, no one had filed to challenge any of the three, who all are seeking their second four-year terms.

In Elkin, where three slots on the town council are involved, only Gwyn and Eidson had filed as of Friday afternoon, with the other seat affected held by Cicely McCulloch.

Gwyn is 58 and resides on West Main Street, while Eidson, 60, lives on Ivy Circle.

Organizers of two open house events this weekend hope area residents will take advantage of the opportunity to explore an important piece of local history.

This will involve the 1799 Edwards-Franklin House being open to the public today and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. both days. Admission is free.

The weekend events are part of a monthly Saturday-Sunday open house series that resumed in May after a two-year shutdown prompted by the coronavirus.

Attendance has been good for this year’s sessions, according to Dr. Annette Ayers of the Surry County Historical Society, which owns the house and conducts various events there.

“We are so pleased,” Ayers advised. “We have had visitors each of the days we have been open — we had about 25 one day.”

The Edwards-Franklin House is considered the finest example of its architectural type in the Piedmont region.

The house was built by Gideon Edwards and later occupied by his son-in-law, Meshack Franklin, a member of Congress and brother of North Carolina Gov. Jesse Franklin, who served in the 1820s.

In 1972, the Edwards-Franklin House was bought by the Surry County Historical Society and restored to its former grandeur. The structure features many unique architectural components.

Concerning those who have stopped by the house during the events in recent months, it has tended to be their first visit, according to Ayers. “We are pleased the visitors range from children to adults.”

In addition to the house, they can view the log water pipes, slave cemetery and family cemetery on the grounds.

Ayers also encourages people who’ve been there before to come by again during the open house hours and catch up on lost time posed by the pandemic.

“It will be a wonderful tour for those who have visited the house previously,” she assured. “It is a chance to become reacquainted with the house, it’s history and our efforts at preserving this historic structure.”

Mountain Valley Hospice & Palliative Care is holding its annual grief camp for young people who have experienced a significant loss in their life.

The camp, set for July 22 and July 23, is an extension of Mountain Valley Hospice’s Kids Path program. The two-day event is offered to children and teens, ages 5-18.

It uses a variety of games and activities to teach young people ways to cope with grief and build confidence.

“Grief Camp is important, because it provides a relaxed, fun-filled environment where a child can express their sorrow while making connections with other children who have experienced similar loss,” said Katie Moser, Kids Path counselor.

This summer camp will be located at First Baptist Church in Dobson, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. both days.

On the final day of camp, parents and families are invited to an evening memorial after camp. This program is free to all families with children and teens who have/are experiencing grief. Due to COVID-19, upon arrival to camp, parents and children will be briefed for COVID-19 exposure and symptoms. Temperature checks will be required prior to entry and each camp member will be required to wear a face covering for each other’s safety.

Camp registration is open until July 16 on the Mountain Valley Hospice and Palliative Care website at https://www.mtnvalleyhospice.org/support/kids-path

In the meantime, the Kids Path program still offers support for young individuals who are grieving over the loss of a loved one. For more information on Kids Path, contact Moser at 1-888-789-2922

© 2018 The Mount Airy News