Casino Royale Fundraiser For Museum A Safe Bet

The Mount Airy Museum of Regional History will be holding another Casino Royale on Saturday, September 17, from 6:30 - 10:30 p.m., at the museum. Casino style games, a Drawdown with $5,000 cash prize, dinner, and beverages will be served. Tickets start at $100 for event entry and one Drawdown entry; $125 gets two admission tickets and one Drawdown.

Casino Royale Night at the Museum will feature all the sights and sounds of a regular casino, but with no real money at stake. Any organization or business in the area that would like to sponsor one of the casino table should contact museum director Matt Edwards.

Sometimes you must spend a little to get a lot and the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History has an upcoming event allowing the public to do just that.

What has been described as the chance to make a generational investment in this community is being cleverly disguised with some glitz and glam with a dash of roulette at the 2022 Casino Royale to be held at the museum on Saturday, September 17, from 6:30 – 10:30 p.m.

Executive Director Matt Edwards is excited for the upcoming event that he says is their single largest fundraiser annually. The casino night brings in around 12% of their total operating budget for the year and is the only event that puts dollars directly into the operating budget.

Having one big casino night fundraiser is a winner in his book as it helps him with the ease of planning the event, but also combats donor fatigue, something to which any fundraiser can attest is a real thing. Keeping money flowing into the museum from sources beyond tickets at the door is essential for its continuing growth.

“This is the big annual fundraising event of the year for the museum. All the sponsorships and money raised goes to museum,” board member Calvin Vaughn said. “We are currently in process of updating, expanding and building new exhibits that will benefit not only the community now, but the next generation.”

Games and adult libations will be found in the courtyard of the museum while dinner service and opportunities to enjoy the museum and its exhibits await players for whom Lady Luck went home to tuck the kids in.

This is the chance for anyone who has wanted to try their hand at games of skill, chance, and luck with the confidence that as Edwards said, “Its play money. Once people get over that and realize it’s all for fun – it makes it more fun, and the wagers get more interesting.”

What’s more he said it is a learning opportunity for people to really learn how a game like craps works, from the professionals who are running the table side of things. Caesar’s Palace is not going to teach people how to gamble, Edwards offered.

Entry is $100 which gets one ticket for the events and an entry in Drawdown which Edwards said was the raffle’s cousin. He said instead of drawing one winner, they are drawing 299 losers from the fixed number of entries. A package of two event tickets with one Drawdown entry will cost $125.

All the hullabaloo is well worth it with a meaty $5,000 cash prize going to the winner. Consolation cash prizes will be found during the Drawdown with the first number drawn confirmed to be among consolation winners.

Players do not have to be present to win the Drawdown only the ticket needs to be present. Edwards said if you plan to attend a football game that night or you’re going to sit under the lights for short track racing in Bristol to get a ticket all the same and send it to Casino Royale in your stead.

Wheeling and dealing may happen during the drawdown when the last five standing will have a choice to end the game and pool the winning between them. Or the ante may be upped again with one of the last standing players can make offers to buy remaining drawdown tickets from other players. That is high level maneuvering on a night meant to be fun and to fund the future of one of the cultural gems of this area.

Casino Royale was a 1920’s theme last year and it is a 1960’s theme this year, Edwards said that skinny suits and thin ties may be the dress code for some – but is not required. Dress for comfort and luck – if that is such a thing.

Businesses still have time to get involved and be a sponsor for one of the tables. Sponsorships are $500 and include praise, recognition, two event tickets and a Drawdown entry. Contact Matt Edwards at 336-

After missing a couple casino night in recent years due to some fuzzy law changes that made non-profit casino nights as these legally nebulous and the pandemic, getting back down to the business of having fun in welcome for Edwards and staff.

Fun and games will await players, but it is their long-term gift back to the museum and Surry County that is really no gamble at all. As Vaughn said, “With over twenty-five thousand artifacts, we have captured our history of buildings, events and individuals.”

“Thousands of school kids, hundreds of families, and more come and with what is being built, expanded, and improved upon it is a generational investment benefiting our kids and grandkids.”

Hardy celebrates 90th birthday with staff and friends

Sometimes you must spend a little to get a lot and the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History has an upcoming event allowing the public to do just that.

“Thousands of school kids, hundreds of families, and more come and with what is being built, expanded, and improved upon it is a generational investment benefiting our kids and grandkids.”

Two schools of thought regarding downtown Mount Airy— a need to plan for the future vs. a “leave Main Street alone” sentiment — collided head-on during a passionate public hearing Thursday night.

And after listening to 18 speakers for more than an hour — most opposing or skeptical about a downtown master plan update — the commissioners voted 3-2 to adopt that document considered a blueprint for major changes in the central business district.

The unusually large number of citizens offering comments was matched by a huge crowd of spectators jammed into the Municipal Building for the occasion — which overflowed into an adjoining lobby.

After the split decision for which Commissioner Marie Wood was on the winning side, she attempted to allay fears by some in the massive audience that the outcome will serve to severely transform North Main Street — the key downtown artery.

“I have no problem with this plan because it is a plan,” Wood said in arguing that a guideline is simply involved and not set in stone as far as definite changes. “It is a step forward for this city.”

Commissioner Jon Cawley — who voted against the proposal along with the board’s Tom Koch — offered a more-ominous view and wondered why it was so important to hold a vote on it Thursday night.

“It seems like we’re in a rush tonight to pass it — and I can’t figure out why,” Cawley said of the plan, pointing out that he likes many of its aspects, but also is concerned about what happens next.

“We could start tearing up the streets next week — I know that sounds facetious, but it could happen.”

The downtown master plan update, prepared by the Benchmark consulting firm based in Charlotte, has been in the works since last fall, when city officials agreed that an original one from 2004 needed refreshing.

Benchmark, a firm that has handled similar projects for other cities, completed the document earlier this summer and made it available for public consumption.

The Mount Airy Board of Commissioners voted last November to commit $67,000 in city funds for the update along with money from the group Mount Airy Downtown Inc. for a total cost of about $125,000.

After being commissioned for the project, Benchmark conducted a series of meetings to gain local input for the final document along with formally surveying the community.

But multiple speakers opposing the adoption of the updated master plan pointed out Thursday night that the citizens involved in that process represent only about 4 percent of the city’s population.

“Mayberry tourism is growing,” Main Street Coordinator Lizzie Morrison of Mount Airy Downtown, a plan backer, said during the hearing. “The charm of Mayberry remains on Main Street because downtown growth is planned, it’s intentional, it’s purposeful and it takes into consideration who we are and where we are going.”

After her comments, Morrison asked other supporters in the audience to stand.

This was followed by plan skeptic Martha Truskolaski, owner of the Spotted Moon gift shop downtown, asking those against it to do the same thing during her time at the podium.

There were conflicting opinions about whether the “anti-plan” group outnumbered the “pro” contingent, or whether their numbers were about equal.

Many speakers’ statements were greeted by applause.

While the downtown master plan update proposes major changes in the downtown area as a whole, including new housing, parking and other developments on adjoining streets such as Franklin and Renfro, its main drag was the primary concern of hearing speakers.

A key part of the update focuses on vehicular travel downtown and new streetscape configurations, with the plan recommending that one-way traffic be maintained along North Main Street — the chief artery through the central business district.

However, the new plan includes five different one-way options, three of which would involve switching from the present two lanes of travel to one with either angled or parallel parking on one side. The street itself would be 20 feet wide.

This reflects a desire to create “flex space” to allow more outdoor dining and other changes on sidewalks which would be accomplished by providing a 20-foot space on each side of the street.

Sidewalks of 12 to 20 feet wide are eyed, along with the addition of trees, burial of above-ground utility lines, strategically placed loading zones, new decorative street lights and a removable bollard system.

Many of those speaking Thursday night see such changes as detrimental to a downtown area they say is already appreciated by local residents and tourists alike who appreciate its quaintness and hometown qualities separating Mount Airy from large cities.

The opinion of Gene Clark, also embraced by others, was, “Why do we think we need to change the appearance?” of Main Street.

“We don’t need to look like Asheville or Charlotte,” added Clark, a city council candidate this year. “We need to look like Mount Airy.”

That was echoed by John Pritchard, another council candidate. “I don’t want us to be like a cookie-cutter town — we are what we are and it works.”

“Your downtown is a blessing — it takes you back in time,” said hearing speaker Devon Hays, who moved to the Pine Ridge community nearly two years again from California.

Hays praised the “nice wide street” existing now.

“You’ve got something special — don’t blow it,” he said, a comment that drew a shout of “Amen!” from a woman in the back of the room along with applause.

A similar view was expressed by Norm Schultz, who moved to Mount Airy one year ago because of its down-home qualities. He objected to the “gentrification” that seems to be involved with the master plan update — defined as a process to make something more refined, polite or respectable.

“I’m not against growth,” Schultz continued in reference to the suggestion that the proposals would foster economic gains.

“If you change the street, you take away small-town America.”

“The way it is now it’s so perfect,” hearing speaker Karen Armstrong remarked. “But to take it and change it completely, that’s heartbreaking to me.”

Also weighing in Thursday night was Shirley Brinkley, a former city commissioner who acknowledged that the updated master plan seems to contain good elements and ones not so good while also expressing a specific concern.

“I am totally and completely against making Main Street one lane,” said Brinkley, who is concerned how this might affect deliveries to businesses along that route and the hilly terrain of side streets which would preclude their use as alternatives.

And two downtown businessmen, Corky Fulton of Fancy Gap Outfitters and Mark Wyatt of Wyatt’s Trading Post, each expressed concerns about parking spaces on North Main being lost.

“The one thing you don’t want to do is take a single parking space away from downtown Mount Airy,” Fulton said.

Randy Collins, the president and CEO of the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce, another hearing speaker, supports the update, invoking the old saying “failing to plan is planning to fail” in doing so.

Collins said he initially was concerned about how streetscape changes might hamper large downtown events such as the Autumn Leaves Festival sponsored by the chamber, but said he was assured these wouldn’t be harmed.

“All of our questions and concerns were addressed,” Collins said.

“Change is inevitable, and we have to plan for it,” the chamber official observed, a point of view also offered by two other speakers favoring the plan update, Len Fawcett and Lauren Jennings.

Yet former Autumn Leaves Festival Director Travis Frye, now tourism coordinator for both Dobson and Surry County, was not as optimistic as Collins.

Frye questioned whether enough definitive study on how events will be affected has been undertaken.

“My concern is we don’t have enough detailed information,” said Frye, who believed this should be supplied before the adoption of the plan.

“Progress is not progress just because we want it to change,” he added. “The streets are a concern to me, especially where it affects tourism.”

Frye also said the street must be wide enough to accommodate a fire truck.

Local business owner Donna Hiatt said during the hearing that repairs to existing infrastructure — such as streets, sidewalks and the water system — should be undertaken before changing North Main Street.

There also were concerns Thursday night about where the money needed to do that would come from.

“Who is going to pay for it? — I think it’s going to be the taxpayers,” hearing speaker Grant Welch said.

Local construction workers haven’t been sitting down on the job, judging by the progress made on new, much-needed public restroom facilities in downtown Mount Airy.

“It’s going well,” City Manager Stan Farmer said this week of the project unfolding beside Brannock and Hiatt Furniture Co. in a municipal parking lot between that business and Old North State Winery. It started about two weeks ago.

During a meeting on June 16, the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners voted to awarded a $104,900 contract to Colt W. Simmons Construction Co., a local firm, to build the restroom facilities.

When finished, these are to be similar to ones located on the Granite City Greenway behind Roses, city Public Works Director Mitch Williams has noted, which will include two bathroom units and a brick exterior.

Along with the contract sum of $104,900, a 15-percent contingency fund was included to cover unforeseen expenses, for a total project cost of $120,000.

Farmer added Monday that the construction so far has not been hampered by inclement weather, which always looms as a factor at this time of year.

“Presumably, they are to be done by the end of September, in plenty of time for the Autumn Leaves Festival” in October, Farmer said of work crews.

The availability of public restrooms is always an issue during that event at which thousands of people flood the downtown area, with facilities at businesses generally not open to the public.

Restrooms were viewed as a particular need for the 400 block, or northern end of the central business district.

Before the latest project was pursued, the nearest public restrooms to that section were reported to be almost two blocks away at the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.

The only other such facilities downtown are even farther away, at the southern end of the North Main Street shopping area in the Jack A. Loftis Plaza rest area where an Easter Brothers mural is located.

Funding for the new restrooms had been approved last fall through a city budget amendment totaling $295,000. It was set aside for an array of downtown projects, including the new restrooms, the updating of a master plan and others, with the group Mount Airy Downtown Inc. also committing $297,000.

The city manager acknowledged this week that some people have questioned the time lag between that approval and the construction actually getting under way this summer.

This resulted from municipal officials considering a possible alternate location for the new restrooms at a site near Trinity Episcopal Church, north of the site beside Brannock and Hiatt Furniture Co., which ultimately was abandoned.

“We took about eight weeks to work with the church at their location,” Farmer explained regarding the delay.

At Tuesday’s meeting of the Rotary Club of Mount Airy Lenise Lynch introduced Detective Jake Hiatt and Chief Deputy Larry Lowe to the Rotarians. Hiatt was there to inform on the efforts of the Surry County Sheriff’s office at combatting substance abuse and specifically his new role into investigations of deaths from drug overdose.

Lynch said the Rotary joined with the sheriff’s office and the county’s office of substance abuse recovery last year in what she called a great partnership. “We are hopefully on our way to becoming part of the solution through promoting awareness, enhancing understanding, and changing perceptions of substance abuse in Surry County through public advocacy.”

New law holds sharp teeth

Detective Hiatt began with a simple explanation of a North Carolina law that went onto the books in 2019. What is commonly referred to as the death by distribution act, “Is a provision that holds narcotics dealers accountable,” he said and was interrupted by a spontaneous and vigorous applause break from the Rotary members.

Hiatt said, “If we are investigation an overdose now, we can charge the dealer with a Class C felony – death by distribution. With a previous history of narcotics distribution that charge can be upped to a Class B-2 felony.”

For context on classes of felonious conduct, he said second-degree rape or first-degree kidnapping would be found in Class C and yield a sentence of up to 231 months. Class B-2 felonies include conspiracy to commit any Class A felony or second-degree murder and may carry a sentence from 93 – 293 months. “Potentially if these dealers have history and the right factors and stars align, we can put them in prison for 30 years,” Hiatt said.

When a call comes in regarding an overdose, investigators will arrive to secure the scene and any evidence available that may prove an overdose has occurred. Hiatt said, “Most of the time it is pretty obvious for different reasons.”

“One thing we always look for right away to secure is a cell phone. It’s no secret cell phone is a lifeline to most people and there is no telling what you might find on it. Most of the time that is where we get our information.”

He said with the ubiquitous use of smart phones means users are leaving a data trail throughout social media that may help investigators later and be much more useful that call or text records. Phones have contacts, calendars, texts, photos, geo tracking information, voicemails, and even banking information available to law enforcement just behind a password.

“If we find a phone on scene and we can determine pretty quickly they have social media account we’ll do a preservation order before we do anything else just to get that stuff locked in.” He said social media companies are very responsive to court orders and a preservation order will freeze the account until a warrant is secured for the data.

“We have encountered situations where friends of the victim, or even in one case it was the person we charged for death by distribution, were going back and unsending messages where they had talked about exchanging money for narcotics. Had we not done the preservation order when we did there may have been even more information gone.”

Hiatt has been in this role for over month after more than ten years in law enforcement with both Elkin and Mount Airy Police before joining Sheriff Hiatt. His is not a one-person outfit and it requires help across the sheriffs’s office and interdepartmental assistance to find suspects and witnesses who may have false names, addressed, and phone numbers forever in flux.

Tactics are changing to meet the evolving nature of technology and communication. “Speaking of social media, people use these in messages to each other, and Facebook is probably the biggest and it’s even better for us than regular text messages,” Hiatt said of the wealth of data a warrant could yield from social media.

So much so it can overwhelm investigators, so they have learned to be more precise in their searches. An overdose death was not cause by drugs bought six months ago, Hiatt said, so investigators probably would not need to look back that far to find what they need to chase a suspect.

Thanks to Mark Willis and the county’s office of substance abuse management, Hiatt and the rest of the SCSO have access to Cellebrite which allows for local analysis of cell phones without assistance from the state lab. If there is no password, the software will collect and dump all data from the phone for law enforcement.

Should a cell phone be in a damaged state, cannot be turned on, or a password cannot be beaten the phone will be sent to the SBI lab in Greensboro. There the State Bureau of Investigation has access to a program that “runs numbers all day long” to get around passwords.

Hiatt dug through the data and reported that since last August, 221 calls came into the county’s communications center reporting an overdose of some sort. Of those calls, 138 needed law enforcement response to secure the scene for first responders or conduct further investigation. These numbers may be low, he said, due to people now addressing overdoses on their own who may never call 911 or seek treatment.

Wendy Odum of Birches Foundation agrees with his assessment and this week submitted her annual report to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services tracking all manner of data from overdoses to Narcan kits distributed.

“Concrete data is usually considered to be incidents that have been reported to law enforcement, EMS, the hospital. There’s a gap in those numbers that are gathered by direct reports from law enforcement and EMS, compared to the reported incidents that we as harm reduction practitioners in direct community health have access to.”

Odum said that between June 2020 through July 2021, Birches Foundation reported 502 overdoses in Surry County. “The great majority of the overdoses received Narcan and were resolved by someone in the home or community setting. Birches Foundation provided 3,250 Narcan kits during that same year.”

Since the death by distribution act was signed in 2019 Surry County has investigated 37 deaths from overdose, 16 of those coming in the last year. Three investigations have yielded charges under the new law and Det. Hiatt said all are still pending so he could not offer any more insight.

Similar to episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show” itself, one never knows who might pop up in Mount Airy during Mayberry Days and this year the special guests for the festival will include actress Ruta Lee.

Lee, who appeared in two memorable episodes of the series and has enjoyed an accomplished television and movie career otherwise, is a newcomer to the event, as will be Daniel Roebuck, a cast member from the “other” show starring Griffith, “Matlock.”

And then there’s Dreama Denver, wife of the late Bob Denver — best known for his title role in “Gilligan’s Island,” another long-running 1960s sitcom, soon after appearing on “The Andy Griffith Show” — who also will attend Mayberry Days.

The annual celebration of characters, places and events associated with that program will be held this year from Sept. 19-25, spearheaded by the Surry Arts Council. Mayberry Days was launched in 1990.

Lee, Roebuck and Denver will be joining celebrities from episodes of the show who earlier have appeared here during Mayberry Days, including Ronnie Schell, Rodney Dillard, Margaret Kerry and Dennis Rush.

Surry Arts Council Executive Director Tanya Jones says that organization doesn’t actively recruit special guests for the festival, explaining that Schell was the catalyst for Ruta Lee’s upcoming appearance.

Schell, who guest-starred on “The Andy Griffith Show” along with playing Duke Slater on 92 episodes of the “Gomer Pyle” TV series, told Lee that she should come to Mayberry Days.

“She had known about it,” Jones said, and was able to work the festival into her schedule this year.

“We’re, of course, excited to have Ruta Lee, a new face from the show,” the arts official added. “We’re excited that she can join us this year.”

Lee portrayed Jean Boswell in a 1962 episode, “Andy on Trial,” an attractive young reporter who is sent to Mayberry to try to dig up dirt on Sheriff Taylor after he gives her publisher a traffic ticket.

She made a second appearance on “The Andy Griffith Show” in “The Hollywood Party” in 1965, basically playing herself, an actress the sheriff encounters while on a trip to California which makes girlfriend Helen Crump jealous.

Lee, both a dancer and actress, also is known for her roles in the movies “Witness for the Prosecution” (1957), “Funny Face” (1957) and “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” (1954).

The performer, now 82, has continued to rack up credits on TV programs on top of appearing in numerous episodic series and game shows dating to the 1950s.

“Even now, she looks nice and pretty,” Jones said.

During Mayberry Days, Lee will be sharing stories from the two episodes as the featured guest for Professor Brower’s Lecture on Sept. 24 and making other appearances throughout the festival.

The Surry Arts Council official also is enthused about the appearance of Daniel Roebuck, who made an impromptu visit to Mount Airy in June while on a swing through North Carolina.

“He is a very cool guy,” Jones said of the actor known for his role on “Matlock,” a legal drama that ran on the NBC and ABC networks from 1986 to 1995. Roebuck played Cliff Lewis, the junior partner of the law firm headed by Andy’s Griffith character, Ben Matlock.

Roebuck also is known for film work, including as Deputy Marshal Bobby Biggs in “The Fugitive” and “U.S. Marshals,” a sequel to “The Fugitive.” His other TV appearances have included the series “Lost.”

“He’s going to do a little show on Friday evening (Sept. 23),” Jones said of his involvement during the Mayberry Days week, “What it Was, Was Andy Griffith.” That title is reminiscent of Griffith’s comedy monologue “What it Was, Was Football.”

Bob Denver died in 2005, but his widow Dreama, who is an author, continues to carry on the actor’s heritage, including Mrs. Denver’s scheduled appearance at Mayberry Days from Sept. 22-24.

Her husband can be spotted in an episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” titled “Divorce, Mountain Style” as Dud Wash, a memorable character married to Charlene Darling.

This was about six months before “Gilligan’s Island” hit the airwaves. Earlier, Bob Denver had gained famed in the role of beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the popular program “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.”

Dreama Denver’s planned appearance in Mount Airy is coming on the heels of a recent digital reissue of an audiobook for Bob Denver’s autobiography “Gilligan, Maynard and Me.”

She will be meeting fans and signing copies of her books, among other appearances.

While welcoming the first-ever special guests to Mayberry Days, the annual celebration also will remember those who long were part of the event.

“We are recognizing this year a lot of special folks we have lost in the past few years,” Jones said.

This included two people from the show who have died since the last Mayberry Days, Betty Lynn, the actress known for her portrayal of Thelma Lou, who passed away last October, and Maggie Peterson Mancuso (Charlene Darling), in January.

A special memorial service is planned for Lynn, who had moved to Mount Airy in 2007 and won many friends locally.

Jones mentioned that unlike a service held for Andy Griffith at Blackmon Amphitheatre after his death in 2012, the tribute to Lynn will take place at an indoor venue, the Historic Earle Theatre, to avoid any interference from rain.

There were hugs, handshakes, cheers and tears of happiness from Hamptonville residents on Tuesday night following a vote from the Yadkin County Board of Commissioners to deny a rezoning request that would have allowed for a rock quarry 1500 feet behind West Yadkin Elementary School.

“It’s just unbelievable. I cannot believe how well the commissioners supported us. It was not necessary here,” said Danny Steelman. Steelman was part of an organized group of neighbors who opposed the mine project from the start.

Real Estate Developer Jack Mitchell set off something of a firestorm in the community when he began test drilling on a nearly 500-acre property near 3641 Hwy US 21 last year. Neighbors immediately became concerned that the site could be used for fracking or a lithium mine. NC Policy Watch environmental reporter Lisa Sorg broke the story in December of 2021. At that time Mitchell told NC Policy Watch that his company Synergy Materials was doing “due diligence” to determine the best use of the property. As Mitchell had previously been involved with companies specializing in ‘frac sand’, there was great concern from neighboring property owners.

In March of this year, Mitchell announced in a letter to neighbors that the plan was for the site to become an aggregate quarry operated as Three Oaks Quarry. Community residents remained staunchly against the proposal, voicing concerns over property values, possible damage to wells and groundwater supply and the close proximity of the site to West Yadkin Elementary School.

Three Oaks Quarry held a community information session and presented multiple documents to the Yadkin County Planning Board detailing the many mitigation efforts that would be put in place to eliminate or minimize effects of the mining operation on the area. Even a suggested condition of an annual contribution to the school did little to dissuade residents from their position.

Tuesday’s meeting was a continuation of a public hearing on the matter that began at the Aug. 15 Yadkin County Board Meeting. The Yadkin Planning Board voted 3-2 in June to recommend approval of the rezoning request from Rural Agriculture to Manufacturing Industrial I. The matter then went before the county board where both sides were given 30 minutes each to speak. Attorneys for each side both indicated to the commissioners that it was their duty to vote on the matter based on the county’s land use plan. Tom Terrell, attorney for Three Oaks Quarry, noted that the county’s land use plan does indicate that quarries go in rural agriculture areas and also argued that the property in question abuts an area designated for economic expansion. Craig D. Justus, attorney representing Hamptonville residents, argued that despite the fact the land use plan states that quarries can go in rural areas that doesn’t mean that is always the appropriate place.

Justus also argued that the rezoning request was improper due to the fact that the proposed access road to the site was not part of the rezoning request and should be, however it would not meet set back requirements from homes near the road. A possible error in the documents approved by the planning board listing the acreage to be rezoned as 160 rather than 265 acres was also discussed at some length.

Bob Hagemann, an attorney for the county, informed the board that both of those issues could potentially be cause for litigation by either party depending on which way the vote went but said he did not think the board should put great weight on those matters when considering its decision. He reiterated that the land use plan was the main item that should guide the decision.

Commissioner David Moxley wasted no time in making a motion when the time came. Moxley’s motion was to adopt a statement of consistency and reasonableness finding that the rezoning request was not consistent with the adopted 2011 Land Use Plan.

Among the reasons noted in the motion was that the “adjacent land uses are predominately single family residence and agriculture operations with low development intensity.”

“The proposed mine is not low intensity and not in character with surrounding land uses,” said Moxley.

The motion also stated that there was “insufficient information available indicating the proposed operation would minimize potential impacts.”

The motion was seconded by Commissioner Frank Zachary and was approved 4-0. Commissioner Gilbert Hemric was recused from the vote due to a conflict of interest.

Kitsey Burns Harrison is the Editor of the Yadkin Ripple. She may be reached at 336-258-4035 or follow her on Twitter and Instagram @news_shewrote.

Leaping over obstacles takes a toll on people, even those who have felt a call to serve others in need. After diligent work in fundraising, outreach, and awareness for the needs of homeless men in Mount Airy, the Mount Airy Men’s Shelter decided the obstacles to achieving their vision are insurmountable.

Project leader Ann Simmons said Monday, “We have faced many challenges and roadblocks trying to get the men’s shelter established here in Mount Airy. With a heavy heart we have come to the conclusion that without the support of the county and city we are unable to continue.”

“Unfortunately, there are those who think the money could be spent better elsewhere or that Mount Airy is not in need of a shelter. Or that it would bring more homeless to Mount Airy,” she said.

Since the shelter began their awareness campaign last fall with talks to the Rotary Club as well as Mount Airy and Surry County officials, Simmons has said repeatedly that she felt a call from above to serve those in need.

A need for homeless shelter space exists in the county and while groups are working hard to support women and families in crisis, she saw there remained a drought of services aimed toward homeless men.

For months there had been meetings, interviews, housing needs roundtables, and pleas to the leaders of Mount Airy and Surry County from the Mount Airy Men’s Shelter group to try and gain some funding assistance for the fights against a problem that is not unique to Mount Airy.

“I am sad to hear that the efforts for a men’s homeless shelter will not be moving forward. Homelessness for men is a reality in our community and we have not been able to fill that void,” United Fund of Surry Executive Director Melissa Hiatt said Monday. “The United Fund is committed to working with local non-profits to grow their awareness, strengthen their structure and provide leadership education.”

When the men’s shelter group started to find its footing and a possible location popped up for the shelter one opportunity fell through due to costs, on another then landowner simply changed their mind.

Some challenges were even harder to overcome. Simmons said she was also met with pushback from community leaders who suggested there was not a problem in need of fixing. However, on the shelter’s social media page one respondent offered another opinion, “Every small town has a large homeless population. Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

If people are not reminded daily of the need for homeless housing solutions in Mount Airy that does not mean no such problem exists, Simmons said. Nor will turning a blind eye to homelessness in hope that the problem will self-resolve.

“Some people can choose not to see the problem and others try to solve it,” Simmons said of her effort to get the shelter open.

When applying for American Rescue Plan funds through a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant Simmons was slapped with a harsh reality. The grant application was denied after a due diligence investigation of the shelter found that, through no fault of the organization, a member of the leadership team had been recently arrested.

She was told that, “Any current charges or convictions are considered disqualifying events.” To that she offered it feels like shelter received the punishment for something “a former officer has been accused of. We feel that is not very compassionate and forward thinking.”

For those who have been cheering on the concept and development of the Mount Airy Men’s Shelter Simmons said, “I assure those of you that have generously donated to support this endeavor that your donations will benefit the homeless in another way.”

“I’m done and I know I did all I could,” she said and although this chapter of her service journey is ending, the needs of those she has served will remain behind. The gifts of physical items for the shelter like bedding, kitchen, or office supplies will not go to waste but rather still be used toward the same end goal.

“The money will go to three different non-profits that help men: New Hope, New Beginnings in Mount Airy; Your Father’s House in Elkin and Open Air Ministries in Mount Airy.”

The donated clothing, furnishings and hygiene items are to be given from Mount Airy Men’s Shelter to New Hope, New Beginnings who under direction of Karl Singletary is constructing a new long-term transitional home for men in an existing structure on Rawley Avenue in Mount Airy.

Simmons added that the backpacks and sleeping bags donated to her organization will be going to Open Air Ministry for direct distribution to the homeless. “Thank you to each and every one that tried to help us with this dream. We are heartbroken that we were not able to make it happen. With your help we were able to help many.”

The United Fund’s Hiatt said, “Ann Simmons and The Mount Airy Men’s Shelter group have provided awareness and education on this problem, I hope that someone will step forward to initiate change and resolve so that no one in our community is hungry or homeless.”

Simmons reminds that those in need require caring, understanding, and empathy as well as the more obvious forms of support like clothing or food. “Please continue to support these other non-profit ministries in the area. And join us to continue to pray for the homeless of Mount Airy and the homeless everywhere.”

The public long has been fascinated by moonshining and those manufacturing illegal liquor in the hollows of North Carolina and Virginia — with one of that craft’s most-colorful figures to be highlighted in Mount Airy soon.

Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton was a moonshiner, bootlegger and entrepreneur from Haywood County known as a rebellious individual who brazenly defied authorities in practicing and defending what many consider a natural mountain tradition.

Sutton, who suffered an untimely death in 2009, is to be featured by Neal Hutcheson, an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, author and photographer, who will appear here for a pair of events on Sept. 11.

From 1 to 3 p.m. that Sunday, Hutcheson is scheduled to present his 2021 book “The Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton” at Mount Airy Museum of Regional History on North Main Street and discuss the unique place moonshining holds in the Appalachian heritage.

This is part of a History Talks series hosted by the museum, with admission free to public. The program will be held in the third-floor classroom of the facility.

“The Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton” won a 2022 National Indie Excellence Award and a 2022 Outstanding Book Award from The Independent Publishers Book Awards, the largest unaffiliated book contest in the world, according to promotional material regarding the author’s upcoming appearance.

Hutcheson recounts Sutton’s path to fame in “The Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton” and attempts to sort fact from fiction, concluding that “the accumulation of stories, songs, eulogies and tributes about Popcorn offers a fascinating illustration of the process through which folk become folklore.”

Later on Sept. 11, at 4 p.m., Hutcheson is slated to present his film that has become a cult classic “This is the Last Dam Run of Likker I’ll Ever Make,” at the Historic Earle Theater on North Main Street, hosted by the Surry Arts Council.

This is coinciding with the 20th anniversary of that production.

In “This is the Last Dam Run of Likker I’ll Ever Make,” Sutton demonstrates the art, craft and history of moonshine distillation.

The documentary originally was available only on VHS tapes bought from the moonshiner himself — which rapidly circulated as people made home copies and passed them to friends and family while laying a foundation for his growing fame, according to Hutcheson.

It eventually drew the attention of television producers in Boston and New York.

“This is the Last Dam Run of Likker I’ll Ever Make” was digitally remastered this year and it is that version of the film which will be screened at the Earle in a theatrical context.

The presentation is to include an introduction and a question-and-answer session with the filmmaker.

Tickets cost $8 plus tax, with proceeds to benefit the Surry Arts Council.

The local non-profit organization operates the Andy Griffith Playhouse, Andy Griffith Museum and Blackmon Amphitheatre in addition to the Historic Earle Theatre.

Surry Arts Council Executive Director Tanya Jones is enthusiastic about the upcoming presentation on a figure whom she agreed highlights a culture widely embraced in this region of the country.

Born in Maggie Valley, Sutton died in March 2009 at age 62 at his home in Tennessee, committing suicide via carbon monoxide poisoning while facing prison on federal charges relating to moonshining and illegal firearm possession.

Though he is gone from that scene, Sutton’s name comes up frequently on the popular “Moonshiners” reality-TV series on the Discovery network, which has broadened his fan base.

This has included modern-day moonshiners making liquor runs at one of Sutton’s old still sites using his recipes, uncovering a stash of his liquor and sometimes working with one of Sutton’s associates, JB Rader.

Hutcheson’s best-known works center on Appalachian heritage in transition.

He has been the recipient of a North Carolina Arts Council Artist Fellowship, the Brown Hudson Award from the North Carolina Folklore Society, the North Carolina Filmmaker Award and three regional Emmy Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

A Hutcheson documentary “Mountain Talk” (2002) also featured Popcorn Sutton, and along with “This is the Last Dam Run of Likker I’ll Ever Make,” he produced two other documentaries with Sutton, the Emmy-winning “The Last One” (2009) and “Popcorn Sutton – A Hell of a Life (2014).”

This summer, during one of our camps sponsored by the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History, I asked the kids, as we made biscuits, where do you think the pioneers got their flour from? Most said it was from farming or stores, but one child said, “we get it from factories but pioneers didn’t have those.”

Not only did they have flour-making factories, but they were one of our earliest industries in the region and they were called gristmills.

In the days of the pioneers, flour could come from grains of wheat, corn, rye, and oats, and if you were lucky, it was ground in a crucial community business, the gristmill. Gristmills get their name from grist being another word for grain and a mill or milling meaning grinding things.

Even without a mill, flour could be ground; but it was often a tedious and difficult task. Some pioneers used small hand mills, some made specialized mortar and pestle (a method they learned from Native Americans), and some used a quern. The quern is a tool that has been around since the stone age and is made with two flat stones. All of these techniques were labor- and time-intensive, so as early pioneers started to form communities and farming increased, there was a need for machines to help them grind flour and mills.

That need for mills had at least 37 of them operating in Surry County and employing more than 200 people by 1850. One of the biggest of this time was Kapps Mill in Mountain Park that was powered by the Mitchell River.

Kapps Mill started operations back in 1827, when it was run by a firm called Nixon and Jackson, but in 1843 John Kapp purchased the mill along with the 800-acre property it sat on. John Kapp luckily came from a family familiar with mill work.

His grandfather, Jacob Kapp, ran a mill in Bethabara (part of present-day Winston Salem) until his daughter and son-in-law took it over. Jacob even notably had his mill stones carved from local granite.

What did it take to be a miller? Most Millers had to be educated, physically fit, and skilled to be able to do their job. There were books to learn about milling and you would need to be able to measure and count well. A miller would also need to be able to carry sacks of flour, repair the machinery, and had so much to do they often had a full work day. All this hard work wasn’t without benefits though, many mill owners were often highly respected.

In Kapps Mill, like many mills, the bottom floor housed the gears and mechanics of the mill that kept the grind stones moving with the water wheel turning and powering it all.

Grain is crushed between two big flat stones called millstones. The distance between the two stones had to be adjusted for different types of flour, and getting it right wasn’t easy. Wheat traditionally needed less space than corn, and the stones could never touch, or the flour would ‘spoil.’

Even the design of the stones was highly detailed as many had furrows or engraved markings that helped take off the grain’s outer husk and move the flour to the outside of the stone where it would fall into a collection space.

Millers faced many problems from the constant threat of fire from machinery, pests, floods that could damage the milldam or the mill, and accidents from working with dangerous heavy machines.

Getting crops to the mill could also be difficult as there were few roads at this time and it could be a long trip, but it was worth the effort.

Gristmills were often not just places you went to have your crops ground into flour, but many included blacksmiths, workshops, and even general stores. The general store offered travelers a place to rest and eat while they waited, and they could even stock up on supplies and trade some of their flour (a usual form of payment for the mill’s work.) Kapps Mill in its heyday had a general store, blacksmith shop, and even a post office.

The mill went through many renovations, but was eventually closed around 1935 by John Kapp’s son-in-law, Ivry Wallace, because the mill was no longer profitable. Kapps Mill continued to have a place in the community even after it closed, and would become known for trout fishing and its scenic view of the 120-foot dam that had remained operational for more than 100 years. Sadly, the dam was blown out by Hurricane Michael in 2018, but that doesn’t mean all history is lost. Private owners are working to make the estate a space for the community once again.

Cassandra Johnson is the programs and education director for the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History with a background in environmental and natural sciences.

The latest figures on tourism spending in Surry County indicate that it is soaring — judging by a 45.4-percent increase reported — but still are below the pre-pandemic level.

Yet local officials see reason for optimism in a breakdown showing that domestic and international visitors to and within Surry County spent $136.99 million in 2021, which was slightly below that of 2019 — the last calendar year B.C. (before COVID).

“I think we’re on the upswing,” Mount Airy Mayor Ron Niland said of a segment of the economy hard-hit by the coronavirus both locally and elsewhere in 2020 when many large events were cancelled and venues closed.

Niland was encouraged by the fact local tourism activity seems to be returning to where it was before that crisis wielded its grip.

“I think people are getting a little more comfortable with the COVID protocols,” the mayor added Monday.

The local tourism-spending statistics come from an annual study commissioned by Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.

While the $136.99 million figure compiled for 2021 seems lofty, the spending level failed to eclipse that of 2019, when $137.79 million was logged.

Another distinction is that while the 2021 numbers reflect both domestic and international visitation, those for 2019 were for domestic visitors to and within the county — and not internationally. It was not readily known how much of a factor foreign tourists are in Surry County.

Other highlights of the latest report show that:

• The travel and tourism industry directly employees more than 854 in Surry County, down from 880-plus in pre-pandemic 2019;

• However, the total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Surry County was $31.7 million in 2021, higher than the figure reported for 2019, $21.03 million.

• State tax revenue generated in Surry County totaled $6 million through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income, compared to $7.57 million in 2019;

• About $4.4 million in local taxes were generated last year through sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses, higher than that reported for 2019, about $2.95 million.

Statewide, visitor spending in 2021 rebounded by 44.9 percent to reach $28.9 billion, representing about the same percentage increase from 2020 as the 45.4-percent gain in Surry.

Both Mayor Niland and Jessica Roberts, executive director of the Mount Airy Tourism Development Authority and Tourism Partnership of Surry County, believe the recent addition of various attractions locally are making a difference.

Niland mentioned as one factor the weekend events in the Market Street Arts and Entertainment District held during the warmer months, which include live music, along with the usual “Mayberry Experience” that also has been enhanced recently.

“Our new Andy Griffith Mural project in partnership with Mount Airy Downtown Inc. and the city of Mount Airy by the artist Jeks has brought in new visitors and those returning who are loyal to our various Mayberry attractions,” Roberts agreed.

Some segments of the local tourism economy also have been expanding, according to Roberts.

“In the last few years, Mount Airy and Surry County have seen additional lodging opportunities being offered through various online booking companies like Airbnb and Vrbo,” the local tourism official advised.

“And many of those opening in our various downtown areas throughout Surry County and also in and around the vineyards in the Yadkin Valley.”

Other growth has occurred despite COVID-19, Roberts mentioned.

“During the pandemic, we have also seen various renovations at local establishments throughout the county and additional wineries opening with more to open in the future.”

Mayor Niland believes this area is well-positioned for the future, on the heels of 2021 spending returning to some semblance of normalcy.

“I think we will do even better in the next few years,” he said, “particularly with the things we have in the downtown area.”

Roberts says the latest numbers are a testament to the important role tourism plays in the local economy year in and year out by providing jobs, tax revenue and other value.

“The ultimate goal of our tourism efforts in Surry County and Mount Airy is to bring in more visitors annually who will spend more money and stay longer in our region, including new and repeat visitors.”

Surry County has tremendous outdoor resources including parks, trails, rivers and more — but is hoping to elevate that to another level by participating in a new regional initiative.

This included about 25 people gathering Thursday afternoon at White Elephant Beer Co. on Market Street in Mount Airy for an introductory community open house meeting. It was organized by representatives of Mountain BizWorks, a non-profit organization based in Asheville.

Mountain BizWorks is spearheading a fledgling program known as Building Outdoor Communities, which seeks to maximize opportunities offered by the bountiful natural resources of western North Carolina.

The rural development partnership targets 25 counties in all, including Surry.

Building Outdoor Communities is designed to support affected communities in developing, prioritizing and implementing their individual outdoor infrastructure and economic goals.

This will allow the counties involved “to capitalize on their extraordinary outdoors and build places that people love,” according to a description of the new program that stresses drawing in people lured by the mountain culture.

“We’re looking to pull more of this business into western North Carolina,” said Joanna Brown, one of the Mountain BizWorks representatives visiting Mount Airy.

Based on the tone of Thursday afternoon’s meeting, the program seeks not only to fully develop outdoor resources to attract tourists but companies seeking to expand to places possessing such attractions that are becoming more and more popular.

“People around the world are infatuated with finding ways to connect with nature,” Building Outdoor Communities Specialist Bradley Spiegel told those gathered at White Elephant Beer Co.

“There’s just so many cool stories to tell to attract people to this place,” Spiegel said of the western North Carolina landscape and the high-quality outdoor recreation access it offers.

While this has always existed, the coronavirus pandemic seems to have heightened interest in areas with such scenic and recreational value among employers, he advised.

“Companies are looking to relocate to places with outstanding outdoor assets,” Spiegel explained in reference to a business expansion and recruitment component involved with the program.

The Building Outdoor Communities initiative is funded in part by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). It was established by Congress years ago to foster economic development in the depressed region of Appalachia.

Appalachian Regional Commission officials work with the people of that 13-state region, including North Carolina, to create opportunities for self-sustaining progress in areas such as economic development and critical infrastructure.

Among the ways the new program will help targeted communities by driving outdoor industry growth are providing financing, training and mentorship for existing businesses and entrepreneurs — balancing that with conservation, organizers say.

Technical assistance and connectivity opportunities also will be offered.

Building pathways to a “robust and talented workforce” is among the goals of the new program.

Determining what Surry County wants to be from a branding standpoint is listed as one of the questions to be asked as part of the process, along with assessing what’s here now and what else is needed.

Local tourism official Jessica Roberts says one concern in Surry involves taking the load off Pilot Mountain State Park — which tends to be overflowing with visitors — by getting them interested in under-used attractions locally they might not even know about.

Roberts says another focus should be on providing more access points for local waterways.

Surry County Parks and Recreation Director Daniel White said Thursday that there is also a need for more mountain biking facilities locally, along with supporting ongoing pedestrian and biking opportunities and the possibility of connecting these in the future.

White further pointed to another outdoorsy opportunity: developing the 34 miles of the Mountain to the Sea Trail course that runs through Surry.

In addition to Roberts, White and Jenny Smith from Mount Airy Visitors Center, others in attendance Thursday afternoon were Mount Airy officials including City Manager Stan Farmer, Commissioner Joe Zalescik and Darren Lewis, assistant city manager.

A Pilot Mountain town official, Scott Needham, also was there, as were representatives of Stone Mountain State Park and the Piedmont Triad Regional Council that aids economic-development efforts in this area.

Surry County Economic Development Partnership President Todd Tucker was another person who attended.

Tucker was enthusiastic about one key starting step, building a local working group of citizens who represent a cross-section of stakeholders in the outdoor recreation industry to advance the Building Outdoor Communities initiative.

“Who wants to be involved?” he said of a key question needing to be answered as part of that process.

WESTFIELD — A community group doesn’t often get the chance to celebrate a major longevity milestone, and the South Westfield Ruritan Club made the most of that occasion with a recent event marking its 60th anniversary.

Many local residents attended the drop-in gathering on Aug. 13 along with several out-of-towners drawn to the big celebration, according to Barbara S. Collins, a club representative.

“They enjoyed browsing the history and pictures of the club,” Collins added.

The drop-in format was employed for a three-hour period as opposed to having everyone gather en masse at a specific time, in order to lessen the COVID threat.

Those attending got a chance to view displays of plaques, pictures and newspaper articles documenting the club’s history, in addition to sharing memories and enjoying the fellowship.

The origins of the South Westfield Ruritan Club date back more than six decades, when Bob and Hallie Flippin donated land to benefit the community by being used for a local Ruritan club.

This occurred during a growth period for the Ruritan organization nationally, after the emergence of its first club in 1928 in the Suffolk, Virginia, area.

The Ruritans now are known as America’s top community service organization with more than 23,000 members in nearly 1,000 clubs in small towns and rural areas.

While the recent event was focused on celebrating its 60 years in existence, members of the South Westfield Ruritan Club also engaged in public service. This included not only serving free food to all who attended but sending some to shut-ins of the community, Collins reported.

Along with helping others there, the South Westfield Ruritan Club has provided scholarships to local students over the years, including two annually for youths continuing their education at Surry Community College.

The group also operates an ongoing backpack program to supply area students with backpacks and food, donates money and provisions for families undergoing hardships and engages in many other similar efforts.

With voter access continuing to be a major issue nationwide, a local case involving the number of early balloting sites that will be open in Surry County this fall is expected to be settled soon.

A matter normally decided by the Surry Board of Elections has been shifted to the state elections board, which is required due to the local group’s failure to reach unanimous decisions on the scope of those locations.

The five-member Surry board has been weighing whether only the Mount Airy and Dobson early voting sites should be open for one-stop, early absentee balloting preceding the off-year November general election — or Dobson only, as required by law.

Four locations operate during election years involving presidential races, also including Pilot Mountain and Elkin, which additionally was the case for a recent primary.

“September thirteenth is the date that the State Board of Elections will be meeting and they will be hearing from two of our board members,” local elections Chairman Dwayne Carter said Thursday.

During a meeting in Dobson on July 20, the Surry Board of Elections — made up of three Democrats and two Republicans — rendered a bipartisan 4-1 vote to have only the Mount Airy and Dobson early voting stations.

This was followed by another 4-1 vote to just operate the Dobson location.

Such failures to reach unanimous decisions on the local level automatically trigger the state intervention in Raleigh.

That was the case with another local issue during the spring surrounding early voting sites for a May 17 primary, after a non-unanimous decision on a proposal to open all four stations, which the North Carolina board ultimately approved.

The procedure involves local members arguing on both sides of such proposals before the state board.

Tim DeHaan, a GOP representative on the Surry group, will be making the case for maintaining only the Dobson location, while Democrat Drew Poindexter of Dobson is to advocate for both Dobson and Mount Airy.

“And, of course, the state board would have the authority to deny both of those requests,” Carter said — thus ruling that all four locations be offered. But it is not likely to go that route, he added, which would be against the wishes of the entire local board.

Based on the immediate action taken by the state after local representatives appeared for the spring hearing, officials in Raleigh likely will make their decision during the Sept. 13 session.

Unlike some charges on a national scale about alleged attempts to limit voter access by curtailing early absentee ballot casting, the local considerations are economic in nature.

Early voter turnout was low in both Pilot Mountain and Elkin for the May primary, and that would be expected again for this fall’s general election, which Carter has said makes it hard to justify personnel and other expenses involved.

In contrast, the Mount Airy early voting site, in a county government facility behind Arby’s, is generally heavily used.

The Surry County Board of Elections voted 5-0 in July to close early voting stations on two Saturdays before the election, also because of participation factors. That service will be available only on the Saturday before the Nov. 8 general election, which is mandatory.

The late Betty Lynn was known to millions of “The Andy Griffith Show” fans as the long-suffering, sweet-hearted girlfriend of Deputy Barney Fife.

Over the decades since the show left the air, many of those fans got the chance to meet her — Lynn was a frequent guest at Mayberry-themed festivals and fairs around the country and a regular visitor to Mount Airy’s Mayberry Days. After moving to Mount Airy in 2007, she became a fixture in Andy Griffith’s hometown, not only attending Mayberry Days each year but later making regular appearances at The Andy Griffith Museum to meet with fans and sign autographs.

Lynn, who passed away Oct. 16, was a favorite among the show’s fans, because she cared about them and showed it — often spending time chatting with them, getting to know them, even recalling them in chance meetings years later.

Her fans will soon have the opportunity to get to know her better, to learn about her childhood, her early career, her Mayberry years, and what she was doing in the years after “The Andy Griffith Show,” with the publication of her autobiography, “Becoming Thelma Lou: My Journey to Hollywood, Mayberry, and Beyond.”

The hardback book, coming in at more than 300 pages, will officially be released Aug. 29 — which would have been her 96th birthday. The Surry Arts Council will be observing the day with a book release event at The Andy Griffith Museum.

“We will be having drawings for Betty Lynn memorabilia ranging from a purse, hat, jewelry, sunglasses, and other treasures from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.,” said Tanya Jones, executive director of the Surry Arts Council. Jones. A close friend of Lynn’s who wrote the Forward in the book, Jones said copies of the book will be on sale beginning that day. “The first 50 books sold will include a bookmark autographed by Betty,” she said. The museum will be selling the books at $40 each.

While Betty died last autumn, two men who helped her compile and write the book — Jim Clark of Nashville, Tennessee, and Tim McAbee, of Sevierville, Tennessee — recently said they believe her fans will enjoy the work.

“I think people in Mount Airy especially will like it,” Clark said. A writer and co-founder of The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watcher’s Club, Clark has been a life-long fan of the show and grew to know Lynn well over the years. “The book has got a lot about Mount Airy toward the end, when she moved to Mount Airy. She loved living there, she has so many nice things to say about the people of Mount Airy.”

McAbee, a concert and event promoter who has been involved in organizing many of “The Andy Griffith Show” cast reunions over the years, said he believes fans will come away from the book with a greater appreciation for the vast career Lynn had apart from “The Andy Griffith Show.”

“I think being in the USO, and some of the conditions she traveled in and performed in, as a young lady right out of high school,” are among the revelations in the book he said stands out in his memory. “She was in the China-Burma-Indian theater (during World War 2). Even though she wasn’t on the front lines, the travel was terrible, being the lone female, she was in tough conditions. I never really gave that much thought until I heard her describe that.”

That period of her life, just after she turned 18, was a sometimes-harrowing experience. She and some of her USO colleagues traveled into remote areas to entertain and visit with soldiers in hospitals. That often meant sleeping on torn, filthy mattresses on floors, traversing rugged countryside, and dodging Japanese soldier encampments to get to the remote soldier hospitals.

Another part of her story that stands out for McAbee is the expansive career she had prior to landing the role of Thelma Lou.

“It’s amazing the career she had during the Golden Years of Hollywood, the people she worked with, the films she was in, long before ‘The Andy Griffith Show.’ I think that will surprise a lot of readers, all the things she did.”

McAbee said he first met Lynn while attending the Jan. 19, 2000 ceremony unveiling the Hollywood Walk of Fame star dedicated to Don Knotts.

“That’s where I really started to get to know her,” he said. He invited her to several of the Mayberry cast reunions he was producing at Pigeon Forge, and over time he was struck with the stories of her career and her experience in the entertainment industry.

“It was the downtime during those shows we got to hang out and I really got to know her. On my part, that was the impetus for the book. I encouraged her to share some of those stories, some of her memories.”

Once she gave her approval for the idea, McAbee said he began recording many of those talks, and the two of them turned to Clark to help, because of his writing and publishing background.

“Betty and I both just admire him so much, his knowledge involving the show…he was the first person we brought on board to help us with the book.”

From there, it was a matter of sporadic meetings with Lynn, recording her memories for the nearly two-decade long project.

Clark, whose friendship with Lynn dates to when he met her while she was involved with the 1986 Return To Mayberry movie, acknowledged that was a long time for a single book to be under production.

“It was very much a Mayberry pace,” he said with a laugh. “We took our time with it. She was busy doing other things, we were busy, we just kind of worked it in when we could. There was a lot of ebb and flow to our process.”

There were periods, he said, when she was less interested, and interviews would stop for while. McAbee said the 2006 death of Don Knotts affected her deeply, halting work on the project for a couple of years. Still, they always returned to doing interviews and transcribing the recordings.

Then, in 2020, he said Lynn told them the time for compiling information was over, so the writing began in earnest.

“It was pretty much done before it was started,” Clark said of the writing process. “Betty has such a great memory for details about her life…she is such a great storyteller….we didn’t change much of anything other than organizing and doing the things you need to do when you change from spoken word to written word. It really is her telling her story.”

“The process went right up until she passed,” McAbee said.

As Clark was writing and organizing, any loose ends or questions that came up they were able to get Mount Airy resident and photographer Hobart Jones to slip over to see her, with a recorder in hand, to ask her a few questions, allowing Clark to finish the manuscript before she died.

“Fortunately, we got it all written and she got a chance to look at the manuscript and approve before she passed away in October,” Clark said.

While she didn’t see the final product, Clark said the cover photo is one that Lynn often said was among her favorites. All totaled, the book spanning her life includes 140 pictures — some from her childhood, others from her USO services and pre-Andy Griffith career, and many others taken by Hobart Jones and others in more recent years.

“We view the book as one final gift from her to her fans,” Clark said. “I hope people enjoy it, maybe learn some things they didn’t know, see some things they hadn’t seen.”

“Becoming Thelma Lou: My Journey to Hollywood, Mayberry, and Beyond“ will remain on sale at The Andy Griffith Museum after the Aug. 29 launch party. It will also be available, in both hardback and soft cover editions, at Weaver’s Department Store (https://www.weaversdepartmentstore.com/index.php) and at other retailers such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books A Million, and others.

It’s always special when former classmates who shared a unique period in history get together, and an upcoming reunion of J.J. Jones High School graduates in Mount Airy will have added significance.

This will include a number of activities centered around the auditorium of the former all-black campus on Sept. 2, including the official unveiling of a plaque commemorating the site’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places last year.

The Jones alumni normally would have held a reunion in 2021 as part of an every-other-year meeting schedule, but that gathering was cancelled due to lingering issues with the coronavirus.

So the historic commemoration is planned for Sept. 2 to kick off a weekend of reunion activities for those who attended J.J. Jones. The school served African-American students in this area from 1936 to 1966, when it closed due to integration.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing with getting on the National Register,” said Edward McDaniels, a local resident who graduated from J.J. Jones High and serves on a reunion committee.

In honor of that occasion, Sept. 2 will be Family and Community Day on the grounds, according to J J Jones High School Alumni President Nancy Bowman Williams (Class of 1965).

The alumni group owns the auditorium, with other parts of the former campus long held by the Surry County government and leased to an agency operating a resource center that includes various agencies

Reunion organizers say the public at large is invited to Family and Community Day, which will give everyone the chance to celebrate the National Register status and the J.J. Jones heritage overall.

“This is for the community,” said McDaniels, who believes it is important for youth to be involved.

Old pictures and other mementos typically are displayed during each reunion, which once again also will include the wrapping of a maypole with colorful ribbons.

“That was a traditional activity at the school every year,” Williams explained.

While no specific times for the Sept. 2 slate of activities could be obtained from reunion planners Wednesday, these are expected to get under way around mid- to late afternoon and continue through the early evening.

The gathering also will include a fish fry at a cost of $12 per person.

Planners also are excited about the possible attendance on Sept. 2 of the oldest-living graduate of J.J. Jones High School, Sadie George, a member of its inaugural commencement Class of 1941.

George still lives in Mount Airy and is believed to be around 100 years old.

“She is the last one of them,” McDaniels said of that pioneering group of grads.

“We’re hoping that she can be there for the unveiling of the plaque,” Williams said of George.

Up to 150 former Jones students are expected to be present for the reunion weekend as a whole.

A dangerous building in Mount Airy that’s attracted much attention from city officials in recent months is now in the hands of a local business with some definite plans for the property.

“Bobby Koehler has purchased the Koozies building with the intention of taking it down,” Mayor Ron Niland said Wednesday of the latest development involving the controversial structure at 455 Franklin St., calling this “a major update.”

The disclosure of its acquisition is coming less than three weeks after the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners voted to seek proposals from contractors to tear down the structure. It is in violation of city building codes and considered a major public safety threat due to fears it might collapse in the street.

In February, the commissioners had voted to give the then-owner of the building, National Decon Holdings in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, 90 days to either repair the structure or have it razed. The company took no action to remedy the situation, based on information presented at the Aug. 4 meeting when the demolition directive was issued.

But the purchase by Koehler — the owner of Ultimate Towing and Recovery in Mount Airy, which is part of J&E Properties of North Carolina based on Park Drive, the official buyer of the Koozies building — has injected a new wrinkle.

“It’s going to change everything,” Mayor Niland said, “where we are and what goes forward.”

This is coinciding with Koehler’s acquisition of a site that formerly was a Quality Mills facility and in more recent years housed a private nightclub known as Koozies. “He just bought the property this week,” Niland added Wednesday.

In more recent years, the structure fell into major disrepair and since last fall had been the site of two fires linked to occupation by homeless persons.

Its purchase by Koehler means the Koozies building’s days are numbered.

“He’s already got a permit to take it down,” said Niland, who didn’t know when the demolition will commence.

The mayor believes the forceful position taken by city officials prompted National Decon Holdings to facilitate the sale of the Franklin Street property. “I think they finally saw the light.”

City Manager Stan Farmer agreed.

“The council deserves credit for taking the action in February,” he said Wednesday.

Niland said the fact the site is now in local hands also represents a good situation in light of plans by Koehler to raze the building “and turn it into something productive for the city.”

What that might be was unclear Wednesday.

“I don’t know that he has any plans yet,” the mayor said of Koehler’s vision for the open land to be left behind.

Koehler could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The mayor also said he did not know the purchase price for the property.

However, county tax records indicate that this sum is $54,000. The total taxable value of the property is listed as $115,520. This apparent bargain is misleading given the fact that the “privilege” of owning it comes with the expected hefty price tag of the tear-down.

Koehler previously bought another nearby building deemed unfit for occupancy, the old Mittman Paint and Body Shop at 109 S. South St. It was one of three included in the city’s 90-day ultimatum in February, along with the Koozies site and what is referred to in municipal documents as the “red building” at 600 W. Pine St. beside Worth Honda.

The Ultimate Towing and Recovery owner submitted the highest bid of $38,000 for the Mittman property during a public auction on April 1.

That building has remained standing since, with plans reportedly in the works by the new owner to mitigate that situation.

The Surry County Board of County Commissioners approved last week a rezoning request for a large tract of land behind Walmart off of Rockford St. in Mount Airy.

The 35.75 acre piece of land had been zoned for Rural Agriculture but the applicant, Kahlil Nassar, and his business PQA Healthcare applied to have it rezoned to Highway Business, although he did not disclose any planned use for the property. Surry County’s planning board had already signed off on the rezoning request at an earlier meeting noting there had been one in-person objection made to the request during the hearing.

Attending the board meeting to represent Nassar was Dale Fulk, who had not been planning on speaking at the county board meeting. He told the commissioners that Nassar is an upstanding businessman who is “well vested in Dobson, Statesville, and has offices throughout the area. He does a good job.”

He said Nassar has no specific plans for the acreage and will be holding that piece of property until such time as he determines what the best use shall be.

Bobby Kohler of Ultimate Towing & Recovery spoke to the commissioners in opposition to the rezoning request. He said he had a desire at one point in time to purchase this piece of land but had backed out of it due to a variety of issues with the terrain and drainage.

“The land there is not sustainable. Mark Golden is getting washed away and so am I. We put the apartments in and Walmart, and the GameStop thing there. The erosion control was unstoppable.”

He said he could not see how to get around the issues the topography and drainage would have presented him nor to any other interested party.

“There is a hole back there from Walmart’s water runoff hole that is big enough to put Walmart in at the current moment. I’m not sure how he is going to fill this in because I have had engineers look at it because we were looking at purchasing it. We backed ourselves out just because of the maintenance of it.”

He also expressed concern about the potential use for that land. He told the board he was informed Nassar may seek to open a pain management center on the land.

“A pain management center in a county that’s already overfilled with the problems we have is not the proper thing to put there,” Kohler said of a potential use for the land that he had heard of.

Nassar said the information that the board heard about a pain management clinic “is incorrect.” He said, “PQA has no plans for a mental health facility or pain management clinic. I am currently looking at options and have no definite plans at the time.”

Fulk mentioned Nassar has a vestd interest in the communities PQA serves. Mark Willis said, “PQA Healthcare is a contractor that executes the Mental Health Assistant Program (MHAP) through Partners Health Management.”

“MHAP is a pilot diversion program operated in Mount Airy,” Willis, the director of the county’s office of substance abuse recovery, went on to explain the object of that diversion program is to offer the Mount Airy Police Department an alternative for persons who could be arrested but could be directed to the Peer Support Specialists at the MHAP.

“PQA also offers counseling services for behavioral health as well as placement services in programs that need behavioral health and Peer Support Specialist certified employees,” Willis added.

The commissioners had questions for county planning manager Marty Needham including ones on the drainage. He said he had not personally surveyed the property and could therefore not offer any insight into the types of issues Kohler referenced.

County Manager Chris Knopf stepped in to remind the board that the decision on the evening was on the general rezoning itself and not for approval of any specific project. A hearing on a general use rezone, he said, was not the correct forum to be discussing future issues or water or soil quality.

A similar point was made last month during the rezoning hearing around the proposed Dollar General location on Westfield Road that the board cannot look past the issue directly in front of it as to what may or may not be coming down the line. Terramore Development used that line of logic in its application for the now-defeated location, saying it was not in the board of commissioners’ purview to “choose winners and losers” in rezoning cases.

Needham said the rezoning request fit in with the county’s land use plan and Commissioner Eddie Harris said he would defer his decision to the members of the board who represent Mount Airy, Chairman Bill Goins and Commissioner Larry Johnson. Johnson moved to approved the rezone and his fellow commissioners agreed in a unanimous decision.

Kohler also referred to a plan to construct a hotel or a Home Depot on the land, an idea to which he scoffed at both the need for and logistics of making such a plan happen.

Of the land rezoned last Monday night Fulk told the board there are no development plans for the land, only that Nassar sees potential of the land for future development.

“That property has some value and with some vision a lot could be done with that property,” Fulk said.

Kohler is hopeful whatever is next for the land that considerations will be made for the traffic on Park Drive and the drainage issues that are already of concern to long term residents of the area.

Mount Airy officials have approved a change to municipal personnel regulations aimed at securing employees for hard-to-fill-job vacancies.

Previously, the employing of an immediate family member of anyone on Mount Airy’s governing board, the city manager or a department head has not been allowed.

However, under a change approved by the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners last Thursday night an exception to the city personnel policy will be permitted.

It paves the way for children of department heads to work in part-time jobs in departments other than the one their parent supervises.

Mount Airy Human Resources Director Susan Jones explained in an Aug. 9 memo to the commissioners that this will aid in the hiring of needed personnel within the municipal ranks.

At any given time, the City of Mount Airy Facebook page will list multiple job vacancies, which tend to be mostly in the Parks and Recreation division.

“It has been expressed from several children of department heads that they would like to work at Reeves (Community Center) during the summer and help out with summer camp,” the human resources director added.

Yet this has not been permitted due to the present policy barring any relatives of department heads from employment within the city government.

“We would like to change the current policy to allow children of department heads to work in a part-time capacity for the city,” states Jones’ request to the commissioners, who approved that tweak Thursday night without discussion.

“The only exception is that children would not be allowed to work in the same department as their parent.”

Officials hope that this will aid the vacancy situation now facing the city government, which also has been experienced in the private sector.

“By making this change, those that have expressed interest will be able to apply for those part-time positions and this will help fill some of those hard-to-fill (jobs),” Jones advised.

One provision left intact in the personnel policy applies to relatives besides parents, noting that no person shall be hired or assigned to work under the administrative influence or supervision of an immediate family member.

Also, members of an immediate family may not be employed at the same time if this would cause operational conflict within a department or any adverse management or personnel problems.

The city policy defines an “immediate family member” as a spouse, mother, father, guardian, child, sister, brother, grandparent, grandchild, aunt or uncle — “plus various combinations of half, step, in-law and adopted relationships that can be derived from those.”

NFL teams are trimming their rosters and something similar is occurring in Mount Airy, where a list of 16 applicants for the city’s share of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding has been cut by half.

In presenting recommendations for which of the local non-profit agencies should receive money, City Attorney Hugh Campbell said this isn’t a reflection of their past performance or worthiness — with the meeting of guidelines governing such allocations the key.

“They’re all excellent groups — they all play an important role in the community,” Campbell commented during a council meeting Thursday night when emphasizing the point that the recommendations are in no way intended as a value judgment for organizations involved.

The funding matter basically has sat on the municipality’s back burner since the winter, when the 16 non-profit organizations submitted funding requests for part of what Mount Airy was gifted through the American Rescue Plan Act.

City officials had learned in 2021 that a total of $3.25 million was headed their way as part of a massive relief package to help communities nationwide recover from the COVID pandemic.

With aid for non-profits an allowable use of the federal dollars, they also invited local groups to submit applications to help fund their various projects or needs — a rare opportunity for such assistance on a large scale.

Since $2.9 million of the $3.25 million later was earmarked for city government use — mostly for major building and equipment needs involving facilities — it became apparent that the non-profits could be competing for a limited sum of money.

City Manager Stan Farmer explained Monday that the total ARPA appropriation was included in Mount Airy’s budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year. And once the council decides on what to approve for non-profits the remainder will go toward the municipal projects, he said.

The 16 organizations submitted American Rescue Plan Act requests totalling $2.4 million.

While Mayor Ron Niland said a final decision on which organizations will get what is to come later, the recommendations by the city attorney which pared the list to eight have reduced that figure to $1.09 million.

Among the groups recommended for funding and the sums sought involved are Veterans Memorial Park (for which $7,000 was requested to upgrade restrooms and showers to aid special events there, which the attorney considers a public purpose); Rotary Pup Dog Park, $18,200 for various uses including signage and benches; Mount Airy Public Library, $20,105 to acquire four early literature stations;

Also, the Mount Airy Junior Woman’s Club, $47,000 for a new playground at B.H. Tharrington Primary School; Tiny Tigers Rescue Inc. ($49,500 to reduce the cost of animal adoption, spay and neuter services by the licensed animal shelter); Mount Airy Rescue Squad, $117,349 for mobile radios to improve emergency communications (the squad annually receives a special appropriation from the city);

The Surry Arts Council, $357,500 to repair termite damage, replace toilets and renovate restrooms and the entrance to the Andy Griffith Playhouse; and Mount Airy Museum of Regional History, $475,000 for construction, exhibits and a camera system.

Not recommended for funding were the Surry Young Entrepreneurs Program, Mount Airy Men’s Shelter, Sandy Level Community Council Inc., Surry Medical Ministries, Shepherd’s House homeless shelter, Masonic Properties of Mount Airy Inc., Surry Children’s Center and African-American Historical and Genealogical Society (related to the old Jones School).

Based on the criteria outlined by the city attorney, the recommendations are based on legality and constitutionality tied to some public purpose ultimately benefiting the community and fulfilling a legitimate aim of government.

Some of the applicants simply didn’t meet that criteria, for which one key element is whether public or private property is involved, according to the information outlined.

Based on Campbell’s presentation, that factor in itself disqualified the two homeless shelters among other facilities, but worked in the favor of the Surry Arts Council, library and dog park due to occupying city-owned buildings or property.

The reasoning there involves the possibility that buildings not in that realm could be sold to other private parties and circumvent the intended public benefit of a site originally.

“There is no way to protect that investment as a public purpose,” Campbell said.

While Mount Airy Museum of Regional History does not fit into that category, the city attorney indicated that the American Rescue Plan Act guidelines smile upon museums as being essential parts of a community.

“This is the one exception,” Campbell said of the private property exclusion.

In not recommending the funding for Surry Children’s Center, Campbell pointed out that the $100,000 it requested was simply “revenue replacement” to address losses and increased costs associated with COVID-19.

The Mount Airy Board of Commissioners will make a final decision on the ARPA funding for local non-profits at a future meeting, possibly in September.

“There is no intention of doing anything on any of these tonight — it’s not on the agenda,” Mayor Niland said during last Thursday’s session. “But we will be discussing these.”

He stressed that that the board is bound by statutory requirements in allocating the money.

Campbell mentioned that recipients must meet certain criteria such as having a functioning board of directors and a history of regulatory compliance and grant accountability.

For the more than half a century, every Labor Day weekend, a sea of antiques, collectables, rare knick knacks, and keen-eyed shoppers flow through the quiet town of Hillsville, Virginia. Customers travel miles from up and down the East Coast and beyond, to attend the Hillsville Gun Show and Flea Market, which is said to be the largest gun show and flea market east of the Mississippi.

From its humble beginning as a fundraising event for the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post, it has grown into a spectacle in its own right.

Flea markets can trace their lineage back to ancient times, with the idea coming from open air markets. The first ever “flea market,” which more closely resembles what we envision today, is thought to have taken place in the 1800s in Paris, France. The term “flea market” comes from these early incarnations, thought to be due to the fleas that were said to infest the upholstery of furniture sold at the original French market.

It did not take long for the markets to make the jump across the Atlantic, and the first flea market in the United States is thought to have been set up in the late 19th century in Texas, though the exact location of the original American flea market is highly contested.

The Hillsville Gun Show and Flea Market was the creation of two area men, Glenn Jackson and Pierce Webb. In early 1967, the two were discussing the popularity of gun shows in the South and settled on the idea of opening their own in Hillsville. There was certainly a desire for such a thing, with both Gene Pack, the Hillsville police chief at the time, and Dennis Quesenberry, a local collector of fine guns, also considering the same idea at the time.

Jackson was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Grover King Post 1115, located in Hillsville, and wanted the flea market to assist the post in raising funds. The organization had begun on May 15, 1935 with 27 local veterans from World War One as well as a handful of veterans from other wars. The post was named in honor of the first Carroll County serviceman killed during World War One, Grover C. King.

The post first held meetings in the county courthouse and moved into the organization’s own specially built building in the mid 1950s. Only a few years later, the cost of the new building was paid off in full. But tragedy would strike not long after, when much of the building collapsed and was destroyed in 1968. This meant the VFW post would need to construct yet another building and was looking at ways to afford this new cost.

Knowing the VFW was looking for a new revenue stream and that a gun show would be a viable way of bringing in extra money and visitors to the county, Jackson approached the VFW with his idea, which was approved by the post, and the first Hillsville Gun Show and Flea Market was open for business in 1968.

Every year since 1968, aside from 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the gathering, the market has been up for four days over Labor Day weekend. The event started small, with its first year drawing in 100 vendors and 4,000 visitors. By 1989, there were 1,200 vendors and around 250,000 shoppers. These days, some estimates claim more than a half-million bargain seekers attend the market.

Jackson took a hands-on approach in the event’s early years, from helping vendors set up on the day of, to driving around the South handing out flyers and sticking up posters. Jackson’s marketing was such a success, and brought in so many people, that at one time some VFW members asked that the event stop being promoted as there were just too many people attending.

Another long running local flea market in North Carolina was the Sedgefield Flea Market, just a few miles south of Greensboro. Beginning operation around the same time as its Hillsville counterpart, the market was open one or two days every month. It eventually closed down in 2015.

During the 1970s, a fire broke out at the market, damaging much of the building it was housed in, and destroying thousands of dollars of inventory. At its height, the market saw thousands of customers stream through its gates, and close to 100 vendors.

In the western corner of the state, Asheville’s Dreamland Flea Market opened in 1971, and closed down in the early 2000s. Nearby, Smiley’s Markets & Malls, known as Smiley’s Flea Market, was formed in 1984, and remains in operation. In 1991, owner Ben Campen attributed the popularity of flea markets to the low overhead costs for vendors, since usually spaces are rented out for a flat fee.

From France to Texas to North Carolina, flea markets have had a long history. Through their grass roots organization, flea markets often brings communities together, with people ready to both buy and sell all kinds of goods. Throughout their long history, there’s always one thing flea markets have in common: you never know what you’ll find.

Katherine “Kat” Jackson is an employee at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. Originally from Australia she now lives in King. She can be reached at the museum at 336-786-4478.

Shortly before 9 a.m. Saturday morning Surry County EMS and local rescue units were dispatched to the area of Olde Pilot Trail and Black Mountain Road in Pilot Mountain for a report of a traffic accident.

Surry County Emergency Management Director Eric Southern confirmed Saturday evening that the single vehicle accident involved a motorcycle that collided with a tree.

The operator of the motorcycle was deceased when the first responders arrived on scene, he said.

Drivers had been advised that to use caution in the area during the removal and accident cleanup.

Southern said the North Carolina Highway Patrol would be making the death notification to the family but he could not confirm that notification had yet been made.

More details will follow upon conclusion of the accident investigation.

This week the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that across the county in the first quarter of 2022 over 9,500 lives were lost to traffic accidents. That represents a 7% increase in deaths versus the same period in 2021.

In North Carolina there have been 505 deaths from traffic accidents in the first quarter of this year compared to 334 in 2021. The state’s increase of 51.2% in year-to-year comparison was one of the highest percentage changes in the United States.

Connecticut, Virginia, Nebraska, Vermont, the District of Columbia, and Hawaii had percentage changes higher than North Carolina. Delaware reported a 163.2% increase in traffic fatalities in the first quarter of 2022 over the same period 2021.

The NCDOT states motorcycles represent about 2 percent of all registered vehicles in the state, but account for about 10 percent of all fatalities on North Carolina’s roads.

Summer can be a fun time filled with leisurely activities that obscure the fact blood supplies are urgently needed, which officials are addressing through upcoming collection events across Surry County enhanced by the lure of prizes.

“This is always a difficult time of the year as people are enjoying vacation time with family and friends,” American Red Cross spokesman Chris Newman pointed out in highlighting how this leads to shortages resulting from fewer donations.

“Plus we do not have our school population in session, which normally each year contributes around 20% of our blood supply,” added Newman, who is based at the Winston-Salem office of the Red Cross.

It coordinates blood collections in Surry and other area counties.

“Now with school ramping up and schedules getting busier, it is so important for donors to remember to please take a moment and schedule some time to give blood to ensure it’s available for patients this fall,” Newman advised.

The Red Cross, the nation’s chief blood-collection agency, points out that every pint donated equals three lives saved.

In light of the demands, a full slate of blood drives that are open to the public is planned in Surry from late August through the end of September.

Opportunities to donate are listed according to these days/dates, times and locations:

• This Sunday at Bannertown Baptist Church, 1834 Westfield Road, Mount Airy, from 12:30 to 5 p.m,;

• Next Tuesday at the Copeland Community Ruritan Building, 975 Copeland School Road, Dobson, 2 to 6:30 p.m.;

• Wednesday, Mountain View Baptist Church, 8704 W. Pine St., Lowgap, 3 to 7:30 p.m.;

• Thursday, Surry County Government Center, 118 Hamby Road, Dobson, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.;

• Aug. 28, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, 1432 Highway 21, State Road, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.;

• Aug. 28, Slate Mountain Baptist Church, 3644 E. Pine St., Mount Airy, 1 to 5 p.m.;

• Aug. 30, Surry American Red Cross building at 844 Westlake Drive, Mount Airy, noon to 4 p.m.;

• Aug. 30, Pine Hill Church, 3968 N.C. Highway 268, Ararat, 2 to 6:30 p.m.;

• Sept. 2, Lowe’s Home Improvement of Mount Airy, 692 S. Andy Griffith Parkway, noon to 4 p.m.;

• Sept. 2, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 100 Windsor Drive, Dobson, 2:30 to 7 p.m.;

• Sept. 3, Friendly Chapel Church, 228 Friendly Chapel Church Road, Pilot Mountain, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.;

• Sept. 5, The Surry American Red Cross building at 844 Westlake Drive, Mount Airy, 12:30 to 5 p.m.;

• Sept, 7, East Surry High School, 801 W. Main St., Pilot Mountain, 10:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.;

• Sept. 7, Surry Communications, 819 E. Atkins St., Dobson, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.;

• Sept, 11, Salem Fork Christian Church, 2245 White Dirt Road, Dobson, noon to 4 p.m.;

• Sept. 18, Calvary Baptist Church, 314 S. Franklin Road, Mount Airy, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.;

• Sept. 19, Pilot Mountain First United Methodist Church, 210 Marion St., noon to 4:30 p.m.;

• Sept. 19, Elkin Rescue Squad building, 940 N. Bridge St., 1:30 to 6 p.m.;

• Sept. 22, Flat Rock Elementary School, 1539 E. Pine St., Mount Airy, 1 to 5:30 p.m.;

• Sept. 23, Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital, 180 Parkwood Drive, Elkin, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.;

• Sept. 23, The Surry American Red Cross building, 844 Westlake Drive, Mount Airy, noon to 4 p.m.;

• Sept. 28, Surry Central High School, 716 S. Main St., Dobson, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.;

• Sept. 29, Mount Airy Middle School, 249 Hamburg St., 2:30 to 7 p.m.

As if the satisfaction of helping one’s fellow man through the gift of life isn’t enough — invaluable during surgical and other procedures — special offers await those rolling up their sleeves this month and in September.

In noting an urgent need for donors, those giving in August will receive a a $10 e-gift card to a merchant of their choice, according to information on the American Red Cross website.

Newman, the representative in Winston-Salem, mentioned that other incentives await in September.

Those donating next month will get a free haircut coupon from Sport Clips via email plus a chance to win a VIP NASCAR racing experience courtesy of Sport Clips, he reported.

Also, donors who give between Sept. 1-18 will receive a special Red Cross T-shirt.

Prospective whole blood donors must be in good health, feeling well and at least 16 years old in most states, along with weighing no less than 110 pounds.

An individual can give every 56 days, up to six times a year, according to information from the Red Cross.

Donation appointments can be made by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

This process also can allow one to determine the availability of appointments for drives on the schedule.

Surry County and its municipal governments are hungry to find ways to trim excess fat from their budgets. An opportunity has arrived to replace aging first responders’ equipment, regulate annual budgetary costs, and save the taxpayers monies by having counties join the Stryker ALS 360 leasing program.

Eric Southern of Surry County Emergency Management said the county is already enjoying considerable savings and he has plans to add to the savings going forward. He said prices on medical equipment, as with almost all other goods, have been on the rise recently. The inflation equates to roughly a 4% price increases from two years ago.

“If we purchased the needed equipment for all of our EMS vehicles it would cost $1,379,947.10 and we would have to purchase a maintenance contract to cover each item which could increase the cost over $175,000 especially if repairs are needed,” he explained.

“One perk with the contract is that older models will be rotated out when they release newer models, so maintenance is not a factor. However, if it is needed, it is also included in the contract price.”

Surry County only utilizes the equipment leasing program through Stryker for Lifepak Defibrillator / ECG monitor, Lucas compression devices, and McGrath video laryngoscopes. Southern estimates that as an estimated savings of $263,000 a year for Surry County. In the future he wants to look at adding additional items onto that list as costs to maintain equipment rise as the age does.

He listed out estimated costs for the Lifepak15 monitor/defibrillator currently priced at $43,248.28, McGrath scopes are $3,061.77, and MTS Power Load stretchers are $25,975.80 according to the latest numbers available. Today’s prices may not be tomorrow’s prices as any recent purchase of a gallon or milk, or gas has shown.

Keith Vestal made a presentation to the Yadkin County Board of County Commissioners Monday evening to present the benefits of joining the leasing program. He would like to join with Southern in taking advantage of the Stryker ALS 360 program saying it is a good option that will provide his teams with the same equipment that they already use.

“This program just gives us new equipment every five years with complete warranties maintenance to cover each piece for the life of the lease. If a newer or more advanced model is released our equipment is automatically up graded to the latest model,” the Yadkin County Emergency Management director said.

“Medical devices such as cardiac monitors, patient cots, and others are very expensive items and have strict FDA care and maintenance requirements. Having the latest technology in life saving equipment is a key component in protecting our citizens, and we want to do everything we can to help them in a time of need,” he said.

In presenting the leasing program to the Yadkin commissioners, Vestal was able to dangle in front of the board a savings in the amount of over one million dollars. Reducing the costs of emergency services means budgeted dollars can be stretched and used in other ways than replacing equipment like power lift systems and defibrillators.

“This program is a very good choice for Yadkin County because instead of purchasing each piece, the lease will give us new equipment and will save $1,078,600 over the 10 years of the lease. I think this could be a good fit for other EMS agencies in need of replacing several items of this type.”

The director of Stokes County Emergency Management concurred saying that he felt the equipment leasing program was a good idea. “I have looked into this leasing program and did ask for it in my budget for this fiscal year.”

“Due to some of our equipment has not reached the end of service life we have decided to hold off for another year. We will be looking at presenting this to board of county commissioners in the 2023/24 budget,” Brandon Gentry said. “It will save money and will keep up to date and new equipment on the EMS units.”

Replacing equipment means budgets can fluctuate greatly as different pieces reach the end of their useful life at different time. The leasing program will allow costs to be fixed over the ten-year period of the contract which will take the unknown of repair or replacement costs off the table for participating counties.

Ad hoc equipment replacement may also mean that not all ambulances have the same equipment meaning those first responders need familiarity with other versions of the same equipment. Uniformity in equipment, and therefore training on said equipment, may make a difference when seconds count.

When the Surry County Sheriff’s Office was explaining their need for pursuit-ready squad cars this spring, they mentioned that larger police forces with squad car orders of greater size may get priority. Stryker said leasing participants are prioritized for receipt of equipment, which is particularly important in a time of supplier uncertainty.

Gentry, Southern, and Vestal agree that the Stryker equipment leasing program is a benefit for the citizen they protect. Yadkin County soon will reap the savings as Surry County has and Stokes County hopes to follow suit.

Vestal did due diligence before presenting the lease to the county board, “I have done a lot of research on the Stryker ALS 360 Program and at this point do not see anything negative with it. Other Counties in North Carolina have gone with this program, and everything is going well.”

“Medicine is changing by the minute and equipment is changing by the minute. What we do to help preserve life in Yadkin County depends on us having the best equipment we can have,” he said.

With the potential savings of replacing equipment already at the end of its service, and again during the mid-point of the contract, for county emergency management leaders it seems a no-brainer to agree to the lease agreement and the Yadkin Commissioners agreed unanimously.

A lengthy regulatory battle involving a local auto racing legend and signage for a $2 million expansion of his body shop has ended in the businessman’s favor — amid support from a state legislator and former Mount Airy mayor.

Oh, there was also the crowd of friends and family members of Frank Fleming’s faithfully gathering each time the issue has been discussed by the city council recently.

It was the largest of all Thursday night when an ordinance amendment was approved allowing the previously denied sign that exceeded height limitations, thus eliminating a pending appeal of that decision in Surry County Superior Court.

“Frank fought City Hall and won,” Deborah Cochran, who served as Mount Airy’s mayor from 2009 to 2015, said after the city commissioners’ 3-1 decision approving boundary changes to permit the sign at the new body shop location on Merita Street.

In addition to Cochran, the audience included state Rep. Sarah Stevens of Mount Airy, who spoke in favor of the ordinance amendment during a public hearing preceding the vote.

Those who didn’t speak made their presence known by filling the council chambers, which contains 73 audience seats.

Metal folding chairs were brought in to accommodate the overflow crowd that included some people standing — with attendance nearing the 100-person limit for fire safety regulations.

The issue at hand involved a large sign left behind by the Winn-Dixie supermarket when vacating the site on Merita Street years ago, leaving a rundown parcel that Fleming bought.

Fleming, known for a distinguished career as a modified racer at venues including Bowman Gray Stadium, is relocating his body shop there from its present headquarters on Springs Road and will add about 10 new jobs as a result.

But he was prevented from re-facing and using the existing sign framework due to a 2016 update of a municipal ordinance aimed at preventing sign clutter.

It states that signage for new business may be no taller than 15 feet, which the old Winn-Dixie structure exceeds. Those already existing were grandfathered in under the measure.

Fleming worked through various city channels in an attempt to somehow be exempted from that rule, mirroring concerns about customers not being able to find the Merita Street site that is tucked away off U.S. 52-North.

In addition to drawing attention to the business, there was a safety concern about motorists missing the turn to the shop off that highway and having to double back by turning into heavy, fast-moving traffic.

Fleming ultimately was barred from re-using the sign through a vote by a powerful group known as the Mount Airy Zoning Board of Adjustment. It is a quasi-judicial administrative body whose decisions affect private property rights to the same extent as court rulings.

The businessman appealed the Zoning Board of Adjustment’s ruling to Superior Court, which was slated to hear the case in September, based on earlier discussions.

In late June, Fleming appeared before the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners to request an amendment to city nonconforming sign regulations which would allow the old fixture to be utilized.

This led to another group, the Mount Airy Planning Board, adding provisions addressing situations such as the Merita Street property.

These state that such signs which 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. Fleming’s property is within those parameters.

In late July, the commissioners voted to set the public hearing on the proposed change which was held Thursday night.

“So the rest is up to you,” city Planning Director Andy Goodall told the commissioners then in setting the stage for the scheduled vote that would occur later in the session.

Only two people spoke despite the many in attendance, but their words seemed to resonate with everyone within listening range.

One was Fleming, who sensed the outcome in his favor.

He expressed thanks for the opportunity to adequately promote his shop with the sign ordinance change, and also asked those in the audience supporting him to stand — which included most of those present.

“You can’t explain what this means to me,” Fleming said in response.

Rep. Stevens also spoke during the hearing.

“I’m here to support Frank — he’s been my friend for many years,” said Stevens, who serves Surry County in the N.C. General Assembly, where she holds a key leadership position.

She also mentioned that Fleming had done repair work for her at his present body shop on Springs Road.

Cochran, who is a commissioner candidate this year along with being a former mayor, did not speak during the hearing, but offered a prepared statement.

“Frank fought City Hall and won,” it reads in part.

Cochran applauded Thursday night’s decision, which was greeted by loud applause from those assembled. She believes it “will have a major business impact” for the longtime shop owner due to sign visibility being “crucial” for the location involved.

The former city official also considers the decision a victory for the local business community in general, citing heavy attendance by others in that realm where she sat in the rear of the meeting room.

“There were so many business owners in the back, including construction company, two trucking companies, two auto towing companies, car dealers, car parts dealers, hardware company, sign company and more, all supporting Frank,” Cochran observed.

“When Frank wins, we all win.”

Fleming resembled a racer in Victory Lane at Daytona when receiving congratulatory remarks from those leaving the council chambers.

“I’m happy — I want to thank the commissioners,” he commented while standing near the exit.

Fleming said he had learned much during the process leading to the sign approval.

“I knew nothing about local government when I started this,” he said.

“It’s really been educational to me.”

Although Commissioner Steve Yokeley was absent from Thursday night’s meeting, he did issue a statement expressing his regret for that and also addressing Fleming’s situation.

While noting that he considered the updated sign ordinance to be comprehensive and fair, Yokeley did acknowledge the appropriateness of the new language to allow the taller sign in that circumstance.

In his statement, Yokeley further expressed thanks to Fleming for developing a new business within the city limits and creating jobs.

Mayor Ron Niland also read a statement to the crowd that he had prepared in anticipation of the positive vote.

“Tonight makes me proud to be part of our community,” it says.

“Mr. Fleming felt it was important to his business and went through the appropriate process to get a modification,” Niland added regarding the sign. “The Planning Board and the city commissioners this evening made that change, seeing it being in the best interest of the community.”

Another part of the mayor’s statement is an apparent counter to a charge made in recent months by Commissioner Jon Cawley, who said the Fleming sign issue suggests that the city is anti-business.

“This is a sign, no pun intended, that Mount Airy is a business-friendly community that tries to foster an environment of being flexible when needed,” Niland said while reading from his statement.

One person not happy about Thursday night’s decision is Commissioner Joe Zalescik, a former Planning Board member who cast the dissenting vote.

“I feel the sign ordinance was strong the way it was and I feel this is setting a precedent,” he explained after the meeting.

He said it sends a signal to those unhappy with a certain measure that they can circumvent the normal process. “They’re going to go to the commissioners and try to get the law changed.”

Zalescik said he would have preferred to see the sign matter go through the normal appeals process.

Mount Airy officials are expected to take action tonight which could lead to a new company locating at Piedmont Triad West Corporate Park and initially employing up to 20 people.

“This is one of the first steps,” Surry County Economic Development Partnership President Todd Tucker said Wednesday regarding a proposed acquisition of municipal-owned property in the industrial park off U.S. 601 at the southern end of town.

BayFront Development LLC, a commercial real estate firm based in Pilot Mountain, is seeking to buy two tracts of vacant land in the park totaling 4.76 acres, according to city government documents. BayFront is offering $65,000 for the property located along Piedmont Triad West Drive.

If the sale goes through, the proposed developer is planning to construct a building containing about 9,000 square feet to accommodate an unnamed company that does electronic repair and rebuilds for regional customers.

“It’s not a North Carolina company,” Tucker added Wednesday. “We’ve been working with that company for a couple of months now.”

The Mount Airy Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote on the sale during a meeting beginning at 6 p.m. today.

If the sale is consummated, city documents state that the developer will complete the design of the facility, prepare the site and construct the building within two years.

The new company is planning to begin operations with the creation of 15 to 20 jobs. Tucker said the amount of land acquired would allow it the ability to grow.

“They’ve got several months’ worth of due diligence,” the Economic Development Partnership official said of the process faced after the anticipated sale approval by the city commissioners.

The identity of the company will be announced when that process is further along, according to Tucker.

In speaking to the diversity of jobs it might entail, Tucker said a similar industry presently exists in the county. But Tucker mentioned that the new entity would provide more opportunities for workers possessing the skills involved.

The endeavor represents an estimated $1.2 million investment for the building and $700,000 in new equipment.

Should the proposed owner fail to begin construction within two years, the sale will be unwound or reversed, city documents say.

Once the facility is completed by the developer, the industrial client will buy and operate it, under the plans.

A long-vacant building in Mount Airy’s Westwood Industrial Park is getting a new lease on life with plans for another company to locate there in September and create about 25 jobs, according to a local business official.

This involves the former site of ASMO, which manufactured auto parts before shutting down in early 2009 and resulting in the loss of 86 jobs at the facility.

The property at 1317 Boggs Drive recently was acquired by Wise Storage Solutions LLC, a commercial real estate business based in Mount Airy which is a division of Bray’s Properties here.

That has paved the way for a company called American Building Network LLC to become a tenant of the former ASMO building next month. It manufactures metal commercial buildings and sheds and has a network of similar facilities across the United States.

“They plan on adding about 25 additional jobs to the marketplace,” Wise Storage Solutions Chief Operating Officer Neal Willard, its longtime property manager, said Tuesday.

Wise Storage Solutions had its eye on the former ASMO building for several years. When an opportunity arose to buy it, Willard said the commercial real estate group thought the property would be a good acquisition to its portfolio on top of similar moves in the area.

“We bought the Starrett building (earlier),” Willard said of another industrial facility on Boggs Drive which the commercial real estate group acquired, a transaction announced in January 2021. “We’ve just been in acquisition mode for the past several years.”

The ASMO building sat vacant for years, with Willard mentioning that it was used for an additional storage and parts overflow warehousing facility by another ASMO location in Statesville before the sale transpired.

It contains 62,000 square feet of space, 55,000 square feet of which is suitable for light manufacturing, with the remaining 7,000 designated for office use. Wise Storage Solutions acquired the building in June.

Readying it for a new occupant required extensive renovations, including addressing damage of the type naturally occurring from a building being largely unused for almost a decade.

Wise Property Services, an in-house unit of Wise Storage Solutions, upgraded the structure’s mechanical and water systems along with correcting cosmetic damage.

Surry County Economic Development Partnership President Todd Tucker Wednesday hailed the creation of jobs at an existing building and the role Wise Storage Solutions played in this.

“That’s good news for us,” Tucker said. “It’s great that we have a local group that can help out their existing clients when they need to grow.”

Such progress has been a key part of Wise Storage Solutions’ operations recently.

“We’ve been doing a lot of growing,” Willard said of a footprint that now includes owning and leasing more than 300 properties across the Carolinas and Virginia. “But that’s spread over several companies.”

Among other projects it is said to be involved with are a distribution facility in Rockingham County and corporate offices for various tenants including a trucking logistics firm and retail companies.

It’s hard to keep a good cruise-in down, even as the world around it seems to be falling apart — with one in downtown Mount Airy returning this Sunday after just such an episode.

The monthly Mayberry Cool Cars and Rods Cruise-In series was red-flagged last month due to a structural issue with the Main-Oak Building which has disrupted it and other activities in the central business district.

“I cancelled July because of the building collapse,” Downtown Business Association President Phil Marsh said of a July 5 incident at the corner of North Main and East Oak streets.

“For several days, the whole street was closed,” Marsh said of that intersection.

“I didn’t know how that was going to turn out,” the chief organizer of the cruise-ins added in terms of planning purposes for the event scheduled on the third Sunday of each month from May through September this year.

While East Oak remains closed at the collapse site, steps were taken early on to provide one travel lane on North Main Street as efforts continue to mitigate the building situation.

As a result, adjustments have been made in the cruise-in format, which Marsh explained will involve angled parking on the left side of the street heading south and straight parking on the right to maintain one through lane.

“It will be a few spots there that we’ll lose.”

The official cruise-in hours Sunday are 1 to 5 p.m., but Marsh says vehicle owners and spectators usually arrive early. Music, including oldies, is played from a DJ station at the Main-Oak gazebo during the events showcasing hot rods, antique, muscle and other noteworthy automobiles.

Sunday slate up to speed

The stalling of last month’s cruise-in came during a season when the series already was exploring new ground with a move to an all-Sunday schedule, a departure from the Saturday cruise-ins of years past.

There was some question about how this might affect attendance for the series that was launched by the Downtown Business Association in 2010.

The answer was supplied by the group’s president in commenting on the turnout so far this year — which hasn’t been hampered by high gas prices, including those attending from outside this area.

“Big crowds — I mean huge crowds,” Marsh said. “It’s really as big as it was on Saturday.”

About 300 unique rides were showcased during the last event in June, with fans also plentiful.

“Basically, Main Street was full, the side streets were full — they were everywhere,” the Downtown Business Association official said of the cruise-in vehicles.

Holding the events a day later actually was preferred by some of those displaying cars, due to work and other obligations on Saturdays. “A lot of them said, ‘why don’t you just move it to Sunday?”’ Marsh related.

One negative result of the new schedule has been a possible impact on local lodging and other establishments because of attendees not planning trips here for an entire weekend, he said.

PILOT MOUNTAIN — Recent hot weather has not curtailed activities of Pilot Mountain VFW Auxiliary Post 9436, which spearheaded a double event earlier this month that included efforts to aid veterans.

One involved a distribution campaign by Grant Carpenter, the latest Buddy Poppy King for the group, and six of its members, according to information provided by auxiliary President Margie Nichols.

They gave out Buddy Poppies for donations, along with flyers about the programs the auxiliary participates in, cards, tags and coasters with crisis telephone numbers for veterans who might need help.

The Buddy Poppy program of the Veterans of Foreign Wars provides compensation to former military members who assemble the poppies — replicas of vivid red flowers symbolizing the great loss of life during America’s armed conflicts.

Participants also passed out drink holders and “Support our Troops” bracelets to veterans and customers as part of the Aug. 6 double event that also included a VFW Auxiliary membership drive at various business locations in Pilot Mountain.

Grant is 12 years old and the son of Michael and Shelley Carpenter.

He is in the sixth grade and a student of Access Books and More, a tutoring service in Pilot Mountain.

Grant is a junior golfer who also enjoys offshore fishing, biking and other outdoor activities in addition to playing with his younger sister Madi.

His grandparents are Renee Bobbitt and fiancé Eric Isom of Woodlawn, Virginia; Joe and Darlene Carpenter of Ennice; and Mike and Debbie Burcham of Vinton, Virginia.

In conjunction with his role as “king,” Grant will now write an essay under the theme “Why it is important to honor veterans by promoting the Buddy Poppy.” He will be recognized after completion of his essay at the VFW Post home.

The VFW and auxiliary are wishing Grant much success with his essay at the next level of judging.

Nichols also expressed thanks to auxiliary members who helped with the two-fold project, Donna Sutphin, Sarah Mueller, Linda Cornett, Diana Cromer and Bryanna Isaacs.

A program has been launched allowing many North Carolinians to receive free COVID-19 tests shipped directly to them thanks to the expansion of a partnership between the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the Rockefeller Foundation through Project ACT (Access COVID Test).

“We remain committed to meeting the testing needs of priority populations across North Carolina —especially for historically marginalized communities,” said Dr. Susan Kansagra, Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Public Health. “Thanks to our partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation we’re able to establish another way for residents in high need areas to get tests.”

Residents in eligible zip codes can receive up to five at-home COVID-19 tests free of charge and shipped directly to their door. To determine eligibility, or to order the free tests visit the Project ACT website: accesscovidtests.org.

The state health department used county Social Vulnerability Index and analyzed zip codes for percent uninsured, median income and distance from other testing options to choose locations that are eligible for free tests.

Of the Surry County zip codes only two, 27031 and 27049, are shown as ineligible for receipt of free tests. These zip codes are associated with Post Office boxes, and anyone using these zip codes can call 888-892-1162 to requests tests.

This partnership is the latest way in which the state Health and Human Services is seeking to make at-home tests available to the people who need them most. In July, the department launched Community Access Points for residents to receive at-home COVID tests.

North Carolina had previously been enrolled in Rockefeller’s pilot program that provided tests in only four counties. There are 80 counties now fully covered by the program and 13 additional counties which are partially covered.

In the past two weeks Surry County has reported 724 new cases of COVID-19, and 334 in the past week. For Surry and its neighboring counties, the two-week case count is close to the one-week case count multiplied by two – meaning the infection rate held steady week to week.

Since the middle of May, the statewide weekly infection rate has been holding steady as well at between 25,000 – 30,000 new cases per week. In the last set of data available, the week ending July 16, there were 29,403 new cases reported.

Since the start of the pandemic North Carolina has lost at least 25,724 residents to the virus.

Therefore, the state is still advising getting tested for COVID-19 if you have symptoms or if you have come in close contact with someone who has or may have been exposed to the virus themselves – even if you are up to date on your vaccines. They urge people to get tested at least five days after the last close contact.

Variants are still infecting people, including many who were vaccinated and boosted, Individuals who have a positive result are urged to stay away from others and follow the CDC’s isolation guidelines. Seek medical care immediately if you have trouble breathing or experience other warning signs. There are treatments now available that can lower the risk of hospitalization or death from the virus dramatically.

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said that staying up to date on vaccination and boosters offers the best protection for anyone 6 months of age and older. Those interested in finding a nearby vaccine location are directed to: MySpot.nc.gov or to call 888-675-4567.

This corresponds nicely with the kickoff of the Know Before You Go campaign, a statewide initiative reminding citizens to stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccines and boosters in time for the start of the school year, fall festivities, large gatherings and end-of-year celebrations and holidays. Surry County Schools have a first day of instruction that is earlier than many of their contemporaries, so in many communities this initiative is still trying to be executed before the first day of school.

The campaign promotes information on COVID testing and treatment, and it reminds North Carolinians of their rights to both services with or without insurance. “Know Before You Go is a reminder to communities that as we send kids back to school and head into fall activities, it’s important to stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccines and boosters and have access to testing and treatment,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley.

While the launch of Know Before You Go focuses on back to school and COVID-19 prevention, the campaign will help provide guidance and information about other communicable diseases.

“Whether it’s COVID-19, mental health and well-being or other public health needs, every North Carolinian should have easy access to the information they need to know to protect themselves and others before they go about their daily routines,” Kinsley said.

Milan Tomin is accustomed to covering long distances — after all, he came to North Carolina from Serbia six years ago and his most recent trek involved taking first place in the Downtown Rocks and Runs 10K.

But the former resident of that European nation — who broke the course record by the way — wasn’t the only winner during Saturday’s 14th-annual event in Mount Airy. In addition, there was the victor of a 5K race it included, along with all other runners who completed the respective courses and can feel good about themselves as a result.

Also in the winners’ circle was the community itself, due to the Downtown Rocks and Runs 5K/10K raising more than $16,000 as the kickoff event for the annual United Fund of Surry campaign that has a total fundraising goal of $500,000.

The United Fund provides financial support for 24 member agencies that meet various needs in the community, including crisis organizations such as the American Red Cross, Salvation Army and Shepherd’s House homeless shelter.

Surry Medical Ministries, area rescue squads and scouting units are among other recipients.

In all, 220 runners lined up for both the 5K (3.1-mile) and 10K (6.2-mile) races, which had staggered starting times beginning with the 10K scheduled at 7:45 a.m.

“We are excited about the turnout,” United Fund Executive Director Melissa Hiatt said of the crowd gathered Saturday morning at a staging area in front of the Municipal Building, which included the competitors along with enthusiastic spectators.

“This is very comparable to the race in 2019,” Hiatt added in reference to the “normal” year before COVID-19 disrupted things, including no Downtown Rocks and Runs in 2020.

Saturday’s event, which also included a fun run, benefited from cool temperatures of around 60 degrees as the races got under way, with clear skies overhead.

“This is perfect weather,” said Assistant City Manager Darren Lewis, one of the race organizers and former director of Mount Airy Parks and Recreation, which played a key role in staging the event.

Lewis, a veteran runner who has competed in about eight marathons, and others greeted the welcome departure from the sweltering conditions gripping this area in recent weeks. It was conducive to good finishing times Saturday with multiple course records falling.

“For summertime, this is great,” Mayor Ron Niland agreed regarding the conditions while preparing to compete in the 5K.

“This is chamber of commerce weather,” said Niland, who has “probably done a couple of hundred” 5Ks, 10Ks and triathlons, a regimen curtailed of late.

“I’ve been injured — I haven’t been able to train much lately.”

Still, Niland offered a “mayor’s challenge,” pledging to pay $1 for every runner who beat him Saturday to further aid the United Fund cause. Lewis and City Manager Stan Farmer also agreed to double whatever Niland raised.

Niland, 67, finished in 80th place with a time of 33:43.1 minutes.

Meanwhile, the city manager assisted at the event by distributing finisher medals to everyone completing the races.

Milan Tomin, the overall winner of the 10K run who hails from Serbia, was exploring uncharted ground Saturday upon venturing here from his new home in America.

“It’s my first year — I came from Charlotte,” said Tomin, who is 26.

“The course was difficult — I did not know what to expect.”

Both the 5K and 10K races began on Cherry Street, with runners making their way to Riverside Park and the Granite City Greenway for different course lengths to constitute the respective distances. They eventually made their way back downtown after negotiating a tough hill from Riverside Drive up East Independence Boulevard.

Despite his unfamiliarity with the 10K course, Tomin finished with a time of 34:18.1, thus besting the record for the event of 34:46 set in 2019 by Ediberto Crisanto of Rock Hill, South Carolina.

The top women’s 10K finisher Saturday was Gabriella Delay, 31, of Winston-Salem, whose time of 37:07.8 also broke the record for her gender (38:35), established by Kate Sanborn of Raleigh in 2019. Delay was third overall.

Stevven Anderson of Stokesdale was the top overall finisher in the 5K with a time of 16:20.1, which broke the men’s record for that race which had been set in 2017 by Dave Wottle of Elkin (16:25). Anderson, 37, explained that he is the owner of High Point Athletic Club and participates in such races to help promote the sport of running.

Sarah Buckliew, 35, of Gilbert, South Carolina, was the top female finisher in the 5K run with a time of 20:17.5 which was good for seventh place overall.

Although Mother Nature didn’t always play “fair” with it, the Surry County Agricultural Fair has wrapped up its 75th year with a 10-day run deemed successful overall.

“It’s went good, for the weather and everything,” Veterans Memorial Park President Doug Joyner said Saturday on the next-to-last day of the county fair held at that venue on West Lebanon Street.

The 2022 version of the annual event was accompanied by a major change from previous years, which involved a shift from its customary September appearance to the Dog Days period characterized by heat, humidity and maybe a summer storm or two.

Circumstances conspired to have an effect on attendance, Joyner acknowledged.

“It’s off a little bit,” he said, but not because of the merits of the fair itself. “The weather’s got a little bit to do with it, especially the heat.”

A bit of a break was provided for the proceedings on Saturday, which was noticeably cooler and less humid than previous days of the fair that had begun on Aug. 5. This was greeted by many people arriving during the afternoon to take in the fun.

This year’s scheduling change occurred due to the longtime provider of rides and midway entertainment for the Surry fair, Powers and Thomas, dropping the event, which forced another company to be secured, Amusements of America.

The Aug. 5-14 timetable was set in order to fit into the new provider’s busy schedule.

Other fair attractions included daily performances by The Majestik Spectacular Motorcycle Show, along with AIWF Mid-Atlantic Wrestling on select days in addition to fireworks.

Despite the weather, the fair had its high spots, according to Joyner.

“We’ve got more rides this time and the motorcycle show is a little bit bigger,” he said Saturday.

“I hope they had a good time,” Joyner added in reference to fair-goers.

The park president is already looking ahead to the 2023 Surry County Agricultural Fair.

“We’re going to do it again next year and try to make it bigger and better,” Joyner pledged. “We’re trying our best to get it back a little farther in the year, in September.”

The summer is full of nostalgic sounds. The heat brings cicadas and bird songs; dusk brings on the free night show put on by mother nature. Between the lightning and fireflies, who could ask for more?

The buzzing, whirling, and breezes usher in a sense of freedom, producing fond memories in our minds. Some of my favorite sounds and many others in our area are the constant buzzing of our pollen-collecting friends, bees.

While North Carolina and its surrounding states have tons of native bees that aid in pollinating our trees, gardens, and flowers, the non-native honeybee has fascinated us since the mid-17th century. Honeybees are native to Europe, Africa, and Asia and traveled to America on English ships to be used in agriculture. The early 19th century saw beekeeping well established throughout North Carolina, with bee wax being an important exported good from the state.

Our ancestors used all parts of the hive; wax, honey, propolis, and the bees themselves. The wax was used and still is to make candles that smell nicer than the fat renderings originally used for candles. Honey, of course, is a natural sweetener that stores for long periods, never going bad if properly stored. Propolis is another resinous product produced by bees that aid in the building of hives. The sticky dark substance can fight bacteria, viruses, fungi, and inflammation, and sometimes heal the skin.

Folklore also surrounds our buzzing friends with superstitions that cast them as bringers of life. One major tradition is going to tell the bees when someone has died. The lore suggests that the bees will aid in the carrying of the soul to the next place and will produce abundantly for being kept in the loop. If a bee enters your home, you will have visitors soon. If a swarm of bees entered your home, it is a sign of an omen.

On a more practical side, bees were cared for and appreciated due to their pollinating superpowers. The many orchard farmers of our hollow and beyond used bees to spread pollen from blossom to blossom ensuring that the year’s yield of apples would be strong. Many statistics say that bees are responsible for 80%-90% of apple crop pollination. So, when you see bees hovering over your gardens, trees, and flowers try to leave them alone, they’re doing the hard work.

In North Carolina beekeeping had become such an integral part of the agricultural and hobby sector that apiarists or beekeepers from all over the state set a meeting on Jan, 11, 1917 in Winston-Salem starting the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association. The association grew adding chapters from the different counties of the state, and a full-time state beekeeper position at NC State University in 1975. In 1982 a state bee-keeping school was started by Dr. John Ambrose, in his position as the state apiarist. The program is still the largest of its kind in the country.

Surry County has its own beekeeper’s association that meets monthly to discuss various topics and offers a beekeeping class annually. My friend and Master Beekeeper Paul Madren is a member of this group and the 1st Masker Craftsmen Beekeeper in North Carolina. The goal of Master Beekeepers and Craftsmen is to help educate the public about the art of keeping bees. Paul has shared priceless advice with beekeepers all over our state.

This past week he shared some highlights with me: 90% of the pollen and nectar bees receive is from trees, not flowers, and each tree yields a different type of substance (glucose vs. fructose), dark honey is usually better for you, despite being referred to as “bad” honey. Paul also helped move the association into the digital age. At the state organization’s meeting last month he was received as the oldest, and longest member of the association.

You couldn’t choose a better place to get started beekeeping. We are privileged to have such knowledgeable mentors in our own county. Mount Airy is even designated as a “Bee Friendly City.” If you would like to learn more, and there is lots to learn, contact the Surry County Beekeepers Association or the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association.

Thanks to Paul Madren for his sage advice and stories.

Emily Morgan is the Guest Services Manager at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. She and her family live in Westfield. She can be reached at eamorgan@northcarolinamuseum.org or by calling 336-786-4478 x229

Acclaimed author Beth Macy is coming to Winston-Salem next week as part of the national launch of her new book “Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America’s Overdose Crisis.”

Part of the hope she describes in her books originates in Surry County, and the efforts there to combat the overdose crisis.

Bookmarks is presenting the book launch event that will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 16., at Calvary Moravian Church, 600 Holly Ave., Winston-Salem. The event is being held at the church to accommodate the crowd that is expected.

“Raising Lazarus” had already drawn attention and while still in pre-orders has already been awarded recognition as an Amazon Best Book of August 2022. No registration will be required nor is there a cost associated with the book launch.

Macy rose to fame most recently for her book “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America” that pointed the spotlight on the relationship between the rise of the drug OxyContin and the decisions made by pharmaceutical maker Purdue Pharma, doctors, as well as marketing techniques that led directly to the rise of the opioid crisis in America.

The book brought in mix data points and humanism to put a relatable face on what for many is a situation they want kept at arm’s length. It was then turned into a multi-Emmy award nominated television mini-series starring Michael Keaton in a fictionalized amalgamation of people Macy met and interviewed for her book.

For both “Dopesick” and “Raising Lazarus” she conducted extensive interviews including several with residents of Surry County and members of the county staff tasked with fighting back against the opioid epidemic.

Macy said she wants to help instill a sense of hope that something can be done about opioids, even when there is not always tangible evidence at the ready that proves such outcomes are possible.

She has pointed out new programs launched in this county such as Ride the Road to Recovery that is helping get people to the treatment they need. A new initiative has come online pairing Wayne Farms, the county, and Surry County Sheriff’s Office in a return-to-work program for those completing their stay in the jail.

Something that is exciting for the substance abuse recovery team and local leaders both is when the new jail opens there will be dedicated space for counselors and peer support specialists to conduct outreach and education prior to release.

The numbers speak for themselves. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reports that the state is on pace to eclipse the number of overdose deaths this year after last year’s record number of 3,759. Compared to the 2018 total of 2,554 it is apparent that the number is trending in the wrong direction.

The department reported 759 visits in June to the emergency departments for overdose statewide, up from 719 for the same period last year.

Nationally the number of those who die from a drug overdose surpassed 108,000 in 2021. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was reported that of those 80,000 involved opioids.

In “Dopesick” Macy informed that Americans make up on 4.4% of the world’s total population but are managing to consume 30% of the world’s opioids. The drugs became more powerful over time and were then replaced with even stronger drugs.

When doctors were over-prescribing pain medication for years thereby hooking millions of unsuspecting patients to a powerful drug — and then stopped — those who were addicted needed to find relief where they could. The path of least resistance for many was to make the transition to heroin. Diacetylmorphine, heroin, is more than twice as powerful as morphine, which is already ten times stronger than opium.

This week Macy was joined by county substance abuse recovery director Mark Willis, county commissioner Mark Marion, county data analyst Jaime Edwards, and peer support specialist Sonya Cheek on a panel at the annual meeting of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners. Surry County was selected for this breakout panel to highlight the ongoing efforts of the county’s office of substance abuse recovery.

Willis is a behind-the-scenes sort of person who shies away from the spotlight, he considers himself just a cog in the machine. What he brings to the table is a wealth of knowledge of the law enforcement side of the equation having spent considerable time with the Drug Enforcement Agency.

That is only one side of the coin though so the expertise of others who can offer a different perspective on substance abuse is needed to offer a more complete approach. In her writing Macy has highlighted the need for additional understanding and empathy for those who are in a desperate struggle to reclaim their lives from opioids.

At times, the judicial and legal systems may seem apathetic or unfeeling to the needs of those who are suffering. Surry County employing peer support specialists who can relate to the situation because they have been there themselves helps them to empathize and relate to the person in need.

Surry County has been taking a more proactive approach than many other North Carolina counties in dealing with substance abuse and laying out a plan to use the settlement dollars that Attorney General Josh Stein took a leadership role in winning for citizens here and across the nation. Millions of dollars municipalities and counties can now use in their fight against substance use disorder – and specifically the blight of opioids.

More needs to be done and this is a long-term fight that Surry County is invested in. This is a problem that will not self-correct for if the one who is suffering from alcoholism or drug abuse could simply turn an off switch, they would, experts have said. The hiring of Willis and his elevation to the same level as other department heads in the county illustrates this is not a back burner issue locally.

Also, Stein and the state Department of Health and Human Services have launched the More Powerful NC campaign to raise awareness around the impact opioids have had on individuals and families across the state. The message is based on the idea that, “Together we are more powerful than opioids – and we can all help play a part in ending the epidemic.”

If Macy’s name had sounded familiar before “Dopesick” came along that may be for her bestseller entitled “Factory Man,” that is of a subject matter that may hold appeal to those in this area who fondly remember the mill days of yore.

In that book she chronicled the efforts of John Bassett III to streamline and save his family’s business – Bassett Furniture – that has been a lynchpin for the economy of Bassett, Virginia, for generations.

Willis commented that Macy cannot seem to break free from this story and for that he is grateful. For an author to spend the amount of time on an issue attempting to see if through with solutions is a welcome aid to the efforts of Surry County. More awareness and understanding of the battle will be needed and with luck another “Dopesick” follow-up will be unnecessary.

The Surry County Sonker Festival has been one of the last large public events to rebound from the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, but a two-year shutdown for the popular gathering is now history.

“There has been much anticipation from the community for the return of the Sonker Festival,” agreed Dr. Annette Ayers of the organization that sponsors it, the Surry County Historical Society.

Ayers announced this week that the 2022 festival is scheduled for Oct. 1 from 1 to 5 p.m., which is a Saturday.

The serving of sonker — deep-dish fruit pies of various flavors said to have originated in this area — is, of course, the main attraction of the event held at the 1799 Edwards-Franklin House located west of Mount Airy.

But the early fall festival also features live old-time music, dancing, tours of the historic house and grounds and 18th- and 19th-century artifacts on display.

After being conducted for 40 years, the Surry County Sonker Festival — which had been drawing an estimated 500 to 700 people — was cancelled in 2020 at the height of the pandemic.

It suffered the same fate in October 2021 due to lingering fears of the coronavirus among festival organizers.

“The society is excited to resume this exciting venue,” Ayers commented this week.

“It is an enjoyable activity for all age groups, from children to senior adults,” she added. “One young adult recently described it as the best event of the year for Surry County.”

The sonker dessert delicacy, considered juicier than cobblers, will be available for what Ayers called a nominal price of $4 per serving, with beverages also to be sold.

In 2019, the last year the festival was held before the two-year interruption, sonker flavors included cherry, blackberry, strawberry, peach, sweet potato and blueberry, with sweet potato being the most popular.

More than 1,000 servings typically are sold, with many attendees opting to bring lawn chairs and sit in the spacious yard outside the house to enjoy the desserts and listen to traditional music.

Plywood is placed on the lawn to accommodate flatfooting.

The Edwards-Franklin House at 4132 Haystack Road is considered the finest example of its architecture in the Piedmont. 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.

It was bought in 1972 by the Surry County Historical Society and restored to its grandeur, with many unique architectural components featured. The group sponsors other events there in addition to the Sonker Festival, including a monthly open house series this summer which will end the second weekend in September.

Ayers also used the occasion of announcing this year’s festival return to mention that membership is open for the Surry County Historical Society, which begins at $25 per year and can be done by mail at P.O. Box 469, Mount Airy, NC 27030.

In a case of ringing out the old, the Surry Medical Ministries free clinic soon will be operating in a new location — one near its present facility on Rockford Street.

“And we are thrilled,” said Nancy Dixon, the president of the non-profit organization’s board of directors. She added Thursday that the first clinic session there is planned for Aug. 22, with an official grand opening to come later.

Clinic officials have been raising funds to provide a larger facility to meet the growing demands of its clientele, low-income uninsured patients who receive free health care there.

That turned out to be a vacant structure at 951 Rockford St. formerly occupied by Dr. Glenn Pfitzner, a longtime gastroenterologist who has retired.

“He came to us and said, ‘I think this building would be perfect for you,’” Dixon mentioned regarding how plans for the move evolved through recent efforts to alleviate cramped conditions at the present facility.

“It’s amazing — it’s absolutely perfect,” she said of the modern-looking medical building vacated by Dr. Pfitzner. It is being bought by Surry Medical Ministries at a price of $2.7 million, financed largely through a low-interest federal loan.

Located just down the hill from the present clinic toward U.S. 52, Pfitzner’s former office facility contains 9,500 square feet of space, nearly four times that of the existing clinic at 813 Rockford St. It has slightly more that 2,500 square feet.

The clinic has been housed in that structure, which is about 70 years old, since opening in 1993.

It renders medical services as a non-profit foundation with the help of volunteer health-care professionals, and also includes a dental component.

Various economic crises over the years that caused local residents to lose employer-provided insurance coverage when companies shut down have increased patient caseloads along with the coronavirus pandemic.

That number increased to nearly 5,000 last year, clinic officials have said.

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.

At the same time, a search was mounted for a larger facility, the outcome of which is similar to the “The Wizard of Oz” message of happiness being found at one’s own back door.

Dixon said clinic officials could not have asked for a better location for the expansion.

Similar to the present facility, it is right across the street from Northern Regional Hospital.

Dixon pointed out that this is beneficial to clinic patients needing diagnostic services at the hospital.

To make the expansion a reality, Surry Medical Ministries filed for federal assistance to buy the medical building through the Rural Development Community Facilities Loan and Grant Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The USDA is supplying $2.7 million in funding, $500,000 of which is in the form of a grant to the clinic. The net loan sum of $2.2 million is being financed over a 30-year period at an interest rate of 2.5%.

An advertised public meeting for comment on the loan was held Wednesday night at the clinic, with no opposition voiced, according to Dixon.

Meanwhile, fundraising efforts are continuing to complete other facets of the expansion relating to the Pfitzner building, since the USDA loan does not cover construction — only the purchase of that structure.

“We need about a million for the renovations and upfit,” said Dixon, who explained that this will include adding a pharmacy, which the former occupant lacked. Also joining the mix will be a nurses’ station and more parking to serve clinic patients and staff due to limited spaces available there now.

Efforts to raise the additional funds needed are ongoing, including an appeal to the public for donations.

These can be mailed to Surry Medical Ministries, P.O. Box 349, Mount Airy, NC 27030-0349.

“They are tax-deductible,” Dixon said.

The timetable for completing the renovations/upfit will depend on funding.

Along with allowing more space and efficiency of operations, the new clinic location will offer therapeutic value that goes beyond treatment for physical ailments, its board president believes.

“Patients, you should see their faces,” Dixon said of the reaction from those who have learned about the move.

She indicated that the new facility will have the same look as any other medical office around town — as opposed to what might be described as the less-appealing veneer of a charitable agency.

“People know when they’re getting equal care,” Dixon said.

“It’s a respect thing.”

For the fifth consecutive year — and the tenth over the past fifteen years — Native American people will be gathering in nearby King for the King City Powwow.

While the event is a way for area residents to see the colorful Native American dress worn by the participants and a chance to experience authentic Native American dance and chants, it is important to organizers for another reason.

“Our culture is our history,” said Patrick Suarez, one of the chief organizers and a citizen of the Meherrin Indian Nation of Ahoskie. “Through song, dances and our arts/crafts we are able to preserve our rich traditions for our future…generations. We hope by having our annual powwow that it provides true understanding and history of our people. This is an opportunity that people can have hands-on experiences that books cannot teach.”

The powwow will be Aug. 13-14, at 436 Main Street in King. On the first day, there will be grand entries for those leading the event and the dancers at noon and at 6:30 p.m., and again on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

Joey Crutchfield and Eddie Nickens will be leading the event, along with Head Man Ryan Dial-Stanley and Head Lady Idalis Jacobs. Smokey River will be the Southern drum host, while Red Clay will be serving as Northern drum host.

Cheyenne S. Daniel, of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe of Hollister and a former Miss Indian North Carolina, will be performing as hoop dancer.

This year marks the second in-person gathering since the coronavirus pandemic began. In 2020, Suarez said organizers “thought outside the box” a bit and held a virtual powwow, with more than 10,000 people logging on to watch.

Normally, he said the crowd for the popular King event draws between 2,000 and 4,000 visitors during the in-person events, from Stokes, Surry, and surrounding counties.

The first powwow was held in 2007, started and organized by Lance Redhawk. The event continued for several years, but took a five-year pause after the death of Redhawk’s brother. The powwow was restarted in 2017 and has been an annual event ever since.

In many ways, the gathering remains true to Redhawk’s goals 15 years ago: “To bring awareness of the indigenous culture here in the Triad,” Suarez said, explaining that many people with Native American lineage live in the region because of the work opportunities. “It was established to bring awareness of our culture, song, dance, arts/crafts and history.”

He said there are sometimes as many as 80 dancers, including Aztec dancers from Mexico, flute players and more than 20 authentic Native American vendors selling their arts and crafts.

“Each (of the) vendors were screened and handpicked to make sure they were either enrolled in a state or federally recognized nation. This is to ensure we follow the Indian arts and craft law to protect our indigenous artists’ work and make sure things are not made in China.” Native American food will also be on sale at the event.

Suarez said there is one federally recognized nation in North Carolina — the Cherokee — but there are seven such nations recognized officially by the state.

”There is a Powwow every weekend in all states,” he said of the gatherings. Anyone wishing to learn more about powwows in general, or to find where others may be held, can visit Powwows.com.

Gov. Roy Cooper signed into law last fall a change allowing creation of “Social Districts” where licensed retailers such as bars, breweries, and restaurants can sell alcoholic beverages for consumption in common areas.

Monday evening the Pilot Mountain Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt a plan creating such a district in the downtown defines as Main Street from Stephens to Depot Streets.

Local leaders said the “Downtown Pilot Mountain Social District” is meant to capitalize on the growing trend across the state and to “further the economic development efforts in downtown Pilot Mountain.”

Social districts create areas where a person can go into a licensed establishment, purchase an alcoholic beverage and then take that beverage out of the establishment and walk around the designated district. After discussion the board decided to limit the hours of the new social district to 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., Thursday through Saturday.

There are no changes to ABC laws outside of the established time frame nor outside the social district itself.

For those who have concerns that this is just an open invitation for rabble-rousers to hoist a pint of brew on the sidewalk, Mayor Evan Cockerham seeks to assuage those fears, “If you look into the social district law the town just adopted, it is very heavily-regulated.”

He said he thinks that troublemakers “aren’t the ones that will buy the drink from a local business, in a special social district cup. Because of this, I do not believe there are any significant drawbacks.”

Council member Scott Needham says he has been on board from the earliest stage of the new plan. “I have been the biggest advocate for a social district and downtown Pilot Mountain. We have over 30 events downtown and some of them have roped off areas with a beer garden or concert area where we invite breweries and wineries to serve alcohol. For each one of these events, we have to get a permit to serve.”

“The social district would save us time and money in not having to get those permits each time. As long as the event goers have the designated cups, they will be able to walk all around in the designated area downtown with their beverage.”

Cockerham said, “This puts our local establishments like The Tilted Ladder on a level-playing field with vendors that participate in our events. Before, if you wanted to have a drink while you enjoyed live music on Main Street, you would have to purchase from a vendor on the street. You would not be able to purchase a drink from a brick-and-mortar store and carry it out.”

This is not designed to mimic the wild west or Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras, “You still will need to remain within the confines of our social district with your beverage. We believe this will allow folks more opportunity to shop around at local businesses, that allow beverages in their stores,” the mayor said.

“We believe this may help attract additional businesses and visitors to Main Street. We’ve already seen a revitalization in terms of great local businesses opening on Main Street, and this is part of that overall effort — in addition to the physical improvements to downtown, promotional efforts, incentives, and events that appeal to the whole family.”

Needham agrees with his assessment, “We hope to use the social district as a marketing tool. To attract more visitors to our downtown and also to attract more businesses. We hope that this increases foot traffic to our downtown. That would help the shops we already have, attract more retail businesses, and possibly a brewery and/or a distillery to our downtown.”

He echoed Cockerham’s note about the fairness of the new plan and how a “rising tide lifts all boats” mentality suggests more foot traffic and interest in downtown businesses can help all those businesses, even those not selling alcohol.

“This approach is more fair to the businesses here in downtown that pay rent twelve months a year and at this time cannot allow customers to take alcohol outside of their businesses. It would allow customers from those establishments to be able to go out and enjoy the music, shops that allow beverages, and/or festivities during these events — and other weekends. Not just the wineries and the breweries that we invite for that particular event.”

“If someone wants a domestic, they would be able to buy one of those from these established businesses and still be able to participate in the event just like the people buying alcohol from the vendors.”

The concept is gaining in popularity with other cities across the state in various stages of planning or implementation of social districts including Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point, New Bern, Albemarle, and Wilmington.

The Raleigh City Council voted unanimously on a temporary trial for a social district beginning next week, even expanding the borders created in the initial plan to broaden the area before it launched.

With so many opportunities already for tourists to comes and spend time in this corner of the state, the Downtown Pilot Mountain Social District is yet another attempt to provide more options for guests and residents alike to linger and enjoy all Surry County has to offer.

Citizens soon will have a chance to weigh in on an updated master plan for downtown Mount Airy which proposes major changes including new housing and other developments, expanded parking and traffic reconfigurations.

“These are all major projects to help downtown Mount Airy move forward in the future,” President Jason Epley of the Benchmark consulting firm said when presenting plan highlights during a city council meeting last Thursday.

Benchmark, which has been providing planning services to Mount Airy since city officials privatized those functions in 2011, last year took on the added task of refreshing an earlier downtown master plan completed in 2004.

The Mount Airy Board of Commissioners voted last November to commit $67,000 in city funds for the update along with money from the group Mount Airy Downtown Inc. for a total commitment of about $125,000.

Efforts kicked off soon after which involved Benchmark staff interviews with local citizens including property owners and municipal officials to gain their perspective on downtown needs.

“Fifty-five people were interviewed in the course of about three days,” Epley said, with a written survey also undertaken to solicit input on traffic and other issues along with listening sessions.

He added that 120 people were involved in a workshop effort in April to help guide the plan update to fruition.

A further opportunity for citizen input will come early next month due to the commissioners voting to set a public hearing on the downtown master plan update during a meeting on Sept. 1 at 6 p.m.

A key part of the update focuses on vehicular travel downtown, with the plan recommending that one-way traffic be maintained along North Main Street — the chief artery through the central business district — thereby rejecting the alternative.

“In the survey it was very clear no one wanted to go back to two-way traffic,” the Benchmark president said of a format in place years ago which was flirted with during the recent rebooting process.

However, the proposal includes five different one-way options, three of which would involve switching from the present two lanes of travel to one with either angled or parallel parking on one side. The street itself would be 20 feet wide.

Epley explained that this reflects a desire to create “flex space” to allow more outdoor dining and other changes on sidewalks which would be accomplished by providing a 20-foot space on each side of the street.

Larger flex spaces could be employed at street corners under the plan, which contains photos from cities such as West Palm Beach, Florida, and Greer, South Carolina, where such flexible streetscape concepts have been successfully employed.

The updated plan also recommends the creation of “complete streets” for locations such as Independence Boulevard and Renfro Street as a way to enhance pedestrian safety.

This would involve reducing the number of travel lanes and “conflict points” for vehicles.

A greenway/multi-purpose path connection also is in the mix for the street plan.

Epley says the proposal for complete streets recognizes the fact that many people are drawn to downtown Mount Airy because of its opportunities for walking.

The master plan update additionally acknowledges the ongoing revitalization of the former Spencer’s textile mill property downtown and lists the funding and building of a conference and visitor center there as a priority.

“This is an exciting project to see happening,” Epley said.

In conjunction with this, the redevelopment of the Franklin Street area nearby is an important thrust of the plan in order to provide a “critical pedestrian link” to the conference center.

Improvements to an existing municipal parking lot are envisioned which would include expanding the spaces from 160 to about 210 and providing green spots.

Another facet there is the proposed construction of a 12,000-square-foot mixed-used building located vertically along Franklin Street between Willow and North Main streets.

Epley agreed that execution of the Franklin plans would require working with neighboring property owners to secure the extra space needed.

The master plan update further highlights opportunities for residential and other developments downtown utilizing what are identified as six “opportunity sites.”

These include a 1.9-acre tract on the corner of Virginia and Willow streets where a three-story, 85-unit housing complex is eyed.

Also highlighted is a 2.9-acre parcel where The Mount Airy News now is located alongside a vacant lot behind Old North State Winery where a building burned in 2018.

Plans envision 170 housing units on that property — including three stories, with the topography deemed suitable to parking underneath buildings.

Among other opportunity sites are the municipal complex on Rockford Street and a vacant lot at Main and Cherry streets.

Commissioner Steve Yokeley said he hopes aspects of the updated plan can be implemented in stages.

“We look forward to getting some public input at the September meeting,” Mayor Ron Niland said of the upcoming hearing.

(The full downtown master plan update can be accessed from the city of Mount Airy website.)

Disrespect shown by governmental leaders toward their political opponents isn’t just a Washington, D.C., phenomenon — in the view of one former Mount Airy official this also is occurring locally, and should stop.

“It’s an embarrassment,” Shirley Brinkley said during a meeting of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners last Thursday when she complained about actions by council members when they previously had gathered on July 21.

“I do not appreciate the disrespect you’re showing for one particular fellow commissioner,” said Brinkley, who served as a South Ward board member from 2011 to 2019, when she chose not to seek re-election for a third four-year term.

Brinkley was referring to a debate surrounding a new Andy Griffith mural on Moore Avenue and Commissioner Jon Cawley’s contention that related sidewalk and street changes made there violated the city charter, its chief governing document.

Cawley, a candidate for mayor this year, says only the commissioners had the authority to do so, rather than City Manager Stan Farmer, based on the charter.

The North Ward council member had been asked to produce such documentation at a previous meeting and then to read it aloud on July 21 — only to be criticized by other commissioners who said they had a different interpretation of the charter.

This exhibited “disrespect and bullying,” Brinkley charged when speaking on the issue during a public forum portion of last Thursday’s meeting.

She focused on Commissioner Marie Wood, who was Brinkley’s hand-picked successor for the South Ward council seat Brinkley gave up in 2019.

“I think a lot of Marie,” Brinkley said during the forum, while taking issue with Wood’s reaction to Cawley during the July 21 session that Wood, also the city’s mayor pro tem, had led in the absence of Mayor Ron Niland.

Brinkley mentioned that Wood “snickered” after Cawley read the charter, which the former board member says gave the impression Wood thinks provisions contained in that document are not important.

She added that city commissioners already should know all aspects of municipal regulations and policies without those having to be brought to their attention.

Brinkley also referred to how Wood had rejected her pleas for a property tax cut at an earlier meeting when the latter spoke at a public forum ahead of a vote on the city budget.

Wood was absent from last week’s meeting when Brinkley spoke, but Brinkley directed general comments toward others on the council.

“Speaking for many citizens, I am calling you out,” the former commissioner told them. “I feel like I am a kindergarten teacher calling you out and you are a bunch of children who need to be shown how to behave yourself.”

Brinkley added that the council ought to be setting an example for the community, especially its youth.

“It is your job to serve the people who pay your salary.”

Council members did not respond directly to Brinkley’s comments, but Mayor Ron Niland indicated later during Thursday’s meeting that she did not accurately portray the relationship among city officials.

“I’ve seen boards that were a lot less nice,” said Niland, who in addition to being a former city manager in Mount Airy has served as a consultant to other municipal governments.

The mayor believes Mount Airy officials get along well for the most part, despite tackling some tough issues at times.

“And it is a very rare occasion — rare — when we leave here without speaking to each other,” he said of their departure from council chambers.

“There’s nobody sitting here that I don’t feel good about.”

Two area individuals, including a 5-year-old boy, were killed in an early morning wreck just south of Dobson, according to authorities.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol responded to an emergency call Wednesday morning before 6 a.m. off of US Highway 601 and Chandler Road, according to that agency.

While details were scant early on, Sgt. Fletcher Pipes of the Highway Patrol confirmed Wednesday afternoon that a tractor trailer carrying timber lost control and crossed left over the center line and overturned on Chandler Road. That sent part of its load of logs tumbling off the side of the truck, in the process the falling timber crashed into a passenger vehicle that was traveling in the opposite direction.

Two passengers in the vehicle that was struck by the falling logs were gravely injured, both were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

The Highway Patrol this afternoon identified the adult victim as April Hill, 42, of Dobson.

Hill’s family told FOX8 WGHP that her 5-year-old son was in the car with her and was also killed, that station reported.

Sgt. Pipes said that while all accidents are tragic, the loss of a child’s life is an especially horrific loss.

Emergency responders from the county as well as the Dobson Rescue Squad responded to the scene of the accident. Surry County Emergency Management Director Eric Southern said that Highway 601 had been closed for several hours because the truck landed on its side and the logs that fell off had to be removed. The truck lost hydraulic fluid that needed to be contained, and a power line was impacted as well.

Highway 601 had returned to normal operation before noon.

According to the Highway Patrol charges are pending the outcome of the investigation.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation reported a fatal traffic accident occurred around 6 a.m. Wednesday morning in the area of Chandler Road off of US Highway 601.

Surry County Emergency Management Director Eric Southern has provided an update.

He confirmed that the accident involved both a logging truck and a passenger car. There were two fatalities in the car.

Official identification is pending family notification by North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

“Highway 601 was closed for a couple of hours due the truck on its side, it lost a load of logs and a power line involved. There was also a leak of hydraulic fluid,” he said.

Southern reports as of 11 a.m. the crash had now been cleared and Highway 601 is now open.

Both directions of Highway 601 had been shut down for first responders, investigators, and cleanup.

Wednesday morning on social media drivers reported long delays and had advised drivers to find another route.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Updates will follow as information becomes available.

Mount Airy is supporting Pilot Mountain in advocating for the return of the PART public transportation system to Surry which county government officials discontinued on June 30 — although one city commissioner questions how much it actually was used.

“I’m hoping we can support a sister city that feels this is important,” Mayor Ron Niland said just before the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners voted unanimously for a resolution to that effect during a meeting Thursday.

The city government’s decision was a reaction to bus service to local communities operated by the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) being halted before the start of the county’s fiscal year on July 1.

In orchestrating that removal, Surry officials said the level of ridership involved did not justify the cost, specifically local revenues from a rental car tax which went to support the program. It allowed residents here to access key locations in Winston-Salem, such as hospital, shopping and employment destinations, cheaper than driving one’s own vehicle.

With Pilot Mountain being a stop along the bus system that also includes other area counties, officials there have been especially vocal about the cessation of service one said town residents heavily relied on, especially to Winston-Salem medical facilities.

“I myself have used the bus service before,” said Scott Needham, a member of the Pilot Mountain Board of Commissioners who also serves as the town’s mayor pro tem.

Needham, who was speaking during Thursday’s meeting in Mount Airy, said it came in handy after he had to undergo a hospital procedure and added that a fellow commissioner in Pilot who is a cancer survivor also was able to utilize the service.

Riding the bus to Winston-Salem in such cases has been a welcome option due to one’s inability to drive after some medical procedures, he explained.

Needham thinks it is important that the local public transportation routes be resumed, in appearing before Mount Airy’s commissioners to successfully seek their support.

The visiting Pilot Mountain official said he had written Surry County leaders in an effort to accomplish that, which they have declined to facilitate.

“I think that by doing this, they thought they could eliminate the car tax, but they haven’t,” Needham mentioned regarding how no regular property tax revenues were used to support the transportation system, only the rental-related revenues.

“Which is still in place,” Needham said in his remarks to Mount Airy officials. “They’re still collecting that money, but we’re not getting the service.”

Before last week’s city meeting, Pilot Mountain had issued a resolution applauding the low-cost transportation service and its role in reducing private vehicles on roads — saying it promotes safety and convenience while also reducing fuel emissions contributing to climate change.

The Pilot resolution further asks PART officials to reinstate the service to the town and Surry. It cites one provision in which they have authority to do so for situations in which a stop is within 10 miles of a participating county.

Mount Airy’s resolution in support of Pilot Mountain concurs with the latter’s sentiments and formally requests that PART services be restored to Mount Airy.

After Commissioner Steve Yokeley made a motion to approve Mount Airy’s resolution of support, which opened the floor to discussion on the matter, the board’s Joe Zalescik was quick to respond.

Zalescik said that when he first heard about the planned ceasing of the bus service in February, he visited the PART parking lot on Carter Street in the Big Lots shopping center.

He saw six vehicles there, two of which were from Virginia, Zalescik said.

Upon returning after the service ended, four were parked, which he speculated were owned by participants in a van pool merely meeting at that location. Had 60 or so cars been present, “it would be different,” the city commissioner said of his assessment.

“It’s kind of like, where are the riders?” asked Zalescik, who said he supports the idea of public transportation but questioned the limited routes and days available when the service was offered. He believes true public transportation is a seven-day-per-week proposition, and also pointed out that the ending of the bus runs hasn’t produced a citizen outcry.

“I’ve heard no complaints from anybody.”

Zalescik additionally questioned the system’s value when it was operational locally, saying that with no residences in close proximity, users had to drive to reach the PART lot. “That doesn’t take any cars off the highway.”

Other officials attempted to address Zalescik’s concerns, including Mayor Niland saying that if riders had to drive five miles to reach the lot at least they were not on the road for 40 or 50 miles.

It also was pointed out during the discussion that some users might not have vehicles and simply walked to the lot, which would explain an absence of cars there.

Needham and Yokeley believe that the surging gas prices in recent months would increase ridership should the PART service be resumed in Surry.

Yokeley said that among other benefits of the bus system, it hasn’t cost Mount Airy anything.

“We don’t know what the future holds,” Mayor Niland said.

Downtown Rocks and Run is the kick-off for the United Fund of Surry’s annual fundraising effort. This year, the agency hopes to raise $500,000 for its member agencies, and with a good turnout for Saturday’s races the pace will have been set for the rest of the year.

Under the umbrella of the United Fund are found a wide variety of community service organizations from around the area such as The Children’s Center of Surry, Surry Senior Centers, the Shepherd’s House, scouts, and area Rescue Squads.

Member agencies of the United Fund of Surry County meet to coordinate strategies for their unique missions. Often there are non-profit organizations working toward a similar goal that may find working together can lighten the load.

Hiatt is known to be a matchmaker for organizations which need just the right person to fill a role, or a non-profit looking for new office space. It brings her joy to help facilitate new connections and bring people together to serve the greater good of everyone in Surry County and beyond.

“After an overwhelmingly successful Rocks and Runs event last year, we do expect this year’s race to be affected since life has returned to somewhat normal. More and more races have started coming back and people are not stuck at home quite like they were last year,” Hiatt said.

There is still time to register for this weekend’s races as the online registration runs through August 12 at 6 p.m. Registration fees are $30 for the 5K, Team Fitness Challenge, and Corporate Participation Challenge. Walkers and strollers are welcome to join in the 5k.

For the 10K individual and Corporate Participation Challenge the registration fee is $40.

The Fun Run is free for kids 12 and younger (no t-shirt); $10 w/shirt purchase. All fun runners will receive a participation ribbon.

Finishers will receive a finishers medal and the 5K Team Fitness Challenge award will be presented to the fastest team based on the average time of the top 5 team members.

Race day registration begins at 6:30 a.m. in front of the Mount Airy Municipal Building, 300 S. Main St. The 10k will start at 7:45 a.m. and the 5K follows at 8 a.m. The 5k starting line will be found near the US Post Office parking lot of Cherry St.

The Kid’s Fun Run will begin at 9 a.m. in front of the municipal building, where the awards presentation will also take place following the races at 9:15 a.m.

The 5K and 10K races will have a gun start and chip timed finish. This means that all participants will have the same start time, and the finish time will be recorded as each runner crosses the finish line by reading the chip on the back of the runner’s numbered bib.

Also, the 5K race is going to have a wide start line that will enable all runners to get across the start line after the starting horn sounds as quickly and safely as possible. As there may be kids and strollers taking off at the same time, spreading out the start line across a wider area will allow everyone to have a safe start to their race, walk, or fun run.

Of note, the Fun Run will attempt to live up to its name by having a clock at the finish line, but individual times are not recorded for this event. The honor system will be required when reporting times back to friends or loved ones, or just ignore the clock altogether and enjoy the moment.

A grateful Hiatt said it takes a small army of agency volunteers and board members to set up, run, and break down the Rocks and Runs event once all the runners are back home and rehydrating. “We are overflowing with gratitude, an event like this takes a lot of manpower. Agency volunteers as well as board members set up, run, and take down this event,” she said.

Without special assistance from the staff of Reeves Community Center, local law enforcement, emergency services, and especially the public at large in the role of community cheerleaders – it may be too much for any one person to handle.

Downtown Rocks and Runs is the annual campaign’s kick-off event, following will be the Greater Granite Open to be held Friday, Oct. 14 at Cross Creek Country Club.

Also, there will be a brand-new event added to the upcoming campaign, a Bourbon Bonanza, at Old North State Winery on Saturday, Jan. 21. This event will include raffle tickets for specialty bourbons, dinner, and a bourbon tasting.

No for-sale sign has been spotted yet in front of City Hall, but 15 parcels of municipal-owned property elsewhere around Mount Airy are on the market.

This is a result of unanimous action last Thursday by the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners to authorize sealed-bid sales of 15 different tracts, a move Mayor Ron Niland says makes sense for several reasons.

“We don’t need to be a landowner, holding on to excess land,” Niland said in the wake of that decision.

It came about as a result of City Manager Stan Farmer reporting in April that the municipality owns more than 900 acres both within its boundaries and in Surry County.

That prompted discussions among council members about disposing of land the city government doesn’t need.

“We have talked about this on several occasions and I think it’s the general feeling of the board that any property we can put to use and put toward the tax base” should be sold, the mayor said. “This is keeping with one of the policies we have.”

It involves taking property out of the city government’s hands and putting it into private hands, meaning that in addition to sales proceeds the parcels can be developed and produce tax revenues.

Niland said an exception involves sites the municipality needs for its facilities or growth.

This includes 705 of the total 903 acres reflected in the city manager’s breakdown, where facilities such as the Municipal Building, water plant, Andy Griffith Playhouse and other structures are located, in addition to land occupied by recreation and industrial parks.

All of the 15 sites declared surplus through last Thursday’s vote by the commissioners are all undeveloped, with a resolution they approved stating that the city “does not need or desire the use of this property.”

Farmer says 14 of those vacant parcels presently are zoned for residential use.

Three of the 15 are located on Carolina Avenue, along with another three on Lakeview Drive and two on East Pine Street. The others are on Lewis Drive, Lakeview Drive, Lyn Avenue, Fairfield Drive, East Wilson Street, Circle Drive and Tesh Street.

The parcel identification numbers on Surry County tax records are listed as 5011-12-85-5040, 5011-15-74-2097, 5011-16-74-5124, 5011-16-74-7200, 5011-16-83-4405, 5011-16-83-5592, 5011-16-83-5630, 5011-16-83-7745, 5929-07-57-9796, 5929-o8-98-7529, 5020-16-94-4497, 5020-16-94-7764, 5020-12-95-9788, 5030-09-05-1739 and 5020-12-96-5919.

(For searches in the Surry County GIS Website, the hyphens applied to the above numbers — to make them more readable in print — should be omitted.)

More information about the property also can be obtained from the city manager’s office, according to municipal documents.

The parcels are being sold through an advertisement and sealed-bid process in which bids will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Sept. 2 at the office of the city clerk in the Municipal Building on South Main Street.

Offers also can be mailed there at P.O. Box 70, Mount Airy, NC, 27030, postmarked on or before that deadline.

The highest responsible bidder for each parcel is to be determined by the city commissioners after they receive a report during a Sept. 15 council meeting. Those officials either will accept bids or reject any and all offers by the end of that session, according the the resolution approved Thursday.

Each bid will remain open and subject to acceptance until formal action occurs.

A bid deposit of 5% is required, among other sale provisions listed in the resolution.

Another includes the fact that individual parcels are to be sold by separate bids with no grouping of parcels or block bids allowed.

Willie Byrd Williams was a schoolteacher and, like many people in Surry County, also a farmer. In 1913 he entered some of his corn harvest in a fair exhibit. It must have been some fine corn because he won for the best ear of seed corn.

He took that premium money straight to Dobson to buy a marriage license.

He and his sweetheart, Cornelia Jane Bray, were married for 57 years and raised their daughters, Ola and Minnie, in their Zephyr home just north of Elkin. They were also active supporters of the Zephyr Community Fair and the Surry County Fair for their whole lives.

Fairs and carnivals were a great excuse for people to come together and have fun. The Surry County Fair, from the beginnings in 1916, has scheduled hot air balloons, airplane stunts, side show acts, rides, and fireworks to entertain.

But their primary purpose in the beginning was much more practical. In the days before the internet, television, or radio, fairs allowed farmers and other businesses to promote their products to a much larger audience than they would otherwise be able to reach. They also provided education for young and old.

“The man who … fails to attend misses a fine opportunity to meet his neighbors and see what is being done by other people in the various occupations of life.” Mount Airy News, Sept. 25, 1919.

Farmers and business owners got to see new products that local stores were not able to carry or to see how seeds or fertilizers from various companies behaved in local soil with a reduced financial risk.

Companies such as Chesapeake Guano Company of Baltimore, Maryland, that specialized in fertilizer for tobacco in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, were popular in this region for decades. In 1886 they advertised in the Yadkin Valley News (predecessor to the Mount Airy News) that the judges of the NC State Fair in Raleigh granted their product the highest award for manure.

I know it’s tempting to chuckle at that, but for farmers it was no laughing matter. The right fertilizer combined with other progressive farming practices increased production dramatically at the turn of the last century. Corn yield went from 12 to 20 bushels per acre, wheat from 9.5-11.5. The US population was growing at an unprecedented rate, and the nation, with thousands of acres under cultivation and isolated from the direct damages of war, quickly became an important exporter of grain to feed a starving world. Successful farmers were vital to world food management.

George Hinshaw opened a general store in Winston-Salem in 1868 specializing in seed and fertilizers. He is credited with organizing the first three “Wheat and Cattle Fairs” in Forsyth.

Such events, if done well, brought people and money to a region, an economic jump-start for any community that hosted one. They were also an important tool to spread information on public health matters or better farming practices or to recruit for military service or civic organizations. But they were expensive to organize and needed a competent organization to pull local and state resources together.

It’s no surprise that soon after the trains arrived in Surry County, calls from local newspapers started encouraging people to organize a fair. The first mention I’ve found is in the Western Sentinel of Winston-Salem, Nov. 21, 1889.

“The News is pushing for a Surry county (sic) Fair next year. Winston wishes its Surry neighbors a big success.”

Though many communities across Surry, such as Zephyr and White Plains, held smaller fairs, it would take 27 years for the first county fair here.

In the meanwhile, Surry residents were taking special train excursions to attend the Catawba, Cumberland, and Forsyth county fairs and the State Fair in Raleigh. Several locals traveled to Chicago’s Columbian Exposition. With each passing year calls persisted.

“With all the progress and public spirit and wonderful achievements of Surry people and most especially the thrift and growth of Mount Airy and Elkin it looks odd to see such a grand county as Surry without a county fair. A fair properly managed would do more to stimulate farmers and manufacturers than anything else that has been tested.” Winston-Salem Journal, Sept. 25, 1907.

Finally, in 1916 the Charlotte Observer reported “Surry County is to have a fair this Fall” with a state charter and $50,000 in committed capital. A meeting in the opera house resulted in “more than a hundred business men (sic) and farmers” from across Surry and from surrounding counties buying shares at $10 each ($271 in today’s money) to fund the fair.

Mount Airy, the largest town in the county, was chosen as the location for many reasons, not the least of which was “the splendid system of sandclay roads.” Business and civic leaders such as Thomas Fawcett (founder of the First National Bank of Mount Airy), W. G. Sydnor (immediate past mayor of Mount Airy and president of the Workman’s Federal Savings and Loan), and JD Sargent (owner of the granite quarry) organized the Surry County Fair Association in June 1916.

Directors and vice presidents from every township in Surry and representatives from Carroll, Patrick, and Stokes counties signed on. They bought land from Dr. W.S. Taylor northwest of town. We’re not certain but it seems to be the same land where the fair is held today, the Veterans Memorial Park. They graded a racetrack, built exhibition buildings, and promoted the new fair relentlessly across the state.

The first fair was held in mid-November, the next two were mid-October, but in 1919 it settled in September where it would stay for a century before moving into August.

Whenever it is held, though, the fair remains exciting for kids of all ages, drawing the community together through good times and bad. If you’re headed to the fair this week, enjoy. If you’ve entered an exhibit, best good luck!

Kate Rauhauser-Smith is a volunteer for the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History with 22 years in journalism before joining the museum. She and her family moved to Mount Airy in 2005 from Pennsylvania where she was also involved with museums and history tours.

To call Danny Riggs a casual music fan would be a gross understatement.

“He loves music,” his twin brother Donnie said Friday with emphasis. “There’s music in our house 24/7.”

And Danny is fond of one country star in particular, Lee Ann Womack, a singer, songwriter and musician who has cranked out hits such as “I Hope You Dance.”

“I guess you could say he’s her biggest fan,” Donnie Riggs added.

He related how his brother even has a daily routine before going to sleep in which he will listen closely to a CD of Womack’s music and say goodnight to her. And when one of the artist’s songs is played on the Music Choice service he has access to, Danny is super-elated.

So when he recently received a gift of souvenirs signed by the country star, it could’ve been the inspiration for one such song of his own, “Happiest Guy in the Whole USA,” a variation of Donna Fargo’s iconic 1972 recording.

The items included autographed sheet music of Womack’s top hit, “I Hope You Dance,” and a pair of ballerina shoes similar to those used in a music video — also signed by her.

A side note to Danny Riggs’ situation is that he is a special-needs individual with cerebral palsy. The 60-year-old lives in the Fairfield community with his twin brother, who is his guardian.

Danny also is a client of Behavioral Services Inc. in Mount Airy, which aids individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and played a key role in his connection with the blond-haired singer.

Recognizing the fact that he “absolutely loves Lee Ann Womack,” it struck a chord with the staff there when a special request by Danny came to light, one key official recalled.

“His guardian had expressed what it would mean to him to get to meet her or get a video phone call from her,” explained Pamela Padgett, human resources director at Behavioral Services.

Padgett pointed out that part of its treatment approach involves taking a interest in things clients find meaningful and trying to help them in the realization of their dreams.

“Our caregivers here are real helpful about getting him his music,” Padgett said of Danny. “That’s the first thing he wants every morning.”

So when Mary Raasch, a service supervisor with Behavioral Services, learned of Danny’s request related to Lee Ann Womack and shared it with others there, the team sprang into action.

It just so happens that David Bumgarner, another supervisor in the office, once worked in the journalism field in Nashville and used his connections there to successfully process Danny’s request.

He has since posed for pictures holding the items received from Womack — wearing a huge smile. This has made a big difference in Danny’s life, says his brother, who works in the home-care field in addition to looking after his sibling.

“I also want to thank Behavioral Services for their involvement,” Donnie Riggs said.

“We’re just happy to be a part of it, honestly,” Padgett said.

Donnie Riggs is hoping an additional chapter to the story can be written which would be the icing on the cake for his brother: an actual conversation with Womack via Zoom, an online video communication platform used for such chats.

Danny would be up to that event, his twin believes. “He’s verbal to a point.”

Some might say Danny Riggs is lucky to have the support of his brother and that of Behavioral Services — but as those who have spent time around special-needs individuals often well know, this goes both ways.

“I’m lucky to have him, too,” Donnie said.

As expected, the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners has voted, 3-1, to set the stage for demolition of a building on Franklin Street declared dangerous — amid indications that the property owner might respond with a lawsuit.

“I don’t think it’s right what they’re doing,” Rod Brumley of National Decon Holdings LLC said in reaction to the board’s action Thursday afternoon involving the Koozies building owned by that entity.

The stage had been set for this in February, when the commissioners voted to give National Decon Holdings, located in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, 90 days to either repair the structure that is in violation of building codes or have it razed.

That decision also paved the way for the city government to have the condemned structure torn down if the owner failed to act, which officials say did not occur before or since the 90-day deadline expired on May 18.

The situation came to a head Thursday when the board voted — with Commissioner Jon Cawley dissenting (and the board’s Marie Wood absent) — to direct City Manager Stan Farmer to take steps toward achieving that end.

This will involve Farmer preparing a request for proposals from qualified and insured contractors for the demolition of the Koozies building and safe removal of all debris from the site. Koozies was the name of a private club formerly operating within those confines, but the facility has been vacate for many years and fallen into a state of major disrepair while posing a safety hazard.

A “most dangerous” structure

In objecting to the seeking of proposals from demolition contractors, Cawley questioned why two other buildings also condemned in February and included in the 90-day window aren’t being targeted in the same manner. These include the former Mittman body shop at 109 S. South St. and what is referred to as the “red building” at 600 W. Pine St. beside Worth Honda.

“It looks like to me we might be giving someone a case against us for unfair business practices,” Cawley said of the singular focus on the Koozies site.

“So why are picking out this building out of the three at this time and only acting on it?” he asked.

“From my point of view, this building is the most dangerous,” Commissioner Tom Koch responded regarding that structure, “most apt to hurt somebody, most apt to fall in the street.” He pointed out that its roof has collapsed and left a freestanding wall that possibly could fall, among other concerns.

Koch also appeared bothered by National Decon Holdings’ alleged ignoring of the order by the city and disinterest on its part in mitigating the issue. This piggybacked on a concern by Cawley about what contacts had been made with the owner by municipal representatives.

The city manager said Thursday that a certified letter was sent to National Decon Holdings after the February action and other attempted contacts by Chuck Morris, Mount Airy’s building codes enforcement officer, had occurred in the interim.

Morris told the commissioners Thursday that he has sent nine letters to the owner, plus made a total of nine phone calls and sent 12 text messages regarding the matter.

“And in fact, I had communication with them today, and we spoke about the pending meeting today and what the potential results of this meeting could mean,” he added. “So we have been in contact with them as much as they were willing to be in contact.”

“They don’t care,” Koch said of the ownership group’s concern about Mount Airy.

“And I getting to the point I don’t really care about them in Oklahoma.”

The codes officer also agreed with Koch’s assessment that the Koozies building poses a greater safety threat than the other two structures included in February’s blanket vote, and National Decon Holdings has done nothing to address the worsening safety hazard.

“There has been some movement on both of those other properties,” Morris said, including the Mittman building being sold and eyed for changes and the red building beside Worth Honda eyed for demolition once a pending sale goes through.

Thursday’s discussion included mention of the fact that the board still must approve a contract for the razing and approve funding for it, meaning the demolition is not a totally done deal at this point.

In the wake of Thursday’s meeting a warning was relayed from the owner of the Koozies property about possible legal action.

“He’s planning on suing” if the city government tears down his building, according to a source close to the situation.

That possibility could not be confirmed afterward with Brumley of National Decon Holdings.

City officials have said they legally can seize the property left behind to help recoup the cost of the takedown.

Saturday morning at Homeplace Recreation Park, roughly two dozen area youth will unload from cars and trucks and vans, making their way to the main building, where they will have the chance to have some breakfast snacks and get to know one another.

Later that night, those same youth will be singing and clapping, maybe even playing some instruments, during a concert given by some local musicians.

And in between will be swimming, corn hole, lunch, dinner, and other games — maybe even some crafts — during what will no doubt be a busy, tiring, but fun-filled day.

The youth are special needs children, and they will be getting a full day of fun thanks to the annual Eldora Handicamp taking place.

The annual gathering started in 1986, when Paul Key and Brent Simpson started the event to give the youth a break from constant reminders of health and other issues they deal with — a chance for them to have a normal camping experience.

Both men have passed away over the years, but Simpson’s son, Kevin Simpson, along with other members of his family and an army of volunteers have worked to keep the event alive and healthy.

“My dad always said it was mainly for the kids to have a weekend away and for the parents to have a weekend to their self, too,” Kevin Simpson said. And if the smiles and laughter and excited chatter among the participants is any indication, the event accomplishes that goal every year.

Up until the COVID-19 pandemic, the gathering took place over three days — Friday evening, all day Saturday, and a good portion of Sunday during camp weekend. As was the case with many events, the 2020 version was cancelled, and in 2021 it was pared to one day.

This year, Simpson said the event will again just be one day, though he is hopeful of resuming the three-day event next year.

“The activities are all the same, we’re just doing a one-day camp again this year…we’re just going to do a bunch of games, hopefully can do some crafts. Usually, over the whole weekend, we do a hayride, go swimming, do crafts, have a band that comes, a big church service on Sunday, just whatever we can get into.”

As is the case most years, he said the kids enjoy the entire event, but he said two activities usually stand out as favorites — swimming in the Homeplace pool, and the Saturday night concert.

The singer, local musician Doyle Watson, has a few musical friends that play a few times a year at various functions, Simpson said. One of those dates is the annual Eldora Handicamp — and the kids love the show.

“They do some beach music, rock, we’ve got one of the kids they let get up there and he plays the drums, he does a solo on the drums.”

Simpson said Watson will often go out into the crowd, interacting with the youth, getting some of them to sing along, even having a few up on stage with him.

While most everything is set and in place for Saturday’s event, Simpson said they could use one more thing to make it a great day for the campers — more volunteers.

Because the campers have various special needs, Simpson said some require more than one volunteer to accompany the camper. And there are always odd jobs and set-up and cleaning and other tasks to be done during the day.

Usually, he said the camp attracts more than 100 volunteers, although last year the numbers were down just a bit.

“We probably had 75, we’re hoping to have that or more this year,” he said. While he and his crew have professionals to fill in some tasks — two or three nurses will be onhand to help with any medical issues — the skills most volunteers need are simply the willingness to help.

“Just show up…that’s all they need to do. We’ll give them something to do once they get there.”

Even folks who can’t work the entire day can come in and help out for a few hours, he said.

The camp gets underway at 8 a.m. and will last until “9 or 9:30 at night,” he said — a long day but one he believes is well worth the effort.

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s very enjoyable and you’ll get a lot out of it just being around these kids,” he said of anyone wishing to help out.

After years of discussion, speculation and controversy, is a troubled structure in Mount Airy finally reaching a date with destiny today?

That could be the case during a meeting beginning at 2 p.m., when the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners is slated to consider a resolution to solicit contractors for the demolition of the sprawling Koozies building.

However, one board member desires more information before voting to take that route.

“I want to know what contact we’ve made with the owner,” Commissioner Jon Cawley said Tuesday regarding an out-of-town entity involved.

The structure fronting Franklin Street, which also is bordered by North South and West Pine streets, has been a problem for years — sitting vacant after housing a private club known as Koozies which closed, and gradually deteriorating to a dangerous state.

Council members set the stage for today’s possible move by taking action in February giving the owner of the property — National Decon Holdings LLC of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma — 90 days to repair or demolish the structure, once a Quality Mills facility.

The commissioners were told then that the building not only had become unfit for human occupancy, but posed an “imminent danger,” based on a determination by Chuck Morris, city codes enforcement officer.

“However, said owner has failed to take any corrective action to bring the building up to the standards” of the City of Mount Airy Code of Ordinances, states the resolution to be considered this afternoon.

“The building remains in a dilapidated and unsafe condition,” the proposed resolution adds, nearly three months after the compliance deadline on May 18. “Two fires have occurred inside the structure in recent months which have been linked to homeless persons living there.”

Meanwhile, the roof structure over a large portion of the building has collapsed, leaving an expansive exterior wall along Franklin Street largely unsupported, the resolution before the commissioners goes on to say.

“Other structural elements of the building are decaying and dangerous,” it says. “These conditions cause or contribute to blight, disease, vagrancy or fire or safety hazard(s) — accordingly, this building is found inimical (harmful) to public safety and deemed a public nuisance.”

If the resolution is approved by the board today, City Manager Stan Farmer will be directed to prepare a request for proposals to seek qualified and insured contractors for its demolition and safe removal of all debris from the site.

“There’s no doubt that all or part of that building needs to come down — that’s not the question,” Commissioner Cawley said Tuesday.

The question is how city officials have handled the situation up to now, he explained.

Cawley says he can’t see how the municipality can raze a structure it doesn’t own, which is where contact with the Oklahoma-based party comes into play for him.

“If we have contacted them and they basically have said ‘we’ll deed the property to the city,’ it seems to be a very appropriate step,” he said of seeking demolition proposals. “How we do things is very important.”

The proposed resolution mentions that the owner did not appeal the city’s order for mitigation before the May compliance date and otherwise has failed to act.

Today’s OK of the resolution would include a finding by the board “that the owner has abandoned the intent and purpose to repair, alter or improve the building.”

Mount Airy officials have said the city could legally seize the land left behind to help offset the cost of the tear-down, which is expected to be sizable.

Commissioner Tom Koch had said during the board’s last meeting on July 21 that the municipality was leaving itself open for a possible liability lawsuit by delaying the demolition should the building collapse and kill or injure someone.

Efforts to reach National Decon Holdings this week were unsuccessful. No telephone listing or email address could be found for the company.

Daniel White made an apology for perhaps talking too much or having too many lofty dreams. For the director of county parks and recreation that is exactly the type of energy needed. He discussed plans for Fisher River Park to evolve into a more modern and inclusive place residents of all abilities can enjoy.

A plan was presented to the county commissioners to apply for state grant matching funds intended for projects such as parks and playgrounds. The idea is to redesign or adapt play spaces to meet the different needs of those who may enjoy them including those with developmental challenges.

North Carolina has a pair of grant programs that White wants to pair with the Invest in Surry funds that have already been allocated for improvements to Fisher River Park. The grant programs especially focus on the needs of children and veterans with physical or developmental disabilities to make sure spaces are inclusive and inviting.

The goal is to enable everyone to participate in recreational and sporting activities, “regardless of abilities.” So matching grants were established to be used in construction new or adapt existing facilities that meet the unique needs of persons with physical and developmental disabilities.

Often with matching grants you find a one-to-one payout – one county dollar is paired with one dollar from state or federal funding. The state established Access for Parks grant program stands out for its ratio of one-to-five, one Surry County dollar will be mated with five from the state yielding an enormous potential to make changes to the park.

The county’s application for such a grant is still under review as of Wednesday, but the Invest in Surry dollars already exist and were earmarked for Fisher River Park.

White said the goal is to move toward the Universal Design model for parks. The concept says, “The design of products and environments (shall) be useable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without adaptation or specialized design.”

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) agree saying, “Play is fundamental to human development through our lives. Playing is especially important for children with disabilities, allowing them to practice social skills.”

“Playgrounds are often designed to accommodate specific types of play or a certain age group, leaving children who are unable to play in the prescribed way left out of the play environment.”

Universal Design elements include equipment that is accessible to all children. Items such as swings that can support a wheelchair, ramps to access places where kids with mobility challenges could once not go, or signage in braille at a height a child can read it easily. Simple changes can make everyone feel welcome and increase the joy for all.

Trying to slide past notice is the phrase “certain age group” which means yes, playgrounds and parks should have something to stimulate the child of any age — adults included. These should be spaces that create opportunities for “intergenerational and social connections, sensory stimulation, physical exercise, and access to nature.”

This is not your granddaughter’s playground anymore, well not wholly. Adult oriented elements are showing up in modern designed parks that can be as basic as an open space for yoga or walking trails, but some cities are adult sized fun. Back in 2020, a dozen adult-sized see-saws popped up along Broadway in Manhattan to the delight of many New Yorkers.

“Play spaces for older adults provide health benefits and encourage engagement with their families and communities,” the architects’ society said. “Studies have found eccentric exercise can help reduce risk of developing dementia and help fight age-induced muscle atrophy.” Ask any pickleball fanatic about their eccentric exercise and prepare to see them light up.

One person’s play for one is a dreaded chore for another, to that end White has visions of adapting the mountain bike trails at Fisher River Park as well to accommodate more skills levels. Seeing the park as a growing tourism destination for mountain biking is one of those lofty ambitions White alluded to.

There are 6.5 miles of mountain bike trail, what he called, “rooty and ruddy.” He is being told that mountain bikers want new challenges and at times want a trail that is instead “fast and flowy.” Technical jargon aside, he sees a progressively more challenging mountain bike trail as the long term answer. Fast and flowy can yield later to the more traditional bike paths, but everyone can find what they want in a designated segment, or traverse the whole distanced to sample all the offerings.

Underway at the park today is the addition of a new 1 mile self-contained fitness track. There are several paths at the park now that when added up equal a set distance, but White wants a track where folks know one loop around is one mile. Find a way to add some fitness stops along the way would be even better, he said.

These trails can be seen under construction with patches of grass obviously missing and tracks from a backhoe or similar freshly made. Keeping costs down, White has much of this work done by the county parks and recreation staff several of whom have been through trail making training at Rockingham Community College.

Parks and rec is more than youth soccer leagues or softball under the lights, White said. His department is offering a service to the residents of Surry County at the smallest cost possible thereby yielding the greatest result. “We are here for the community and we want to help bring in revenue and tourism, but our number one priority is for this community.”

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